Their first date still lingered in the back of her mind as something she did not wish to repeat, ever. But what was to say that side of him wouldn’t come out again? What if it got worse?
As her thoughts started to wander, he reached out a gentle hand and cupped her chin. Phoebe felt her breath catch as he leaned in but not all the way. He waited, like a gentleman, for her to lean in and accept his kiss. But when she looked at his face, she saw Ben’s crooked pirate grin as he’d swept her off her feet and made this weekend the most magical time she’d ever spent with a man. Mitch would never even come close. The idea made her want to pull away, but her brain made her do what her heart could not. She leaned in and their lips met.
His lips were soft and gentle as the kiss started to deepen. For a moment, Phoebe didn’t think she would feel anything, but there was a little spark. Definitely not the fireworks she’d had with Ben. This was something else. A feeling of desperation, of a need to be close to the man who was hopefully going to save her from the harshness of this reality.
Before long, Phoebe found herself leading Mitch back to her bedroom and kicking the door closed behind them.
***
Mitch rolled out of bed quietly as Phoebe slept beside him. The night had been interesting, to say the least. He hadn’t expected to get laid, but she’d wanted him. Her sudden wanting him confused Mitch, but he didn’t argue. As much as he had told himself to keep his distance, just like he did with all his other marks, he found himself caring for this woman who was so damn innocent she couldn’t see the truth right in front of her. She reminded him of another woman he’d known a long time ago, before his job had taken him too far away from her and what she could handle.
Phoebe would react the same way if she ever found out.
Not that you care, he thought to himself as he slipped his clothes back on and snuck out her bedroom door. She wouldn’t be up for a few hours, and he wanted to look for those files. If he could get his hands on them now, it would save him the trouble of trying to scare her later. He would have to make her understand that going after Yancey was a bad idea. If she kept pushing, Yancey would hire someone else to take care of Phoebe. Then he’d hear about her body being found in the river a few days later. Strangled or shot. No, he didn’t want that for her.
He started in the living room, then moved on to the kitchen, but turned up nothing. He double-checked her desk drawers, the closet, and even the bathroom, but there was no sign of the files. The last place was her bedroom. He crept back in to find her still snoring quietly. At least she slept soundly enough.
Mitch started with her dresser, slowly opening her nightstand drawers, waiting for her to wake up and catch him in the act. But she heard nothing. Running out of time, he checked her closet and smiled when he found a floor safe. It was small and couldn’t hold much, but there could definitely be files in it. He pulled out his lock picks from his wallet and went to work. It only took a few minutes before it popped open with a loud clink. He cursed and glanced behind him, but she didn’t stir. Sighing and muttering to himself, he opened the safe and glanced inside.
No files. Nothing he needed.
Damn. He was going to have to use scare tactics after all.
***
Phoebe rolled over and stretched as her alarm went off. Morning already. She started to ask Mitch if he was going to be late for work, but when she sat up and looked around, he wasn’t there. His spot in the bed was cold. He’d just up and left her, doing the one thing she assumed Ben would have done. She pulled the sheet up over herself and held it there tightly, cursing herself for giving in to her emotions last night. Apparently, Mitch had not been on the same page as her.
Her alarm was still shrilling, and she reached over to stop it before she wound up chucking it across the room and breaking it. She got up and showered, trying not to let herself get too upset about it. Although, if this was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with, she’d hoped this morning would’ve been a bit better.
As she made her way into the kitchen, ready to head into work, she noticed a note taped to her coffee pot. It had been turned on sometime that morning. Still on and hot.
“Well, just help yourself,” she snapped as she yanked the note off.
But when she opened it up to read, she felt all her anger slip away. He’d been called into the office an hour ago and hadn’t wanted to wake her. So he made coffee for her and hoped that would be enough to suffice until he could do something more to make up for leaving. He even told her how much he enjoyed last night.