"Aphrodite's_Flame_043" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kenner _Julie_-_[Protector_04]_-_Aphrodite's_Flame_(V1.0)_[lit](multi-file html))

Chapter Forty

“You’re not really going to resign, are you?” Izzy propped herself up next to him and snaked a finger along his bare skin. Mordi shivered, fighting the urge to simply roll her over and take her again. It was morning, after all. Time to get moving.
“Mordi?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll stay.” He flashed her a grin. “You need a reality checker, anyway.”
That earned him a smack with her pillow, and he caught her wrists, pulling her on top of him. His body immediately stiffened, overwhelmed by the sensation of flesh against flesh. Isole’s flesh.
He’d come to know every inch of this woman. Every delicious inch.
With other women, he’d had sex. With Izzy, though, he made love.
He’d fallen hard and fast, and it felt right. Considering who she was, she probably already knew. But even so, he wanted to tell her. Wanted to say the words out loud. Wanted to announce his love to the whole damn world.
But, most of all, he wanted to hear the words reflected back.
He drew a breath and took her hand.
“Izzy—”
The sharp ring of his cell phone cut him off. He considered turning the damnable thing off, but duty won out and he answered.
“Where are you?” Jason demanded.
“Good morning to you, too,” Mordi said.
“She’s bad news, Mordi,” Jason said. “Or at least her father is.”
His blood ran cold, and he stilled. Izzy frowned at him, a question in her eyes. He turned away. “What’s happened?”
“Can you talk?”
“Not really.”
“I figured.”
“Could you just cut to the chase?”
“Right. Sure.” Jason exhaled, as if from extreme exertion. “We had Hale go to Harold Frost’s lab to investigate this benefactor thing. Figured he can be invisible without having to keep his hands and arms under an invisibility cloak. And there might be security cameras, so—”
“Jason. Just tell me.”
“Right. Well. He found information. Frost and our father. Working together.”
Mordi closed his eyes, counted to five. “On what?”
“Don’t know.” A pause at Jason’s end. “Did she tell you?”
“No,” he admitted.
“I didn’t think so.”
“Maybe—”
“She doesn’t know?” Jason finished the thought for him. “I thought of that. But maybe she does. You need to confront her.”
“I can’t do that,” Mordi said.
Jason muttered something unintelligible. “Why?”
“Think about it.”
“You can’t talk.”
“Right,” Mordi said.
“Okay.” A pause, then: “I guess it does make sense. You’re on the Protector Oversight Committee. It’s your sworn duty to investigate any suspicious or potentially traitorous conduct. And you can’t investigate properly if she knows you’re watching her.”
“Something like that,” Mordi said, hating himself as he spoke.
“Just be careful, little brother.”
Mordi nodded, his thoughts a muddle, then realized Jason couldn’t see him. “Yeah. Of course I will,” he said, then hung up without saying good-bye. Everything Jason had said was true. But there was more. Mordi simply couldn’t believe Isole Frost was a traitor. Perhaps she didn’t know about her dad. Or perhaps there was some other explanation. Either way, Mordi trusted her.
He closed his eyes and took a breath, praying he wasn’t wrong. He’d misplaced his loyalty before, wasting years following his father.
Please, Zeus, he couldn’t be wrong this time, too. Not about Izzy. Not about the woman he loved. What would he do if he had to arrest her?

Chapter Forty

“You’re not really going to resign, are you?” Izzy propped herself up next to him and snaked a finger along his bare skin. Mordi shivered, fighting the urge to simply roll her over and take her again. It was morning, after all. Time to get moving.
“Mordi?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll stay.” He flashed her a grin. “You need a reality checker, anyway.”
That earned him a smack with her pillow, and he caught her wrists, pulling her on top of him. His body immediately stiffened, overwhelmed by the sensation of flesh against flesh. Isole’s flesh.
He’d come to know every inch of this woman. Every delicious inch.
With other women, he’d had sex. With Izzy, though, he made love.
He’d fallen hard and fast, and it felt right. Considering who she was, she probably already knew. But even so, he wanted to tell her. Wanted to say the words out loud. Wanted to announce his love to the whole damn world.
But, most of all, he wanted to hear the words reflected back.
He drew a breath and took her hand.
“Izzy—”
The sharp ring of his cell phone cut him off. He considered turning the damnable thing off, but duty won out and he answered.
“Where are you?” Jason demanded.
“Good morning to you, too,” Mordi said.
“She’s bad news, Mordi,” Jason said. “Or at least her father is.”
His blood ran cold, and he stilled. Izzy frowned at him, a question in her eyes. He turned away. “What’s happened?”
“Can you talk?”
“Not really.”
“I figured.”
“Could you just cut to the chase?”
“Right. Sure.” Jason exhaled, as if from extreme exertion. “We had Hale go to Harold Frost’s lab to investigate this benefactor thing. Figured he can be invisible without having to keep his hands and arms under an invisibility cloak. And there might be security cameras, so—”
“Jason. Just tell me.”
“Right. Well. He found information. Frost and our father. Working together.”
Mordi closed his eyes, counted to five. “On what?”
“Don’t know.” A pause at Jason’s end. “Did she tell you?”
“No,” he admitted.
“I didn’t think so.”
“Maybe—”
“She doesn’t know?” Jason finished the thought for him. “I thought of that. But maybe she does. You need to confront her.”
“I can’t do that,” Mordi said.
Jason muttered something unintelligible. “Why?”
“Think about it.”
“You can’t talk.”
“Right,” Mordi said.
“Okay.” A pause, then: “I guess it does make sense. You’re on the Protector Oversight Committee. It’s your sworn duty to investigate any suspicious or potentially traitorous conduct. And you can’t investigate properly if she knows you’re watching her.”
“Something like that,” Mordi said, hating himself as he spoke.
“Just be careful, little brother.”
Mordi nodded, his thoughts a muddle, then realized Jason couldn’t see him. “Yeah. Of course I will,” he said, then hung up without saying good-bye. Everything Jason had said was true. But there was more. Mordi simply couldn’t believe Isole Frost was a traitor. Perhaps she didn’t know about her dad. Or perhaps there was some other explanation. Either way, Mordi trusted her.
He closed his eyes and took a breath, praying he wasn’t wrong. He’d misplaced his loyalty before, wasting years following his father.
Please, Zeus, he couldn’t be wrong this time, too. Not about Izzy. Not about the woman he loved. What would he do if he had to arrest her?