“Okay. Go ahead, unless you’d like some company?” Lisa purred. “I could wash your back…or your front.”

Bennett beamed, and walking around the counter, she gave Lisa a brief, chaste kiss. “You don’t know how much I’d like to take you up on your offer, except Max is requiring our company in less than two hours. With all that’s happened, I really don’t think we should be late. Do you?”

Lisa tutted. “No, I suppose not,” she said, quickly returning the kiss. “And it’ll give me time to call my folks.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” Unable to stop herself, Bennett kissed Lisa again, and this time the kiss wasn’t quick, and it wasn’t chaste. Wet and probing, time stood still until, sighing in unison, their lips parted, and they reluctantly went their separate ways.

Chapter Forty-Nine

By the time Lisa hung up the phone, her family knew her personality hadn’t changed. Her playful banter had soothed everyone’s minds almost instantly, and hearing that her family was still being protected by some of Max’s finest had eased Lisa’s mind as well. There were worries, of course. Concerns over a maniac named Napoleon and when they’d all be together again, and when they spoke of Lisa’s new life, her parents’ tone carried with it a hint of worry…but just a hint. Lisa had smiled. It was to be expected.

Lounging across the sofa petting Xi, when a soft knock interrupted Lisa’s thoughts, she jumped, and so did Xi. Launching off her lap, he scampered down the hall as Lisa answered the door.

Hesitant about the reception she’d receive, Ruby had been standing outside Bennett’s apartment for over a minute before she dared to knock. Bennett had asked her to retrieve some of Lisa’s things, but Bennett wasn’t who worried Ruby. As soon as the door opened, her worries faded ever so slightly.

“Oh, my God,” Lisa said, seeing Ruby loaded with a suitcase, a carry-on slung over her shoulder, and a bunch of clothes on hangers. “You didn’t need to bring everything I own. Geez. Let me take some of that.”

“You of all people know this doesn’t even come close to the number of clothes you own,” Ruby said, handing off the hangers. “But I wasn’t sure what you needed and what you didn’t, so I grabbed an assortment.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Lisa said, eyeing Ruby for a second. She was dressed entirely in black, and most of what she was wearing was leather. The observation came and went in an instant, and getting back on track, Lisa draped some clothes over a chair. “And I also appreciate what you said to me last night and what you did for me. I don’t think I ever thanked you for saving my life.”