Jesse would have noticed if he’d dressed up.

I glanced at the bed where my new jeans and a dark blue T-shirt summoned me with their comfort. Bribes can go both ways—and Jesse would find it amusing to play double agent.

So I pulled out a pale gray dress, classy enough that I could wear it to all but the most formal of occasions and not so dressy that it would look out of place at a restaurant or theater. If we really went bowling, I could bowl in the dress. I slipped into the dress and quickly unbraided my hair and brushed it out.

“Mercy, aren’t you ready yet?” asked Samuel, a touch of amusement in his voice. “Didn’t you say you had a hot date?”

I opened the door and saw I hadn’t gotten it quite right. Adam was wearing a tux.

Adam is shorter than Samuel, with the build of a wrestler and the face of… I don’t know. It is Adam’s face, and it is beautiful enough to distract people from the air of power that he conveys. His hair is dark, and he keeps it short. He told me once that it is so the military personnel that he has to deal with in the course of his security business feel comfortable with him. But these last few months, as I’ve gotten to know him better, I think it is because his face embarrasses him. The short hair removes any hint of vanity, and says, “Here I am. Let’s get down to business.”

I would love him if he had three eyes and two teeth, but sometimes his beauty just hits me. I blinked once, took a deep breath, and brushed off the need to proclaim him mine so I could pull my mind back to interactive mode.

“Ah,” I said, snapping my fingers, “I knew I’d forgotten something.” I ran back to my closet and snagged a sparkly silver wrap that dressed the gray up appropriately.

I came back out to see Samuel giving Adam a five-dollar bill.

“I told you she’d figure it out,” Adam said smugly.

“Good,” I told him. “You can pay Jesse with that. She told me we were going bowling. I need to find a better spy.”

He grinned, and I had to work to keep my face annoyed. Oddly enough, given his face, it wasn’t the beauty of Adam-with-a-smile that delighted me when he grinned—though he really was spectacular. It was the knowledge that I’d made him smile. Adam was not given to… playfulness, except with me.

“Hey, Mercy,” Samuel said, as Adam opened the front door.

I turned to him, and he gave me a kiss on the forehead.

“You be happy.” The odd phrase caught my attention, but there was nothing odd in the rest of what he said. “I’ve got the red-eye shift. Most likely I won’t see you when you get back.” He looked up at Adam, meeting his eyes in a male-to-male challenge that had Adam’s eyes narrowing. “Take care of her.” Then he pushed us out and closed the door before Adam could take offense at the order.