Back Home (Edited) Book 4 of the Guardians Saga

CH 1.2 Hunting Pimps

At the apartment, Rile picked up the daiquiri cups. "They're melted."

"Drink it anyway," Alex ordered. At his look, she added, "Please? We'll snuggle on the couch until it's gone."

As Rile drank, Alex rubbed his thigh with a sparkling hand.

"Is that enough, Mother?" He showed her the empty cup.

Alex smiled warmly as Rile lowered the empty cup. She gestured for him to follow her into the living room, where she settled onto his lap on the couch and intertwined their hands together. She looked up into his eyes, deepening her smile, and said, "I have to work for Grange, my current boss in the CIA. I was created for this and I prefer Grange. If I don't, others in the CIA will come after me. I prefer the devil I know to the ones that I don't. Do you understand?"

Rile stroked her cheek with the back of his hand before he frowned. "I don't like it," he murmured.

Alex placed her hand over his, her gaze softening. "You don't have to like it. Just understand it and not interfere."

Rile shifted closer before responding, his voice heavy with emotion. "I want to help." He ran his fingers through her hair, sensually tugging at a few locks.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Alex's lips as she gazed up at him. "You can help," she said, her voice now filled with hope instead of dread. "That sounds like fun."

Rile leaned forward and kissed her forehead before speaking again. "Chinese is fastest," he exclaimed cheerfully as he grabbed his phone from the coffee table nearby. "What do you want?"

"You choose." Alex headed into the bathroom.

Rile ordered the Chinese food. He heard the shower so he turned on the television. Eventually, he heard a car pull up outside so he opened the door and exchanged cash for the food.

"Food's here!" Rile called out, carrying it inside and setting it out on the coffee table. A moment later, Alex sauntered into the living room wearing an eye-catching outfit that Rile couldn't quite place for a second.

"Why are you in your man-eater costume?" he asked, raising an eye-ridge.

"Because after we eat," she replied with a mischievous glint in her eye, "we're going hunting." She plopped down next to him on the couch and opened a food container. "Good, glass noodles. You ordered Thai, not Chinese.

Rile picked up a white takeout container and a pair of chopsticks, ready to dig in. Alex grabbed the glass noodle container and a fork instead.

She mock-glared at Rile. "That's right, I'm not authentic. I use a fork instead of chopsticks. Glass noodles are slippery and I'm hungry."

Rile shot her an amused look before he popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "I didn't say anything."

Alex winked at him. "You were thinking it."

"Now you know what I think?" Rile popped a piece of chicken in his mouth.

"Yes, so watch it." Alex smiled, twirling her fork around in the glass noodles before taking a bite. Her eyes closed unconsciously in bliss as she chewed the tender morsels.

Rile leaned into Alex and twirled his fingertips across her back.

"I'm not falling for that," Alex said, pulling away to prop herself up on an elbow. "We're going out to that street. I have a pimp to hunt down."

Rile held her gaze and ran a thumb along the jagged edges of Alex's scar. "You don't look like a man-eater. Your incision is showing. You look like prey."