Page 23 of Acting on Instinct
For Kira, it was like the strike of lightning, a force of nature.
Or so she’d thought.
Where Ty knew, for the most part, about the behind-the-scenes. Kira was completely, naïvely oblivious.
Kira wasn’t mad about it. She was a lot of things about it, but mad wasn’t one of those emotions.
Kira owed a lot to Lula. After all, because of Lula’s choices, Kira was alive. She was whole. She was in love with the man Lula had chosen for her. Kira couldn’t think of a single scenario other than a CIA mission that would have Kira crossing paths with Ty.
Still, there was a lot to reconcile because of how her relationship got its start.
“I’m in love, and I’m safe,” she told her garden.
If that was true, why couldn’t Kira just be happy?
Why couldn’t she let the past flush from her system?
Kira lowered her lips and blew across the top of her coffee, feeling the humidity of the steam condense as it touched her upper lip.
Holding her mug between her hands, Kira drew it to her chest, letting the radiant heat warm her heart, wishing that she could be okay.
To simply love freely.
Yet here she was with all the complications of a nervous system that felt like it was in perpetual danger.
And she didn’t understand why.
Chapter Eight
Kira
Ty jogged down the stairs just as Kira looked over at Rory and said, “I saved a bone for you.”
“I saved a bone for you, too,” Ty said, rounding into the room with a grin on his face.
Kira sent him a lascivious smile that brought him over to her in two strides, wrapping her in his arms as she set her mug down before he pulled her to his heart. They stood there quietly content until Rory tried to squeeze between them.
“Did you find the rolls?” Ty asked, letting Kira go to reach for the bag on the counter, sliding it forward so she’d see.
“Yes, thank you. But I was waiting for you.” Kira slid behind him, moving into the kitchen where she pulled two plates from the cupboard and two napkins from her linen drawer.
“What have you got planned for today?” Ty asked, pouring a mug of coffee.
She opened the bag and drew out the rolls, placing one on each plate. She looked up at Ty through the veil of her eyelashes. “Playing in bed with you.”
“Which sounds like the best plan ever,” he grinned, capturing her hips in his hands.
She set the plates down. “Then, I have a book I’m enjoying. I thought I might read a bit. What time do you need to be on the road?” she asked.
“By two if I’m going to get back to base in time to prep for my training mission. Before then, I wanted to ask you a favor.” He moved his hands to her elbows.
“Oh? About today? Well, you brought me my favorite breakfast treat. I can’t really say no to you, can I?”
“See, Rory?” Ty looked down where Rory splayed at their feet. “I told you the cinnamon rolls. And you said pain au chocolate. I win.”
Kira looked down at Rory, “I would have said yes to a favor in exchange for pain au chocolate, too.” She tipped her head back to shift her gaze to Ty’s. “How can I help?”
“My mom’s birthday’s in two weeks. I was hoping we could pick out a gift for her that we could give together,” he said.
