Page 3 of Blake

It wasn’t the fact that he was Echo Team’s tech guy, though that had understandably caught her attention. Most of all, Devon hadn’t forgotten those amazing, light blue eyes.

There had been anger there. Not at her, but rather for her.

Devon had known the man for all of a few seconds, so it hadn’t made sense. A stranger shouldn’t be so deeply affected by what had happened to her, yet he was. And now he was back.

With flowers, no less.

“So.” Blake leaned back in his chair. “Janie tells me you’re pretty good with computers.”

She arched a brow, refusing to let him see the move caused her pain. “Pretty good?”

“Her words, not mine.” He lifted his palms in defense.

“What else did Janie say?”

He gave her a thoughtful look. “That you could probably hack into the Pentagon if you were sufficiently motivated.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.”

Blake grinned, and for a fleeting moment, she could almost forget the rest. But then he said something funny, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Devon winced, and he cursed under his breath.

“Sorry.” His altered tone matched his solemn expression.

“It’s not your fault.” The worst of the pain began to subside. Devon looked over at the flowers and back to him. “Why did you come back to see me?”

Rather than crack another joke, Blake sighed, his gaze sliding toward the bouquet. “I guess I figured you could use a reminder that not everything in the world is dark.”

The answer caught her off guard, and a knot formed at the base of her throat.

“That’s . . . really sweet. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” A quiet moment passed between them. “I should let you rest.”

Blake stood, and as he was walking toward the door, Devon noticed he was taller than she’d remembered. At least six feet. Maybe an inch or two more.

Speaking of more . . .

Broad shoulders. Lean, hard muscles. Short, light brown hair and scruff.

He started to leave but stopped himself short, bringing those gorgeous eyes of his back her way.

“Get some sleep, Devon.”

She looked back toward the flowers. “You were right, you know. They do make this place look less depressing.”

“Good.” Blake grinned. “Mission accomplished.”

This time, when he reached for the door, it was Devon who kept him from leaving.

“Blake?”

“Yeah?” He faced her once again.

“Thank you.”

The expression on his handsome face softened. “You’re welcome.”