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  Completely sated, Izzy’s body brimmed with a mix of euphoria and exhaustion as she sank into the pillow and drifted off to dreamland.

  A loud clap of thunder woke her, and Izzy patted the mattress around her, bummed to discover she was alone. The clock said it was only 4:40 in the afternoon even though darkness was settling across her room courtesy of the rain and clouds. Sitting up, she held the sheets against her bare skin and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then noticed a beam of light spilling from under the bathroom door. The shower was running and she couldn’t help but smile realizing Sara was still here.

  She tiptoed into the bathroom hoping to surprise Sara, but before she could execute, Sara said, “I hope you don’t mind,” over the rush of the water. Busted.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” Izzy said as she slid open the frosted glass door and stepped in with a grin. Sara welcomed her readily, inching forward to make room. “I’m sorry I passed out,” Izzy said kissing the back of her damp shoulder. “Did you nap at all?”

  Sara turned to face her, scrunching her nose as she moved to the side to give access to the steady shower stream. “I have a hard time sleeping in the afternoon. Nightmares,” she added.

  “That sucks.”

  “It’s okay. It was nice just being next to you,” she whispered, reaching high and handing Izzy a loofah hanging off the hook of the shower caddy. “I took Chase out, I hope that’s okay.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “It was no big deal. I wanted to get clothes from my truck anyway.” She dropped a soft wet kiss on her lips. “One of the perks of basically living out of my car,” she added with an eyebrow raise as she stepped out and grabbed a towel off the rack. “Are we going out to eat or staying in?” she asked with a gorgeous knowing smile.

  “You’ll stay?” Izzy heard the excitement in her own voice and didn’t even care that her absolute enthusiasm showed.

  “I know it’s not even five, but I’m starving. And…” She let her voice drawl out. “We still have a ton of movies to watch.”

  “I vote takeout, then. You pick.”

  Not wanting to miss another minute, Izzy zipped through the shower, smiling at the prospect of a second night together. She loved their easy connection and that they could barely keep their hands off each other. Even as they were getting set up for dinner, Sara seemed to find reasons to touch her—a tiny kiss by the fridge, her hand casually grazing Izzy’s bottom as she poured their drinks. The evening was continued perfection as they huddled side by side in comfy clothes at the kitchen island sharing pad thai and spring rolls. Izzy was insanely happy. Even the inevitable barrage of texts from Nicole lighting up Sara’s phone wasn’t enough to unnerve her.

  “Here she is. Saturday night, like clockwork,” Izzy teased, hoping Sara knew she was still on the friendly side of jealous. “Don’t tell me…” She held her fork up. “She needs you for something.”

  Sara chuckled, answering Izzy with a peck on the lips before she opened the text.

  Izzy watched her read for a second. “So lay it on me. What’s the emergency now?”

  Putting her phone down, Sara swiveled her stool to face her. Sara held her face and cupped her chin, looking right in her eyes before administering a kiss that started soft and slow but became hard and heavy, somehow evolving into sweet and sexy. Izzy nearly slid off the stool.

  “If you leave now, I’m going to kill you.”

  “I’m not.” Sara dropped a kiss on her nose. “I want you to know there’s nothing going on.” She glanced at her phone. “Nicole’s not a threat. I promise.” She was clearly waiting for Izzy’s acknowledgment and she reached forward tipping Izzy’s chin up for eye contact. “You know that, right?”

  “I do. I guess.” Izzy hated knowing she was coming off as possessive. “Why does she call you all the time?” Great, now she was borderline pathetic. “First she was up here, and now you just got back from being down there. All this to help her with a project?” she asked, knowing she sounded skeptical.

  “Nicole just got bumped up a few ranks.”

  “Another promotion?”

  “Well, not a promotion, really. It’s more of a lateral move. She was the Director of Training, now she’s the Director of Special Programs. Believe it or not, it’s a pretty big deal involving a lot more prestige and responsibility,” Sara said nonchalantly.

  “Okay,” Izzy said, trying to understand what any of this had to do with Sara.

  “One of her tasks is developing training nationwide.”

  “How does that not fall under the Director of Training?” Izzy asked.

  “Well, before, her division was responsible for administering the training mandates. Now, she’s in charge of actually setting protocol.” Sara moved some noodles around her plate. “She’s been asking me to help her with the K-9 stuff.” Her eyes brightened with fervor. “So I’ve been reviewing federal policies as well as those of some of the local and regional agencies we partner with. Getting her up to speed on trends, training techniques, things like that.” She nodded at her phone, appearing almost guilty. “I’m headed down there tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” Izzy let her head fall against Sara’s shoulder. “This is going to be my complete undoing.”

  “Hey.” Sara tucked Izzy’s hair behind her ear. “It’s just work.”

  “And there’s no one else who can do it,” Izzy finished for her, purposely loading her statement with sarcasm. But when she looked up, Sara’s expression revealed a truth she wasn’t expecting.

  In the brief, unguarded moment Izzy could tell Sara enjoyed the extra work. “I’m sorry,” she said, reining herself in immediately. “This is what you love.” She kissed Sara’s biceps. “I know I’m being juvenile, but I just got you and I don’t want to lose you to your beautiful, decorated, high-powered ex-girlfriend who practically runs Homeland Security. I can’t compete with that.”

  “Izzy”—Sara turned to face her and placed her hands on the tops of her thighs—“you’re not competing with anyone. It’s you. I want to be with you. And I finally am.” Her smile was soft and Izzy felt herself calming. “Nothing is going to get in the way of that.” Sara kissed her. “I do love being part of revamping the training. Not because of Nicole. Although I am grateful for the opportunity.” She shrugged a little. “I live for K-9. It’s been my sole existence for years. I read articles, stream video, keep up on all the latest tactics, techniques, breeds, bloodlines, you name it. Here and in Europe.”

  “I get it.” Izzy touched her forehead to Sara’s, feeling ridiculous and petty. “I’m just being a jealous girlfriend.”

  “It’s flattering.” Sara kissed Izzy gently. “But you have nothing to worry about.” Izzy met her eyes and relaxed some when Sara reached for her hands and laced their fingers together. “Trust me, okay?” Izzy let Sara tug her off her stool and bring her in close. Sealing her sentiment with a series of kisses that hinted at more, Izzy felt Sara smile against her lips. “Girlfriend, huh?”

  “You better be my girlfriend if you’re going to run off to DC every weekend.” Without letting go of Sara’s hand, Izzy spun around, twisting into Sara’s embrace and wrapping Sara’s perfectly defined forearms around her belly.

  She felt Sara hug her tighter in response. “Sounds perfect,” Sara said, placing a kiss on the spot just below her ear.

  Hours later after dinner was finished and the dishes cleared, they cuddled under the covers, only making it through half of The Empire Strikes Back before the need to devour each other took over, and they spent the remainder of the night talking and touching until they finally fell asleep, tangled in each other’s embrace. And when Sara left in the morning bound for Washington, DC, her kisses felt lovely, if bittersweet, as Izzy focused on the short few days until they could be together again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “What do you hear about Nicole coming back to New York?”

  Sara stood in the doorway to John’s corner office and tried to gaug
e his reaction to her out-of-the-blue question. He took off his glasses and tossed them onto the stack of papers in front of him, swiveling in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head.

  “I figured you’d be the one with all the intel on Nicole,” he countered.

  “That’s just it.” She took a small step inside and leaned against the wall. “She hasn’t said boo about it to me.”

  “Come in.” He waved her forward. “Shut the door. Talk to me.”

  She responded to his gentle request, flopping into his uncomfortable spare chair and looking out the window as she searched for the right words. “I don’t really know that I have anything to say,” she said, drumming the armrest repeatedly.

  “Clearly that’s not the case.” He picked up his specs and pointed at her with them, the subtle gesture an overt reference to her agitated state. “What’s this about New York?” he asked, ever the investigator as he twirled his glasses between his thumb and index finger.

  “Nothing. I don’t know. A while back you said you heard a rumor or something.” She picked at her short fingernails, avoiding eye contact. “When I was down in DC, I overheard some guys saying they heard she was planning on coming back up here.”

  “But she hasn’t mentioned it to you. That’s surprising.”

  She released a heavy, aggravated breath. “We talk about work. Dogs. Training. Not much else.”

  He dropped his chin and his look said he didn’t believe her, so she elaborated. “Of course we talk about other stuff,” she said honestly. “But nothing like that.” She met his eyes, gripping the chair as if to brace herself. “She’s not transferring here, is she?” she asked, powerless to cover her sincere disbelief over the possibility.

  “I heard some scuttlebutt a while back,” he offered. “Nothing official.” He scratched his chin as though he was considering the percentages. “I wouldn’t be shocked, though.”

  Sara clenched her jaw, knowing the anger she felt at the prospect didn’t entirely add up.

  “I’m honestly surprised at your reaction.” John didn’t wait for her to explain herself. “You gals are spending an awful lot of time together these days. You’re there. She’s here. I figured, you know, things were finally coming together for you.” He shrugged. “It’s not a crazy assumption.”

  “We work on program implementation and upgrades. Purchasing. Pedigree. Certifications.”

  “All things that could be done via phone.”

  What the hell?

  He chuckled at her obvious irritation, putting his hands up in a defensive pose. “I’m just pointing out the facts.”

  She closed her eyes, trying for composure, as she processed his theory.

  “Look, Sara.” She met his sympathetic gaze, and he leaned forward on his messy desk. “Truthfully I have no clue what Nicole’s plans are.” He rubbed his stubby mustache. “The fact is, as the Director of Special Programs, she can work almost anywhere. Well, any of the large federal facilities or offices. Which would certainly include Overton. And with our proximity to Manhattan, which is the biggest district office”—he held his hands up in a kind of surrender—“this place sort of makes sense as a front-runner.”

  He stood up and grabbed sunglasses from his credenza by the window. “Come on,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Stop stressing. Let’s go have some fun with this exercise.” He paused, taking a second to look right at her. “If I hear anything at all, I promise you’ll be the first to know.” He backed out of the doorway, slipping on his shades. “But, Sara, you know her better than anyone. Why don’t you just ask?”

  There was only one problem with that plan: she was absolutely terrified of the answer.

  She reached the practice field still heavy with stress, but one look changed her entire attitude. As soon as her eyes found Izzy among the group of handlers, everything was all right in the world. Sure, her heart pounded and her pulse raced, every moment of their weekend flooding to the surface. But gone were her nerves and agitation. She smiled. Izzy grounded her. As if she could read her mind, Izzy gave her a soft smile, and it hit her so hard Sara had to avert her gaze when a rush of emotion washed over her.

  By contrast Izzy was the picture of pure professionalism. Tucked away in a shady spot lined up with her classmates along the exterior of the academic building, she looked primed and ready, all business, with Chase at her side waiting for action.

  “Okay, everybody.” Sara clapped her hands, hoping to get them pumped for the event. “This is a little practical exercise we like to call Anything Goes.” A weed whacker fired up nearby and she nodded in response. “That right there is one of the reasons.” On cue a series of pops sounded in the distance, causing the dogs to perk up along with their handlers. “Those are gunshots from your fellow officers in training going through firearms qualifications on the other side of campus.” She saw something of a sly smile playing at Izzy’s lips, and it warmed her heart to see she’d been missed in the last forty-eight hours they’d been apart. It took everything she had to stay on point.

  “Remember your training,” she continued. “Stay focused. The guys are going to mix up the scenarios.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the backfield. “Sometimes there’ll be a bomb, sometimes not. Safety always comes first.” She swirled her finger at the ruckus all around. “This is just noise. Don’t get rattled. You can handle this. I know it.” She was referring to each person, each canine, and she pointed at her heart to express faith in her class. But at the same time, she looked at Izzy and in the moment felt utterly transparent. “Okay, let’s go,” she said, clearing her throat and clapping it up to divert attention as she signaled Ryan and Jax to kick off the drill.

  ***

  When they were up, Izzy and Chase sailed through without a hitch, with Chase identifying a high hide from the ground. Sniffing it out, he sat down in passive alert and barked like crazy to make Izzy aware of its presence on the top of a storage bunker. She looked around for something to stand on and found an empty milk crate. She stepped up, holding her phone above her head and activating the camera to make visible verification of the contraband. Together they scored high marks for their find, their communication skills, and improvisation. Milk crate, FTW! With the cycle complete, she and Chase were dismissed for the day, but Izzy headed back to the classroom, taking her time packing up her gear, waiting to see Sara again before she left.

  “Hey, are you in a rush to get home today?” Jen’s voice from the doorway surprised her.

  Izzy almost laughed out loud at the question. “Not at all.”

  “I was wondering if you’d be willing to work with me for a little bit.” Jen stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Chase is always on point.” She walked forward holding Tempe’s leash tightly. “He never gets it wrong. And you two seem so…connected.” She looked between Chase and Izzy and then down at her own pup. “Sometimes I worry about Tempe. We’re not clicking lately.”

  “What happened in the field?”

  “Double decoy,” she answered with a frown.

  “Ooh, that’s a tough one.” Izzy realized how lucky she’d been to draw a relatively simple high hide. She channeled her best supportive voice. “Don’t be too hard on yourself.” Making sure her voice stayed even she added, “What did Sara say?”

  “Nothing bad.” Jen tugged at her ponytail, playing with the ends of her sandy-blond hair. “She told me to stay with it. Not to get bogged down by the near miss.”

  “See that? You didn’t even miss,” Izzy reassured her.

  “Tempe hesitated. She wanted her reward after the first decoy. Kind of lost focus. Not that I’m blaming her. Once we got the first bad guy, I shut the scenario down in my head. I didn’t even see the second perp until he was almost on us.”

  “That could happen to anyone.” Izzy tucked her keys into the side zipper of her backpack, withdrawing her phone and sliding it into her pocket. But she was pretty sure Jen was still stressed—she would be, in her situation—so she smiled and of
fered her services. “How can we help you?”

  “I don’t know, really.” Jen folded her arms across her chest. “I thought maybe me and Tempe could watch you guys work, get tips.” She shrugged.

  More than anything, Izzy thought she needed a friend.

  “Let’s go,” she said with a huge smile.

  Wasting no time, they headed to the far training area in the back where they’d be sure to be out of the way. For a while they focused on side-by-side obedience work. Knowing Tempe was as play driven as Chase, Izzy told Jen about her system of tiering reward toys—jute, ball, Kong—and mixing in other motivators to keep things fresh. The info seemed to relax her. Perhaps she’d just needed a sounding board and a few new options. After a while, they sat on the grass and let their dogs play, enjoying the warm afternoon sun as their conversation teetered to the personal.

  “Are you heading back to Florida for the Fourth?” Izzy asked. With Independence Day falling this Thursday, the school had bestowed a four-day weekend on the handlers, and Izzy knew most of the out-of-towners were heading home.

  Jen picked at the blades of grass near her feet as she shook her head. “Staying local.”

  “On campus?” Izzy couldn’t help but wonder how deserted the place would be.

  “Actually, I’m headed to Rhode Island.” She blushed as she said it.

  “Good for you,” Izzy responded, adding a shoulder bump. Mark lived in Newport.