Conflict of Heart

Chapter 36

"How sure are you that he's going to be here?"

Ryker's question jarred Isabella from her thoughts. She glanced at him, watching his sharp gaze take in the skyscraper before him. His dark brow was pulled into a harsh frown, his apprehension clear as he looked back at her.

She licked her lips nervously, thinking back to how they had ended up in this position. She had been adamant that the only way to push the investigation along was to speak to Damien, while Ryker had been adamant that he would never let her get close enough to him to try.

They were in a headlock, but she eventually won the argument by saying that she would go with or without him. He had conceded then, knowing how stubborn and headstrong she could be. But he had stated in a very stern manner that he would wait outside Damien's door, and should she need his help, shout for him.

"Not very much," she replied earnestly, feeling her heart rattle in its cage. But knowing that being nervous would only make the situation worse, she drew a slow, steady breath into her lungs and straightened her shoulders.

It was her decision after all. She had to have faith in it.

"We just have to take the chance and see."

Ryker's gaze narrowed at her. "I'm not too fond of chances."

Her delicate eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Are you trying to make me lose my nerve?"

"Yes."

She huffed and shook her head in disbelief. "Well, it won't work. I decided to be here, so if anything happens, it will be my burden to bear."

She moved to open the car door, but the locks engaging echoed in her ears. Annoyed, she turned to look back at him with a scowl, but a hand suddenly cupped the back of her head, and firm masculine lips pressed harshly against her own.

The exclamation of surprise was swallowed by the intensity of his kiss. She resisted for only a moment before relaxing, raising her hands to hold his jaw, delighting in the roughness of his growing stubble.

As suddenly as the kiss began, he pulled his lips away from hers. "I don't particularly enjoy the fact that my intended is walking blindly into the lion's den."

His voice was rough, and the sheer predatory look in his eyes left her feeling weak and yet protected all at once. She offered him a small smile and caressed his cheek. "I'll be okay."

But her words didn't ease the intense expression on his face as he stared her down. "If he so much as raises a hand to you, I'm killing him."

She sighed softly. "He won't. He's not like that."

She offered him a light peck to his nose to ease him before turning back to the door. She tossed an annoyed glance over her shoulder and watched as Ryker, very reluctantly and with a prominent scowl, unlocked the doors.

Stepping out of the car into the crisp early September day, she drew a deep breath into her lung and turned to look back at him. "Give me five minutes, then you can follow."

The muscles in his jawline jutted with indignation, and his gaze was smoldering as she turned and made her way to the entrance of the building.

The nervousness that she had tried desperately hard to hide from Ryker's trained eye returned full force as she greeted the desk clerk sitting in the lobby. After a quick introduction and confirmation that Damien was home, she moved to the elevator and pressed the fourth floor.

Her hands started feeling clammy as she stepped inside the metal cubicle, and the doors were sealed shut behind her. Taking slow, even breaths, she forced herself to think positively. Damien didn't know that they suspected anything, so although he would be surprised at seeing her, it shouldn't set off alarm bells in his mind.