Agent I1: Tristan [01] The D.I.R.E. Agency by Joni Hahn Read Free Book Online Page B

work. Maybe Aidan could help more, now that he worked for D.I.R.E . Judging by the looks of this place, their agents made good money.
    She just couldn’t think about how they went about it.
    Studying her appearance in the mirror, Rachel decided if she ever did get married, she would not have a monstrous dress like this. Although it looked beautiful, she would never put her and her husband through the chore of trying to take it off on their honeymoon.
    Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, hoping against hope that Tristan wouldn’t be standing there waiting for her. The room remained as she’d left it, except for the high heels she’d worn at the wedding. Tristan had placed them on the floor at the foot of the bed.
    Sitting on the mattress, Rachel slipped the shoes on her feet. She sighed. Tristan really had been attentive this morning, trying to vacate the room before she woke, bringing her ibuprofen for her headache, and resurrecting her shoes.
    And, he made love like a superhero rock star.
    “Are you ready?”
    He stood fresh from his own shower in jeans and a black Bon Jovi t-shirt. He’d resumed the same stoic expression he’d carried prior to their trip last night. It was back to business as usual.
    A ridiculous, stupid sadness swept through her. It could’ve all been so beautiful under different circumstances. And, no matter what he might have said to her, it wouldn’t have been the right thing to say.
    Nodding, she preceded Tristan out to the patio. Taking her hand, he led her down the steps to the beach. Turning around, he held open his arms wide without meeting her eyes.
    Rachel wanted to cry.
    Wrapping her arms around him, she inhaled his familiar, masculine scent one last time. She felt him press his forefinger to the scanner behind her back. As the plasma hid the beach from her sight forever, he placed a chaste kiss on top of her head.
     
     

Chapter 5
     
    The smell of crude oil invaded Rachel’s nose. She heard the squeak of the loose blade on her ceiling fan and felt the loose board in her hardwood floor.
    They’d landed in her living room.
    “You’re home.”
    The sound of Aidan’s voice brought reality crashing down on Rachel. Her home should have been a comfort but, thanks to her brother, she had a huge mess on her hands that she had to straighten out. The sooner she got her life back to normal, the sooner she could feel… alone, stuck.
    “Yes, we are home.”
    She stepped away from Tristan without a backward glance. Lifting her chin, she met her brother’s questioning gaze.
    “I’m sure Tristan is ready to ditch me and get back to his vacation.”
    Frowning, Aidan glanced back and forth between her and Tristan. “Yeah Jacobs, I owe you one.” He held out his hand for a shake.
    Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw Tristan take his hand. “You owe me a helluva lot more than one .”
    Rachel frowned. What was that supposed to mean? He got hot, wild sex, for goodness sake .
    “Hell, I knew that was coming.” Aidan grinned.
    Tristan nodded towards her. “You have Brewster covered?”
    He gave a heavy sigh. “He’s going to give me trouble but yeah, I can handle him.”
    “Once she returns his ring, he should get the message.”
    Rachel whipped around to glare at Tristan. “Who said I was returning the ring?” Even though, technically, she was.
    Tristan glared at her. “Rachel, you’re returning the ring.”
    Hands on hips, she said, “Since when do you have a say in what I do?”
    She swallowed hard. Why did she say that? What if he brought up what they had done last night, all night long?
    “If you want to go there, we can go there.”
    “Hey.” Aidan stepped between them. “You two really don’t get along, do you?”
    Rachel stared into Tristan’s long-lashed, indigo eyes and knew he thought of last night, just as she did. Heat bloomed in her face.
    “Tristan, thanks for the offer, but we’ll figure out something.” Aidan slapped him on the back.
    “Rachel,