The security guard wore a stupefied grin as Ryan helped Felix roll Precious out of the hangar storage room. Ryan knew the guard was thoroughly impressed that a chick was able to handle a bike like that. Felix did look badass standing next to it, and she seemed pleased as she ran her hands across every surface, stroking the bike with the same attention she gave Excalibur. He didn't take it personally.

"She looks no worse for the wear, maybe a little neglected," Felix said as she dug through the saddlebag and pulled out a key. "Everything is where it should be, including my spare key. Shall we take her for a spin and see where the road leads us?"

She offered Ryan the kind of smile that made his groin strain against the seam of his jeans. Her smiles never failed to trigger his need. He waved Bronson off, who had been good enough to escort him and Felix to the county airport. Ryan figured Bronson was just satisfying his curiosity, and when the rookie finished gawking at both the bike and the babe beside it, he acknowledged Ryan with a chin jut before sliding behind the wheel of the Dodge.

Felix fit her helmet over her head and Ryan did the same with his. She had insisted they stop at the Harley dealership to get him fitted. Her exact words were, The head on your shoulders deserves as much protection as the one between your legs. She straddled the bike, and he climbed on behind her. With an easy flick of her finger, the engine came alive beneath him, like a beast waking from a long slumber. The sensation felt pretty arousing, and Ryan's testosterone revved along with it. Maybe he would look into getting a Precious of his own, but he would name it something else. Possibly Excalibur.

Once they got on the road, Ryan's mind detoured him from the powerful rumble between his legs to the plan they'd made for the evening. They were slated to have dinner at the home of Felix's parents, something he was a little nervous about based on his minimal experience with meeting parents, parents he wanted to impress, that is. Would they judge him based on his career choice? Would they worry she'd be left a widow if their relationship progressed that far? It should have surprised Ryan that he was thinking about marriage, but honestly, he couldn't imagine his life without Felix in it.

While his mind was preoccupied, Felix had detoured into a nature preserve, a Native American burial ground to be exact. He knew the place, having visited a few times as a kid, and he didn't ask questions as Felix parked the bike and shouldered her duffel bag. He also didn't stop her when she explained that the bare mounds were considered a sacred site, but he did take notice when she suggested it was an excellent spot for a ritual of the sexual nature. Although he wasn't looking forward to limping through the woods, Ryan was more than happy to participate. With all the talk of bare mounds, sex was already on his mind.

"You're not creeped-out by the fact that this place used to be a cemetery, are you?" she asked as she spread out a blanket under a canopy of trees.

"No. I've always been a little sacrilegious in my approach to things. I think it helps me deal with the weird shit, both on and off duty." Ryan reclined on his back, tucking his hands beneath his head, and Felix snuggled against him. It didn't take long for her expression to turn thoughtful. "You're thinking about the hearing, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but also about the psychotherapy they're requiring. I've adopted a wary view of psychiatrists."

"I get that. But it's better to follow the court's advice and keep your freedom. Otherwise, you face time in prison for failure to comply."

"You sound like Harris."

"Please, say you're joking." Ryan leaned over her mouth and kissed it. He had been eager to taste her lips ever since they left the city.

"So, what's next for us, Ryan?"

She spoke her question against his mouth, but he didn't let it deter him from savoring her until he felt the blood rush to his dick. "Well, the next thing I'd like to do is pull your pants off with my teeth. Did you have something else in mind?"

A smile tugged her lips upward, and her eyes told him she was tempted to take him up on his offer. But her mind was clearly torturing her as she pressed on. "I'd like to go back to school and finish my degree, after you pull my pants off with your teeth, of course."

Ryan pushed onto his elbow as the blood drained from everything, including his dick. "You want to go back to MIT?"

"If I don't, I'll have to petition to transfer my credits, which means I might have to retake a bunch of classes. I've dreamed of earning a degree from MIT since I was in middle school. It's only fifteen hours from Chicago, and now that I can visit my parents any time I want to..." Ryan must have been pulling a face, because Felix pursed her lips as she looked at him. "Shit, Ryan. I don't like the idea of living fifteen hours from you any more than you do. I don't even want to live fifteen minutes from you, but I have to think about my future, now that I have one."

"What about a future in law enforcement? I think you'd be damn good at it. We could be like Scully and Mulder."

Felix laughed but he tried not to take offense. They may have grown up next door to each other, but he and Felix were from different worlds, and he should have expected her to take a path that led in the opposite direction. "After spending the last year having anxiety attacks every time a cop passed me, I think I need a break from them."

"All of them?" Ryan stuck his bottom lip out, pretending to pout, but his stomach was slowly, determinedly tying into a knot.

"I will definitely make an exception for you." Felix tweaked his chin playfully. "Who says we have to be apart? Don't they have an FBI division in Boston?"

"Yes, but positions like mine don't come up often and they're usually filled from within."

Felix sighed, a deep, regretful sigh, and he felt her angst just as strongly as he felt his own. "I'm sorry, Ryan. It was silly of me to bring that up. I'm trapped in Chicago until these bullshit hearings are over, anyway. Let's just enjoy each other's company and plan our future later."

She pulled him in for a kiss, raking her hands through his hair and sparking his arousal as she threw her leg over his hip. Ryan loved how easily Felix got him hard, but it only made the pain in his stomach stronger. He had finally found someone he imagined a future with, and she was eager to get her freedom back.

Ignoring his destructive thoughts, Ryan slipped his hand under her shirt, brushing his fingers over the lace fabric of her bra. Without prompting, she shrugged off her tee, giving him license to do the rest. He leaned in and kissed the skin of her cleavage as he slid her bra straps over her shoulders, taking a moment to admire her tattoos. One long, intricate design followed the curve of her breasts and weaved across the hollow of her belly before disappearing under the waistband of her jeans, like a map leading him home.

"You're beautiful, Felix, like a flawlessly cut gem," he whispered into her hair as he kissed her temple. "I can't stand the thought of anyone else having you, or anyone hurting you."

"I won't let anyone hurt me again. I've learned my lesson, and it's written all over my ass."

Ryan cringed, remembering the wounds she'd received at the hands of that asshole, Hector. Fortunately, Hector was apprehended at Donovan's Montana ranch, and he wouldn't have his whip to defend himself behind the iron bars of prison. Ryan felt his jeans loosen as Felix unzipped them, and his thoughts quickly turned to her fingers as they glided down his belly and wrapped around his dick.

"I know I already rewarded you for stumping me on that Miami Dolphins quarterback question," she said. "But the reward was so much fun, I'd like another go at it."

"Actually, I can give you partial credit for knowing his name. You spouted it off when you were under hypnosis at Donovan's house."

"I did? My subconscious must have been intervening so I wouldn't blow my cover. How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"All of it. There were a few close calls, like when you told them you had been with a guy named Clark."

"Oh, shit!" Felix sat up, forgetting about his dick and the fun she wanted to have with it.

"It's all right, Felix. You didn't give away anything important, and the bad guys are behind bars, so it all worked out. Come here."

Ryan pulled her against his chest and she tucked her head under his chin. Her breathing had ramped up, and her fingers gripped his arm like a vice. It was probably a good thing she had abandoned her previous mission. If only he could keep his mouth shut around her. It had been a long time since he'd let his guard down around a woman, if ever. Self-preservation, he figured, but Felix made it so damn easy to be himself, like he was under hypnosis and she was slowly pulling Ryan Clark to the surface. It didn't bother him one bit.