Sergeant Liam “Whisper” Davidson filled out his deposit slip, chancing a glance at her. She went by Lorie, but he didn’t think that was her name; it just didn’t fit. What he knew about her fit in a pen cap…maybe.

Though he knew almost nothing, he’d decided she was perfect. Maybe not perfect, but she was as close as he’d ever seen.

She smiled at everyone, but when she turned to look at him, he saw the difference. Maybe he was full of BS. Heck, he probably was fooling himself, but in his mind, she was interested.

Dark, shiny hair framed her face with loose curls that bounced when she turned her head or walked. He could imagine his hands buried in her hair as his lips brushed over hers. Her brown eyes were full of mischief and when she turned to look at him, they crinkled in the corner just a bit. No question, Lorie held secrets, not the bad type, but the good ones, like something only a lover would know. Her cheeks rounded when she smiled. The few times she’d turned that smile on him, he’d thought he would drown in happiness.

He was watching her when a shiver traced down his shoulder. His muscles tensed, bringing his focus back to the room around him.

The security guard was in place. The bank’s employees seemed safe. Two men dressed in suits stood to his left and seemed benign. One woman stood behind him to his right, and a woman with two toddlers exited a small glass office to his right. Three teens had just stepped into the building, laughing about their weekend. There wasn’t any threat he could see.

Nothing seemed off here. This bank in this small suburban setting wasn’t his normal realm of operation.

Maybe he felt the rush because of her. But he’d never picked up that type of vibe from any woman before, not even her. That weird tingling was reserved for when there was a hostile about to find them. It was the reason why his team called him Whisper. Well, that and he didn’t talk a lot, hadn’t since his mom had passed away and he’d been shuffled from one relative to another, never having a real place to call home. The first interaction he’d had with Ghost’s team he hadn’t said anything until Ghost turned to him, his brows knit tight, his lips thinned.

“Talk,” Ghost had barked at him.

He’d shrugged then shook his head, his voice low as he spoke. “I’ll talk when I have something worth saying.” Ghost had laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair. On the upside, everyone listened when he said anything.

The hairs on the back of his neck went down, and his stomach settled. The low buzz in his brain ceased. Maybe it had just been the prospect of talking to Lorie that had him in knots. She was just so dang beautiful, and he wasn’t sure he could talk to her even if he had something to say.

His phone buzzed, and he gave one last quick look around before he checked the message. He clenched his phone tighter and sneered. Something bad had gone down and Ghost’s team was being called up. The message didn’t say those words exactly, it was just a note telling him he had a trip coming up. Maybe that’s why the hairs on his neck had risen and why he’d felt so weird. They were being called up to fix a situation that had gone bad.

“That’s a serious face you got going there.” Lorie’s voice made his body tingle, but in a different way than before.

He sucked in a breath as his gaze hit hers. He could see a little gray mixed in with the brown of her dark eyes. Her lips were plump, and he imagined kissing them. On closer inspection, he saw a small bump on her nose, suggesting she’d broken it at some point. He wanted to stare at her all day and drink in her beauty, but she lifted her brows and he realized it had gotten weird because he’d not spoken a word.

“Um, yeah…” he trailed off, unsure what to say next.

“Marcie’s window is open,” Lorie said as she pointed to an open teller station.

“Oh, um…”

Lorie smiled and waved before she stepped away. He’d made a fool of himself. Why couldn’t he talk to her? He was such a loser where women were concerned. If he found someone who was beautiful, he couldn’t find the words to tell her he was interested. It was like his tongue swelled and his mouth went dry, keeping him from talking.

He didn’t have time to hunt her down and tell her the things he wanted to say. Marcie was fast, and the transaction was over quickly. The check was from his neighbor he did lawn work for. She was older, no husband, no kids around, and she needed things done. He’d told her she didn’t need to pay him, but she insisted. It wasn’t much, but her shaky hand had scratched out the check for fifteen dollars and he wouldn’t dishonor her by not cashing it. After another quick look around, he moved to the door. He wished he had time to chat with Lorie, but she was busy with a customer, and he had to hurry.

The drive to the base took less time than normal. When he’d started searching for a place to live, he’d almost dismissed the small neighborhood with older one-story homes, thinking he would be fine in a condo. His real-estate agent had shown him this house. He liked it well enough to buy. The bank was close, and the base wasn’t too far away. His neighbors were nice, and the price was right.

He pulled up to the base gate and flashed his ID, not having to wait as he was waved in. The first few years he lived on base. It wasn’t bad, but there was always some kind of shenanigans going on. He liked the solitude of his own space with his own thoughts and no one else breaking in on his alone time.

Ghost was already set up with the first slide up by the time he showed. “Nice of you to join us, Whisper.”

“You’re welcome,” he said and settled in a seat.

The guys laughed and then they got down to business. Ghost informed them they’d be wheels up in twenty minutes. They were getting a packet they had to read on the plane. They would sleep on the plane too because once they landed, there would be no rest until they secured their packages.

* * *

Lorelei watched the freaking hot guy approach Marcie’s window. She knew his name though she’d had to look it up, which was against company policy, though that hadn’t stopped her. She couldn't help herself. She tried not to think too much about it because it would give her hives. Never before and never since had she broken any company rules. Heck, she hadn’t even used the knowledge to look him up on social media or search for his address.

Liam carried himself like he knew what he was doing. Soon, she was going to be brave enough to ask him out. He may not go for that, but he seemed so shy, and she doubted he would ever talk to her if she didn’t take the first step. Based on the way he looked at her, she knew he was interested, but when she’d approached and tried to hold a conversation, he’d barely even said hello. Perhaps he didn’t think she was worth it.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him finish and turned. His gaze stayed on her for a few seconds. That wasn’t the look of a man who wasn’t interested. Heck, she had no clue what interested really looked like. The few relationships she’d been involved with had turned out to be so fake she didn’t know what to trust.

After Liam left, the day dragged on. She had so many questions for him. But he probably wouldn’t answer anyway if his reaction today when she’d talked to him was any clue of how he felt. But then there was that look he’d given her. She shivered just thinking of the raw desire he’d shown when he’d turned his eyes on her.

After work, she had to attend a safety briefing about the building. The bank was the last tenant which made the place feel a little eerie, like something was missing. Though the security team for the bank’s headquarters said they were safe, she didn’t like how they’d stayed in this building when every other tenant had left. It wasn’t up to her though. They had a security guard in the bank, and police patrolled the area. She guessed that was good enough.

On her way home, her stepsister, April, called. She groaned before answering and hoped the conversation went well. “Hey, April.”

“I was wondering if you could send Grandad’s watch collection.”

Her heart sank. That collection would be sold off if April got her hands on it. Her grandmother had specifically left it for her. April hadn’t even met her grandad, not once. He’d passed away before her father had remarried, so she had no reason to want the collection.

“Oh, why did you want it?”

“Well, Dad wanted to see one of the watches.”

Of course she’d throw something like that in. Since her father was in a rehabilitation hospital, recovering from a fall, he wouldn’t be able to call, at least that would be her excuse. She tried to be nice to her siblings, but things like this made it difficult.

“I’ll bring them the next time I visit. I’ll be driving up there in a few weeks. I wish he’d asked me when I was there last week.”

“Oh, well, he’s been tired, you know how that is.”

“Sure.”

She was close to home but didn’t want to go in while she was still talking to April. Her home was her sanctuary, and she needed to relax tonight.

Lorelei turned down her tree-lined street and smiled. Her grandmother had left her the house that held so many good memories. Her first gingerbread house had been constructed in that kitchen. She’d made her first batch of divinity and fudge there with Gran. She’d broken up with her first boyfriend on the kitchen phone and cried on Gran’s shoulders. The place was magical because of the memories those walls held.

The house was another source of contention with April. Her stepsister thought the property should have been left to all of them. But Lorelei had spent years living with Gran when she was a kid after her mother passed away. Then, after high school, when Gran had gotten sick, she’d taken a semester off and lived here, taking care of Gran’s needs. She’d been lucid enough to not need hospitalization, but old enough to need live-in care. A bond had already been there since Gran had helped raise her, but it had strengthened as they bonded in those final months.

Gran didn’t leave her the house because she’d come to live with her in the last few months. The decision had been made before she turned eighteen. No matter how many times and how many ways the lawyer said he'd drafted Gran's will years earlier, the family didn’t want to believe Lorelei hadn’t influenced Gran. Plus, it was her grandmother on her mom’s side. It would have been weird for her to have left it to her father or her step-siblings.

“So, April, did you need anything else?”

“Um, no, I guess not.”

“Okay, tell Dad I said hi.”

April hung up without saying goodbye just as Lorelei pulled into the driveway of her house. Having this house had made a huge difference in everything. It had provided her an escape when her life had gone sideways. Then getting hired at the bank had made everything perfect. She loved living here. Though she’d done some redecorating, the place still felt like Gran.

Her dinner was leftovers she heated in the microwave as she took off her work clothes and dressed in comfortable shorts and a t-shirt. She glanced to the back of the closet, seeing the old dresses her gran had also left to her. They were vintage, not something she would wear to work, but something she could put on to go out dancing. But to go out dancing, she wanted to have a guy. She’d had someone, but then the huge breakup happened. She’d fled her old home and moved here, escaping the everyday reminders.

Thoughts of Liam filled her mind as she retrieved dinner and poured a short glass of wine. She sat at her kitchen table, wondering how a man like Liam would fit into her life. It would be interesting to have him around. He was built with solid muscles and had sexy eyes. The one time he’d come into the bank in shorts and a t-shirt, she’d almost fallen out of her chair at the sight of his muscles. If he turned her down, she’d be humiliated.

If only he would talk to her. Maybe she’d do something bold the next time she saw him. She sighed and drank a huge gulp of wine before taking another bite. Life takes courage, Gran used to say. Next time, she’d do it. It may not work out, but boy did he make her hot. Hotness aside, really, she just wanted a chance to get to know him.