Rogue

Isaac-Chapter 24

"This is probably one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen," Grace breathed as the two of them sat on the stone wall overlooking the city of Bern. In fact, Isaac read somewhere that the Rosengarten during sunset was the place to go for a romantic atmosphere, and so far, it did not disappoint. The only thing missing was a bottle of champagne.

"Yeah, you are," Isaac joked with a big smile on his face. Grace just rolled her eyes and playfully nudged him with her elbow before leaning into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Can I ask you something?" Grace started after several minutes of comfortable silence.

Isaac kissed the top of Grace's head and mumbled, "Mmhmm," into her hair. Her hair smelled wonderful. It smelled just like Grace.

She looked up at him, managing to make him feel completely breathless. He could stare into her blue-green eyes all day, every day. "When did you first start falling in love with me?"

He had to think for a moment. There were so many instances that made him fall more and more in love like the first time they had gone to that opera as spies in Denmark—she had looked absolutely ravishing in her dress. Or the time when she had cried in his arms after the incident in Copenhagen.

"To be honest, I think it was the first time you opened that dorky mouth of yours." He laughed at her surprised expression. "Remember when we went to that McDonald's after the five-star restaurant fell through? That's probably when it started. I couldn't get you out of my brain after that."

Grace scrunched her nose as she turned her head to look at him. "Really? That's what started this love fest?"

"Exactly. And you were super fun to flirt with too." Actually, they flirted much too long, or at least that's what he thought. He should've made the first move on her forever ago. Well, besides the hand holding and the flirty touches. But that didn't really count.

She chuckled against his shoulder, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. As she stared at the waning sunset below, she said, "Well, I think I really started falling for you in Copenhagen right before you took me to Hans' house. It was the first time I caught a glimpse of the real you underneath that cover of yours. I saw how much you cared about your cause and how much you wanted to protect others. I think that's when I started falling for you."

Grace shrugged, "I'm surprised you never tried to do anything about us for a while."

Isaac paused as he remembered, his eyebrows furrowing together. "Really? Are you saying that I could've made a move on you and would've gotten away with it?"

"Probably," she teased.

"Darn it," Isaac muttered under his breath. "I tried several times, but I always felt like it got interrupted every time. And then everything moved so fast when we came back home from Copenhagen. I was whisked off to recruit someone for the CIA and you went home to Maine. And then we didn't have much of a chance to be together after that either."

"You know..." Grace said in an amazingly sexy voice. "We still have a year and a half to make up for." She tipped her head so her lips kissed his neck, chills running down the length of his spine and trailing all the way down his leg. He tried to turn his head to kiss her, but she softly pushed his face away again, continuing to give him kisses to his neck.

"Stop teasing me," Isaac said longingly, but he still enjoyed this nonetheless.

Grace just grinned at him mischievously as her lips grazed his, but she pulled just out of reach before he could kiss her. Isaac groaned as the longing inside of him grew even more. Her lips moved up his neck and she nibbled on his earlobe, sending an entire current of desire washing through him.

Isaac attempted to kiss her again, but she flirted just out of reach.

"You have no idea what you do to me," Isaac whispered, meeting her gaze.

She grinned as her fingers trailed down his chest. "Oh, I think I have a good idea. I saw a lake on our way up here. What do you say we have a little bit of fun and then go skinny dipping after?"

Isaac rose his eyebrows, not able to hide the excitement in his eyes. "You mean go back to my apartment and then to the lake?"

Grace shook her head and kissed his neck again, making him completely lose control. "I was thinking more along the lines of having fun right next to the lake before jumping in."

His eyebrows were in danger of getting lost in his hairline. "Adventurous and feisty? I love finally being able to see this side of you." Actually, he knew she was dorky, fun, and all-around amazing, but never in his time in knowing her had he ever seen a glimpse of this sexy side of her.

"Let's get a move on!" Grace said, a smile lighting her face. "I think I know the perfect place."

***

"Two truths and a lie," Isaac said quietly as he held Grace close in the cold water of the lake. The stars had already appeared in the night sky, twinkling high above them one by one. "I've never been happier than I am with you. This is my fifth time going skinny dipping. And I've fallen a straight fifty feet without dying or breaking a bone."

Grace tightened her grip around Isaac's neck, absentmindedly running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head again and again. "That's a hard one, they're all so believable." She kissed his neck softly before resting her chin on his shoulder again. "I'm going to have to go with falling fifty feet as the lie."

Isaac chuckled and shook his head. "That's actually true. The lie is skinny dipping. This is actually my first time doing it."

She pulled back to look at him, surprise lighting her eyes. "You've never been skinny dipping before?" Grace asked. "This coming from the guy who streaked across a football field in front of all his peers."

"I know, I know," he laughed, trailing his thumb across her jawline before kissing her right beneath her ear. "I'm full of surprises."

"Yes. Yes, you are." Her arms wrapped around him tighter once again as they stood there neck deep in the water, holding each other close. Isaac never wanted to let her go. Never again, especially now that he had her.

"Two truths and a lie," Grace said against his shoulder. "I wish I could stay here with you forever. Today has probably been the most romantic date I've ever had. And you're the bravest man I've ever met."

Isaac's mouth pressed into a thin line. All those were good things—he didn't want any of it to be a lie.

"Can I take a hopeful guess here and say they're all true?"

Grace giggled and gave him a long, sweet kiss before pulling away to look into his eyes. "Definitely all true."

He returned her smile as he began spinning them in slow circles in the water. "I wish we could stay here forever too. But... I can see that your wound hurts from the look in your eyes. We should get back. You know what sounds nice? A long, hot shower and snuggling up on the bed with pizza, hot chocolate, and a good movie. What do you say?"

She kissed his fingers before lacing them together with hers. "I think that sounds wonderful."