PART 6

Lucas awakened to the unfamiliar sound of someone moving around in his house. After a split second of alarm, he remembered that someone was Riley.

He found Riley in the kitchen scrambling eggs. When he cleared his throat, she glanced over her shoulder. "Good Morning." She lifted the spatula from the frying pan and pointed toward the oven. "There's bacon and hash browns in the oven. Help yourself. This'll be Western omelet if you want to wait. And there's coffee in the pot."

The warm odor of bacon and hash brown filled the air. The kitchen looked cluttered. Lived in. In a way that he'd never managed on his own. "Western omelet?" he repeated.

"Yep. Bacon, hash brown and Western omelet."

Lucas walked towards the oven to fish a couple of bacon and hash browns. He took a kitchen chair away from the table so it faced the counter where Riley worked. She came and dumped the omelet into his plate. He lowered himself into the chair and took a bite. Man, oh, man, he could get used to this.

Freshly made breakfast. Hot coffee waiting for him. Riley sure knew the way to a man's heart.

But as he took another bite of the omelet, it occurred to him: What did he really know about Riley, other than the fact that she's an FBI Agent? And she made kick-butt Western omelet. Everything else was supposition. And yet he'd invited her into his home - into his life - at least for the next couple of months. What in the world had he gotten himself into? Riley glanced at Lucas, he seem to be in deep thought. Part of the reason she couldn't sleep last night was because she felt guilty for slamming the door in his face. She'd never done anything like that before. "I want to apologize for my behaviour last night."

"Is that why you made breakfast?" he asked.

"No. I didn't mean to just take over your kitchen without asking you first but I woke up early and decided to do something productive rather that mope around in the room."

He'd been teasing. "No problem. Please invade my kitchen anytime you feel like it. And apology accepted. I didn't realize Jack didn't mention the arrangement with you."

"Nobody mentioned anything but to be fair I got so caught up with other stuffs that I didn't even bother to ask about my living arrangement here. If not for you, I'll be homeless," she mumbled.

They finished eating their breakfast in silence. It's not till the table was clear and the kitchen tidied when Riley inquired about Lucas' plan for the day.

"By the way, there's a lady that comes here every day to do the cleaning and my laundry. Her name is Nina and I'm sure you'll like her. Just ask her if you need anything or if you want your laundry done. I have a press-con at 3:30pm," he said.

"Would I need to be at the press-con with you?"

His eyebrows were raised, his expression dubious. "Of course you have to come with me. You're my new girlfriend remember? The sooner the people know that the better it'll be for us."

Riley doubted that. If there is one thing she's not comfortable with - it's the limelight. She was very grateful when she got the job with the FBI and learned that the Agency has a liaison for the media, which means that she doesn't have to face reporters or be on television.

This was not going to work. Riley looked in the mirror, she had on a brief off -white dress, her hair a silky fall of caramel hues. Her legs were bare and slender, her feet in ridiculously high-heeled cream sandals. "Be confident," she whispered. "Be brave." And with one last small, uncertain smile, she turned away from the mirror and left the bathroom, hitting the light switch on her way out.

Wiping her damp hands on the side of her dress, she moved to the living area. And then he was there, even bigger than she remembered, taller, more intimidating. And twice beautiful. Maybe that's the part she found so disconcerting, too. It'd be one thing if he didn't know his effect on women, but he did, and it only made him more dangerous. Lucas wasn't so much charming as lethal.

"So how long does a press-con normally last?" She asked, joining Lucas at the door.

"Depends. Usually a couple of hours."

Riley nodded and watched as he closed the door behind them.

She exchanged a look with Lucas, who approached with his ought-to-be-outlawed killer grin, then glided towards her. "Smile", he muttered.

"Ohhh... this isn't a smile?"

Lucas grinned at Riley's deadpan tone. She shied away from the spotlight and hated talking to the media, answering "All those stupid questions."

After a few audience questions, the interview was wrapped up, and Lucas slid off the right-hand side of the stage with Riley by his side.

He was happy making a living at the career he loved. Though having legions of fans sometime suck. Lucas, sitting in the car next to Riley, laid his arm around her shoulders. After the last few hours, he decided they both needed a break. A relaxing dinner sounded like a dream.

Lucas decided to bring Riley to a charming Italian place just a few blocks away. Once inside they were escorted to their corner booth by the hostess. Over pasta, salad and buttery garlic rolls, they shared stories and talked work.

The dinner out was a great idea. They were both able to relaxed and just have a natural conversation. Too bad the night had to end. Now they were walking to the door. After he unlocked the door, she stepped inside and he followed her in, closing the door behind him. For a moment she felt a spike in nerves again, nerves and anticipation. Would he kiss her again?

He gave her a platonic peck on the forehead, thanked her for the day and went to his room. His brotherly kiss jolted her back to reality. The kiss on the forehead was a kiss in private, a kiss behind closed doors and an indication of how things really were.

Riley leaned against the door of her room and remembered the kiss at the airport. There'd been heat between them. When he'd kissed her, she'd felt unbelievable. Glamorous. Delicious.

"Delicious," Riley repeated. She headed for the bathroom, where she pulled her hair into a ponytail and washed her face, getting rid of the makeup. In bed, Riley curled onto her side, covers pulled up high, so high that they covered her chin and the middle of her ear.

So you learned something important tonight, she told herself. You learned that there's really a difference between real and pretend, truth and fiction. All this, including the kiss and the dinner tonight was make-believe. And it's okay to enjoy the make-believe, but don't get it confused with reality.

You're doing a job. That's it. No emotions, no hopes, no feelings. This, she reminded herself sternly, is business. Yeah, she thought. They both needed to dedicate themselves to this assignment.

The sooner they wrapped this up the better.

The next morning Lucas woke up to a quiet house. He debated knocking on Riley's door and decided not to incase she's still sleeping. He made his way to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee, and that's when he saw the note.

Thank you for last night. Hope you don't mind but I asked Edmin to give me a ride. I'll be out most of the day so I guess I'll see you at dinner. Riley.

Irritation spiked inside him. His eyes snapped with fire. His features tightened. A note, the woman just left him a note. If this is going to work then she'll have to follow some ground rules, whether she like it or not.