Page 70 of Her Noble Protector

“You got it, Mrs. Sato,” Cami said as she slipped off the kitchen stool.

“I told you to call me Akari.”

“On that, Mrs. Sato,” Cami said as she walked away.

Lisa saw how Mrs. Sato’s brown eyes, so like her son’s, followed Cami as she headed to the garage door. Lisa had come to realize just how alike she and Cami were. Neither of them really had a mother figure to write home about, so they soaked up all the mothering that Akari Sato was willing to hand them.

Six weeks ago, when Raiden had first proposed the idea, it hadn’t taken a lot of arm twisting for Lisa to come out to Virginia Beach. She realized she was a target, so she needed to get out of Arizona and Virginia was as good a place as any. She figured when she got there, she’d grab a hotel and take the time to figure things out from there. She’d thought wrong.

Raiden hadn’t been kidding about folding up her Arizona residence. He arranged for her truck to go into storage, her utilities to be turned off and he only allowed her two suitcases. Then Clint Archer had arranged for a private plane to fly them out of Phoenix into Virginia so that there wouldn’t be a flight record of her travel. It was a little over the top as far as she was concerned, but Raiden had just given her the side-eye, so she rolled with it.

By that time, she’d been talking to Cami every single day, so she’d agreed to at least meet Raiden’s parents when she arrived. The rest of the Night Storm team still wasn’t back from their mission, so Cami had come to stay with Lisa over at the Satos’ home for the first two nights after she arrived. Raiden would show up each morning after running a million miles, then they’d all eat a gargantuan breakfast. That had only lasted for three days, then Nic and the rest of the team had come back home, and Cami was back to Nic’s apartment faster than the speed of light. Unfortunately, a week later, the entire team, including Raiden had to go wheels-up. This time they were gone for four weeks.

“You two are doing really well,” Akari said. “Max, it’s a shame you were away this last month. My friend had a niece I wanted you to meet. She came over for dinner two weeks ago. Remember her, Lisa? Her name was Betsey.”

Max turned Lisa’s way and raised his eyebrows in question. Lisa fought back a laugh.

“I’ve got the ice cream, Mrs. Sato. Where do you need it?”

Akari rushed over to help Cami, and Max bent over to Lisa. “So, should I be thankful I was on a mission?” he whispered his question.

“Absolutely,” Lisa answered. She didn’t know Max well, or really, any of the Night Storm team members except for Raiden. But even if Max was a terrible human being, he really didn’t deserve Betsey.

Max and Lisa turned to watch Cami help Akari wrestle a large punch bowl. “How are you really doing, Lisa?” Max asked.

Surprisingly, that question didn’t really bother her anymore. Even though she didn’t know Raiden’s lieutenant, she realized he was one of the men who had rescued her and Cami, and that he was one of life’s good guys. Not as good as Raiden was, but still a good guy.

“I’m doing well. I like staying here. Raiden’s parents are fantastic. It was good when Raiden got back last week. His mother and father missed him.”

“I’m hoping you might have missed my boy a little bit, too,” Max said hopefully.

Lisa felt her cheeks heat. But before she said something she didn’t mean, she figured she would suck it up. She looked Max straight in the eye. “I missed him a lot,” she admitted.

Max gave a slow grin. Oh God, the man knew. He knew! How could he possibly know how often she had thought of Raiden Sato when he had been gone? How she had fantasized about the man day after day, week after week.

Max’s eyes twinkled. “I’ll let him know that you missed him.”

“You know, if you’d just let Akari set you up, Betsey could have been home waiting for you, too,” she threatened him.

Max held up his sticky red bean paste-covered hands. “I give, I won’t tell him anything.”

“That would be wise.”

“How are those red bean mochi balls coming?” Akari asked. “It seems like you’re talking more than you’re cooking.”

Max threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

Raiden walked back into his parents’ home, watching his lieutenant laugh with his head bent near Lisa’s. He took a sip of his beer and strolled over and dispensed the two others he was holding to Max and Lisa.

“Thanks,” they both said.

“So what’s so damn funny?” Raiden asked.

“I told him about Betsey.” Lisa grinned up at him.

“Good God.”