Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 111416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 446(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 446(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“Do you think I’ll be less distracted if I don’t know where you are?”
She stared up at him. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ll repeat it slower.” He leaned in closer. So close that she could see the gold flecks in his irises. “Do you think that not knowing where you are or what you are doing will be less distracting for me?”
He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d repeat it slower. The second time, the question had come out as thick and as slow as chilled honey.
Her heart skipped a beat, then began to thump heavily. Her eyes dropped to his throat and she spotted his pulse pounding, too.
He said she disturbed his sanity. Well, that was only fair since he also disturbed hers.
They’d only worked together for two full days so far. They were only at the beginning of what could be a long investigation and if they were having an issue already, she had no idea how this would work for the next few months.
It wouldn’t.
Some kind of chemistry existed between them they couldn’t deny. This wasn’t something they’d be able to simply set aside and pretend it didn’t exist. So, either they had to accept it and possibly even act on it… Or they needed to go in different directions.
Like her extracting herself from this particular job.
Because, as she reminded him, they needed to concentrate on the task at hand. Distractions could be dangerous. One slip could even be fatal when dealing with an outlaw MC trying to protect themselves and their illegal enterprise. A very lucrative source of income the task force was trying to take away.
“I’ve been a special agent for almost eight years, Fletch. Why do you think I’d need anyone worrying about me now?”
“I didn’t say you would need it, but that still doesn’t mean I wouldn’t worry about you.”
Her eyebrows pinned together. “I don’t understand why.”
He closed his eyes for a second and inhaled deeply. When he opened them again, he confessed, “For fuck’s sake, I wish I knew why. I’ve never had an urge to,” he shook his head, “protect someone before, especially someone who I know damn well can take care of themselves.”
“See? There’s no reason to worry about me.”
“I know there’s no sane fucking reason, Nova, but my brain isn’t being reasonable right now.”
That made two of them. Since they were standing so closely, she had the urge to taste his lips all over again. Of course, this was after she told herself over and over that they needed to remain professional with each other and nothing more.
“So, the question remains… do you want me to pull myself from this assignment?”
He stared at her and his chest slowly inflated, then deflated just as slowly. “That’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?” she whispered, watching his Adam’s apple slowly slide up his throat and then back down when he swallowed.
“I want to work with a partner I trust. A partner I respect. A partner who knows what the hell she’s doing.”
“And for you, I’m all that?”
He nodded. “That’s not the problem.”
She waited.
“The problem is that’s not all I want.”
She asked, “What do you want?” even though she already knew his answer.
“You.”
“Then the next question is: What do we do about it?”
“It’s impossible to ignore.”
That wasn’t a good enough answer. In fact, it was a deflection. “This is the last time I’m going to ask this: Do you want me to extract myself from this particular assignment to make it easier for you to do your job?”
“I won’t be able to stop thinking about you, Nova, whether you’re here or elsewhere.”
That confession seemed to be painful for him. Maybe even a bit frustrating.
Her fear was, if she walked away from this assignment, this apartment and even Fletch, that she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him, either.
How can two people get caught up in each other so quickly?
It made no sense to her.
Plain and simple, it had to be lust. But acting on it could make it worse.
“Then, tell me the solution.”
“This is my solution…” His hand shot out and curved around the back of her neck, closing the slight gap between them.
Him taking her mouth, just like he had in the kitchen, caused her to groan. She wrapped her hand around the back of his head, holding him, encouraging him to take the kiss even deeper.
But he didn’t. Instead, he quickly ended it, hooked his thumbs into her boxer briefs and shoved them down her thighs until they free-fell to her feet.
“I can smell your hot, sweet scent and now I can’t fucking wait to taste it.”
Jesus. The rawness in his voice shot a shiver through her.
With a very determined look in his eyes and without another word, he grabbed her waist and set her on the edge of the vanity, shoved her thighs apart and dropped to his knees.