HIS Desire: An H.I.S. Novel (H.I.S. series Book 1) by Sheila Kell Page A

done a little of this and that. Kidnapping investigation. International corporate security protection. Witness protection and asset searches. Just to name a few things. The majority of our clients are civilian, but we’ve also recently been in high demand from government agencies.”
    Hmm. They were important. “I’m intrigued. Tell me more.” He hadn’t told her anything she hadn’t already learned from AJ.
    “Well, when we started, we hired a few of our old pals with law enforcement or military backgrounds as our initial team. But business has grown so rapidly, we’ve expanded and added more men and two K-9 units. Which have really come in handy for protective details.”
    He wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to know without her asking. “If it’s a family business, and I’m assuming it is...”
    He nodded, but his eyes narrowed a little, and he raised an eyebrow in question.
    “Why isn’t AJ a part of it?”
    Jesse took a deep breath, rubbed the back of his neck and loudly exhaled. “He’s our baby brother. Unfortunately, we’ve always treated him that way. He thinks if he can prove himself, then we’ll take him seriously.”
    Her eyes widened. AJ not take care of himself? She wanted to laugh.
    “Don’t think it. We do take him seriously. It’s some fucked up thing in his mind. Anyhow, he thinks he belongs at the FBI and not with us so he can show us he’s grown or something or other.”
    The pain in Jesse’s eyes told her a great deal about his love for AJ. She wanted to reach out to him. Comfort him.
    He ruined the moment by looking back at the game on the television and saying, “I heard you went out today.”
    Are you kidding me? AJ tattled on her to Jesse. Damn him. “I did. I had lunch with friends.”
    He turned to her. “You know better than that, Kate. You shouldn’t be out in the open, and you shouldn’t put your friends at risk like that until we find the shooter.”
    So much for a relaxing time. “I can take care of myself, and my friends were protected. Besides, it’s none of your business.”
    Jesse closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Kate, someone may be trying to kill you. Don’t make it easy on them. Why do you think we’re here instead of at the ball park?”
    “Someone may be trying to kill you as well. Those bullets could have been meant for you just as easily as they were for me. You took a risk coming over here.”
    “I can take care of myself, Kate.”
    Her left hand tightened into a fist. “I. Can. Too. So quit treating me like I’m some whimpering little girl. Injured or not, I’m a trained FBI agent. I know what I’m doing.”
    He reached over and his hand enclosed her fist, his thumb softly rubbing her white knuckles. “I know you can take care of yourself, Kate.”
    Funny, he never acted like it.
    She felt the warmth of his hand, the comforting strokes. She relaxed her fist hoping he wouldn’t let go.
    “This guy is bold, and you shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.”
    They had been unable to locate the driver. Ed’s brother said he’d left town and didn’t know where he’d gone or when he’d return. Without the driver, they couldn’t find out who the shooter was, which left someone out there who wanted one of them dead.
    “I’m not going to live my life in fear and never leave my apartment. No one is going to do that to me. Especially not some asshole,” she stated matter-of-factly.
    He sighed. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”
    Kate didn’t reply or pull her hand from his. Did he really care about what happened to her? How would that change things?
    She’d never been more confounded about a man than she was about Jesse. One minute she was going to go for it, the next she was holding back because she didn’t want to get hurt. And hurt she’d get. She could find herself making the mistake of getting close to Jesse and having her heart broken.
    Jesse had a daughter and a large, loving family. Like every other