Hot Ice (A Hostile Operations Team Novel - Book 7) by Lynn Raye Harris Page A

are.”
    Grace turned. Her mother was elegant, as always, dressed in a floor-length turquoise gown that probably came from Valentino or Gucci. It was simple in its construction but utterly stunning on Helena.
    “Darling,” her mother said, taking her hands and air-kissing both her cheeks. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
    “I said I’d be here, Mother.”
    Helena patted her hand. “I know you did, Gracie, but I also know how single-minded you can be when you’re working. Just like your father.” She turned toward Garrett. “And who is this gentleman, darling?”
    “Mother, this is Garrett Spencer.” She refused to say he was her bodyguard even though her mother no doubt knew it.  
    Garrett took her mother’s offered hand in his. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
    Helena gave him a once-over. “Are you dangerous, Mr. Spencer?”
    “Mother!”
    Garrett only laughed. “I am indeed, ma’am. Dangerous and accurate. Your daughter is in good hands.”
    “Excellent.” Helena gave him her most dazzling smile as she took his arm and then reached for Grace. “Now come, you two—let’s get this dog and pony show started, shall we?”
    * * *
    He hadn’t forgotten his manners. His mother would be so proud. As if he’d even thought it possible considering he’d had it drummed into him from birth to the day he’d left home and gone to college.
    Garrett stayed close to Grace as she circulated. She underwent a metamorphosis when they entered the room. He was still amazed at her transformation. From nervous and afraid, she’d blossomed into cool and confident. But he knew it was an act, a façade she slipped into out of practice and not because it was natural to her.
    She smiled and chatted with the people who kept coming up to congratulate her on her father’s run or ask about her research.
    It was all over the news and there were bound to be questions, but the questions hadn’t been too off the wall just yet. Obviously, the people at this event weren’t reporters. And Grace handled it all with a veneer of calm.
    She wasn’t at all what she appeared on the surface. She hated crowds and strangers, and she liked to hide in her room away from people. He figured she probably liked her job because it involved working with microscopic organisms rather than people for the most part.
    “No, Mrs. Carter, we aren’t making superviruses at Magnolia Labs. I’m a geneticist focusing on biotech applications in order to make our lives better, not worse. It’s all very ordinary research, I promise you.”
    He didn’t know how many times she’d said some variant of this speech, but at one point during one of these explanations, he caught her looking across the room, her eyes widening a fraction.
    He glanced in the direction she’d been looking. A man was staring at her. He was about six feet tall, brown hair, and thin. He made no effort to hide the fact he was staring until a woman walked up and put her hand on his arm. He glanced down at her—and then smiled and began to talk as if nothing was wrong.
    “Who is that man?” Garrett asked when Grace extricated herself from the latest conversation.  
    Her gaze snapped to his, her blue eyes wide. He liked the way her eyes looked when she wasn’t wearing glasses. So pretty and expressive.
    “What man?”
    “The one who was staring at you. The one you reacted to when you saw him.”
    She broke eye contact, studying her wineglass instead. She’d barely touched it in the past hour. “Oh, that’s Jeffrey. My ex-boyfriend. I was surprised to see him.”
    “Good surprised or bad surprised?”
    She laughed softly. “Considering he broke up with me, I can’t say I’m happy to see him here.”
    Garrett lifted his head and found Jeffrey. The man was still talking to the same woman, but every once in a while he glanced in their direction. Garrett figured if good ol’ Jeffrey could get away from the woman, he’d be on his way over here.
    “So what do you want to happen