away
from the door and strides across the room to me. I stifle a gasp as his heavy,
muscled arm falls across my shoulders. He peers down at me with those blazing
emerald eyes, and I swear it’s like he’s seeing straight through me. The way he
looks at me feels like an unspoken secret between us. Like we understand each
other. But that’s ridiculous. I’ve never met this man before in my life.
“Tough being the new kid, huh?” Brooks grins at me, totally
at ease with having his arm thrown around me.
I gape back at him, disarmed by his nerve. But as annoyed as
I am by this (or any) unexpected physical contact...I’d be lying if I said I
didn’t also love it, just a bit. I can feel my very cells rallying at his
touch. I want to sink against his side, trail my fingers along the rippling
muscles barely obscured by his tee shirt. Slip my hands beneath that leather
cut, and—
That leather cut. Decorated with the patches of a MC member.
This is no innocently cavalier bad boy. This is just another thug. Why the hell
am I having so much trouble remembering that?
“Ever hear of personal space?” I say to Brooks, slipping out
from under his arm.
“Nah, what’s that?” he replies, eyes wide with mock
intrigue.
Goddammit. Of course he has to share my wry sense of humor,
too. Hot and funny with an I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude? The repressed rebel in
me is yanking at her leash. I never end up with guys like Brooks. I settle for
the safe ones, the smart ones, the whiny ones with pasty faces and droopy
personalities. But some part of me wonders what it would be like, to be with a
guy like this.
Too bad I’ll never find out. I haven’t read the FBI
undercover handbook cover-to-cover, but I’m pretty sure that hooking up with
suspected criminals is a big no-no.
“Look,” Tiberi sighs, rubbing his strong jaw, “this suite is
plenty big enough to house your offices and my friend, too. Brooks is going to
be working at the auto shop most of the time anyway, until he saves up enough
to rent a place of his own. It’s not like he’s going to be hanging around here,
staring into space all day.”
“Though the view is pretty fucking amazing,” Brooks says. I expect to find his gaze aimed at the
enormous windows overlooking the strip, but instead he’s staring at me.
Pinpricks of heat light up along my body wherever his eyes
roam. I’m totally unused to this kind of attention. Since I started my FBI
training at Quantico, men have looked at me with envy, disdain, or
indifference. Before that, I was just a skinny little redhead with big glasses
and scraped-up knees. But the way Brooks looks at me you’d think I was the
sexiest woman to have ever walked the earth.
Surely, he has this effect on all the women he meets. All but Kassie and Kelly, that is. They’re less than
thrilled about this turn of events, and making no effort to hide it. Good for
them.
“Is this going to be a short term thing, Brooks?” Kassie
sighs.
“Sure,” he shrugs, “I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
“Keira,” Kelly says, “will you be comfortable working here
if Brooks is also staying?”
I give the staggering man a good, long once-over. Let him
see how it feels to be scrutinized. Of course, he doesn’t really seem to mind.
In fact, I think he loves the attention. He shoots me a devilish wink that
sends a trill of sensation down my spine. Damn him to hell.
“It’s fine,” I finally say, “if he tries to burn the place
down, I’ll just start working from home, I guess.”
“That’s the spirit!” Brooks grins, plucking the cigarette
from behind his ear. In a heartbeat, he’s whipped out a zippo lighter. Before
anyone can protest, he’s lit up the cigarette, looking perfectly at home.
“Jesus,” Kelly grumbles, “I thought Leo was incorrigible.”
“I guess I’d better be going,” I chime in. “Let everybody
get settled around here...”
“You’re leaving already, Red?” Brooks exclaims, leveling
from the door and strides across the room to me. I stifle a gasp as his heavy,
muscled arm falls across my shoulders. He peers down at me with those blazing
emerald eyes, and I swear it’s like he’s seeing straight through me. The way he
looks at me feels like an unspoken secret between us. Like we understand each
other. But that’s ridiculous. I’ve never met this man before in my life.
“Tough being the new kid, huh?” Brooks grins at me, totally
at ease with having his arm thrown around me.
I gape back at him, disarmed by his nerve. But as annoyed as
I am by this (or any) unexpected physical contact...I’d be lying if I said I
didn’t also love it, just a bit. I can feel my very cells rallying at his
touch. I want to sink against his side, trail my fingers along the rippling
muscles barely obscured by his tee shirt. Slip my hands beneath that leather
cut, and—
That leather cut. Decorated with the patches of a MC member.
This is no innocently cavalier bad boy. This is just another thug. Why the hell
am I having so much trouble remembering that?
“Ever hear of personal space?” I say to Brooks, slipping out
from under his arm.
“Nah, what’s that?” he replies, eyes wide with mock
intrigue.
Goddammit. Of course he has to share my wry sense of humor,
too. Hot and funny with an I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude? The repressed rebel in
me is yanking at her leash. I never end up with guys like Brooks. I settle for
the safe ones, the smart ones, the whiny ones with pasty faces and droopy
personalities. But some part of me wonders what it would be like, to be with a
guy like this.
Too bad I’ll never find out. I haven’t read the FBI
undercover handbook cover-to-cover, but I’m pretty sure that hooking up with
suspected criminals is a big no-no.
“Look,” Tiberi sighs, rubbing his strong jaw, “this suite is
plenty big enough to house your offices and my friend, too. Brooks is going to
be working at the auto shop most of the time anyway, until he saves up enough
to rent a place of his own. It’s not like he’s going to be hanging around here,
staring into space all day.”
“Though the view is pretty fucking amazing,” Brooks says. I expect to find his gaze aimed at the
enormous windows overlooking the strip, but instead he’s staring at me.
Pinpricks of heat light up along my body wherever his eyes
roam. I’m totally unused to this kind of attention. Since I started my FBI
training at Quantico, men have looked at me with envy, disdain, or
indifference. Before that, I was just a skinny little redhead with big glasses
and scraped-up knees. But the way Brooks looks at me you’d think I was the
sexiest woman to have ever walked the earth.
Surely, he has this effect on all the women he meets. All but Kassie and Kelly, that is. They’re less than
thrilled about this turn of events, and making no effort to hide it. Good for
them.
“Is this going to be a short term thing, Brooks?” Kassie
sighs.
“Sure,” he shrugs, “I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
“Keira,” Kelly says, “will you be comfortable working here
if Brooks is also staying?”
I give the staggering man a good, long once-over. Let him
see how it feels to be scrutinized. Of course, he doesn’t really seem to mind.
In fact, I think he loves the attention. He shoots me a devilish wink that
sends a trill of sensation down my spine. Damn him to hell.
“It’s fine,” I finally say, “if he tries to burn the place
down, I’ll just start working from home, I guess.”
“That’s the spirit!” Brooks grins, plucking the cigarette
from behind his ear. In a heartbeat, he’s whipped out a zippo lighter. Before
anyone can protest, he’s lit up the cigarette, looking perfectly at home.
“Jesus,” Kelly grumbles, “I thought Leo was incorrigible.”
“I guess I’d better be going,” I chime in. “Let everybody
get settled around here...”
“You’re leaving already, Red?” Brooks exclaims, leveling
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