excuses.”
“Haven’t you ever walked on the wild side, Jordan?”
“No.”
“You should try it sometime.” Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. My teeth chattered. I’d never been so freaking scared in my life. I imagined the agents chasing after us, but I heard nothing but my ragged breaths in my ears.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“My boss. Special Agent in Charge, Jordan Parks.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
Steve laughed. “Pay no attention to her. Jordan keeps her rep squeaky clean and wrapped up tight, like she’s wearing pantyhose.”
I nodded. Even an FBI agent had problems with a diva boss. Who knew?
I wasn’t off the hook, he said, but he wanted to speak to me alone. Without the suits coming down on me like vultures feeding on a dead horse. He took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders and then led me down the hall to another room. Empty, except for the two-way mirror. I prayed no one was on the other side.
“Sorry I had to cuff you, Pepper, but I couldn’t let you blow my cover with Briggs.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that night in the copy room you were with the FBI?” I had to ask. No one could see or hear us in here. Despite my stiff neck and aching shoulders from being the fresh catch of the day, I wanted to find out more about Steve Raines.
“I couldn’t. I wasn’t there on official business,” he said, shutting the door, “but on a hunch based on information I picked up from a federal wiretap.”
He explained how he lured the security guy away with a phony emergency, making it easy for him to sneak inside the building. I didn’t want to dent his ego by telling him that wasn’t hard to do. The guard welcomed any excuse to take a smoke break.
“I had to make you believe I was a thief to cover my tracks,” he said.
“Then why did you tell them I didn’t know who you were when I slammed you on the back of the head?” I asked.
“Orange isn’t your color,” he said, looking me over with a you-are-so-hot smile. “Besides, I like you.”
“I don’t believe you,” I shot back.
“Why not?”
“Lying is part of your job.” I pushed his jacket off my shoulders. A heated flash of anger raced through me. I wasn’t going to fall for his sexy, smoldering look, trying to make me believe he was into me. I wasn’t fooled. We were on his turf now. “You’re good at it, too.”
“So I’ve been told.” He looked away from me, staring at the two-way mirror as if he could see his own past. Funny, he didn’t look smug, which surprised me.
“By who?” I asked, more curious than I had a right to be.
“A terrorist.”
“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?”
“No, the bastard was threatening to shoot his hostage. A teenage kid he held by the throat.” The federal agent wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, as if the memory left a bitter taste on his tongue.
I looked at him. I saw something disturbing in his eyes when he turned back toward me. I met his stare. “What happened?”
“I shot him.”
Jesus.
“What if you’d missed?” I asked, a sick feeling creeping over me like wet, slimy worms crawling down my cleavage.
“I had to take that chance.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Like I took a chance on you, Pepper.”
“I don’t get it.”
“In my business, you get a sixth sense about people,” Steve said, making me crazy when he began rubbing the back of my neck. “The way you came on to me all sexy and flirty, eager to prove to me you were more than a hot programmer made me wonder if you really were the wild and crazy girl you pretended to be.”
“So what did you find out?” I said, loving his hands on me.
Oh , please , yes , keep going . It felt so good.
“You have a raw hunger in you that cries out to be nourished,” he said, his lips brushing my skin, his mouth possessing me. “But you’re afraid to let yourself go, so you come on strong.”
“You’re no pushover yourself, Steve,” I told him,
“Haven’t you ever walked on the wild side, Jordan?”
“No.”
“You should try it sometime.” Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. My teeth chattered. I’d never been so freaking scared in my life. I imagined the agents chasing after us, but I heard nothing but my ragged breaths in my ears.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“My boss. Special Agent in Charge, Jordan Parks.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
Steve laughed. “Pay no attention to her. Jordan keeps her rep squeaky clean and wrapped up tight, like she’s wearing pantyhose.”
I nodded. Even an FBI agent had problems with a diva boss. Who knew?
I wasn’t off the hook, he said, but he wanted to speak to me alone. Without the suits coming down on me like vultures feeding on a dead horse. He took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders and then led me down the hall to another room. Empty, except for the two-way mirror. I prayed no one was on the other side.
“Sorry I had to cuff you, Pepper, but I couldn’t let you blow my cover with Briggs.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that night in the copy room you were with the FBI?” I had to ask. No one could see or hear us in here. Despite my stiff neck and aching shoulders from being the fresh catch of the day, I wanted to find out more about Steve Raines.
“I couldn’t. I wasn’t there on official business,” he said, shutting the door, “but on a hunch based on information I picked up from a federal wiretap.”
He explained how he lured the security guy away with a phony emergency, making it easy for him to sneak inside the building. I didn’t want to dent his ego by telling him that wasn’t hard to do. The guard welcomed any excuse to take a smoke break.
“I had to make you believe I was a thief to cover my tracks,” he said.
“Then why did you tell them I didn’t know who you were when I slammed you on the back of the head?” I asked.
“Orange isn’t your color,” he said, looking me over with a you-are-so-hot smile. “Besides, I like you.”
“I don’t believe you,” I shot back.
“Why not?”
“Lying is part of your job.” I pushed his jacket off my shoulders. A heated flash of anger raced through me. I wasn’t going to fall for his sexy, smoldering look, trying to make me believe he was into me. I wasn’t fooled. We were on his turf now. “You’re good at it, too.”
“So I’ve been told.” He looked away from me, staring at the two-way mirror as if he could see his own past. Funny, he didn’t look smug, which surprised me.
“By who?” I asked, more curious than I had a right to be.
“A terrorist.”
“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?”
“No, the bastard was threatening to shoot his hostage. A teenage kid he held by the throat.” The federal agent wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, as if the memory left a bitter taste on his tongue.
I looked at him. I saw something disturbing in his eyes when he turned back toward me. I met his stare. “What happened?”
“I shot him.”
Jesus.
“What if you’d missed?” I asked, a sick feeling creeping over me like wet, slimy worms crawling down my cleavage.
“I had to take that chance.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Like I took a chance on you, Pepper.”
“I don’t get it.”
“In my business, you get a sixth sense about people,” Steve said, making me crazy when he began rubbing the back of my neck. “The way you came on to me all sexy and flirty, eager to prove to me you were more than a hot programmer made me wonder if you really were the wild and crazy girl you pretended to be.”
“So what did you find out?” I said, loving his hands on me.
Oh , please , yes , keep going . It felt so good.
“You have a raw hunger in you that cries out to be nourished,” he said, his lips brushing my skin, his mouth possessing me. “But you’re afraid to let yourself go, so you come on strong.”
“You’re no pushover yourself, Steve,” I told him,
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