turn the conversation away from his family and back to Natasha. “Why don’t I drive you to the party tonight?”
“Thank you for asking, but I’d rather take my own car.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Who knows? I might want to leave early if I get too tired.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought up her text messages. “I’ll forward the address to you. What’s your phone number?”
He gave it to her, and in moments his own cell vibrated in its holster. He pulled the phone out and verified it was a text from Natasha with the address.
They walked to the elevator and she animatedly told him about her day. She held her jacket over one arm and still managed to use both hands to talk. She told him about some of the people she’d met at past shows who were at this one as well, and the friends she’d made.
Natasha made the people sound interesting, even one woman named Izzy, who walked around with a dark cloud over her head. “Like Charlie Brown,” she added with a smile.
He could picture everyone vividly as Natasha spoke. She seemed to have a great memory for detail and a gift for storytelling.
Her personality drew him to her in ways he’d never been attracted before. She had qualities he didn’t even know he wanted in a woman until now. A bright effervescent personality, an ease in her mannerisms that told him she was comfortable in her own skin, and she seemed to genuinely care for those around her and the people she loved.
Damn. He was having a harder and harder time believing she was guilty, and that wasn’t good. He wasn’t doing his job if he didn’t find evidence that she wasn’t involved. He needed to look at it logically, and when he did, he had to acknowledge the evidence pointing to her.
When they reached the eleventh floor, she walked out of the elevator ahead of him and he let his gaze drift down her backside. She was slender, but had a nice figure, including good-sized breasts and a great ass—
“Are you checking out my ass?” A glitter of amusement was in her eyes when she looked over her shoulder.
Her amusement was infectious and he grinned. “Who, me?”
“You’d better watch it, lawman.” She waited for him to reach her side. “I bite.”
He snorted out a laugh. “One can always hope.”
A groan nearly escaped him. I’m playing a part, he reminded himself. His comment was just a part of his cover. Yeah, right.
Laughter bubbled up from her. “I have a feeling you’re a naughty boy, Special Agent Allen.”
Naughty would be an understatement, he thought but didn’t say aloud. He’d love to get his hands on her, kiss the line of her neck to her breasts where he would gently suck her nipples…
He cleared his throat. Jesus Christ. What the hell was the matter with him? She could be playing him for all he was worth.
They reached her room and she swiped her keycard. The door unlocked with a click. She looked over her shoulder. “See you tonight, Brooks.”
“I’ll be there.” He watched her slip through the open doorway and then the door closed behind her.
He stared at the closed door for a long moment. He itched to touch her, wanted her naked and to feel her warm body against his.
A feeling rose up in him with such intensity his head nearly swam with it. The desire to shelter her and make sure nothing bad ever happen to her made his gut ache.
He ground his teeth. Maybe he would call Sofia and ask her to give someone else the assignment. If he couldn’t do his job, another agent should be on the case.
If Natasha was guilty, someone had to bring her down.
CHAPTER 5
Mark Okle blew his nose on a tissue before tossing it in a nearby wastebasket. His sniffling and sneezing had to be allergies. He was certain mold must be in the retirement center’s vents or something—he wasn’t knowledgeable about that kind of thing, but he knew he’d been allergic to mold and dust mites from the time he was young.
His mother would be so
“Thank you for asking, but I’d rather take my own car.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Who knows? I might want to leave early if I get too tired.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought up her text messages. “I’ll forward the address to you. What’s your phone number?”
He gave it to her, and in moments his own cell vibrated in its holster. He pulled the phone out and verified it was a text from Natasha with the address.
They walked to the elevator and she animatedly told him about her day. She held her jacket over one arm and still managed to use both hands to talk. She told him about some of the people she’d met at past shows who were at this one as well, and the friends she’d made.
Natasha made the people sound interesting, even one woman named Izzy, who walked around with a dark cloud over her head. “Like Charlie Brown,” she added with a smile.
He could picture everyone vividly as Natasha spoke. She seemed to have a great memory for detail and a gift for storytelling.
Her personality drew him to her in ways he’d never been attracted before. She had qualities he didn’t even know he wanted in a woman until now. A bright effervescent personality, an ease in her mannerisms that told him she was comfortable in her own skin, and she seemed to genuinely care for those around her and the people she loved.
Damn. He was having a harder and harder time believing she was guilty, and that wasn’t good. He wasn’t doing his job if he didn’t find evidence that she wasn’t involved. He needed to look at it logically, and when he did, he had to acknowledge the evidence pointing to her.
When they reached the eleventh floor, she walked out of the elevator ahead of him and he let his gaze drift down her backside. She was slender, but had a nice figure, including good-sized breasts and a great ass—
“Are you checking out my ass?” A glitter of amusement was in her eyes when she looked over her shoulder.
Her amusement was infectious and he grinned. “Who, me?”
“You’d better watch it, lawman.” She waited for him to reach her side. “I bite.”
He snorted out a laugh. “One can always hope.”
A groan nearly escaped him. I’m playing a part, he reminded himself. His comment was just a part of his cover. Yeah, right.
Laughter bubbled up from her. “I have a feeling you’re a naughty boy, Special Agent Allen.”
Naughty would be an understatement, he thought but didn’t say aloud. He’d love to get his hands on her, kiss the line of her neck to her breasts where he would gently suck her nipples…
He cleared his throat. Jesus Christ. What the hell was the matter with him? She could be playing him for all he was worth.
They reached her room and she swiped her keycard. The door unlocked with a click. She looked over her shoulder. “See you tonight, Brooks.”
“I’ll be there.” He watched her slip through the open doorway and then the door closed behind her.
He stared at the closed door for a long moment. He itched to touch her, wanted her naked and to feel her warm body against his.
A feeling rose up in him with such intensity his head nearly swam with it. The desire to shelter her and make sure nothing bad ever happen to her made his gut ache.
He ground his teeth. Maybe he would call Sofia and ask her to give someone else the assignment. If he couldn’t do his job, another agent should be on the case.
If Natasha was guilty, someone had to bring her down.
CHAPTER 5
Mark Okle blew his nose on a tissue before tossing it in a nearby wastebasket. His sniffling and sneezing had to be allergies. He was certain mold must be in the retirement center’s vents or something—he wasn’t knowledgeable about that kind of thing, but he knew he’d been allergic to mold and dust mites from the time he was young.
His mother would be so
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