Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
“Are you cold?” Shane asks, reaching to turn down the air conditioning inside the car.
“No.” I shake my head. “Just wound tight,” I murmur.
“I can only imagine. But you’re safe. We’ve taken every possible precaution,” he says, his voice deep and reassuring.
“I know. And I appreciate you dropping everything to help me out. I mean, after all these years, I’m basically a stranger and—”
“You’re not a stranger, smarty-pants.” He meets my gaze through his aviators and grins, causing my belly to twist and a jolt of desire to travel through my veins.
“No, I guess I’m not. You’re Tate’s best friend.”
He inclines his head, eyes on the road. “Long distance aside, he’s like a brother to me.”
Does that make me like a sister? The thought doesn’t sit well with me, and I’m not surprised. When I was younger, I had a crush on him and freaked out when things got too intense. Now that I’m an adult, I recognize the desire he inspires in me is stronger…and not going away.
When he searched me earlier, the wand moving around my body parts, his face nearly between my thighs, a definite sense of arousal pulsed through me. My nipples grew hard, my panties wet, and if we hadn’t been in the middle of a serious situation, I might have jumped him right there.
And from the muscle I saw ticking in his jaw, I assume he was affected by my nearness, too. Of course, that could be wishful thinking. Either way, I don’t want him to treat me like family or consider me a little sister. Because I definitely don’t feel that way about him. I never have.
“But this isn’t all about Tate, is it? You’re helping me, and I’m grateful.”
“It’s my pleasure. Seriously.”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek. “Okay, good.” I blow out a deep breath and stare at the dry landscape through the car window.
“So how have you been?” I ask him. “I mean, we have time to talk now, right?”
“I think we’re pretty safe,” he says, glancing in the rearview mirror.
From his posture and general wariness, he never lets his guard down, which I appreciate.
“I’ve been good,” he says. “Working at McKay-Taggart suits me.”
I can understand that. His boss is a unique man. I have a feeling the rest of the office is similarly interesting.
“But didn’t you always want to be on the police force? At least that’s what you told me back in high school.”
He frowns, but that doesn’t detract from his good looks. “Back then, I didn’t know what being a cop would mean.”
“And what’s that?” I ask, curling a leg beneath me. I am intrigued by the fact that something he was so drawn to didn’t work for him as an adult and am curious to know why.
“I had this case. A young girl was killed.” He grips the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white under the strain. “My partner and I, we did everything by the book. Dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s. And in the end, the guy walked because the jury found reasonable doubt.”
I wince at the outcome that obviously hurt him so badly. “I’m sorry.”
He inclines his head. “I couldn’t handle the job knowing my best wasn’t good enough. Protection means I can stop a threat before it hurts someone, or at least have the chance to. I get more satisfaction here than fighting the law in an attempt to get justice after the fact.”
“Makes sense.” I nod, rubbing a hand along the thigh of my pants.
While I work in a lab, I do so knowing I am trying to help people in the long run, so I understand his frustration about working within a tightly controlled system.
Time for a subject change, I decide, not that he’ll like my next choice. But I can’t help wanting to know more about him and the man he’s become.
“So… I heard from my brother you were married.”
He shoots me a surprised glance. “Yes. I was. It ended a couple of years ago. Amicably, as far as those things go. Amy wanted a husband she wouldn’t have to worry about getting shot, maybe killed in the line of duty. And she wanted one who was home at a reasonable hour. That’d never be me.”
I purse my lips and nod. When Tate went to his wedding, I experienced a pang of sadness at the prospect of him being taken. Which is silly because at that point I hadn’t seen Shane in years.
“Okay, time to turn the tables,” he says, breaking into my thoughts. “How are you?” he asks, his shoulders finally relaxing now that the spotlight is on me.
“Other than running for my life?” I ask, wanting to keep the mood light. “I’ve actually been good. If you consider busy good. I’ve been wrapped up with my job and working the kinks out of this formula. It’s been an exhilarating ride. Until today. And now I’d like to bring it to fruition. I want the drug to get to the public so it can help people as planned.”