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He chuckled. “Stupid like what?”
Before she could think straight, she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his in a brief kiss.
As she dropped back down on her heels, one of his arms came up around her, and his other hand cupped the back of her head, bringing her back to finish the kiss she’d started.
Startled by his move, she gasped.
He took advantage of her parted teeth and darted his tongue in to tangle with hers in a long, slow caress.
Kiana’s hands rose from his chest to wrap around the back of his neck, bringing him closer and taking him deeper in a kiss that shouldn’t have happened.
For a long, sensuous moment, time stood still. They kissed, and everything else faded into the darkness. Kiana forgot everything but the man in front of her.
When he lifted his head and stared down into her eyes, she had to remind herself to breathe. As she drew in a deep breath, her mind re-engaged, and sanity returned with a vengeance.
Kiana stepped back. “That wasn’t supposed to— I shouldn’t have— I don’t know what got into—”
He covered her mouth with his, stopping her runaway mouth with another kiss that stole her breath away yet again.
When he raised his head this time, she sighed.
“Well, hell.” She shook her head. “I can’t think.”
Dev laughed. “Then don’t think. Just feel.” He held up a hand. “On second thought, hold those thoughts and feelings until after we’re done in Meredith’s apartment. We’ll revisit them at that time.” He took her hand and led her out of the parking lot, across a street and into the shadows of an office building. He paused long enough to say, “Stay close behind me and move in the shadows.”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered, her pulse ratcheting up the closer they got to the apartment she’d shared with Tish and Meredith. She’d always felt safe in that apartment, surrounded by her friends.
That had all changed in the past few hours. A mental image of Tish flashed through her mind. Her pretty friend lying in the ICU in a coma didn’t instill warm fuzzy feelings about returning to the place where she’d been attacked so brutally.
Kiana moved like Dev, clinging to the sides of buildings in the shadows, stopping to check for movement or lurking bad guys. She was determined to get into and out of the apartment without attracting the attention of the men who seemed to be everywhere looking for Meredith or anyone who might know where she was.
Oh, Meredith. Where are you? Why haven’t you tried to contact us?
Dev stopped at the corner of the office building across from their destination. The apartment complex lay ahead, bathed in muted starlight with streetlights on each corner.
The abundant lighting had been a selling point when she’d signed the original lease on the apartment years before. All the light made her feel safer. No one could jump out of the shadows to accost her. Now, wanting to enter the apartment undetected, the lights would make it difficult.
Dev spent several long minutes studying the surroundings. “I don’t see any sign of movement, but if someone is watching, they’ll be doing it from a hidden position. We’ll circle behind the furthest cars in the parking lot at the rear of the complex, then move quickly to the door leading into the building. Stay close and move fast.”
She nodded. “Will do.”
He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers in a brief, hard kiss. “Let’s go.”
Her lips tingling from his kiss, Kiana followed the Navy SEAL, praying they didn’t run into any more tattooed gang members.
Enough was enough. They could use a break in this case. Soon. For all they knew, the clock could be ticking for Meredith. Her time could be running out.
Chapter 7
Dev led the way, swinging wide of the building, driveway and parking lot and coming to a halt in the bushes behind the last row of cars. Once they left the bushes, the only cover and concealment would be the vehicles until they reached the building.
So far, Kiana had kept up, matching his movements precisely. She moved with stealth and silence, hunkering low.
His heart swelled at her courage and determination to find her friend. Meredith was lucky she had an advocate in Kiana. She cared about her adopted sisters and had dropped everything in her new life to come back to help them.
In her way, she was like Dev’s brothers in arms. She had her sisters’ backs. The woman had weathered a foster care system that could have hardened her, yet she still had a heart big enough for everyone with whom she came in contact. She cared what happened to him and his friends.
Dev crouched in the shadows of the bushes, studying the building, the landscaping and the cars parked in front of him. Nothing moved. Short of checking the interior of every vehicle, he couldn’t know if someone sat inside one watching for anyone returning to Meredith’s apartment.
