Page 24 of Deadly Scandals

Craig’s eyes widened as he checked out my body, no doubt imagining me dressed in nothing but pasties and a thong. “Autumn? Lap dance?”

“Yeah, you missed it. I was undercover. Autumn was my stripper name.” I turned my attention toward Mitch and prayed that my traitorous pussy would not get wet.

Complete failure.

One look and heat rose in my body. Why was he so fucking hot?

What was wrong with me? I despised Mitch. He was a smug, cocky, arrogant son of a bitch.

Did I mention sexy?

So fucking sexy. I hated to admit it, but I could devour Mitch. Grant was a handsome man, looked like a Hollywood movie star, but he was a good guy. Mitch, on the other hand, was the ultimate bad boy. The type of man who could get you to drop your panties with a mere wink from his soulful yet pained brown eyes. The type of man you hated yourself for loving but couldn’t resist. The type of man for whom you would risk your career for a one-night stand.

In other words, my type.

Which meant I had to resist him at all costs.

“Actually, Petty Officer Martinez, I went to Harvard. Majored in history with a concentration in government.” I studied his reaction and appreciated the shocked expression that graced his rugged face. “As for the lap dancing, I perfected those moves in my free time.”

His lips turned into a grin, and I fought to keep myself from melting. “Harvard, huh? Okay, smarty-pants, I’ll give you a tip. Paul was a hypocrite. Despite being an officer, he had no leadership skills and no integrity.”

Yes! This was what I needed. What I craved. Some inkling of who Paul was as a man. “Would you care to elaborate?”

Mitch took a step toward me, and I inhaled his intoxicating, masculine scent. He smelled like a mix of sea salt and winter spice. I wanted to lick him from his chest down to his happy trail and then suck on him like a lollipop. “Sure. I’ll pick you up tonight at eight.”

Oh, hell no. “Eight? This is an investigation, not a date.”

He shook his head. “It’s a date, babe. You want information about Paul, and I want you. Where do you live?”

Craig laughed.

Oh my God, no. I could not be alone with Mitch. There was no way I’d be able to control myself.

I’d been married to my work for as long as I could remember. I couldn’t even recall the last time I had gotten laid. I’d spent my entire life devoted to seeking the truth behind the Teams, hoping someday, somehow, I would find the answer to the one question that had driven my entire life.

Who had kidnapped my sister?

But I had no leads. None. And I knew from experience that it was impossible to break the bonds of these men. I needed an in, like Mia had found when she’d gone undercover as Ksenya the stripper.

I needed Mitch.

“I’ll meet you downtown. Name the place.”

“Nope, Harvard. That’s not how this works. Maybe you’ve never been on a real date, so I’ll explain it to you. I’m a man. I asked you out, and you accepted. I’m picking you up at your place, and I’m paying for dinner.” Then he pulled me into him and whispered into my ear. “I love your filthy mouth. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I last saw you, when we saved Julián.”

I resisted the urge to slap him, but he would’ve probably liked that. He was such a chauvinist pig and the last man I wanted to go on a date with, though he would be my first choice to fuck. I would never entertain starting any type of serious relationship with this man.

But truth be told, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him either since we’d spent the night together in Marin after we’d found Julián. Nothing had happened—I’d made sure of that. But I had realized that night that there was more to Mitch than just a dirty-talking, drop-dead gorgeous, badass SEAL.

“Fine. I live in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.” I briefly considered giving him a fake address and begging one of my coworkers to let me pretend her place was mine, but I quickly abandoned that plan when I remembered that Mitch was actually quite intelligent. He’d probably run a background report on me.

Instead, I scribbled down my address and phone number on my notepad and handed it to Mitch.

His mouth widened into a delicious smile, and he licked his lips. “See you then, Autumn.”

He walked away, and I couldn’t help but stare at his incredible ass in those cammies. His thighs were massive, and I fantasized about seeing Mitch’s fantastic body on top of mine, pumping deep inside of me until I came all over his cock.

Craig interrupted my daydream. “Date? What are you doing, Pierce?”

I detected a hint of jealousy in his tone. Why couldn’t I be attracted to Craig? NCIS partners were allowed to date. He was a great man and not bad-looking. An honorable agent, hardworking, loyal and kind.

“It’s not a date. It’s work. I’m telling you, Craig. Paul was murdered. I just know it. You don’t know these SEALs. They’re always hiding something.”

Craig rolled his eyes. The SEALs would eat him for lunch. “Whatever you say. I say the guy killed himself. I’ll head back to the office and do some digging into his financials. Have fun on your date.”

I smirked. Fun? I didn’t know the meaning of the word fun. All I knew was tonight, I would use Mitch to find the first clue in this case.

And maybe, one day, all my hard work would lead me to discover what had happened to my sister.