Page 26 of Top Secret Cowboy


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She suddenly realized his stare had dropped to her mouth.

And he wasn’t looking away.

It made for a change from all the men who preferred staring at her breasts, but it still left her feeling…bubbly. Like sparkling water. Or champagne with too much pressure behind the cork.

She mentally rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Why did her parents have to instill the love of reading in her to the point where she couldn’t have a normal thought without using some literary device? Couldn’t she just be normal?

No. With Alice and Geoffrey Burns for parents, there was no such thing as normal. In the evenings instead of watching TV, they had poetry readings of Emily Brontëand Robert Burns, who her father had traced his ancestral roots to. Bronte didn’t have a chance.

Jace’s hands still lay heavy on her shoulders, making her very aware of how much power was in those long fingers…and did she have to remember how her stomach fluttered when he rubbed her arms before? She struggled to suppress a shiver at the memory of his callused fingers moving down the sleeves of her robe to her bare forearms.

She swallowed to compose herself. “I’ll do whatever you ask. Well, nearly.”

He ducked his head to peer into her eyes. “Nearly. What does that mean?”

“I won’t compromise my morals or beliefs. If I feel you’ve crossed a line, I’ll draw one in the dirt. Does that satisfy you?”

His eyes narrowed the slightest degree, but the warm gray depths appeared to be holding some electric current that left her feeling hot and sweaty again.

He released her and stepped back. “I’ll return the tools and ladder to the maintenance man later. I just need a minute to wash up and we can head to the Artemis office.”

She couldn’t wait to get back into her comfort zone. At least at the office she’d feel more herself. Balanced. Since the minute Jace Abel walked into Artemis, her life had been one big, confusing disruption.

Jace went into the guest room, which meant Hemingway remembered she was alive and his owner. When he came to wind himself around her ankles, she issued a coo of delight and scooped him up to cuddle against her chest. He nuzzled her, and she peppered the top of his head with kisses.

She was so caught up in her morning cuddles with her pet that she didn’t notice Jace standing there staring at her until he cleared his throat.

Her stomach dipped at the unfamiliarity of seeing not only a man in her space, but a gorgeous, rugged cowboy. He was completely different from any of the men she found herself attracted to, but now she wondered why she didn’t go for his type. He certainly ticked off all the boxes on the manly list.

When he gave a little tug on his hat brim, her insides heated another degree.

“Do you always look like you’re ready to fight off a league of bad guys?” she blurted.

He cocked his head. “What do these bad guys look like in your mind? Nunchuks and swords?”

The image brought a bubble of laughter to her lips. She bent to lower Hemingway to the floor and then crossed the room to the small table by the door. She rummaged in a drawer and came out with a lint roller.

Jace drifted closer and watched the roller move up and down her shirt front. Over her breasts.

Realizing that she was getting the wrong kind of attention, she quickly stowed the roller in the drawer and grabbed her handbag, which she’d already switched out to match her outfit today. If her parents revered sculptures and oil paintings, Bronte’s passion lay in Chanel and Hermes.

“I’m ready now,” she said.

A little flustered that he’d been so intently watching that roller move over her top, she quickly spun to the door. She reached for the handle and stopped at the fortress of locks she had to work open before she could leave.

“I need to check that it’s all clear before you go out.” Jace shouldered his way in front of her, bringing the scent of woods and man.

She took a deeper breath than necessary and held the scent in her nose for the time it took for him to check the hall cam on his security app and then open three locks.

He stuck his head out, looking up and down the hall. Then he waved a hand for her to step out first.

“This is making me jittery,” she muttered to him.

“Protocol.” He started to close the door but stopped. “Hemingway, get out of the way.”

She twisted to see what was going on. Her jaw dropped at seeing her cat trying to follow Jace out of the condo.

“Let me just…” She crouched and gave the cat a gentle nudge through the cracked door. He let out an irritated meow in response.

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