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He grabbed some more beers, then managed to make idle conversation for another thirty minutes before they all headed home, that uneasy feeling shadowing his every move. The fact his front entrance was shrouded in darkness suddenly dawned on him that he’d left himself wide open for an attack. That he should have insisted on the manager installing perimeter lighting. That somewhere between going to rehab and his new job, Booker had let some of his training slide.
A mistake he’d correct in the morning. Along with a full spectrum of security cameras and motion sensors. How he should have outfitted the apartment the moment he’d signed the rental agreement. Of course, being in the middle of nowhere Montana had dulled his natural paranoia. What seemed like the most unlikely place for anything sinister to crop up.
Christ, maybe he was the one who’d gone soft.
He took a deep breath, giving the area the once-over before he jumped out of his truck and made for the door, his head on a swivel. Muscles primed because that prickling sensation had grown into a full-on premonition — just like the night of the accident. Was practically slapping him upside the head, and he’d be damned if he ignored another warning.
He made it all the way to his front door — had the key in the lock — when the air stirred behind him. A duck and a spin, and he had the person by the arm — was shifting off the his right. Another step and a shove and the hooded figure was pinned to the door. Hood falling back. Her ruby-red lips lifted into a bemused grin.
He froze, staring into those killer blue eyes as his heart skipped a beat. “Calliope?”
She levered up, breaking his hold before pivoting to the left — using her feet to trip him onto his ass. He hit hard, stones biting into his back a second before she was on top of him. Hips locked around his torso. Her weight shifted forward just enough he couldn’t buck her off.
She locked her fingers around his wrists, leaning in close — all that silky brown hair falling in a curtain around him — before that wicked mouth of hers lifted. “Hello, Booker. We need to talk.”
CHAPTER2
After all these months,it was actually him. Booker Hayes. In the flesh. And he looked better than ever.
Special Agent Calliope Jensen bit her bottom lip, using the slight hurt to focus on the job at hand. How she needed to persuade Booker to be her unofficial partner — follow her into what would undoubtedly be hostile territory with only each other and whatever he could acquisition as backup.
Not that she was worried he’d say no. If there was one thing she’d learned about Booker after over a year of working with him, it’s that he was the proverbial white knight. Only he rode in a helicopter instead of on a horse. The kind of man who’d jump first, worry if it got him killed, later. At least, she hoped he was still that guy.
She’d heard about the accident. Months later, and at a time when she couldn’t so much as send him a text. But she’d ached inside. Had nearly broken her cover a dozen times wanting nothing more than to call him. See if he was okay. If he needed her.
Which seemed stupid, seeing how things had turned out. She knew about the Brotherhood Protectors. Had colleagues who’d worked with some of the men the organization hired. All ex-military. Ex-special forces. So, for Booker to be heading their new aviation department meant he’d landed on his feet. Had clawed his way back and made a home for himself.
That, maybe, she was the only one who’d been agonizing over having to leave. Not being able to contact him.
That he hadn’t wanted more.
Booker tensed beneath her before he smiled, easing back on the small walkway as if it was natural to be lying across the concrete. As if women jumped him every night of the week. And, maybe they did because… Damn, he was even hotter than she remembered. Chestnut-colored hair that sat in a tousled mess since dumping him on his ass. Enough scruff shadowing his jaw it was basically a beard, and a mouth she knew could take her from zero to a hundred in six seconds flat.
But those eyes… not quite blue, but not quite green. She’d never seen that particular shade before and just staring into them, now… it more than took her breath away.
“Ya know, I’ve had women take a while to call me back before. Some bullshit about dating rules. But at thirteen months, you definitely hold the record.”
And just like that, any reservations vanished because he was definitely the guy she remembered. Sure, there was a haunted shadow in his eyes — what she suspected were demons or ghosts from that night when he’d almost died — but beneath that, he was pure action hero.
She leaned in, stopping with her mouth a breath away from his. “I’ve been a bit busy.”
“Right.” He moved, somehow sliding to the right, getting one arm beneath her ass, then flipping them. Using his other hand to cushion her head before he was lying on top of her, every inch of their bodies touching.
He mimicked her position, his breath mixing with hers. “Does that mean you’re not busy, now?”
She relaxed against the pavement, giving him a genuine smile. “It’s complicated.”
“In other words, nothing’s changed.”
He eased back, rolling off then gaining his feet and offering his hand. Pulling her firmly against him before scanning the area. “You’re the one who’s been following me, right?”
She nodded, not surprised he’d picked up on her surveillance. She’d made sure he hadn’t actually spotted her, but she’d guessed by the way he’d kept checking his six, that he’d sensed someone was shadowing him. “Unless you’ve pissed off some lover’s husband.”
“That would imply I’ve had other lovers.”
Was that relief warming her skin? Or just being this close to the man she suspected she’d been halfway in love with before her entire world had imploded. Because hearing him suggest he hadn’t been making the rounds of all the available women since she’d finally gotten a taste of him that one night did weird things to her head. Had her thinking of a life beyond the DEA. One where she surrounded herself with people she trusted.
Booker took another look around then motioned to the door. “We should take this inside, just to be safe. Key’s in the lock.”
