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She nipped her bottom lip. A subtle gesture, but a telling one. At best, she was hiding something. At worst, she was lying.
Damn it.
He shook his head. She had no idea who she was dealing with. His gaze dropped back to her mouth. Those rosy-pink lips pursed in a way that made him imagine she was holding back an avalanche of secrets. Made him want to kiss those secrets right out of her. Slowly. One by one.
A technique he had never employed before. His specialty as a human intelligence officer had been uncovering the truths others sought to bury. He’d been extremely proficient at his job, doing whatever was necessary. Some skills were never lost. He might be rusty, but it was like riding a bike.
He’d find out what she didn’t want him to know. Once he was on to something, he was like a bloodhound that didn’t stop. “If something has happened to Haley,” he said, still not entirely certain that something had, “the police will come to question you once they check her phone records.”
“The cell phone is a burner I gave her so she could communicate without Seth knowing. The number I gave her to contact me is to my own burner. The cops won’t be able to trace it back to me.”
A vehicle tore up to the house. The dull sound of tires spitting through the lawn drew their gazes to the front window.
“Are you expecting someone?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
Years of ingrained training had him grasping the hilt of his weapon. He inched over a step and looked through the window. High beams were focused on the house, like a spotlight, blinding him.
Next thing he knew, there were gunshots.
Chapter Three
Charlie reached for Brian, to get him away from the window. Out of the line of fire.
But he was already in motion, lunging for her with startling speed. He grabbed hold of her, taking her down to the floor, his body covering hers.
Pop, pop, pop, pop.Four more rounds blew out her bay window. Shattered glass rained down. A lamp exploded. Bullets bit into the walls.
An engine revved, tires spun outside and peeled away.
Heart pounding violently, she lay there, frozen for a minute. Even if she had wanted to move, it would have been impossible. His solid, heavy body had her pinned to the floor.
Slowly, he uncurled the strong arm he had wrapped around her head. He stared down at her, his warm chocolate-brown gaze caressing her face as lean, masculine muscle brushed against her. An electric jolt ripped through her that had nothing to do with their close call with death and everything to do with him.
You’re just confusing the rush of adrenaline with something else.
That’s what she tried to tell herself anyway. “They’re gone.” Her voice was a whisper she didn’t recognize. “You can get off me now.”
When he didn’t immediately move, she pressed her palms to his chest to shove him away and instantly regretted it. Hard, taut muscle shifted beneath her fingers. The ridges and valleys teasing her, tempting her. His warmth penetrated through clothes and skin, deep into her bones. The weight of his body was so comforting that she couldn’t bring herself to push him off.
“I just wanted to make sure they didn’t swing back around for another try,” he said, his soft breath grazing her cheek.
“Oh.” She hadn’t considered that possibility.
He cradled her face with a tenderness that had her throat growing tight and her heart drumming harder.
Part of her couldn’t wait for him to move. The other part wanted to cling to him a little longer, holding him close, soaking up his heat. Even the scent of him was sunshine and happiness and sexy sweat. He smelled better than anyone she’d ever met.
She struggled to catalog the terror tangling with the thrill that stung the insides of her veins as she found herself slipping into a strange passivity trapped beneath him.
God, she hated the effect he had on her.
“Think it’s safe now?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“Yeah, I think so.” He gave a little nod, his mouth a hairbreadth from hers. “But stay down and let me check to be sure.” Rolling off her, he pushed to a crouch with his sidearm in his hand.
The chill that swept over Charlie in the absence of his body heat made her shiver. She glanced at the shattered glass, holes in the wall and the mess left behind from the bullets meant for her.
