AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So.” His eyes gleamed as he pressed a combination of keys and blanked his screen. Tag had always been good at giving her his undivided attention. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
Stalling sounded good to her. “You don’t need to watch the screen?”
“In case there’s a killer storm barreling up the Pacific I’ve been blissfully unaware of for the last three days?” His amused smile shouldn’t have made her panties wet. “We’re good. I’ve got all the time in the world for you.”
Oh, damn. Where did she start?
“Three guesses,” she said huskily. When she perched on the edge of his desk, he didn’t even blink. Of course, the surface was also preternaturally clear. No stacks of papers or binders for her butt to crush or knock over. He probably figured he was okay.
“You came to say hello to your fiancé.” He folded his arms over his chest and grinned at her. He had a really nice chest. She should have looked at him and seen a threat. Instead, she saw safety. How strange.
“Nice try. Do your boys know?”
“That we’re engaged? Absolutely. That you’re just using me for my body? That, too.” He leaned forward and clasped her hand. He gently dug his thumbs into her palm, massaging away the tension there. She might marry him for real if he’d just promise to do the same every night.
“You came to check your kitten. I’m holding him for you until you’ve got your new place.” He nodded toward the cardboard box tucked underneath his desk.
Rescuing things—people, military missions, felines—apparently came second nature to the man. She, on the other hand, wasn’t nice. She’d served and she’d fought hard, but this time she was getting what she wanted. Still, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be leaving empty-handed.
“You know you want to.” A teasing smile flashed across his face. Problem number one? She didn’t even want to resist Tag. When he reached down and lifted the orange-and-white Siamese out of the box, she was lost.
“You don’t fight fair.”
“I saved you the best one,” he said. “The others have already been promised. You can thank me later. Here.”
With no choice but to take the kitten, she cupped her hands and let Tag place the Siamese in her palms. The kitten tumbled into a small heap and then started giving her thumb a bath, industriously running its rough sandpaper tongue over her skin. Maybe it liked her. Or maybe it was leftover chicken salad from lunch making her so attractive.
She needed to get back on solid ground. “I could be persuaded.”
“How?” He swiveled in his chair, his shoulder bumping her thigh. While he waited for her answer, he reached down and plucked out a second kitten. The small bundle of warm and wriggly was accompanied by a motorboat-size purr. It looked fragile, but anything living under that porch had to have a core of steel.
Tag watched her kitten for a moment. “He needs you.”
“Or he’s hungry.”
She liked the idea of being needed, though. Serving in the military, she’d had a job to do and a place on the team. Her teammates had needed her to perform, and she had. Now that she was done serving, however, she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“Do I win a prize?” he drawled.
“For...?”
“For being right about why you came. I’m hoping it involves sexual favors.”
She shook her head. “That’s not why I came.”
“Huh.” He ran a finger down her thigh. When Dani had dropped off an armload of loaner clothes, Mia had registered the lack of practical, everyday stuff. Dani’s clothes were feminine. Flirty and fun. All things Mia wasn’t. Case in point? Her sundress. The skirt was yellow with tiny white polka dots. It was cheerful as hell and not something she would ever have bought. But since she felt different here on this island, why not wear it? “It’s not my charming good looks, is it?”
“I need a job.” She blurted the words out. Smooth. She’d practiced what she was going to say, but apparently her brain had abandoned the script. “I want that job you mentioned, if it’s still available.”
He raised a brow. Shit. He was going to make her work for this, wasn’t he? “I believe your exact words were over my dead body.”
“Not true. I asked you if you had ambitions to play boss and secretary, and then I declined to participate.” She pointed to his kitten. “Fur baby there is about to take a header off your desk.”
