“Bran’s former military. He was special ops.”
“So were you, but there’s something different about him.”
“Yeah, well, Bran was a little more special than I was.” Bran was Army Delta. Considering what Jase was capable of doing himself, he figured the street talk about Bran was true. Apparently, so did Eli Zepeda.
Kate settled back in her seat. At least she had finally stopped shaking. Guilt slipped through him. He shouldn’t have taken her into such a dangerous situation. And yet as he thought of the way she had taken on Zepeda, he couldn’t imagine leaving her behind. She’d been involved from the beginning. Until this was over, that wasn’t going to change.
“So I guess that means there won’t be any retribution,” she said, bringing the conversation full circle.
“Eli’s no fool. He’d rather make money than trouble, so we’re probably okay.”At least for now. What happened from here on out was a different story.
He glanced at Kate. She was still wound tight. In his line of work, he knew the feeling. Instead of pulling up in front of her building, he drove into the parking garage and pulled into a visitor space.
“Okay, if Zepeda didn’t kill my sister, who did?” Kate asked.
Jase turned off the engine. “That’s the question we need to answer.”
She turned to face him, her long blond braid sliding over her shoulder. His groin tightened. After dealing with scum like Zepeda, he needed her tonight. Or maybe it was the fear for her he’d felt tonight.
“But how are we going to find the killer now?” she pressed. “It looks to me like we’re back to square one.”
“We’re way further than square one. Tomorrow we’ll go over everything we’ve learned and figure out where we go next.”
Kate’s eyes found his across the center console. “So...um...if we’re going to be working together in the morning, it would probably be easier if you just stayed over.”
Something relaxed inside him. He didn’t try to hide the hunger in his eyes. He wanted her. He just wasn’t sure he wanted her to know how much.
“Good idea,” was all he said.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kate sat next to Jason at the kitchen table the following morning. Though she had tried to tell herself she needed to take a step back from him, she was glad he had spent the night.
After their confrontation with Zepeda and his men, she had been too wired to even think about sleep. Accompanying two former special ops warriors into danger, she’d been in way over her head. She’d had no idea how far the men would be willing to go to get the information they needed.
If she were being honest, she’d admit to being scared to death. Still, she’d managed to keep it together, do the job she’d been assigned and get through the mission.
By the time they got to her apartment, the adrenaline was wearing off, her knuckles were hurting from the punch she had thrown and her insides were shaking.
Jase seemed to understand. The minute the door was closed, he pulled her into his arms. “It’s all right,” he said, running a comforting hand up and down her back. “You’re home. You’re safe. Everything’s okay.”
A little sound slipped from her throat and she relaxed into his arms, absorbing his strength and heat. He just held her, making no demands, letting her settle and regain control of her emotions.
Eventually she began to feel something besides nerves and residual fear. She became aware of the roughness of the black jeans that clung to his powerful thighs, the hardness of his chest.
Tipping her head back, she pressed her mouth to his throat, felt the steady pulse beating there, kissed his jaw. The feel of his arousal sent heat sliding through her.
Jase kissed the bruised knuckles on her hand. “So brave tonight,” he said, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. “I want you, baby. So damn much.”
The gestured loosened something inside her. “I want you, too,” she whispered, and Jase scooped her into his arms. She wasn’t a small woman, but he made her feel that way, made her feel feminine and sexy and desirable.
They made love twice, releasing the pent-up energy both of them were feeling. Exactly what she needed, which Jase seemed to understand.
When morning came, she showered and dressed and went in search of him, found him sitting behind his laptop at the kitchen table. He always seemed more comfortable in there.
“What are you working on?” She poured herself a mug of coffee, carried the pot over and refilled his cup.
“Catching up on my email, taking care of a little personal business. I picked up some doughnuts.” He nodded to the box on the counter, then glanced at her and smiled. “I borrowed your keys to let myself back in.”
