Loud music suddenly split through the air and he glanced out the window. His new neighbor liked to blast her crap music, and he’d been patient enough to ignore it. Until now.
Now he wasn’t in the fucking mood.
Eyes narrowing, he pushed off the bench, pocketing his phone as he marched out of his workroom and down the hallway. He grabbed his coat off the peg, shoved his arms into the sleeves and stepped outside into the frigid air.
Feeling extra grumpy, he stomped across the wide, snow-covered lawn and headed straight for his neighbor’s house.
Time to lay down the law.
Chapter two
Peering through a pair of custom-designed, high-quality night vision binoculars, Sabrina Ross watched the house next door for several hours before becoming utterly exasperated. Jayson Knight was a freaking hermit. How was she supposed to get into his house and snoop around when the man rarely left? What the hell did he do in there all day?
Since it was Friday night, she’d been hoping he’d go out for a few hours so she could sneak over and get a closer look at his security setup. The man was a former Army Ranger, so she knew he probably had cameras and an alarm system. Guns, too. The last thing she wanted was to get caught and have him start shooting at her. As a highly-trained military man, he wouldn’t miss.
Letting the blinds snap closed, she lowered the binoculars and once again began questioning her life choices. After graduating college with a Master’s Degree in Criminology, she followed in her father’s footsteps and began working at the FBI as an intelligence analyst. She’d spent years analyzing crime data,identifying trends, patterns and potential threats to help law enforcement make strategic decisions. She’d sat at a desk all day and gotten comfortable. Too comfortable. When she made an off-handed remark about it to her dad, he’d encouraged her to challenge herself more and become a special agent like him.
Always wanting to please him, she became a field agent. Now, he was exceptionally happy…and she couldn’t be more miserable.
The job was tough, but that wasn’t the problem. She enjoyed a good challenge, and her dad’s approval meant everything. Probably more than it should. Because at some point, she started wondering why she’d let her happiness take a backseat.
Her dad had been her world for as long as she could remember, raising her after her mother left when she was only two. No doubt about it—she was a daddy’s girl. But after two years in the field, she was having second, third and fourth thoughts. Her heart just wasn’t in it. On top of that, the job was stressful and taxing as hell, often making her doubt herself. The looming question was becoming weightier every day—how could she leave the Bureau and escape D.C. without upsetting her father?
Sabrina set the binoculars on the table and massaged her temples. The truth was, she wanted to change careers completely. She was forty-two years old and had been studying the criminal mind for far too long. That kind of darkness had a way of seeping into your soul, and she didn’t want that. By nature, she was a happy person. She yearned for something lighter and maybe even creative.
She wanted out before her inner light and hope permanently dimmed.
Her demanding, depressing and extremely unsatisfying job necessitated moments to let loose and refill her happiness well. Over the last few years, it had drained considerably. Some of hercolleagues went to the shooting range. Others went skydiving or snorkeling. One of the few things that gave her that sense of immense joy was listening to her music and utterly losing herself. It allowed her to shut out all the noise and turn inward as she absorbed the harmony. Somehow, it created a soothing and sheltering cocoon around her mind. And she needed that right now.
Grabbing her phone—already connected to the massive surround sound system throughout the house—she pulled up her favorite playlist and hit play. An upbeat song by a popular artist filled the air, immediately lifting her spirits. She stood there a minute, soaking up the melody, the lyrics, the happy, bubbly essence of pure pop. Letting her heartbeat sync up with the beat of the drums, her hips began to sway and she danced around the room as she sang the refrain.
It took her a minute to hear someone pounding away on the front door. Startled out of her dancing, she turned the volume down. Walking across the living room, she glanced out the window to see the object of her earlier stakeout standing on her porch, arms crossed, a scowl on his very handsome face. Because, yeah, Jayson Knight was better looking than she would’ve liked. But not in a classically handsome way. More rugged, and in a yummy masculine way that made her bite down on her lip and curl her toes. The kind of man who gave a lady dirty thoughts.So not good.
And now she was going to get her very first look, up close and personal.
Good, she’d been trying to figure out a way to introduce herself. He was saving her the trip and the struggle over what legitimate reason she’d have for going over there.
Giving her shoulder-length hair a shake, she cleared her throat and opened the door. A blast of cold air swept inside as she sent him a friendly smile. “Hi. You’re my new neighbor, right?”
Incredible hazel eyes narrowed at her, and her focus drifted to the small scar between them. “Do you know what time it is?” he demanded in a growl.
She tore her attention away from the oddly attractive scar and lifted her phone. “Uh, yeah, it’s 8:52.”
A funny look passed over his face, and she got the impression he thought it was later. “Right, well, this is a quiet neighborhood and my house is vibrating from your loud music.”
Geez, what a grump.But she forced another smile, quickly apologizing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“It’s fine.”
She didn’t miss the way his gold-flecked gaze skated down her body. Nor could she ignore the shivers that followed, pricking her skin. It was probably just the cold air blowing in, she reasoned. It had absolutely nothing to do with the man himself. “I’m Sabrina, by the way.”
He locked eyes with her and her heart thumped harder.Oh, no.Flutters swirled through her belly, and even though she hadn’t experienced it in so very long, she knew exactly what that dangerous feeling meant. She hadn’t allowed herself to travel down that road in forever, because getting hurt really sucked.
No, Sabrina, you can’t be attracted to your mark. He’s most likely a criminal. One you’ve been tasked with bringing down.
This wasso verynot good.
“Jayson Knight,” he said. His voice was nice. Smooth like whiskey and just deep enough to make her imagine a mug of hot chocolate spiked with that same alcohol—a combination that traditionally resulted in her making some very bad decisions.
