It was nearly eight o’clock by the time Xander finished. So much for getting home early enough to catch up on some sleep. Not that he expected to get much rest with his place smelling like Khaki. Maybe he’d shower and sleep here instead. Like that would help. Her scent filled every corner of the compound too. It was so strong he couldn’t smell anything else but her anymore. Why the hell did it affect him so much?
He was so busy trying to figure out the answer that he didn’t even realize anyone was upstairs until he got to the top of the landing and saw Khaki wrapping a towel around her very wet, very naked body.
Xander stared at the towel-draped piece of perfection in front of him, unable to breathe. His heart was pounding nearly as hard as his cock.
Khaki looked up, her eyes locking with his. He expected her to run back into the showers or turn her back, but she merely stood there holding his gaze as she slowly tucked the towel more tightly around her wet body. The move made her breasts squeeze together, giving him an enticing glimpse of cleavage.
He forced his gaze away from her breasts only to find himself ogling her long, sexy legs instead.
Shit.
Xander jerked his head up to find her regarding him with those big, dark eyes of hers.Oh God.He needed to get out of here before he completely lost it.
Mumbling an apology, he turned and stumbled back down the stairs, practically falling over his feet. It wasn’t his fault. Walking down steps with a hard-on was nearly impossible. Not to mention the fact that his head was no longer functioning properly.
How could he not have known Khaki was up there? He’d just walked in on her half-naked, then stared at her like a perverted Peeping Tom. What the hell had he just done? More importantly, what was Khaki going to do about it? Call her union rep? Human resources? Get her gun?
Soft laughter drifted down the stairs, stopping him in his tracks. If Xander thought his heart was beating fast before, it was nothing compared to how it was racing then.Holyfudgemonkey. She had the most beautiful laugh he’d ever heard.
Then it struck him.
He’d walked in on his one and only female teammate, gawked at her almost-naked body for who knew how long, and she didn’t seem the least bit upset.
What the hell?
* * *
Khaki was surprised to find Mac waiting for her when she got home. The dark-haired journalist was leaning against the wall reading something on her iPhone. Khaki quickened her step.
“Hey,” she said. “Everything okay?”
Mac pushed away from the wall with a smile. “Everything’s fine. It’s you I’m worried about. I heard about that shoot-out you and the guys got into downtown. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She could have just called, but Khaki was glad she hadn’t. She liked hanging out with Mac. Khaki unlocked the door to her apartment and pushed it open.
“Come on in.” Khaki glanced at Mac over her shoulder as she led the way into the apartment. Comparable in size to Mac’s place, it had the same open floor plan and a great view of downtown from the picture window in the living room. “Want some iced tea?”
“Thanks.” Mac flopped down on the couch, then hooked her arm over the back of it so she could look at Khaki. “The videos of you rescuing those kids are all over the Internet. I still can’t believe the way you came down the side of that building. My heart was in my throat just watching you.”
Khaki shrugged, embarrassed. She hadn’t done anything that any of the other guys on the team wouldn’t have done.
She poured two glasses of iced tea and carried them into the living room, handing one to Mac as she kicked off her flip-flops and sat down on the other end of the couch.
“I don’t even remember making a conscious decision to rappel down,” she admitted. “I saw those poor kids and let instinct take over.”
Mac laughed. “Well you should let your instincts take over more often because you looked awesome coming down that rope. I bet there’s a ten percent jump in women joining the Dallas Police Academy based on those videos alone.”
Khaki didn’t know about that, but it would be great if Mac was right. It was way easier to follow your dream of becoming a cop when you were a little girl if you had a female role model to look up to.
“How did your talk go with Xander last night?” Mac asked as she sipped her tea. “Was he able to help you?”
“Yeah, he did.” Khaki was still surprised how well last night had gone, even with all the issues Xander obviously had with her. “I can’t believe how much I learned from him in just a few hours.”
Of course, she didn’t mention the fact that one of the things she’d learned last night was that it was dangerous to be alone with Xander. He made her think about doing things she really shouldn’t.
Mac grinned. “I told you he could help. All you had to do was get past his rough exterior. How’s it going with the rest of the guys? They don’t know about you and Xander, do they?”
Khaki almost spilled her iced tea. She quickly set it down on a coaster. “Know about what?”
