I took a deep breath, drinking in her sweet perfume. With our lips almost touching, I wanted nothing more than to tell her this would be over soon.
But it would just be another lie.
There was no understanding of either how far reaching this was or whether or not Raven Intel was being fed several lines of bullshit.
We shared a look, two people standing in a dingy parking lot worried about the safety of others. Two people who barely knew each other but were connected by pheromones and circumstances. And at this moment, there was no place I’d rather be.
The light breeze continued dangling hair in Reese’s face and with a gentle brush of my hand, I combed the long strands behind her ear. “When I’m telling you that you’re beautiful, it’s not because I want something from you. I hope you know that, Reese.”
“You don’t want anything at all?”
I lowered my head by another inch. “Be careful in tempting a very bad man like the one standing in front of you. In case you don’t know by now, I tend to bend the rules to my benefit.”
“How so?” She rose onto her tiptoes, her luscious lips partially open. When she dragged the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip, I wasn’t certain wild horses could stop me from kissing her.
“Because I take what I want.”
“What if the lady doesn’t mind?”
There were no words that could be said at this point. Maybe they should be, something witty to ease her fears or charmingto allow her to understand that not all men were disgusting perverts. But I wasn’t interested in wasting any additional time.
Instead, I captured her mouth, holding our lips together as she leaned into me. The way the breeze wafted her perfume into my nostrils was scintillating, briefly allowing me to forget both the danger and the need for revenge. But Franklin was one of many.
Now it was my job to help bring them down. Even if took a goddamn village to do so.
She swept her tongue inside, tugging on my shirt as she did.
There was a dominating woman buried inside even if I’d sensed more than once how much she enjoyed the game of surrender. Or maybe I should start saying the reality of her need to submit fully and completely.
I held her close, so much so I could feel the rapid pounding of her heart. She was so breathtaking in every way that the thought of releasing her when the mission was completed wasn’t acceptable any longer. The taste of her was just as sweet, yet I’d seen another rise in her resolve, the same determination that had attracted me in the first place.
It was time to turn over every rock in the city.
When I finally pulled away, I noticed she had her eyes closed, the expression she wore one of satisfaction. Why was my cock always aching at the worst time possible?
“Come on, lady. The whole gang is about to break bad on Miami.” I took her hand and she cocked her head, touching her collar.
“Be careful, my sexy master. I might have you on film.”
I laughed while scanning the street. It would seem I’d managed to rid myself of the tail. However, I had a strong suspicion that there could be visitors at the house. I grabbed my phone, making a call while I stood watching the street.
“Hey, Ken, my man. I haven’t talked to you in ages.”
Every single person in Raven Intel had friends in various departments or agencies who were regularly called for favors. Usually, it was a mutual admiration society. “Officer John Booth. How’ve you been?”
John had brought me a case a couple of years before as a rookie officer. He’d had no place in coming to me and I could have turned him in to his ranking officer for breaking protocol. I hadn’t done so. And why? Because he’d been trying to protect the younger brother of one of his best friends. I’d broken a few rules to keep the kid out of prison, managing to get him into a program that had reformed his life. Now the kid was working full-time and about to get married.
Hell, I’d even been invited to the wedding.
“Doing good, buddy, but I need a favor. Any chance you have a little time to do a short stakeout tonight?”
“You caught me at a good time. About to clock out.”
“Even better. You can use your personal vehicle.”
“Happy to, Kendrick. What do you need?”
I only told him what he needed to know. Not only did he not need to be mixed up with the potential danger, but I also didn’t want him in a position where if the shit hit the fan with Raven Intel being exposed, he’d be required to rat out a friend.
