She tried to forget the feel of Angus’s hands on her—on all of her—as she rode the elevator to the fifth floor and her new office. It seemed weird to be joining a team on a Wednesday. Shouldn’t they at least give her until the following week to wrap things up with her previous assignment?
She felt a pang in her heart. She was going to miss that group of misfits. Somehow she’d felt as if she’d finally fit in somewhere.
The elevator opened and she stepped out into an unmanned vestibule, turning left and walking on thick tile. Slight bruises on her hips from his strong grip rubbed against her skirt, making her ache. Reminding her that he’d all but marked her in a dozen ways the night before. His hands, his mouth, his incredible body. She strode past bustling offices and various conference rooms to another vestibule, where she stopped and opened a thick set of doors to a suite, where the tile floor turned to dark wood.
She walked directly into a conference room with a large, square table holding telephones, notepads, and pens. Nobody was around. Windows in front of her showed a parking lot, while hallways in each direction no doubt led to offices.
“Hello?” she called.
Footsteps sounded, and Vaughn Ealy strode into the room.
Nari swallowed. Her anxiety ratcheted up. Fast.
It had been more than a year since they’d seen each other, but he looked the same. Tall, broad, tousled brown hair and intelligent brown eyes. Today he wore a dark gray suit with a matching tie over a white-and-blue-striped shirt.
“Nari.” He strode forward and took her hand, his gaze expressionless. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” She shook and then removed her hand as his expensive cologne subtly wafted toward her. “I was surprised to end up on your team.”
He gestured her down the way he’d come, all business. “I’m sure, and I thought we could discuss it before you meet the rest of the team. I have them all out on assignment, so I’ll introduce them to you on Friday morning. Tomorrow you’ll spend all day at HR getting transferred and watching the videos and all that procedural stuff.”
She’d take the day of reprieve before starting with new people. Her stomach ached. She walked down the hallway, noting the clean lines and pleasant colors. How different it was from the dingy basement where she’d worked during the past year. How different this man was from the one who’d kissed every inch of her the night before. She swallowed.
Vaughn halted her by the arm at an office toward the end. “This will be yours.”
It was a medium-size office with wide windows overlooking what looked like a park. It’d be nice to have windows again. The carpet was dark and she had several watercolors that would look perfect in the room. She could even put a bed for Roscoe in—
She shook her head. Roscoe didn’t work with her any longer. Loneliness descended onto her shoulders with a surprising chill.
“This way.” Vaughn released her and moved toward the next office, which he opened. “My office.”
She followed him in and sank into a guest chair, while he walked around his desk and sat, facing her. A position of power. Framed awards and photos of him with political figures lined the bookshelf next to him, while diplomas covered the opposite wall. Behind him was a wide window.
“So,” she said. “Care to explain how I ended up on your team?”
“Ask your daddy.”
Ah. There was the asshat she remembered. Oh, he’d hidden that aspect of himself for the first four months they’d dated, but the truth inevitably emerged. She studied him. It was odd that while he was probably the same age as Angus, he looked ambitious and kind of fresh, where Angus, well, didn’t. Angus was more wounded, angry, and sexy. Both handsome, but in a totally different way. A fight between them would be interesting.
She started. Where in the world had that thought come from?
Even so, it would be. They were both tough and well trained. Vaughn would be calculating and Angus would be fierce. Yeah. Her money was on Angus Force.
Her abdomen did a slow roll, heating her tender sex.
“Nari?” Vaughn asked. “I lost you for a minute.”
He’d lost her for all time.
She smiled. “Well, I suppose my daddy, as you called him, wanted us to get the gossip behind us so we could move on.” Quan had liked Vaughn and probably still did. They were similar men. Interesting. She hadn’t noticed that before either. Wasn’t she chock full of insights today? “Our working together and seeming to get along will quiet any rumblings. Plus, it sounds like your team might need me.”
Vaughn sat back and studied her with a look that would’ve intrigued her before she’d gotten to know him. “I’ve looked beneath your façade. You’re high-strung, irrational, and violent.”
She forced a smile, her heart rate speeding up. “That’s not fair.” A guy with an ego like his would definitely not like the fact that she’d gone over his head—a fact that had, unfortunately, gone public. But she wouldn’t apologize for trying to save a fellow agent.
“It might not be fair, but it’s true.” He flattened his hands on his neatly organized desk.
“Actually, I believe I was calm, collected, and measured in doing my job and protecting Lisa as well as the entire agency.” She lowered her chin. Why did jackasses always say a woman was high-strung or irrational when she reacted appropriately? “Get over it, Vaughn.” Not the tone she wanted to take with him, but he wasn’t giving her a choice.
