Jeff had about four inches on the owner of Steele Security, but Kurt probably had an extra twenty or thirty pounds of muscle packed onto his broad frame.
“Monday always calls for donuts,” Tara said, sweeping into the room, her flawless appearance restored from the shoulders up.
Kurt strode toward the break room. “I thought you liked working here.”
“For a slave-driver like you?”Her dark eyes glinted with mischief.
The boss smirked, then stopped in his tracks, diverging from his course to drop his messenger bag at the foot of the desk. “What happened?”
She waved away his concern with a slender hand. “I slipped on the ice, but I’m fine. It’s just a scrape.”
“You sure? You want me to take a look?”
If Jeff didn’t know the former PJ—Air Force pararescueman—was devotedto his girlfriend Caitlyn, he might think Kurt was hitting on his own business manager. More likely his offer was a habit of his medical training. Most of the other guys at Steele had been PJs too, which was handy. Jeff was rarely far from someone who could patch him up if needed. Luckily, so far, he hadn’t needed.
Tara shook her head with an indulgent smile. “It’s not a PJ scrape, it’s a normal-personscrape. I’m seriously fine.”
Kurt chuckled and held up his hands. “Okay.” Turning to Jeff, he said, “Give me a few minutes.”
“Sure.” Jeff was early for their meeting and Todd hadn’t arrived yet.
Todd Brennan tended to skate in just under the wire every time. The redhead also had no filter, but he was a solid operator.
Kurt Steele had put together a good team, mostly made up of former AirForce special operations, to provide personal and corporate security, along with security assessments and penetration testing—pen tests—for their clients. Jeff almost hated that he’d have to leave them. One thing he’d missed since separating from the Air Force was the strong sense of team and camaraderie, knowing there were people you could trust to have your back no matter what. Steele filledthat void.
But this job was merely a means to an end. Jeff had higher priorities.
Tara raised the shade covering the floor-to-ceiling window behind her desk to reveal an amazing view of the National Mall stretched out like a faded green carpet from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. In a few weeks, the cherry blossoms would be in full bloom and crowds would swarm the Tidal Basin, but she’dtold him it would be months before the larger trees lining the reflecting pool earned their green coat.
She looked up from behind her desk and gave him a smile that hit him like a warm summer breeze.
Stop it. He generally preferred the outdoorsy, low-maintenance, athletic type, but something about Tara made him want to dishevel her sleek hair, wipe away the perfect makeup, and strip her outof her power clothes.
Jesus, what was wrong with him? Even if he could get involved with a woman right now, he knew better than to hook up with someone from work.
She disappeared into the break room and returned a few minutes later, mug in hand, somehow walking steadily on the stilts she called shoes. Even in heeled boots, she was more than a foot shy of his six-four. Was the height boostreally worth what looked like torture?
For a fleeting moment, she let down her guard. Her face appeared drawn and tired, her entire demeanor dialed down and somehow harder, more brittle than it had been before her sister’s death. Understandably, she’d lost a bit of her infectious glow.
Which did nothing to dampen his attraction.
“How’s your hand?”
She looked down and curled her left handinto a fist. “Still a little sore, but nothing serious.”
“You holding up okay?” he asked. Christ, really? He shook his head. “Never mind. Stupid question.”
“No.” She crossed the lobby and placed her fingers on his forearm briefly, branding his flesh. “It’s fine. I appreciate you thinking of me.”
He nodded dumbly. Why the hell did she have this effect on him?
“I think I’m somewhere betweenanger and depression, and fighting like hell not to sink too deep.” She grimaced and smoothed her skirt. “Sorry. TMI.”
“Not at all. Losing someone close to you is tough.”
She nodded and stared at him for a moment, her feminine scent hitting him low in the gut. Since he’d started at Steele, Jeff had mostly managed to keep his distance from her, trying to avoid this buzzing under his skin thatstarted whenever she came near.
“Yeah, well…” She shrugged. “Life goes on, and I can’t just stay home staring at the wall because I’m sad. That’s not healthy.”
