5
How was it possible for a man to be so pissed and still look like walking, talking sex?
With everything Mac’s life had become, the question shouldn’t even be a tiny blip on her radar. Yet here she stood, staring back at her extremely pissed-off partner and all she could think about was stripping off his clothes, pushing him back onto that bed, and filling her body with his until she didn’t know where she ended, and he began.
Unfortunately, there was still too much standing in their way. The most pressing being the person threatening to kill him.
“Fuck this.”
Coop’s angry words snapped her attention back to reality. Blinking, she saw him turn around and head for the door. Heopenedthat door.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
Storming across the few carpeted feet to Trevor’s room, he ignored her and started banging on the door. “Open up, Matthews. We need to talk.”
“Will you keep your voice down?” Mac looked both ways down the hall.
“Why?” He threw back at her from over his shoulder. “You worried I might draw attention to you? Thought that was the whole reason you were here.” He pounded on the door again.
Glaring at the back of his head, Mac tried to remember he had every right to be pissed. But damn it, she was trying to keep himsafe.
Trevor opened the door. “Sorry. I was in the—”
“Did you know about this?” Not waiting for an invitation, Coop pushed his way inside the room.
“Uh, which part?” Trevor asked cautiously, his questioning eyes landing on Mac as she passed by. He shut the door behind her.
“Gee, I don’t know, Trev.” Coop stopped and turned to their interim team leader. “Let’s start with the part where our hardheaded girl here has decided to risk her life to protect me.”
Trevor stared back at him. “The whole purpose of my being here is to make sure she stays safe.”
“And the sole purpose for keeping you in the dark was to avoid this,” Mac added calmly.
“This?” Coop’s narrow gaze landed on hers.
“Yes,this. You know, you losing your shit?”
“Of course I’m losing my shit!” he yelled. “You’re walking into a fucking trap! How do you not see that?” His head swung toward Trevor. “And why the hell are you letting it happen?”
Mac put a hand up and stepped between the two men. “I’m sorry.Lettingme? Last I checked, I was a grown-ass woman with the exact same experience and training as you. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
Coop snorted. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Seriously? I have to spell it out for you? Look around, Mac. You just finished telling me how you risked everything to get as far away from this place as you could. Yet you’re back?”
“I don’t have a choice!”
“Like hell you don’t! You can choose to walk away. Go back home and let these assholes come to us on our turf.”
“Do I strike you as the sit back and wait type?” she growled.
“Not really. But I never took you as a death-wish type of gal, either, so—”
“Guys?” Trevor jumped in. “Do I really need to be here for this conversation?”
Without breaking eye contact with Coop, Mac answered, “No.”
