I allow a grin to curl my lips as I turn to face her fully, unable to fight it when this woman is so fucking impressive in just about everything. Sneaking up on me isn’t easy, yet she makes it look like child’s play. “You, actually.”
The second brow meets the first over leery bourbon eyes. “Really?”
Taking a step toward her, I nod. “Really.”
Her lips twist. “That’s interesting because I don’t remember you being on the guest list. How’d you get in?”
The sharp edge in her voice raises goosebumps on my skin.
This woman won’t hesitate to slice and dice me with something far more dangerous than her mouth if she found me to be a threat. And the longer she looks at me, the more she seems to see me as one. Yet, I take another step toward her, making room for a group of chattering people to walk past us—and giving me any excuse to get closer.
Any other woman might have backed away, might have recoiled slightly at just how close I’ve gotten, especially given her unease at my presence. But not Bishop.
She stands her ground, glaring up at me with intense darkening eyes full of wariness that grows the longer we stare each other down.
Smart girl.
She has every right to be wary.
If she weren’t, I’d actually be concerned.
I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have been able to get through her wall of security, just like I shouldn’t be able to get under her skin the way I do.
She hates both those truths.
Offering a nonchalant shrug, I grin despite the glower she continues to direct at me. “I charmed my way in.”
Her lips press together, her jaw tightening. “Bullshit. Our security’s tight. Tell me how you got in.”
The tension has her practically vibrating.
And damn if I don’t want to see her unleash all of it.
At me.
Something tells me it would be fucking beautiful to witness…
I slide in a little closer, dipping my head until her jasmine scent fills my breaths. “If you really must know, I walked in the front doors.”
She flinches as she drags her head back so she can search my face. “How did you get past security?”
Reaching behind her, I place my hand on the wall so I can lean in, so I can test her limits and see just how much she’s willing to withstand before she snaps. “I know you think you have this place locked down tight, but I have a secret for you.”
Her throat works a thick swallow. “What’s that?”
It’s important she listens to me, that she heeds this warning, so I pray her distrust of me doesn’t make her disregard it.
“No one and no place is ever one hundred percent safe or secure.”
Those stunning eyes of hers somehow darken even more, the warm bourbon almost disappearing completely in the depths of her skepticism and suspicion. “And how does a mechanic know that?”
I grin at her. “Because I haven’t always been a mechanic.”
Her eyes flair wide. “And what were you before?”
The edge in her voice makes me suspect she’s already tried to find out. If I were her, the second I gave my name the other night, I would have run a full background check and done as much digging as I could.
Which means she’s probably very frustrated right now with what she’s been able to learn.
