Not that she was comparing the two of them.She wasn’t, but she couldn’t overlook the similarities, such as the dark brown hair and the brilliant blue eyes.Archer’s eyes were a tad more turquoise.Not quite as clear.
But that was pretty much where the similarities ended.Archer was bigger than Baz.Much bigger.Both in height and breadth.Hell, he was bigger than Brantley, and that was saying something.If there were a single ounce of fat on Archer, she would be surprised.Deductive reasoning told her he was at least six foot seven since he was taller than Reese, and everyone knew Reese was exactly six and a half feet tall.
So what if Archer Halligan was a beautiful man?She’d expected as much.He’d become somewhat of a celebrity once the podcast took off because people liked to talk about beautiful men.Because Simon Jennings was quite adept at avoiding cameras, people were determined to get photos of him.Since they couldn’t, there were an awful lot of Archer’s on the internet.She knew because she’d searched.
“Hi.I’m JJ.You know Reese, Brantley, and Baz.”
Archer glanced at the men as he walked toward the bed.“Hey.”He turned to look at her, holding out his hand.“It’s a pleasure to meet you.It’s my understanding you’re the backbone of this organization, and they wouldn’t exist without you.”
JJ shook his hand.“Flattery doesn’t work on me.”
“We’ll see about that.”Archer smiled and … Jesus God.
JJ watched as Archer turned, making his way over to where Tesha was asleep on the floor.He squatted down to greet her, talking softly.JJ was almost positive she heard Tesha purr.Dogs didn’t purr, but there was a good chance they would for Archer Halligan.
He took his time before finally standing tall and turning toward her.
Flustered, she launched into the first question.“Why would you want to work for the task force when you’ve got a lucrative job working for Simon?”
He grinned.“Define lucrative.”
“Are you hurtin’ for money?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Okay then.Why do you want to give that up for the task force?”
“I’m looking for something to fill my downtime.”
“Because you have so much of it?”
“More than I’d like.”He leaned against the dresser, crossing his legs at the ankles.“Simon does a lot of his own investigating.Plus, Paige has been looking to do more.”
“Was this Simon’s idea?”
“No.But he’s not opposed to it, either.”
“What if the podcast becomes a conflict of interest?Would you quit working for Simon altogether?”
He didn’t appear the least bit fazed by her questions, and she liked that he wasn’t.
“If it came down to it, I’d do what was in the best interest of everyone.”
“That’s not a yes.”
He smirked.“You’re right.It’s not.”
“Do you not like hypotheticals?Because this job requires quite a bit of that line of thinking.”
His smile was warm.“I can’t say I’m bothered by hypotheticals, no.”
JJ stared at him for a moment, letting the silence linger, wondering whether or not he felt the need to fill it.When he didn’t say anything and he didn’t break eye contact, she smiled.
“Did Brantley warn you about me?”
He chuckled.“He might’ve mentioned the task force wouldn’t succeed without you and that I should remember that if nothing else.”
Damn it.A flood of tears rushed to her eyes.Her sinuses burned, but she fought the urge to let them fall.
