ALEX CLOSED THE FRONT door and flipped the lock. Genghis had his head buried in Jenna’s hands, his whole body wiggling in canine excitement. The dog whined after a moment, staring up at Jenna, no doubt catching the troubled vibe they’d carried in from the truck.

She sank onto the sofa and Genghis laid his head in her lap.

“I understand if you report me unfit for duty.” Jenna’s voice was small, defeated.

Alex gaped at her. Unfit? Her?

He crossed the distance between them, setting the food on the wooden coffee table and perched himself on the edge of it.

She kept her gaze on the dog.

“Hey.” He pushed Genghis away and took her hands in his. “You are our best medic. I wouldn’t want anyone else at my back.”

“Thanks, but—”

“No buts. Besides, if this is you unfit for duty I think you could put a couple of the guys to shame.”

One side of her mouth hitched up and a little of the darkness left her gaze. Her thumb swiped over his knuckles, but he felt the touch deeper than that. They were so close he could smell her fruity lip balm. It would be so easy to lean across and kiss her.

Genghis butted their hands with his head, breaking the moment.

Alex cleared his throat and pulled Jenna’s taco plate from the bag.

The last thing she needed right now was him making decisions with the wrong head.

“I was thinking, is it common for you to have contact with patients? Even after they’re released?” He passed the plastic silverware and napkins to her before taking his allotment to the other side of the couch.

Jenna smirked.

“It’s Ransom.”

“So?”

“What I mean is...it’s still a small town. I see patients at the grocery store, gas station, hell, a lady a block over was one of my pickup’s and she called me when she was released so I could come change her bandages.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want her kids to egg my house.”

He shook his head. Jenna touched so many people’s lives. On one hand, he was in awe of how she could have impact on so many. On the other, it meant their suspect pool included the whole of Ransom.

“We should begin making a list of who might be your stalker.” Alex steeled himself for the question, knowing he wouldn’t like any answer she gave him. “Have you dated anyone recently? Had any break-ups?”

Jenna groaned.

Alex would kill him. Whoever he was.

“This is embarrassing.” Jenna curled her feet under her, the to-go box perched on her knee. “I haven’t dated anyone in...God, it might be more than a year.”

He slowly exhaled. Well, that was better than what he’d expected. But...Jenna hadn’t dated in a year?

“Don’t look at me like that.” Jenna glanced away, a soft taco balanced on her finger tips. “Between work and SWAT, there’s not a lot of time left.”

“I hear ya. But when you were dating, what happened? Who were they?” He hated to say it out loud, but a year was enough time for a stalker to fixate, day dream, start looking her up, finding out more about her and now outright stalking.

“Friends of friends. Seriously, nothing ever went more than a couple of weeks. I’m not good at dating and they don’t get the time commitments.” She sighed.

“Any of them work at the hospital or the station? People you’d run into?”

“Oh hell no. I do not date a nurse, doctor or anyone remotely connected to the hospital. No, thank you.” She shook her head so hard her pony tail bounced back and forth.

“Anyone from the station?” It was the question he really did not want to ask. Which of the guys had she gone out with? His stomach tied in knots.

“No one. I’m serious, they were all friends or army buddies’ family.”

“I still want their names, when you think you might have gone out, the connection you had to them and phone numbers if you have them.” He pushed the notebook she’d written in last night toward her.

“That’s going to be a really short list, and I don’t think it’s any one of them. Nice guys but,” she shook her head, “I wasn’t in a place to have anything to do with them.”

Not his business. He shouldn’t ask...

“Why’s that?”

Jenna closed the lid on her plate, two tacos left untouched, and placed it on the coffee table. For a moment she didn’t answer, just stared at the wall.

“I wasn’t really interested in them. Didn’t make enough time to be with them when I could have. I was pretty closed off. They weren’t bad guys, and I realized they were more interested than I was, so I wound up dumping them.”

Alex scoured his memories. She’d have just come to work for SWAT, he’d made himself ignore her, so he didn’t have a frame of reference for what else might have been going on in her life. He wanted to know. He wanted to peel back her layers, share her secrets and have the privilege of calling her his.

JENNA RETREATED TO the kitchen and stashed her leftovers in the fridge. Her head and heart were numb after almost an hour of Alex’s rigorous questioning. Her life seemed pretty sad when laid out in pieces. Her social life consisted of grabbing a bite to eat with co-workers or off duty cops, all her family had moved away from Ransom during her deployments and there wasn’t any romantic interest to speak of. Unless Alex asked her what was in her nightstand, but she might have to lie. Naming her vibrator Myers had been a great joke in the beginning. Alex probably wouldn’t approve over her use of his last name.

She should get rid of it and try to figure out a way to cure her obsession. Alex would never feel the same way about her, especially not after the last twenty-four hours. Any chance she’d ever had with him was gone.

Genghis’ nails clicked on the tile floor.

Meow.

Jenna whirled around, frozen to the spot as Mittens sauntered into the kitchen on his three legs, the big German Sheppard following along behind the cat, head cocked to the side. Jenna’s heart beat in her throat.

“Alex?”

She bent slightly, edging toward her anti-social cat. Mittens eyed her, disdain quivering his whiskers.

“What?” Alex filled the doorway into the living room. “Oh, shit. Genghis, here boy.”

The dog ignored the command, a rumble low in his chest.

Before Jenna could make a snatch for the cat, Mittens whirled on his two back legs and swiped his only front paw across the dog’s muzzle. Genghis’ belly hit the tile floor, and he whined, the big, bad K-9 cop reduced to groveling at the paws of a cat. Jenna snatched the hissing fuzz ball up, cradling her mangled baby to her chest.

“Oh my God.” She breathed a sigh as Alex took a knee next to the dog.

“Did the mean ‘ol cat get you?” Genghis lifted his head, tail beating the floor and whined again. Alex shook his head and chuckled. “I think someone just established themselves top of the food chain.”

Jenna scratched Mittens head, and for the moment he permitted the show of affection though his body remained tense. He’d suffered so much abuse Jenna didn’t think the cat would ever be able to relax and enjoy attention like other animals.

“You think you’re big and bad.” She slid past Alex, down the short hall into the living room and across to the guest bedroom. The door was cracked just enough for a cat to squeeze through.

She put Mittens on the bed and checked his bowls, both of which were empty. If she had to guess, the two fur babies had made nice most of the day without too much hair lost. Mittens had a healthy appetite, but not enough to polish off a whole bowl. She put out some more food and took the water bowl back to the kitchen. Genghis was gone and Alex stood at the back door, staring out through the screen.

“He’s got some other scratch marks on him,” Alex said without looking at her.

“I’m so sorry, Alex.” She winced. Great. Something else that was her fault.

He chuckled again.  “Don’t be, if they’re going to live together for a little while they have to work things out.”

“I can find somewhere else. I know this isn’t ideal for you.” She turned on the tap and filled the water bowl.

“You can stay here for as long as you like.” His footsteps were the only sound as he drew closer.

Despite her intentions to move past her feelings for him, her heart fluttered and her stomach did a little flip the closer he got.

“We never got to finish our chat from earlier,” he said.

Jenna turned the tap off and turned to face him even though what she really wanted was to run and hide.

“Look, can we forget it? I appreciate you wanting to talk about it and clear the air or whatever, but I’d like to just—move on.”

The way his gaze never wavered as he stared at her was a little unnerving.

“Is that what you want?” he asked.

No, what she wanted to do was wrap her legs around his waist and kiss that infuriating frown off his face.

“I want things to be good between us.” She shrugged and set the bowl on the counter.

“Have they not been?”

“I don’t know. We don’t exactly talk.”

His frown deepened, and he finally glanced away. Why would the idea of talking to her make him angry? Was it something she’d said or done?

“I don’t like the way the guys flirt with you. It’s not professional,” he said while staring at the back door.

Flirting. That was her fault? What in the—what?

“It’s nothing serious. Believe me, it was a lot worse in the army. The guys are just...goofing off. If it was over the line, I’d call them on it.”

“You shouldn’t have to ask them to stop.”

“And how is this my fault?”

“It isn’t, but you flirt back.”

She stared at him. Trying to figure Alex out was hurting her brain.

“Yeah, I do because again—it’s harmless. What about when the guys flirt with Bonnie?”

“I don’t like it.”

Anger bubbled up inside of her. He ignored her. Barely spoke to her. And now he wanted to take her to task for how she interacted with their team?

“Well too bad. You don’t get to tell me how to act or what to do.”

“Why are you so angry?” His brows rose.

“I don’t know what the flirting has to do with us and what happened last night, or why you think it’s your business but—”

“It’s my business because I’m your Team Leader.” His voice rose over hers.

“Yeah, didn’t miss that one, but that’s all you are—my Team Leader.”

They were practically yelling at each other. The situation was completely ridiculous, and she knew it. Could feel the levels of crazy rising until her eyebrows were trying to crawl off her forehead. And she couldn’t stop it. Because he was looking at her, interacting with her and desperate, pitiful her wanted every drop of attention she could get out of him.

Alex planted his hand on the kitchen counter and leaned toward her. “I don’t like them flirting with you when it’s me you kissed.”

He...what?

He didn’t like...Flirting?

She’d kissed him.

But—?

Before she could adequately process his statement, Alex dipped his head, one hand curling around the back of her neck and gently set his lips against hers.

She froze, her body rendered completely immobile while disbelief warred with her baser desires.

He was angry because she flirted with men who were nothing more than co-workers and friends. He was angry because she kissed him—and feigned interest in their teammates. Men made no sense. Especially because it was sensible, reasonable Alex, but he’d kissed her. Was kissing her. There was no denying that. It was really happening.

Right now.

He teased her bottom lip, sucking it between his. Her breath caught, and she reached for his shoulders, curling her hands around him and pulling him closer. She inhaled, drawing in his scent, spicy and—manly.

Did she dare move? Was she hallucinating?

Whatever—Alex was kissing her. She was going to enjoy the hell out of it even if it was all in her head. She tilted her head a little and his grip on her neck tightened. She arched her back and parted her lips as his mouth moved against hers. His tongue swiped the seam of her lips. She groaned and dug her fingers into his shoulders.

Alex straightened, breaking the kiss. She blinked at him, a little unsteady on her feet. He grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the counter.

Oh—that was a good idea.

He stepped between her knees, forcing her legs wider to accommodate him. She reached for him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. A sense of giddiness swept over her followed by desire. She wanted him. Always had, even when she tried not to. He was the addiction she couldn’t shake, the itch she couldn’t scratch.

Their mouths met once more. She curled her calves around the back of his thighs, pulling him closer still. His tongue swept inside her mouth, a gentle caress in comparison to the hard hold he had on her body. She’d never been much for the softer side of romance, preferring a few rug burns and scratches to her lovemaking.

His warmth seeped into her body. A hand cupped her ass, pulling her to the edge of the counter until every shift, every move meant she rubbed against him. Her nipples chafed against her sensible bra and her toes curled.

She wanted him in her, to feel their bodies joining.

Jenna pushed Alex’s shoulder and turned her head.

What the hell were they doing?

Alex rocked back, but his hold on her body didn’t loosen. For a moment, the only sound in the house was that of their labored breath.

She peeked sideways at him, her head resting against the cabinet at her back. She wanted him so bad it hurt sometimes and drove her to do things like name her vibrator after him. But if he was making some point, or simply taking what was easy and at hand, she couldn’t do it. Sex with Alex would mean something to her.

“What the hell?” She still had one hand curled into the fabric of his t-shirt, gasping for breath. “What the hell is going on?”

ALEX STARED INTO JENNA’S green eyes. Her lips were wet from his kisses and sure, he’d kissed her—but she’d kissed him back. He should have handled it differently. Kissing her like that wasn’t the way to respect her, but damn it, he’d needed to.

Jenna pushed at his chest and her legs unwound from his, but he didn’t move.

“This isn’t funny, Alex.” She turned her head away from him. Her voice broke as she said his name.

“It’s not funny. Every time Trevor or Val pop off at you, I have to walk away or else I’m going to punch their fucking lights out. Excuse my language. It makes me so damn jealous I can’t see straight.” There. He’d said it.

Jenna blinked, her mouth working soundlessly.

“What?” she said finally.

“I’m jealous, Jenna. Jealous that you flirt with them. That they flirt with you.” Even thinking about it made his blood boil. For one, he wanted her, and second, she deserved more respect. Sure, he might have some old fashioned values, but he didn’t care. It was Jenna.

“You never talk to me. Ever.”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“Anything.”

“What I want to say to you is hardly work appropriate.”

“Like what?”

Like how he wanted to spend hours between her legs. That he had the most sinful ideas for what to do with her mouth. The fantasies he had about her hair. Where to start? But if they started—where would it end? With one of them getting kicked out of SWAT and a truckload of resentment. He couldn’t have her hate him.

He took a deep breath and straightened.

“We shouldn’t go there.” He had kissed her this time. That was on him, but he could stop it, too.

“Why not?”

“Because—department rules.” Officers in the same unit couldn’t date or be married. There were a few cases where cops were hitched, but they worked in completely different areas and with separate staff, hardly ever interacting on the job. It cut down on interdepartmental drama as much as possible.

“What was this? A booty call thing?” Jenna’s gaze narrowed, and she tipped her chin up, staring down her nose at him. Even a little disheveled, sitting on his kitchen counter she was regal.

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry, I trampled over that line.”

“Why?”

“Because...” Why not? He’d as much as told her. “Because you make me want something I shouldn’t.”