Agent Deegan Bronx clicked off the TV. He couldn’t watch another minute of the media coverage on Senator Max Kline’s extramarital affair with his aide. That morning she was found dead in her bathtub with an empty syringe on the bathroom floor.
The media wanted to bust his buddy’s balls by blaming him for the young woman’s death. From their take, Max had driven her to stick the needle into her arm. The newspaper headlines read, “Older man seduces younger employee into death”.
The microwave dinged and he took out his dinner—, beans and rice. Giving them a stir, he stuffed his mouth and coughed. “Shit!” They were burnt mush.
Dumping the container in the trash, he opened the refrigerator and scanned the contents with disappointment. His choices were a moldy block of cheese, a slice of two-week-old pizza, and a six pack of international snobby beer he’d received as a gift. He was a domestic sort of guy, but in a pinch he’d certainly adapt.
Popping the lid to the bottle he took a long swig, but it did nothing to ease his hunger pangs. Opening the cabinet, he found an unopened bag of crackers and munched on them.
This was the first time he’d been home in days after working an out of town undercover case and what he needed was a good night’s sleep, a home cooked meal, and a shave—not in that particular order. Scrubbing his palm down his whiskered jaw, he groaned. He’d take care of his hygiene later. For now, he was headed to bed.
He deposited the crackers and bottle on the table and made it halfway to his bedroom when he heard a knock on the door. “Go away,” he growled. Toeing off his boots and stinky socks, the definite sign of a hard-working man, he fell onto the bed.
His ribs ached from an earlier scuffle with a giant of a man on a Wyoming mountain. Deegan had gotten the best of the drug-runner and hoped the bastard enjoyed his new accommodations, three meals, and a cot.
Closing his eyes, he was almost asleep when another knock sounded, this time more commanding.
Grabbing the pillow, he covered his head, but the visitor was relentless.
Realizing he’d need to take care of the little issue, Deegan stomped across the living room and practically ripped open the door. Opening his mouth, ready to curse the person who’d disturbed his peace, he spotted the two official looking men in black suits and frowns. “It’s a little late for Halloween, boys.”
The balding man laughed, but the tall gruff-looking one didn’t flinch a muscle. “We have orders. Get dressed and come with us.”
“Orders?” Deegan chuckled. “I think you have the wrong place, big guy.” He started to slam the door when the shorter, and uglier, suit stuck his polished square-toed shoe out to block the bold action.
Looking from the shoe to the man, Deegan gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to reach for his Glock 22 sitting on a nearby table. He was known for his patience, but a lack of sleep combined with hunger made him touchy. “Listen, buddy—”
“Agent Deegan Bronx, right?”
“I don’t know who you two are or who sent you here, but you can go back and tell them I have plans to get some shut eye.”
Neither of the men moved. They widened their stances and clasped their hands, and Deegan immediately sized up the situation. They weren’t Feds because they were missing the fake smiles and they weren’t goons because their shoes were too shiny.
The hairs on Deegan’s neck stood at alert and he clenched his fists.
Although he could easily grab his gun, it wasn’t needed. He’d take the largest one down first because the bigger they were the harder they fell. The other—the one with the shifty gaze—would probably run for cover and cry for mommy.
His cell vibrated from his back pocket.
“You’ll want to take that,” the tallest said.
Keeping his focus on the men, he dug out his phone and read the screen. “Well, well, Max Kline.” Deegan took a step back, his shoulders naturally releasing some of the tension. “You have anything to do with the suits standing in my doorway…You want me to come there tonight…Can’t it wait?” Grimacing, he ended the call. “I guess you two beefcakes are my escorts.”
“Lucky us.”
Deegan shut the door and went to his bedroom to put on a clean pair of socks, drag on his boots, then grab his gun. He started for the door when he decided he’d finish the rest of the beer. The shakiness he heard in his buddy’s voice told Deegan this would be a long night.
The men ushered him downstairs and into a black Escalade with tinted windows. Deegan sat alone in the back watching the scenery pass as they headed into downtown Cheyenne where Senator Kline’s office was located. “Hey, fellows. Can we run through a drive-thru?”
Neither responded.
So, ten minutes later when he was in Max’s office Deegan’s mood hadn’t improved.
His buddy looked like shit. There was no doubt he would. Politicians weren’t strangers to rumors, and Max had suffered his fair share during elections, but the current scandal was different. His personal, and professional, life had been slammed all over the front of every newspaper and TV broadcast. The scum-seekers were digging up every bone, even portraying Max’s wife, Lisa, as a frigid woman who drove her husband to have an affair. Or that she was too busy laying under the plastic surgeon’s knife rather than supporting her husband. Unfortunately, the only person who knew the complete truth about the situation was the disgruntled man sitting behind his desk that looked like he needed sleep too.
Deegan and Max hadn’t seen much of each other since he’d been elected to office, but they shared a brotherhood that only a fellow Marine would understand. Their lives had taken considerably different paths since their contract ended, but they had remained friends. Over the years they’d helped each other in times of need, but Deegan wasn’t sure why he was here because the dirty deed needed a time machine to fix, not a Fed.
“Thank you for coming, Deegan.”
“Did I have a choice? Your suits weren’t leaving unless I was in tow.”
“Have a seat. I guess you’ve seen the news?” Max clasped his hands until his knuckles were white.
Deegan sat down and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, I have.”
“I can’t go home. There are a half a dozen news people outside of my house and here on the street. Sorry, but that’s why I had to send my security. I’m holed up here. Lisa’s at her mom’s and I’m not sure she’ll come back.”
“Marriage is forever…until someone fucks up. She might not come back. This doesn’t just involve you.” Deegan didn’t know what Max and Lisa’s personal life was like, but he knew her. She had always been kind, supporting Max from the very beginning, even when he decided to run again after he’d lost the first election. In two years, Max had aged incredibly fast. Deegan guessed politics would be hard on any relationship.
After three beats of silence, Max said, “Tell me how stupid I was. Drill me, bro. I deserve to be raked through the coals a dozen times.”
“Hell, if you want your emotional puzzle pieces put back together, you’ll have to talk to your therapist. Why am I here? Why did you have me dragged out of my apartment in the middle of the night? If you needed a friend to sit with you while you cried in your beer we should have gone somewhere a little less…stuffy.”
Max stood and paced the floor, tearing a hand through his styled hair. “I’ve done a lot of decent things in my career. I have fought for the rights of veterans, better safety equipment for local law enforcement, affordable housing and insurance, among many things, and yet this is what the public will remember me for? A sleazy affair with an aide. This isn’t who I am.” He stopped pacing and looked at Deegan with heavy eyes marked by dark circles.
“Nature of the beast, my friend. The public loves negativity. You’ll have to pay the piper on this one.”
Max plopped back down in his chair, making the springs pop. His jaw was tight under an unfitting layer of whiskers. “Look, Deegan, I know we don’t talk much these days, and you wouldn’t know, but Lisa and I were having trouble in our marriage, had been for some time. Sure, we’d done a damn good job of keeping it from the public. We’d become trained monkeys in the spotlight, but at home it was cold…distant. God, she hated me, probably more now.” There was a thick huskiness to his voice. He swiveled his chair and looked through the window out onto the lighted buildings.
“That’s what marriage is about. You have problems and you work them out or divorce, but you don’t screw the aide. We both know you never shit where you eat.” Deegan rubbed his tired eyes. “But who am I to judge? I’ve never been married so I wouldn’t have a clue what it’s like.” Although he wasn’t against the idea of marriage, he’d never been in a committed relationship long enough to start thinking diamond rings. Growing up with a mom and dad who adored one another, he’d devoted himself in staying single until he found the one—the one who challenged him, made him want to be a better man. A woman who could tolerate his flaws, accept those times when he needed to shut the world out and destress. Deegan was known to go off on weeklong fishing trips where the only sound was one of silence. Maybe he could find someone that liked to fish too. He didn’t need, or desire, a partner who was cookie-cutter, but someone who had their own ambitions and goals.
“I fucked up, but Lisa…what if she doesn’t come back? This isn’t what I want. I do love her.”
“I don’t know, man. Maybe she’ll talk later.”
“She’ll never forgive me. Not after the media has slandered her,” Max said in a quiet voice.
“That doesn’t answer why I’m here.” He was dog-ass tired and could barely think straight. He’d been up nearly forty-eight hours chasing damn criminals.
“I need your help. You’re the only person I can trust to find the answers to this.”
“Answers to what?” Deegan narrowed his eyes. “Max, you cheated on your wife with an aide and now she’s dead. Whether you played a role in her death or not, you’re guilty in the eyes of the media. Now you must apologize to anyone you’ve hurt. The young woman’s parents. Your people. Lisa too. Take responsibility for fucking up.” His words seemed to float straight through the man’s head.
“This thing with Annie,” he blew out a long breath, “it just happened. I didn’t plan it and I wasn’t looking for an affair. The feelings, the emotions, they all snuck up on me and I was weak. I admit it, I was a weak man. Lisa and I weren’t sleeping together, she didn’t care what I was doing. Hell, she recoils when I touch her. Annie though, she was an amazing woman, brilliant, full of life. My God, she liked all this political bullshit. She was beautiful and always made me laugh. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was appreciated.”
“You have staff who get paid the big bucks to handle things like this for you. Where are they?”
“I need your help.”
“She overdosed. There’s not much I can do—”
“She didn’t do drugs. She wouldn’t. Annie loved life and didn’t need an artificial high.”
Deegan sat back in the chair. “How do you know? How well did you know her?”
“As much as any man can know a woman.”
“My father always said a woman had many facets.”
“For six months we were together, not once did I see her high or out of her head. I’ll show you what she was like. Every evening before bed she sent me a video message. Last night was no different.” He reached into his suit pocket, took out his phone, and said. “Watch this,” as he started a video.
A young brunette with bright blue eyes and infectious smile came up on the screen—the same woman whose face had been plastered all over the news dubbed as “Senator Kline’s aide and lover”.
“Look, Max—”
“Just watch it.”
Deegan pushed ‘play’.
“Hey, Mr. Senator. I missed you today. I know you’ve been busy rubbing elbows with money-makers, but I’m excited because I get to see you this weekend. I have a surprise.” The camera view shifted to her reflection in the full-length mirror. She was wearing a mesh one-piece that left little to the imagination. She sexily gyrated her flared hips, thrust out her breasts, then blew a kiss. “What do you think? Think about me, lover. I love you. I’m off to bed to have dreams about you,” she said as the video ended.
“What does this prove? If anything, it makes it look worse on you because it wasn’t just a fling,” Deegan pointed out.
“It proves that she was heading to bed, not to take a bath.” Max said, a noticeable hitch in his voice.
“Maybe she wasn’t tired and warm milk wouldn’t do. I have no clue.” Deegan handed the phone back. “Did you show this to anyone? Any of your staff? Police?”
“No.”
Deegan scratched his temple, attempting to wrap his head around what he’d just watched. “This video is a double-edged sword. If she didn’t overdose, that means they’ll be looking for a suspect and you’ll be number one on that list. You have a motive. You’re a perfect suspect.”
“I have a solid alibi. I was at the Wyoming Silver Gala with Lisa until ten and then she and I went home. I was here at the office by seven this morning and that’s when I heard about her death.”
“Again, what are you asking?” The last thing Deegan needed was to get involved in a scandal. He liked his buddy, and he liked Lisa too. He could only imagine what she was feeling right now.
“Find out who did this, my friend. You’re the only one I can trust. I know you can find the person who killed her.”
Clasping his hands together, he sighed. “In case you didn’t know, the Department of Justice won’t allow me to pick and choose my cases, especially one that has been ruled death by overdose. That’s for local authorities, not the FBI.”
“I want this done quietly. No one needs to know that you’re working the case. I need your help. I loved her, and she didn’t deserve this,” he pleaded. “There’s something else. Something that no one knows.”
“More?”
“She was pregnant. She told me last week.”
Deegan felt an invisible fist into his stomach. “That’ll come out in the autopsy, Max. If you’re feeling the heat now, the media is going to tie you up by your toes when they hear this news.”
“She wanted the baby, was already making plans and talking about whether it was a girl or boy. Annie wouldn’t have risked doing drugs.”
This complicated things. The video was a clue, but a small one at that. The fact that she was pregnant could sway people to believe she wouldn’t risk harming the baby, but it certainly only made Max look guiltier. “Have detectives spoken with you yet?”
“This morning.”
“You didn’t tell them about the pregnancy, did you?”
Max gave a slight shake of his head.
“This might not turn out how you want it too,” Deegan said.
Max shrugged. “As far as I see it, I have nothing to lose. After this I’m through.”
“Yeah, buddy, you do. You have Lisa who is still your wife and you need to protect her. The public is wanting the facts. You better start damage control.”
“I have. That’s why you’re here.”
*
Kiersten Cade stared at the interview sheet, then looked up at the polite Ms. Mavis, owner of the In and Out Agency. “So, this is my match?”
“After careful consideration, yes, Ms. Cade. Rex145 is a match,” the perky woman stated with a proud smile.
“What’s the next step in the…process?”
Ms. Mavis pushed a sheet of paper across the desk. “This might help.”
Kiersten looked down at the typed bulleted list. “What is this?”
“That is a suggested schedule of events. Again, only suggested. If you decide he is the one, our agency will contact him and set up a meeting where you both can discuss the finer details. Then whether you two decide to go a more traditional or scientific route is completely your choice. Our agency doesn’t recommend how you conceive, we simply, or rather not so simply, find a compatible mate that meets your requirements. I think you should be very happy with Rex145. Top at his class at Harvard Law. He comes from a reputable family and no alarming medical conditions in his family. He is also very health conscious and active, just as you preferred.” That smile grew.
“Rex? Is that his real name?” Kiersten skimmed the personal information area of the form. Rex145. Thirty-five. Lawyer. Excellent health. That was all it said. Would she learn more if she met him?
Did the smile slip some? “Because the engagement of the father is very limited, we allow our donors to use first names only. However, again, once you two meet and decide to continue with the process it is completely up to you and at the donor’s discretion how things are handled.”
Process. Donors. First names only. All these descriptions seemed out of place when this could be the potential father of her child. Sure, she’d read the agency’s brochure that laid it out with clarity how their services worked. They prided themselves in the modern approach in reproduction for unique families. Was Kiersten unique? She just hadn’t met Mr. Right. She wanted a child…wanted it badly and this seemed like the best way possible.
“Is everything okay, Ms. Cade?” Ms. Mavis asked.
“Yes, everything is fine.”
“If you’re not sure this is what—”
“No, I mean, yes, I’m sure. Can I have some time before I decide? It’s a lot to absorb.”
“Sure. It’s important that you feel Rex145 meets your requirements, but you won’t fully know until you’ve met him. I’ll give you my card with the address where you can deliver the check if you decide we should proceed.”
Kiersten wasn’t sure why she couldn’t just say yes. She’d come into this process hell bent on finding the right partner to have a baby with, even starting a low dosage of fertility drugs to prepare her body. She’d done all her research and, although IVF seemed like the path most women took, Kiersten was leaning toward natural reproduction. When she started imagining having sex with a stranger she broke out in hives, but how was this any different than a one-night stand? Her mind drifted back to the night she spent with the sexy agent. Sweat beaded between her breasts and goosebumps scattered her skin. She couldn’t allow herself to go down that path.
It was time she made some serious decisions about her future. Although she never saw herself as being a single parent before, lately every baby she saw made her ovaries scream. She’d heard it referred to as “Mom Fever”. Other women were able to balance work and parenthood. So, could Kiersten. The FBI had gotten her best years, and now she would share her time with a child if things were successful with “Rex”. He was chosen because he fit the bill. It all seemed so sterile, but wasn’t this what she wanted? A no-mess situation with no chance that a man would want to be a father later down the road.
“Ms. Cade.” Ms. Mavis took back the form Kiersten was wrinkling and placed it into the thin folder. She clasped her hands and her smile became shaky. “Many of our clients get this far and when they have a potential match before them, they see things as, well, overwhelming. Sometimes the realization tilts people into the realization that they’re not ready. Now might not be the right time for you.”
“No. Now’s the time. I’m on drugs…fertility drugs that make me a little crazy. Not psychotic crazy, but a little emotional. Doc said that’s normal. I have everything packed up in my small downtown apartment and the movers are coming tomorrow. I’m even moving back onto my family’s ranch until the new house is finished. A new house. It has two bedrooms. I’ve never had a place with more than one. That’s how ready I am.” If the time wasn’t right now, it might never be. She wanted to be a mother. Wanted a child. This could be the only way she could have a family. “I just need a day. I’m not the type to make impulsive decisions.”
“Yes, I understand that. Take the folder. Read through it. Let us know. We here at In and Out are there if you have questions. We want this to be a pleasant experience for you.” There was a hesitation. “You have seventy-two hours to decide if you wish to move forward with Rex145, and then we must throw this fish back into the pond, so to speak. After all, they’re getting paid too.”
With folder in hand, she stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the garage where her Jeep was parked. Starting the engine, she didn’t make a move to leave the parking spot but instead stared straight ahead at the concrete wall. For years she’d focused on her career—worked hard to get to where she was today in a male-dominated field. When she’d been made to feel inferior it was the fuel that made her work even harder. Her parents and brothers had been her support system, encouraging her to do everything she’d dreamt of doing.
Looking down at the folder sitting on the passenger seat, she slumped her shoulders. Wasn’t she supposed to be excited? Empowered? What was holding her back?
Pulling her Jeep out of the garage, she drove toward her downtown apartment in Cheyenne, all while trying to figure out why she didn’t just give perky Ms. Mavis her answer. Of course, Kiersten wanted to meet the potential father. Of course, she was ready to have a baby, but her brother Cull’s words stuck in the cells of her brain like Gorilla glue. “Some people want just a baby and others want the family. Make sure you know exactly what you’re wanting before you make any lifelong decisions.” She could always rely on Cull to guide her, but she also realized he had more traditional values. Meet a man, get married, and have a baby. Now that he and Sally were planning their wedding, this rooted his beliefs even more. It wasn’t as if she didn’t hear the “family lecture” enough from her parents.
In all truth, once upon a time she’d wanted the husband with the children, but over the last few years, she’d dated less and spent more time making booty calls than spinning potential romantic relationships.
That’s where Brad came in. Sweet, dependable, dermatologist Brad. They’d met through a friend, enjoyed enlightening conversations, and ended up in a sex with no commitment relationship. This had worked for her for almost a year until he started getting the idea that he wanted to sleep over and have breakfast. She’d done the right thing by cutting the strings.
She needed to focus all her concentration on motherhood now.
Motherhood.
Holy crap.
What would her parents think? They were the dictionary definition of lasting love. They married in their twenties, and now forty years later, they loved each other more than ever. Her brothers had met the loves of their lives too, but here she was still clinging to the single life. Up until recently she’d enjoyed working forty-eight hours hunting criminals and could manage the lack of sleep. Hell, she hadn’t thought of anything but catching the criminal. However, it had lost some of its sparkle. There was a deep void in her life that her ma called “destiny”. It knocked at her door and wanted in.
Still enveloped in her thoughts when she parked on the street in front of her apartment building, she made her way up to the third floor. She had the key in the lock when she realized the door was already unlocked. Although she’d been unusually forgetful here lately, she never forgot to lock her door.
Pulling her Glock from her side holster, she pointed it at the floor and gave the knob a turn, slowly opening the door. Peering in, she could see that the lamp was turned on, but she couldn’t see anyone, or anything, except for boxes. Stepping deeper inside, she kept her back to the wall and took three sidesteps.
Hearing a rattling noise in the kitchen, she made her way there, stepping over the board that creaked. The shadow of someone feathered across the wall and then the sounds of cabinets being opened and closed. Lifting the nuzzle of her gun higher, tightening her fingers on the grip, she took the step that brought her to the kitchen’s threshold. “Don’t move a muscle or I’ll shoot,” she said.
The man swiveled, his brows scrunched over wide eyes. “Holy shit, Kiersten. Have you lost your mind?”
“Have you lost yours? I could have shot you, Brad,” she groaned and replaced her gun. “What are you doing here?” He’d never just shown up. The rules had been that she would invite him.
The tall, curly blond man with the baby face blew out a long, frustrated breath. “Have you seen the wine opener? The one I bought in Italy”
“First, why are you searching for your opener in my cabinets?”
“I love that opener and you know it. I could have sworn I used it here last.” He started opening the drawers.
“I packed everything, and I didn’t see it. Second question, how’d you get in?”
He reached into his pocket and brought out the key, dangling it on his finger. “You gave me the key, remember? To feed your fish while you were on assignment.”
Wow, her memory really did stink. She grabbed the key from him and tossed it onto the counter. “Thank you for taking care of Jack and Jill. Couldn’t you have called and asked about the opener?” She wasn’t in the mood for company and just wanted to crawl into bed, but she felt she owed him some time because he’d been a good guy to come and feed her fish, even after she’d broke things off.
“That opener cost me a fortune.” He slammed the drawer. “How about we order in from that take-out Chinese place you really like.”
That’s when she shifted and laid her fingers on his wrist. “Brad…”
He must have read her frustration. “Rough day?”
“Yes.”
“Then more of a reason to let me order in.”
She’d walked straight into that one. Stepping over to the cabinet above the sink, she grabbed a mason jar and filled it with water, drinking it down. “I’m grateful for your help with the fish, but I’ve been on assignment for two days, had an important meeting, and all I want to do is enjoy my last night here. In bed.” Hearing his slight groan, she added, “Alone.”
“What will one dinner hurt?” His eyes shone. “I thought maybe you’d changed your mind about us after you had some time to think.” One corner of his mouth lifted.
Time away had even solidified her decision more. “Look, I know you must want something—”
He took a step closer and touched her shoulder. It wasn’t a romantic touch like from that of a passionate lover, but more of a friendly one that only made her happier that she ended things. “I respect your decision, but we can still be friends, right? I’m only asking for dinner. I promise I won’t persuade you to let me stay.”
Although she wanted to show him to the door, she did want them to remain friends. “Dinner? Fine. Let me get changed and we’ll eat across the street.” Pizza was fast and easy.
With a disappointed shrug, he finally nodded. “Okay.”
In the bedroom, she made quick haste in changing into a pair of yoga pants, T-shirt and running shoes, just in case she needed them, and five minutes later they were sitting at a table in the small restaurant eating individual slices of pizza and drinking inexpensive Merlot from cheap glasses.
They were the only two in the place except for the young man and woman working behind the counter that would sneak kisses when they thought they could get by with it. The girl, probably no more than nineteen or twenty, would giggle then look up at the young man as if he was her hero. Kiersten couldn’t help herself. She smiled at how innocent and joyful their love seemed to be. Then she looked at Brad and was overcome with guilt. She should have never entered a friends-with-benefits relationship with him. They’d never been on the same page when it came to what they enjoyed in bed. Admittedly, Kiersten liked it a little rough…even kinky at times. When the gym wasn’t enough to de-stress, she found sex was the best alternative, but Brad had been a two on the Richter scale when she needed at least an eight point nine. One man had done that for her. He’d been off the charts in seismograph oscillations. That had been almost two years ago…
“Kiersten, are you listening to me?”
No, she hadn’t. “In truth, Brad, were you really looking for your bottle opener?” She took a long sip from her glass. Although the wine wasn’t the best, it did ease some of the tension in her muscles.
His broad cheeks flamed. “No, I wasn’t, but I wanted to see you. I’ve missed you.”
“Brad—”
“Just hear me out.” He wiped his greasy fingers on a paper napkin. “You and me, we’re good together. I know you said you’re moving out of the city, but I’ve thought about it and I think we could work something out. I don’t own a car, but my cousin Yenny wouldn’t mind letting me use his Volvo—”
“I’m going to stop you there. I didn’t break things off because I’m moving, Brad. You deserve to find someone who can offer you the things that I know you want. I’m not that woman and I never will be.”
“I thought you liked…you know…when I did my signature move.” He wagged his brows while shimmying his shoulders.
Tucking a loose strand of hair back into her ponytail, she swallowed against the constriction in her throat. She thought he could be referring to the handful of times he’d gone down on her and sang the ABCs against her, but she could be wrong. It didn’t matter. “Let’s not go there.”
“Is there nothing I can say?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
He paled considerably, then emptied his glass and stood. “I think it’s best I go now.” He grabbed his trench coat and pulled it on. “Take care, Kiersten. I do mean that.”
“Thank you, Brad.”
The glass door shut behind him and she went back to sipping her Merlot, running her finger around the rim. She was grateful that she and Brad could still be friends, and relieved that they were over.
Hearing a giggle, she looked across the room to the couple. The girl was slicing a pizza and the boy was standing behind her, lifting her hair to kiss her neck. The gentle, loving touch made Kiersten’s mood drop. She’d never been much of a romantic, so why did she yearn to be touched so lovingly? To be looked at like she was the only woman on earth.
“Who’s the yuppie?” the rich husky voice asked from behind her.
She turned to meet a baby blue gaze that made her stomach do a somersault. Her breath caught in her chest and she squeezed the glass tighter until she thought it would break. A rush of involuntary excitement bombarded her bloodstream as she saw the tall, broad shouldered man in a white T-shirt and faded jeans. The very man that had been haunting her dreams and waking hours the last few days. “Deegan Bronx? What are you doing here?” Although they worked together at the bureau, she was technically his boss because her rank as supervisory special agent was above his, they rarely saw one another, which was a good thing. He worked undercover on assignment sometimes for months at a time, while she specialized in investigating human trafficking. They’d crossed the professional boundaries that were in place to keep people safe and she never planned to make that mistake again. Even if he looked like a sexy warrior coming back from battle. Although she felt like she needed to buy him a razor, she realized the thick beard seconded as a disguise.
“Is Yuppie coming back?”
She wanted to lie and say “yes” but she had a feeling Bronx would be sticking around for a while. “No, and I was just leaving.” She thought that would suffice, but when he took Brad’s seat, she worked her bottom lip wishing her heart would stop pounding so hard.
“The guy didn’t even touch his pizza.”
Narrowing her gaze, she watched him, gasping when he picked up the slice and took a big bite. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, were you going to eat this?” he asked.
They never really had gotten along except for one night during an office party when she’d found herself a little tipsy and craving the agent sitting across from her. She’d crawled out of his bed at sunrise and neither of them said a word to each other after that unless it was work related. Now every time they were together, although she made sure it wasn’t often, he seemed awkward and she was reminded how good that one night had been with him. So good that she found herself comparing Brad to Bronx every time they were in bed. Her inner thighs quivered even now at the prospect that Bronx was here, in her neighborhood, so close to her bed.
God, she was ridiculous.
It wasn’t that he was that handsome. Most of the time he looked like he forgot how a shower worked.
Who was she kidding? He had thick dark hair with slivers of grey. Eyes so blue that they reminded her of the ocean. Nice smile and teeth. Broad shoulders and toned body. Her body warmed.
“I needed to see you,” he said around a mouth full.
“You came here to see me? Did you follow me here?”
He shrugged one shoulder, sending the arm of the T-shirt up higher on his wide bicep. “I didn’t follow you. I was on the street when I saw you and that guy. He’s not your type at all.” He polished off the slice and licked the tips of his fingers. Her nipples beaded.
She blinked. Had she heard right. “Who are you to tell me what man is or isn’t my type?”
One corner of his mouth inflated into an egotistical smile. “I’m just taking a stab at what you like.”
Feeling his pensive stare all the way into her bones, she had to resist the urge to squirm. How was it possible he could still cause a reaction after this long? “Well, stop now. It’s none of your business.” She stood. “I’m going back home. You might as well eat my slice too.”
“Been watching the news?” He lifted a thick brow.
“Who hasn’t?”
“The girl didn’t overdose.”
Kiersten dropped back down into the chair. “And what does that have to do with me?”
“You’re the first person I thought of who would want to help a girl who was murdered.”