That evening, Felicity sat beside Jace at a table on the deck of Scoops Ice Cream and Diner. The air was still warm despite the setting sun and the soothing sounds of the ocean and the distant call of sea gulls nearly made her forget what she was here to do.

Jace’s arm brushed hers occasionally as they sat across from Mark and Geneva, making the whole left side of her body warm from his brief touch. If she licked her lips, she could still taste him there, and each time she closed her eyes, images of the two of them together in that hot tub made her blood sizzle with need. Felicity blinked and forced herself to concentrate on the conversation at hand. “So, Mark. Your sister owns this place? It’s very cute.”

“Thanks.” Mark smiled. “My mom owns a restaurant in town too, called Aiga. It means family in Samoan.”

“That’s cool.” Felicity leaned back in her seat as their waiter brought their food. Burgers and fries all around. She’d not even had a chance to touch the huge strawberry shake in front of her yet, that’s how fast and efficient the service here was. Jace, on the other hand, had downed half his chocolate malt and ordered a second from the server. She had no idea where he stored all those calories on his rock-hard bod, but given those muscles roping his lean form, he probably burned them off anyway. Lucky guy. “So, you’re from Samoa then?”

“My mom was, yes.”

“We’re thinking of taking our honeymoon there,” Geneva said, squirting a huge glob of ketchup on her fries. “When the time comes.”

“What about you?” Jace nudged her with his arm and smiled. “Where do you want to honeymoon?”

“If I ever get married,” Felicity said, arranging her burger toppings just so before applying neat little dollops of ketchup and mustard. “And that’s a pretty big if, given my job demands, I think maybe Hawaii. Or Tahiti. Either would be nice.”

“The big island is awesome,” Jace said around a mouthful of food. “Went surfing there a few years back. Kauai is beautiful too. Lots of pineapple plantations.”

“Hmm.” Felicity took a small bite of her burger and nearly moaned with ecstasy. It was flame grilled and slightly crispy around the edges while juicy and tender in the middle. Coupled with the fresh baked bun and fresh lettuce and tomato on top, it was heaven on earth. “Wow. This is delicious.”

“Thanks,” a petite Polynesian woman, with gorgeous dark eyes and long black hair said. She stood next to Mark and put an arm around his shoulders as she smiled and extended her other hand to Felicity. “I’m Leila, Mark’s sister. Glad you like your food.”

“It’s so good.” Felicity swallowed another bite of burger then tried her fries. Crispy too, with a slight coating which gave them a hint of sweetness to cut the salt. Perfection. “You are an amazing cook. And I’m Felicity Belasko.”

She left off the FBI Special Agent part for now.

“Aw. You’re so sweet,” Leila said. “But the credit goes entirely to our mother. She’s the one who taught me everything I know, including my recipes.”

“What’s up, mamacita?” Jace said, giving Leila a wink.

“You with this guy?” Leila asked Felicity, winking back at Jace. “He’s a handful.”

More than that, if Felicity’s memories served her correctly. She shoved the inappropriately erotic thought aside and instead wiped her mouth. “I’m in town on business and Jace is showing me around.”

“I bet he is.” Leila gave her a sly smile. “Just be careful around him. He always does something stupid.”

“Do not.” Jace looked affronted. “I’m highly intelligent and always think things through.”

Mark snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean, dude?” Jace stopped with his burger mid-way to his mouth, his dark brows drawn together tight. “You saying I’m not trustworthy?”

“Nope.” Leila answered on behalf of her sibling. “He’s saying you’re impulsive. But it’s understandable, considering where you grew up.”

Felicity swallowed another bite of food then glanced sideways at Jace. “And where was that?”

“East L.A.,” Geneva piped in. “Pretty rough neighborhood too.”

“Any chance I can respond to my own questions tonight?” Jace shook his head. “You people talk about me like I’m not even here.”

“Calm down, chico,” Leila said, walking around to stand behind Jace’s chair. She placed her hands on his shoulders and massaged them, her affection for the guy obvious. A gold wedding band glittered on her left hand, Felicity noted. “Being impulsive can be a good thing in the right circumstances. We just want your new friend to know what she’s in for.”

Jace relaxed under Leila’s touch. “It’s fine. We already talked anyway. I told her about my past.”

Leila raised a brow.

“It’s true. We did,” Felicity said. “Back at the compound earlier, before we got in the hot tub.”

“You guys used the hot tub? Aw man.” Mark gave Jace a disgusted look. “Am I gonna have to sanitize those things now? They’re practically brand new.”

“No.” Jace tossed a fry in Mark’s direction, which he deftly ducked. The fry landed on the deck and was quickly swiped by a hungry sea gull. “I told you….” He glanced at Felicity, dots of crimson highlighting his high cheekbones and his brown eyes warm. “Forget it. I’ll clean it up.”

“Good.” Mark grinned. “Geneva and I might have to try them out later.”

“Ew.” Leila scrunched her nose. “Did not need to know that, little bro.”

Geneva nudged him with her elbow. “Yeah. Stop embarrassing me.”

“So.” Leila turned her attention back to Felicity. “What business are you in?”

She swallowed hard. Usually telling people she was an FBI agent was a source of pride, but she already felt like an outsider in the close-knit group and she didn’t relish the idea of distancing herself further right now, especially when she’d agreed to work with them during her time here. Luckily, Jace took the decision out of her hands. Yep. Impulsive.

“She works for the Bureau,” he said, before Felicity could respond. “Special Agent. But she’s on vacation.”

“Huh.” Leila narrowed her dark gaze. “Well, in that case, agent, enjoy your time here with Jace. He’s like a little brother to me and I look out for him. He’s still in search of that one woman who will change his life and make a difference. If that’s you, believe me, he’s worth it.”

Jace took Leila’s hand and kissed her palm, his cheeks flushing in a full-blown blush now. “Thanks, mamacita.”

“Anytime, chico.” She bent and kissed the top of his head. “Just don’t go getting yourself arrested again. I don’t have bail money budgeted this month.” Leila smacked Mark on the back of the head as she walked away. “That goes for you too, bro.”

Felicity grinned as the other woman walked away. “I like her. She’s seems nice.”

“Everybody likes my sister,” Mark said. “She’s a force of nature.”

“Got that right,” Jace agreed.

“What’s our plan then?” Geneva asked, finishing up the last of her fries. “Felicity, what else do you need to discover about Kevin Quinn?”

“Well, going along with Jace’s idea, we definitely need to pinpoint exactly who’s helping him commit these crimes. Can you access his personal records?”

“Sure. But I’d think the FBI would have gotten those already.”

“I did.” Felicity took a large sip of her strawberry shake, loving the creamy cold of the ice cream mixed with the tangy zing of the fresh berries. “But Ted took the flies and laptops with him when he returned to DC. Right now, I’m totally on my own.”

“Got ya.” Geneva handed her empty basket to the waiter. “I’ll drive up to my office in San Francisco tomorrow and use the archives there. I’m guessing if this guy is as paranoid as you say he is, he’s had a few run-ins with the law.”

“Oh yeah.” Felicity finished her food then passed her dishes to the waiter as well. “I don’t have my notebook in front of me, but Quinn’s got an impressive rap sheet. He might’ve come across meek and mild at that rally where you met him, but he’s got a violent streak a mile long.”

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Jace snorted.

“Good thing you don’t have to worry about that, eh?” Mark joked.

“Seriously, though.” Jace said, turning slightly to face Felicity. “If Quinn’s gone to all this trouble to plan these murders and continues to do them according to his sick schedule, then he’s beyond dangerous. I don’t like the idea of civilians putting themselves at risk.”

“What are you looking at me for?” Felicity asked. “I’m not a civilian.”

“No, but you are at risk. Especially now that you’ve gone rogue.”

“Gone rogue?”

“How many agents use their own personal time to track suspects?” Jace gave her a flat look. “Not many. And yeah, before you tell me that your boss knows what you’re doing and you’re fully trained and fully armed, just let me say that I don’t like it.” He held up his hands to but off her protest. “I know. I’m a caveman, stuck in my old-time, patriarchal ways.”

“Patriarchal ways?” Mark said, raising a brow. “Somebody found the dictionary this morning.”

Jace flipped him off before continuing. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt, okay? Especially you, Felicity.”

“What about me?” Geneva said, butting in. “Or Mark, or Vann, or Mercy. Look, we’re all at risk here. But you can’t live your life avoiding the things that scare you or could hurt you. Believe me, I know.”

Mark took her hand and kissed the back of it before pulling her close. “I love you, baby. Have I told you that lately?”

Shaking his head, Jace rolled his eyes. “Please, let’s be careful about this, okay? I know how important this case is to you and believe me, I want to catch this guy so bad I can taste it. But it’s not worth losing your life or your career over. That’s what I’m saying.”

“Much as I hate to admit it, Heinz does have a point.”

“Seriously, dude. You gonna start that shit too?” Jace glared across the table at his best bud. “When’s Vann coming back?”

“End of the week.” Mark sat back and grinned. “Why?”

“Cause I catch enough flack from him. I don’t need it from you too.” Jace reached over and took Felicity’s hand, lacing his fingers through hers. She was so stunned, she forgot to pull away. Well, that and it just felt good dammit. It had been too long since she’d been with a man, been touched and caressed and wanted. “Promise we’ll do this the right way and I won’t lose you to a stray bullet or a careless action.”

Felicity swallowed hard, then nodded.

Nope. He wouldn’t lose her to either of those things, not if she could help it anyway. When the time came for her to leave, which it would, she’d walk out on her own. Things were easier without long-term commitments, without entanglements, without true emotions getting involved.

She could walk away anytime she wanted.

That’s what she was telling herself anyway.

“Fine. But this is my mission, my investigation. I’m still in charge, even if we’re working together. Everything that happens from this point forward on the case needs to come through me first, agreed?”

“Agreed,” everyone at the table said in unison.

“Great.” Felicity tossed down her napkin then pushed to her feet. “Geneva, if you can look up that intel like you said tomorrow and share it with me tomorrow night, that would be great. Mark, you can probably help her. There’s probably a lot of material to go through.”

“What about me?” Jace asked, standing beside her.

“We’ll come up with a plan to lure Kevin Quinn out of hiding.” They paid their bill, said their goodbyes to Leila, then went their separate ways in the parking lot—Mark and Geneva to his Jeep and Jace and Felicity to his truck.

Once they were on the road and heading back to her hotel, Jace turned to Felicity. “How are we going to nab Quinn?”

“Not sure yet. That’s where Geneva’s research will come in handy.” She glanced over at him, so handsome it hurt with his profile silhouetted by the streetlights outside. He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other on her knee. They hadn’t really talked about what had happened earlier in the hot tub, but an easy accord seemed to have settled between them. “Whatever we do though, we’ll have to be careful. Entrapment doesn’t fly in the courtroom.”

“We’re not law enforcement though.”

“No. But I don’t want to take any chances of this getting thrown out on some technicality.” Before realizing what she was doing, Felicity laced her fingers with his on her knee, craving more contact with him. “Kevin Quinn needs to pay for what he’s done and it’s my mission to see that he does.”

“My mission too now, darlin’.” He winked and a bit of her tension eased.

Minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of her hotel. Jace parked near the entrance closest to her room and Felicity got out, then turned back to face him. “You want to come up for a minute?”

“Sure.” Jace was out of the truck and around to her side before she could breathe.

“Great.” She swiped her key card and opened the door then led him down the hall to her first-floor room. “We can strategize some more.”

“Right.” He leaned his shoulder against the wall while she unlocked her room door, his smile sinful. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“I’m serious.” She pushed inside then flipped on the lights. “Quinn’s clever. It’ll take more than a simple ruse to catch him.”

“He might be clever, as you say, but he’s no match for me.” Jace stretched out in the room’s only chair. “I flunked him out of the SEALs, remember?”

“Which is probably what started this whole mess to begin with.”

Jace shook his head and grinned. “Why did you really invite me here?”

“I told you.” She toed off her shoes. “To strategize.”

“Come here.” He crooked a finger at her. “I want to hold you again.”

Felicity shook her head. Touching him right now would be a mistake. Because once she did, she wasn’t sure she would stop. “Nope. I’ll stay over here, thanks.”

He leaned forward in his seat, all lean, sexy, confident male. “You know you want to.”

“What I want is beside the point. We’ve got work to do.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Jace stood and walked over to where she was perched on the edge of the bed and crouched in front of her. He tipped her chin up with his finger, forcing her to meet his gaze. “What you want matters. Stop putting restraints on your joy. Start living again, here with me. Now.”

“I do like you, Jace. Really I do. And what happened with us earlier today, in the hot tub, was nice.”

“Nice?”

“Better than nice. Great.”

“Amazing.” He smiled then leaned in to nuzzle the side of her neck. “That’s sounds about right.”

“Okay, fine. Yes.” Her words had gone breathy without her consent. “Amazing. But I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” he asked, nibbling on her earlobe and making her hands shake and her knees wobble. She grabbed his shoulders to keep from melting into a puddle of goo at his feet. Jace chuckled, low and wicked, as if he knew exactly the effect he was having on her. “No need to worry about me, darlin’. Though I’m touched by your concern.”

“You are?” She blinked at him, unaware he’d lowered her down on the bed then stretched out beside her until she was flat on her back.

“Oh, yeah. I love it when you get protective on me.” He slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt and traced small patterns on her quivering stomach. “It’s a nice change of pace from me always being the alpha defender.”

“Hmm.” Her eyelids felt heavy and her mind was whirling with the sensations of him so close to her, his heat penetrating through her clothes to sear her skin, his lips gently moving from her temple to her cheek to the corner of her mouth. His eyes, so warm and deep, like losing herself in a molten pool of liquid chocolate. “I like taking care of you.”

“Yeah?” He traced his tongue over her bottom lip, his words a mere whisper against her lips. “How about we take care of each other tonight, eh?”

Then his lips were on hers and his body was pressed tight against her and Felicity could think of nothing else but his kisses and caresses and how much she adored making love with this gorgeous man.

Felicity couldn’t stop the moans if her life depended on it as Jace’s strong hands swept up under her shirt to cup her breasts. She arched her back up, pressing herself eagerly against him. This man was a walking, talking bit of heaven and for the moment, he was hers.

Shifting to straddle her legs, he dipped his head down to kiss her and she gave in to the impulse and ran her hands through his hair. Yep, as soft as she imagined. Tangling her fingers against his nape, she tugged lightly and his answering growl was downright sinful.

Sitting back on his knees, Jace tugged her to a seated position so he could pull her shirt over her head. Reaching around behind her, he released the clasp on her lace bra before pushing her back down on the bed. He cupped both sides of her face, kissing her so lightly; it felt like a feather brushing across her lips. He grazed the sides of her neck with his fingertips working his way across her shoulders. Slipping under her bra straps, he brought them down her arms slowly, the look of appreciation on his face making her feel as though she were a present he was unwrapping.

Wanting him to go faster, Felicity reached up to remove her bra, but he stopped her, capturing her wrists and drawing them to him. Turning her hands, he kissed the inside of each wrist before placing her hands back on the bed.

“You’re my present tonight, darlin’ and I don’t intend to rush this,” he murmured as he went back to unwrapping her.

Felicity moaned, twisting the blanket tightly in her fists when his hot mouth finally settled on her breasts and he licked and sucked her nipples alternating back and forth until she couldn’t take it anymore and she held his head over one. His answering chuckle against her breast had her arching her back again as she realized that they both had far too many clothes on for what she wanted.

“Clothes,” she finally managed to say. “We have too many clothes on. Take them off, Jace.”

Sitting up, he smirked at her. “At your command, Special Agent Belasko.”

Lifting up onto her elbows, she watched as he undid the laces on his boots tugging them off followed by his socks. Reaching for the hem of his shirt, he pulled it slowly over his head, his eyes never leaving hers. Dropping it to the floor, his fingers slipped under the waistband on his shorts and he pulled his shorts and briefs off in one swoop.

Felicity didn’t realize she had licked her lips in anticipation until Jace’s eyes narrowed at her action. Liking the look he was giving her, she did it again. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked down at her.

“Now, who has too many clothes on?” His voice had dropped in pitch and his drawl spurned her into action. Unlacing her boots, she started to kick them off but he beat her to it. Tugging each one off followed by her socks, she moaned when he kissed her instep.

She tried to remember what she was doing but her brain had turned to mush as soon as he touched her. Felicity startled when she felt the heat from his hands at her waist, releasing the button before tugging the zipper and then her shorts down and off her legs.

He wrapped his arms around her, easily picking her up and shifting her higher up on the bed. When her head hit the pillow, he was already pushing her legs apart and settling between them. Lifting her hips, he placed her legs on his shoulders kissing her calves in turn before giving her a wicked grin.

He rubbed his hands slowly up her thighs before reaching for the waistband of her thong. Pulling it very slowly down her body, Felicity felt for the first time what it truly meant to be desired.

He placed one hand on her mound, the other cradled her hip, and he rubbed his fingers lazily up and down her slit making her moan as she tried to lift her hips but he held her still forcing her to accept the pace he wanted to go.

Finally, he slid a finger inside, twisting it as he searched for her g-spot. “So, wet for me—why a man could definitely get used to this.”

So could I, Felicity told herself not quite willing to voice that aloud. She’d never felt more alive than she was with him but he was taking far too long and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. While she’d been through torture training, this was entirely different and if he didn’t get on with it, she might well break.

She’d never been more relieved than when she heard the telltale sound of a condom wrapper ripping. Lifting her head, she watched greedily as he slowly wrapped himself in the rubber. They both groaned when he finally pushed his way between her folds bottoming out when their pelvises touched.

Setting a languid pace, Jace plunged in and out, her own muscles clinging tightly to him with each downward thrust. Felicity dug her heels into his back, pressing down each time. Sweat lined his forehead and she realized that he was holding back. With a wicked smile, she tightened her muscles even more making it difficult for him to maintain any sort of rhythm.

With a growl, he pulled her into a sitting position now straddling his hips. Pressing her feet into the mattress, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he gripped her hips tightly controlling the pace of their lovemaking.

Felicity’s body quivered in anticipation as the pressure from her pending orgasm made her body tingle.

“Look at me, Felicity. I’m so close. I want to see your pleasure in your eyes when you come.”

Tilting her head to look at him, the desire and something far deeper apparent in his gaze was her undoing. Crying out his name, she shook with the force of her orgasm. Clinging tightly to him, he groaned out her name as he followed behind her before he collapsed on the bed pulling her down onto his chest.

She could so get used to this.