Felicity sat alone in the office for a while after the sound of Mark’s Jeep drifted away. Jace still hadn’t come back inside yet, and that worried her. What worried her more, however, was why she’d gotten so riled up from his taunts. Yes, they’d pissed her off, but they weren’t any different from the crap she dealt with on a daily basis from the guys at the Bureau. No. If she was honest, it was the fact that she actually cared about what Jace thought of her.

Cared about Jace Stevens. Period.

Whenever she thought of him now, a flutter of excitement and tenderness swarmed through her like wild butterflies. For a gal who prided herself on maintaining her control at all times, that was heady stuff indeed, especially since Jace had a way of making her lose control whenever he touched her. She sat back in the chair at his desk and covered her face with her hands. What she needed to concentrate on now was coordinating her plan to act as bait for Quinn with Mark and Geneva’s mission to track him the next day. The clock was counting down to his next kill and they needed to act soon to prevent anyone else from getting hurt or worse. Except she couldn’t seem to think about anything else tonight but Jace.

How his touch made her ignite like fireworks. How his warm, woodsy fragrance reminded her of home and comfort. How his kindness and respect surrounded her even when they fought. She’d never met a man like him—so proud, so dedicated to his work and his friends, so willing to put everything on the line to defend what was his. The other men she’d dated and the few serious relationships she’d had in the past had left her cold and unfulfilled. But with Jace, she felt combustible and free and more alive than ever before.

She sighed and closed her eyes. If she wasn’t careful she’d fall hard for him.

The door creaked open and she swiveled away fast to hide what he might see on her face.

“I think we need to talk,” Jace said, striding across the room to the mini-fridge near Mark’s desk. “You want something to drink?”

“Nope. I’m good, thanks,” she said.

He pulled out a bottled water then cracked the lid open and took a large sip before taking up residence on the sofa where Mark had sat earlier. Jace raked a hand through his tousled blond hair and Felicity had the crazy urge to rush over and replace his fingers with hers. She did so love his thick curls, gripping them tight as she rode him hard toward fulfillment….

Felicity coughed to clear the lump of desire from her throat. “What did you want to talk about?”

Jace cursed under his breath then leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his water bottle dangling from his fingers between them. “Listen, darlin’. I’m sorry about what I said back there, about you putting your work ahead of everything else. I was worked up about the Kevin Quinn stuff and I took my frustrations out on you. That wasn’t right.”

His gloomy expression coupled with his downward gaze had her pushing from her seat to move in beside him. She joined him on the sofa and clasped her hands in her lap to keep from reaching for him. “No. You were right. I have put my career first, probably because that was all I had. But coming out here, meeting you, that changed things.”

He nodded, then frowned, looking over at her. “It did?”

“Yeah, it did.” Now it was her turn to stare at the floor. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here with you, Jace. Seeing what you do, meeting your friends, working together to catch a murderer. It’s been…fun.”

Jace snorted. “Fun? You realize you have a twisted definition of that word right?”

She laughed, deep and loud. “I do. Yep.”

“Yep.” Grinning, he took her hand and leaned back against the cushions, pulling her in closer to his side. “You do.”

They just sat that way for a while, enjoying the quiet time together, until the sounds from the highway in the distance brought her back to sobering reality. “I still think my acting as bait for Quinn is our best bet. He knows I’ve been investigating him since that day Ted and I first went to the Rigsdale mansion. Now, with Kim gone and those hidden cameras in her house, he’s going to know it was me who got her into protective custody too. He’ll be pissed and he’ll want me dead.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you doing it, darlin’.” He raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. “I know this sounds crazy, but I care about you. Way more than I should. Way more than I ever thought possible. If anything happened to you because of this sting operation, I’d never forgive myself.”

Felicity turned to look at him, her heart squeezing at the raw affection in his warm brown eyes. “I care about you too, Jace. A lot. But that’s exactly why I have to do this. Quinn’s unhinged. He’ll keep killing SEALs until I stop him. What if you’re next? What if it’s one of your friends? I can’t live with that on my conscience, knowing what he’s capable of and not doing everything in my power to stop him. Surely you can understand that.”

He sighed and hung his head. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t.” She held his hand tighter, his warm, soft skin and strong presence giving her courage. “Mark and Geneva will be out watching for Quinn, and I need someone to man the operation while I play sitting duck. I trust you to have my back and to keep me safe. I know you’ll do whatever you have to do to make sure we catch this guy and lock him up forever. Please say you’ll help me. Please.”

“Fuck.” Jace rubbed his eyes with his free hand and stared up at the ceiling. “I hate this.”

“Noted. Does that mean you’ll help me?”

Shaking his head, he chuckled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes.”

“Great.” Felicity leaned over and kissed his cheek. “So, I think the best way for us to approach this is for us to coordinate with Mark and Geneva first thing in the morning. They track Quinn, find out where he’s going and what he’s up to. Meanwhile, I’ll head into town and make a big announcement about how I’m working out at the compound right now, alone, and I’m close to busting this case wide open. Quinn might suspect it’s all a set-up, but hopefully it intrigues him enough to come here anyway. Then, the minute I give you the signal, you rush in commando-style and take him down. Not kill him though. I want that douchebag to stand trial for his crimes. Dying’s too easy for him.”

Jace sat back, his jaw clenched, and for several seconds she thought he might refuse. Then finally, he exhaled and nodded. “Fine. But if things go south, I’m killing that asshole, no questions asked. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”