Trust him? Yeah, right. She didn’t trust this guy any farther than she could see him.

Felicity looked around to make sure they didn’t have an audience as she ran after Jace toward Kevin Quinn’s property. He stopped abruptly before a shed and she had to dig in her heels to keep from running smack into him. She put out her hand to brace herself against his broad, muscled back and tingles of awareness zinged up her arm from the point of contact.

She quickly withdrew her hand and held it close to her chest, as if it was burnt. His skin, his heat, his head snapping toward hers, as he turned those warm brown eyes on her, showing off that devilish twinkle again— all of it was just too…much.

And then he’d had to go and call her darling too. An unwanted flutter went through her at the way he said it, with a slow, sexy drawl, his deep voice slightly husky and wanton, making her imagine him calling her that in a different situation. Like naked, in her bed, their bodies entwined in the twisted sheets, him stroking her, taking her, driving them both to the brink of ecstasy…

Jesus, Belasko. Get a fucking grip, girl.

This man was a Navy SEAL, a source of information for her case, nothing more. Time to remember that and pull her head out of her stupid fantasies. Jace Stevens wasn’t boyfriend material, not for a woman like her. She was all about her career, all about catching her killer.

“Following me again, eh?” he said, glancing back at her over his shoulder as he crouched before the shed to study the heavy padlock securing the door. “Isn’t stalking against the law?”

“I am the law,” she said, her tone harsher than she’d intended, but dammit. He made her hackles rise. “And I’m not stalking you. This is my case. I’m the only one of us who’s actually supposed to be here, remember?”

“Right.” He reached into the back pocket of his tight, faded jeans and removed a small black leather pouch. From it, he took two tools and proceeded to pick the lock. Within seconds the padlock clicked open and the heavy chain links rattled free. Jace straightened, towering a good foot above her own five-two frame, and tucked his tools away once more before winking. “Told you I’m handy to have around.”

His wicked grin gave her naughty ideas before she tamped them down, along with the heat buzzing in her core. “You need a warrant to look in there. Anything you find will be inadmissible in court.”

“Yeah?” He gave a quick glance around then proceeded to remove the padlock and chain from the handle before peering inside. “What if I don’t plan to take Kevin Quinn to court?”

“What do you plan to do with him?” Felicity asked, even though it made absolutely no difference. Whatever Jace Stevens had planned for her suspect, it wouldn’t happen because she’d nab Quinn first. Bank on it.

“Bring him to justice.”

“And how will you do that if you don’t take him to court?” She couldn’t help following the guy inside the dark little shed, even though she knew she’d have to come back with a properly executed warrant later if she spotted anything important. Not to mention it creeped her the hell out. After what had happened with her poor brother, Charlie, and how he still carried the scars on his body and in his mind of the day she’d locked him inside a shed like this one and….

Jace turned suddenly, so close to her in the murky darkness that his warm, minty breath ghosted over her face and made her all swoony. Annoyed, she shook it off. FBI agents didn’t swoon over men, no matter how gorgeous. He grinned, his teeth even and white in the gloom. She had the crazy urge to trace her fingertip over his bottom lip to see if it felt as soft as it looked. “You don’t want to know.”

His gaze flickered to her lips before returning to her eyes and for one insane second she thought he was going to kiss her. Then he stepped back and placed his hands on his hips. “Nothing here. Only a lawn mower and some tools.” He headed out of the shed and she followed, squinting into the bright sun. “Should’ve known. Quinn always was one paranoid asshole.”

“Was he that bad during SEAL training?” she asked, holding her hand up to shield her eyes while he re-secured the shed.

“Yeah. That’s one of the reasons he wasn’t a good fit for the SEALs.” Jace dusted off his hands then walked around the trailer to peer into the windows, careful not to leave any footprints.

Okay. Maybe the guy was better than she’d given him credit for.

Jace continued talking as he moved, forcing her to trail after him. “The SEALs organization is all about teamwork. Can’t be a good team member if you’re always looking over your shoulder and suspicious of everyone else.”

They made a full circle of the property, ending up right where they’d started without spotting anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. Damn. Sighing, Felicity turned to walk back to her SUV, Jace hot on her heels this time.

“So, where’s your partner?” he asked, his arm brushing against hers occasionally.

“Ted’s back at the hotel, handling some paperwork.”

“Right. Forgot about the red-tape bullshit the government makes you go through. That’s one thing I don’t miss about the military.”

“I’m surprised you ever bothered to fill out a form in your life,” she said, once she reached her Suburban’s door. “You seem pretty rebellious, cowboy.”

“That’s me. Rebel with a cause.” He leaned his hand against her vehicle, bringing his body closer to hers again and damn if those tingles didn’t start anew. Felicity held her ground though, refusing to be intimidated. His voice lowered to a velvet whisper. “Now, are you going to accept my help on this case or not?”

“Did I ask for it?” She frowned. “I don’t remember.”

“No asking necessary. The way I see it, you need me. Ted’s obviously ready to get out of the game. He practically came right out and said so himself when you both came to talk to me this morning. I’m busy at the compound, but have some free time in the afternoons and evenings. And I’ve got a vested interest in making sure this case is solved.”

“Because of Trevor Fellis.”

“Because of him and every other SEAL who was murdered.” His expression turned serious. “I want whoever did this caught. If Kevin Quinn’s responsible then I’ll make sure you get him.”

His offer was hard to reject. Ted was sitting back on this one, biding his time until his teaching application at Quantico went through. She loved the guy, but she could use an extra set of hands on the investigation. If she agreed to work with Jace Stevens on this, though, she wasn’t about to give her cowboy free rein. “If I take you up on your offer, you agree to follow my rules. Understand?”

“Anything you say.” He straightened and headed to his truck. “Challenge accepted. I’m sure we’ll talk soon.”