Page 1 of My Temptation

PROLOGUE

MILA

Drumming my short nails against the steering wheel, I stared at the door located only a short distance from where I parked in the parking garage. I shook my head in disgust when I realized I stalled because I was nervous. I didn’t get nervous. As an agent with the FBI, I was trained never to be nervous.

Except I was no longer with the FBI.

I’d made that decision about a minute after my last assignment ended and resigned immediately. It had felt like giving up at the time, but after all I’d been through, I knew I had to for my own sanity. I was losing a part of myself working as an agent, especially an agent under my father whose entire mission seemed to be proving women didn’t have a place working beside him.

Including myself.

It hadn’t been long after I’d joined the FBI until the mask he wore fell away, and the man I’d once admired and respected became someone I resented.

Staring at the door in front of me, I hesitated. The building had no marking to indicate what was inside, but I knew. While undercover, I’d heard the chatter about a group of men who worked cases the police department either couldn’t or wouldn’t, and I’d been interested. When I could walk away from the assignment that essentially ended my career, I’d researched Elite Securities and called the owners.

Two brothers with military backgrounds had opened and were running this very successful business that seemed to be growing by the day. I’ll never forget the flutters of excitement I’d felt when Jax Dimarco took my call, and that was when I knew I’d made the right decision.

I’d gotten lucky that they were hiring, and he agreed to give me a trial run. He explained that I would be the only female next to the office manager and asked if I felt comfortable. That didn’t bother me. My entire career thus far had been proving myself to my male counterparts, but I needed to be sure they’d accept me as a part of their team. I refused to join another team who treated me as anything other than an equal.

Shutting off my car's engine, I pushed open my door and stepped out. I shoved my keys in the pocket of my jeans as well as my phone and slammed the door closed. Squaring my shoulders, I headed for the door, only pausing one more time before I pulled it open and headed up the stairs. I pulled open another door and walked inside, my eyes immediately scanning my surroundings.

It was a small front office, occupied only by a few chairs in a waiting area and a desk near the wall by the hallway.

The woman at the desk looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Mila. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Leah, the office manager.”

Tilting my head to the side, I was surprised when she greeted me by my first name. I’d met both Jax and his brother Brody, who was the other half of Elite Securities, but it had been off-site, so I’d never met the office manager, yet she apparently knew me.

I crossed the room just as she stood, stepped around her desk, and held out her hand. “I can see you’re confused. Jax likes to provide me a photograph of who we’re expecting so I can alert him if someone unexpected shows up.” She dropped my hand after we shook and shrugged. “Just a safety precaution, considering the work done here isn’t always popular.”

“But I walked right in,” I pointed out, questioning the security of the building itself.

She smiled. “You didn’t, actually. As soon as you opened the bottom door, I received an alert, as did Brody. If I recognize the person entering, I push a button to unlock the door to the actual office.” She pointed at the glass door. “The glass on that door is reinforced and bulletproof as an extra precaution.”

“Wow,” I muttered, impressed with the steps they’d taken to ensure every person in this office was safe.

She returned to her seat. “Brody is always tinkering with the system and adding new or improved features. It takes a little getting used to.” She gestured toward the hallway. “I’ll let them know you’re here. You can go back. Second door on the right.”

“Thanks, Leah.”

I started past her desk but stopped when she spoke again. “Absolutely. If you need anything or just a reprieve from the boys, I’m always around.” She grinned. “It’s nice to have another female around here.”

Surprised by the welcoming, I nodded because I hadn’t had that in a very long time and was unsure how to respond. “Thanks again, Leah.”

She returned my nod and picked up her phone. “Mila Kavanaugh is here.”

I made my way down the hallway and stopped outside the door. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly before lifting my hand and knocking.

“Come in,” someone called out, and with one more deep breath, I pushed open the door.

I walked into the room and closed the door behind me just as Jax stood and moved to stand beside me. “Guys, this is Mila Kavanaugh.” He gestured toward Brody. “You know Brody.”

I turned to Brody and smiled. “Hi, Brody.”

Jax quickly moved on, and I could tell he wanted to get introductions out of the way. I’d had the impression when I met Jax that he wasn’t interested in chitchat but instead focused on work, so I wasn’t surprised at all when he moved on immediately.

“This is Pike. He’s a security specialist.” I shifted my smile to a man seated close to Brody’s empty chair, appreciating the openness in his tone when he spoke. “Welcome aboard, Mila.”

Before I had an opportunity to respond, Jax moved on. “Beside him is Striker. He’s our main tracker.”

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