Page 23 of Lone Star Target

Really, kissed her.

He slid his hand behind the back of her neck, angling her so he could better take her mouth. And he took it all right. He instantly made the kiss French, and the taste of him, the feel of him, sprinted through her.

Oh, mercy.

She made another sound, but this time it was part whimper, part pleasure. All heat. And the memories came flooding back. Not the bad ones this time.

Nope.

These were flashes of their naked bodies pressed together. Flashes of the insatiable need that drove them for more, more, more.

Jace gave her more right now. He flooded every inch of her body with that fire, and he left her gasping for breath. And wanting a whole lot more.

He eased back, his gaze locking with hers. “That kiss wasn’t for show,” he drawled.

Then, cursing under his breath, Jace moved away from her as if she’d scalded him, and he got out of the SUV. Kit didn’t get out. Couldn’t. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could move yet, so she just sat there until Jace came around to the passenger’s side and opened the door.

“Do you want an apology for that kiss?” he asked. Or rather, he snapped that out. There was anger in his voice, but she knew it wasn’t directed at her.

But rather at himself.

He would see that kiss as a lapse in his judgment and willpower, something he shouldn’t be doing on the job. She’d seen it as a first break in the barriers they’d set up between them.

“No apology needed,” she managed to assure him, though she had to gather her breath before she could speak.

Jace gave a sharp nod, grumbled something she didn’t catch, and then he motioned for her to follow him inside. Somehow, she managed that, too, despite her legs being wobbly. Heck, all of her was wobbly.

And wanting more.

Kit had to shove this fresh need for him aside and go into the house so they could get started on work. As much as she wanted them down, the barriers between them would have to stay in place for a bit longer.

She stepped into the cool A/C of the mudroom. And was surrounded by walls of boxes. They were on both sides and stacked practically to the ceiling.

“I just moved in last month,” he said, “and I’ve been on nonstop training assignments. Haven’t had a lot of time to unpack. Roy, secure the house,” he tacked onto that without so much as a pause.

In an instant, she heard the click of locks, and she was betting Roy had also activated a state-of-the-art security system.

Jace led her into a huge room with an open-plan living, dining, and kitchen. There were more boxes here, along with what appeared to be a new leather sofa set the color of fresh butter.

There was no bachelor pad or rich man’s vibe. It was bright and airy, and would no doubt get plenty of natural light thanks to the dozen or so skylights and the floor-to-ceiling windows. Right now, it was dusk, so what she was getting was some amazing views of the moon and the wispy white clouds moving in front of it.

Dusk meant it wouldn’t be long before nightfall.

When she would have to spend the night under the same roof as Jace.

It’d been a while since that’d happened. And after that kiss, it had felt like much too long. It was definitely going to be a challenge for her to keep her hands, and mouth, off him.

Well, maybe.

The fatigue was taking over fast. Probably a combination of a hellish long day mixed with an adrenaline crash from the attack at Brandon’s. She’d stay awake to get started on the investigation, but she’d need to rest soon.

Without Jace nearby.

Her body whined at that notion, but she had to ignore the whining. And just focus on staying alive. Because if the killer got to her, he also got to Jace, and she didn’t want Jace dying to try to save her.

“The office is through there,” Jace explained, pointing to a door off the living area. “I’ll have Roy start the reports while I grab us something to drink. Are you hungry?”

She didn’t get a chance to respond because his phone rang. “Ruby,” he muttered, glancing at the screen. And he put the call on speaker.

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