Page 53 of Ruthless Cross

"You don't have the address for the Palm Springs house. You have to take me with you. We already discussed this. Time is of the essence. And you'll be with me, so I won't do anything stupid."

"No, you won't, and if you're coming, you need to follow my orders."

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't like orders, Flynn."

He wasn't quite sure what to make of this version of Callie. She was different today, and maybe even more beautiful with her fierce, stubborn, independent streak. And as their gazes clashed, all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her again.

Her gaze shifted as if she'd read his mind. Her lips parted ever so slightly.

"Damn," he murmured.

"Are you swearing at me now?"

"I'm swearing at how much I want to kiss you." He paused, looking deep into her eyes. "Do you want to stop me?"

She answered him by leaning over, putting her hands on both sides of his face, and pressing her mouth against his.

He slid one hand around the back of her neck, holding her close, taking the kiss she'd started to where he wanted it to go. He took his time exploring her mouth, savoring her taste, loving the way she met him kiss for kiss. She was in a reckless mood, and he was right there with her. They were nearing the edge of something, and he needed to make sure they didn't go off the cliff, but it was not easy to call a halt when everything inside him wanted to get even closer.

He didn't just want to take her home and leave her there anymore. He wanted to go there with her. He wanted to toss her into the middle of her soft, unmade bed and make love to her until their desire was completely sated. That could take hours or days, maybe even longer.

He was still thinking about that when Callie pulled away, her eyes sparkling, streaks of pink warming her cheeks.

He reluctantly let her go, amazed at how completely he'd just lost his mind right in the middle of a case. And not just any case—an investigation that was important and personal.

"So, that happened," she said.

"Yeah," he murmured. "You pack quite a punch."

"So do you. We should go." She sat back in her seat. "That's enough of that for today. We have work to do."

"I don't think it was nearly enough. But we can always come back to it."

She ran her tongue along the edge of her lips. "We'll have to see how the day goes."

He drew in a breath and let it out, taking a minute to settle his body and his emotions. And then he put the SUV into drive and headed for the freeway.

* * *

It took a good ten minutes for Callie's pulse to return to normal, and that only happened because she deliberately kept her gaze away from the man behind the wheel. Every time she looked at Flynn, she had all kinds of reckless thoughts, some of which she'd just acted out in a fairly spectacular fashion.

She didn't know what to make of the crazy attraction between them. It wasn't like they were dating. It wasn't like they were friends. She didn't know what they were, except that they were together, and when they kissed there were literally fireworks going off in her head. Maybe it was the shadow of danger surrounding them that heightened the emotions. Or perhaps the danger was just coming from the sparks that went off every time they got close.

It wasn't smart for her to fool around with Flynn, no matter how much she liked him. And she did like him. It wasn't just a physical attraction. They'd opened up to each other. She'd shared things with him she hadn't told anyone else, and he'd been forthcoming, too. Their childhoods were vastly different and yet they both understood what it was like to lose a parent, to feel like they had to be the strong one.

But Flynn was still an FBI agent, and her mother was still a suspect. She couldn't forget where their loyalties were—Flynn's was to Arthur, hers was to her mother. Hopefully, neither one of them would have to make a choice at the expense of the other.

She finally glanced over at him, and he met her gaze, giving her a faint smile. "Heart rate back to normal?"

"Getting there," she admitted. "How about you?"

"Same. We definitely seem to light each other up."

"We better put the matches away."

"For now." He paused. "I want to make a stop in Laguna Beach on the way to Palm Springs. Gretchen's name keeps coming up. I tried her earlier today and got her voicemail, but she'll probably have the gallery open for the Sunday Art Walk."

"That's a good idea. I'd like to meet this woman who posed a threat to my mother's marriage."

---