Page 21 of Out of Control

His eyes flicked down to my lips again, but I watched the fire in his eyes turn to confusion as his gaze fell lower. I held my breath when he raised his hand to my collarbone. I dropped my head down to where he was looking and saw him use gentle fingertips to brush something off: a little green dot.

His fingers were almost tender as they glided across my skin, but I forced the feelings rising in my chest back when the dot didn’t come off. After the second brush I saw that it was fromsome sort of laser, the light landing across his fingers as he rested them against me. A scope.

“Shit,” he said at the same time as I gasped. He grabbed my arm and pushed me down to the ground as I dove for the base of a car parked along the sidewalk. The sharpshooter’s bullet fired just as we cleared the area, shattering Mary and Ed’s large front window, broken glass flying everywhere.

I screamed as a couple more bullets fired, hitting the side of the car, but thankfully not penetrating through to our side. Blake shielded me with his body, folding himself over me in case another shooter took aim from another angle. His arms wrapped over mine, hands covering my head. I’d never felt so safe while being so utterly terrified in my life.

After a full minute of silence I registered the sounds coming from around us. The car alarm was going off on the vehicle we were huddled against. Pedestrians were screaming, crying. At least one person was on the phone, presumably with 911 dispatchers. Was anyone hurt?

I tried to move out of my crouch, but Blake tightened his grip. “Not yet. He could be waiting for you to go out in the open again. Just wait.”

I nodded, knowing he’d feel the movement. “Okay. You know, maybe I’ll accept your offer of protection.”

He chuckled, the asshole.

Having a unit tailing me would definitely hinder my mission, but I figured it was better than dying before anyone was ever put to justice. Besides, I could lose a tail easily enough if I needed to.

“Good, because you’re already an official person of interest after what I found out last night. I already got permission frommy higher-ups to follow you around until you gave up the goods anyway.”

If I wasn’t literally using his body as a shield from a gun-toting incel reject I would storm off. I didn’t know it would behimdoing the following. “Don’t you guys usually contract that out to lower ranked guys? Why you?”

“Because I can actually handle every insult you throw at me. I know my job and I know what the limits of acceptable behavior are. You…We don’t need you trying to charm anyone out of doing their job.”

Did he know about my date with Leo? My intent with Antonio? What the hell was he implying?

“Oh, so you weren’t just about to try to kiss me just a minute ago? That wasn’t you staring at my lips like I was a tall drink of water and you were dying of thirst?”

“Nope. You misread my expression. I was reminding myself exactly how much you annoy me. You’re the last person in the world I ever want to get physical with.”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t an idiot. He was either lying to me or to himself, but it didn’t matter. I could hear the sirens announcing the calvary’s arrival.

I figured his denial was a lot like mine: his brain was saying no, but his other body parts were telling him yes. I wondered which part was winning. What would have happened if there wasn’t any danger? Would he have kissed me?

Would I have let him?

He drove me crazy—and not in a good way—but he was insanely good looking. I never really had boyfriends, I had dates; some ended pleasantly, some ended with annoyance, but theywere always over before the sun rose. I didn’t have the time or inclination for anything else.

Would I be willing to think of something similar with FBI Special Agent Lucas Blake? I’d never had hate sex before, but there was a first time for everything.

I turned my head in his grip when I heard a few car doors slamming. Cops would be rounding the corner any second now.

“Are you okay? For real?”

I could feel his hot breath against my neck, and I dared to turn my head, looking up at him. The concern in his voice was reflected in his eyes. He cared about my safety, shielded me with his own body, so he knew I wasn’t physically injured. He was asking about my state of mind, how I was feeling.

Dammit.

Despite all the asshole behavior, all the douchey assumptions, Lucas Blake was a good, caring guy underneath it all. He was just committed to his job and had trouble keeping his annoyance in check when things didn’t go his way. No wonder he always had a new girlfriend lined up: this was a relationship type of guy, the kind women wanted to bring home to meet their parents.

No, I wouldn’t sleep with him if I had the chance.

I wasn’t a relationship type of girl. I didn’t develop deep feelings for men and I didn’t stay with them long enough for them to catch feelings for me. I wouldn’t be with someone long enough to fall in love, meet their parents, and live happily ever after.

Those didn’t exist. Love always equaled loss, and I couldn’t take another hit to my heart.

Plus I couldn’t start anything that would make me second guess or distract me from my mission: putting Carlo Morelli behind bars. And I needed inside information to find all his dirty laundry. Blake already proved he was only interested in following the rules, something that I didn’t have time for.

“Athena. Are you okay?” he repeated.

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