Page 6 of Taken by the Lawman

Hearing a giggle, she looked across the room to the couple. The girl was slicing a pizza and the boy was standing behind her, lifting her hair to kiss her neck. The gentle, loving touch made Kiersten’s mood drop. She’d never been much of a romantic, so why did she yearn to be touched so lovingly? To be looked at like she was the only woman on earth.

“Who’s the yuppie?” the rich husky voice asked from behind her.

She turned to meet a baby blue gaze that made her stomach do a somersault. Her breath caught in her chest and she squeezed the glass tighter until she thought it would break. A rush of involuntary excitement bombarded her bloodstream as she saw the tall, broad shouldered man in a white T-shirt and faded jeans. The very man that had been haunting her dreams and waking hours the last few days. “Deegan Bronx? What are you doing here?” Although they worked together at the bureau, she was technically his boss because her rank as supervisory special agent was above his, they rarely saw one another, which was a good thing. He worked undercover on assignment sometimes for months at a time, while she specialized in investigating human trafficking. They’d crossed the professional boundaries that were in place to keep people safe and she never planned to make that mistake again. Even if he looked like a sexy warrior coming back from battle. Although she felt like she needed to buy him a razor, she realized the thick beard seconded as a disguise.

“Is Yuppie coming back?”

She wanted to lie and say “yes” but she had a feeling Bronx would be sticking around for a while. “No, and I was just leaving.” She thought that would suffice, but when he took Brad’s seat, she worked her bottom lip wishing her heart would stop pounding so hard.

“The guy didn’t even touch his pizza.”

Narrowing her gaze, she watched him, gasping when he picked up the slice and took a big bite. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, were you going to eat this?” he asked.

They never really had gotten along except for one night during an office party when she’d found herself a little tipsy and craving the agent sitting across from her. She’d crawled out of his bed at sunrise and neither of them said a word to each other after that unless it was work related. Now every time they were together, although she made sure it wasn’t often, he seemed awkward and she was reminded how good that one night had been with him. So good that she found herself comparing Brad to Bronx every time they were in bed. Her inner thighs quivered even now at the prospect that Bronx was here, in her neighborhood, so close to her bed.

God, she was ridiculous.

It wasn’t that he was that handsome. Most of the time he looked like he forgot how a shower worked.

Who was she kidding? He had thick dark hair with slivers of grey. Eyes so blue that they reminded her of the ocean. Nice smile and teeth. Broad shoulders and toned body. Her body warmed.

“I needed to see you,” he said around a mouth full.

“You came here to see me? Did you follow me here?”

He shrugged one shoulder, sending the arm of the T-shirt up higher on his wide bicep. “I didn’t follow you. I was on the street when I saw you and that guy. He’s not your type at all.” He polished off the slice and licked the tips of his fingers. Her nipples beaded.

She blinked. Had she heard right. “Who are you to tell me what man is or isn’t my type?”

One corner of his mouth inflated into an egotistical smile. “I’m just taking a stab at what you like.”

Feeling his pensive stare all the way into her bones, she had to resist the urge to squirm. How was it possible he could still cause a reaction after this long? “Well, stop now. It’s none of your business.” She stood. “I’m going back home. You might as well eat my slice too.”

“Been watching the news?” He lifted a thick brow.

“Who hasn’t?”

“The girl didn’t overdose.”

Kiersten dropped back down into the chair. “And what does that have to do with me?”

“You’re the first person I thought of who would want to help a girl who was murdered.”

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