Page 39 of Once a Killer

How would he be able to act all nonchalant with her tomorrow? Because the way he felt about her now was about as far from nonchalant as he could get.

Chapter 14

On the way to work the next morning, Bree was alert and focused, but she was pretty sure that the black SUV wasn’t going to appear. The driver had tried to break into Jameson’s apartment the night before, and she figured he was regrouping. He’d know they’d be on high alert, so he wouldn’t attack just a few hours later.

She glanced at Jameson out of the corner of her eye as she steered the Monster toward his lab. Neither of them had mentioned the kiss of the night before, but it hung in the air between them like a physical presence in the vehicle.

It had taken her far too long to fall asleep after that kiss. It should never have happened, but she’d re-lived it over and over as she tossed and turned in bed. The memory alone curled her toes and heated her face.

She wanted to put it out of her head and forget it had happened, but she had a bad feeling that was going to be impossible. Which was not a good thing for a bodyguard to be focused on.

They’d agreed that it wouldn’t work to have another bodyguard take over, but she regretted agreeing to that. How could she protect Jameson if she was thinking about kissing him again?

“You okay?” Jameson asked.

“Of course,” she answered, gripping the steering wheel more tightly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Last night was pretty intense,” he said.

“It was, but the guy in the SUV didn’t succeed in breaking into your apartment, and he knows we got a look at him. Maybe he’ll back off.”

He turned to look at her, his gaze burning her skin, but she kept her eyes on the road.

After a long moment, he said, “Wasn’t thinking about that guy.”

She wouldnotask him what he was thinking about, because she already knew. If the subject hadn’t been at the front of her own mind, the way his throaty voice had dropped would have been a dead giveaway that he wasn’t focused on the potential break-in.

He leaned closer to her. “You know what I think?”

She had a pretty good idea, but she said, “No. What do you think?”

“I think I should get a gun. So I can back you up properly if we have another situation like last night.”

It was the last damn thing she’d thought he’d say. She stared at him, horrified. “What? No! Hell, no! I’m not letting you run around with a gun.”

“We’ll go to a shooting range. I’ll practice. I’m sure I’ll pick up the mechanics quickly.”

She shot him a quick, incredulous glance. “Have you ever fired a gun in your life?”

“No, but it can’t be that hard. Some target practice is all I should need.”

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened until her hands ached. “God, Jameson!No! A million times no! Guns in real life arenotlike guns in video games. An untrained civilian with a gun is a recipe for disaster on so many levels.” She glanced over again and found him watching her. He looked completely serious.

“You’re a smart guy. Reasonably coordinated.”

“Reasonably?” He snorted. “Jeez, thanks.”

She resisted rolling her eyes. “You’d probably pick up the mechanics pretty quickly. But you wouldn’t have the judgment or the repetition of practice. In an emergency, you’d be as likely to shoot yourself or me as the bad guy.”

Her lips tightened as she swung into the parking lot for the lab. “You with a gun? Not happening. And if you get a gun, I’ll be back in Montana so fast it’ll be like I vanished into thin air.”

She stomped on the brakes and the car rocked as she threw it into park and turned off the engine. “Are we clear, Ford?”

“Crystal,” he said, staring out the windshield. But she thought she saw his mouth curl up.

She slammed her hand on the steering wheel. “Damn it, Jameson, you weren’t serious, were you? You were just trying to distract me from what happened last night.”

“I was… kind of serious,” he said, shifting to face her. “It’s not a bad idea.”

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