Page 10 of When He Defends
She swallowed. “Because I wanted the best. When it comes to hunting killers, you are the best.” Undeniable.
“Even though I’m an asshole?”
One shoulder rolled. Her knees were still weak.He thinks about kissing me? About fucking me?She hadn’t admitted that she thought about kissing him all the time. That she dreamed about fucking him.
“Orders are in place for a reason,” Gray continued grimly. “Orders save lives. Either agree to do what I tell you, without hesitation, when we’re in the field, or consider this partnership done.”
Emerson could only shake her head. “I thought we were already done.” Why else had he gone into the whole discussion about wanting her? Was the man just trying to torment her? If so, not cool.
“Yeah, I said that. Only those words came before you told the senator to fuck off. Before I realized you had nothing to do with threatening my job.”
Okay. “And everything else?” She motioned between them. “That whole wanting to kiss me, wanting to fuck me bit? Was that just you trying to mess with my head?”
He laughed, and the rough, deep sound caught her completely off guard.
“No, Emerson.” A smile lingered on Gray’s lips. “That would be me, giving you the truth, because you’ve been messing with my head from day one.” An exhale. “But I won’t fuck another FBI agent.”
Uh, as you keep pointing out, I’m not an FBI agent. I’m freelance.
“Fucking a partner will lead to increased danger and a boat load of trouble. You’ll go falling in love with me, and I’ll just break your heart.”
Well, wasn’t he just full of himself? Her jaw nearly hit the floor. “How do you know that you won’t fall in love with me?” Was that so beyond the realm of possibility for him?
He stared back at her. “The choice is yours.”
“What choice?”
“I can be your partner, or I can be your lover. You pick.” He turned on his heel and strode for the connecting door.
This could not be happening. “You are making an awful lot of assumptions!” Emerson rushed after him.
He spun. They nearly collided. His hands flew out and curled around her shoulders. She jolted at the contact. Hissed out a breath as sensual energy seemed to pour through her blood.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” he said, as if satisfied. “You think I don’t see it? You’re good at controlling your expressions, I’ll give you that, but every now and then, your eyes will give you away. And when I touch you…I feel it.”
She wanted his mouth on her. Right then. Right there. Her body practically vibrated with need.
“Call me a liar,” he dared. “Tell me that I’m wrong. Tell me that you don’t want my mouth on yours more than you want your next breath right now.”
Her breath had frozen in her lungs.
“I’m good at reading people. At knowing what they want most. At understanding the darkness they keep chained inside.” His head tilted. “I’ve got so much darkness. If we’re not careful, it could wreck us both.”
She thought about just grabbing him by his shirtfront and yanking him toward her. Slamming her mouth onto his. “We might kiss and feel nothing.” A possibility.
The intensity in his eyes only deepened. “Or we might kiss and fuck right where we stand.”
Why do that? There was a perfectly good bed just a few feet away. Had to be far more comfortable than fucking where they stood.
“Partner or lover,” he said. “You pick. You decide.”
Her gaze searched his. Desire twisted inside of her. She did want him, damn the man. More than she’d probably ever wanted anyone in her life. But she also wanted to keep working with him. Because Graywasthe best when it came to getting into the minds of killers. He was better than she was, probably because he’d had so much valuable field experience. Because he’d been up close and personal with too many monsters over the years.
And they’d left their mark on him.
“Sleep on it,” he murmured. “You can give me your answer in the morning.”
He was going to walk away. She knew it. She also knew…
