Strip Tease (Protect and Defend 1.50)

It was a win-win for everyone.

* * * *

Instinct told Nate something wasn’t right. Over the years, he’d become dependent on his intuition and at the moment, it was going off like a bazillion car alarms in a packed parking lot.

Janelle didn’t seem worried in the least. She’d gotten ready for her meeting with her sister in record time. Tossing her still damp blonde hair into a ponytail, she dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, no makeup on her beautiful face. She looked fresh, clean, natural.

He didn’t want to leave. The yearning to coax her back into bed, strip her clothing off and sample her sweet, shower-clean flesh was so strong he clenched his fists to control himself.

Damn it, he shouldn’t feel this way. His partner’s killer was that much closer to captivity. He should be thrilled everything was finally coming together. Once Janelle brought Ginger home, he’d call Greg and the both of them could question her. Pump her for information and get her to spill completely about Billy’s prostitution business.

He hoped he could get the federal charges dismissed. They’d need her to testify against Billy to make the charges stick against him—if they ever found him. So the DEA might be lenient on her. Hopefully they’d offer her immunity for her testimony.

“Ready?” Nate asked, watching as she gathered her purse and slung it over her shoulder.

“Yes.” She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead and he grabbed her, cupping her cheek, holding her there so he could kiss her properly. His mouth lingered, his tongue swiped against hers and when she pulled away from him, she released a shaky breath.

“Then let’s go.” Standing, he cleared his throat, wondered at the sudden thickness there.

Hell, he was falling in love with her. Hard to face when he’d never been in love before.

He hurriedly got dressed, didn’t bother with a shower or even underwear. He slipped on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, shoved shoes on his feet and grabbed his gun.

“You’re going to bring that?”

Glancing at her, he saw her blue eyes had gone wide, her mouth parted as she stared at the gun dangling from his hand.

“Yeah. We have to be safe, Janelle. Besides, it’s always with me.” He shoved the gun into the back waistband of his jeans, would stash it in a safer place once he got into his car.

“Right, okay I get it.” She smiled though he noticed a faint tremor to her lips. “Guns make me nervous.”

Nate pulled her to him, smoothing his hands up and down her slim back. “Baby, get used to them. I’m a cop. They’re a part of the trade.”

“I know. And it scares me.” She slipped her arms around him, nuzzling her face against his chest. “Your job is so dangerous.”

“Don’t worry about me. We need to concentrate on Ginger.” Reluctantly he released her, checking the clock on the bedside table. “We gotta go or you’re going to be late.”

“Let’s go.”

His hands shook as he climbed into his car and Nate willed them to stop. He couldn’t afford to be nervous. Everything important to him was on the line and he needed to be in tip-top shape. He couldn’t let anything get past him.

He’d put in a quick call to Greg when Janelle was in the shower, letting him know what was happening. Greg had been eager to meet him there, but he’d told him to cool it. They couldn’t scare Ginger, things needed to look normal

.

The thought of anything happening to Janelle made his gut clench. He needed to confess his feelings. Tell her he was in love with her. Imagining the moment made him feel both euphoric and nauseous.

Get through today and they were home free. Get the information from Ginger to nail Billy Diaz to the wall—the prostitution business, the drug ring, all of it, would be a satisfying relief.

The smugness wore off quick and he shook his head. This wasn’t really his case anymore. He didn’t need to care as much. But he did. For Janelle – and for her sister.

A trickle of fear spilled down his spine. Billy wanted Ginger badly. Did he really have feelings for her, or was it because she knew too much? If Ginger was at risk, then Janelle was at risk too. How he hated that.

Nate was more determined than ever to protect Janelle and her sister. No one hurt what he considered his. He’d suffered enough from the loss of his partner. He didn’t plan on losing anyone else anytime soon.

* * * *

The restaurant was old, small and not very clean. A sparse amount of customers occupied a few booths, but otherwise it was empty. The stench of burning grease assaulted Janelle as she walked inside and she wrinkled her nose.