Body Heat (Simply 4)

Norton trotted beside them into the kitchen. Happy to see Brianne, he made himself her permanent shadow. “Good thing I got the doorman to take care of his walks,” Jake muttered. He was in no mood to take the dog out to do business now.

“You’re still upset.” Brianne walked ahead of him and tossed her bag onto the table, then whirled to face him.

He held on to his composure by a slender thread. “Why would I be upset?” he asked with thinly veiled sarcasm.

Her green eyes met his. “I can think of a number of reasons.”

“So can I. For one thing I had to relinquish control of questioning the employees to Duke and Vickers.” But that was the least of his concerns, he acknowledged silently.

“I heard Lieutenant Thompson say that without a physical you weren’t going anywhere near this case again,” she said softly.

“Well, I can blame myself for that,” Jake said bitterly.

When he’d set out to rehabilitate in private, he’d known he was risking the official part of the job. Since in his gut he knew he hadn’t wanted to return, he’d thought the undercover work he’d accomplish in private would be worth it. But he hadn’t figured Brianne’s blasted independence into the equation. He hadn’t thought he’d need to.

“I can let them know how good you’re doing. How I think you could pass a basic physical.”

“Could I?” Their therapy sessions had been minimal. They’d opted instead for personal time.

“Let’s face it, Jake. Your shoulder’s doing better than I thought. You don’t really need private, daily therapy. I can help quicken your path back to work.” She offered him the solution with hope shining in her eyes. “I’d do that for you, no matter how I feel about your putting yourself in danger.”

He didn’t want her in danger, either, but she

didn’t seem to comprehend that. But he recognized her selfless offer and he groaned. He didn’t want his feelings for her to soften. Not while he was still justifiably angry.

“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.”

He didn’t need her help getting him back on a job he didn’t want. It was just the Ramirez case he’d needed closure on.

“Suit yourself.” Brianne moved closer.

His sister had a huge penthouse with Lord knows how many rooms, but the kitchen was too small to hold Jake and Brianne. Not without a lot of sexual awareness flowing between them, anyway. She took another step toward him. He held his ground but he wasn’t happy. Her strawberry scent hit him like a punch in the gut.

So did her pleading words. “Don’t be angry with me, Jake. I didn’t get hurt and I knew what I was doing. I had a plan, I had pepper spray—”

“Which would have done you a lot of good when facing a drug-dealing cop killer!” His stomach turned over, and he gripped the nearest chair with both hands.

Her eyes blazed bright, alive with the knowledge of a job well done and a sense of accomplishment. Jake ought to know. He recognized what she was feeling, having experienced the rush often himself. If he’d thought he had a chance of making her see reason, she’d killed that hope.

“Do me a favor?” he asked.

Her eyebrows lifted in question.

“Keep quiet. Because every time you speak, you make things worse, not better.”

A muscle ticked in her jaw. “You’re one to talk. You’re the one who’s willing to make yourself a walking target for Ramirez. Now you’re angry I did the same?”

“You’re damn right I’m angry. If I’d gone after Ramirez, I’d have been doing my job. You were an inexperienced civilian ducking out on a bodyguard hired to protect you.” He forcibly stopped himself from pointing his finger at her or reacting in any other physical way.

But he realized he was yelling and took a step back. His behind hit the counter, and he found himself trapped between the cabinets and her lush body. A body he wanted even now, despite—or was it because of—the heated argument.

Apparently unaware she was crossing a boundary, she pointed her finger at him. “You’re on leave.”

That she didn’t hesitate to remind him or incite his anger further told him much about her current state of mind. She wasn’t falling back into trembling or fear. She wasn’t having an anxiety attack. She was enjoying herself—both catching Ramirez and arguing with Jake.

Jake had to admit that a part of him was enjoying it, too. And he was turned on by her strength as well as her beauty. However, he was still angry and needed her to understand the seriousness of her situation. Now that they’d closed down Ramirez’s shop, the dealer would feel cornered. He wouldn’t know which of his flunkies was rolling over on him, or who he could trust.

Ramirez would have no qualms about lashing out, especially at the cops, and at Jake—which meant Brianne had to be careful. The lieutenant had doubled the protection on Frank’s family, and he’d agreed to have Rina checked out in Italy to be certain. That left Brianne. She had to accept backup. She couldn’t run off on her own again, and Jake intended to make that clear.