Daddy's Adorable Assassin (Daddy's Little Deviants)

Making chicken parmesan was harder than it seemed from the recipe. I had to find an instructional video and then painstakingly followed the procedure. Handling the raw poultry took getting used to, the texture and smell unpleasant at first, but after a while, I could ignore it. The preparation took me way longer than the video advised, and it was a lot more work than I could have ever imagined. When I finally put the meat aside to set, I was tired, but I had to peel the potatoes. I put a pot of water on to boil, then brought the potatoes with me to the living room so I could peel them while watching the television. I’d found a superhero series on Netflix that Hunter said I was addicted to.

A persistent beeping sound had me jumping up from the sofa where I’d fallen asleep. Confused, I glanced around me. Was this what Hunter and the FBI had been worried about? Had someone broken into the house? Dammit, I didn’t even have a gun. Where did Hunter keep his?

Pounding at the door got me up. Smoke drifted out of the kitchen into the living room.

Oh crap. Hunter’s going to be so mad.

I ran to the kitchen. Black smoke came from the pot I’d put on the stove. I grabbed the pot, then dropped it in the sink, howling at the burning of my palm.

Crash. What was that? I spun around, biting my lip to stop the tears.

“Cosmo!”

Agent Ellis stormed into the kitchen.

Double crap. Now Hunter would be really mad.

“What the hell happened?” He pulled out a chair and climbed onto it, reaching for a circular device on the ceiling. He got it opened and popped something out. Blessed silence filled the house once more.

“That was responsible for making the awful noise?” I asked.

“The smoke detector.” He jumped down from the stool and returned it to the island. “What happened?”

“I was cooking but fell asleep.”

He groaned. “Why are you favoring your hand?”

Now I felt stupid. “Nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing. Let me see.”

He took my hand and peered at my palm. “Did you burn yourself?”

“The pot was hot. I forgot the potholder.”

“You should run your hand under cold water right away, and it’ll feel better.” He pulled me over to the sink and turned on the tap. I sighed at the instant relief of the cool water on my skin.

“It works.”

“Of course it does.” He chuckled, his breath warm on my ear. When had he gotten so close to me? “You should be more careful.”

I closed my eyes as he held my hand under the water.

“I guess you might want your hand back now,” he said.

“That’s probably a good—”

“Is there something I can help you with, Agent Ellis?”

The steel of Hunter’s voice penetrated my brain, and my eyes flew open. Agent Ellis released my hand as if he himself was burned and hastily stepped away from me. I turned off the water. Hunter stood in the doorway, his face a stone mask. Tension filled the kitchen, and I glanced from him to Agent Ellis. A silly little wish sprang up. If only Agent Ellis would refuse to leave just so I could see what happened. The little wish grew into a dark desire I couldn’t resist poking at.

“Agent Ellis was being nice.” I smiled but directed it at the man Hunter hated for some reason. “He came to my rescue like a real superhero.”

Agent Ellis put the battery he’d taken out of the smoke detector on the island.

“The alarm went off,” he said, his voice meek. Dammit, he was already succumbing to the alpha in the room. I was as equally turned on by Hunter’s posturing as I was disappointed in Agent Ellis’s acquiescence. “I should get going.”

Hunter stood in his way, then slowly moved to the side. Agent Ellis nodded at me and walked out of the kitchen. Hunter didn’t speak. Did he even blink? I could hear the front door close.