Raiden (The Kent Brothers #2) - A.M. Hargrove Page 0,3

messed to perfection. I lost myself in his expression until his lips curved into a hint of a grin.

“I’ll go with what Scottie recommends. She understands the drug world better than any of us.” Then he switched gears on me. “So how did you end up with Wolfe?”

“Uh, Gemini and I worked together on a case. The DEA hired WI for something we’d been working on. The job offer came afterward.”

“Then, Scottie Sullivan, give us what you got. Let’s see how good you really are.” His half-hooded gaze sent shivers racing over every inch of my skin. This man spelled trouble. Maybe not. Maybe I could just ride him a few times. That idea heated my core, which was not good. Mind out of the gutter and all that. I would not have dirty thoughts about this man. I’d been warned, by his sister-in-law, of all people.

No dirty thoughts, Scottie. Repeat that. It didn’t work.

We went to work, but honestly, with him by my side, it was hard to concentrate. He occasionally did this thing with his tongue where he’d poke it out and then run it across the center of his lower lip. That tiny movement sent me squirming in my seat. One time he caught me and one brow arched. My cheeks heated to the temperature of a kiln. I’d dressed entirely too warm for being near him too. Perspiration dripped down the valley between my breasts. I’d already taken off my cardigan but would have to put it on again so sweat blotches didn’t show on my shirt.

When the day was close to ending, Cruze said, “I’m calling it. I have other work to do. You guys can continue or do you want to meet tomorrow?”

“We have a lot to do yet. I say we continue tomorrow,” Acer said.

“Good idea, but I have calls in the morning so can we meet after lunch? Will that work, Scottie?” Raiden asked.

“Works for me. It’ll let me run some things at WI in the morning.” I stood and his eyes slowly dragged up my body. This intense pull settled over me and I noticed his frown. Was it my imagination or did he feel it too? Or was he not pleased with what he saw?

I stuffed all my things into my bag and headed for the door.

Raiden’s voice stopped me. “Hold up. You need an escort to get out.”

“Why? I didn’t need one to get in.”

“This is like Hotel California. You can check in, but you can’t ever leave.” A chuckle rippled out of him and the other two only shook their heads.

Acer said, “He loves to say that and we can’t figure out why.”

“It’s simple, Little Guy. You can get up here after the security desk approves you, but you need a code to get on the elevator.”

“Little Guy?” I asked.

Acer wasn’t amused. “That’s been my moniker since birth. It’s comical when you see I’m actually taller than either of these two dudes.”

He was. Not by much, but he had them there.

“True, but you’ll always be our Little Guy. Sorry, dude. It’s pure love.”

The affection between them was clear. They played around and teased each other, but it was all done with joy. I used to have that with my family until… I shoved those thoughts away.

I heard a bark and then scratching at the door. Acer opened it and a medium-sized shaggy dog ran in with tail wagging. “Scottie, meet Ruffles. She belonged to my wife, but now she’s mine too.” He bent down and scratched the dog’s belly. She was cute. After she had her fill, she ran to all the others in the room to get a belly rub. I was last on the list and new to her. First, she gave me a good sniffing, then sat against my leg and put up a paw.

“Aw, she’s precious.”

“And spoiled. Don’t let the sweet face fool you. She’ll be stealing your lunch right in front of you,” Cruze said.

“That’s okay, isn’t it, girl? You can have my lunch any day.”

Acer commented, “Only if you take her for a walk. No people food so she doesn’t become one of those super fat dogs. Like that one beagle who got up to ninety pounds.”

Raiden took my bag and asked, “You ready?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

We walked to the elevator, and he entered a code for the door to open. Then he said, “I look forward to tomorrow. Have a nice evening.”

My throat was too dry to respond. I walked inside the metal