Heated Pursuit (Alpha Security #1)(11)
Rafe must have interpreted it as a hard stop because, dragging his hands over her thighs, he returned her to her feet and stepped back. Slightly. Every inch of her hummed, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest told her that he wasn’t as unaffected as his expressionless face would have her believe.
Clearing her throat, she smoothed his rumpled shirt and prayed he didn’t catch the slight tremble to her hands. “So…Freedom. Fuentes. Where do we go from here?”
“Nothing we can do here. I don’t know why you couldn’t get through to the guys, but I’ll check it out, make sure they haven’t stumbled into any problems. Give me a few minutes and we’ll head back to the house. In the meantime, do you think you could keep your nose out of trouble?”
She braced a hand on her hip. “I had nothing to do with that guy not being able to take a hint. I didn’t invite him over.”
His eyes twinkled with a wicked gleam. “Sweetheart, the second you shimmied your sweet self into that getup, you invited any man with a pair of eyeballs to attempt to enjoy the wonderland that’s your body. If I hadn’t come along when I did, you’d have been up to your pretty little chin in some serious shit.”
“I think I held my own pretty well.”
“No doubt, but what would you have done when half a dozen admirers surrounded you? You only have two hands, Red. You can’t grab them all by the balls.”
Penny opened her mouth, ready to fire off a flaming retort despite the fact he had a point. But before she could retaliate, he turned her around and ushered her to the front of the bar with little more than a palm against the small of her back. He tucked her on a stool directly in front of Maria’s knowing grin and disappeared from view.
“Very, very brave, sweetheart,” Maria repeated her earlier sentiments, chuckling.
“Is he always so…growly?” Penny asked.
“Rafael?” Maria tapped her chin in thought, then smirked wider. “No. Perhaps it is you that brings out the animal in him, yes?”
Penny would’ve fallen off her stool in laughter if she hadn’t been leaning against the bar. She couldn’t imagine being responsible for bringing out the animal in anyone much less a man like Rafe. She dated, sure. Maybe not very much in recent months. And most definitely not men who growled and palmed her ass and called her sweetheart.
Still, she hadn’t imagined the lustful look in Rafe’s eyes. She let herself bask in the fact she’d been the one to put it there until he reappeared on the edge of the dance floor with an attractive brunette butted up against his groin.
Evidently he hadn’t felt her news or their bathroom make-out session dire enough to skip a dance—if what he and the brunette were doing could be considered dancing. It was skewed heavily in the direction of foreplay with clothes on, and the woman attached to the front of his jeans looked more than willing to remedy the clothes situation.
Jaw clenched until it ached, Penny breathed through the sudden rush of unexpected anger and turned to Maria. “When the Walking Pheromone’s done, tell him I headed back.”
Maria snuck a glance toward Rafe, her frown lining her forehead. “I don’t think it’s a good idea you leave, sweetheart. You should wait.”
Yeah, she should. And as much as she didn’t relish the idea of heading back onto the streets herself in this part of the neighborhood, there was no way in hell she was going to watch Rafe get a vertical lap dance either. She waved off the older woman’s concern. “I’m good. It was nice meeting you, Maria.”
At the exit, she tossed a second glance over her shoulder. All she could see was Rafe’s wide hands bracketing the attractive woman’s hips, his head tucked into the curve of her neck.
Nope. Not staying another second.
CHAPTER FOUR
Extracting himself from Rosa’s talons hadn’t been easy. The woman was all hands and no ears. By the time Rafe had finally managed to extricate himself from her grasp, Maria had clapped him upside the head so hard he saw f*cking rainbows. Knowing Penny witnessed the exchange and got the wrong idea bothered him. And the fact that it bothered him, bothered him.
“I can’t believe you lost her,” Trey grumbled from the surveillance van down the street.
Despite the fact their positions spanned the four-block length between Tres Brujas and the safe house, communication earwigs linked Rafe with each of the team. He didn’t need to see his friend’s face to know that a scowl was probably firmly etched in place.
“It isn’t my fault she’s allergic to listening. I planted her ass on the stool and told her to stay the hell put,” Rafe said, halfheartedly defending himself.
“Allergic is one way to describe it. In case you don’t already know, telling Penn to do something only guarantees she’s going to do the exact opposite. Basic Penny 101, brother. If we’re going to be letting her stick around, you best learn that pretty f*cking quick.”
“Quick. You hear that, Callahan?” Rafe goaded Logan. “That would be the exact opposite length of time it’s taking you to get a bead on Red. Pick up the pace or I’m making a motion to replace you with another loud-mouthed Marine with bad fashion sense.”
“Hey now.” Logan’s keyboard clacked in the background. “Don’t be hating on my T-shirts, man. And as for finding our little lady…pinpointing her in a sea of white fuzz isn’t exactly child’s play. San Pedro Sula is in serious f*cking need of upgrades. You all are sure you don’t see a thing? Maybe the surveillance equipment at HQ is on the fritz and she’s already lounging back with a sangria.”