Staking His Claim (Line of Duty #5)(3)

He picked that moment to turn and lock eyes with her across the ten feet separating them. She had the satisfaction of watching his coffee cup pause halfway to his mouth before continuing its journey toward sculpted, masculine lips. Long-denied heat trickled through her, cutting right through her bout of self-pity. Desire. It had been a long time since she’d felt it. Perhaps that was why it tumbled through her midsection now after having been raveled up for years. As if he’d projected the image into her head, she saw those distracting lips feasting on her neck. A neck that had surely turned candy-apple red thanks to the direction of her thoughts.

Feeling this insistent attraction to her brother’s best friend was inconvenient at best. Nor could she act on it. Based on what she’d been told about him, he was the honorable type. The voice of reason in their dude foursome. He would never make a move on “Brent’s little sister.” Especially when said little sister had been painted as nothing more than an irritating pest.

Unless, of course, he didn’t know who he was putting the moves on.

Matt still watched her closely, but his expression showed no signs of recognition. Apparently Brent hadn’t passed on a formal dossier complete with recent photos, because Matt was looking her over in a very on-limits kind of way. And boy oh boy, she liked it. Her nerve endings were tingling, nipples pebbling underneath her tank top in a way that had nothing to do with the air-conditioning. When his attention shifted to her bare legs visible beneath her cutoff shorts, warmth settled between her thighs. Was it her imagination or had he just growled at her?

Lying about her identity would be wrong. So very wrong. She couldn’t do it. Could she? Her ethics professor would shit a brick. Not to mention, something told her this man wouldn’t take kindly to being duped. Her only alternative was to stand up right now and introduce herself as Lucy Mason before it was too late. It would guarantee she arrived safely in Queens, untouched. Hot and bothered with no weapon to combat it, save the five-fingered one attached to her wrist. No closer to shedding the boredom wrought by the last two years.

It sounded horrible, but she was woman enough to admit that, on top of wanting this insanely hot man, her ego needed a little boost. She’d been dateless for too long, she’d been ditched by everyone, and now she’d been labeled a nuisance. Maybe just this once, she could get hers and say to hell with the consequences, the way she used to. The dormant daredevil inside her stretched and looked around sleepily.

Lucy pushed back her chair and stood. Pasting what she hoped was a flirtatious smile on her face, she walked toward Matt and extended her hand. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you’re looking for 39 Juniper.”

He grunted into his coffee. Not exactly the reaction she’d been looking for. No matter, she’d just have to try again. After all, she hadn’t gotten to be second place in every competition under the sun without learning a few tricks along the way. Garnering her courage, she ran a hand through her curls and cocked one hip. His teeth sank into his lower lip. There. Now she had his attention. “I’m Sasha, Lucy Mason’s roommate. Looks like you’re here to give me a ride.”





Chapter Two


Hop on, baby. I’ll give you a f*cking ride.

The thought blew swift and furious through Matt’s consciousness before he banished it, locking it safely behind a steel-reinforced door. This girl, the one who stood in front of him looking like a virgin sacrifice sent to tempt his sanity, wouldn’t last five minutes with him before she ran off screaming. He knew that, and yet he couldn’t look away.

Her deliciously unpainted mouth moved and words came out, but it took his brain an extra second to catch on. One hell of a feat, since he prided himself on staying razor sharp at all times. His training had drilled the importance of being consistently alert into his head. His profession demanded it. Yet in under a minute, this girl had managed to test that will, effectively cutting off all blood flow to his brain and sending it straight to his groin.

Fuck, she’d made him hard. In public, no less. Before uttering a single word.

On some level, he resented that.

She had spoken, however, and was now looking at him awaiting a response. What had she said? Sasha. Wants a ride. Focus, Donovan. You’re acting like one of your friends, drooling over some girl, when you know that shit isn’t for you. Will never, ever, be for you.

Matt took a sip of his coffee to buy himself some time. Now he remembered why the name Sasha rang a bell. Lucy Mason’s roommate. The roommate he’d agreed to share a vehicle with for the next couple hours on the drive back to New York City. Jesus. At least he’d have Brent’s pesky sister riding shotgun, preventing him from doing something patently unwise. Like pulling over at the first opportunity and divesting this girl of her frayed jean shorts in his backseat.

Get a handle on it. Now. Before you can’t.

Reluctantly, he dragged his gaze away from the embodiment of temptation before him and skimmed a glance over the coffee shop, looking for an entirely different girl. One resembling a linebacker. With a brother the size of a small mountain, Lucy couldn’t be too far behind. No luck. As far as he could tell, there wasn’t a single fart joke–telling Brent look-alike among this crowd. Although to be fair, he didn’t have a clue what Lucy looked like, nor had he had time to find out. Driving to Syracuse had been a last-minute favor to his friend, one he’d grudgingly accepted under threat of being forced to endure an afternoon of wedding plan details. He hadn’t been able to get behind the wheel fast enough.