The genuine confusion in his deep voice was almost endearing enough to make her smile. “I don’t have anything against the name Brittany.”
His dark brows knitted together in a priceless look of bafflement. “Then why did you bite my head off last night when I used it?”
She finished chewing her bite of bagel, swallowed, and said, “Because it’s not my name, Alex. You’ve known me for how long now? Have you ever heard anyone call me Brittany?”
“No, I don’t reckon I have.”
“Well, there you have it.”
He’d managed to finish off both his bagel and coffee before his frustration got the better of him. “All right, I give. If your name’s not Brittany, then what is it?”
Flicking her gaze to the clock that hung on the wall, she murmured, “Wow, look at the time. I really need to be getting to work.”
He leaned back in his chair, studying her with a heavy-lidded stare. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
Brit smirked, cut him a where would be the fun in that? look, and carried her dishes to the sink.
“Christ, you make my head hurt,” he muttered from just behind her, brushing against her right side as he set his own dishes in the sink, and she gasped from the rush of awareness that shot through her when his body touched hers. Quickly stepping away, she grabbed a paper towel to wipe her hands off as she stood beside the table, willing her stupid pulse to slow before he mistook her reaction for fear.
Fear? Hah! She was so sexually primed for this broken, arrogant male she could probably orgasm if he so much as breathed on her.
When he turned around to face her, his arms were crossed over his chest again, his fine ass resting against the edge of the counter once more. He watched the way she rubbed her upper arms, frowned, then locked his pale gaze with hers. “Look, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about what’s going on here. If that’s what’s worrying you, don’t let it.”
Her hands stilled. “Meaning what, exactly?” she asked, her tone careful and subdued.
He scrubbed one of his big hands over the top of his head, then gestured between them. “You don’t have to worry about . . . this. Yeah, we’ll be living here together for a time. But you’ll have your own space. I won’t be trying anything with you. It won’t be like that.”
With wide eyes, she returned his stare, and tried to decide if she was touched that he wanted to put her at ease . . . or insulted that he apparently wasn’t at all interested in going to bed with her. The silence started to get uncomfortably heavy, and then she heard herself say, “To be honest, I didn’t imagine that would be an issue. Seeing as how you hate me and all. I just don’t like feeling like an imposition and a serious suck on your time.”
She couldn’t miss the way his own eyes widened at her words. “I don’t hate you.”
Brit gave a sarcastic snort. “Seriously? You’re the biggest woman-hater I’ve ever known. And considering what I do for a living, that’s really saying something.”
His gaze got glacial, narrowing with anger. “I do not hate women.”
“Couldn’t prove it by me,” she murmured.
He started to respond, then stopped himself. Cocking his head a bit to the side, he studied her as he pushed away from the counter, then calmly asked, “Did I miss something? Because it suddenly feels like you’re trying to start a fight.”
Hell. She knew her hurt feelings were taking control of her mouth, which was never a good idea, but there didn’t seem to be a damn thing she could do about it. “Who’s fighting? I’m simply stating a fact. One that’s held by the majority of the people who know you.”
His sensual mouth flattened into a hard line. “You don’t know shit, Doc.”
“I know this is a bad idea. I know you’re one of the rudest, coldest, most hardheaded men I’ve ever—”
“You just never learn when to shut up, do you?” he growled, cutting her off. It only took him two steps to close the distance between them, and then she was having to crane her head back to hold his glittering, smoldering glare.
“I’ll shut up when I feel like— Oomph!”
One second she was screeching, completely losing her shit as all the stress from the past night crashed down on her, and in the next Alex Hudson had his big hands in her hair, holding her head still as he crushed his lips against her own. She gasped, reeling, more shocked than she’d ever been in her life, and he went in for the kill, sending his tongue inside to slide against the tender, intimate recesses of her mouth, stroking them like he knew her secrets. Oh, God. Oh, hell. That shouldn’t feel so right, but it did.
It felt freaking incredible, as if everything she’d ever known about kissing had just been a warm-up for the main event.
He took her mouth like he owned it. Like he wanted to violate and possess it in every way known to man. Take whatever he wanted from it. From her. It was that aggressive. That outrageously devastating. If he fucked like he kissed, she was surprised women weren’t lining up around the block from his condo, begging for his attention. But then, she knew that if ever there was a guy who could bed a woman, blow her mind to the point she didn’t even remember her own name, and then give her the cold shoulder, it was most likely this one.
He growled against her lips, the way he held her head and the rigidity of his tall body against hers telling her he was just as into this as she was. Not to mention the hungry, ravaging nature of the kiss, as if he couldn’t get enough of her taste. Her nipples tightened, and she was wet as hell between her legs, the feel and flavor and scent of him sending her spiraling toward a release that would be beyond horrifying, considering this had started because he’d been trying to shut her up and teach her a lesson. To show her that he had the upper hand and could use his lethal sexuality on her whenever he chose.
Whew. He might not like women all that much, but he sure as hell knew how to make one melt. Her hands were sliding up his chest, tingling from the solid feel of his muscles, and Brit knew if she didn’t put a stop to this now, she would soon be begging him for more. To finish her. And there would be no living that down.
“Enough!” she gasped, reaching deep for the strength to break away from the kiss and his unbelievable mouth.
She could have sworn she heard him mutter, “Not nearly,” under his breath, but couldn’t be sure. He had her hormones so jacked up, she was probably hearing things.
“We can’t do that,” she said huskily, smoothing her hands over her dress as she backed away from him. “You can’t kiss me.”
He worked his jaw, a muscle pulsing under his skin, looking as though he wanted to ask her why. But he didn’t. Instead, he closed down right in front of her eyes, going glacial and cold as he stepped past her and headed into the living room.
It was a physical effort not to turn and run after him, throwing herself on him, begging him to finish what he’d started. His decadent taste was in her mouth, her lips trembling from the remembered feel of his possession, and she had to clench her teeth together to keep from making a sound.
Damn it, she could do this. She could be smart and resist him. But she would have him take her home for more clothes in a day or two. And when he did, she was doing the smart thing. The only thing she could think of that might at least make the ache he’d ignited manageable, before she embarrassed herself.
As soon as she had the chance, she was grabbing the damn vibrator.
* * *
AFTER GETTING BRIT TO THE MCNAMARA CLINIC AND WALKING HER to her office, Alex went in search of the security office and spoke with Carl Stevens, the department’s director. Then he made the thirty-minute drive to Mike’s office at one of the statewide DEA buildings.
He said hello to a few people he knew as he made his way up to Mike’s third-floor office, sinking into one of the chairs in front of Mike’s desk while his brother typed something into his computer. Mike looked ti
red, his dark hair even shaggier than usual, dark circles under his green eyes, and Alex wondered if his brother had been working a case late into the night . . . or a woman. Knowing Mike, it could have well been both, his brother often working off an adrenaline rush after a hard night at work with one of his numerous fuck-buddies. Women flocked to the guy like flies to honey, charmed by his good looks and charismatic personality, each of them hoping they’d be the one to tame his bad boy ways. But so far, none of them had even gotten close.
“Where’s Barnes?” Alex asked when Mike finally lifted his head, jerking his chin in a silent greeting. David Barnes was the agent who shared Mike’s office and a friend of his baby brother. He was a nice enough guy, but Alex preferred to have some privacy at the moment.
Reading his mind, Mike said, “We’ve got the office to ourselves for a while. Barnes is out on a coffee break with the receptionist he’s currently boning.”
Alex lifted his brows. “I thought he was seeing a nurse.”
“He is,” Mike muttered, his tone flat. For all Mike’s womanizing, he always made sure that he made his intentions clear and never led a woman on, or let her believe they were exclusive when they weren’t. From his brother’s tone and expression, Alex could tell that Barnes wasn’t exactly following that code.
“Damn,” he murmured, letting Mike know he understood.
“Yeah, he’s a jackass. What can I say? I’ve warned him it’s all going to come back and bite him in the ass one of these days. If he isn’t ready to settle down, then he shouldn’t let a woman think he is.”
Bracing one boot on his opposite knee, Alex asked, “And what did he say to that unsolicited bit of wisdom?”
“He told me to fuck off.”
Alex choked out a laugh. “That sounds like Barnes.”
Mike snorted, then slid him a curious look. “So how’s Brit this morning?”
“Prickly as ever, but she isn’t cowering. She’s with patients at her office right now.”
Pinning him with a knowing stare, Mike rocked back in his chair. “And let me guess. You’ve come over here to beg me to slide in and take your place. Am I right?”
Unwilling to rise to his brother’s bait, Alex forced a calm reply, though his jaw was tighter than he would have liked. “I can’t see how that would work. We both know you’d be too busy trying to nail her to actually be able to protect her.”
Mike whistled, then grinned like a jackass. “Wow, you sound jealous.”
“Just get Ben on the phone, so we can get this over and done with. I’m assuming Ryder has already brought him up to date, like he did with you, right?”
Reaching over to his desk phone, Mike said, “Yeah, he called both of us last night.” He looked at Alex with a wry smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “Ben wasn’t too happy about you not getting in touch with him yourself. According to Ryder, you didn’t want him bothering you.”
His jaw still tight, he picked at a frayed patch on the hem of his jeans. “I didn’t want to get into it with either one of you in front of Brit.”
“Uh-huh,” Mike murmured, sounding like he was trying not to laugh.
Alex scowled. “Just make the damn call and stop acting like an asshole.”
Mike dialed Ben’s cell phone number, engaged the speaker function on the phone, and within seconds they were listening to the middle Hudson brother ask, “How’s Brit doing? I tried to catch her at her office this morning, but she was already in with a patient.”
“She’s doing good,” Alex replied.
Ben’s low voice was edged with frustration. “I told you I had a feeling about this guy.”
“Yeah, I should have listened to you.”
“You’re damn right you should have.” Ben took a sharp breath, cursed, and then slowly exhaled. Though his next words were still rough, they sounded a bit calmer. “But the point is that you were there when it mattered, man. That’s what counts.”
“So exactly how messed up is this guy?” Mike asked, rocking back in his chair with his fingers laced behind his head this time, his biceps bulging against the seams of the black DEA polo he was wearing.
“I listened in when he called her last night,” Alex said, scrubbing his hands over his face, and then bracing his elbows on his spread knees as he leaned forward in his chair. “He spouted a lot of psycho-sounding bullshit about proving he loved her by making her hurt. To be honest, it made my damn skin crawl. Brit pointed out to him that he was talking about trying to do the same thing to her that his mother did to him, which I’m sure I don’t have to tell either one of you is going to lead to the motherfucker’s death if he tries. No way in hell we can let him pose that kind of a threat to her.”
Mike frowned. “His mom was like something from the Manson family. It can’t be good that he’s drawing on his experience with her and using it to justify his obsession with Brit.”
“No shit,” Alex growled. “She told me on our drive to the clinic this morning that she had a chat a few days ago with the therapist Shepherd was referred to back in Miami. Apparently, Shepherd had been doing well enough when he quit his therapy sessions that the doctor hadn’t felt the need to contact anyone in regards to his mental health. So he was free of any watching eyes up in Westville.”
“What do you think set him off?” Ben asked.
“Who knows? My gut tells me that he’s been carrying a torch for Brit for a long time. Maybe college life didn’t work out the way he thought it would, and it pushed his obsession into something darker.”
“And the attack on him a few weeks ago?” This time the question came from Mike.
Alex rubbed his jaw. “I’d like to talk with the detectives up in Westville. There’s something about that whole thing that just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Ben agreed.
“Can you get something set up for me with them?” Alex knew that while a lot of police forces were open-minded about working with private investigators, there were still some who got bent out of shape when they felt like someone was butting into their territory. With Ben’s assistance, he’d probably get a hell of a lot more cooperation out of the cops than he would on his own.
“I’ll take care of it. And I just want you to know that I appreciate you looking out for her last night, Alex. I’ve got a call into one of the security guys I know in Miami. His name is Hank Smith and he’s one of the best. If he’s free, I’ll get him to head over and step in for you.”
Alex grunted in response, already knowing there was no way in hell he was leaving her personal security up to some paid protection. Fuck that. He might hate it, the constant back and forth between them, not to mention the physical struggle he’d be going through to keep his hands off her—to not give in and touch her again—but he wasn’t leaving something this important up to someone else.
“You not happy with that plan?” Ben’s deep voice held a curious edge.
Alex shifted in his seat. “He doesn’t know her. She wouldn’t be comfortable.”
“If you want her comfortable, then it should be me watching out for her,” Mike cut in with a lazy drawl. “She loves my cute ass.”
“Shut up, Mike.”
His baby brother just grinned like a jackass again. “Guess it’s possible she could love yours, too. I mean, you’ve kept yourself in good shape for a guy who’ll be pushing forty in the not too distant future. You should go for it.”
“This isn’t about fucking her. It’s about keeping her alive.”
Mike lifted his brows. “And you can’t mix business with pleasure?”
“Jesus, what is it with you? I thought you considered this woman a friend.”
“I do.”
His next words burst from his throat in a guttural snarl. “Then why the hell would you want her messing around with a guy like me?”
“Because you’re not nearly as much of an asshole as you want everyone to think you are. And I think Dr. Gorgeous might be just the thing to thaw that lump of ice you’ve had wedged up your ass for the last five years. If she can’t melt you down, no one will.”
“You’re full of shit, Mike. Hell, she doesn’t even like me.”
Mike snickered. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d ever caught the way she stares at you when you aren’t looking.”
Whoa. Alex really didn’t need to be thinking about that. Or about how fucking incredible that kiss they’d shared had been. Clearing his throat, he said, “Even if that were true, this isn’t the time. This Shepherd guy is seriously fucked in the head.”
“I’m not saying he isn’t. I’m just saying that you’re missing a golden opportunity here. All it’ll take is a little multitasking.”
“I’m not going to compromise her damn safety.”
“I agree,” Ben rumbled, breaking into the argument. “Alex knows what he’s talking about, Mike.”
Alex felt the pull between his brows as he stared at the speakerphone, wondering what the hell his brother was up to. Had Ben changed his mind about getting the two of them together? Or was this some kind of new reverse psychology on his brother’s part? Before he could figure it out, Mike interrupted his train of thought.
“Sure, he knows what he’s doing when it comes to work.” Mike’s low voice had lost its teasing tone, the serious edge making Alex prepare for the coming verbal blow. “But he doesn’t know shit about taking a chance on someone. He never did.”
“Why chance something that I already know will end in shit? I’d rather save myself the trouble.”
Mike lowered his arms and shook his head. Alex didn’t like the way the guy was looking at him. “Fuck. I get it now. You’re scared.”
“Back off, Mike. And stay out of it.”
Ignoring him, Mike matched his quiet tone. “The sad thing is, I don’t think you’re running because you don’t want her. I think you’re running because of how badly you do. You’re just panicking, you pathetic jackass.”
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