Page 17 of Sniper

“Calisthenics.”

Calisthenics? “I thought you were gone.”

“I haven’t even taken a shower yet.” He folded his arms, body covered in a light sheen of sweat, as if his shower status was important.

“Obviously.”

His gaze was full of heat as he took in my naked body. My nipples beaded under his gaze and moisture flooded my thighs. Sniper licked his lips, and I jumped to my feet, scrambling to snatch the towel off the floor.

“See something you like?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” He grumbled the words and stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

I stared at the bathroom door for a full minute in shock before I snapped out of it and quickly got dressed.

In layers.

Chapter Twelve

Sniper

“Dangling me as bait again?” Katey jumped off the back of my bike and looked around the casino parking garage cautiously. She was still on edge, jumping at the sound of every closing car door or revving engine.

I accepted her helmet and hung it over the handlebar before I removed my own. She was more relaxed on the bike this time, almost smiling when she stared up at me. “Wouldn’t work as well if I used somebody else for bait.”

That earned me a laugh. “Good point, I guess.” She looked around again just before we stepped onto the elevator. “What are we doing here?”

“Eating,” I answered and pressed the button. “It’s something humans require for fuel.”

“Smart ass.” For the first time in two weeks there was no bite to her words.

“We’re here because you need to eat. If you skip another meal a small gust of wind will take you down.” That was half true anyway. It would be a long damn time before I forgot what she looked like, naked and sprawled on the floor.

“Gee thanks Sniper. You say all the right things.”

I laughed. “I didn’t say you didn’t have a bangin’ body, because you do. But you have to eat.”

We arrived at the restaurant, and I found a table that allowed a view of both exits. “This is something I would think a doctor should already know.”

She rolled her eyes. “Prepare yourself for all the food I am about to eat. Buffets are my specialty.” She stood and marched towards the first row of food with a wicked determination.

She surprised the hell out of me when she returned to the table with a plate piled high with food. “You’re allowed to go back as many times as you want, you know.”

Katey’s laugh was throaty and melodic. “I like to sample a little of everything,” she insisted, eyeing my plate. “Meat and potatoes. Big surprise.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” There was no malice in her words, but I took offense.

“It means that you’re just like Cal in a lot of ways.”

That much was true. We came from similar backgrounds, and we served our country together. But he upheld the law, and I broke it. Regularly. “Why did you choose emergency medicine?”

Her blue eyes sparkled. “I’ve always been quick on my feet and calm in a crisis, so when it came time to choose my specialty it seemed like the perfect fit. It’s all I wanted to do, and I loved it.”

“Why did you stop?” Doctors made good money, and she wouldn’t have to live in shitty apartments. “I’m always hearing about the need in the medical field.”

Katey sighed and took a big bite of mac and cheese while she contemplated her answer. “The first few times I ran away from Ethan that’s exactly what I did. It was easy to get a job,harder to keep it when your dangerous ex showed up and made a scene time and time again.” Her jaw clenched and she began to stab at her food. “People who end up in the ER are already having problems and some big scary biker adding to it was the last thing they needed so after the last time, I decided to find something that paid cash so it would be harder to find me.”

I wasn’t naïve enough to think that was theonlyreason, but I also knew she wasn’t ready to trust me that much. “So you gave it up.”

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