Page 41 of Protect Thy Enemy

Grant’s jaw tightens even more, and I swear he looks ready to kill the second I address Beckett by his first name.

Beckett smirks, clearly enjoying the tension. “The offer stands. We could go over the details during lunch. How’s your schedule looking?”

Grant’s eyes narrow, and there’s a flicker of something dangerously close to jealousy in them, but I brush it off. I’m imagining things.

“She’s not free,” Grant says, his voice sharp.

I give him a sideways glance, annoyed at his tone. “Actually, I might take you up on that, Ezra.”

Beckett’s smirk grows as he glances at Grant before turning back to me. “Good to hear. See you then.”

He saunters off, leaving me with Grant, who looks ready to explode. The tension between us thickens, pressing against my skin and making it harder to breathe.

“What the hell was that?” Grant growls, his voice dripping with barely controlled anger. He moves closer, invading my space, his presence swallowing me whole. My body betrays me instantly. Heat flares under my skin, my nipples hardening against the fabric of my bra, and I hate it, hate how I react to him without even thinking.

His eyes flick down, dark and intense, like he knows exactly what’s happening inside me even though he couldn’t possibly see. Still, the way he’s staring at me, it feels like he can.

I tilt my head, feigning innocence even though I know damn well I’m playing with fire. “What?” My voice comes out softer than I intend, like I’m goading him. Maybe I am. I’ve never seen him this animated before.

Well, outside of yelling at me.

He steps closer, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off him, his eyes boring into mine. “Beckett. Stay away from him.” His sharp words are biting.

I cross my arms, my irritation flaring, though his gaze follows the movement like it’s something else entirely. “Why? I thought you wanted me to ‘prove myself,’ to be better. Or does this have nothing to do with that?”

The muscle in his jaw ticks, his frustration barely contained. He’s too close, too overwhelming. “I don’t trust him.”

I arch a brow, pushing back. “Seems like you just don’t like him.”

“I don’t like distractions,” he snaps, the intensity of his stare making my heart pound. “And that’s what he is.”

His words settle deep, twisting something inside me that I can’t ignore. I force myself to hold his gaze even though being this close to him scatters my mind. “I can handle myself, Agent Grant.”

His eyes flicker with something dark, something I can’t quite read, before he turns on his heel, muscles tight as he storms off. “Just don’t forget why you’re here, Rookie.”

I watch him go, my heart still racing, skin prickling with the remnants of his touch even though he never laid a hand on me. Beckett’s offer lingers at the edge of my thoughts, but it’s Grant. His anger, his warning stays with me. The way he acted, the way he looked at me…

It felt too much like a jealous boyfriend.

But that’s crazy.

Right?

Chapter Fourteen

Holden

Her laughter hits me first, soft but distinct enough to make me freeze mid-step.

I know that laugh. It’s quieter than the one she uses with Park or Tate and less guarded than the curt, polite chuckles she forces when someone cracks a joke.

It’s natural, effortless, and cuts through me in a way it shouldn’t.

I round the corner, and there she is.

Agent Arden Williams. She’s sitting on the edge of Beckett’s desk, legs crossed at the ankle, with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her hand like she’s sitting in a break room instead of one of the most secure buildings in the country.

Her shoulders are relaxed, and her posture is casual in a way I don’t think I’ve ever seen. There’s no rigidness, no tension, just... calm.

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