Page 34 of Act of Passion

Duke hit the delete key repeatedly; each time muttering yet another curse at the machine, as ifitwere theproblem.

“What, exactly, are you trying to do?” asked Malik, amused with Duke’s irritation. The man tended to hate just about everything, except his mate. He was head over heels in love with the woman. Truth be told, Mercy, Duke’s mate, had grown on Malik as well. As much as he couldn’t see himself ever mated, a part of him envied what the young wolf-shifter had with hiswoman.

Slowly, Duke turned his head, his onyx gaze raking over Malik as if murder was on the man’s mind. “I’m trying to submit my reports. Corbin has been on my ass for a week to get thesedone.”

Malik laced his hands behind his head and put his feet on his desk, his loafers looking newly shined. “And you’re actually listening to him? Don’t you normally take months to get reportsin?”

“Ha, he’s hiding from his woman,” said Garth as he entered the room. The Viking stood just shy of seven feet tall, making all the other men present look short when they were anything but. “I heard pregnancy hormones have made her downrightterrifying.”

Duke cast his murderous gaze to Garth. “Fuck off,Swede.”

Malik couldn’t hide his laugh at the dig Duke took at theViking.

Duke grunted. “Don’t laugh, King Tut. Don’t you have a stone tablet you should be chiseling or a pyramid you should bebuilding?”

As much as Malik disliked the nickname his teammates had given him, he knew they’d done so out of a sense of brotherhood. The men on his team were like family to him and because he’d been born in Ancient Egypt, they had a lot of fun at his expense. He returned the favor as often as possible. It was simply another way in which the men bonded. “Stop trying to get me to tell you how the pyramids were reallybuilt.”

Garth grinned, his long white-blond hair falling forward. Tiny braids were done through it, looking as if they had no rhyme or reason. Malik suspected they held more meaning than that. “Boomer and Striker still think it wasaliens?”

Malik nodded as he thought about Boomer and Striker. The pair tended to act like overgrown children as often as possible. Sometimes, they managed to get other operatives to join in. “Yep. Striker is positive little green men used ray guns to build them and Boomer is convinced they used their spaceships to do the heavylifting.”

“They’re idiots,” mumbledDuke.

Malik and Garth nodded in agreement. Both Boomer and Striker could certainly beidiots.

“Everyone is an idiot,” snapped Duke, glaring holes into his laptopscreen.

“Sounds as if he’s bitter that his people are boring,” said Garth, sitting on the edge of Duke’s desk. “Americans are so quick to show pride in their country but really, let’s take a look at their crowning achievements throughouthistory.”

Malik grinned. “I have clothing older than thiscountry.”

“Ditto,” said Garth as he glanced at Duke, who was still hitting the delete key. “If you’re trying to submit the report, why are you hittingdelete?”

“I’m not. I’m hitting the Del key. Striker told me that’s how I send stuff,” grumbled Duke, hitting the key again. “All it does is eat what I typed. Stupid thing. These are about as pointless as carrierpigeons.”

Garth slid the laptop away from Duke and glanced up at Malik. “He’s thousands of years younger than us. Shouldn’t he be teachingushow to usetechnology?”

Malik wagged a foot, still leaning in his chair. “Have you seen him try to work a cell phone? Trust me when I say, he won’t be instructing any classes on technology anytime soon. It’s all the man can do to send atext.”

Garth laughed and then handed the laptop back to Duke. “Click on the blue button on the screen when you want to submit a report. Striker told you wrong. My guess is for his ownamusement.”

Duke stood and rotated his neck. “When I get my hands on the Scot, I’m going to killhim.”

Garth grinned. “Mercy still not puttingout?”

Duke growled. “Do not talk about my wife like that.” He then slumped his shoulders. “And no. She’s not. She’s making me sleep in one of the extra rooms. She says I smell funny to her all of asudden.”

Garth lost it, laughing so hard he bent, nearly falling off the edge of the desk. “Your wife thinks youstink.”

Duke reached out, pushed the Viking hard, making the man tumble to thefloor.

Garth kept laughing as he stood. “Wait until Rurikhears.”

Malik did his best to hide his amusement. “It’s not so unusual for a woman who is expecting to have problems withsmells.”

“I’m her mate!” shouted Duke, looking lost rather than outraged. “She’s not supposed to have a problem withmysmell.”

Dr. James Hagen entered from the side hall that led to the medical wing of PSI Headquarters. It was good to have him back after being gone from PSI for a decade. “Are you still moaning and groaning about your mate making you sleep in the extraroom?”

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