Page 29 of Taking Care of the Target

She pressed her fingertips to her temples, massaging the ache there. “Yeah. I just space out sometimes, and since the accident I think it’s gotten a little bit worse. But I’m back.”

Vince pulled up in front of her building, letting the Jeep idle instead of shutting it off. Maybe he’d honestly just come to give her a ride and nothing more. Another worry poked through.What if he needs a break?

She debated simply thanking him and going upstairs, but decided to stop being a wimp and just go for it. “My plans for the night involve watching a movie on my very pink couch and digging into a carton of ice cream. Just putting it out there in case you want to join me.”

Vince leaned over the console and kissed her cheek, and she prepared herself for him to say he needed to go. “I thought you’d never ask.”

***

The tangle of nerves twisting in Vince’s gut sent a spike of irritation through him. Really? He was nervous to go into a woman’s apartment?

Only this wasn’t any woman. It was Cassie. She wasn’t the kind of girl you just slept with and then left after, which was good, because he could not, under any circumstances, sleep with her.

Not tonight, anyway.

No, notever.

As she unlocked the door, he ran his gaze up her legs to the perfect curve of her ass. His thoughts drifted to the way she’d felt against him earlier and the things she did with her tongue, and all his blood rushed south.Fuck, what am I thinking? Like it’ll be easy to keep from crossing the line when she looks like that and feels even better.

He needed to be with her to keep her safe, and yet, she wasn’t safe withhim.

Temporary. It’s all temporary.That’d be his new mantra, to be repeated at least once an hour whenever he was with her.

Her keys clanged together as she tossed them on the kitchen counter. “Hey, I forgot to ask about the police.”

Vince froze in place, watching her closely as his brain grasped for what she meant. Had she figured out who he was? Was this where he found out he’d been conned, and she’d actually been undercover the whole time? “The police?”

“Yeah, did you get a chance to report the drive-by? What did they say?”

“Oh.” He slowly let out the breath he’d held trapped in his lungs and worked to sound calm. Damn lies. On the bright side, the police mention put his libido in check. “They said they’d put an extra patrol on the area and check out the scene, but without a look at the guys or the license, they’re not able to do much. But don’t worry.” He ran his hand down her arm. “You’ve got me to keep you safe.”

The concern in her features didn’t fade as much as he’d hoped. “I just feel bad for everyone who doesn’t have a personal bodyguard.”

“Don’t forget the gym rat part.”

She flashed him a smile before tipping onto her toes and giving him a peck on the lips. “I’m just going to change out of my uniform real quick. You already know where everything is, so make yourself at home.”

A few minutes later she came out in skintight jeans that hugged her hips and the ass he was quickly becoming obsessed with, and a lacy black top that showed hints of a pink bra.

Cassie reached into the freezer and pulled out a carton of ice cream. “Should we bother with bowls or just eat it out of the carton?”

Is eating it off your body out of the question?He cleared his throat. “Carton.”

She joined him on the couch and turned on the television. It was kitty corner across the room, off to the left of the window, and he remembered her talking about watching the sunset. Clearly she put that view over her TV viewing—he didn’t know how she could watch for very long without getting a permanent kink in her neck.

She extended him a spoon and dug into the Neapolitan.

“I feel like a chick,” he said after his third or fourth bite. “Isn’t this what chicks do after breakups? Get together and eat ice cream out of the carton while watching whatever this is…” He gestured to the drama unfolding on the TV.

“Yes. And don’t pretend you’re not enjoying it.” Cassie licked ice cream off her lip. A groan escaped him, and she slowly closed the distance between them pressed her mouth to his. Her lips were cold, and when she slid her tongue against his, he discovered it was, too, in addition to tasting faintly like chocolate. “I hardly ever kiss them, though.”

Want pumped through his body, his mouth dropped open, and he grew harder by the second.

“And that’s how predictable guys are,” Cassie said, a vixen smile on her lips as she patted his chest. The sweet girl definitely had a naughty side. Like she needed another tempting feature.

She dug into the ice cream again.

“Why do you bother buying that kind when you only eat the chocolate part?” he asked.

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