Page 47 of Hot Pursuit
“I eat things that have walnut raisin cream cheese,” she replied in a sing-song voice and then rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Nate. I got yours with plain.”
Jo took a massive bite, giving herself chipmunk cheeks in the process. Not very ladylike, though for some reason he found it incredibly endearing.
He followed suit.
Delicious.
“What did you and your mom talk about?” Jo asked, seemingly casual, though there was a wistful edge to her voice, one he understood completely.
“My brother, my sister,” he said, unable to stop himself from adding, “how she thinks I’m wasting my life. The usual.”
“Wasting your life?” Jo’s face twisted. “But you’re a federal agent. Wasting your life would be like, I don’t know, running off to join the circus. Or well, I don’t know, because if you were an acrobat that would be a totally plausible profession, but you know what I mean.”
I shouldn’t have said anything…Though to be honest, it was nice to vent for once. “She wants me to settle down. Do something a little less dangerous with my life.”
“Ahh.” Jo’s brows lifted with understanding, but then the edges of her lips curved behind her coffee cup. “Well, I do have a mean right hook.”
“Too bad your reflexes suck.”
The jibe slipped out before he could stop it.
Jo straightened her spine and scoffed, turning to him indignantly. “I could’ve knocked you on your ass if I’d wanted to, Nate. I just chose not to.”
His brows rose of their own accord. “Oh, I’m sure that’s exactly what happened.”
“Careful with that tone, Parker,” Jo grumbled. “You know I’m not afraid to take a dare when presented.”
“One punch,” Nate commented, calling her bluff. He turned, meeting her stare head-on. “I dare you.”
Her nose wrinkled adorably with unmasked fury.
Lucky for him, Jo was easier to read than a book. Her chest puffed with a deep breath. Her weight shifted. Her hand balled into a fist. Her elbow ticked back just enough. When the punch came, Nate simply lifted his palm and caught her hand midflight, stopping her in her tracks. Bright flames sparked to life in the centers of her eyes, golden glitter burning with unabashed desire. A blink and the fire was gone.
“You were saying…?” Nate drawled, not letting go of her hand as he lifted his coffee cup to take another sip, balancing his bagel on his lap.
She tugged once or twice against his hold, then sighed in what sounded suspiciously like surrender. “So, your mom thinks you should settle down?”
Nate released her immediately.
We’re back to this?“I will eventually.”
“Ahh.” Jo smirked and lifted her coffee to her lips. “The universal male response.”
“No, no, I mean it.” And he did. He really did. “There are just some things I need to accomplish first.”
“Things like what?” Jo asked, covering her half-full mouth with her hand.
Things involving you.
Nate’s gaze slid in her direction. She narrowed her eyes as though she could see the answer written across his irises. He let her, not bothering to look away. Because she didn’t know it yet, but Jo was his ticket to closure, to justice. She was the key to everything he’d worked so hard to achieve, the break he’d been waiting nearly twenty years to finally receive.
The phone in his pocket buzzed.
Nate and Jo jolted apart.
He slid his cell out and read the message across the screen. It was from the boss.
Deal is a go. Working on official court approval, should have it by sundown. You’re free to approach Carter with the terms.
