Page 15 of Urban Justice

The woman was clearly oblivious as she came to stand close beside him. “There are bad guys out there, willing to kidnap or kill you if you don’t reveal what you know about the tunnels!”

When she grabbed his arm, Luke shrugged it off. When she reached for him again, he snapped. He twisted her arm until her back was plastered against the nearby wall, and they were nose to nose. “And what convinces me you aren’t one of the bad guys? You and that masked man, and everyone else in your little secret circle?”

The fire in her eyes almost turned the blue to cinders. “I’m not the enemy here. If we were, you’d be dead. Try to remember that, buddy.”

There was a crack in her sarcastic armor and Luke wasn’t about to let that opportunity slip by. “So you say. Too bad I don’t see any reason to trust you.”

With the scent of her skin lingering in his nose, Luke pushed himself away. He now loathed the attraction; it was sidetracking him.

The woman facing him had done nothing to make him trust her, and now that he was surrounded, he had to plan for a safehouse of his own until either the situation calmed down, or he could sort it out. He thought of one of his Marine friends that might be able to help.

As he was putting on his boots, she paced the kitchen. On the corner of his eye, he saw her, fists clenched, head down, and her lips moving as if she was talking to herself.

It was fascinating, funny, and frightening, all at the same time. The lady was a powerhouse. There was no doubt about it, even if she worked hard to disguise it.

He grabbed his coat and before he could head for the door, the woman blocked his way.

“Wait, please.” Gone was the grin and the steely confidence from the university, as well as the assurance when she’d barged into the loft.

Luke thought she was about to say something, but instead, she pulled at her hair. The move was so strange, he could only stare when the blond strands fell away to reveal a striking pink mane.

Uncertain what to say, he waited until the woman continued. “My name, my real name, is Sloane Friday. In my past life, I was a vice cop in Toronto. You can check that out. I have nothing to hide. On that, at least.”

It was weird how a wig changed a person. From the moment he’d crossed her path, he knew that something was off with her, but he’d never imagined that deep pink hair was the thing. And what twisted him up even more was the sincerity on her face. Luke had seen how she faked it before, and now he was looking at the truth. It was powerful, a real punch in the gut.

As he remained silent, the woman, Sloane, seemed to tense more. “I can’t offer you more information about the rest.”

“Because it’s not yours to tell?”

“You could say that. Professor, I know everything happened fast, and we didn’t expect you to be in the crossfire. The bad guys made a move we didn’t see coming.” With hesitation, she braced again, pushing her shoulders back. “You may be against our methods for taking down the bad guys, but I was a cop, and you don’t know how many times they slip through the cracks, escape, and do it again. I’ve seen it first-hand.”

And as she spoke, her gaze blurred with her own memories. Luke saw the first glimpse of the real woman in front of him, even though he planned to look into the information she’d given him. Just in case.

“We really need your help, professor, just to pick your brain. I promise it won’t place you in danger.”

Something simmered in his gut, a mix he didn’t quite recognize, but knew it was only one step away from being out of control. His hand went to a strand of pink. It was soft between his fingers and caught the light in a peculiar way. Attracted, he wanted to plunge his fingers in it.

The thought surprised him, but he didn’t have time to analyze any of it when Sloane breached the gap and kissed him.

Only for half a second could it be defined as a kiss because it caught fire so quickly, Luke thought he could feel his entire skin burn from it.

He realized his own hands were on her when he felt his palms being filled with that lush ass of hers. The sensation went straight to his cock. Being aroused so suddenly took him by surprise, but he had no time to think as a female body pressed against him and busy fingers unfastened his pants at lightning speed.

All civility fled as a warm palm closed around his cock. Bowing back with a groan, it was obvious he was about to make the worst kind of mistake, but when her grip tightened, stoking him, could he form the words to tell her to stop? Fuck no.

Instead, he opened his mouth to her and let their tongues battle for a moment. She tasted like a sugary mint with a hint of chocolate.

Hunger settled in his stomach, making him ravenous, his blood rushing with lust. He abandoned her mouth to toss her sweater away, unhooking her black lace bra until he could finally trace a moist path with his tongue from the swell of her breast to the taut peak of her nipple.

Sloane removed her hand from his pants and pulled harshly at his hair. “I need more, now. No teasing.”

He knew desperation when he heard it, and he was too far lost to deny her.

It was clear she wasn’t the kind of woman afraid of being physical, and there was no way he could be gentle at the moment.

When she worked at unfastening her own pants, he fell to his knees as she revealed those creamy toned thighs and her bare, rosy apex. The smell of her arousal made it impossible for him not to dip in for a taste.

Teasing was on his mind, but when he made contact, his tongue pushing through her folds, her shiver convinced him otherwise. His hands came up and spread her to his view, all glistening and pink, just before he closed his lips over her.

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