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Warning: EXPLICIT EXCERPT
Soft moans of ecstasy pierced the night, and she gritted her teeth. Oh great.
No, she had no intentions of enjoying this hump fest vicariously. She needed sleep.
She tossed the covers to the end of the bed and switched on the lamp. Heat seemed
to shimmer under her skin.
As she dressed in slip-on flats, jeans and a halter-top, Mina tried to rein
in a secondary sensation. Built-up anger. Hanging around Lucas Sloan would do
that to a person. She’d seen him date and drop several women since she’d
started working with the SIA a year ago. She’d entered the Science Division
and run into Lucas at several of the potluck events during the year. From his
accent she’d quickly learned that he hailed from Scotland. Lucas had transferred
from Scotland after a successful career as a Royal Marine. Unfortunately, he’d
kept the hard mien of a military man, and Mina didn’t care for his edgy,
know-it-all attitude.
Damned if she’d let him ruin one more night of sleep before this intelligence
conference finished in three days. She grabbed her key card and stuffed it in
her jeans back pocket and left her room. Brimming with indignation, she hurried
to his door and rapped on it. She heaved a deep breath. The sound of a woman being
fucked out of her mind stifled immediately. A scenario ripped through her mind.
He’d come to the door with a towel around him and the woman he diddled would
probably call out “who is it, honey?” Distaste burned in her stomach,
a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction and something more insidious she refused to
acknowledge.
The door snapped open and he stood in the threshold, wearing nothing more than
immaculately tailored dark blue dress pants. No shirt. No shoes. No socks.
She never fantasized about a man wearing dress pants. But oh, oh, oh. He looked…
Everything female inside her stood up and took notice.
An obvious erection tented his pants. At least, the beginnings of one. She
swallowed hard and looked back to his face quickly. Heat burned her cheeks.
Oh great. Great. Don’t look at his cock.
About six-two, he gazed down on her five-foot-five frame, his amber-brown eyes
glinting with an animal intensity. Once this man caught her gaze, he mesmerized.
She hated how out of control, how hot he made her with one glance. She already
felt a little breathless and out of sorts.
Tousled, copper penny hair fell over his forehead, and a thick five o’clock
shadow covered his upper lip and jawline. His face, a mixture of hard angles and
intriguing planes, didn’t qualify as handsome. No, he defied description
with the slashing eyebrows and hard mouth, his nose a blade of determination.
He scowled better than anyone she knew. One frown from dour Lucas Sloan scared
the shit out of law-abiding and not so law-abiding citizens. He was the walking,
talking poster boy for repressed sexual energy.
Okay, Mina. When you return home, you might want to start dating again.
Anything to take your mind off Lucas Sloan. After all, he isn’t even personable.
No. Lucas had a medieval, carnal handsomeness that qualified as gut-wrenching,
knee-melting gorgeous. As she took in her view of the tall, broad-shouldered man’s
chest, she gulped.
Holy…
Lightly tanned, muscular chest was sprinkled with russet hair across his pecs
and down over his rippling stomach muscles. His arms were carved, hard sinew.
Oh. Oh man. A shivery, hot sensation wended through her body and pooled low in
her loins. Just like it always did when she saw him. Just like it always did when
he stood too near, like now.
No. No, I won’t allow him to do this to me. I won’t react like
the silly women at the SIA who are constantly gushing about Lucas as if he were
some heartthrob in the movies.
His gaze traveled with hungry interest over the stretchy, snug material of
her flaming red halter and form-fitting jeans. His attention lingered over her
full breasts for a few seconds before he jerked his gaze back to hers. Her nipples
peaked, tightening against the material.
His nostrils flared, a sigh parting his lips.
Okay, so this wasn’t the first time he’d given her the once over,
looking at her like he would love to dine on her rather than with her. Yet she
put little credence in the gesture. He probably looked at other women like this
all the time.
One corner of his mouth turned upwards until his lips curved in a heart-stopping
grin she hadn’t seen often. “Hey, Mina.”
His voice sounded rough, gravely with sleep, and oh-so-sexy deep. Women at
the SIA constantly made comments on how much they loved his Scottish accent. All
except her, of course. So what if he had the sexiest freakin’ accent and
voice she’d ever heard?
“It’s one in the morning. What are you doing up?” he asked.
Her glance flicked to the room and with a start of surprise saw his bed was
made and not a woman in sight. “Uh…did you have…I mean there
was a lot of noise coming from your room. I thought I heard…”
He cracked another grin, this one sly and knowing. His voice lowered yet again,
the velvet and thousand-proof whiskey quality filling her with a slow, maddening
heat. “Ah, bollocks. Sorry about that. The walls are thin in here, aren’t
they? Yeah, I was watching a movie preview on television.” He crossed his
arms over that magnificent chest and his biceps bulged. “I just came in
from a meeting with Ben Darrock about twenty minutes ago. Did I wake you?”
Her gaze landed on his exquisitely carved chest, and she had to force her eyes
back to his. “Yes. Most definitely. What on earth were you doing meeting
with Ben at this time of night?”
He didn’t speak for a second then he reached for her upper arm and tugged
her into the room. “Come inside and we’ll talk.”
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