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“What?”I inhaled deep, filling my lungs with smoke as I tucked the lighter back into my pocket. The dog continued to stare, unintimidated by my hateful glare. “I get it. It’s going to kill me. Believe me, I’m counting on it. Fuck off, would ya?”

The asshole didn’t.

Black eyes continued to judge with each deep inhale I took until the glass door of the ranger station swung open, ending the staring contest. Peters sauntered out, slipped his dark sunglasses on and tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

“Interesting turn of events, wouldn’t you say,” he said and leaned beside me against the black Suburban. “Cute dog though.”

“That dog could swallow your nuts whole as a light snack and enjoy it. Don’t call him fucking cute if you want to keep all your body parts attached.”

“His name’s Benny, and she has a fall-themed bandana tied around his neck. That screams ‘flight attendant’ more than ‘killing machine.’ Poor bastard.”

With a grunt of agreement, I directed my attention back to his earlier comment. “You’re going to make me ask, aren’t you?”

The asshole’s smirk grew into a full damn grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Liar. Eager to hear what he had to say, I gave in to his game. “You know exactly what. What the hell did you find so interesting?”

“You and her. What the hell was that? I mean, she’s cute, I guess. A little plain, if you’re into that type. And based onyourreaction the second you stepped into that office—fucking late, I might add—she’s most definitely your type.”

Well hell. Thought I’d covered my reaction. Guess not. Officer Johnson wasn’t just okay. She was… hell, I didn’t even know how to describe it. There was something about her that wouldn’t let me go. It wasn’t her natural beauty—okay, some of it was the fair skin, freckle-dotted cheeks and lean curves that attracted me, but it was more than all that.

But no way could Peters learn that the moment Officer Johnson’s hand gripped mine in the parking lot, my dick stood at attention and conjured other, less familiar feelings. If he knew I was interested, fuck, all this would turn into a game for him. He’d push every damn button to instigate, then sit back to watch the chaos that unfolded after. It was a game he’d enjoyed playing in the past as well, fucking conniving bastard.

“It’s nothing,” I responded, taking the last hit of the cigarette between my fingers. “You know me.”

Yeah, he knew me. Heartless. Cold. Emotionless. A product of the shitty-ass life I’d lived the past forty years.

“Just don’t fuck her over before we leave is all I’m asking.”

I ground my back teeth to keep from shouting. “Shut the hell up. Nothing is going on. Nothing will happen. I’m here to do a job, that’s it.”

“Just saying, we have to work with these people while we’re here. I don’t want her all pissy because you did a fuck-and-ditch on her.”

“I’m not into her,” I grumbled. “Nothing. Will. Happen. Didn’t you see her reaction? She’s terrified of me.”

“Who isn’t?”

“You,” I said with a laugh.

“And I’ll just say this now,” Peters added.

“Fuck, what else? When did you turn into fucking Oprah?”

Eyes alight with humor, he shot me an amused glance, reading straight through my protests. “Have your fun, but keep it quiet. It seems her boss has already called dibs on her pu—”

With a tight fist, I nailed him in the center of his chest with a hollow thud, cutting off his next words.

John didn’t need to know anything at that point, and Peters sure as hell didn’t need to be the one dishing out advice. He went through more women than I could count.

There was one thing I was certain of—Alta Johnson couldn’t be mine.

With the heel of my worn boot, I stomped out the cigarette’s cherry and ground the butt into the ground with more aggression than needed.

The glass door swung open, striking all my senses on high alert as the beautiful officer pushed through.

While she gnawed on the edge of her thumb—a nervous habit, I realized—her hazel gaze searched the parking lot before landing on us.

“Are you positive it’s all right if Benny comes with us?” she asked as she approached the SUV.