Page 13 of Frankie and the Fed (Untamed Rascals #3)

G od fucking dammit.

Heat raced through me, centered on the space where Frankie’s body touched mine. I’d come tonight to get close to her, but if I wasn’t careful, I’d lose myself completely.

“And to your left is the Woolbridge mansion,” the tour guide said. Frankie stiffened next to me and pulled away. The loss of her warmth was a physical blow. “It’s said that the original owner died under mysterious circumstances.”

I had so many questions about the guarded look in her eyes, but before I could ask any of them, she turned away from me, breaking the spell she had me under.

“We don’t even live there anymore,” she said under her breath, more to the air than to me. “They just own it for prestige or some shit. ”

“Your family?” I asked softly, not wanting to ruin this night before it really got started, but I was desperate to know everything about her and couldn’t hold back.

She hesitated, opening and closing her mouth once before setting her shoulders and facing me again.

“Yeah. My family’s owned it forever. No one lives there now, but we did when I was younger.

Well, I did with my brother and a full staff, including my favorite nanny.

My parents were… gone a lot. Off traveling the world and attending galas or some shit. ”

She took a deep breath before continuing.

“In some ways, it was the best time of my life, but that’s also the house where they found out my nanny was dating a woman.

I overheard their conversation with her when they fired her.

I didn’t understand what some of the words meant then, but she didn’t even get to say goodbye.

No one brushed my hair or tucked me into bed that night, or any night since then. ”

I brushed a stray bit of her dark purple hair off her shoulder, trailing my hand along the skin there. She looked up at me, unshed tears clinging to her lashes. I brushed my thumb along her jaw, unsure of exactly what to say or how to comfort her.

I settled on, “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your pity,” she said, but she leaned her cheek into my hand anyway, soaking up the meager comfort like she was starved for it.

I wondered just how isolated she had really been to accept comfort from me of all people. Guilt burned hot and fast in my stomach at my job and what I was really here to do .

“It’s not pity. Your family is clearly a sore spot, and I’m sorry they aren’t good.

” I’m sorry you’ve been alone . I didn’t say the last part out loud, something told me she wouldn’t like that, and I would lose her before I ever had her.

I knew as I looked into those stubborn, beautiful brown eyes that I wanted her, job or no job, Francesca Woolbridge was under my skin, and I needed her like I needed air.

“I’ve ruined the night,” she said in such a dejected tone that it broke me.

“Not a chance. If either of us had known the tour featured this house, we wouldn’t have come. I would have insisted you give me a private tour of the city. Besides, you still owe me a karaoke bar trip.” I smiled at her softly, imagining the kind of tour she would give me.

“I’m pretty sure I invited you,” she said breathless and a bit dazed as she looked up at me.

“Did you? Hmm.” My hand still cupped her face, and I traced her cheek, brushing so close to her lips I could feel the ghost of them burning my thumb.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, so quiet I could have imagined it.

Panic flared within me. That would be too much.

Job. This was a job. I didn’t kiss women. I barely kissed men and felt vaguely nauseous when I did.

Kissing Frankie, here, now, when I should be questioning her, probing for her involvement in the smuggling ring and definitely not thinking about the heat of her so close to me, what she would taste like, and her full, soft lips—just the thought of it sent my heart racing and heat burning through my veins. That idea was dangerous .

Flirting earlier had been my line. Keeping her warm was simply a kind gesture. Sympathizing with her over her family was basic human empathy. Kissing her… kissing her would destroy everything.

“No,” I choked out, panic tightening my throat, making speaking nearly impossible. My heart lurched at the word, and I didn’t even think before adding, “Not here.”

Put it off. I could put it off and find some reason not to cross that line while still getting my job done. I willed my heart to slow, letting out a long slow breath while disappointment flashed in her eyes.

“Tease,” she whined, the sound rocketing through me, surprising the hell out of me. That sound shouldn’t be appealing . Job. This was a job.

“You have no idea,” I murmured, still unable to detach my hand from her face and her soft, warm skin. Keeping her close and on the hook was logical. The heat burning through my skin seemed so intense because the night was so cool. That was all. I still had control here.

The tour came to an end by the time I’d gathered myself enough to remember my objective, though that pulsing, clenching feeling low in my gut never really eased.

I helped Frankie down from the trolley and couldn’t bring myself to let her hand go when she was safely on the ground. It was cold, and it would be cruel not to keep her warm.

I didn’t think about how perfectly her hand fit in mine as I threaded our fingers together, or how she shivered, and her nipples puckered from the cold.

Sweater. I should have given her my sweater, but then the thought of her swimming in the soft cream warmth of it, her skin touching where mine had set off that pulsing in my stomach again—that panic that only she brought on.

“You never pointed out where the club is,” I said to cover my nerves when we reached the columns of the museum.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten. I’ll order us a ride there.”

She pulled her hand free to rummage through her purse. A shiver ran through her again as she rested against the cool column, so I leaned over her, bracing my arm above her head, letting my sweater fall around us to shelter her from the breeze.

Close but not touching.

Every breath brushed our chests against each other, and her perfume filled the air, a delicious, heady scent.

Space.

I needed space.

I turned to lean beside her, keeping close to share our warmth. She fumbled with her phone when her arm brushed my breasts, shivering again, and I could no longer resist.

“You must be freezing,” I whispered. “It’s cold tonight.”

She stared at me, her bottomless brown eyes wide and those soft, red lips parted slightly.

“Are you going to order the car?” I asked.

She blinked once before turning back to her phone. “Yes.”

“Good. Now come here.” I pushed her forward, my hands seeming to move on their own. I was powerless to stop them .

I slid behind her, the cold column seeping through my sweater, but heat burned through me, and I hardly noticed.

I wrapped my sweater around her, sharing warmth, and pulled her tight. Her soft body molded itself to my lean muscles as she melted against me.

Fuck.

“Is this ok?” I asked, barely resisting the urge to nuzzle her neck and breathe her in.

This was decidedly not part of my job. I didn’t even know who I was anymore, not when she was around, waking up parts of me I didn’t even know existed. I wasn’t sure I was going to survive the night if I couldn’t get my feet back under me and regain some semblance of control.