Page 16 of Guarded Knight

I sharpen my tone, stepping in closer behind her, enough to catch the scent of her perfume. She still loves to smell like vacation. Coconut. Pineapple.

“No?” My voice rumbles. “Try again.”

She finally turns, chin tilted high in defiance. “You don’t call the shots.”

“You just flinched like someone punched you in the gut because your cell buzzed.” I nod to her pocket.

Her mouth tightens. “I’m allowed to get texts and to have privacy. It doesn’t mean…”

I swiftly reach for the phone.

She spins to avoid me. That size of hers makes her dangerous—nimble, slippery, fast as hell. She doesn’t know where she’s headed, but it’s away from me, and this isn’t the first time we’ve played cat and mouse.

She heads away from the storefront and into the alley leading to her apartment, possibly hoping she’ll get to the top and lock herself inside.

But with two strides I have her blocked between me and the brick wall lining the alley. A velvet quiet wraps around us. A tree rustles. Faint laughter echoes from the bookstore.

But out here? It’s just…us.And it feels a whole lot like the us I used to love.

She leans against the wall. Tendrils of blonde hair fall from her messy bun, and she punishes one with a sharp blow as if it’s the reason she got caught. She’s pissed, and her lips purse in that way that always made me want to grab her by the chin and kiss the fight right out of her.

I plant my hand next to her head.

Her eyes widen just slightly. I’m close enough to see the flecks of gold in her hazel stare. Close enough to feel the charge crackling between us, hot and silent.

“We might not talk anymore but we aren’t strangers, Lara. You think I don’t know that look?” I’m soft but firm. “You don’t flinch like that over nothing, so unless you want me kicking in doors tonight, show me the damn phone.”

Her pulse jumps at her neck. “You don’t get to bark orders at me just because I’m here, Gabriel. I agreed to you helping not bossing me around.”

“I’m not barking.” I lean in, so close she has to press her shoulders tighter to the brick and I’m hunched over so she can see how much I mean it. “I’m asking.”

She doesn’t move.

Neither do I.

Her fist curls like she’s not sure if she’s about to clock me or cave. I don’t care which one happens because the endgame is me seeing why some text rattled her to the bone.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working for me?” There’s one of her pleasurable dares underneath.

My tone drops even lower. “As if.”

I’d never take money from Xander for this, and she knows it. But what I know is that in these situations, it’s me who needs to stay cool, because this little lady has always been a spitfire.

“Lara, we’re on the same team with the same mission.” I shuffle my feet closer, maybe to make her wobble, definitely to remind her who she’s dealing with. “Hand me the phone.”

4

Gabriel doesn’t move,and I know he won’t cave in.

His hand is still planted on the wall beside my head. His body close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off his chest, warming the intoxicating scent of his cologne, and the mint on his breath makes me part my mouth with more than another sparky word.

He patiently waits for me to give something away, like I’m a bomb and he’s the guy with the wire cutters trying to figure out which part of me explodes first so he can disarm me. If anyone knows, it’s him.

He used to watch me like a hawk. Chased me into cooperation and even occasionally into submission, though he did that as my brother’s sidekick.

Now, it’s just me and him.

I’m not scared of him this close. I’m not even surprised by his demanding nature. He’s always been that way, plus, he’s here to do a job.