Page 40 of When He Defends

“I want to work with you. You know that. I want to learn from you. And yes, I justwantyou.” There. Done. Said. “I think I’ve made that pretty clear.You’rethe one putting roadblocks in the way of what could be one very good time.” Bold words but inside, she was twisting apart. Emerson could not believe Nathaniel had gone to see Gray. That her ex had just savaged her that way with all of this emotional fragility BS. The jerk would not get out of her life even though she’d told him to stay the hell away multiple times. “I’m not emotionally fragile.”

Gray’s head tilted. His eyes met hers.

“I can handle an undercover case.” Fine, granted, it would be her firsteverundercover case, but she could do it. Shewoulddo it. “After all, I have the best trainer in the world, don’t I? I have you.” She should let him go. Definitely. Only she didn’t. “Teach me. Show me.”Kiss me.Nope, she held that back because she’d already stripped her pride bare for him.

“Is this going to be one of those situations where you promise to follow orders…only to then go out and do whatever the hell you want?” His head lowered toward her.

If she’d been doing whatever the hell she wanted, then Emerson would be doinghimright then and there.

“Nathaniel is a fucking ass, by the way,” Gray informed her. “Insufferable. Arrogant. And his voice is nasally as hell.”

“Agreed,” she whispered back. His mouth was inches from hers. Inches.

“What did you ever see in him?”

“I thought he could understand me.”

“Yeah, he can’t. Knew it as soon as he said that emotionally fragile bullshit.”

She blinked.

“Your body is delicate. Your mind and your heart aren’t.”

Her heart drummed.

“And even with a build one hell of a lot smaller than my own, you still do a damn good job of tossing me onto my ass so maybe I need to take it back and say your body isn’t even that delicate. Hell, you’re steel. Through and through. Better?”

She smiled at him.

He growled.

She’d never found growls sexy. Until Gray. Every time he growled, she sort of quivered.

The faint lines near his mouth deepened. “If we’re gonna play lovers, you have to get used to my touch.”

That would prove difficult. “Pretty sure I’ll never get quite used to it. Every time you touch me, fire races beneath my skin.”

His eyes widened. “Emerson.”

“How does it feel when I touch you?” She was truly curious.

“Like I’m coming to life.”

That had—that had almost been poetic?—

“Fuck it.”

Okay, not so poetic.

But she didn’t care because his mouth was taking hers. He’d hauled her closer against him, and his lips took hers, and this was what she’d wanted.Hewas what she wanted. He was kissing her hotly. His mouth wildly passionate against her own.

Could they fake being lovers? Could she handle the undercover assignment? Absolutely. Because kissing him and touching him…easy.

Her mouth opened wider. His hands curled around her hips. The need flared brighter and harder inside of her. She wanted to yank open that perfectly pressed shirt of his. To run her hands over his chest. She wanted to let herself go and not care about the consequences.

Nathaniel—no, he’d never really understood her.

But she had the feeling that Gray did.