She sighed. “Do we have to talk about this in a parking lot?”
He glanced around. “Tell you what. You live close by, right?”
She nodded.
“Why don’t I follow you? That way you can pack while we talk.”
Her eyes narrowed and she worried her lip. She really didn’t trust him. He didn’t know if he should think she was smart or be offended. Rory decided he was both.
“Maura?”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“If you tell me to leave, I’ll leave,” he said holding his hands up.
She blew out a breath that caused her bangs to blow up. It was an innocent gesture but for some reason, it turned him on. Right now, apparently everything turned him on.
She nodded. “Okay, but I will kick you out if you irritate me.”
He smiled. “I’ve always liked a woman with a little spunk.”
She rolled her eyes and slipped into her car.
Rory almost danced with glee on the way back to his motorcycle. He didn’t understand why but he knew he wanted her, and he wanted to share her with Zee. It would be delicious.
Now all he had to do was get her agreement and convince Zee.
And then the fun could begin.
* * * *
Maura’s stomach tightened as she walked up to her front door. Pulling in a deep breath, she tried to order her nerves to calm down. From the moment she ran into Rory in the parking lot, her hormones had been bouncing all over the place. She punched in the security code and cursed when the light flashed red. Dammit, he had her all crazy. It wasn’t her fault. Since she’d seen him in the parking lot he’d been looking at her strangely. It was like she was his next meal.
She fought the shiver that worked through her body. Focusing, she punched in the code again and was relieved that she got it right this time. She opened the door and stepped in. Rory easily followed her. It was probably a bad move. Conner had always taught her to keep her suspect in front of her, but she was afraid of showing him too much from her expression right now. Another Connerism. Do your best not to let the enemy see if you’re flustered.
And she did see him that way. The enemy. She didn’t know what he was up to, but she didn’t like it. Maura especially didn’t like the way he made her react. Hell, her hands were shaking and that was just not like her. Why?
Because he’d been looking at her like he wanted to eat her up. It made her nervous. And hot. Very, very hot.
“Wow,” he said as he walked in and looked at the entryway.
At one time she had the same reaction to the house that Conner had bought several years earlier. They had grown up middle class, their father the first to graduate from college. Conner had taken his job at the FBI and turned it into a very lucrative security company. She shut the door behind him then took off her shoes. He followed suit.
Not everyone did that but she figured that Rory understood the practice. Zeke and he had spent a lot of time in the Far East. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m always happy to accommodate a woman.”
She rolled her eyes trying to hide the way it made her feel to have him flirt with her. He had a little bit here and there, but nothing like this. It was a full frontal assault that she wasn’t prepared for. If she thought about it too much she would definitely freak out.
“This is a pretty nice place,” he said looking around.
“Thanks. I lived here with Conner, and he and Jillian always stay here when they come back.” They stood in the entranceway staring at each other. The silence stretched and she felt the need to fidget—which would definitely let him know how nervous that made her. “Oh, would you like something to drink?”
He nodded.
“Come on. There’s always beer here.”
“How about some water?” he asked.
She shrugged as she led him into the kitchen. She had noticed that he didn’t drink, at all. Oh, a nice wine from time to time, but only one glass. “Whatever you want is fine by me.”
She retrieved a glass and filled it with ice and water. When she turned around, he was standing right behind her like he had at her car.
“Stop doing that.”
He was looking at her mouth. “What?”
“Sneaking up on me. Zeke does it too and it drives me crazy. I hate that whole ninja thing he does.”
His lips curved and she felt heat spiral through her blood. Damn, he had a good smile. Forget that, it was a freaking delicious smile.
“Ninja?”
Maura knew she shouldn’t be so charmed, but it was hard to remember why. He was attractive even with the broken nose and the scar above his right eyebrow. The sexy Irish accent pulled her in every time. She needed perspective. She needed space.