She smiled to herself. This was turning into the most unusual story she’d ever worked. And there was a story here—she was sure of that. But there was also a hell of a man involved. One who distracted and aroused her like no one she’d ever met before.
It was almost enough to make her consider putting the story on the back burner. Maybe after tonight, she just might.
When they got to her apartment building, Gage came around to open her door for her, then rode up in the elevator so he could escort her to the door. She took out her key and slipped it into the lock, then turned to invite him in. But Gage spoke first.
“I had an amazing time tonight. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.”
She smiled. “Me, too.” Then she took a deep breath and jumped in the deep end. “The fun doesn’t have to end yet, you know.”
“I know.” The hot look in his eyes almost set her on fire right there in the hallway. She wasn’t sure they’d make it as far as the entryway once they got inside. But he shook his head. “We’ve got an early day tomorrow. PT starts at 0630. You need to get your sleep if you’re going to be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for it.”
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? But Gage was already heading for the elevator.
“Wait!” He turned. “What’s PT, and why the hell does it start so early?”
He pushed the down button for the elevator. “It’s short for physical training—exercise. We do it three days a week, and we start early so we can get it over with before it gets too hot. You said you wanted to see us train, remember? So you’ll have proof that we’re not using PEDs.”
“But—”
Crap. After all the flirting, touching, and heated looks across the table, she’d been so sure he’d spend the night with her.
The elevator door opened and he stepped inside. “No buts, Mackenzie. See you tomorrow at 0630 hours.”
The doors closed and just like that, her chance of seeing the hunky SWAT officer naked disappeared.
She stood there staring at the elevator for a long time, sure that Gage would change his mind. But he didn’t. Sighing, she unlocked her door and walked into her apartment. What the hell had just happened? She’d been turned on, and so had Gage—she was sure of it. Why hadn’t he stayed?
Because Gage had been playing her the whole night. The answer was so obvious she almost laughed. She should be angry, but she wasn’t. She was so sure she’d been the one running the show tonight, but he’d been the one in charge the whole time. They’d spent almost the entire evening talking about her, while she knew next to nothing about Gage or the members of his team.
She kicked off her shoes, then slipped out of her dress and hung it up. If she was angry at anyone, she was angry at herself for giving up so much information. Gage knew almost everything there was to know about her—where she’d gone to school, where she’d worked, who her friends were, what kind of stories she liked to pursue. On top of all that, he’d figured out her story about the PEDs was just a front for another, more serious investigation—that was why he’d asked the question about whether she’d be willing to hurt innocent people to get a story.
All he’d had to do was gaze at her with those dark, smoldering eyes of his and she’d told him everything. The worst part was that Gage also knew how much he turned her on, and that he could use it against her.
Mac finished brushing her teeth and stripped off her underwear. Oh damn, her panties were a complete mess. She usually didn’t get this wet even after an orgasm—or two. Gage had done it with nothing more than a hand on her knee.
She tried to ignore the throbbing between her thighs and climbed into bed, absently wondering if Gage could have made her come just by caressing her thigh. She groaned. Talk about safe sex.
She was going to have to be extremely careful around him. Someone with his looks, his body, his obviously clever mind, and the ability to drive her to sexual distraction with only a touch was a very dangerous man.
Chapter 5
“You think she’ll show up?” Becker asked for the third time.
Gage looked up from his email to give the young surveillance expert a frown. “I told you—she might, she might not. Either way, PT starts in”—he looked at his watch—“ten minutes. Don’t you think you should get everyone out there and ready to start?”
Becker had been assigned the task of setting up and running this morning’s PT session, but while the man nodded at Gage’s obvious nudge, he didn’t move. “Yeah, probably. But I was just wondering if maybe she might join us?”