He barked out laughter and sauntered toward her, the dark rumble of sound expanding the broad, stellar chest his leather jacket did nothing to hide. He stopped toe to toe with her, an inch separating his boots and her high heels.

His gaze slid over her face, down to her mouth, lingering, and lifting. “You don’t seriously think I’m going to let you out of my sight tonight, now do you?”

His nearness rushed over her, sending waves of tingling sensations through her body. This time it was her gaze that went to his mouth before she could stop it, and she could almost taste him on her lips, taste her on his lips. “I’m not going anywhere if that’s what you think,” she finally managed.

“Not going anywhere without me,” he corrected and leaned in close, his lips near her ear, his breath hot on her neck. “We have trust issues, you and I, sweetheart. You’re staying by my side.”

Oh yes, they did have trust issues, which had to be why her heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. Didn’t it? “I was doing my job.”

“We’ll be talking about how you define your job. You can count on it.” He took a step backwards and motioned her forward.

She didn’t know what was more striking in that moment—how much she wanted him close again, or how much she knew getting away from him was absolutely necessary. She reached inside her drawer to grab her oversized black Coach purse, and a pang of discomfort tightened her chest. It had been a gift for her twenty-seventh birthday, a year ago in a week, from someone very special. Someone she wished was here now.

Kara drew a deep breath and shoved aside the thought, all too aware that it was going to clutter her mind with emotion, and emotion wouldn’t achieve her mission. She shouldered the purse and shut the drawer to find Blake’s keen stare on her face.

Eager to escape his inspection, she snatched her long canvas jacket and put it on, then retrieved her briefcase. She didn’t look at him; afraid he’d see too much, afraid she’d feel that funny punch in the chest that one of his deep stares created.

Kara walked past him, toward the elevator. He fell into step beside her. Still she stared ahead and tried not to be aware of how big and tall, and deliciously, dangerously male he was beside her. Damn the man for getting to her and seeing beneath her carefully crafted alias. And he did. She knew he did. Damn herself for allowing there to be anything to see. She was trained better than this, but then, she wasn’t supposed to be the one handling a job this personal.