Her mood took a nosedive—exactly why she tended to avoid getting to know people better. It was a reciprocal process.

“I should have told you the truth about what I’d said to Sloan.”

“Yes, you should have.”

Would she have gone with him if he’d told her the truth? Probably not. She didn’t want to risk her job nor her place on the task force. And she’d have missed out on capturing a video of EG and the vehicle he was driving.

Lines formed between his brows. “I knew Sloan would have made me wait until after they raided the Fayetteville apartment and I didn’t want to do that. My instincts were telling me Zenko was at the cabin.” His thumb brushed her cheek, making her skin tingle. “And I always trust my instincts. But I put you in danger when I promised I wouldn’t. That was wrong. Next time I’ll treat you as an equal when making choices about the investigation.”

“Next time?” She realized she was staring at his mouth the same time he seemed to realize he was staring at hers.

She swallowed tightly.

He cupped her jaw, his fingers sliding into her wet hair. His deep green eyes were dark with interest.

She was trapped between him, the stool, and the island, except, the problem was not that she was trapped, but rather that she had no desire to escape. Her earlier exhaustion vanished. Her reluctance to get personally involved took wings and headed south for winter.

He slowly leaned toward her and she stopped pretending she somehow wanted to get away. She slipped her hands up and around his neck. He smelled of some sort of fresh pine scent and it must be his soap or shampoo, and reminded her of long-ago holidays in happier times.

He kissed her. She’d expected gentle and coaxing like last time, but this was hot and demanding in a way she’d forgotten a kiss could be. He parted her lips and took the kiss deeper as she raised herself up on tiptoe and strained to get closer.

Lust exploded along her veins and vaporized all the reminders of why she should stay away from this man and men in general. Her tongue delved into his mouth. Tasting him.

Shane Livingstone wasn’t going to stick around. He’d told her that from the start. He was a freaking elite operator of one of the premier law enforcement organizations in the world. He was living the dream. They were temporarily working together, nothing more. Under normal circumstances they never should have met. He wasn’t someone she’d have to deal with on a daily basis. He was someone she should enjoy as a short, beautiful, no-strings fling.

She kissed him deeper and scraped her teeth over his bottom lip. He groaned, his fingers tightening on her waist.