She sighed. “You aren’t weak or at risk, Angus. Oh, you’re obsessed and on the edge, but I’ve never thought you were a true danger to yourself or anybody else. Plus, you’re excellent at this job.”

He blinked. His smile was almost boyish, and the brief glimpse of the sweetness inside him warmed her from head to toe, giving her that gooey feeling she didn’t know what to do with.

The moment stretched on, and finally he broke eye contact. “Want me to beat the crap out of your ex and tell him to be nice to you on your new job? I’ve already been fired, so I don’t have anything to lose. I wouldn’t mind hitting somebody, actually.” Angus took another deep gulp of the whiskey.

She grinned. “No, but that’s a kind offer. We were a bad match from the start, and he wasn’t the nicest guy.”

Angus stiffened, the bottle still at his lips. Slowly, deliberately, he set it down next to him before facing her fully. “That’s a large statement from you. How bad did things get with him? I believe you said his name was Vaughn.” Intensity swirled around him with an intimidating flash of warmth.

She blinked. “Angus, I—”

“What, Nari?” He grasped her arm, his hold gentle but firm, conveying an insistence she felt to her toes. “What did he do?”

She couldn’t breathe. Angus in full-on, protective alpha mode should be a turnoff, but her breath quickened and her abdomen turned over. Where was the easy camaraderie they’d just enjoyed? She tried to diffuse him. “Nothing for you to get irritated about,” she croaked. Jeez. She needed to get herself under control before she just jumped the guy. “He was angry and called me a bad shrink and an emotional bitch.”

“I’d very much like to punch him now,” Angus drawled, his eyes a sharp emerald. “What’s his full name?”

“Why?” she asked.

He paused, his chin lifting. “So I can beat him until he begs.”

The idea perversely warmed her heart—as well as several other places on her body. “Oh yeah? Why?” she challenged, unable to think of another response. This was going somewhere she needed to avoid, but she couldn’t help herself. Didn’t really want to.

He paused. His jaw tensed.

She held her breath. Was he finally going to go there?

His nostrils flared the slightest amount. “We might have been disbanded, but until a few hours ago you worked for me. We were on the same team. I’ll take care of this guy.”

Her lungs deflated. “God, you’re a coward.” She pushed to her feet, shocked when he stood twice as fast.