“And don’t you dare blab to them,” she said, punching out the words. “Maybe I can’t get you for sexual harassment. But if you mess with my family, I’ll report you.”
They glared at each other across several feet of charged space. Then his expression softened. “You always did protect them, didn’t you? Like you never introduced me to them.”
He made it sound as if she’d been ashamed of their relationship. That hadn’t been it at all. If she’d taken him home, Dad would have seen that she’d been gaga over Detective McMullin. And she’d wanted to hide her feelings from them.
“Actually, I was protecting your hide. I didn’t want Dad to go gunning for you after we broke up.”
“Good point,” he muttered.
To her relief, he stopped asking personal questions and made another quick change of subject. “Maybe you should get into uniform.”
Turning away from her, he walked to the closet and opened the door. Inside were various garments draped over hangers. As far as she could see, none looked like police uniforms. The colors were flashy, the fabrics slinky. And her stomach clenched as she watched Alex slowly sort through the clothing, stopping to stroke his fingers over a skimpy knit top.
She wanted to protest when he pulled out a short shirt and transparent top, which he examined with interest. When he put them back, she breathed out a little sigh.
Her nerves jumped again as he fingered a lime-green dress—if that’s what it could be called. The skirt was so short that it looked too skimpy for a skating outfit. And the low-cut bodice was adorned with large shiny buttons.
Alex held it toward her. “I’d like to see you in this.”
“No.”
He tipped his head to one side, regarding her with a deceptively bland expression. “What do you have against putting this on?”
“It’s indecent.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But it’s no more indecent than last night’s fetching little outfit.”
“Right, but I don’t have to put it on in front of you now.”
“I beg to differ. We’re having a training session. Your life may depend on what you learn here today. Therefore, you’ll comply with my orders.”
“You’re ordering me to put that on?”
“Yes.”
She could have kept arguing. She wanted to keep arguing. She wanted to tell him that the charade was over. She had half a mind to call LeBarron to ask how Alexander McMullin had ended up being the boss of her. But if she didn’t like the answer, she would be in a worse position than she was now. And she wasn’t going to let Alex come out on top in this encounter. If he was determined to have her looking like a whore while they were alone in this room, then she was going to comply.
“I assume I don’t have to change my clothes in front of you,” she snarled.
“Of course not,” he answered mildly.
“Good.” Snatching up the outfit, she stomped past him and into the bathroom. She might have slammed the door, but she thought better of that act of defiance. She was going to keep this on a professional level if it killed her.
After closing the door quietly, she took off her jacket, then started to pull her knit top over her head. Instead she turned and glanced back toward the bedroom. Maybe getting undressed in here without turning the lock would be her first mistake.
Certainly it would make her vulnerable to the man waiting for her. Determined to show him that she was aware of safety precautions, she clicked the lock, pretty sure that Alex had been listening for that small sound. She clamped her teeth together, then deliberately unclenched her jaw. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine what she would feel like if some other man were out there in the bedroom.
She’d be nervous and embarrassed. But not to the degree she was now. Alex was the reason she was reacting so strongly.
“Are you still alive in there?” a voice called through the door. His voice.
“It’s not so easy to get into this outfit,” she answered.
“Hmm. Maybe we should talk to the wardrobe department. Guys are going to be disappointed if it takes you forever to get naked,” he answered.
She pulled off her blouse and slacks in record time. Just as quickly, she undid the gaudy buttons that secured the front of the slinky dress and pulled it over her head. The skirt was as short as she’d feared. When she looked over her shoulder, she could see her underpants in the mirror. Cursing under her breath, she tugged the skirt down, but that only made the vee at the front of the bodice worse. Working as quickly as she could, she struggled to do up the buttons. It was too tight across her breasts and too low to cover the tops. And the color made her look like a neon sign.
A pair of strappy high heels had been attached to the hanger. But there was no panty hose. Probably too inconvenient for quick sex. Since they were missing, she simply stepped into the shoes, then turned to face the mirror. A quick glance convinced her that she didn’t want to take a closer look at herself.
Deliberately she made a mask of her features, then unlocked the door and stepped back into the bedroom. If she’d been planning to show how cool she was, Alex had completely foiled her effort. He was lying on the bed, his legs comfortably crossed at the ankles, his shoulders propped against the two pillows, looking relaxed and ready for whatever the evening would bring.
All that was bad enough. The fact that he’d removed his shirt and unbuckled his belt made the breath freeze in her lungs. She remembered lying in the circle of his large muscular arms. Remembered the tantalizing feel of the coarse dark hair on his chest against her breasts. “What are you doing?” she asked, hearing the breathy quality in her own voice.
“Getting comfortable.”
“You’re not supposed to be comfortable.”
“I’m supposed to be pretending that you and I are in this room to have sexual intercourse. Or maybe I’m the kind of customer who’s more interested in deep throat.”
The way he said that made a shiver travel down her spine. That wasn’t the only reason for the reaction. He was looking her up and down, taking in the green fabric stretched across her breasts and the way the short skirt brushed against her thighs. And from the look in his eyes, it was apparent that he liked the view.
“Come here,” he said, his voice rough. That tantalizing grating sound gave her hope that he was as affected by this encounter as she was herself.
What if she played this sexy? What if she gave him a dose of his own medicine? As soon as the idea surfaced, she decided that it was much too dangerous. He was much too dangerous.
“Sit down,” he said.
She might have defied him. Instead, to prove that she could handle a close encounter, she perched on the side of the bed. When he reached out and captured one of her wrists with his hand, she quivered.
“Jumpy?” he asked.
“No.”
He laughed softly. “Sure.”
“Why don’t you get on with the training?” she demanded. “You don’t have to show me how to have sex. So what’s on the program?”
His hand tightened around her wrist. “You may be on this assignment for a few weeks. How do you plan to avoid doing the dirty with the guys who are paying for your services?”
Once again, her mouth was so dry that she could barely speak. When she licked her lips, she knew he was following the movement. “They told me there was something I’d be able to use. Some drug or something…” Her voice trailed off and she gave a small shrug. “But they haven’t