Page 48 of Beautiful Killer

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Zeke

I parked across from the Upper West Side brownstone. The place was only a few blocks from Sunny’s house, but the ones on this street were bigger, and a fuck of a lot more expensive.

She shifted in her seat beside me. “So what are you looking for?”

I turned to her, and my eyes immediately dropped to the top she was wearing. It was blue, heading toward violet, almost the same color as her eyes, which was why I picked it. And against her blond hair, shit, her eyes were stunning, almost glowing. Looking at this woman made my pulse race. I’d never admit to her how carefully I’d picked out her clothes, how seeing her in what I’d chosen made me feel things, possessive, intense things I should not be feeling.

Yep. Fucking Caveman.

“Infidelity case,” I said, and again told myself just how dumb I was for bringing her with me. What the hell was I doing? But hearing her admit that she didn’t want to be alone . . . how could I just leave her there, especially after last night? Sunny had given me a little more of what she kept hidden behind those smiles, had revealed another layer to me. She may have avoided my attempt to go deeper, but she’d told me more than enough to get a picture of the kind of life she had growing up. Cold and lonely. Yeah, today was just one day, and changed not one thing, but I got the feeling she’d had enough of being on her own—feeling alone, afraid, to last her a lifetime.

Besides, there was no danger to her, coming with me on this job. This case was straight surveillance.

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“We don’t do a lot of these, but this guy is high profile, which means a decent payday for fuck-all effort.” I shrugged. “And Jude knows the guy, he’s high up in the force and by all accounts a major asshole.” I shrugged again.

Her lips curled up. Shit, that crooked grin got to me every goddamn time. It also sent the protective side of me haywire, reminding me of how vulnerable she was. That when I took her home tomorrow, she’d be on her own again.

Shit.

It took everything in me not to lean over and kiss her.

“So this is payback?” Her grin turned into a full-on smile.

My gut tightened and I quickly looked away. “Jude wouldn’t mind fucking up this guy’s day.” I made like I was watching the house, but I just needed a minute to get my shit together. After waking up like I had, my arm so tight around her I more than likely left bruises, then walking out when she’d tried to comfort me, I was finding it harder than usual. Christ, I’d wanted to stay where I was, absorb her warmth, let her arms around me soothe the pain, chase away the nightmares. But I couldn’t.

That pain was there for reason. I couldn’t forget, not even for a moment, what I owed those men.

“So what happens now?” she asked pulling me out of my own head.

“Now we wait for our target to show up and take some action shots.”

Her eyes got wider and it was insanely hot. Also cute as hell. I wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool and never let her out of my sight again. “What . . . you mean . . . action shots?”

My lips twitched, damn close to an actual smile. I hadn’t smiled since before I came home. Sunny had gotten me there twice now in two days. “Gotta have proof,” I said.

“Wow,” she whispered. “That’s crazy.” She screwed her face up. “Can’t be much fun.”

“Depends who you’re taking pics of,” I said teasing.

When was the last time I teased anyone?

She giggled, that nervous giggle, the one I heard that first night in the bar. The one that had me ready to throw her over my shoulder and drag her home with me.

“Not many can say their job includes a bit of voyeurism,” she said, humor still in her voice.

Fuck, I wanted her. Under me, riding me, riding my mouth, my fingers, my cock. I choked back the growl trying to crawl up my throat.

“Oh! A car,” she said excitedly.

I twisted in my seat and checked it out. “That’s our man.”

We watched him climb out, straighten his jacket, then take the front steps to the brownstone. He knocked on the door, and I lifted my camera, waiting. The door opened a few seconds later, and a woman not wearing much of anything stood there with a huge smile on her face. She jumped into his arms. I took a couple shots. They were good, but we needed actual fucking for our client.

“Are they both married?” Sunny asked.