“I’ll do my best.” He moved his hand down to her hip. “I like you on my lap. You don’t like it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” She looked him over. “It’s not bad.”
“Okay, so kiss me, and I’ll kiss you back, and we’ll go from there.”
As if they’d ironed out a business contract, she nodded. “Fair enough.” For another three beats of his heart, she stared at his mouth, then gradually leaned in until her lips met his. Her hair fell forward, teasing his jaw, the side of his neck. Mimicking his moves from earlier, she kissed his bottom lip, nuzzling his mouth with her own.
As promised, he reciprocated, turning his head and nudging her lips to part. Using his tongue, he touched the corner of her mouth, lightly licked along her lips and teased just inside.
Jodi melted against him, her trim, soft little body naturally reclining in his arms. Though she weighed next to nothing, her natural vitality encompassed him.
While he ordered himself to strict control, the kiss grew hotter, and deeper. They were both breathing hard, tongues twining, and Jodi’s hands were starting to roam over his chest when suddenly Turbo joined them on the couch.
Jodi sprang out of his arms so quickly, he lost his hold on her. She fell onto the coffee table, shoved away and landed on the floor. Eyes wide, her hand under her shirt to grab her gun, she breathed brokenly and stared at Turbo.
The dog stared back in confusion, his tail giving a single thump.
She muttered, “Jesus.”
“Jodi,” Hunter said softly, trying to gather his wits.
She glared at him. “Your dog scared the hell out of me!” Sitting there, her bare legs sprawled, her body shaking, she whispered, “Jesus,” again, then ran both hands through her hair. A second later, she was on her knees in front of the couch, hugging Turbo. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not mad at you.”
Confused, Turbo looked to Hunter for help. He reached over and rubbed the dog’s ears. “She’s okay, buddy. Just a little turned on and surprised by it.”
Jodi laughed. “A lot turned on. I swear, I forgot where I was. I forgot all about Turbo. I forgot you even had a dog.” After hugging Turbo again, she stroked his back, and finally stood. “Well, that was a stupid way for me to wrap it up, huh?”
“Nothing about you is ever stupid.” Hunter had his own difficulty getting it together. “Probably just as well that we got interrupted, though, because you’re not the only one who got a little lost there.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Not that I would ever push you—”
“Yeah, I know.”
“—but everything felt so natural—”
“It did, didn’t it?”
“—that I might have tried something I shouldn’t, something I’d already told myself I wouldn’t do.”
“Like what?”
Figured that while he was desperately trying to regroup, she’d have already recovered and be hitting him with questions. “I’m going to plead the Fifth for now. Since you’ve decided to stay, what do you say we do whatever we need to do before bed, then try watching the movie again? I often fall asleep doing that, so maybe you will, too.”
“I guess I should check on my house.”
His gaze sharpened. “I don’t want you to go.”
“No, I mean through my phone. You’re right that I can check the security cameras that way. You have an extra power cord, by the way? I’ll set up my phone like I do at home, so it can alert me if any shenanigans happen, like if Remmy or any of King’s other men come snooping around.”
Hunter didn’t think they would, not after they’d just been out to King’s house, but he appreciated her caution. “Sure thing.”
A few minutes later, he’d just returned from the bathroom where he’d brushed his teeth and changed into flannel pants, when Jodi’s phone dinged.
With no show of alarm, she lifted it, then shook her head. “Madison.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Jodi rapidly texted a message, waited, then grinned. “She asked why I wasn’t at home, so I told her I was staying here with you.”
Damn. Hunter wasn’t sure how he felt about his every move being scrutinized. “How’d she take that?”
She showed him the screen, where Madison replied, You go girl!
“She’s probably messaging Reyes right now, and—” Her phone dinged again. Rolling her eyes, Jodi read it, then laughed. “He said he’s proud of me. I sent him back the finger emoji. I bet he’s running to tell Kennedy right now.” Another ding.
Hunter folded his arms and waited. When Jodi’s face softened, he figured Kennedy had said something nice. Damn, he was glad Jodi had these over-the-top protective people in her life.
“You want to brush your teeth while I take Turbo out one more time?” The dog immediately perked up.
“I’d rather go with you while you do that, then get ready. Is that okay?”
Hunter was pretty sure anything she wanted to do would be okay with him. On impulse, he stepped forward and, moving slowly so he wouldn’t startle her, bent to take her mouth in a soft kiss. He knew why she wanted to stick close, and he was glad of it. If she was in the bathroom while he was outside, that’d mean the door was unlocked, and Jodi didn’t take chances. “I’d prefer that, too.” Making her feel safe was now his top priority.
Soon enough she’d figure out that she couldn’t have the everyday life for the everyday woman—because Jodi wasn’t an everyday type of person. As he’d told her, she was extraordinary...and he loved that about her.
Now she only needed to love herself.
* * *
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, she didn’t take the job?”
It was nearing midnight, but according to King, it was the first moment he’d had to spare. God only knew what had occupied him all day. Probably something shady, Remmy thought, but the less he knew about Russ King, the more easily he could sleep at night.
“She didn’t exactly turn it down. She’s still considering it, I think.” For once, Remmy saw King without Danny Giggs involved. According to King, Danny was on an errand tending other matters.
“You were supposed to convince her. Guess I overestimated your appeal.”
Remmy shrugged. The bigger point was that in a hundred different ways, King had underestimated Jodi. “Eventually, she’ll take the job.” She was far too curious not to. Add to that, she seemed to feel challenged, and Remmy was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to redirect her, even if he gave her all the actual deets. In fact, knowing just how vile King really was might seal the deal for her. The little dynamo—and he did mean little—liked to bludgeon everyone with her attitude. She had great instincts, was far too damned daring, and overall, it was obvious that she considered herself invincible.