“You’re welcome.” He winked her way as he strode out toward the street.
Thank god not everyone was as security conscious as Case Taggart. The good news was she’d memorized the code for his alarm and she was actually quite good at picking locks. Hopefully he hadn’t changed the code, but she was counting on him being lazy about that. The lock picking skill was something she’d picked up from one of her many adventures. She hurried up to Case’s corner unit on the third floor. Luckily, at this time of the evening most of the young professionals who lived in the building were still at work. But just in case, she rang the doorbell and waited a few seconds. Nothing. One more ring and she was sure he wasn’t home.
She got out her handy pick and torque wrench and went to work.
She’d learned this particular skill from a cat burglar she’d met in Italy. It was all about moving the proper pieces into the right place and at the right time. She liked to practice. There was something soothing about unlocking a door someone wanted to keep her out of.
Was she being a complete idiot? Was she trying to force her way into Case’s life when he’d made it so plain he didn’t want her?
The locked popped with a little snick and she was in. No going back. There was too much on the line.
She would be respectful. She would text Case and explain where she was. The last thing she wanted to do was catch the man off guard. He would probably shoot her and not even feel bad about it. Definitely she was texting him. Mia walked through the door and got a glimpse of his dark apartment.
They’d been out several times, but he’d always gone over to her place. At first she’d thought it was because he was a guy and likely had a mess of an apartment he was ashamed of. She should have known Mr. Navy SEAL would have a pin perfect place. The only reason he’d insisted on going to her place had been so he could spy on her.
She was going to have to find a light before she let the door close.
How would he handle the fact that she was the one bringing him this lead? Would he be pissed that she was bugging him again? Or impressed with her abilities?
Before she could think about the answer to that question, something massive hit her against the chest, gripping her arm and wrenching it back before she had a chance to fight. She tried to kick out, but the big bull of a man easily outmaneuvered every trick she’d learned in Krav Maga class. Mia found herself shoved hard against the wood of his door, something cold and metallic at the base of her neck.
Case. Her intel had been faulty. He was here and he was not thrilled to have a guest. She pressed back against him because she couldn’t breathe. That was when she realized at least part of Case was happy to see her. Something thick and long rubbed against her backside and she could have sworn he was sniffing her hair. He was so close and the threat of danger in the air kind of did something for her. Maybe it made her a total pervert, but her body was heating up simply being close to him. The man had a gun to her head and she was kind of hoping his hand would shift because he was so close to cupping her breast.
A long moment passed, the world seeming to narrow. The threat was heavy in the air—violence or sex. She knew which way she would go. Her heart thudded in her chest, her nipples hardening. She leaned back into him.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Mia?” His voice was rough, his arm tightening around her.
What was she doing? She was practically dry humping the guy who held a gun on her. Presenting. He had a gun to her head and she was presenting to him. She couldn’t be that girl. Could she?
“I thought I was being clever. I…god, Case will you please put the gun down?” Her voice was breathless. “And the other…you know…I can feel it against my back. Unless that’s another gun.”
“I think I’ll wait until the police get here. You stay right where you are.” He was unmoving. She wasn’t going anywhere until he let her go.
Shit. And double shit. Now she had to talk fast and try not to give away the fact that she was aroused as hell. “Case, I came here for you. I came straight to you because you know they’ll both leave us out. We can do all the work, but big brothers will leave us behind when it comes time. We have to stick together.”
For a second she thought he wasn’t going to let her go. She could feel the heat of his breath against her neck and she prayed his lips followed.
He took a step back from her and she bit back a groan of disappointment. For a second they had been connected. The gun hadn’t meant a damn thing because he would never use it on her.