See? This didn’t have to be a disaster. It didn’t have to mean the end of their friendship.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she went back into the changing rooms. Someone leaned against the wall, and Kim gave a little jump. But it was only Jessica, one of the other operatives, and probably her best friend after Jake. Jessica had left the army at the same time as Jake and had been with his company from the start.
She was tall, a couple of inches taller than Kim, with platinum-blond hair pulled into a ponytail to show off her perfect cheekbones. She was stunningly beautiful, with a pale oval face and dark-blue eyes, her looks strangely enhanced by the scar that ran down her right cheek to her lip.
Jess had been a huge help when Kim decided to take on a more active role in the company. She was a strong believer that women could do the majority of things as well as any man, and the rest, they could do better. She’d helped Kim train, taught her to fight, to shoot. She was also wildly competitive. Although Kim was now the better shot, Jess could still beat her in unarmed combat.
And shit, they were supposed to be going out for drinks tonight. It was Thursday, normally movie night, but she hadn’t thought Jake would be back.
“Are you okay?” Jess asked.
No, she wasn’t okay. She felt like she had “I shagged Jake” scrawled across her forehead. She gave a quick glance in the mirror, but her forehead was clear and unmarked. She had to pull herself together. This was no big deal.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“You seem a little”—Jess took a step closer and examined her from head to toe—“flustered.”
Kim clutched the towel to her chest. There was absolutely no way that Jess could know what she’d been up to. “I’ve been sparring with Steve.”
“Really? He must be better than he looks if a little grappling has this effect on you.”
Jess didn’t have a very high opinion of Steve, but then she didn’t have a high opinion of any man except Jake. Whom she admired.
“There is no effect,” Kim ground out.
“Hmm, and touchy as well. What’s going on here?”
“Nothing. Are we still going out for a drink?”
“Yes, and we’re meeting Dani as well. She needs cheering up. But don’t imagine you’re getting out of this—you can tell us everything over chocolate martinis.”
“There’s nothing to—”
The door opening interrupted her protestations of innocence. Kim sighed, but her relief was short-lived. Jake poked his head around the door.
“Could you come outside a moment?”
She peeked down at the towel, which was all she wore. “I don’t think so.”
When she didn’t move, he glanced around and then stepped into the room.
Kim had an immediate urge to sink through the floor. Or vanish in a puff of smoke. Instead, she stood there like an idiot, staring at him and trying not to remember that only half an hour ago he’d been on top of her. Inside her. Heat flared to life low in her belly. She forgot Jess was there as her gaze locked with Jake’s and she saw the same heat reflected in his eyes.
“Er, ladies’ room, boss,” Jess said, breaking the link.
Jake shook his head as though only now noticing the other woman was present.
“I need to talk to Kim,” he said.
She wasn’t ready to talk yet. Not until she worked out what she wanted to say and what she wanted to do next with regard to Jake. She needed to get some distance, let the memory fade a little so she could face him without dwelling on his mouth and his hands and his really enormous…
Get a grip.
“I can’t talk now,” she muttered. “We’re leaving.”
Jess glanced between the two of them, a puzzled frown on her face. “That’s okay,” she said. “I have to pick something up from my desk. I’ll meet you in reception.” She headed for the door. “I’ll leave you two to…talk.”
Fine friend she was—abandoning Kim to her fate. She stared at the door while she hunted for something intelligent to say.
“Are you going to look at me?” Jake’s voice was smooth, giving away no sign of what he was thinking.
“No.”
She did her best to ignore him as she crossed to her locker. One thing she was sure of—if she did have to have this conversation, no way was she doing it dressed in nothing but a towel. She could feel his attention on her as she opened the locker and pulled out her clothes.
He came to stand beside her, leaning a shoulder casually against the wall, hands shoved in his pockets. At least he’d buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his pants. But his hair was ruffled as though someone had raked her hands though the silky strands. No prizes for guessing who that was.
He pulled something from his pocket and dangled it from one long, elegant finger.
“You left these in my office.”
Her black cotton panties.
“Thank you.” She snatched them from his finger. “But you didn’t have to bring them all the way down here. I have a spare pair.”
He sighed. “Don’t you think we need to talk?”