Barreling toward the door, I didn’t even try to stop him. “Whiny bitch it is then,” I muttered. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Ryan’s number. He’d warned me about Jason’s reaction.
“Let me guess, he told you to fuck off,” he said, answering the phone.
“Not in those exact words, but I got the gist.”
“He may be an arrogant jackass, but he’s one of the best. I’ve been giving him hell the past month. It’s never taken him this long to solve a case.”
Sitting on the couch, I put the file on my lap and opened it. “That’s because he can’t do this one alone. He needs me, whether he likes it or not.”
“Good luck with that. Make sure to keep me posted, he’s been ignoring my calls.”
“I will. All I have to do is get his considerable thick skull out of his ass.”
Jason had been gone for hours and I wasn’t about to wait up, so I went to bed. It was now morning and the bed was so warm, I didn’t want to leave. It was almost as if the sheets were heated. Snuggling into them, I felt a puff of warm breath on my ear.
“What the flying fuck?” I screeched, elbowing the arrogant jackass behind me. I tried to get up, but Jason laughed, tightening his grip around my stomach. It wasn’t the damn sheets keeping me warm, it was him.
“I think I like you better sleeping,” he teased.
“Shut the hell up and let me go. What on God’s green earth do you think you’re doing?”
“We’re lovers, sweetheart. Or at least that’s what the file said. I was just getting into character.”
I snorted and elbowed him again. “In public, asswipe. Behind closed doors, I want you to keep your grubby little carny hands off me.”
Chuckling, he let me go and I rolled out of bed. Leaning on his elbow, he looked at me with a devilish smirk. “What happened there?” He pointed to my neck.
I quickly put my hand over the scar. “Mind your own business. If you’re trying to run me off by being a dick, it’s not going to work. I know who you are and what you’re like, Mr. Avery. You like to work alone, I get that, but being an arrogant fool isn’t going to help us solve the case. You need to work with me on this one.”
“I am, or at least I’m trying to. We’re supposed to be lovers. I don’t see how that’s going to work, considering you hate my guts.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you read the complete file you’d see I’m actually going to be your companion. I fooled you earlier didn’t I?”
He pursed his lips. “Don’t you know how dangerous this is going to be? When we get on the inside, you’ll be the target.”
I shrugged. “That’s the plan. I’m willing to put myself on the line for this.”
“Why, because it’s your job?” His piercing stare bore into mine.
“I have my reasons. Now can we get to work? We have a lot of ground to cover.”
Throwing the covers off, he got out of bed stark ass naked. “Sure, but I should probably get dressed first.”
Holy shit. Mouth gaping, I watched him walk out of the room. What had I gotten myself into?
“Ariel, let’s go,” he called.
I finished the last touches of my makeup that ended up being about an inch thick and stuck my head out the bathroom door. “Are you seriously going to call me that?” When I got a good look at him, my breath caught. He was dressed in a suit with a pair of aviators hanging out the breast pocket. Why are all the hot guys such douchebags?
“If you don’t like it you know where the door is.” He smiled wide, daring me to leave.
“Nah, it’s cool. I’ll just call you Lester.” I stepped back into the bathroom. “I’m not going anywhere, so you can stop trying to push me away.”
“We’ll see about that,” he murmured low, probably thinking I couldn’t hear him.