It was Vince, Penny’s friend and mentor, who told her that using the attributes given to her by God and genetics sometimes couldn’t be helped. It was the way of the world, and the men they often sought after in bail enforcement didn’t expect a curvy vixen in fishnets and a micromini to tote around a shiny Glock 19 and an arrest warrant beneath her garters.
It was a tactic she’d never felt truly comfortable executing, and it wasn’t any different now than it was then. Except for the fact that Fuentes wasn’t a parole jumper with a penchant for beating on prostitutes…and she wasn’t armed. It wouldn’t have mattered if they had been able to sneak in their handguns. Although it covered her body from neck to knee, the snug fit of her blue Asian-style dress couldn’t have hidden the outline of a matchbook, much less a weapon.
The sleek material hugged her every curve as if it were airbrushed onto her skin. All the clothes she’d brought on this op fit the same way, as if they were designed and made just for her. It made Penny wonder if Maria had somehow managed to take her measurements while she was sleeping.
Penny turned sideways, looking into the bathroom mirror from different angles. No matter which way she turned or how much smoky-eyed makeup and lip balm she applied, the woman staring back at her looked uncomfortable.
The click of the bedroom door followed by the complete lack of footsteps broadcasted Rafe’s arrival. “Our host is waiting for us, Roja,” his voice echoed from the bedroom.
She peeked around the corner and watched him act casual as he did another electronic scan of the room with his Hot-and-Cold watch. “I’ll come out, but you’re not allowed to judge. Also, don’t make me bend, laugh, or expect me to breathe too deeply. In other words, anything physical is pretty much off the table. But if we need one of those living statues, I’m your girl.”
Pulse pounding, she showed herself in the doorway and felt her heart plummet to her stomach at the sight of Rafe’s wilting smile. “Oh God. It’s bad, isn’t it? I look ridiculous? I knew it.” She turned, prepared to hide her head in the nearest hole.
“Don’t move a muscle.” His soft order brought her feet to an automatic stop. But it wasn’t until his presence warmed the front of her body that she hesitantly met his gaze. She watched in fascination as his blue eyes changed to stormy gray.
Though she was covered, she couldn’t have been more exposed if she stood in front of him naked. His eyes scanned her from the toes of her peekaboo stilettos to the curves of her breasts. By the time he reached her eyes, every inch of her body hummed.
“And here I thought it couldn’t get better than the dress from the club. You love proving me wrong, don’t you?” Rafe’s low voice gave her goose bumps.
Her lips stretched into a tremulous smile. “When this is over, I’m going back to jeans, cotton T-shirts, and tennis shoes. I may even go the crazy extra mile and toss on a hoodie…but there will be no dresses and sure as hell no heels. Or thongs.”
Not that she was wearing one now.
When this Fuentes nightmare ended, she also needed to deliberate a plan on what she’d do with her attraction to the man in front of her. If Alpha really had set up shop right in her backyard, it wasn’t like she could enjoy now and never see him again. Frederick was a small town, and despite the fact their paths hadn’t crossed yet, Rafe wasn’t on assignments year-round. The chances of bumping into him at the one and only gas station or the grocery mart were more than likely. It was a given. Eventually.
She was working on her acting skills for the bail enforcement job, but she wasn’t about to win any awards. And when it came to Rafe—forget about it. His many layers made her head spin and feel like the newest recipient of a Razzie Award.
He was bravery, loyalty, and a kick-ass attitude wrapped up in a six-and-a-half-foot mass of hard muscle. For years he put his life on the line for his country, and even though the ink had long dried on his discharge papers, he was doing it still. Alpha wasn’t a job to him. It was a way of life, as much a part of him as the heart beating in his chest.
Her father had been like that. Trey was like that, too. But what neither had done that Rafe did in the little time they’d known each other was take a chance on her. It both humbled her and fired her up. And it also rumbled the walls of her carefully constructed boundaries.
She pasted a smile to her face as Rafe stepped forward, careful to keep his wide back blocking the camera. He was close, so close that the front of his shirt brushed against her breasts.