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  Neither of them could move for several minutes. They lay side by side with no sound except for their ragged breaths. When Garrett could move again, he padded into the bathroom to clean up. When he came back, Mia was sprawled in the middle of the bed, fast asleep.

  He laughed to himself as he climbed into bed beside her. “Looks like I picked up a narcoleptic.”

  She snuggled against him again, but this time he just put his arm around her and let sleep carry him away.

  Chapter Five

  Mia didn’t really want to wake up, but the sunbeam that peeked through the heavy curtains had other ideas. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned. God, she felt yummy. Her skin was tingly, almost prickly, as if she’d just come in from the sun. Energized, as though she’d run a marathon. Tender, as if she’d…

  A prodding at her backside brought the memory back in a rush.

  Dammit, she had. She’d fucked him.

  Rolling over, she examined her bed partner. He was still naked like she was, the sheet coming up to his waist. The super-short haircut, which made him look kind of military, tough and dangerous when he was awake, made him look younger while he was asleep. The cleft in his chin was more pronounced as his cheek lay on the pillow. The muscles of his chest were still damn impressive, even while completely relaxed.

  Mia sighed. God, it had been amazing. She’d probably never see this guy again. Damn her luck. That had been the best sex she’d ever had.

  Regretfully, she left the bed and headed into the bathroom. She’d have to wake him up soon, or she’d miss the beginning of BodModCon day two. And if there was something she wanted to avoid today, it was Jules and Matt crapping all over her beautiful afterglow.

  When she came out of the bathroom, Garrett was awake and looking at his phone.

  “Morning,” she said self-consciously. Damn it, she should have grabbed her clothes while he was asleep.

  “Morning.” He rose without covering himself and crossed the room until he was right in front of her. Bending his head, he kissed her tenderly. “You okay?”

  Her lips fired from the sweet gesture. Wait, what? She stared up at him blankly, trying to figure him out. A good-morning kiss? She was quiet so long he repeated the question.

  “Mia? Are you okay?”

  “Okay? Me? God yes. I mean…are you?”

  He nodded, his smile flashing that dimple. Damn it, she shouldn’t be getting turned-on by something as simple as a dimple! “I am.” He dropped another kiss on her lips and then went into the bathroom himself.

  Mia grabbed her clothes and threw them on as quickly as she could. Wow. She’d expected awkward, but she didn’t expect to be the awkward one. She’d done the one-night-stand thing before, but the other party was usually the fumbling, stumbling person in the room. This particular role reversal wasn’t sitting well with her, and she sat on the edge of the bed to wait for Garrett’s return.

  “This bed was pretty comfortable,” she said as he exited the bathroom, walking casually as if he paraded naked almost every day. Actually, he could. Being that hot, he should be required to. “I slept well.”

  “Me too.” He pulled on his clothes, sitting beside her on the bed to do his bootlaces. “You said you had to be back at work this morning?”

  “At the convention. My shop is set up at BodModCon, at the Sheraton?” Mia wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t want to go, but here I am. It starts at ten, and they’ll kill me if I show up late.”

  Garrett glanced her way, and she fought the gasp that climbed in her chest at the way his pale gaze seemed to arc through her like electricity. “Are you a tattoo artist?”

  She shook her head as he stood. “Piercer.” He offered his hand and she took it, allowing him to help her stand.

  “Makes sense,” he said, smiling a little as if remembering. “You’ve got some nice ones yourself.”

  Mia tossed her hair to cover up the heat climbing her cheeks. “And you need some more. With a chest like that, you could rock some nipple rings.”

  Garrett laughed, a full-blown thing that had him tilting his head back. Mia fought the giggle that rose in her, managing to keep it down to a wry smile.

  “I don’t think I’m a nipple ring kind of guy. But maybe later. We’ll see.” He winked at her then grabbed his jacket from the chair by the door. “But we should get going. If we leave now, we can make the convention by opening. Come on, beautiful.” He held out his hand and she hesitated.

  She’d taken his hand three times last night. Once to be pulled up behind him on the bike, then on the side of the road, and again when they’d gone into the hotel lobby. Was this just a habit of his, holding hands with women he didn’t know? Or was she wanting it to be more? God, the sex had been great last night, and she’d be sad to see him go. Her body purred at the memory.

  And maybe, if she wanted more, she should just go along for the ride. It had been wonderful so far.

  So she took the hand he offered and walked out of the room at his side. It was, oddly, a wonderful feeling.

  It didn’t take long for Garrett to turn in the plastic keycards and get them checked out. But when they got to his bike, he frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket.

  “Give me one second,” he said to Mia. “Sorry. Trent, what’s up?”

  He went silent, and his expression quickly went from blank to thundercloud dark. “You’re sure about this? Who’d you get it from? Shit. Yeah. No, I know, we’ve got to move, and fast. Reg back yet? Good. Get him and Quentin in the top floor of the building. You and I’ll go across the street.”

  He fell silent for several minutes. Kicking a loose piece of gravel, Mia crossed her arms. What kind of guy was Garrett, anyway?

  “Did they give a description?” Garrett glanced over at Mia then turned his back to her. “That’s pretty close. Too close. I’ll have to bring her. We’ll have to keep her safe.” Another pause. “There’s no time. We’ll keep her hidden. I’ve got no choice. It’s my fault they’ve seen her, so I’ll do what I need to do.”

  He cut the call.

  Mia raked her curls back. “Is everything okay? That sounded really serious.”

  Garrett turned to her, his brow lined and eyes grave. “I’m sorry about this. I know I promised to get you back on time, but something’s come up. I swear you’ll be protected, but we’ve got to go. A lot depends on it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t have time to explain right now. Just know that I swear everything will be all right. Once we’re finished, I’ll take you right back to the convention.”

  She thought about arguing, but what was the use? Whatever was going on sounded serious, and if it was really that important, she’d go along with it. For now. “Okay. Fine. I’ll get to the convention a little late. I might miss a couple piercings. But you can make that up to me.” She tweaked his nipple, then turned and hopped atop his bike. “So let’s get moving, biker boy.”

  Garrett stared at her as if she had two heads, so she smiled, winked and patted the seat in front of her. “Well, unless you don’t like being between my thighs. Then I guess you could stand there and stare at me all day.”

  That got him moving. Two long strides and he’d reached her, grabbing the hair at the back of her head and kissing her until she was dizzy. When he finally lifted his head, he grinned.

  “You might get to pierce those after all.”

  They took off on the bike into the blinding morning sunlight, Mia gripping his abs probably more tightly than she needed to.

  But damn, they felt good.

  Garret was uneasy about bringing Mia along, but he didn’t have a choice. Not only was there a drop scheduled for some time today, someone had spotted him leaving the street race—with an attractive girl with curly dark hair and lots of curves. He couldn’t risk the chance that information had gotten back to Ford. He’d have to keep her close until he was certain Mia was out of danger. There was a chance Ford was handling this drop himself, and if they could get evidence, that
might be all they needed. She’d be safe then.

  Garrett gripped the handlebars tighter as Mia leaned into him on the curve. The beautiful woman on the back of this bike had blown his fucking mind last night. She was so wild, so responsive, so…

  Just the memory made him hard again, but he slammed the lid shut on that. He had to focus. Distraction caused mistakes, and mistakes got people killed. He knew that better than anyone.

  The memory sobered his mood quicker than anything else would, so when the bike rolled into the warehouse, he was calm, cold and ready to take down Art Ford.

  As Garrett cut the bike’s engine, the sound of the door trundling down brought his gaze around.

  “Mia,” Garrett said as he helped her off the bike, “this is Trent.”

  His best friend grinned as he took in the sight of Garrett’s hand lying possessively on Mia’s hip. “Good to meet you, Mia.”

  “Likewise,” she said, looking around the darkened warehouse. “So, what exactly are we doing here?”

  “Hoping to get some old business taken care of,” Garrett said as he looked out the small, grimy window by the door. “We’re clear for the moment.”

  Trent led them across the wide, empty space of the ground floor. “There’s a second-floor office that should give us the best view. I’ve got the equipment up there, but I didn’t have time to set it up before I heard you coming in.”

  “That’s fine. We can take care of it now.” Garrett followed Trent up the stairs, trying like hell to focus on the mission at hand and not remember that Mia was right behind him, her eyes darting back and forth quickly as she took in everything. She was quick and clever and altogether too sexy to be near him right now. He couldn’t afford the distraction.

  “Here,” Trent said, moving to the window. Garrett flattened his body against the wall and peered out.

  “That body shop right there. It’s a big drop.”

  “Big enough that Ford will handle it himself?”

  Trent nodded in answer to Garrett’s question, shoving his dark hair back from his forehead. “He wouldn’t trust just anyone with something this big.”

  With a deep, steadying breath, Garrett moved away from the window. “Then let’s get ready.” He bent to the duffel at his feet.

  Mia watched as he and Trent began pulling equipment from bags and cases. As Garrett mounted a large camera atop a tripod, he glanced over at her. Her arms were folded over her middle and her mouth was turned in what looked suspiciously like a stubborn expression. He began to count silently to himself as he adjusted the camera on its mount.

  Seven, eight, nine…

  “Can I help with something? I feel dumb just standing here.”

  Garrett cranked the knob on the tripod with a grin. Seemed odd that he’d known her such a short time and he could already predict what she’d say.

  “You can start unpacking that black case by Trent’s feet, if you want.”

  Between the three of them, they had the surveillance equipment unpacked and readied within twenty minutes. Garrett adjusted the lens on the camera as Trent settled by the window with a set of binoculars. Bending to the viewer, Garrett stared down at the body shop’s door.

  “So, what do we do now?” Mia’s question broke the silence.

  “We wait.” Garrett tried to ignore the anticipation bubbling in his chest. “It might be a long while.”

  “Then why didn’t you have time to take me back to the convention first? I know this is important, but Trent’s here watching, right?”

  Mia stepped up beside him but he didn’t lift his gaze from the camera’s eyepiece. Her body heat warmed him, and he dragged in a heavy breath. How could he tell her he’d put her in danger? How could he let her know Ford had vowed to kill him and everyone he loved if he caught Garrett interfering in his business again?

  Simple. He couldn’t.

  “It’s a long story. But right now the safest place for you to be is right here with us.”

  She let out an exasperated breath. “What are we watching for?”

  Garrett clenched his jaw, his unblinking stare trained on the quiet street below. She was a stranger, and as soon as he knew she was safe, she’d be out of his life for good. She didn’t need to know what was going on here, didn’t—

  Trent saved him from explaining.

  “We’re trying to pull down one of the biggest drug lords in the area. He’s the son of a powerful businessman with deep political connections, and so far he’s been able to get off any charges they’ve stuck him with. But he’s a murderer, a bastard and a crook. If we can get evidence and take it straight to the press, his daddy won’t be able to cover his tracks.”

  “Okay then,” Mia said, her voice calm and cool. “Not really sure how I’m safer here, but… How can I help?”

  Garrett lifted his head, looking down at her. Despite the wildness of her hair, she seemed as solemn as a priest.

  “There’s nothing you can do to help,” Garrett said simply. “This guy is dangerous. I’m sorry to have dragged you into this. I know you’re losing money by not being at the convention. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Hey, the money isn’t the point,” she countered. “I just don’t understand why you want me here. If this guy is really as bad as you say he is, then he needs to be caught, but I—”

  “Garrett,” Trent called quietly. “Look.”

  He didn’t waste a second in moving back to the camera. His disappointed grunt echoed through the small room.

  “Redmond, one of Ford’s buddies, just dropped off a guy and left.” Garrett snapped the picture anyway. “But his arriving means the tip was probably right. Redmond’s boy will be checking out the area, making sure it’s secure before the drop.”

  “So we,” Trent continued in a hushed tone, “need to start being really quiet.”

  Garrett glanced over at Mia. She’d jammed her hands in her pockets and was staring out the window at the street below.

  What had he gotten her into? What had he gotten himself into? He snorted. Nothing to do now but to wait for Ford to arrive, and hope like hell he’d get enough evidence to nail the bastard to the wall.

  He owed Priscilla that much.

  Chapter Six

  Over the last couple of hours, the light had grown long enough to stretch from the window to touch Mia’s feet. She pulled them back to rest her chin on her knees, shifting slightly on the pile of empty duffel bags beneath her. Garret had thoughtfully piled them there to give her something to sit on in the dusty, empty office.

  She glanced over at Garrett, who was still standing behind that camera with the giant lens. He’d barely looked away from it. Trent had changed positions several times, moving from room to room within the empty warehouse to get different vantage points, but Garrett had been statue-still all day, eyes locked on the body shop across the street.

  A sudden tingling in her feet reminded her that she hadn’t moved in way too long either. The circulation was returning. She hissed in a breath and winced.

  “Are you okay?” Garrett lifted his gaze to look at her.

  “Yeah,” she said, massaging her foot gently. “Just let my feet fall asleep.”

  He nodded and turned back to the camera.

  Once she was sure her feet were awake enough to hold her up, Mia stood and stretched, reveling in the cracks and pops of her spine as it shifted into alignment. Good lord, she hadn’t realized it had been that long. She’d been just as caught up in the spying as the two guys were, borrowing a small set of binoculars from Trent. A quick glimpse at her watch proved she’d been there with them for almost ten hours.

  “Shit,” she said aloud. “I missed the whole day of the conference.”

  Garrett adjusted the camera lens. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d have you back before now.”

  “You haven’t exactly tried. What does this whole thing have to do with me, Garrett? And don’t give me any more of that ‘you’re safer here’ BS. I want the truth.” Mia turned her back t
o the window, glad that Trent wasn’t in the room at the moment. “I’ve been patient enough.”

  He didn’t reply, but she hadn’t honestly expected him to. He hadn’t answered that question all day, so his silence now was par for the course. She paced along the back wall and back again, keeping her footsteps light and her breaths even.

  She’d be fired. That should worry her a lot more than it did. She’d been fired before, quit before, even left and didn’t come back once when a shop owner had hit on her one too many times. She could find another job. Tattoo shops were a dime a dozen. Ignoring the worry that started gnawing at the back of her neck, she bent down and grabbed the binoculars again.

  Garrett would eventually have to tell her the truth. She’d worry about tomorrow—well, tomorrow.

  “Had a pretty good view from the third-floor bathroom,” Trent said as he entered the room. “Nothing’s going on down there. Redmond’s guy is actually napping in the office.”

  “Shit,” Garrett said, stepping back from the camera to give his friend a look. “He should have been here by now.”

  “Probably waiting for dark,” Trent said matter-of-factly. “A drop this big means he’s going to be cautious. He probably wanted Redmond to keep the place secure for a few hours prior.”

  “So why couldn’t you take me back if nothing’s going to happen until dark? This doesn’t make any sense.” She stalked toward Garrett. “What are you keeping me safe from? Just freaking tell me.”

  Garrett ran a hand over his close-cropped hair, his light eyes flashing. “I need to get some air. Trent, can you keep an eye?”

  “Sure,” Trent said calmly as Garrett stalked from the room.

  Mia watched him go, something in her wanting to follow. But she didn’t.

  Garrett’s footsteps faded in the distance, and Mia turned her attention to the setting sun. The sky was flaring dark-orange now, the last fingers of sunlight making their grab for the sky before falling into darkness. It was beautiful, or would have been if she wasn’t so sure there was bad shit going down, and soon.