Guardian For Hire: A For Hire Novel by Christine Bell Page B

busted for breaking and entering.
    She could practically hear her grandparents now.
    Instinctively, she plastered herself around Gavin, hiding behind him for whatever was about to happen. His muscles tensed beneath her hand and he cupped it for an instant before pulling away gently. “That’s an alarm clock. You know that, right? Someone must have set it and forgotten it.”
    She cleared her throat, peeling her limbs from around his with a dignity that even she knew was fake. “Right. Of course. Sorry.”
    They crept down the hall side by side, and she was careful not stare at him too long, but no matter how hard she tried, she still felt like the air was too thin. Like she couldn’t quite catch her breath. Maybe it was the high-pressure situation, or the rush of adrenaline that was pulsing through her. And maybe it wasn’t , her mind countered as she eyed his masculine profile. What was it about seeing a man in his element, so in control, so capable, that got a woman’s pulse pounding?
    Get it out of your head, missy. He was a novelty, for sure, and she owed him big-time, but they were oil and water. Besides, the idea of him ever looking at her that way was beyond laughable. If there was one thing he’d made clear, it was that he didn’t like their predicament any more than she did.
    …
    This was shaping up to be the hardest post-service mission of his life. Literally. And that was saying something. He’d broken into mobsters’ homes, fought off guard dogs, and set up a safe house for the feds, but this? Watching the doc’s eyes go all hot and excited, pressing her sweet, soft curves against him? Listening to her as they moved through the house, her catchy little breaths that could so easily be mistaken for something else?
    Pure torture. If he was even one iota less of a gentleman, he’d have already suggested that they test out the strength of that staircase with some healthy sexual exertion.
    When they reached the top of said staircase, relief flooded through him. They were almost out of here, and he could get some much needed space and fresh air.
    He paused, one foot on the landing as the skin on his arms prickled. It had all gone so easily…without a single hitch. Too easy? He stepped gingerly onto the gleaming hardwood floor, his whole body on high alert, every muscle tense and at the ready as he approached the room at the far end of the hall. Sarabeth trailed behind him, probably wanting to keep her distance after their tense and unintentional embrace. It was better that way, considering the fact that he still had a raging hard-on even thinking about her pressed against him.
    His plan had totally backfired. He’d hoped to drive the wedge between them even deeper by throwing her out of her comfort zone, but so far, rather than really pissing her off, in spite of her protests, she’d seemed like she was having the time of her life. A sort of heat had filled her eyes after she’d crossed over that fence, and from that point on it had been as though she was an entirely different person. She’d climbed and sprinted like an old pro, and as much as he wanted to goad her and push her away, he couldn’t make the words come. He was fucking proud of her.
    She wasn’t even the same woman he’d met two days ago. It was curious.
    And sexy.
    He shoved the unwanted thought away, reaching for the door handle of the room at the end of the hall, but a whisper caught his attention before he gripped the cool, polished metal.
    “Gavin,” Sarabeth tugged furiously at his sleeve. “It’s a booby trap.”
    He turned to face her and frowned. “What are you talking about?” She was leaning against the wall, eyes wide and shining with excitement.
    “That door. Look at the jamb.” She approached the door and pointed to tiny silver wires he hadn’t noticed lacing the hinges. “If it opens, I think it will set off an alarm.”
    Well son of a bitch. Damned if she wasn’t right. Every time he turned around she was doing