Intrusion by Cynthia Justlin

couldn’t take her home. Walker knew where he lived, which meant whoever he was working for did too. “It’s just for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll find a safer place.”
    Audra nodded. She’d been silent since leaving the house in Cave Creek. Not that he blamed her. She hadn’t seen his best side. He’d come in the guise of Casper the Friendly Ghost and somehow ended up morphing into the Terminator.
    He fingered the strip of cotton across his palm. The makeshift bandage hadn’t been necessary. He’d dealt with far worse gashes, but Audra’s gesture softened a spot in his weary heart. He limped over to her, prepared to show his gentler side, but before he could reach for her she stiffened.
    “We need to talk to Margaret.”
    Her assistant’s betrayal must’ve cut deep, but from the stubborn tilt of Audra’s chin, she wasn’t about to show it. No, his sexy scientist wouldn’t go down in defeat. She just processed the way her life had been turned upside down and immediately started working out a solution.
    “Tomorrow.” Pain zapped across his knee. He reached down to massage it, and caught Audra staring. His fingers slid carelessly across the swollen flesh and then back to rest on his thigh.
    Her jaw tightened. “Why we can’t go right now?”
    “Because we don’t need to arouse suspicion by showing up at her daughter’s hospital room in the middle of the night. Neither one of us has slept for days and I wanted…”
    What?
    Her, all to himself for a little while, just one small, quiet moment to learn what made her tick before they were back to dodging police on their frantic quest for answers. It was stupid and selfish, but, hell, he hadn’t allowed himself to be stupid or selfish in a long time.
    He was way past due.
    “What? What did you want?”
    Her whispered voice caressed him. Blood thrummed through his veins. He swallowed and reached up to brush the silky strand of her fiery hair behind her ear. He couldn’t tell her. Not if he wanted her to cooperate with him. Theirs was a relationship built on intellect and mutual need, nothing more.
    And it needed to stay that way.
    He backed off.
    Her amber eyes clouded. “Your knee…you should really ice it.”
    Before he could respond, she took off in the direction of the sink. She flipped on the bank of fluorescent lights, bathing the area in an artificial glow. And all he could do was limp after her like a puppy with his tongue hanging out, pathetically begging for a doggy treat.
    She plucked a washcloth off the towel rack and dumped several ice cubes from the motel issue bucket onto the white square. After folding it into a makeshift ice pack, she presented it to him in the palm of her outstretched hand.
    He’d insisted he hadn’t needed to nurse his knee, but she’d been equally insistent on haring off to the motel’s ice machine the moment they’d stepped into the room.
    Now, He leveled a stare at her, enjoying the way she squirmed under his scrutiny. But it only lasted a short time. She arched a sharp brow and waggled the pack at him. Toying with her, he brushed his fingers against hers in a lingering stroke then slid the ice pack off her palm.
    Very nice. Her expression didn’t even crack.
    He leaned against the dull counter, taking weight off his knee. “You’re as cold as ice,” he crooned the words to the classic Foreigner song, watching her closely for a reaction.
    When her jaw tensed, he forced a laugh from his chest. He gripped the counter and waited for her to tuck tail and run. She made her move—but not away from him as he’d expected.
    Dr. McCain had decided to meet his challenge after all.

    ***

    Audra prided herself on her level head, but when it came to Cam, logic danced out the window. He’d thrown down a gauntlet and instead of walking away she’d snatched it up. How could she let someone so…so infuriating get under her skin?
    Something told her Cam loved messy, complicated relationships. It was the way he had of looking