Native Born by Jenna Kernan Page A

deep down, underneath his compassion, something stirred. Something dangerous.
    Clyne breathed in as the sweet fragrance of coconut and hibiscus rose to greet him. Walker smelled more like Hawaii than Arizona.
    He drew back to look at her and immediately recognized another mistake. She was captivating. Her fine hair now brushed her shoulders, accentuating her beauty. Her face was heart-shaped and her cheeks and lips a becoming pink. She wore tiny diamond studs on her earlobes. They flashed when she moved and drew attention to the graceful curve of her neck. Field Agent Walker had a lovely complexion. Pale, but lovely.
    She was a head shorter than he was and her build was slim and athletic. Clyne preferred more curves and a darker complexion. He’d dated a few white women, but never for long and never a blonde. Yet here he was, alone in her room, thinking of what she would taste like.
    No. He should walk away. But he didn’t.
    If he could just figure out what the attraction was, perhaps he could stop it or kill it. Because he was not getting tangled up in a relationship with Cassidy Walker.
    She’d been married. She carried a gun. She was a federal officer. And she had adopted his sister. Any one of those made good cause for him to stay the heck away from her.
    â€œWe shouldn’t,” he said.
    She stiffened and her fingers, laced behind his neck, slipped to his shoulders, then dropped away.
    â€œIt’s a huge mistake. I don’t want this,” she said.
    â€œNeither do I.”
    He stared at her Pacific-blue eyes and knew he was a liar. He wanted her. He just didn’t want what came along with her. A white woman. It wasn’t in the plan. He was going to marry a woman who shared his culture and his heritage. This woman was a complication—a trap.
    â€œYou and I, you’re an assignment. I’ll be gone in a few weeks.”
    â€œYes. I know.” But instead of being a reason to step away, her words gave urgency to his desire. They lacked the luxury of time and the knowledge that it could not last made the connection even more tempting.
    She stepped back and away, facing the windows. Clyne eyed her and knew that whatever was between them, words and distance would not staunch. Would bedding her put this behind them both or would it only open the floodgates wider?
    He was usually wise. He was usually cautious. Usually.
    Clyne advanced. Cassidy lifted her phone.
    â€œI have to check in.”
    He smiled. “Yes. Me, too.”
    She called his uncle and Clyne realized that Luke likely knew a great deal about Cassidy. They had worked together on several assignments.
    Cassidy’s conversation broke into his musings.
    â€œWhere?” she asked and there was a pause. “You want me along?” Another pause. “All right. I understand. I’ll go over the audio here. Yes, I’ll do that. Call if you find him.” She tucked away the phone.
    Clyne asked the question without words.
    She made a face, clearly not inclined to tell him the subject of her business.
    â€œLuke has a lead on Ronnie Hare.”
    Ronnie Hare was the parole officer who had been running messages from the cartels to the Wolf Posse. Gabe had nearly caught him in January, but he had escaped.
    â€œThat’s good,” said Clyne.
    â€œYeah. His cooperation would help us make a case against Escalanti, for sure. The police on Salt River Reservation had his family under surveillance but there has been nothing. So we suggested watching a few of his parolees. We got a possible hit.”
    â€œYou going?”
    â€œTomorrow, maybe. I was hoping...”
    He didn’t jump to her rescue but made her ask him.
    â€œI’d like to see Amanda.”
    Clyne considered the wisdom of having the girl’s adoptive mother there when she arrived.
    â€œNo.”
    She looked as if he had punched her in the face.
    â€œWhat if she’s frightened?”
    â€œJovanna is my sister. I’ll