TheFugitivesSexyBrother by Annabeth Leong Page B

overwhelming
her fear of her muscled fellow bounty hunter. A frequently drilled hapkido move
snapped her wrist from his hand and a sharp jab to his neck opened some
much-needed breathing room between them. “Are you delusional? We never worked
together . It might be worth talking to you if you could acknowledge that
you stole from me.”
    “Emily, don’t be like this. Baby, we’ve been over and over
this. If you could just understand how much I love you…” He took hold of her
again and leaned in.
    Emily took a deep breath and prepared to try to take him
down, even though he towered over her. Maybe a quick stomp to his toes would
set him off balance enough for her to gain control.
    Before she could move, the back door to her sedan swung
open. Both she and Matthew froze in place as Javier stepped out, free of the
restraints she’d clapped on him herself. Emily’s jaw worked but Matthew managed
sound before her. “You’ve got Fernando Bonavita? Here? Already?”
    Emily growled in disgust, dearly wishing she could spit a
triumphant “yes” back at him. “Would I be standing her wasting time with you if
I had?”
    Javier closed the car door and stepped closer to her, and
she didn’t miss the way he angled his body, aligning himself so he could easily
slip between herself and Matthew. “I’m Javier Bonavita, not Fernando,” he told
Matthew. “I’m helping Emily track down my brother.”
    Emily stared. Matthew spluttered. “Why?” Matthew said.
    Javier smiled but didn’t answer the question. “I know Emily
could knock you or anyone else on his ass if she wanted to. What’s the problem,
Emily? Are you worried about hurting this guy’s feelings?”
    Emily grinned. He hadn’t been kidding about his confidence
in her physical abilities. “Matthew was just leaving. He had a business offer
to make but I’ve rejected it.”
    Javier leaned back against the car, brushing a possessive
touch against Emily’s side before folding his arms behind his head. “A business
offer? That didn’t look like the only thing getting rejected.”
    Matthew’s face turned red. “Emily, are you sleeping with
this clown?”
    She drew herself to her full height, even if that still
didn’t bring her eye level with his chest. Javier’s support renewed her
confidence. She appreciated that he hadn’t tried to take over, despite his
obvious enjoyment of Matthew’s humiliation. “Matthew, that’s none of your business.
The only fact that concerns you is that I’m not sleeping with you , and
so you will never again have access to my work and my leads.”
    Before he could respond, she touched Javier’s elbow. “Let’s
get out of here.”
    Matthew remained standing in the same spot while they got
into the car, maneuvered out of the parking lot and drove away. Emily nodded
toward his still, shocked figure and shared a smile with Javier. “Thank you,”
she said.
    “I didn’t do anything.”
    “That’s what I’m thanking you for. I like a man who can keep
his cool.”
    “Well, he had enough misguided testosterone for half a dozen
macho monkeys.”
    “You can say that again.”
    “I prefer to save my testosterone for what really
matters.” Javier waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
    Emily groaned. “Your nap in the back of the car apparently
left you feeling refreshed.”
    “I’ll be here all night.”
    Emily steered the car back onto the main road, heading
toward her place. “About that…” She glanced pointedly at Javier’s freed hands.
“Want to tell me how that happened? And how you got out of my backseat?”
    “I grabbed this off your desk this morning.” He displayed a
straightened paperclip. “And I felt the time was right.”
    “Are you saying you could have taken off those handcuffs any
time you wanted?”
    “Do you want me to answer that?”
    Emily sighed. “I guess not.”
    “Are you going to put them back on?”
    “Why? Do you want me to?”
    He laughed. “Trust issues, you know. I thought you