HIS Desire: An H.I.S. Novel (H.I.S. series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Trent, and Jesse couldn’t help but laugh. She had taste.
    “Dottie!” Kate tugged the leash, pulling the dog closer to her. “I’m sorry, Trent. She’s never done that before.”
    Trent shrugged, unfazed by Dottie’s actions. “No problem.”
    When Jesse caught Trent watching Kate’s rear as her dog led them into the apartment, he envisioned wringing his neck.
    They entered her apartment and Jesse looked around. In the living room sat a matching couch, loveseat and chair in off-white with throw pillows in a muted red, gold and green. On the wood floor was a colorful rug that matched the throw pillows. It felt warm and welcoming.
    He moved to the stone fireplace to get a closer look at the framed photos. There were two photos. One of a couple who looked to be in their late twenties in winter gear sitting on a rock in front of a rock canyon, and another of a couple sitting on a beach. The breeze had been blowing through the woman’s hair as the photo had been snapped. He turned. “Are these your parents?”
    She looked at the mantel. A touch of sadness seeped into her eyes. “Yes.” She didn’t point out which couple it was.
    * * * * *
    Kate sat in the chair as Dottie curled up in a dog bed by the fireplace. Trent and AJ sat on the couch while Jesse took up a large portion of the love seat. She tried to look cool, calm and collected. She didn’t want Jesse to know he affected her. After the surprising kiss last night, his close physical proximity made her senses spin.
    “What’s Jesse here for? He’s not FBI.”
    He narrowed his eyes at her.
    “Calm down, Kate. Someone shot at one of you. I’d like to talk with you both,” AJ answered.
    Jesse knew more about what happened than she did. Maybe he could shed some light on it for her. “I’m not going to be much help. I didn’t see a thing.”
    AJ spoke up. “You know the drill, Kate. Let’s walk back through it. Maybe something will return.”
    She nodded, even though she doubted she’d remember anything new. She walked them through the event then looked at Jesse. When their gazes locked, she felt the sensation of being flooded with warmth. Then she remembered his phone call this morning, his devotion of love to someone and turned away from him. Bastard.
    “Kate, have you had any threats that you haven’t told me about?” AJ asked.
    She shook her head. “No.”
    Trent leaned forward, putting his forearms on his thighs. “Kate, Jesse saw the driver. This wasn’t a gang shooting. One of you was the target.”
    No wonder they’d included Jesse. She looked at him and the bandage on his left arm. Was it her fault he’d been shot?
    “Well, we can go through my case files, and we can go through what Jesse’s been working on. I can…”
    AJ put his hand up and stopped her mid-sentence. “We’re well ahead of you. And we won’t include you , Kate. You’re out right now. Relax and spend some time with your sister. You always say you don’t get to see her enough.” He grinned. “Maybe you’ll finally introduce me.”
    She shook her head. She couldn’t picture AJ and Ariana together. “AJ…”
    Jesse cut her off. “What about protection for Kate? If she’s the target, you need to take care of her.”
    She should be pissed he interrupted her. Again. But, was that concern she heard in his voice? Couldn’t be.
    “I don’t need anyone to protect me. I can take care of myself.” There was no way she was going to let other agents follow her, possibly putting themselves in jeopardy. Her right hand may be useless, but she didn’t think she’d have a problem with a weapon in her left hand. She wouldn’t be accurate, but there were plenty of bullets in a clip.
    “It doesn’t matter what you want. We are assigning you a protective detail.”
    Kate jumped up. “No, AJ! I won’t have it. I don’t want anyone else hurt if this lunatic is after me.”
    The men stood.
    AJ shrugged. “They’ll still be there, whether you want it or not.”
    Kate