Midnight Alias: A Killer Instincts Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

continued to dance, raising her arms over her head and letting her long hair tumble down her shoulders. His cock jutted up again, so he blurted out another inane question. “What’d you want to be then?”
    Her movements were disrupted once more. Irritation flashed across her face before she sighed. “A teacher. I love working with kids. But that never panned out. I’m at NYU now, majoring in poli-sci. Taking a lot of pre-law courses to prepare for law school.”
    Luke hid his shock, but evidently not too well. “Not what you expected to hear from a stripper, huh?” she said knowingly.
    “No,” he admitted. He studied her beautiful face. “Do you like it? Pre-law, I mean?”
    “Yes. Now quit talking and enjoy the dance.”
    She leaned forward and pressed her breasts to his face. A nipple darted past his mouth and he clamped his lips shut before he did something stupid—like lick it. His erection, depraved asshole that it was, continued to plead for attention.
    “I like hearing you talk,” he said. “You’ve got a nice voice.”
    You’ve got a nice voice? Oh, brother.
    She surprised him again. “So do you. Is that a hint of the South I hear?”
    “New Orleans, born and raised,” he confirmed.
    Her eyes twinkled. “A Cajun boy. Do you speak French?”
    “Sure do.”
    “So do I.”
    All right, this woman just kept tossing out the curveballs. He’d been expecting a giggling airhead and he’d gotten a French-speaking pre-law student who liked kids.
    Never judge a book by its cover, man .
    Her dancing had slowed into an awkward kind of grinding, a hint that he wasn’t the only one distracted by the conversation. “I went to New Orleans once when I was a kid,” she said, absently dragging her palms up and down his arms. “We stayed in the French Quarter. It was lovely.” She tilted her head. “Are you in Manhattan on vacation?”
    “No, I just moved here actually,” he lied.
    “How do you like it?”
    “It’s a beautiful city.” His gaze strayed to the perfect pair of breasts he was at eye level with. “The people are really . . . nice.”
    Her lips twitched. So did his cock.
    “Yeah, some of them,” she said vaguely.
    He decided it was time to do some of that delicate digging. “How do you like working here?”
    Her expression went shuttered. “Good people, great pay” was all she said.
    Luke furrowed his brows. It had been almost imperceptible, but he could’ve sworn he’d glimpsed a spark of fear in her eyes before her guard shot up. But why? What could she possibly be afraid of? All he’d asked was whether she liked her job.
    Before he could dig any deeper, the music faded and a male voice crackled out of an intercom over their heads. “Time’s up. Take a bow, Livy.”
    Luke saw relief flicker on her face as she climbed off him.
    “Can I see you again?” he burst out before she could leave.
    “Said the lap to the dancer.”
    He shot her a quizzical look. “What?”
    “Nothing.” She sighed. “It’s this thing I like to say when I— Forget it.” She stepped toward the door.
    “I mean it. I want to see you again,” he told her retreating back. “Maybe take you out to dinner?”
    She slowly swiveled around. And stared at him.
    Oh, for fuck’s sake, of course she doesn’t want to see you again. He realized she probably got asked that every other second, from every other pervert who came to ogle her tits.
    “Dumb question,” he said again.
    “Yes, it was,” she said quietly.
    And then she was gone.
    Taking a breath, Luke staggered to his feet. Damn. What had he been thinking? He’d been ordered to keep an eye on her, not ask her out to dinner.
    But it wasn’t his dim-witted request that troubled him. Or her rejection. It was the fact that when the words had slipped out of his mouth, he’d completely forgotten about the mission. He hadn’t asked her out to gather information. He’d done it because—God help him—he’d actually wanted to see her