Pursuit of a Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page B

she had to be feeling. She stayed remarkably calm. Only her
absent-minded fidgeting revealed she may not be as unruffled as she strove to
appear. He gave her hand a squeeze, stroking it with his thumb as he studied
the stoic expression she fought to maintain. Admiration filled him. He had
known new recruits on the force to tremble in the face of danger, yet Juliet
seemed braced to handle whatever came at her.
    Glancing down at the hand he held he realized
how amazingly soft her skin felt. A unique scent, like roses and honeysuckle,
wafted up towards his face as he kissed her knuckles. She must use a lotion or
something for her hands to stay that soft. As his fingers turned to caress her
palm, he wondered if her skin felt just as soft on the rest of her body. Maybe
she used the lotion all over, putting it on when she stepped dripping from the
shower…
    Juliet’s voice snapped him from his thoughts
just in time. Picturing her naked had him shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
    “What did you say?”
    Juliet shook her head. “Never mind. Just
worrying out loud.”
    “Juliet, I’m not going to let anything happen to
you.”
    “I know.”
    Her big blue eyes gazed up at him, projecting
all her trust and faith in his ability to protect her. He stared back. Shades
of auburn in her hair shone under the fluorescent hospital lights. He felt
himself drawn in, leaning forward without realizing it. Juliet’s lips parted.
    “How the hell did you get yourself shot?” A
booming voice interrupted from the doorway.
    “Aaron!” Juliet reached out her good hand to
greet her brother.
    Jake felt as though a bucket of ice water had
been dumped over his head. What the hell was he doing? Had he really been about
to kiss Aaron’s baby sister?
    Hell yeah. And right now he still felt as though
he could cheerfully throttle Aaron for disrupting that charged moment.
    Jake sighed heavily as the siblings greeted one
another. Juliet was injured, vulnerable, looking at him like her proverbial
knight in shining armor. He couldn’t take advantage of that.
    Aaron gave him a brotherly hug. “Thanks for
keeping her company at the hospital last night. I couldn’t get a flight out
until this morning.”
    “What are you doing here at all?” Juliet
demanded. “
Tracy
could have the baby any minute.”
    Both Juliet and Jake snorted at the explosion of
pride that crossed Aaron’s face.
    “I’m booked on a flight back home to
San Francisco
tonight, and
she’s not due for another three weeks or so. I had to see you and make sure you
were okay.”
    “Well, however short your visit, it is good to
see you.”
    Aaron turned toward him. “Jake, I hate to
impose, but do you mind watching out for Juliet a bit longer? With our dad away
on that cruise and
Tracy
about to give birth…”
    “Not a problem.”
    Of course he’d stay. Too bad he couldn’t spend
the time with Juliet the way he kept imagining. Jake had to keep reminding himself
that he was here at Aaron’s behest. That didn’t involve Juliet ever getting
naked. Or into his bed. Under him. Over him. Her soft hair sweeping across his
stomach as she….
    “What?” he asked, becoming aware both siblings were
watching him. He had to calm down.
    “I asked what you thought of the detectives. Are
they good?”
    “Yeah, definitely. Actually, since you’re here,
I want to talk to a few people about the investigation. I’ll be back soon.”
Before either of them could reply, Jake made his escape. He had to clear his
head before he could handle being around Juliet anymore.
     
    After contacting his boss at the FBI, it didn’t
take Jake long to get a detailed background on
Martinez
. The more he read, the more worried
he became. Officially the FBI had no involvement in this specific
investigation, since the LAPD and district attorney’s office planned to go
after
Martinez
for first-degree murder instead of complicating the case with his trafficking
activities. Then they hoped they could convince him