[When SEALs Come Home 04] - Heated Read Online Free PDF Page A

grown out the night of Will Donegan’s funeral. The dark strands were almost long enough to tangle her fingers in if she was in that kind of a mood. Which she absolutely shouldn’t be.
    Ever .
    Wanting a piece of Joey was like wanting a doughnut (or six) when she was on a diet. She could want , but eating was strictly off-limits. Wow. Eating Joey Carter. The mental image made her inner thighs tingle. Which was wrong, wrong, wrong. Joey was out of her league. Plus she was an officer of the law in real life and not wearing a costume in some kinky bondage fantasy, which made lusting after the man downright unethical.
    He turned his head and watched her close the remaining distance between them, his stare never moving from her face. She had no idea what he saw, but he definitely liked to stare at her. Probably just to make her uncomfortable, because Joey was all about teasing and pushing boundaries. Still, he had gorgeous eyes himself, and she wasn’t looking away. He was like a cat or a wild animal. Give him an inch, show just the smallest hint of weakness, and he’d pounce. He was all fun and games on the surface, but underneath he hid someone wilder. Fiercer. She had no problem imagining him in his SEALs days, breaking down doors and storming enemy compounds. A small smile tipped up the corners of his mouth. He was amused. The idiot. He liked making her chase him all over kingdom come.
    “Off the bike,” she snapped.
    He gave her another lazy grin. “Mia mine. Someone’s in a feisty mood today.”
    “Is everything a game to you? And the name’s not Mia.” That wasn’t fair, but he irritated her as much as he turned her on, and only one of those emotions was intentional on his part. Plus she remembered holding him in her patrol car while the big, strong SEAL broke down. It was okay to cry. Tears weren’t her favorite thing—okay, she hated them with a passion—but sometimes getting the emotions out did make you feel better. For instance, Joey looked great right now, like Will Donegan’s death was the last thing on his mind.
    “Pretty much.” His smile was one hundred percent bad boy, the zing shooting straight to her stomach and lower. It’s been so long , her lady parts begged. One taste? Damn it. She’d been here, done the guy, and gotten the postcard before. Her high school sweetheart had been a multivolume set of bad news. He’d been every bit as wild and bad as Joey...and he’d effectively ended her law enforcement career in Los Angeles before she’d ever really gotten started. No consorting with convicted felons was an ironclad rule, and breaking it had gotten her an invitation to write her letter of resignation. She’d turned in the letter, turned in her badge and turned over a new leaf. No more bad boys. She knew what the price tag was on a hot naughty now.
    “Deputy Sheriff.” Joey’s mischievous drawl recalled her to the present. She was staring at the poor man and drooling. Which was his fault for being so good-looking. “You planning on frisking me?”
    He was a hot fudge sundae after a week of clean eating. Chocolate to her flaxseed. Or some other boring, really good for you, but tasteless health food.
    “You wish,” she said shortly, not surprised when he nodded enthusiastically. Joey loved to push her buttons, and he’d figured out early on that over-the-top flirtation made her see red. Probably, if she was being honest with herself, because no small part of her wished he meant every word. Joey was a sweet-talker, and she’d been alone for too long.
    “You’re not going to ticket me?” He actually looked disappointed.
    “Change of pace. Today I get to arrest you.” Too bad for him. He’d pissed her off, so she was escalating matters. She motioned for him to get off the bike again.
    He blinked, like he actually hadn’t considered the possibility that she’d follow through. He got off the bike, though, so score one for her.
    “What’s the charge?”
    “Criminal