Out of the Shadows (Hudson Security #1)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

G avin climbed the steps to Bean’s front door and scowled. Her front door was ajar, and he could hear some bass-heavy pop song blaring. After ringing the doorbell—not that it would do any good since the music was so damn loud—he let himself in.

“Bean!” he shouted, hoping she’d hear him. Doubtful, since he could barely hear himself.

Her house had a similar layout to his. It opened into a great room with an open kitchen to the left and a living area to the right. The stark difference was that where his television was set up, she had a seven-screen workstation that was nearly identical to her office setup. Spotting her portable speaker on the coffee table, he made his way to it and lowered the volume. How the hell she listened to this crappy music, he had no clue.

“Oh, hey!”

He spun at her voice, and his mind went blank.

Gone were the thoughts of giving her shit for her taste in music. Gone were the thoughts of lecturing her on leaving her door not only unlocked, but open. Gone were the thoughts of their plan for the evening. Hell, he wasn’t even sure what the hell his own name was.

Because holy shit . . .

She looked fucking amazing.

When his brain finally became unscrambled—well, less scrambled—he took her in one more time. Seeing her dressed up shouldn’t be a surprise. He’d seen her dressed in her fitted skirts, silk blouses, and sky-high heels countless times. As much as he hated to admit it, she had the hot librarian thing down pat.

This was different.

The front of her black dress had a high neckline and long sleeves, but with each step she took, it showed off a surprisingly high slit that damn near went up to her right hip. Not to mention her bright-red heels did amazing things to her already fabulous legs and?—

Wait. No. Shit.

“You know, you shouldn’t leave your front door unlocked or hanging wide open.” He inwardly cringed. As far as segues went, that was shit. So was his tone. He probably should have started with a simple hello, but the synapses in his brain weren’t firing.

Her eyes rolled as she waved him off. “Calm down, caveman. I didn’t open it until I got the notification that you were coming up the driveway.”

Turning her back to him, she made her way toward her workstation on the opposite side of the living room. And he nearly swallowed his tongue.

Her dress.

Fucking hell.

While the front had a high neckline and fully covered her, the back of her dress was nonexistent. Her dark-brown hair was the only thing covering her. Every inch of her creamy skin was exposed in a V that showed off where her tiny waist nipped in and dipped low into the small of her back.

Holy. Fuck.

He needed to rein in all his damn thoughts. Immediately. No more thinking of her legs. No more thinking of her dressed as a sexy librarian. And definitely no more thinking of her creamy skin and wondering if it was as soft as he thought it would be.

His dick twitched.

Shit. Focus, dammit!

She turned once again and made her way back to him carrying a slim burgundy briefcase, while that leg played peekaboo with her dress’s mile-long slit.

He swallowed. Audibly.

Desperately needing a distraction, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and nodded to the briefcase. “What’s that?”

“Oh, just the usual.” She shrugged, set it on the table next to him, and flipped the top open. “Laptop. Tablet. Comms. You know, just in case.”

The intelligence shining brightly in her eyes was just as hot as her outfit. Damn. “Are you anticipating problems tonight?”

The smile she flashed him was that smart-ass and slightly condescending one he oddly enjoyed. “I never know with you, boss. I never know.”

He nodded, conceding her point. It never hurt to be prepared for anything. “Are you bringing a phone?”

She scoffed. “Is that a real question?” She gestured to the table where a small, red purse sat. “My phone links to my laptop, and I have a few other small tech goodies in there. Nothing that will set off a metal detector, of course.”

Of course she did. She was a badass like that.

Gorgeous and kick-ass. It was a potent combo .

He wanted to slap himself upside the head, but he couldn’t focus on anything except her. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Did you eat lunch today?”

Her hands moved to her hips, and she made a growling sound. “Holy crap. Stop with that already.”

“With what?” His eyes narrowed in confusion.

She dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling. She muttered something he couldn’t decipher and then let out a breath as she met his gaze. “At least you seem to be done being a grumpy ass. That’s a plus, I suppose.”

This woman had him off-fucking-kilter. “How have I been grumpy? I’m just making sure you’re fed and watered.”

She glared at him as he cringed. “Like livestock?”

Yeah... The second the words had left his mouth, he’d known he’d fucked up. But the way her cheeks flushed pink with irritation was mesmerizing.

He couldn’t help himself. Like the immature dumbass he was, he had to poke at her a little more. “I don’t know why you’re being so sensitive, B.”

Slapping the lid of the briefcase shut, she stomped toward him. “Keep talking, bud, and I’m going to bash you. Over. Your. Damn. Head.”

Each of her final words were punctuated by a jab of her finger. He was itching to grab hold of that finger and pull her closer. See what she’d do then. “I’d like to see you try.”

She leaned closer and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tempt me, boss man.”

His lips kicked up in a smirk. Why the hell he found that so hot, he had no clue. But damn...

Mischief twinkled in her blue eyes as she took a step back.

The evening was young. He may just have to rile her up some more. See what she’d actually do to him .

Realizing where his thoughts were going, he shook his head. Nope. Bad idea, Frazier. Bad fucking idea.