HIS Desire: An H.I.S. Novel (H.I.S. series Book 1) (6 page)

Rylee smiled. “That’s great. Isn’t it?” She’d met Jesse at the agency, and Kate had envied how well they got along. He never tried to rile Rylee like he did her.

“I don’t know.” Kate exhaled a troubled sigh. “We don’t get along all the time, and now he wants to spend time with me. He kissed me the other night, when we left the bar. It’s confusing.”

Rylee raised her eyebrows. “And?”

Kate shook her head. “And nothing. My problem is that I’m attracted to him.” Attracted was an understatement. He invaded her dreams. She couldn’t stop thinking about his hard body against hers and his wickedly, delicious lips claiming hers.

Rylee laughed. “How’s that a problem?”

“He’s in a relationship.”

“Really?” Rylee’s look of surprise was almost comical.

“According to AJ, he doesn’t do relationships, but apparently he’s wrong. Do you think he wants to cheat on his girlfriend with me?”

Rylee’s lipped tightened into a thin line. “I don’t see it from Jesse. Maybe they just broke up. Maybe he just wants to watch the game with you.”

“And the kiss?”

“You’ll just have to ask him about it.”

“Believe me, I plan on it.”

“You haven’t been on a date since Mark.”

Kate dated Mark Strickland for nearly a year. Things had been going well until she found out he was only with her for her money. Even though he’d been the only man to accept her as she was, she hadn’t hesitated to break off the relationship.

She was destined to be alone for the rest of her life.

“Not everyone is like Mark, and from what I’ve heard about H.I.S., Jesse is doing well and doesn’t need money.”

H.I.S. was a major player in the city. According to AJ, they were in high demand and had their pick of jobs.

“Kate, the real question is what do you think of him? Well, besides being attracted to him?”

Kate took a sip of iced tea to collect her thoughts then played with the condensation on her glass. She inspected the droplet of water on her finger. “He irritates me. I think he tries on purpose to get a rise out of me. I barely recall not being angry with him. But there’s just something about him. When he’s not trying to provoke me, I like him.”

“Find out what’s going on then make your decision. If he’s single, go for it. Look, I gotta go. I may be going undercover soon. I’ll let you know.” Rylee stood to leave the pub.

“Are you going to tell me what happened in Vegas?”

“Nothing happened. At least, not anything worth discussing.”

Rylee walked away. Kate would get to the bottom of what happened in Vegas soon enough.

She took another sip of her iced tea and saw the beauty walk toward her. Her protective detail jumped to their feet. She waved them off.

“Can I help you? Elizabeth, isn’t it?”

Elizabeth sneered at her. “You can leave Jesse alone. He’s mine.”

So, he was still in a relationship.
Bastard.

“I’m not sure why you’re telling me this. There’s nothing between Jesse and me.”

She pointed at Kate. “Just know that I’ll do anything,
anything
to ensure he’s mine.” She glided away.

Kate decided she needed to call and cancel with Jesse. No matter how her body reacted to him, he wasn’t worth the aggravation.

* * * * *

Kate twisted the antique ring on her finger, a ring that had been passed down her biological mother’s family for generations. Why had she agreed to this? That’s right, she hadn’t. He’d dictated. Instead of cancelling like she should have, she’d dressed in her Orioles’ jersey and did her best to look presentable.

Watching a game together would be safe. People did it all the time. If he made a move, she’d shut him down. She wouldn’t be the other woman.

She didn’t understand her desire to get to know him on a personal level. He had no respect for her and her abilities as an agent. Yet, he’d treated her like a desirable woman when he’d kissed her.

The knock on the door startled her. Well, it was now or never. She could do this. It was an O’s game, and she’d be watching it anyway.

She opened the door and, as usual, he took her breath away. “Hey,” she finally managed to say, feeling like a love struck teenager.

Jesse smiled, his gaze touching her, all of her. How did he do that? She had to stay strong. He belonged to someone else. This was two people getting together to watch a baseball game.

“I see you’re an avid fan.” He brushed past her into her apartment. He held up two plastic bags in one hand and a six-pack of beer in the other. “I promised food, snacks and beer.”

She closed the door. “I see you’re an avid fan too.” He wore an Orioles’ jersey and baseball cap, tight jeans and a five o’clock shadow. He looked sporty and sexy as hell. Why did he have to be taken? Why did she want him?

“They’re playing the Blue Jays tonight, so it should be a good game.” He unloaded the bags then reached down to pet Dottie who’d followed him, or the food, to the kitchen. “I brought hot dogs, so we can pretend we’re at the stadium. And, of course,” he handed Dottie a dog chew, “I brought something for your girl.”

Her dog ambled off with her treat while he made himself at home.

“Why are you doing this?” she blurted out.

Jesse turned to her and drew his brows in. “Doing what?”

She cleared her throat and gestured to the spread he had on the kitchen counter. “This.” He’d already searched the cabinets and found a pot to put the hot dogs on to cook.

“You have to have food to watch the game, and I’m guessing it’s hard for you to cook with only one hand.” His lips broke into a silly grin.

“No. Not just the cooking. The rest of it. The kiss…inviting yourself over.” Doing things a boyfriend would do on a date. Except he wasn’t her boyfriend. Or on a date.

Jesse walked to her and put his hands on her waist.

She stiffened. The mere touch of his hands sent a warming shiver through her.

“Because I want to get to know you, Kate. How’s that for a reason?”

Her eyes narrowed. “But, you have a girlfriend.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “No, I don’t.”

“What about Elizabeth?” Kate didn’t stand a chance against the exquisite Elizabeth. Not many women would.

“What about her? Hell. Did she tell you we were together?”

All she could do was nod.

His hands moved from her waist to her shoulders. “Kate. I have
never
dated Elizabeth and never will. She has this screwed up vision of us together, but it will never happen. I only put up with her because she’s the sister of a close friend.”

“Did you sleep with her then dump her?” She momentarily closed her eyes, realizing what she’d said. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”

He dropped his hands and turned back to the counter. “It’s okay. No. I’ve never slept with her. Never wanted to.”

She’d already gone this far. She had to know. “But, I heard you on the phone tell someone you loved them.”

He turned and smiled. “I did. I do love someone.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. After a few taps, he turned it to show her a picture of a little girl that had his hair and eyes. “It was my daughter, Reagan. She’d stayed overnight at her aunt’s house while I was granted a guys’ night out to celebrate Samuel’s release.”

She wanted to slap herself for not thinking it could have been his daughter he was speaking with. She’d automatically acted like a jealous woman. What the hell was wrong with her? This man was driving her crazy.

“She’s adorable.” She admired his daughter’s pictures while silently celebrating that he wasn’t a two-timing bastard.

He put his phone away. “Come on. Let’s get ready to watch some baseball.”

* * * * *

“So what made you want to become an FBI agent when you have a big family business?” A mouthful of popcorn went into Jesse’s mouth.

“My parents were murdered when I was four, and their killer was never brought to justice. The man who pulled the trigger had been murdered immediately after the shooting. But, the
real
killer gave the order from behind bars. I joined the FBI to ensure he paid for killing them.

“Nick Mendoza had been convicted of embezzlement. He’d been caught red-handed, and there was nothing my parents, who were criminal defense attorneys, could do to win his case. He blamed them for his conviction and threatened the family. My parents had been threatened before and didn’t take it seriously. It cost them their lives.” And more to her.

Jesse grabbed another handful of popcorn from the large bowl they shared. “And did he?”

She knew exactly what he meant. “Yes.”

He nodded and stuffed his mouth full of popcorn.

Now that she knew he was available, she thought about what Rylee had said. Could she just go for it? She tried to convince herself it would be okay. No, she couldn’t do it. For some unknown reason, she knew it had to be a relationship or nothing with him.

She mentally shrugged and turned her attention to the game. She’d see what happened.

“Yea!” They both yelled as they jumped up from the couch and gave each other a high-five as the O’s hit a homerun.

“Looks like they might get rain.” Kate took a sip of her beer. “I’m glad we aren’t there.”

“Fair weathered fan?” he joked.

Before she could respond, he jumped up from the couch.

“Bullshit! That was clearly a ball!” He threw popcorn at the television.

She giggled. Actually giggled. What the hell?

“Shit. I’ll pick it up.” He took it to the kitchen and tossed it in the garbage can. “Want another one?” He held up his beer bottle.

“No. I’m only halfway through with this one.”

“Lightweight. This is an O’s game. Lots of beer is required.”

Lightweight?
She picked up her beer and chugged the remainder. “Give me another one.”

“That’s my girl.” Jesse smiled and returned to the couch with her beer.

His girl?
What did he mean by that?

He handed her a beer, sat and tapped his bottle to hers. “Go O’s.”

She looked up when their hands touched in the popcorn bowl, and the smoldering flame in his eyes startled her.

She withdrew her hand quickly and turned away.
Get a grip.
“Um, tell me about H.I.S. When did you start it? Why?”

He shrugged. “Two years ago, Matt and Devon, my brothers, and I decided to form Hamilton Investigation and Security, Inc., or as you know us, H.I.S., where we put together our skills to solve the complex problems of our clients
through any means necessary
.”

It didn’t go unnoticed how he stressed the last four words.

He grinned. “That’s our slogan. As to why? We were tired of red tape, stupid orders, you name it, and we were through with it.”

She waited for him to expound. When she realized he wasn’t, she said, “Tell me about the role your brothers play. I know you were an Army Ranger and FBI agent, so you have excellent security and investigative skills.”

“Ah, Kate, was that a compliment?” he teased. “If so, you forgot that I’m an excellent marksman, too.” He winked at her.

Was that joking and playfulness? From Jesse? Butterflies formed in her stomach as his mouth curved into a silly grin. She liked this Jesse. A lot.

“But, seriously, as you said, I’m security and investigation, but since I’m the oldest, I get to be the boss.” He took a swig of beer. “I didn’t give them a choice.”

With the exception of talking about Reagan, she’d never seen him smile this much. She had never seen him enjoy himself this much.

“Matt is an ex-SEAL and leads our protection and security division, and Devon is an ex-CIA agent and our computer forensic expert. Last year, Brad, Matt’s twin, left the secret service and joined up with us. He does a little of everything. Well, except work with the computers. No one dares mess with Devon’s computer setup.” He shook his head and chuckled.

Hmm, must be an inside family joke. “What all, besides show up the FBI in a murder case, have you done?” She felt like a reporter rushing out questions, building up to what she really wanted to know the answer to.

“You sure you want to hear all of this?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“We’ve done a little of this and that. Kidnapping investigation. International corporate security protection. Witness protection and asset searches. Just to name a few things. The majority of our clients are civilian, but we’ve also recently been in high demand from government agencies.”

Hmm. They were important. “I’m intrigued. Tell me more.” He hadn’t told her anything she hadn’t already learned from AJ.

“Well, when we started, we hired a few of our old pals with law enforcement or military backgrounds as our initial team. But business has grown so rapidly, we’ve expanded and added more men and two K-9 units. Which have really come in handy for protective details.”

He wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to know without her asking. “If it’s a family business, and I’m assuming it is...”

He nodded, but his eyes narrowed a little, and he raised an eyebrow in question.

“Why isn’t AJ a part of it?”

Jesse took a deep breath, rubbed the back of his neck and loudly exhaled. “He’s our baby brother. Unfortunately, we’ve always treated him that way. He thinks if he can prove himself, then we’ll take him seriously.”

Her eyes widened. AJ not take care of himself? She wanted to laugh.

“Don’t think it. We do take him seriously. It’s some fucked up thing in his mind. Anyhow, he thinks he belongs at the FBI and not with us so he can show us he’s grown or something or other.”

The pain in Jesse’s eyes told her a great deal about his love for AJ. She wanted to reach out to him. Comfort him.

He ruined the moment by looking back at the game on the television and saying, “I heard you went out today.”

Are you kidding me? AJ tattled on her to Jesse. Damn him. “I did. I had lunch with friends.”

He turned to her. “You know better than that, Kate. You shouldn’t be out in the open, and you shouldn’t put your friends at risk like that until we find the shooter.”

So much for a relaxing time. “I can take care of myself, and my friends were protected. Besides, it’s none of your business.”