His words made my face ignite, and I suddenly couldn’t bring myself to look in Hux’s direction.
Images from the night before flashed for the millionth time through my head. The feel of Hux’s strong grip on my ass, the smell of sandalwood on his leather jacket, the taste of lime on his tongue as it took complete ownership of my mouth.
The press of his thick erection against my thigh.
When Champ kicked off our strategy meeting, where he described how and why he’d need me to keep the target totally engaged for the next several hours, I managed to stay focused and nod at the appropriate points, but I was way too aware of the man beside me. Tension rolled off him in waves, and when the meeting finally adjourned, Hux immediately jumped to his feet.
“Grab your Horn, and let’s get started,” he commanded.
I pushed up my glasses and stared at him. “Huh?”
He wiggled his gaming device so it became a blue blur mere inches from my face. “Your Horn? The thing you’re going to need for this op? Hello? You were paying attention, right?”
Elvo stood also, barely restraining a shit-eating grin. “Whoa. Someone oughta charge money for this show. The sexual tension is…” He fanned at his face. “Phew. Hottest thing I’ve seen since… eh, two weeks ago when Champ and Quinn were dancing around each other, wouldn’t you say, Jordan?”
Champ rolled his eyes and shoved Elvo toward the door.
“Mmm,” Yolanda agreed, shutting her tablet and giving me a wink. “Alpha male pheromones. Grrr.”
It was my turn to glare at everyone, ending with Huxley. “I left my Horn downstairs, where it’s wired into my monitors. I’m going to play there.”
“Fine.” Hux rolled his eyes. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t recall asking you to come.”
“Yeah, well, maybe that was all a bizarre dream too.” He made a rolling motion with his hand. “Can we just cut to the part where we do our jobs, please?”
Be professional, I reminded myself.
I stood, not realizing just how close that would bring us until our chests nearly brushed, but I refused to take a step back. “Bring the bunny,” I countered.
Okay, so not the most professional thing I’d ever said.
Hux pursed his lips but finally nodded once, his eyes hot on mine.
I very definitely did not repress a shiver. I nodded back, then put my chin in the air and stepped around him, leading him downstairs.
Having Hux in my lair always made me feel a stew of emotions. Excitement, nerves… the urge to ask him to stay and play with me awhile.
But I pushed the stew away and remembered the trust that Champ and his team had given me. And I would rather die before letting them down.
Eye of the tiger.
“How exactly will me distracting them in the game help us get this guy’s Horn?” I asked, handing Hux a long HDMI cable so he could connect his laptop to one of my large wall monitors. I conveniently plucked the bunny out of his hands so Hux could deal with the cable.
It was no secret Rodrigo preferred my lap over Hux’s, and I was determined to give him extra attention. No bunny should feel lonely when I was around.
“Not a guy—a woman. We’re working off the assumption that the Horn belongs to Camila Dacosta. She’s married to Anthony Dacosta, who is a highly rated heart surgeon in Houston. We initially wondered if the Horn was his because of some ties he might have had to Gustavo Santiago, the head of the cartel.”
“Doesn’t that seem more likely?” I asked.
“Why? Because she’s a nice, rich lady?” Hux said hotly. Then his shoulders slumped, and he sighed. “There’s been enough active game play during Anthony’s surgery times to give us doubt,” he said more calmly. “They do have two teenagers who could be using the Horn, and though the game play has been during school hours, that’s obviously inconclusive. But to me, the biggest giveaway is the username, OnCallWidow.”
Hux reached for the bunny. I pretended not to notice. “That’s pretty circumstantial if you ask me. Lots of people’s names don’t align with their real lives. For example, some people believe they’re masters of the game—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Hux cracked his neck from side to side like he was trying to dislodge tension. “We’ve had this conversation before. Get new material—”
“—and I hate to be the one to explain this to you, buddy…” I reached out and placed my hand on his tattooed forearm, setting my face into my most solemn, earnest expression. “But sometimes people lie on the internet.”
Hux’s lips twitched, and he moved his arm away, but when he sat down, I saw him rubbing his fingers over the spot where I’d touched him, even though I knew for a fact that I couldn’t possibly have hurt him.
Hux rolled his chair closer to the desk and sat up straight. “Focus, HogDoc. I finally tapped into the Dacostas’ exterior cameras. One of the teens is performing in a matinee theater production this afternoon with her drama club and will definitely not be able to play during those hours.”