Free Hidden Heat: Hauberk Protection, Book 4 by Leah Braemel Page A

network.
    She’d finished clearing Chad’s inbox when there was a knock on her door. She peered out the peep hole. Troy. Oh shit, and here she was in her PJs. After a brief debate about whether to change first, she removed the chain and unlocked the door.
    His expression heated as his gaze fell to her pajamas. “Funny. I pictured you wearing skimpy teddies around your apartment.”
    “Sorry to smash that fantasy. I’m all about warmth and comfort.” Damn it, why couldn’t she have been wearing that sexy little teddy she’d bought at Victoria’s Secret a couple months ago? Because her apartment was too freaking chilly to wander around in that type of outfit.
    “To be honest, I find this effin’ sexy.” He toyed with her collar, rubbing the cloth between his fingers. The heat of his hand flowed through the fabric and revived a memory of when he’d touched her skin-to-skin. “I like the glasses too. They’re sexy. Gives you a sort of wanton librarian look.”
    “My contacts were bothering me. How’d your dinner with Senator Brannally go?” Next she’d be showing him the retainer she’d worn. She led him inside her apartment and closed the door.
    “Fine.” He curled his fingers beneath her jaw, his thumb stroking her bottom lip. “I figured we needed to talk without an audience.”
    “Just talk?” She sucked his thumb into her mouth, in an obvious imitation of what she’d done for him earlier.
    “Yes, just talk. You are a cheeky monkey, aren’t you?” He pulled his thumb from her mouth and shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.
    She wrapped her arms around his waist, enjoying the strength of him beneath her cheek, the lingering remnants of his aftershave and a hint of one of Sam’s cigars filling her nostrils. “I was going for sex kitten or siren or something better than monkey, to be honest.”
    His laugh rumbled deep in his chest. “All right, sex kitten it is.” His smile dimmed. “Did Sam give you any grief today?”
    “Other than giving me the stink eye when he came out to refill his coffee cup a couple times, he didn’t say anything directly if that’s what you’re worried about. What about you? Did he ream you out?”
    “He tried. But I told him given his and Rosie’s antics in his office lately, he can’t say much.”
    “I guess we need to be more discreet. Next time I’ll remember to lock your door.” Though most of the thrill had come from knowing someone might walk in on them.
    “That’s why I came over. We need to talk about if there should be a next time.”
    Damn it. “I want there to be, don’t you?”
    “Things could get complicated.” He swept her bangs to the side. Instead of dropping his hand, he toyed with her earring, his fingers occasionally brushing the sensitive skin behind her ear. He might as well have been playing with her pussy from the way it pulsed with each touch.
    “I told you. I’m not looking for a long-term relationship, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
    His expression confirmed he doubted her assertion.
    “Look, I’m serious,” she continued. “That’s one of the reasons why I moved to D.C. If I’d stayed in Minnesota, I would have died of boredom. Nothing exciting ever happened there. I don’t see myself as settling down anytime soon. So if you think I’m going to tie you down, I won’t.”
    The doubt in his face didn’t recede. “What do you want, sunshine?”
    “I want to explore sides of me I wouldn’t have had a chance to back in Minnesota. I’m tired of people thinking I’m nice, quiet Sandy. That I’m looking for the white picket fence and two point five kids. So if you picture a relationship of missionary position with the lights out, then I’m not your girl. I want to live my life on the edge. I want excitement. I don’t want to look back when I’m Mom’s age and regret anything. Is that too real for you?”
    His smile returned, softening the sharp planes of