Free Rival Forces by D. D. Ayres

reason Law had asked him to come? To do some heavy lifting for his sister’s sake?
    She wasn’t happy to see him. Hell, he wasn’t happy to be here. Not when all he could think about was the kiss they’d shared. And that wasn’t about to happen again. It wouldn’t be smart. Or helpful. Or lead to anything. He couldn’t allow that, not if his aching dick and balls turned blue with frustration. He wouldn’t screw her and leave again. And since he couldn’t stay, he wouldn’t touch her again. For both their sakes.
    But damn !
    He thought for a moment about the litter of toller puppies he’d left in the care of Sheila Maxwell. Sheila wasn’t his partner or anything like that. They worked together, had sex when the mood struck them both at the same time. The fact that that mood hadn’t struck in months wasn’t an issue between them. But now, looking at Yardley, he was thinking an evening in the company of a friendly woman would be a very good idea. Much better than the one he was wrestling with.
    His dick twitched. Maybe he was only 60 percent dick these days. That was still a majority. Yet his little head no longer did the majority of his thinking. He was sent to do a job. Stick with Yard and keep her out of trouble. Piece of cake. Not.
    He caught up with her just as she started the Jeep’s engine. “Wait up.”
    She didn’t, of course. She threw the Jeep in reverse and stepped on the gas, hard.
    As gravel spewed from the back wheels, she braked and Kye saw his chance. With Lily in one hand, he yanked open the door of the moving vehicle with the other and jumped in, glad he was wearing combat boots because she cut him no slack as she swung the Jeep around.
    â€œWhere are we going?”
    She didn’t spare him a glance, but he caught the up-curve of her mouth. “I need to find my phone.” The Jeep shot through the open gates and took a hard left onto the road.
    A few minutes later they had parked on the side of the road and were on foot in the twiggy remains of underbrush.
    â€œAnd you lost your phone in the brush how?” Kye hacked impatiently at the dry grass with a felled branch.
    â€œI have a temper. Okay?”
    â€œNo argument there.”
    Lily, who’d been joyfully traipsing through the winter scrub while her doggy companion had been left in a crate in the Jeep, suddenly barked and leaped, pawing furiously at a patch of damp leaves until she could pluck something from the ground. Then she pranced over and nudged Kye’s thigh.
    Kye smiled. “Found your phone.”
    Yardley snatched and looked at it. Her expression drooped. “Battery’s dead.”
    Kye handed Lily a few treats. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
    â€œNo.” She pocketed the phone and headed back toward the Jeep.
    Kye trooped after her. “Let me rephrase. Tell me what’s going on before I throttle you.”
    Yard took a deep breath and turned around to face him. “I want to hire you.”
    â€œI’m already engaged, in a manner of speaking.”
    â€œNo, you’re doing Law a favor. I want to pay you so you owe your allegiance to me. That means you can’t contact Law about me or with anything you learn about me.”
    Kye crossed his arms, feeling a trap opening beneath him. “What do I have to do?”
    â€œI don’t know yet.” She turned and continued toward her Jeep.
    â€œHold up, Ms. Long, Leggy, and Inscrutable.” He bent down to pick up Lily and slung her around his shoulders. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
    No.” She hopped in her Jeep and turned on the ignition. She glanced at him. “You coming?”
    *   *   *
    â€œWhat do you suppose they were doing?” Agent Glaser lowered his Steiner MM30 8x30mm military binoculars, a memento from his years in the marines.
    â€œSearching for something?” FBI agent Jackson