Free Remembering You: Pushing the Boundaries, Prequel by Audra North Page B

her desk, Ben coming up right next to him.
    Someone save me.
    “Nina, the SWAT officer who led the Rosen Ring bust is here and I wanted to introduce you.” Rob gestured to Ben.
    We’ve already fucked , she wanted to say. And I want to do it again . But she managed to rise gracefully enough, smoothing her gray pencil skirt over her thighs as she stood. She could feel the straps of the garter belt holding up her stockings as she ran her hands over the wool. She hated wearing pantyhose for the sheer fact that pulling them down to go to the bathroom was a pain in the ass, but having the tops of her thighs bare right now, in such close proximity to Ben, wasn’t helping her libido.
    The three-inch heels she was wearing today brought her almost to eye level with him as she walked around her desk to greet him, hand outstretched.
    “Actually, Rob, I already know Miss Lang,” Ben said smoothly, grabbing her hand and catching her to him in a quick, friendly hug, and she reeled at the unexpected contact. For the brief span of time their bodies met, she felt secure, happy and wildly aroused.
    But then he released her and they both stepped back, breathing heavily. If her lips weren’t exploding with the need to kiss him, she’d be laughing at how ridiculously hot for one another they were.
    Rob looked curious. “I didn’t realize you’d met before. Nina hasn’t been around much. Do you know each other from your childhood?”
    Leave it to a fellow journalist to be annoyingly nosy .
    Ben shook his head. “I am an admirer of Miss Lang’s work, actually, and when I ran across her recently in the city, I recognized her right away from the photo next to her byline.”
    Rob huffed a bit, not liking the reminder that, despite her much younger years, Nina had had more success than he. But he recovered quickly and clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Care for something to drink while we talk, Officer Crewes? Coffee, water?”
    Ben held her gaze as he answered. “Water would be great, please.”
    Rob nodded. “Sure thing. Nina, would you mind getting some water for him, please?”
    Seriously?
    She glared at Rob, who raised his eyebrows as though she were an impertinent child and he was some sort of omnipotent king of the newsroom.
    Fine. At least going to get some water would put some distance between her and Ben. Being this close to him was making her head swim and her body go all soft. So she swallowed back her refusal and nodded.
    “Sure. Let me go fetch you a cup, Officer Crewes,” she said as politely as she could, then turned to head to the kitchen.
    But Ben followed her, catching her up in a few strides. “I’ll accompany you, Miss Lang,” he said, all smiles and jovial steps. He called over his shoulder to Rob, who stood looking after them in surprise. “Be right back, Rob.”
    They headed out into the long hallway alongside the newsroom and Nina turned toward the kitchen. It was quiet at this time of day, and they had the kitchen to themselves. She didn’t waste any of their precious time alone, but whipped around and demanded, “What are you doing here?”
    But Ben didn’t seem to understand her discomfort, because he merely chuckled. “Rob is interviewing me about the bust last week.”
    She frowned. “Couldn’t he have done that at the station?” She didn’t like having Ben so close. It was tempting her to touch him again, to start something she knew would go nowhere.
    She grabbed a cup from on top of the water cooler. He stopped her before she could bend to fill it, though, gently taking the cup from her hands. “I can get my own water, Nina. You don’t have to do this. You’re not a servant, for God’s sake.”
    She shrugged. “I figured it wasn’t worth it to argue with Rob.”
    He finished filling the cup and took a deep swallow of the water. She watched his throat muscles work, wanting to run her fingers over the light beard already showing on his jaw.
    “Rob is an ass,” he said quietly. “But he