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5
Wham. Wham. Wham.
Heath punched and kicked the heavy bag hanging from the ceiling of the workout room in the basement of the brownstone later that night. He’d needed to burn off some adrenaline from the day and clear his head, and physical exertion always did that for him. Plus, it helped keep his bum leg from stiffening up too much.
He swiped the back of his gloved hand over his sweaty forehead and glanced up at the window set high in the concrete wall where nothing but orange glow from the nearby streetlight and the passing feet of pedestrians were visible. They’d done pretty well today with the senator, at least in his estimation. Aileen had gotten her threat across and he’d not gotten his ass hauled into police headquarters by the Secret Service. Always a good thing.
Still, he’d known Aileen had wanted to stick around and harass the senator more and she’d not been happy about Heath pulling her away when he had or about him shoving her into a taxi and bringing her back here. After his workout and shower, maybe he’d go upstairs and cook her a nice dinner to make it up to her. Not necessary, since he’d done nothing wrong, but if it smoothed things over between them then…
A frown deepened between his brows as he spotted a familiar pair of black patent leather Santa boots tromp by on the sidewalk outside. His thoughts sped as fast as his heart and he was yanking off his gloves and running up the stairs two at a time within seconds.
Shit, fuck and dammit all.
He’d even set the security system to make sure she’d stayed put—for her own good, of course—and somehow Aileen had gotten out anyway. Racing out of the brownstone, Heath barely noticed his lack of clothing from the waist up. He was so pissed at the moment, he could’ve qualified as a frigging supernova star. Sneakers sloshing through the wet slushy snow covering the pavement, he caught sight of Aileen about a half a block up the street, dressed in that goddamned Santa suit again and covering a lot of ground fast. Dodging pedestrians, he charged after her. No fucking way was she running now. Not after he’d spent all these weeks and effort on tracking her down. He’d get her back. For Murphy. For her own safety.
For myself.
That last thought made his steps fumble and he nearly face-planted into a nearby snowbank before he righted himself. People passing by gave him strange stares, either because of his shirtless state or his dark scowl, he wasn’t sure. Didn’t matter. He was getting Aileen back because it was the right thing to do. His feelings about her, or lack thereof, were irrelevant.
Heath caught up to her before she reached the corner, thank God, and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and face him. “Where the hell are you going?”
His breath puffed on the frigid air and now that he’d stopped, the cold started to lick at the sweat on his skin and made him shudder slightly. Then again, that tremor running through him could also be because of the spark of want he’d spotted in her eyes as Aileen took in the sight of him, half-naked and freezing in the brisk New York winter. A rapidly-rising warmth spread inside him despite the chill.
“I’m going back to the MacLeans’ for the night. Then tomorrow, I’m going undercover again to get my story.”
“We made a deal.” He tugged her closer to the nearby building, where at least the brick wall helped block the worst of the wind. “You’re just going to back out of it now, like a coward? What about your integrity? What about Murphy? He’s worried sick about you, you know?”
“I know. That’s why I want you to tell him tomorrow that you found me and that I’m fine. Tell him what I’m working on and that I’ll be home soon, once I get my evidence to nab the senator and EnKor.”
“Like hell I will.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. “I trusted you.”
“And I’m sorry.” Aileen sniffed and looked away. She hadn’t brought anything with her, only the Santa suit she’d worn in on the first day, he noticed. His heart tugged a bit, regardless of his wishes to the contrary. She looked so alone and small standing there that he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close, protect her from anything or anyone that dared to harm her. But that wasn’t possible. There were too many
variables between them that made holding her and touching her and wanting her a very bad idea. Too bad his heart and his libido didn’t seem to care. “But this story is too important. I can’t let Senator Lawrence or his sham company harm people like the MacLeans. They mean too much to me. I can’t allow him to get away with it. No one cares as much about this as I do.”
Heath shifted slightly, resting his hips back against the cool brick. “That might be true, but I’m still you’re partner. And I’m way bigger than you. If you start giving me shit, maybe I’ll just pick you up and toss you over my shoulder and carry you back to the brownstone myself.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me. Or don’t. Either way, we have a deal and I never break my promises. Now which is it going to be? You walk back with me, nice and peaceful or I haul you back caveman-style?”
They stared at each other across the span of several feet. A stand-off.
“Fine,” Aileen huffed at last, taking off back toward the brownstone without waiting for him.
Heath grinned and jogged to catch up with her, glad for the activity to warm his now-icy skin. Now that he thought about it, carrying her over his shoulder with all those delectable curves draped against him wouldn’t have been bad either, at least on his part.
As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Aileen glanced over at him and sneered. “I hope you’re happy.”
“Ecstatic. Thanks for asking.” He chuckled at the middle finger she flashed him. For some reason, feisty women always turned him on, even though most would as soon kick him in the nuts as kiss him. Still, an idea occurred, one that would help him burn off more excess energy and also assure him that if she did get out on her own again somehow that she had the skills to take care of herself. “You mentioned having a black belt, yeah?”
“In Krav Maga.” She gave him some serious side eye. “Why?”
“You owe me a workout. Seeing as how your little escape attempt interrupted my last one. So, how about when we get back to the brownstone we hash it out on the mats downstairs. You show me what you got and I’ll do my best not to kick your ass too badly.”
Aileen snorted. “Good luck with that.”
“What?” he asked, his tone taunting. “Afraid you can’t measure up?”
