by Peyton Banks
“Good. Let’s head over to the track.” Myles pointed in the direction they needed to go.
The candidates began to head over to the field.
Myles, no longer able to contain his curiosity, went in the direction of Mac and the mystery woman who was speaking as if they’d already met each other. They turned to him once he arrived at their side.
“Speaking of him. Here he is. Myles Burton, this is Roxxy Sutton with Logistics Intelligence Services, the company who will be observing us. Roxxy, this is Myles Burton, the officer in charge of the tryouts.” Mac introduced them.
“Nice to meet you, Officer Burton,” Roxxy said with a southern drawl.
Myles swallowed hard, knowing he was a sucker for a country girl. He’d been raised in the north having settled in South Carolina once he’d left the Army.
“Likewise.” Myles took her smaller hand in his in a firm shake. His gaze took in her smooth, light-caramel skin. Her dark hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. She didn’t have on her fancy corporate suit, but today, she was dressed in cargo pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and dark boots. He took notice of the weapon strapped to her side and felt a stirring below the belt.
Myles was even more attracted to her.
A woman who knew her way around a gun was at the top of his wish list for his future woman.
He blinked and found he was still holding on to her hand.
“Can I have my hand back?” she asked softly with her eyebrow raised.
“Sure. I’m sorry. I don’t know…” Myles released Roxxy immediately. “Sorry. Apparently, I haven’t had enough coffee today.”
“Not a problem.” She laughed.
Myles swallowed hard and felt Mac’s curious gaze on him. He refused to turn and look at his sergeant. Myles knew without anyone telling him that this was out of character for him. He was always confident when it came to his work and women.
What the hell was his problem?
Two seconds in her presence, and he could barely remember his name.
“I take it you’ll be assessing us. How can I help you?” Myles asked.
The entire team agreed they would go through the motions and pray this went by fast so they could get back to normal.
“Well, just act like I’m not here. I’m observing your screenings and protocols. We are not here to get in the way. We are truly here to help your team.” Roxxy held her small clipboard close to her chest.
“Yes, we know and are open to suggestions,” Mac replied. “Your company has excellent remarks and recommendations from other law enforcement agencies.”
“Yes, it’s something we take pride in. My father, who started the company, is an Army vet who joined the police force when he returned home,” Roxxy spoke.
Myles filed that small bit of information in the back of his mind. Nothing like a good Army man with a smoking-hot daughter. Her darker complexion revealed that if her father was Caucasian then her mother must be black. Not that it mattered to Myles. He loved women no matter what their color, shape, or size. Hell, Roxxy could be purple, and he’d still be interested.
“He, too, was a SWAT officer and had the idea of a company that could help police departments and any law agencies.” Roxxy broke into Myles’s thoughts. “Even when he started the company, there was a lot of heat on law enforcement and their protocols. Some were unethical, and that is where our company steps in.”
“Well, we are excited to have you.” Mac nodded.
Myles met the gaze of his sergeant.
“I suggest you stick close to Myles. He’s in charge today. The team and I will be observing and taking notes on the applicants.”
Mac slapped Myles on the back and brushed past him. One look in Mac’s eyes, and Myles knew Mac would want an explanation of his blunder.
“I hope you don’t mind if I’m glued to your hip.” Roxxy chuckled.
Her husky laugh went straight to his dick. Myles had to fight to adjust himself and pushed the carnal thoughts that were plaguing him out of his mind.
“It won’t be a problem at all, ma’am.” His gaze dropped down and slowly made its way along her curvy body until he reached her combat boots. They were small and dark and would be deemed cute. His eyes flickered back to hers.
He didn’t care that she’d caught him.
He was never one to bite his tongue when he saw a woman he was interested in.
Hell, he was more than interested.
He wanted to pick her up and toss her over his shoulder and leave.
Fuck the tryouts.
Her eyes darkened, and it was as if she had the same thoughts. Myles hadn’t missed when she’d taken advantage of Mac speaking and quickly checked him out.
“Shall we?” She cocked her perfectly sculpted eyebrow up high.
“Yes.” He coughed. He had forgotten about the new recruits waiting for him. “Please follow me.” He turned on his heel and scrubbed at his face. “I’m sure you’ve read up on how applicants apply?”
“Yes, I familiarized myself with all of the current members of your team, the policies and protocols of applying for SWAT here.”
She’d read his file?
Myles instantly wanted to know what she’d thought.
It had been a while since he’d reviewed what was on him.
“I’d have to say I’m impressed with you, Officer Burton.” She fell in step with him.
He slowed down, slightly sensing her shorter legs.
“Really?” A grin spread on his lips.
Of course she would have read his file.
What was he worried about?
“Yes. I’m a little partial to men who were in the Army.” She laughed.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I was an Army brat, so you could say the Army is in my blood.”
They arrived where everyone else was waiting on them. Myles wished they had more time to talk alone. He made a promise to himself that by the time the day was over, he’d be asking her out, and if he played his cards right, by nightfall, they’d be alone but would be having a different kind of conversation.
“All right, men,” Myles barked out. He instantly grew serious and glared at the recruits. “I hope you’ve gone ahead and stretched out good.”
“Yes, sir,” the group echoed.
“Let’s line up,” he instructed.
He walked to the edge of the track while they took their places behind the starting line. His teammates were in the center of the field so they could keep an eye on the applicants. He trusted that each of them would be making mental notes on the men and the woman attempting to join their team. At the end of the day, they would meet to discuss what they’d seen. If any of the men or the female captured the team’s interest, then they would be invited for phase two, the interviews. “On your mark. Get set. Go!”
The men and lady took off jogging. They would need to set a steady pace. His team called out encouragement and clapped for the recruits. Even though they weren’t already on the team, SWAT was a brotherhood. They instantly supported anyone trying to join them.
Once the recruits finished their laps, Myles led them to their next activity.
Push-ups.
“All right, recruits. You will be timed. One hundred push-ups is all we ask. This should be easy for you since you don’t have all your gear on,” Myles taunted them.
“Let’s see you drop and give us fifty, Burton,” a familiar voice called out.
Myles turned to find Ash grinning at him.
“I mean, we are making them do it without gear on. Let’s show them what we’re looking for.”
“Fifty?” Myles scoffed. He felt Roxxy’s eyes on him. His typical cocky attitude was breaking through. He always loved attention. He hadn’t worked hard on his body for nothing. “Fuck. I can do a hundred,” he bragged.
The men all chuckled around him.
“Let’s show these recruits what a real SWAT member can do.” Ash came to stand next to him.
Everyone formed
a circle around Myles who loved the attention.
“Get on the ground, Soldier.”
Myles jumped around on the balls of his feet. He whipped his arms back and forth, knowing that doing push-ups with about eighty pounds of equipment was much different than with only his weight. The pressure was on, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.
Hell, this was nothing compared to when he was in the Army.
Getting down in position, Myles waited for Ashton.
“And go!” Ash glanced at his watch.
Myles instantly dropped down and pushed himself up. He started rapidly completing the push-ups until he found a good steady rhythm. Sweat formed and ran down his face, but he kept going.
Myles Burton wasn’t a punk.
He would do one hundred push-ups in front of his team.
Challenging each other wasn’t new. That was a common thing with the guys. It was the camaraderie amongst them that kept them close. The current members of SWAT cheered him on.
“Eighty, eighty-one, eighty-two,” they counted aloud for him.
He released a curse, feeling himself slow down.
His muscles burned and shook, but he refused to give up. His movements fell in sync with their counting.
“Ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two,” they continued.
“Finish strong, Burton,” Mac growled near him. His sergeant knelt on the ground next to him. “Push through the pain,” he ordered.
Myles growled and pulled strength from deep within him and kept going.
“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine…one hundred!”
Myles shoved off the ground and flexed his arms. “Woo!” he shouted, whipping his cap off. Before it had helped keep the chill from him, and while he’d been doing push-ups, it kept the sweat from sliding into his eyes, but now, he was hot.
The applause went around. Myles’s team members slapped him on the back. Myles laughed as the guys taunted him. His eyes connected with Roxxy’s, and he threw her a wink before turning back to the recruits.
“All right, people. Let’s get to it.”
Chapter 4
Roxxy had to force herself to concentrate. She couldn’t stop thinking of Myles and those damn push-ups. Something so simple as watching him working out had her body going haywire. His cockiness shined through.
That grin of his.
The wink.
Calm down, girl.
She followed the group over to the shooting range. The recruits were instructed to put on gear for the shooting exercise. They had completed their push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. With each test, one of the SWAT guys was challenged and had to do the task with their full gear on. Roxxy had to give it to the members of Columbia SWAT, they were a close group. She could see it in the way they taunted yet supported each other. They cracked jokes on one another while ribbing each other.
The recruits walked over to a barn that was next to the outdoor range.
“Officer Burton.” She stepped over to him and had to beg her body to behave. Standing close to him meant her nipples instantly hardened. She collapsed her clipboard to her chest and stopped next to him. “I have a question.”
“Yes, Mrs. Sutton?”
His dark gaze bored into her, taking her breath away. A small smile broke out on her lips.
“It’s not Mrs. That would be my mother,” she corrected him with a shake of her head. “It’s Miss.”
“Hmm…”
His gaze narrowed on her, and her core clenched. Roxxy bit back a curse. She’d just fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book. He was testing out if she was married. His gaze swept her body again, and she practically melted. Why was her body so strung? Myles Burton was dangerous. Cocky. Good-looking. Muscular and fit. Shit. She was a sucker for a man with muscles.
“How can I help you, Miss Sutton?”
Don’t answer truthfully. Don’t you dare, Roxxy Lynn Sutton, answer him.
“What is the purpose of the recruits donning vests and other equipment for the shooting exercises?” she answered. She breathed a sigh of relief that her lips didn’t betray her.
“It’s much easier to shoot a gun with regular clothes on and having time to aim and shoot. We train the way we go out on real calls. We have to increase the pressure to make sure everyone is capable of handling their own under intense situations. You don’t get a chance to think while out in the field.”
Roxxy nodded in complete understanding. “It’s good to train as if you are out in the field.”
She scribbled a few notes down. Glancing up, she stared at the targets then turned back to Myles. “I want to shoot.”
“Excuse me?” His eyebrows rose high.
“Put me through the shooting test.” She capped her pen. There was no better way to learn about the team than to jump right in the middle. It had been a few days since she’d shot a gun. “I want to get a feel of the weapons you have them use, the targets, the distance, and how you put them under pressure.”
“I thought you were just here to observe?” Myles rested his hands on his hips.
His skeptical look fueled her desire to bust his balls a little. This man, gorgeous specimen that he was, needed to be taken down a peg or two.
She was the right one for the job.
Sergeants MacArthur and Owen arrived at their side.
“What’s wrong?” MacArthur asked, obviously sensing the tension between them.
“She wants to be put through the shooting drill.” Myles smoothed a hand over his bald head.
MacArthur and Owen turned their gazes to her before focusing on Myles.
“No harm. Miss Sutton’s here to get a feel of our screening process, then suit her up,” Sergeant Owen said.
“I agree. She’s here to study our process and protocols, let Roxxy shoot.” Mac shrugged.
“Thank you, Sergeants MacArthur and Owen.” She nodded to both of them.
“If you are going to be here for a while, you might as well call me Mac,” Mac replied gruffly.
“And I’m just Dec or Declan.” Declan chuckled. “Calling us sergeants is too formal.”
Roxxy faced Myles, who was still studying her. A tremor slid down her back from his intense gaze that had nothing to do with the slight chill in the air.
“You can handle a gun, right?” Myles’s gaze dropped down to her firearm.
His lips curved up into a smirk that almost had her stepping forward and whacking him on the arm. Instead, she glared at him and had to bite her lip to keep from saying anything unprofessional and certainly unladylike.
“Watch me, Officer Burton. The barn is where I can grab what I need, right?” she asked, haughtily pointing at the building.
Once he nodded, she turned on her heel and stormed away.
Myles Burton didn’t know who he’d just pissed off.
Could she handle a gun?
Roxxy released a snort and marched her way toward the barn.
“She’s pissed at you.” Dec chuckled, slapping Myles on the back.
“What did I say?” Myles turned around, completely clueless. He’d asked an appropriate question. Just because she had a weapon on her didn’t mean anything. He never wanted to assume someone was capable of handling a firearm. There were plenty of women and men who walked around with guns but didn’t know how to safely use them.
“If looks could kill, you’d be pushing up daisies.” Mac shook his head.
“Was I wrong for asking her?” Myles folded his arms against his chest.
“She’s with the company which is to audit us and advise where we are lacking. I’m betting she can shoot the pants off any of the recruits.” Declan waved to the men exiting the barn.
“Hell, I’d be willing to bet she’d a better shot than Myles.” Mac grinned.
“Now that’s something I’ll wager—”
“Hey.” Myles held his hand up. What the fuck? Shoot better than him? Did they all forget who he was? He had been a fucking sniper in the Army. During missions for SWAT, if they ne
eded a target taken out from a distance, it was him who was the go-to person for it. “First of all, she may be able to shoot better than the recruits, but I’m sure as hell putting my money on her shooting better than you two Navy boys.”
Dec and Mac turned to Myles. Their smiles disappeared. Yup, this Army soldier would be down to bet against his sergeants.
“What’s going on over here?” Brodie jogged over and joined them.
Myles turned to his fellow teammate, who was also a proud Army man. Brodie had served and did two tours before his discharge. He was the youngest member of their team, having joined a few years ago. Myles had immediately taken him under his wing once he’d learned Brodie had served in the Army.
Army men stuck together.
“I think your teammate here was about to put his foot in his mouth,” Mac warned. The corners of his mouth edged up, and his eyes narrowed on Myles.
Both he and Declan adjusted their stance, facing Myles and Brodie.
“Not at all. See here, Brodie.” Myles put his arm around Brodie’s shoulder and laughed. “These two Navy men think that just because they are our superiors, we wouldn’t want to wage a little bet.”
“Is that so.” Brodie rubbed his hands together. “What are we betting on?”
Myles grinned. “You know the woman who is observing us?”
“How could I not?” Brodie gave a long, low whistle. “She’s a fox. All the guys have been talking about her since she arrived.”
Myles bit back a growl. All the guys?
“Well anyway,” he continued, shaking his head. Why would he care that the other men on the grounds found her attractive? Sure, she had a flawless, smooth light complexion, thick dark hair that he wanted to see flowing over her naked shoulders…
Myles blinked.
Naked shoulders.
Where the hell did that come from?
He had to push the fantasy of a naked Roxxy out of his mind quick.
“Anyway,” he repeated. “They are willing to wager how well Miss Sutton shoots. They say better than me, which we all know would be damn near impossible,” he scoffed.
Brodie barked a hard laugh with him. Mac and Declan glared at him, both folding their arms in front of their chests.