Hook

by Delilah Devlin

  Hook listened as the shower ran in the other room. He’d demanded the door between the adjoined rooms remain open, and Felicity hadn’t balked, simply nodding as she’d dropped her large flowery duffel on the bed inside her room.

  To his relief, the earlier tension between them had abated over dinner. Yes, he wasn’t enthused over his current assignment, but not every job could be a high-adrenaline chase. He was the new guy at MBH. New guys got the shit work. Not that he considered Felicity the “shit.” Truthfully, he was feeling rather conflicted about her.

  Although she was far and away from the type of woman he’d dated in the past, there was a lot that was attractive about her. Even when she’d been snarky in their initial meeting, initially annoying the hell out of him, he’d found himself enjoying their interaction. She was sharp, something that had made him sit up a little straighter and pay attention. Hearing that she was up on charges had left a feeling like a lead weight had dropped inside his belly. The thought of the tiny, feisty woman locked away for years made him uneasy, even sad.

  He couldn’t imagine her spirit surviving the daily indignities of prison life.

  While they’d eaten, he’d watched her, noting every aspect of her appearance and gestures. He hadn’t been able to help it. She was slender with slight curves, an almost boyish figure. Her colors were vibrant, like fire and grass and rain. Her hair wasn’t a solid red but had silky strands of brown and glittering copper. Her skin was pale, flawless—pure. Her facial features were almost delicate with a straight nose, perfectly bowed lips, and finely arched brown brows. Her large eyes were her most arresting feature—a deep, honest green framed by thick lashes.

  However, a man might not notice how truly beautiful her face was if he didn’t really look, because she deflected femininity with her direct gaze and way of speaking. Hook kind of wished he hadn’t noticed.

  The shower stopped, and he forced himself to sit back against the pillows he’d stacked behind him. He’d showered before her, keeping the door cracked, with orders for her to keep singing, or else. He’d been entertained by her rendition of several Taylor Swift songs in a slightly husky off-key voice that he’d found…endearing.

  Dammit.

  He’d dressed in sweatpants and a tee, and now he regretted that the material did nothing to mask the fullness building between his legs. He sat straighter and grabbed a pillow to hold over his lap as she stepped into the doorway connecting their rooms. “Are you going to mind if I watch some TV? I promise to keep the sound down.”

  “You not sleepy? You and Fetch were on the road pretty early this morning.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t sleep much.”

  Left unsaid was “because I’m worried about what will happen,” but he heard it. Ignoring his better instincts, he patted the empty side of his bed. “What do you want to watch?”

  She blinked and played with a strand of her water-darkened hair. “Something happy?”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Remote’s next to the TV. I’ll let you be in charge.”

  She cleared her throat, crossed the threshold, and swiped the remote from beside the large TV. “Bet you don’t say that often.”

  He chuckled. “You might want to grab some pillows from your bed,” he said, pointing to the stack behind him. “You’ll be more comfortable.”

  She tossed the remote on the bed then scampered into the other room. He couldn’t help thinking that her pajamas—deep blue and covered in little yellow Pac-Mans—looked like they’d fit an eleven-year-old boy.

  Felicity was back in seconds with three pillows that she mounded against the headboard, and then she lay atop the comforter beside him and picked up the remote. She surfed for a few minutes before settling on re-runs of Friends.

  “I don’t really like this show very much,” she said.

  “I detest it,” he said, his voice dry.

  Her gaze darted toward him. “They’re silly, aren’t they?”

  He nodded and settled back against his pillows. “I’m okay with it.”

  “Thanks.”

  She said it softly, and he turned to look at her.

  Her eyes were suspiciously moist, and he felt as though a hand reached inside his chest and clenched around his heart. But she blinked away the tears and forced her gaze back to the TV. He relaxed.

  He wondered if she thought this might be the last time she spent time with a friend doing something so normal, so innocent. At that moment, he decided that no matter whether she ended up testing him or not, he’d be there for her.

  Hook’s alarm cock-a-doodle-doo’d in the early morning hours, and he blindly reached for his phone on the bedside table. With two swipes he turned it off. That was when he noticed the weight resting on his right shoulder.

  Even in the darkness, there was no mistaking that Felicity’s face rested against his chest. How had this happened? He remembered watching the comedy the night before, and his eyelids getting heavier. He’d told himself he’d ask her to move to her room before they both fell asleep, but then he remembered…nothing.

  Shit. They’d both fallen asleep atop the covers. She must have gotten chilled during the night and gravitated toward his body for warmth.

  Worse than waking with her snuggled against him was the realization that his hand palmed her ass. He didn’t dare even twitch his fingers, but damn he was tempted, because what he felt was firm and round and warm. Then he noted she was curled toward him, and her knee had crossed his thigh and touched the bottom of his cock. His quickly hardening cock.

  He tried not to breathe. Maybe she’d stir and realize there was a problem before he had to address it. He didn’t want to embarrass her, but just as he was thinking he might try to slide out from under her, she sighed and nestled closer. Her knee rubbed his crotch.

  He barely contained a full-throated groan. The caress, however unintentional, was pure torture. The last time he’d been with a woman had been far too long ago for him to even pretend he had a chance of controlling his reaction.

  Clearing his throat, he slowly lifted his hand from her ass. “Felicity?” he whispered.

  “Mmm…” She snuggled closer.

  “Felicity,” he said, gritting his teeth.

  “Wha—?” Her body stiffened against him, and her knee jerked against his cock. When he grunted, she muttered, “Oh, crap. Sorry. Fell asleep.” She rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “It’s okay. I’m meeting someone on the track this morning,” he said, trying to imagine stuffing himself into running shorts. “You have to come.” The words came out a little harsher than he’d intended.

  She combed her fingers through her hair and glanced back at him. “I’ll get changed.” Then she rose.

  The moment her weight left the mattress, he experienced a strange feeling of loss. Confused, he too rolled to sit at the side of the bed. “You can join us.”

  “I haven’t run in forever,” she said, one hand on the door frame. “Don’t expect me to keep up.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  She scrunched her nose. “We’ll have to come back to shower.”

  “No worries,” he said, not willing to budge until she walked away. “There’s time. And we can catch breakfast at the café.” He was amazed his brain and mouth could still function, so much blood had fled south.

  She gave a nod and turned. “I’ll get dressed.”

  Gathering shorts, underwear, and a tee, he hurried to the bathroom and locked himself inside. First things first. He turned on the water in the sink, hoping it would mask certain sounds. If she’d noticed his erection, she’d understand he needed a few extra minutes to get ready.

  The morning air held a hint of crisp chilliness, not that Felicity minded. A sudden arctic front wouldn’t be enough to cool her down. The moment his ridiculous alarm had sounded, she’d been awake, knowing that in her sleep she’d draped herself over his side and was rubbing his cock with her knee. Thank God, her hand hadn’t been there instead.

&n
bsp; He’d sounded nearly strangled when she’d begun to move, trying to figure out how to extricate herself without fully waking him. When she’d clumsily hit his cock with her bony knee, his belly had crunched. Damn, the man’s belly was hard. In her sleep, her subconscious had no doubt been attracted, because she’d woken up horny.

  Now, Hook was turned away, looking toward the gate. A tall woman strode toward them. Felicity envied her grace and strong frame. No wonder he’d been eager to join her for a run.

  As the woman drew nearer, her gaze sharpened on Felicity then shot back to Hook. An eyebrow rose.

  He gave a subtle shake of his head.

  Felicity wondered what that was about.

  Hook stood sideways and waved at Felicity to come closer. “Raydeen, this is Felicity. She’s joining us this morning for our run.”

  Raydeen’s smile was broad and showed no hint of jealousy or reticence. She held out her hand.

  Felicity shook her hand, noting the woman’s nearly swallowed hers. Way to make her feel like a little girl. She smiled back. “I’ll be jogging. Not running. It’s been a while.”

  Raydeen’s chuckle was a little husky. Felicity didn’t know why the other woman’s attractiveness made her feel so unsure of her own attraction. Liar.

  Raydeen lifted her hand, holding out a stopwatch. “You sure? I’ll let you set the pace?”

  Felicity wrinkled her nose. “You two would be walking beside me. No thanks. Go.”

  Hook chuckled and nodded to Raydeen. “Let’s do this.”

  The second they took off, Felicity took a deep breath and began her more leisurely jog. Only, she couldn’t help trying to push herself a little. She’d never been much of a runner, always finishing with middling scores on her PT tests in the Army, but she’d made up points with pushups and sit-ups. Sometimes, size worked in her favor. Less weight to push up. A tinier frame to bend.

  Watching the pair as they ran was like watching racehorses—long limbs stretching. They seemed well-matched. She wondered whether Hook would mention waking with her in his bed to the long-legged woman.

  “Soooo?” Raydeen said, giving Hook a sideways glance.

  “She’s not my girlfriend.” He was reluctant to tell his friend about Felicity’s charges, so he hedged. “She’s here in Bear Lodge to install some equipment at the office.”

  Raydeen snorted. “Not buying it. I saw the way she looked at you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Those big pretty green eyes were eating you up.”

  “You’re imagining that,” he said, although inside, he was pleased at the possibility. A second later he admonished himself. Felicity was a job. Nothing more.

  “Huh. Then you’re gaining weight, because your shorts look a little tight today.”

  “Ray!” So, seeing Felicity in shorts with a sports-bra top that exposed quite a bit of her pretty pale flesh had affected him. He was a guy. Any straight man would notice. “We’re colleagues.”

  “Okay, so what’s she doing with you so early this morning?” She gave him a darting glance then slowed her pace. Her eyes widened. “She stayed the night with you!”

  “It’s not what you think.”

  Raydeen reached out and patted his butt. “If it hasn’t already happened, it will. I’m proud of you.”

  He shook his head. “My sex life is not up for discussion. You’re my therapist. Not my pimp.”

  “She’s cute. I want to know all about her. Just to make sure she’s good enough for you.”

  “Can’t talk if I can’t breathe,” he said, kicking up the pace.

  Raydeen’s laughter followed him.

  Around nine, Hook opened the agency’s front door and swept out an arm to allow Felicity to enter first. “After you.”

  “I can open my own doors,” she said.

  “Thought you might be a little tired after your jog. I was sparing you the extra effort.”

  “Just because I quit at a mile doesn’t mean I’m weak,” she said, rolling her eyes. She pointed at her still pink cheeks. “This takes forever to fade. Clashes with my hair.”

  He chuckled then looked around the office.

  Everyone not already following a skip was there, and they were all watching them enter. He frowned, but that only seemed to amuse their audience. Everyone grinned. Especially Carly.

  “We were still going over this morning’s list,” she piped up, her curious gaze moving between them and apparently coming up with some crazy conclusions, because her smile turned sly.

  Hook cleared his throat and pressed a hand against the small of Felicity’s back to get her to move a little quicker around the reception counter and into the bull pen.

  The touch must have startled her, because she gasped and swung her head to look at him.

  Still frowning, his gaze locked with hers for a fraction of a second, long enough to note the color deepening in her cheeks. He realized he probably shouldn’t have touched her. Maybe she’d taken offense.

  Feeling like he was choking, he nodded his head toward the equipment she had to install today. “We both better get to work.” When she moved away, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned back to the small group that was crowded around Brian’s desk. Carly sat on the edge, folders in her hands. Reaper stood, arms crossed over his chest. All three continued to give him narrow-eyed stares.

  “What?” Hook blurted grumpily.

  “You look different,” Lacey said. “More relaxed or something.”

  “You’re imagining it.”

  Reaper shook his head. “You look like you got some, man,” he said, his voice pitched low.

  Hook’s shock was mostly feigned. Did guilty thoughts count? “Well, I didn’t. Don’t we have work to do?”

  Reaper grunted and turned back to Carly. He lifted his chin, telling her in his usual non-verbal way to get on with it.

  They reviewed the latest printout from the database the agency kept of current bounties. Reaper and Carly put dibs on a rich one Brian had already researched—a skip charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

  “Your skip’s cousin says he’s staying at his grandma’s,” Brian said. “He warned me that grandma has a shotgun loaded with buckshot standing next to the door.”

  Reaper shook his head. “His paperwork lists his truck as part of what he backed his bond with. Won’t be easy getting inside the house.”

  “The cousin says it’s in the garage. You can see it through a window at the side of the house.”

  “That’s our ticket in,” Reaper said then aimed a glare at Carly. “Maybe you could distract grandma with a phone call.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll distract her by ringing the doorbell and telling her I ran out of gas.”

  “You’re not going anywhere near that shotgun.”

  “I’ll look my most pathetic. She’ll buy it long enough for me to get inside and get between her and her gun. I’ll tell her I ran out of gas. ‘Can I use your phone to call my boyfriend to come help?’” She said the last in a whispery, little girl voice.

  “I don’t want you anywhere near that shotgun, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Darlin’, I’ll get between her and her weapon, so you don’t get your ass peppered with buckshot.”

  “We’ll discuss it while we’re on the road,” he bit out.

  “Yes, we will.” And then she blew him a kiss.

  Hook had no doubt the “discussion” would include some roadside sex. His money was on Carly winning that argument.

  “You’re to meet with his cousin at a convenience store on the south side of Whitefish,” Brian said. “I promised him fifty for the information.”

  Reaper nodded.

  “As for you, Hook…” Brian said, holding up two folders, “you have two local skips. One has multiple parking violations. The other’s a guy who missed his drug test.”

  “Great,” he said with a sigh. He’d make a few hundred at best. He rather hoped his marks would give him a little resi
stance to make it interesting.

  He glanced over at Felicity who stood in the center of two desks. The monitors were scrolling raw data.

  “You know, I can keep an eye on her,” Brian said.

  “Fetch told me to take her along when I go out.”

  Brian shrugged. “Fetch is the big boss.”

  Reaper held out his hand for Carly’s as she hopped off the desk. “Babe, we better hit the road. I’d as soon get this over today, so we can sleep in our own bed tonight.”

  Hook thought about the fact he and Felicity had shared one the previous night. Thank goodness that hadn’t proved awkward so far. He strode toward her. “I’m heading out to track down two skips. This a good time for you to leave?”

  She glanced sideways. “Sure, I’m just running maintenance checks. This might take a little while.” Her eyes widened. “Do I get to see you in action?”

  “Not much action. These are locals with minor infractions. Shouldn’t be any trouble, and Brian’s done the legwork, tracking down their locations. All I have to do is swoop in and take them to jail.”

  “Well, I’d like to see you swoop,” she said, grinning.

  Chapter 5

  Felicity liked riding along with Hook. He involved her. Let her read through the folders to acquaint herself with his “skips”. Then he let her plot the most efficient route to hit their likely locations.

  The first skip, one Molly Tisdale, was at home. Her mama answered the door in a fuzzy purple bathrobe and with curlers in her hair. Her gaze went straight to Hook in his Kevlar vest and shiny badge, and her eyes rounded. The moment he asked to speak to Molly, her mother shook her head then turned and shouted, “Molly, get your ass down here, right now!”

  Felicity knew Hook was disappointed that taking Molly into custody had been that easy, but she’d found it hilarious, watching Molly’s mother swat the eighteen-year-old’s ass all the way to Hook’s 4Runner for not taking care of her tickets or even bothering to go to court.

  “You think you’re gonna live here rent-free? Think I’m gonna pay for your phone? Second you’re out of jail, you’re getting a real job!”