Blitz (Blast Brothers #3) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,18

as I kept Mina Lipinski away from my privates.

Across from me, Mina blinked several times before perking up to say, "Great. I'll just grab my stuff."

I shifted my stance. As long as she didn't grab my stuff, I figured we'd be alright.

That stunt of falling into my arms had been about as subtle as a sledgehammer. And yet, I'd enjoyed it more than I should have.

There'd been a moment – and not a short moment either – when I'd been tempted to go with it anyway, to pull her hard against me and kiss her like I meant it.

I was good at rolling with that sort of thing. I should be. I'd had plenty of practice.

By now, I'd seen every trick in the book.

"Oops, I dropped my pen. I'll just bend over and pick it up in front of you. And what do you know? I'm not wearing any panties."

That sort of thing used to be a blast. Pun intended. But sometime in the last few months, the routine had gotten stale, like a day-old donut. I mean, yeah, it wasn't terrible. But it wasn't something to savor either.

I watched as Mina turned and bent toward the sofa to retrieve her computer and purse. The purse was the same one she'd been carrying yesterday, which made me wonder if it was the only purse she had.

I wasn't into purses, but I did notice things – like her dress. It was just as respectable as the one she'd been wearing yesterday. This one was pale yellow, the same color as the highlights in her hair.

The dress wasn't short or low-cut. It wasn't tight either. And yet, it hugged the curve of her ass as she leaned further out to pick up a leather portfolio.

I resisted the urge to take a good long look – and not at the portfolio – even as I wondered if she was wearing any panties. And if so, what kind were they?

I was still wondering when she stood and turned back to me. Clutching the portfolio against her chest, she said, "Ready whenever you are."

As she spoke, something inside me stirred. Or more likely, something in my pants stirred. Either way, it was something best ignored, like a craving for cheap tequila on an empty stomach.

I jerked my chin toward the elevators. "I doubt it." I began walking toward them, leaving Mina to follow along beside me.

As we walked side-by-side, she asked, "You doubt what?"

"That you're ready." Yesterday, I'd asked for proof that she'd attended the festival as a baby. I'd done it for a damn good reason, whether she realized it or not.

By now, I'd learned the hard way that when someone made an outrageous claim, you'd better get the proof – or regret later when they didn't meet their other commitments. These days, I liked prospects who underpromised and overdelivered – not the other way around.

When Mina said nothing in reply, I gave her a longer sideways glance. She didn't look worried. She looked quietly amused, like she knew something I didn't.

And in that moment, I very much wanted to know something. It was something I'd never wondered before.

Just what was she thinking?

Chapter 14

Mina

He was too smug by half. I knew exactly what he was thinking. He was thinking that I'd neglected to bring the photo – the one he'd demanded yesterday.

Obviously, he still thought I was a liar.

Fine.

I still thought he was a jerk. And yet, I couldn’t help but smile because I knew something he didn't. Soon, I'd be rubbing the photo in his face – not literally, of course, because the last thing I wanted was to get anywhere near his face, not to mention the rest of him.

He was the kind of guy who made it hard to think – or to stand on my own two feet, apparently. On the upside, I hadn't drooled on him. And for that, I was supremely grateful.

On top of that, I had a few more aces up my sleeve – over twenty aces, in fact. And boy, was I ever going to enjoy playing them.

Inside the elevator, Chase pressed the button for the top floor, and we both watched in silence as the doors slid shut in front of us.

We were alone in the confined space, and I was dying to ask him a very basic question. Why on Earth had he come down to retrieve me personally?

I just knew it couldn't be for a good reason, which led me to believe that