Chances Are - By Christy Reece Page 0,19

reamed out by Dylan was no big deal. He was a big boy, he could take the heat. However, Angela was taking some of the blame and he couldn’t allow that to happen. This was all on him.

“I’m sorry, Angela.” He hoped his eyes conveyed that his apology was for more than the too intense fighting session. She had offered her beautiful body and he had rejected her callously.

Her mouth trembled and then stretched into a grimace of a smile. “We were both wrong.” Turning to Dylan, she said, “It won’t happen again.”

Dylan nodded. “Get cleaned up. We’ll go to the shooting range this afternoon.”

Jake watched as Angela grabbed a towel from the stack on the shelf and then left the room without another word.

The instant she was gone, Dylan turned to him. “What were you thinking?”

He hadn’t been thinking, at least not with his brain. So turned on he could barely see straight, all of his sexual energy had been focused on fighting. He was damn glad Dylan interrupted them.

“I lost my head.”

“You’re sure you’re going to be able to handle this?”

“Yes.”

“I know how it feels to train someone you’re attracted to. It can get damn uncomfortable. No one will think less of you for pulling out now. Once you’re on the job, it’ll be too late.”

He shook his head. Nothing and no one would keep him from this mission.

Seeing the lingering doubt in the man’s eyes, Jake said, “I might be a mixed-up son of a bitch but believe me, there’s nothing more important to me than keeping Angela safe.”

“I’ve been there,” Dylan said. “Just make sure those feelings you’re suppressing don’t come out at the wrong time.”

Suppressed feelings? Hell, if that were the only thing going on, he’d have no problem. But that was too mild a term for the volcano threatening to erupt inside him.

Jake grabbed a towel and swiped it down his face. “I’ll see you on the shooting range this afternoon.”

“Want to grab some lunch?”

Shaking his head, Jake backed away. “Thanks, but I’ve got some things to take care of.”

He left the gym before Dylan could question him further. He needed a quiet place to detonate and then put himself back together. How had he let their training session get so out of hand? And Angela had been right there with him. If Dylan hadn’t arrived when he did, who knows what might have happened?

He closed his eyes, swallowing a groan. He knew exactly what would have happened. They had been within seconds of ripping their clothes off and having each other on the floor. And he wanted that…more than anything he would have loved to lay her down, taste every inch of her taut, glistening skin and slide inside that beautiful body. But then what? Walk away and break her heart? Stay and break her heart? Either way, Angela got hurt. He’d been a jerk in a lot of areas of his life but risking Angela’s heart went too far. Best thing he could do was get this job done to the best of his ability. He had told Dylan that protecting Angela was his number one priority. But that protection was not only from this freak that was killing women. It also included shielding her from assholes like himself.

LCR Headquarters

“He’s driving me crazy.”

Samara McCall sat across from Angela, amusement and affection gleaming in her eyes. “Men have a tendency to do that from time to time. I think it’s part of their DNA.”

Popping up from the chair she’d been sitting in, Angela paced around Samara’s office. She couldn’t seem to sit still. Maybe it was the anxiety and anticipation of working her first op. She had a feeling it had something to do with a certain hardheaded, too-sexy man.

They were supposed to be talking about whether she was mentally ready for her first op. Instead, all she had been able to focus on was Jake and that smoldering moment the day before.

“And it’s not like I’m asking for a relationship with him or anything.” The instant she saw Samara’s eyebrows rise, she amended her statement. “Okay, yes. I want a relationship with him, but how does he know it wouldn’t work out? He won’t even give us a chance.”

“Did he say why?”

Angela snorted softly. “Of course not. That would involve actually talking about himself.”

“So I guess he doesn’t know that you’re aware of his background.”

She dropped back into her chair with a sigh. “I’ve known the background of almost every operative since