the smarts to recognize a drug kingpin. They wouldn’t be taking her down without you.”
“Don’t underestimate Griselda Rodriguez. She’s not in custody yet.” But the camera headed back to his car.
“What about the guns?” Dawn asked Leland.
“That’s the FBI and ATF’s area,” Leland said. “The DEA should bring them in for that. Interagency cooperation.”
“I’ll keep you posted about the guns,” Tully said. “The DEA may want to leave them in place until they’ve rounded up the Rodriguez crew. They won’t want to tip anyone off that Griselda has been spotted.”
“Hell and damnation!” Leland said. “I don’t want Dawn having to face Chad again.”
“Chad’s small potatoes compared to Griselda Rodriguez, as far as the authorities are concerned,” Tully said, his visual showing his car on the move again.
“But Chad has a lot of guns,” Dawn said.
“Hey, I’ve got incoming communication from the DEA. I’m gonna sign off,” Tully said. His video feed went blank.
Leland shut down all the windows since they were no longer actively surveilling the site. He swiveled toward Dawn. “You can take a sick day or two, if the DEA wants to keep things looking normal.” He laughed without humor. “If having an arsenal in the basement could be called normal.”
“Chad’s already suspicious of me. Wouldn’t that make him even more so?” She shook her head. “I’d almost rather be at the gym where there are lots of people around and Chad has to act like he’s just a personal trainer.”
“Then I’ll be there too.”
“We broke up and you quit the gym, remember?”
He smiled with an edge. “Ah, but I didn’t cancel my membership because you told Vicky not to give me a refund. Maybe I’m trying to win you back.” He lifted her hair away from her neck before he brushed a whisper of a kiss just under her earlobe.
A tingle of delight ran over her skin. “I like being won back. Do it again.”
He obliged and then moved his lips along her jawline with the same light pressure. The tingle turned into a full-body shiver of delicious sensation. It was probably the heightened tension of the evening, but her nerve endings felt ultrasensitive. She ran her fingertips over the slight scruff of late-night whiskers on Leland’s chin, testing the springy bristles and thinking how they would feel on the inside of her thighs. The tingling grew hot and migrated down between her legs.
“Do you still need to monitor the dark node?” she asked, an edge of huskiness in her voice.
His lips curled into a sensual smile of comprehension. “I can set up an alarm to alert me if it changes.”
“I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” She gave his denim-covered thigh a squeeze before she scooted off the stool.
She figured they might not have much time, so she stripped off her clothes, brushed her hair to a high gloss, and slipped under the covers. She’d barely settled back when Leland strode through the door and stopped dead, his smile turning so sexy it practically set her on fire. Without saying a word, he jerked his shirt up over his head so hard that his glasses went flying through the air.
“I think they went—” she started to point.
“I’ll find them later.” He stripped off his jeans and boxer briefs and stalked around to pull the covers down to her ankles. “How did you know that I had pictured you exactly like this?”
Just the way he gazed at her made her go hot with longing. “Well, being naked isn’t a stretch,” she said to cover her instant arousal.
He put one knee on the bed, making it sink under his weight before he stretched his hand out to splay it on her stomach. It felt almost like he was branding her as his. “In this room. On this bed. Naked and waiting for me with that hungry look in your eyes.”
“Oh. Oh!” He skimmed his hand down and slid one finger down between her legs to gently stroke her clit. She arched into his touch as sparks scattered through her belly. Two more strokes and he dipped his finger inside her.
“Oh,” he said in imitation of her. “You’re so wet already.” He slid his finger in deeper and she rocked her hips to welcome him. But he withdrew, bringing his finger to his mouth to suck it, his eyelids half-closed. “You taste like everything I want.”
“And I want you,” she said. “There’s a condom in the drawer right beside you.”
“Hey, darlin’, we’re not in a rush.” His accent was thick