Night Maneuvers - By Jillian Burns Page 0,26

his chest and knocked him back against the wall.

“Hughes, it’s not what you th—”

“Tell it to someone who cares, Casanova.” Alex marched back to the front door, but Mitch shot ahead of her and blocked her path.

She grabbed his shoulders and tried to shove him out of the way.

“Maybe I should go, hon.” Alex spun to see the blonde clomping toward them in platform shoes. A long feather tail from the back of the costume swished behind her.

Alex turned back to glare at Mitch.

“It’s all right, Svetlana,” Mitch answered, his gaze darting behind Alex and then settling again on her.

“McCabe.” Alex spoke between gritted teeth, her temper barely in check. “Get out of my way and let me out of this door before I break your gorgeous face.” She reached for the doorknob.

He grabbed her wrist and had the audacity to grin. “You think my face is gorgeous?”

That was it. She couldn’t take anymore. Twisting out of his hold, she doubled up her fist and swung, aiming for his nose.

The blonde screeched.

Mitch caught Alex’s fist before it made contact. His grin was gone.

Fury ramped up. Years of frustration obliterated common sense. Alex swung her left.

Mitch caught that, too, and wrestled her arms behind her back.

With a grunt, she stomped on his instep.

But he knew all her moves and jerked his foot out of the way. “Hughes, calm down and let’s talk about this.”

But she was beyond reason; rage burned like bile in her core. “Screw you!” She struggled to get out of his hold and brought her knee up, right where it would hurt the most.

Mitch turned his hips at the last second and she hit his pelvic bone. “Goddamn it, Hughes!” He let go of her wrists, bent and caught her around her thighs, and hauled her up and over his shoulder.

Before Alex could fight free, he swatted her hard on her behind and threw her down onto his sofa. He landed hard on top of her and held her down, grabbing her hands and twining her fingers between his before forcing them up over her head.

“I think I’ll wait outside, hon. Thank you for everything.” Alex heard the front door click as the blonde shut it behind her.

SITUATION REPORT—DAY TWENTY-ONE: crazy as hell.

Mitch stared down at Hughes—Alex. He couldn’t believe she was here. Her chest rose and fell fast with harsh breathing. Her short, silky hair was wild, flying in her eyes and catching on her damp temples. Not a bit of makeup on. And he thought she’d never looked more beautiful. As he watched, her whiskey-colored eyes sparked with fury.

“Mitch, I swear if you don’t get off me right now—” She arched up, trying to shove him off.

“Alex! Calm down and listen!” He shook her and she stilled. “Svetlana is my neighbor. That’s all she is, just a neighbor. She locked herself out and we were just waiting on the building manager to bring a locksmith.”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “And you just happen to be laundering the shirt off your back while she was here?”

Mitch glanced down at his bare chest and shrugged. “What can I say? I wasn’t dressed when she rang my doorbell.”

She studied him a second longer. “If everything is so innocent, why hide her in your bedroom?”

He scoffed. “You have to ask me that after the way you reacted just now?”

She pursed her lips and let out a hard sigh. “Well, crap.”

“Too bad you didn’t let me explain before you almost broke my nose.” He grinned.

“Yeah, that’s not all I almost broke.” She smirked.

“Nah. I saw that move coming a mile away. I know you too well.”

The smirk faded from her sweet mouth. “Yeah. You do.”

Her voice had gone all soft and her words hit Mitch somewhere in his chest.

He became aware of Alex’s soft body lying beneath his, chest to chest, hip to hip, her legs notched between his. He wanted to kiss those bare lips. He wanted to bury himself inside her and stay until Christmas. This was Hughes he was thinking about. Which was nuts.

But telling himself that didn’t change the fact that he wanted her.

But he’d given his word to Jackson. Man, it would chafe his pride to have to admit he’d failed. Not to mention having to pay a forfeit not of his choice. And the last time they’d kissed Alex said they couldn’t be friends anymore. And he couldn’t lose her friendship.

So, he’d stayed away this week. Giving her space, and him time to figure out what