Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,41

building.

“Just enjoying the sunshine and being back behind the wheel.” She decided to bait him a little and see if he really was as good as he seemed with letting her drive. “You don’t mind that, do you?”

“Mind what? You’re the cop. It’s only right you drive the cop car.” His grin said he knew what she was trying to do. The wink he sent her clinched it.

“What if it was my Mustang? Would you still be content to let me drive?” She watched his response carefully as they neared the row of doors leading inside the office building.

“Somebody give you a hard time, darlin’?”

He opened the door for her, motioning for her to precede him inside. She had to pass close to his tall, hard body. She felt the heat of him as he crowded her on purpose, that devilish grin fixed on her as she passed.

“Because I’d let you take me anywhere. Anytime.”

Somehow she knew they weren’t talking about driving a car anymore. And she’d be damned if her body didn’t respond to the sinful invitation in his velvety voice. Her pulse leapt, her tummy clenched, and she could feel a sudden slipperiness between her thighs as she walked toward the bank of elevators.

“I’ll remember that,” she promised him in a teasing voice. He trailed behind her and she could almost feel his eyes following the sway of her hips as she walked. It was enough to make a girl self-conscious, but there was little she could do but keep walking. If she stopped, he’d no doubt take it as an invitation. The scoundrel.

Why his outrageous flirting made her want to laugh defied logic. She should be upset with his insistence on treating her like they were on some kind of extended—admittedly weird—date. His playfulness was contagious, and she couldn’t help being attracted to him. A woman would have to be dead not to be ensnared by his honest charm.

Besides, what could it hurt to be friendly? He’d already proved he could be as serious as a heart attack when they were in a combat situation. He was good at his job, and when they’d faced that zombie together he’d picked up the slack caused by her hesitation. As long as he continued to perform at that high a level when it really counted, a little friendly banter during downtime couldn’t really hurt anything. Cops did it all the time.

Of course, none of her brother officers ever flirted with her. Not like this. Fraternization among male and female officers was strictly prohibited. Xavier, though, was a law unto himself. He wasn’t in her chain of command. He wasn’t even in law enforcement, per se.

They rode up five floors in the elevator, surrounded by a few people in white lab coats and members of the general public. Sarah’s uniform didn’t raise any eyebrows. There were police officers coming and going from the medical center all the time. But Xavier’s army fatigues drew more than one curious glance.

His hot bod also drew its fair share of feminine attention. A little spike of jealousy wound through her as she watched the other women ogling Xavier. It made her uncomfortable, which was unreasonable. She didn’t have any claim on the man, and to his credit, he seemed totally unaware of the women who watched with slack jaws and silly smiles as he passed.

“So how are we getting into Sellars’s office and private lab?” Sarah asked as they passed a row of locked doors, all with nameplates on them belonging to different doctors.

“Already taken care of. Sam got a national security warrant and presented it to the proper authorities yesterday. Apparently, Sellars hasn’t been seen in a week. Sam did the initial sweep of the place, looking for Sellars. When he turned up nothing of use, he reported back. Here’s where I’m hoping your investigative skills are better than his…or mine.” Xavier stopped in front of a door that had Sellars’s name on it.

“I haven’t made detective yet,” she hedged. “But I’ll do my best.”

“Our talents run to the snatch and grab. I think your training in the old search and find might be well beyond what we’ve been exposed to.”

She liked the way he was looking at her, as if he truly respected her training and skills. How many times had she been underestimated in her life? She’d lost count. But Xavier…He seemed to expect only the best of her. Perhaps that was his leadership style—expecting the best of your people often