Maya Banks - Sweet Surrender

Gray put the phone back down.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“No problem. Are you okay? I got the impression you definitely didn’t want to talk to whoever was on the phone before.”

She shivered as he continued to stare at her with those intense blue eyes. “I’m fine. Really. Now, was there something you wanted?” she asked again.

The corners of his mouth quirked up in an amused smile. “You trying to get rid of me?”

She flushed. “Sorry, of course not. I’m very glad to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Pop and Connor. Are you settling in well? I haven’t seen you around the office.”

Shut up, Faith. She wanted to drop her head on her desk. She sounded like a complete airhead.

He cleared his throat. “I’m glad to meet you as well. I’ve also heard a lot about you from Pop and Connor. I’m moved into the apartment just fine, and this is my first time in to the office.”

His eyes twinkled as he continued to regard her with a smile. Beautiful eyes too. Deep, rich blue. He wore his hair short, spiked slightly on top. Probably didn’t have to do much more than rub a towel over it, wave a comb in the general direction and go.

“I was hoping you could direct me to my office?”

She blinked and yanked herself from her slow perusal of his attributes. She stood up, knocking her knee against the desk. Pain shot up her thigh, and she grimaced.

He raised a brow but didn’t comment. She opened her top desk drawer and rummaged around a few seconds before pulling out a set of keys.

“These are the keys to your office and to the building. I’m sure Pop has given you all the security codes, but if not, I’ll write them down for you.”

She thrust them toward him, and his hand closed around hers once more. A warm tingle skittered across her skin as his thumb brushed across her knuckles. She yanked her hand back and walked around the desk toward the door. When she reached the hallway, she turned back to see him still watching her. She was pretty sure he’d been eyeballing her ass, but as soon as she’d turned around, his gaze shot upward.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you your office.”

He pushed off from where he’d leaned his butt on her desk and started toward her. She swiveled back around and walked three doors down to the vacant office that had been assigned to him.

She opened the door but didn’t go in. She gestured inside with her hand. “Here you are. If you need anything, let me know.”

“I’ll do that,” he said in a low voice as he walked by her.

Gray felt her gaze, knew she was watching him as he moved inside the doorway. They’d both done their share of looking. When Mick had given him details on Faith Malone, Gray hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful. Or so innocent looking.

“I, uhm, I’ll get back to my office now. I’ll see you around. If you need anything, just holler.”

He turned to see her back from his office and hightail it down the hall. He shook his head and smiled to himself. He made her nervous. She’d been on edge ever since he walked into her office.

Once he was sure she was gone, he backtracked to shut the door then pulled out his cell phone to call Mick.

“I finally met Faith Malone,” he said as soon as Mick answered.

“And?”

“Not what I expected,” Gray confessed.

“What do you mean?”

Gray paused and once again conjured up the image of her sitting in her office, her face a mask of upset. Her distress bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

“She’s young. Pretty. Seems nice. Very wholesome looking. According to Pop she’s extremely intelligent and as good-hearted as they come.”

He heard Mick’s sigh of impatience. “Have you gotten anywhere with the phone taps? Do you know if her mother’s called?”

“I only just got access to the office today. I’ll tap her phone here and at her apartment as soon as I can get in to do it. And I think her mother may have called today.”

Mick’s breathing ratcheted up, echoing over the phone line. “Are you sure? What was said?”

“I have no idea. I came in when she was on the phone, and she said very little. But she was visibly upset. She hung up at one point, and when the phone rang again, she refused to answer it. I picked it up, and a woman asked for her by name but refused to leave a message when I told her Faith wasn’t available.”

“Why the hell didn’t you put Faith on?” Mick asked in exasperation.

“Because she wouldn’t have done it,” Gray replied. “Be patient, Mick. I’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise. Give me a few days to get the taps in place. These guys aren’t slouches. I’m going to have to be careful.”

“Let me know when you find out something,” Mick said.

“I will.”

They rang off, and Gray shoved the phone back into his pocket. He stood there for a moment, pondering all that he needed to do. To his surprise, a sense of guilt nagged at him. Chewed on his ass like a pit bull.

He liked Pop. Liked the job, even if it was gained under false pretenses. He fit in well with Pop’s team. Connor, Micah and Nathan were all his age, and they all had a lot in common. For the first time, he wondered if going back to the police force was really what he wanted. It wouldn’t be the same without Alex.

Alex.

The one word that filtered across his mind brought a surge of pain, one he’d tried to block ever since the funeral, but lately he’d been unsuccessful.

Gray closed his eyes. The idea of Alex’s killer out there. Free. Escaping from justice. Gray had seen enough of the bad guys winning in the sorry-ass neighborhood he’d grown up in. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. This time it was personal.

“Uh, Gray?”

He looked up to see Faith standing in the doorway of his office. His gaze flickered down her long legs sheathed in tight-fitting jeans. The thin turtleneck she wore clung to her curves in all the right places.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and he chased images of her body from his mind.

“What’s up?” he asked, hoping he sounded casual enough.

“Pop called. He and Connor, Nathan and Micah are going to eat and want you to meet them for lunch at Cattleman’s.”

Gray shoved his hand in his pocket, reaching for his keys. “Thanks. I’ll head over now. Want me to bring you something back?”

She shook her head and looked away, her cheeks stained pink. God, she looked so soft and feminine. He was half-tempted to reach out and touch a strand of her long blond hair. See if it was as silky as it looked. As silky as her skin must be.

He forced himself to look away, but then he heard her walk out of his office, and he glanced up to watch her shapely ass bob down the hallway.

He was attracted to her. Hell, what red-blooded man wouldn’t be? But she was wrong in so many different ways he couldn’t even stop to count. She sure as hell wasn’t a girl a man played with. No, she had keeper written all over her, and he wasn’t in a position to walk into that kind of situation. He’d scare her silly anyway.

With a shake of his head, he tossed his keys from one hand to the other and headed out to his truck. He’d need to find a time later when everyone was out of the office so he could tap the main line. If it had been Faith’s mother calling today, she obviously hadn’t gotten whatever it was she wanted. Which meant she’d call back.

Gray leaned against the brick of the apartment complex and watched as Faith struggled to heave two large grocery bags out of her backseat then nudge the door shut with her hip.

He started forward, reaching for the bags when he was close enough. Wide, startled green eyes flashed up at him as she took in his presence.