Stealing Justice (The Justice Team) by Misty Evans, Adrienne Giordano Page A

conversation take its course.” Third finger. “I used my assets to lure him. Let him see the merchandise. What the hell is your problem? Mad because I’ve had no training and I’m still pretty good at this?”
    Two strides? No, it took him one to grab her and pull her to his chest. “What if Goldberg had misconstrued your assets , Syd?” She tried to push away, but Grey held her tight. “What if he’d come on to you, like this? Asked for a little payoff before helping you. Then what?”
    She wiggled around, trying to free herself. “This is Ian. He’s too slick for that. Besides, even if he had, I’d have told him to screw himself.”
    Grey couldn’t help the chuckle that rose in his chest. Her breasts pressed into his ribs. He could lower his head and kiss her and show her just what Ian could have done, but that would be wrong. Wrong, because again she was flaunting her body and pretending it didn’t matter. “You’re lucky. That’s all. Goldberg is slick. If it hadn’t been for those luscious assets, he probably would have been suspicious of the whole conversation. This time it worked, next time it could land you on the wrong side of a violent killer. Follow my instructions next time.”
    Her gaze wandered over his face, down to his chest and she gripped his shirt in her hand. “I know what I’m doing.”
    He released her, shoved his hands in his pockets so he didn’t grab her again. “You’ve never gone undercover before. You’ve got good instincts and the skills to do this right, but if you’re going to be my partner and put your life on the line for this mission, you have to let me coach you. I’m a trained agent. A resource for you. Use me.”
    “Oh, here we go.” She let out a long breath, took two steps to the right. Stopped and stared at the ceiling a minute before turning back to him. “I’m used to being alone. This partnering thing is new for me. I’m sorry.”
    Sorry wasn’t a word he ever thought he’d hear from her. For a second, he didn’t know what to say. The voice in his head didn’t either. He blew out a heavy breath. “I’ve seen seasoned agents blow an undercover op. Seasoned agents who got their asses shot or were killed. What we’re doing here is serious and I’m having second thoughts about putting you in the line of fire.”
    Mostly because her gorgeous assets were still peaking at him from her plunging neckline. “You can do this sting, Sydney. I know you can. But you have to stop leading with your emotions. And your body.” He grinned at her. “Not that I don’t appreciate the view. I just prefer Goldberg doesn’t have access to it.”
    Now she smiled. “Well, look at you acting all jealous. Careful, Fed Boy, you’re turning me on here.”
    That made two of them. Talk about being too aggressive. “Sydney, you’re doing it again.”
    “What?”
    “Trying to distract me with sex.”
    “Oh. Damn. Is that what you think I’m doing? You don’t think I’m actually turned on by your protectiveness and that green smoke coming out your ears?”
    “Are you?”
    She inched closer, trailed her fingers down the front of his shirt, then back up. “Here’s the thing,” she said. “Sometimes, the aggressiveness is a defense mechanism. You’ve figured that out. When I’m getting shoved into a place I don’t want to be, I claw my way out, however I need to. Years of being on my own taught me to do that. You want me to do this a certain way, but I’m not sure how to do that. I’ll learn though. Then there’s the other part of me that thinks it’s kind of hot the way you’re so bent on it being your way. I like the clash of wills with you. Usually I don’t.”
    “I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Especially when I have to sit back here and let you take all the risks. If you don’t want me to have a coronary, maybe just button this button,” he grazed the button in question with one finger, “for me.”
    “Usually a man wants me to take my clothes