The proverbial sparks fly when she and Sawyer meet, but Kate doesn't want or need a relationship right now. Unfortunately, it's Sawyer's job to make her change her mind. Here's an early scene where Kate suspects there's been an intruder in her home. There has. Sawyer planted listening bugs in her home right before she walked in. Now he has to feign ignorance.
“Mr. Hayes. Are you in there? I hear music, so you must be up.”
He expelled a whoosh of air through his nose. Kate. Shit. Sawyer tucked his Beretta into the back waistband of his shorts and pulled his T-shirt over it. He had no idea why she was outside his door, but he was pretty damn sure it wasn’t to get horizontal.
He squared his shoulders and moved toward her voice, stopping just shy of his open slider. He slipped into his teasing, Texas twang. “Mr. Hayes was my dad, so no, he’s not here. You’ll have to make do with me.” He flipped on the patio light and stepped outside.
Sure enough, Kate was leaning on the wrought iron rail that separated their beachfront patios. She straightened as soon as he appeared, and took a pace back. Her gaze swept over him, and he smiled wider.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company in the middle of the night?”
“Not for what you’re hoping.”
Her waspish reply startled a laugh from him. Damn. Whether he wanted to or not, he liked her prickly temperament. It didn’t help matters either that, although her words were like a splash of ice water to the face, the fact that she wouldn’t meet his gaze told him she was more aware of him as a man than she wanted to be. A good investigator would capitalize on that attraction, and he was better than good.
“You wound me.”
She was ready for him. “You’ll recover, Romeo. I wanted to know if you saw or heard anyone in my place.”
Shit. Sawyer lost his smile. He thought he’d escaped the apartment with her none the wiser. How did she know? Her knowledge spoke to her guilt. Only those with something to hide were hyperaware of their surroundings. He didn’t have to fake his concern, just the reason for it.
“No, I didn’t. Did you see someone?”
“No. It was more of an impression. You’ll probably think I’m silly, but it was a disturbance in the air.” “I don’t think that’s silly at all. You stay here and I’ll go check it out.”
“Like hell. If someone’s in there I want a crack at him.”
Sawyer paused and studied her in the moonlight. She was sincere. He had no doubt that she’d make good on her promise to take a swing at the intruder, even if it was him. Especially if it was him. He shook his head once, and watched her lips thin into a straight line. She thought he was telling her no.
“Fine. But stay behind me, okay?”
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