“But I’m not interested in having you involved. I thought I made that clear. The FBI is forming a task force. I think we can handle it.”
He tried to conceal his annoyance. “Why turn any help away? You’re being stubborn and illogical.”
She took another sip of coffee. “Sticks and stones.”
“Give me one good reason we can’t work together.”
“Just one?”
“That’s all I ask.”
A slight smile curved her lips. “Well…it could get uncomfortable.”
“How?
“I’ve seen you naked, remember?”
Was she flirting with him? If this had come from any other woman, he would’ve taken that for granted. But not Sophia.
What was she up to now? He had no idea, but he was intrigued enough to find out. “We could always even the score.”
“Meaning…”
Damn, she had pretty eyes. He didn’t trust the sultry note in her voice, but he felt a flicker of excitement all the same. “You could take off your clothes—give me the same opportunity.”
She made a show of considering it. “And this would benefit me how?”
“I wouldn’t want you to be the only one who’s embarrassed when we run into each other.”
“So you’d be doing me a favor.”
He pretended to think about it and eventually nodded. “Basically.”
“Thoughtful of you.” Her mouth quirked, drawing his attention to lips that looked even softer than they had in high school.
“Contrary to what you probably believe, I’m a nice guy,” he said.
She ran her thumb over the handle of her coffee cup. “Nice enough to talk me out of my clothes.”
“Nice enough to make you glad you lost them.” He was teasing, but she definitely had his attention. “Want me to prove it?”
“Why not? We could do it right there.” She pointed at the cot in his cell. “Fulfill all my captor-captive fantasies.”
He let his gaze sweep over her. “You want to get your handcuffs?”
“We’re alone. Who’d know?”
“I’d certainly never tell.” He produced the crooked smile that seemed to work so well with women.
“Of course you wouldn’t. At least, not until morning, when you’d use my, shall we say, poor judgment to get me fired.” She straightened triumphantly, as if she’d called his bluff.
Bringing a hand to his chest, he scowled. “You have so little faith in me. We’re old friends, remember?”
She laughed. “Hardly! You scared the hell out of me back then.”
“I scare you now, too.”
“No, you don’t.”
But she was nervous; he could sense it. “If you prefer, I’ll be the one in handcuffs.”
“You’re such a gentleman. But if you think I’ll make it that easy for you to get revenge, you’re crazy.”
When he’d jumped into this conversation, he’d merely been curious. And playful. But he wasn’t feeling so playful anymore. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was starting to feel aroused. Apparently, things in Bordertown hadn’t changed as much as he wished. He still thought Sophia was beautiful. And, more than ever, he wanted her to want him. Maybe he believed that would make up for the brutal rejection he’d suffered at her hands fourteen years ago.
“You’re assuming I’d hurt you if you gave me the chance.”
“You would. And you’d enjoy doing it.”
And yet she was the one who’d changed the tone of their conversation, their relationship, from what it had been moments before. “You’re tempted.”
Her chest rose as she took a deep breath. It was as if he could see the weight she usually carried settling back on her shoulders. “Not really.”
That was a lie. She was as intrigued by the idea as he was or she wouldn’t have continued flirting with him.
“There’s no reason for us to be at each other’s throats,” he said. “There are bigger battles to fight.”
“That’s true.”
“So…”
She set her coffee cup on a table that stood in the corner. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll let you go, if…”
“If…” he repeated.
“You leave town tomorrow. For good.”
Gripping the bars above his head, he leaned close. “That’s not exactly the kind of deal I was hoping for.”
She stepped up to him, her br**sts just inches from his chest. “What if I agree to the handcuffs?”
As their eyes met, a powerful surge of sexual current arced between them, almost as strong as the shock Rod had felt from her Taser. It nearly knocked the wind out of him and, if the look on Sophia’s face was any indication, it affected her the same way. “At this point, just imagining your body against mine would probably be enough motivation to get me to do anything you want.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “So you’ll leave town afterward?”
Was this real? An hour ago, she’d shot him, twice, with her Taser, and he’d wanted to wring her neck for it. Now he had something far less violent in mind. “You’re serious….”
Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she worried it as if she was having difficulty deciding.
“Sophia?” His grip tightened on the bars. “What, exactly, are you offering me?”
Stepping out of reach, she pressed her fingers to her forehead. “Nothing. I…I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It’s not that hard to guess. You want to escape the pressure you’ve been under and forget all the terrible things that’ve happened—the controversy around your appointment, Leonard Taylor’s anger, the murders. But you don’t want it to come with any repercussions. That’s why you want me to leave afterward.”
“Maybe. But an escape like that always comes with repercussions.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone.”
Thinking of what she’d told him about her stepfather, he pictured the frightened girl she must’ve become. No wonder she’d reacted the way she had when he’d appeared at the crime scene. He’d plunged into an already tense situation as if he had every right to force her hand and, not unreasonably, she’d lashed out.