Life would be easier if Matt could view the petite bar owner like a family member or even an employer, but as he watched her deliver another pitcher of tea to the women gathered around the table, he realized that was impossible. She laughed at something one of the women said, and his cock hardened. Again.

The woman had spunk, intelligence, and a heart-shaped ass. Of course he wanted her naked and sweating beneath him. That confused as much as irritated him. She was the exact opposite of what he usually looked for in a woman. Temporary, tough, and unemotional worked best, and the idea of being with someone soft and kind scared the shit out of him.

Laney was right to keep him at a distance.

The new phone he’d purchased early that morning buzzed, and he glanced down at his first text message of the day. Nate had texted that he was safe and would check in later. Relief relaxed Matt’s shoulders upon reading that his brother was all right. The guy hadn’t been out on a mission for years, and Matt had been worrying about him. Maybe Nate would finally heal from falling in love and being betrayed.

If anybody could throw a dose of cold water on Matt’s desire to pursue Laney, it’d be hard-assed Nate. He perceived only black and white, danger and safety. There was no safety in seducing Laney… for anybody. She wasn’t the woman Matt needed to find in Charmed.

Plus, as much as the idea turned Matt’s stomach, if he had to seduce the elusive Dr. Peters to secure her help, to save his brothers, he’d do it.

Of course, the family practitioner was the one woman who wasn’t sitting around the table. He’d paid special attention to the coroner and the veterinarian’s assistant, and the vet’s assistant was currently checking him out behind wire-rimmed glasses. Bright eyes showed intelligence and an interesting wariness. He shot her a smile.

Her cheeks pinkened, and she half turned to talk to the woman on her right.

Laney, sitting across from the vet, instantly shot a look his way, delicate eyebrow arched. He met her stare evenly, pleased when her high cheekbones filled with color. The fact that she kept his gaze with challenge in her eyes, even while blushing, pleased him even more. The polite thing to do would be to grant her a reprieve and look away.

Too bad he wasn’t a polite guy.

Laney should learn not to challenge him.

Her chair scraped back, and she muttered something to her friends and then calmly maneuvered around tables toward him, hips swaying… keeping his gaze the entire time. His shoulders went back, and his blood started to hum. Who was this woman so full of surprises?

She reached him, her eyes sparking in irritation. “Would you please stop turning the most successful businesswomen in town into simpering morons?” she whispered.

He blinked. Damn it. He focused down a foot at her irritated face. “What in the world are you talking about?”

Her body remained relaxed, but he could hear her heart thumping, and her expression was quickly transforming into anger. She kept her face angled away from the women at the table. “Stop smiling, stop flirting, and do your job.”

He lowered his face just enough to make her eyes widen. “You sound jealous.”

Ah. There was the fury. “I’m not, you jackass. Keep the charm in your pants, and stop flirting.”

Okay. He may have poured on the charm with the two women he needed to investigate, but he’d been trained in subtlety and covert action. “Why are you suddenly interested in what’s in my pants?”

Laney’s gasp heated him in all sorts of places. “If I have to tell you again to knock it off, you’re fired.”

The little spitfire had better be careful who she threatened. “So you want me unavailable to those women?”

Satisfaction filled her pretty face. “Exactly.”

“Okay.” He grasped her hip and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was hard, quick, and enough of a taste to make him crave more. He lifted away to gauge the shock on her face. “There. Now they think I’m taken.”

The air vibrated as her hand closed into a fist, and he shook his head. “You don’t want to hit me.”

“Why not?” she ground out.

For the first time, he let his mask slip so she could see the predator the government had created. “The second you make contact, I’ll have you on that bar, held tight, my cock pressed between your legs, my lips on yours until you beg for more. Even fully clothed, I may make you come—and I won’t care who’s watching.”

Her sexy mouth dropped open. Surprise and fury lit her eyes… along with desire. She tried to mask it, but he was an expert at reading people, and the woman was intrigued. “You egomaniac. I’m not remotely interested,” she whispered.

Surprising anger shot through him. “You want to threaten me? That’s fine. Challenge me? No problem.” He stepped even closer and into her space. “But don’t you ever lie to me. Ever, Laney.”

She pressed her hands against her hips, confusion blanketing her features. “We just met.”

The woman was correct. He had no right to demand a damn thing from her. For all she knew, he was a bad guy. But this once and with this woman, against all rational training and thought, he truly didn’t give a shit. He didn’t understand it, sure as hell couldn’t explain it. So he went with his gut. “Yeah, we did just meet. Those are the ground rules. Period.” He lowered his chin and waited for her to challenge him, anticipation lighting his veins.