Page 15 of Unburied

Mason scowled at their banter filled with sexual innuendo. Miles grinned widely, his lascivious gaze sweeping slowly over her body from head to toe. “Always do.”

“Knock it off,” Mason barked.

Miles might be his own flesh and blood, but Mason wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if he ever laid a hand on Vivi. Unless she wanted it. Had she been lying to him the other day when she told him there was nothing between them?

His knee jumped beneath the table as his hand curled into a fist to keep from dragging Miles from his chair and beating the truth out of him.

Mason could feel a half-dozen pairs of eyes on him, but he studiously ignored them as he flipped open the file. It was hard to focus, and he listened with half an ear as Knox outlined the plan for this week’s assignments.

Jaxon and Mason had been charged with staking out an antiquities shop suspected of fencing high-end items and auctioning them online. In addition to the recon there, Mason was responsible for an upcoming qualifications class for those who wanted to get their CCW.

He was acutely aware of the moment Vivi slipped from the room. He waited for what felt like an interminably long time before he finally excused himself, unable to wait another second. He bolted from the conference room after making an excuse to Jaxon that he was going to do some research. Instead of heading to his cubicle in the bullpen, though, he turned toward the lobby.

Empty.

He held back a growl of frustration and headed toward the file room instead. He could hear her moving around inside before he even reached the doorway, and a strange sensation filled his chest as he stepped inside. Her back was to him, and he spent a few seconds watching her move quickly and efficiently as she organized the folders in the drawer.

Silently, he moved up behind Vivi, pinning her between him and the filing cabinet. “You love to torture me, don’t you?”

Vivi jumped a little at his low growl, her shoulders snapping straight. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No?” He pressed closer, placing a hand on either side of her, caging her between the filing cabinet and his body. He felt the heat rolling off of her in waves, and her body trembled—with rage or anticipation, he wasn’t sure. “You keep flirting with my brother. Why is that?”

“I don’t flirt,” she said breathlessly.

He snorted. “I beg to differ, and I think you know exactly what you’re doing. The question is why.”

She lifted one shoulder, and her hair tickled his chin under the movement. “Not my problem you’re reading too much into it.”

“So, you’re not doing it to spite me?” he asked, leaning in close. His lips were bare millimeters from the shell of her ear, and her sweet scent wafted up to him, like sunshine and flowers.

Lord… What was this woman doing to him?

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you like getting a rise out of me. Because you know you want me as much as I want you. Because you love to see me all worked up over you.”

“I plead the fifth.”

He could practically hear the smirk in her voice, and he leaned closer so he was pressed against her from thigh to chest. He slipped his knee between her legs, forcing them further apart as he nipped her ear. She let out a soft squeak and shuddered, and his body vibrated under the force of it.

He settled his hands on her hips and curled his fingers into her flesh. “Admit it. You love torturing me.”

“I—”

Whatever she was about to say was immediately cut off as he traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. She let out a little sigh, and he couldn’t help but smile. She was so responsive, so sweet. “Have I told you recently how much that new haircut of yours turns me on?”

She stiffened, her entire body going rigid. “I thought you liked my hair long,” she challenged.

“I did. You looked gorgeous then, too. But this…” He settled one hand at the base of her neck, then slid it upward into the silky-soft strands. “It's sassy. Sophisticated. It suits you. Plus…”

He dipped his head so his mouth hovered near the base of her neck. “I love easy access.”

“Easy access—?” Comprehension dawned a second too late, and her knees buckled as he bit down in that little spot that turned her on so much. She melted into him, seeming to have momentarily lost the ability to control her muscles. He clutched her close, loving the way she fit against him.

All too soon she recovered, forcing her legs to cooperate as she straightened. She arched her hips forward in a vain attempt to put distance between her body and his. “That’s cheating.”

“I beg to differ. I found the spot…” He allowed his teeth to graze over the sensitive skin once more as he pulled her back to him again. “Now it’s mine.”