Excerpt

Life wasn’t fair, but she’d never whined about it. Wrong place, wrong time. But one of Diana’s model friends had recommended this hair salon to try out styles before Di’s wedding and Allison agreed to meet her here.

After texting her sis (stay away Diana, feds here) she pocketed her cell. Allison grabbed her motorcycle helmet, waved at the still-stunned women and headed for the exit.

She wasn’t staying here for Rafael’s shakedown.

Barely had she taken three steps when Rafe grabbed her arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”

He removed the mask. Allison gritted her teeth and looked up at him. She hated how he towered over her by a good five inches. His dark gaze raked over her, cold, intense, searching.

This was Rafael the FBI agent on assignment. Not the Rafe who’d charmed and coaxed her into spying on a dangerous biker gang months ago. Awareness shot through her. Try as she might, it was hard to ignore how powerful he looked. The faint spicy scent of his aftershave shot through the stench of ammonia and chemicals. Why did he have to be so sexy? She hated feeling like this. Attraction to a guy like Rafael was complicated, something best left for daydreams.

Not now, not when all her focus needed to remain on her little sister.

“I’m headed to work.” She narrowed her eyes. “Unless you want to call the ER charge nurse and tell her why you’ve detained me, and you’d better have a damn good reason for doing so, I’m out of here.”

For a moment he studied her as if she were the suspect. Neither moved. Sweat trickled down Allison’s back, plastering her black T-shirt to her back. This felt like a showdown, a power play.

She hated that. Hated not being in control.

“Let go of me,” she muttered.

Knowing better than to touch him because he could arrest her for assault, she waited. Not caring if she made Rafael look bad in front of his team.

Her gaze flicked over the uniformed police, who seemed suddenly more interested in her and this standoff than gathering evidence. Suddenly she got it. It was all about who was in charge. Not showing weakness.

Yeah, she understood that.

Allison gave the men closest to her a pointed look.

“I’d hate for any of you to get injured or, God forbid, shot on the job, and I’m not there to treat you. I’m one of the best trauma nurses in Miami, and while you’re staring at me, I could be saving lives.”

Her gaze flicked back to Rafael. “We’re on the same team.”

Jaw tight beneath his well-trimmed black beard, he narrowed his eyes. “I’ll be in touch about why the hell you happened to be here this particular day. In the meantime, stay out of my investigation.”

He released her and stepped aside. Made a mock sweeping gesture. But his dark gaze never left her, and she saw his pupils dilate.

Feeling as if the electricity between them could light up half of South Florida, she gripped her motorcycle helmet and slipped outside.

About Author Bonnie Vanak…