TEMPTED BY THE LAWMAN
MEN OF THE WEST
BOOK 2 OF 3
Chloe Barnes had realized the first moment she laid eyes on very Special FBI Agent Ethan Hollister that he could be trouble. Fighting her attraction to the sensuous lawman was easy—until he was injured in the line of duty and had no one to turn to but her. Would helping him heal end up breaking her heart?
After a horrific tragedy in his past, Ethan Hollister didn’t allow himself to get close to anyone. Unfortunately, his heart wasn’t listening when it came to the curvaceous Chloe Barnes. The top-notch legal assistant to his best friend, U.S. Assistant District Attorney, Clay Montgomery, had somehow managed to sneak past his self-imposed barriers without even trying. When he’s shot in the line of duty, it’s Chloe that helps him heal. But can she mend his heart as well?
“I’m sure what I have on will be fine,” he said, indicating the green scrubs with a flick of his hand. “Or,” he continued with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I can strip back down to my underwear.”
“Oh,” Chloe’s eyes grew big as she clutched the shorts to her stomach.
At the hospital, after the doctor had finally agreed to let Ethan go home, a male orderly had helped Ethan change his clothes. Or put his clothes back on. They had to basically destroy his jeans to get them off him to stitch his wound.
“Yep, I think I’d be much more comfortable in just my underwear.” Seeing the almost hungry look on Chloe’s face, he reached behind his neck to pull at the t-shirt he’d been wearing under his FBI jacket and bullet-proof vest. Those, along with his firearm, were stored safely in Chloe’s trunk. He’d give anything for a hot shower right now but knew that was out of the question. But, getting Chloe a little closer wasn’t. He dropped his arms to his side. “Could you help me?”
He looked up at her, not really having to fake the look of pain he knew would be in his eyes. Just as the doctor had predicted, the local was wearing off and his leg hurt like the seventh ring of hell.
“I, umm, sure.” Chloe laid the shorts across the footboard as she approached him. “I’ll just put these here for later.”
Ethan raised his hands above his head as she bent forward to grab the hem of his shirt. Her thick swath of hair fell forward, and the scent of fresh lemons wafted towards him. She always smelled so damn good. He eased his legs apart. “Come a little closer.”
Said the damn spider to the fly, Chloe thought, her eyes darting down to meet his smoldering gaze. She quickly raised hers, concentrating on the task at hand instead of allowing her fantasies to take over. She took a step forward, the outside of her thighs bumping against the inside of his. As she reached for a tighter grip on his shirt, her knuckles brushed the sides of his washboard stomach. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat. Slowly, because the shirt fit his muscular frame like a loving glove, she eased the cotton fabric over his head. She stilled the upward movement of her hands for just a second when his face was hidden, allowing herself one undisturbed, unadulterated lustful view of his bare chest.
Her heart rate increased and her breathing became erratic. Damn, he was beautiful.