What he’d learned about Miss Gypsy Rum was the fact that she refused to bed any man or Breed known to have a promiscuous lifestyle or one who had already slept with a female she knew.
That had obviously narrowed the playing field for her.
But, he had to admit, it was refreshing to know a woman who actually stuck to her own rules, no matter the obvious flaw in them.
Rule was damned certain that she’d never had a lover, though.
But she was going to have one soon.
Women, their hearts, their luscious bodies, every aspect of them and every part of them that made them the amazingly complex creatures he so enjoyed, never failed to please him.
Perhaps that was why she drew him.
He knew the intelligence and the complexities behind the façade she presented. That mask of a shallow young woman was just that—a mask.
He suspected that was why she had made the list of possible Unknown contacts. And now, he was going to have to find a way to get her off that list.
To convince Jonas that she was just what she seemed to be. Even if he did know better.
The hurt she carried behind her bright smile and sensual, flirty demeanor haunted her waking moments as well as her nightmares.
He saw the woman who craved something she had no idea how to reach out for. A woman who imprisoned all her wild hunger behind a bottle of beer, a flirty smile and every party or good-time bar that could offer a spark of excitement instead of erotic heat.
And what she never displayed, was the deception and games that came with being a spy.
Not to mention the ability to sleep with whoever was needed to gain the information she sought.
No, the spark she needed had nothing to do with being a spy for anyone, let alone some group that no one could even confirm existed.
Rule had decided weeks before that he had her spark, and he intended to watch her burn once he set fire to her hunger. He’d just needed a reprieve from the investigations taking so much of his time first.
And the assurance that the desire hardening the flesh between his thighs wasn’t Mating Heat.
The wild, animalistic genetics that often felt like a caged lion inside him were completely unimpressed with her. That shadow creature inside him was too damned busy searching for the Coyotes it so loved to fight, because that was one of the rare times Rule allowed it to come out and play.
Restless, driven to rid the world of the creatures that still gave their loyalty to the Genetics Council, his animal senses rarely even took notice of Gypsy unless he had the time to become aroused.
And that made for a very happy Rule Breaker.
And potentially, a very f**ked Gypsy.
CHAPTER 2
ONE WEEK LATER
Gypsy slipped into the underground entrance of the Navajo Covert Law Enforcement Offices and made her way tiredly through the steel-lined corridor leading to the elevator to the upper floors.
She checked her watch. Five minutes to spare.
She’d made it, but it hadn’t been easy. And it sure as hell hadn’t been a sure thing that she would make it back before nightfall to begin with.
Stepping into the elevator, she punched the button, leaning against the side of the metal cubicle as she smothered a yawn and waited for that little ping that indicated the ride was coming to an end. Which meant her week was coming to an end soon as well, and hopefully, at least one good night’s sleep.
Straightening from the wall as the doors slid open, Gypsy stilled, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the man she’d come to see.
Dressed in dun-colored tactical pants and a matching T-shirt, he could have been hot as hell, if he didn’t work at being an ass**le so often. Light brown hair, brown eyes and a well-tanned complexion made him a real hit with all the other ladies he knew, though.
She must be weird, because she simply hadn’t ever been interested.
“Hell, I usually have to track you down when I return,” she drawled, standing straight and moving from the elevator as he glared at her.
What the hell had she done anyway?
“How long have you been back?” Cullen Maverick, commander of the agency, demanded, his tone dark, the snap in it irritating.
Damn, he must have already taken his prick pills for the day.
“How long does it take to get from the underground garage to here?” Mockery was usually the best and most effective weapon against his grumpiness. “Try chilling out a sec, Maverick.”
“Then you’ve not been back long enough to realize there’s a damned Breed APB out on your ass, right?”
She did freeze this time. She didn’t just pause.
Coming to a hard stop, she pivoted and just stared at Cullen, certain she must have misunderstood what he said.
“There’s a what?” she asked carefully, praying she wasn’t giving away that panicked where-can-I-hide feeling beginning to shoot through her.
“You heard me,” he snapped. “An unofficial Breed APB put out on you by Commander Rule Breaker. What the f**k is going on?”
“Unofficial?” She snorted at that one. Well, that happened just about every other day after she pissed one of them off. Or unless the director’s baby wanted more “moo-cake.” “When it becomes official, let me know.”
Turning on her heel, she began tracking to his office, knowing damned good and well he wasn’t going to take possession of what she had anywhere else.
Cullen wasn’t fond of the security cameras picking up every move he made or the information exchanged between him and his men. Or his contacts, such as Gypsy.
Besides, her cover of irritating Cullen just for the hell of it had already been established and followed for years. Unless she was actually seen handing something over, then she’d be screwed. And so would he be. For a minute anyway.