She snorted. “That wasn’t a gleam, it was pain.”
Mel laughed. “Good try, but he definitely ogled your ass when you walked away.”
“What?” Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced from one smiling face to the other. “You two are so full of it.”
Mel nodded. “If you mean full of knowledge, then you’re right. Because the way the awareness zinged between you two spoke volumes.”
Lyndsey hooked her arm through Emily’s and grinned. “Yeah, at about a hundred and twenty decibels.”
“Okay, now that’s settled, I think we should celebrate Zena’s breakthrough with another piece of chocolate cake.” Mel slid her arm through Emily’s free one. “If there’s any left, that is.”
More than happy to switch the focus from Holden to Zena, she smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
As she walked with her friends to scout out the decadent dessert, Emily’s common sense kicked in and quieted the fingers of anxiety that had started to squeeze her chest. There was no reason to worry about her friends trying to play matchmaker.
Holden hadn’t shown any signs ofawareness. Mel and Lyndsey were just teasing her because her stupid face had flushed. Yeah. That made sense.
And even though she was bound to bump into the guy at the shelter, it didn’t mean she would have another reaction to him. That episode in the kennel was just a fluke.
Feeling better, she cut herself a piece of cake, and her gaze drifted to the handsome newcomer who stood laughing with his buddies in the far corner of the yard.
Goosebumps spread across her shoulders and raced the spark of heat that shot to her toes.
Shoot.
So, it wasn’t a fluke, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t handle it.
She straightened her spine. This wasn’t going to be an issue. She’d faced tougher situations than this unwanted attraction and had always remained in control.
Of course, those situations had always involved her heart…not her stupid, haywire body.
Chapter Three
Three days later, Holden was at ESI storing his gear after a two-day job in Dallas with the guys. Providing extra security for some famous, egomaniacal rapper was a lot different than the life-or-death details while on active duty. Mac still ran a well thought out and precision op, but it had been weird to not draw his weapon or operate without a K-9 by his side. More than once, Holden had glanced down to check on Braddock.
He rubbed at his chest as if that would relieve the sudden ache. It was going to take some time to get used to the changes in his life. He was glad he’d agreed to go to the shelter after work with Sinjin later. Hopefully, helping dogs in need would fill some of this emptiness.
Focusing on that thought, he shoved his pack in his locker and shut the door.
“So, how does it feel to have your first ESI mission under your belt?” Mac asked, stowing his gear away in an adjacent locker.
“Good, but it was definitely different,” he replied honestly, knowing that his boss would expect nothing less.
Still in the room, Sinjin and Hunter both grunted in agreement.
“The pace, the rules…I need to retrain my brain,” he told them.
“It does take a while,” Hunter said. “We’ve all been through it.”
Sinjin nodded. “I’m still working on it.”
“Everyone transitions at their own speed,” Mac said. “I don’t want either of you to think you need to force it.”
Knowing he wasn’t the only one who’d found adjusting to life outside the military a little tougher than expected eased an anxiety Holden hadn’t realized he was carrying.
He blew out a breath while Sinjin nodded again. “Roger that.”
“Good.” Mac set a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go join the others in the garage. It’s tradition to enjoy a quick drink at the end of each job before we scatter.”
