BountyHunterpart11

"Well, if you two can play nice then it'll be a first," Isabel smiled and raised first one eyebrow then the other. "Michael tends not to play well with others."

"Yeah, I got that feeling from him." Maria grinned and thought they could have been talking about herself just as easily as Michael Guerin.

"What feeling was that?" Michael leaned over her shoulder, his breath on her neck.

Maria closed her eyes and wished herself away from the position she was in. Again, she began to attribute everything to the heat. The fact that the air conditioning in the caf� was nearly frigid did not escape her. Maybe working with someone she wanted to throw down on the counter and seriously molest was not in her best interest after all. Taking a deep breath, she turned her head towards him and opened her eyes, barely an inch away from his face. Their noses would have touched had either of them broken out of their statue state. She licked her lips while keeping her eyes trained on his. "The feeling that you don't get along too well with others."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how well I get along with you," he raised an eyebrow at her and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Won't we?"

She nodded slightly, careful not to run into his face with her nose and then leaned back, thankful to be a little further apart from him. Thankful for the fresh air that flushed through her whipping out the intoxication of sex appeal.

"Oh God," Kyle Valenti rolled his eyes which earned him a smile from Isabel. "Were you two separated at birth?"

"Are you actually in this conversation, Valenti?" Michael stood up straight and put on his tough guy fa�ade. The release of any type of emotion was better than doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to throw this Maria DeLuca down on the counter and rip her shirt off; somehow he knew that was not an option and probably never would be.

"Nope, just amused." Kyle grinned as his lunch was placed in front of him. "Just amused."

"Hey Kyle," Isabel broke through the sexual tension and surrendered a warning glance to her partner. "How's the security thing going?"

"Do you really want to know Isabel?" He set his burger down and sighed. "It sucks. It actually sucks so bad, I don't know what could possibly suck more than being a security guard in a shopping mall. Now that I've had a minute to think about it, yes I do know what could suck more. A security guard in a shopping mall who has 'Tuesday Security' on his shirt. Do you know that all day, all I can think about that daughter from the Addam's Family?"

Isabel smiled and hid a laugh behind her hand. "Her name was Wednesday."

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Kyle slapped the countertop with his palm and laughed. "No wonder everyone looks at me like I'm high whenever I mention that!"

"I always liked her," Michael said and walked back to the other side of Isabel. "She had spunk."

"Kyle, nice to meet you," Maria slid some money on the counter and stood up; her food appetite had been replaced by one that she didn't want to think about. "Isabel? Always a pleasure." She took a step towards Michael and felt the heat in-between her legs. "Well, Guerin, shall we get to work or what?"

He grinned and slid his sunglasses from the top of his head to the bridge of his nose and peered out over the rims at her. He pursed his lips and halfway smiled. "Sure DeLuca, let's get to work."

Isabel scooted over to Maria's vacated chair next to Kyle and the two them watched the bad ass bounty hunters leave.

Michael followed her out of the caf� while wiping his hands on his jeans. He tried to swagger, but the muse of attraction was weighing him down. He watched Maria DeLuca walk and admired the way her shorts hugged her hips and rode high on her thighs. Her strong calf muscles sculpted into socks and boots. A line of sweat had broken out on her back and was seeping through her tank shirt.

"You wanna drive?" She turned around and faced him, the midday heat beating down into her scalp; she assumed it was frying her brain because all she could think about while watching Michael Guerin walk closer to her was him naked and underneath her.

"Yeah," he pulled keys from his pocket and noticed his palms were sweaty again. No woman had ever had that kind of effect on him before. "No." He looked around with the sudden memory of Isabel driving to the caf� and grinned. "I mean, I will, but I don't have my truck."

Maria grinned and felt her nipples tighten. "Back at the office?" With a nod for an answer she motioned towards her jeep. "I'll drive us there and then you can drive me." She blushed. "I mean, then you can drive from there�" Her attempt at covering up the Freudian slip was futile. She had thrown the cards on the able and wondered if she'd be dealt a joker.

Don't get involved. It's just a job with an extremely hot man. Who care's if you haven't been able to have any type of relationship for the last three years? This is a job and he's your partner for the duration of it, don't get involved. She warned herself and mused that she never listened to anyone else's warnings, why would she listen to her own?

She got into the driver's seat and waited for Michael to get in. She noticed he stumbled on the way in and fought back a laugh.

Michael swore as his foot caught on the runner of her jeep. Falling down and making a complete ass of himself was not exactly what he had in mind. He was still working towards the cool bounty hunter persona he displayed for the general public.

Maria drove with the radio loud and her attention on trying to remember the way to the office without having to ask for directions. She parked on the street in front of the office and gave herself a figurative pat on the back for not getting lost. She cut the engine and looked at her passenger.

"You took the long way," he grinned and jumped out of the jeep before she could respond.

She carefully removed the faceplate to the stereo, grabbed her backpack and followed her new partner to a white pick-up truck a few spaces in front of them. Maria got in the passenger side and tucked her backpack underneath her legs on the floor.

Michael took a deep breath before getting in the cab of the truck. "So, where do you think we should start?"

"You tell me Guerin," she shrugged and felt the trickle of sweat run in-between her breasts. "This is your town and you know little Miss Liz Parker, right?"

Michael started the engine and didn't turn down either the radio or the air-conditioner. Maria savored them both. She stretched her legs out as far as she could and looked at her chauffeur. The strong jaw line, the full lips and cocky attitude. Exactly what she didn't need in her life right now. What she needed was to find Liz Parker and move on.

TBC