**Excerpt**
Rafe sighed at the two cousins. They both knew full well what he was talking about but were trying to avoid answering his questions. Lord, trying to keep track of these two was going to give him heart failure. He turned back to Diamond. “Well, once your brothers find out about what happened last night, they’re going to feel much better about their sister running an investigation company. You two need bodyguards yourselves—how are you going to guard someone else? Part of an investigator’s job is to protect your client; which may include being his or her security.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Diamond replied.
“I say you do,” Rafe replied in a controlled voice.
“And I say I don’t. But if I did, are you volunteering for the position?” she shot back, head tilted to the side, the challenge evident in her eyes.
Rafe gave her a bold stare. “Is that a challenge, Diamond? Be very careful what you ask for, sweetheart. You just might get it.”
Hot damn! She hadn’t expected that. Smiling up at him, she flipped her head, sending her neatly trimmed hair in a seductive wave across her shoulders.
“Oh really, when?” was Diamond’s blunt, yet seductive reply. She was challenging him and they both knew it. How far she could go had yet to be determined. At least she had gotten a reaction out of him. And his reply was getting a reaction out of her. An, “I may have to go home and change my panties” reaction. Shit yeah! She was being bold, but she had a feeling that he was worth it.
Blue eyes challenged light brown eyes. Rafe watched her for a second more before he leaned across her desk and whispered in her ear. “If you play with fire, Brown Eyes, you’re bound to get burned.”
His seductive voice sent a command directly to her clit, which started to pulse like a heartbeat. Diamond turned her mouth towards his ear and murmured, “Are you fire, baby? Or are you just blowing a lot of smoke?” Then she swiped his ear with her tongue.
“Wow! You two need a hose,” Asia fanned herself as she rose from her chair. “Should I leave and come back?” she asked, smiling.
Rafe was the first to recover. Hell, he’d forgotten that Asia was still in the room. “No. I came by to make sure that you two were all right. I have to get going. I’ll stop by later in the week.” He sat up and slid off Diamond’s desk. “To answer your question, Brown Eyes, I’m a hot-blooded, Native American man. I don’t blow smoke—I make it happen.” He winked at her.
Rafe’s words excited Diamond even more. She tried to hide her anticipation as they continued to stare each other down, neither conceding. Diamond’s breathing was rapid. Rafe appeared as calm as ever.
