CovertDesires by Chandra Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

least.”
    “I like Rowe, Parker.” He shook his head. “No. That’s not
right. It’s more than that. The woman ties me up in knots. I want to protect
her from the galaxy but I’m so damn proud of her. She’s strong, fierce, brave
and so incredibly naive that knowing the danger she puts herself in every day
scares the shit out of me. She would literally give some bum the shirt off her
back.”
    Parker started to laugh again.
    “Not funny. And I’m not exaggerating. I had to stop her from
stripping the first night we were working a case together. Some junkie teenager
was checking into a rehab clinic we were researching.” He smiled despite
himself as he remembered the night. “The girl’s clothing barely had enough
material to make it legal in public. If she bent over she’d have broken the
public indecency laws. Rowe was going to give her the shirt off her back. I
asked her what she planned on wearing if she gave her clothes to the other
woman. Do you know what she said?”
    He waited for Parker to shake his head.
    “She hadn’t thought it through that far.”
    “That sounds like Rowe.”
    “She never thinks things through. She honestly trusts the
universe to catch her whenever she falls. And you know what? She’s right. It
does. Because it loves her as much as…” He let the sentence die unfinished. Had
he almost confessed his love for Rowe to Parker?
    “Oh you’ve got it bad, my friend.”
    He looked down at his shoes. “You have no idea.”
    “I think I might. Come on.”
    “Is Harlow in there?” He looked at the door and then looked
back over his shoulder as he debated the success of an escape.
    “Yep.”
    “She’s going to kill me, isn’t she?”
    Parker pressed his hand against the scanner to open the
door. “Na. I think you guys might actually come to an agreement after this whole
fiasco.”
    He hoped Parker was right as he stepped into the loud,
crowded room. As difficult as it sometimes was to work with a prophet, Jack
actually considered himself lucky. He couldn’t imagine what life must be like
for Parker. To be married to a woman who could read his thoughts whenever she
felt like it.
    “Really? You’re worried for Parker’s sake right now?”
    He turned to see the short, blonde bundle of authority that
was Harlow Parker. He should’ve known she’d be in his head as soon as he
entered the room. Rowe had told him once that Harlow didn’t use her gift
against other people. But Jack was guessing that was a courtesy Harlow
extended. One she reserved for her crew only. Anyone else seemed to be a fair
target. Or maybe it was just him? Either way she didn’t seem to have a problem
reading his mind whenever the mood struck. “Sir. I was just having a word with
your husband in the hall.” She wasn’t his commanding officer. He’d never flown
for the military and he certainly hadn’t been stationed on her prison transport
ship, the Tempest . But damn if he was going to call her by her name
without her permission.
    “I know. He thought you deserved fair warning. Apparently
it’s a guy thing.” She led the way to the back of the room where a table of
people waited for them. “Because Barkswell agreed with him.”
    Jack shook the other man’s hand as he stood up. “Good to see
you again.” Barkswell was another one of the group of people he’d come to
depend upon for keeping Rowe out of trouble. “How’s Eliss?”
    “Ready to give birth at any moment and pissed as hell that
Harlow dragged me out of bed at this ungodly hour. But she sends her love. To
Rowe, of course.”
    “Of course.” He’d only met Barkswell’s wife a couple of
times. She was a nice enough woman but she seemed to be of the “slow to warm”
variety. She’d do anything for her friends. But she didn’t consider just
anybody a friend. And Jack was still just another anybody to her.
    “Have a seat.” Harlow pointed at the empty chair
expectantly. She might have framed it as a request but he heard it