Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3) (10 page)

“You don’t have to take me to dinner,” Emma said from the passenger seat of Finn’s Escalade. “I’m more than happy to get takeout again.”

Finn had picked Emma up from the Daily Tribune less than an hour before, suffering the indignity of watching Grady make kissing faces at him when Emma’s back was turned in the parking lot. He knew his brother was teasing – but it wasn’t nearly as much fun being on the receiving end of that scenario. Finn was starting to rethink the torture he’d provided when James and Grady started courting their lady loves.

“Maybe I want to take you out to dinner,” Finn said. “A good meal, a nice glass of wine, that doesn’t sound good to you?”

Emma bit her lower lip. “I’m just as happy with takeout.”

Finn sighed. She was so hard to read sometimes. “Indulge me. It’s my turn to choose, after all. I promised you Lebanese.”

Emma sighed. “Where are we going?”

“I thought it might be nice to go to La Shish,” Finn said. “I love their kabobs.”

“They have really good tabbouleh,” Emma admitted. “I like their hummus, too.”

“See, this will be fun,” Finn said, reaching over so he could rub her knee. He wanted to touch her constantly. He couldn’t stop himself. “Let’s just have a good time.”

Once they were seated in the restaurant, Finn requesting a dark booth in the corner, Emma tried to relax. She hadn’t been on a lot of dates. In fact, she could count all four of them on one hand.

Dating never worked out for her. Men were usually only interested in her looks. When they found out she had an opinion to go with the beauty, they usually found something else to focus on, although her breasts were still a constant fascination. Finn didn’t seem like that kind of guy. Actually, Emma was sure he wasn’t that type of guy. Being in a public setting was still nerve-wracking.

After they placed their orders and the waitress delivered their wine, Emma forced her attention on Finn. “So, what did you find out today?”

Finn had struggled with how much information to share with Emma during the duration of the ride to the newspaper. In the end, he decided that he wouldn’t lie to her. It wasn’t even an option worth considering.

He told her about his conversation with Detective Andrews. When he was done, her face was pale. “Are you serious?”

“I need you not to freak out,” Finn said. “Freaking out is not going to do either of us any good.”

“I’m not freaking out,” Emma replied.

“I need you to trust me,” Finn tried again.

Emma leveled her gaze on him. “I do trust you.” God help her, that was the truth.

“Let’s enjoy our dinner,” Finn said. “We’ll talk more when we get back to the apartment. For now, why don’t you tell me about your day?”

“Well, for starters, your brother is a trip,” Emma said, smiling. “There were all these advertising women who were fawning all over him. I have no idea where they came from.”

“Grady has a certain
effect
on women,” Finn said. “I think it’s the hair.”

“Anyway, he was sitting in the studio watching, and a steady stream of blondes kept coming in to bring him coffee,” Emma said. “He was nice to all of them, although he was clearly disinterested. That didn’t stop them from coming, though.”

“Yeah, Grady has been plagued with the unbearable burden of women throwing themselves at him since we were teenagers,” Finn explained. “I don’t know how he’s dealt with it.”

“One time, the woman who was behind the receptionist’s desk in the lobby came back,” Emma said. “I guess she was on her break or something. She was practically drooling over him – although she kept asking questions about James.”

Finn smirked. “She’s got a crush on James. I don’t think she’s recovered from finding out about Mandy. She keeps hoping that they’ll break up. Plus, I don’t think she and Sophie get along very well. She was probably trying to needle her by flirting with Grady.”

“Grady only seems to have eyes for Sophie,” Emma said. “He was nice to everyone, but he brightened up the entire room with his smile when she came in to visit.”

“How is Sophie doing after the fire?”

“She seems fine,” Emma said. “She was the first one down. Grady seems more worked up by the fire than Sophie.”

“Grady is something of an alarmist sometimes,” Finn said. “He’s dramatic. Sometimes I think he missed his calling. He should have been an actor.”

Emma smirked. “He’s very sweet and very kind. He really stayed focused on me for most of the day, asking me a bunch of questions and stuff.”

“About?”

“You,” Emma replied, shrugging. “He wanted to know what we did last night.”

Finn searched Emma’s face for signs of regret. Not finding any, he relaxed back against the booth. “And what did you tell him?”

“I told him we watched
Grey’s Anatomy
,” Emma replied. “He seemed really interested in that.”

Finn cringed internally. He just knew he was never going to hear the end of this. “Anything else?”

“I’m not the kind to kiss and tell,” Emma teased.

They’d done a lot more than kiss the previous night, but Finn pushed the thought out of his mind. There was nothing he could do about those
urges
until he had her back at Mandy’s apartment.

The conversation progressed from there, Emma laughing easily – which made Finn’s heart swell. This was the woman who never laughed, and here she was giggling like a teenager at a slumber party. He couldn’t get enough of the sound. He found himself telling her silly stories from his childhood – stories that made him look like a complete fool – just so he could hear her laugh some more.

After a while, Finn glanced around at the other restaurant visitors. At a certain point, he realized that every man in the restaurant was staring at Emma. Some tried to pretend they weren’t – most of those were eating with women. Others didn’t care how obnoxious they looked.

He shouldn’t have been surprised. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Other men drinking in the beauty that he already regarded as his was taxing and irksome.

When they were done, Finn linked his fingers with Emma’s and led her out of the restaurant, meeting as many predatory eyes as he could as they exited. He knew he was marking his territory, but he didn’t care. She wasn’t a piece of candy in a bowl, a slice of meat on their plates. She was a person with feelings. She was his person.

Dammit, that Grey’s Anatomy show was getting to him.

When they got back to the apartment, Finn barely had the door shut and locked before she was on him. He’d expected to spend the night wrapped in her arms – and thighs. He just wasn’t sure she would make the first move again. He figured he’d have to plan a little seduction to get her to his way of thinking. Instead, he was the one welcoming her need.

Their interlude was different tonight, more fervent.

Emma’s mouth was greedy and dominant. Finn let her claim his mouth with as much force as she wanted, letting her dictate the pace. Emma stripped out of her clothes – all of them – in the hallway.

Finn followed suit, taking her lead with robust enjoyment. He loved seeing her this way. She was so … free.

Emma wrapped her arms around Finn’s neck as they staggered into the bedroom. Finn reached into the nightstand, grabbing a condom to clutch in his hand as they tumbled to the mattress.

Finn lodged the condom under a pillow, making sure he remembered where he stashed it, and then rolled Emma’s naked body over so she was spread eagle on her back. His initial inclination was to smother her body with his, but Emma’s skittish nature had him thinking twice.

Instead, he knelt between her thighs, lifting one a few inches off the mattress so he could kiss the tender flesh only inches from her private vee. Emma groaned, encouraging Finn to continue.

He kissed his way up her thigh, lowering himself so he was eye-level with her mound. He blew out a breath, enjoying the way Emma shifted as the sensation washed over her. Finn returned his mouth to her thigh, dragging his tongue across the tender skin that separated her appendage from the ambrosia he wanted to taste.

Finn didn’t hesitate, worried she would suddenly balk at his tongue invasion. He buried his head between her thighs and licked.

“Oh, God,” Emma moaned, beating her hand against the bed. “Oh, God.”

Finn redoubled his efforts, the thought of bringing Emma to orgasm with his tongue driving him to the brink of insanity. It didn’t take long. She was a bundle of unexpressed sensation, crying out when the tingles washed over her.

Finn stayed in his spot, continuing his tongue ministrations until the shaking subsided. Once he was convinced she was done, he climbed up Emma’s body, making sure to keep his weight from crushing her. He didn’t still until his mouth was close to hers.

Then he waited.

Emma strained her neck upwards, capturing Finn’s mouth between her teeth. Finn grunted when he felt her tongue slip into his mouth and her hands grip his back. She yanked him down, giggling when his weight collapsed on top of her.

Despite her ardent gasps and nonstop moans, Finn was still cautious. He went on an expedition, trailing a series of kisses down the sensitive ridge of her straining neck as he moved lower.

He sucked a nipple into his mouth. The action wasn’t new, but it filled him with supreme comfort. She might not be his yet, but she felt like she belonged to him. He would take what he could get at this point.

After moving his mouth between her breasts for a few moments, waiting until he couldn’t take it any longer, he reclaimed the condom from beneath the pillow. Once the rubber was secure, he leaned over her and pressed his length to her moist slit, balancing the bulk of his heavy frame on his forearms.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Emma,” he whispered, pushing himself inside of her. “The most beautiful thing.”

Emma gripped his back, digging her fingernails into his flesh as she arched up so she could press her naked breasts against his chest as she accepted him inside of her.

Once he gained full entry, Finn started to pump. His rhythm was slow, enticing, to begin with. The harder Emma gripped his shoulders, though, the more frequent his thrusts became.

Finn wanted to careen over the abyss, but he forced himself to hang on until Emma jumped the chasm first. When she cried out, stiffening beneath him, Finn increased his pace so he could orgasm with her.

Their bodies fell together, tremors washing over both of them as they fought to reclaim their breath. They dropped into sleep, clinging together like a human pretzel, a few minutes later.

Dreams and nightmares didn’t dare approach either of them that night.

Finn dropped Emma off in downtown Mount Clemens the next morning. She had an appointment to get new head shots – a task that would take her the better part of the day she told him.

After she swore up and down she wouldn’t leave the studio until he returned to collect her, Finn headed toward Hardy Brothers Security. When he arrived at the two-story business, he found James and Mandy arguing in his brother’s office.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Mandy’s voice was bordering on a screech.

“You were in a fire,” James said, keeping his tone even. “You need a couple days to get better.”

“I went shopping Sunday,” Mandy countered. “We spent the whole day screwing around yesterday – and by
screwing
I mean literally screwing. I think I’m fine.”

“Well, I thought you could use the day off,” James said. “Judge MacIntosh just happened to agree.”

“Because you called him behind my back,” Mandy said, crossing her arms over her chest obstinately. “That’s just so … wrong.”

Finn leaned against the doorframe to watch them. “I thought you two weren’t going to fight?”

“That was before I found out that James called my boss and told him I needed a few days off for, how did you put it, my own ‘emotional wellbeing.’”

Finn cringed. This wouldn’t end well. James was protective, but Mandy was right, that seemed like he was overstepping some very important boundaries. “And he just told you now?”

“Oh, he didn’t tell me,” Mandy said. “I showed up at work today and found out on my own. We had yesterday off because it was Martin Luther King’s birthday, and when the judge asked me what I was doing in my office, at my desk,
he
told me that James had already secured three whole days off for me.”

Finn glanced over at James, who was studying the screen of his laptop intently. “And you thought that was a good idea?”

James’ face was impassive. “She needs rest.”

“She is standing right here,” Mandy said.

“I noticed,” James replied. “Your dulcet tones tend to carry when you’re excited.”

“Do you think that’s funny?”

James sighed, finally finding the courage to meet her angry eyes. “I did what I thought was right. You might not like it. Personally, I didn’t like it when you ran back into a burning building for a photograph. I guess we both have our crosses to bear.”

“You said you were over this,” Mandy argued. “I said I was sorry. I can’t keep saying it.”

“Well, I’m sorry, too,” James said. “I just want you to … rest for a few days. I want you near me. If that makes me some awful person, then I guess I’m guilty as charged.”

Mandy ran her hand through her blonde hair, frustration rolling off of her in waves. “When you say things like that, it’s really hard for me to be angry with you,” Mandy said.

James’ frowned tipped upside down.

“Hard, but not impossible,” Mandy said. “You have got to stop doing stuff like this. It’s not right.”

“When you stop doing stuff like what you did, we’ll talk,” James said. “For now – just for now – I want you with me.”

Mandy shook her head, blowing out a sigh and turning so James couldn’t see her face. From his position, Finn studied her profile – and the effort she was exerting to keep control of her temper was immense.

“Well, I just wanted to fill you in on my visit to the police department yesterday,” Finn said, trying to break the tension. It only took him a few minutes to relate the events of the previous afternoon

“Well, that’s just some craptastic news,” James said, glancing over at Mandy’s back. “That makes this a whole other level of scary.”

“I just thought you two should know,” Finn said. “I’m going to be in contact with Detective Andrews, so I’ll keep you updated.”

“Well, thanks for that,” James said. “I’ll get in touch with him, too. Maybe there’s something we can do on our end.”

“I appreciate that,” Finn said.

“How is Emma doing?” James asked.

“She’s good,” Finn said, trying to tamp down the blush rushing to his cheeks. “She’s really good.”

Mandy finally moved, turning to Finn. “You slept with her, didn’t you?”

Finn shrugged. “Maybe.”

James chuckled. “From the looks of you, it went well.”

“It’s a work in progress,” Finn said.

Mandy pursed her lips. “You need to be careful with her, you know that, right?”

Finn frowned. “I have no intention of hurting her.”

“I know that,” Mandy said. “She’s just … well, she’s vulnerable. She’s lived a harder life than any of us can even fathom. You need to take that into consideration.”

“Where is this coming from?” James asked. “I thought you wanted them together?”

“I do,” Mandy said, refusing to meet his gaze. “I just want Finn to be careful.”

Finn smirked. “We’ve been very careful. Thanks for leaving the condoms in the nightstand, by the way. They’ve been coming in handy.”

“You better wash those sheets,” James said.

Mandy forced a tight smile onto her face. “That wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“I know,” Finn said. “I’m being careful all around. You don’t have to worry about that. I’m being a perfect gentleman – even when she doesn’t want me to be.”

ONCE
Finn left the office, James found himself alone with a stewing blonde and a rapidly shrinking room.

“Do you want to yell at me?”

“I don’t know,” Mandy said, pacing near the door.

“Do you want to hit me? That’s made you feel better in the past.”

“No.”

“Do you want to come over here and sit on my lap and let me snuggle up to you until you have no choice but to forgive me?”

Mandy rolled her eyes, biting her lower lip. James detected the faint trace of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“I think, if I did that,” Mandy said. “You would get the wrong idea.”

“And what’s the wrong idea?”

“That I’m okay with what you did,” Mandy said.

James pressed his lips together, considering. “I know what I did was wrong,” James said. “I just wanted to be able to see you.”

“Have you considered that, if you asked, I might have done it myself just to make you feel better?”

James searched Mandy’s blue eyes, discomfort roiling in his stomach. “Would you have?”

“Yes.”

James rubbed his forehead tiredly. “Well, now I’m really sorry.”

Mandy was still shaking her head when she squeezed around the corner of the desk and slipped into his lap. James wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. “I’m still mad at you,” Mandy said.

“I’m a little mad at myself,” James admitted. “I knew it was wrong when I was doing it. I just couldn’t stop myself from doing it. I really am sorry.”

“You can’t do it again,” Mandy cautioned. “That’s not the way a relationship works.”

“I know.”

Mandy blew out a sigh, letting the tension in her shoulders go, and then brushed a kiss against the side of his face. “I love you.”

James kissed her neck.

“You need to stop pissing me off, though.”

James gave her another small kiss. “I’ll give it my best shot.”

Mandy leaned back, resting her back against his chest. After a few minutes, James broke the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Knock yourself out.”

“Why are you so worried about Finn and Emma?” Mandy moved to climb off James’ lap, even though he fought her escape. “Can’t you tell me from here?”

“I think I better show you,” Mandy said.

James reluctantly loosened his grip, watching as Mandy grabbed her purse from the chair she’d thrown it into when she came storming into the office earlier.

“I was in my office for a half hour before the judge came in,” Mandy explained. “I … um … I pulled Lance Pritchard’s file so I could look it over.”

James knit his eyebrows together. “Why?”

“I thought the witness list might come in handy,” Mandy replied.

“That’s actually a pretty good idea,” James said, reaching out his hand to grab the file. “What did you find?”

Mandy moved back around to his side of the desk, perching on the lip of the hard wood instead of his lap. “It’s not good.”

James glanced up at her briefly and then opened the file. Mandy watched as he flipped through the pages, holding her breath when he focused on the document that had thrown her for a loop. “Oh, God.”

“Yeah.”

“She didn’t tell you about this?”

“It’s not really any of my business,” Mandy said. “She barely knows me.”

“Well, she needs to tell Finn,” James said. “This is … .”

“It’s horrible,” Mandy said. “It’s her story to tell, though, not ours.”

“I know … but … .”

“We can’t tell him,” Mandy said. “We have to let her tell him.”

James grabbed Mandy’s hand, needing the intimate contact. He rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb thoughtfully. “Do you think she’ll tell him?”

Mandy shrugged. “If it was me, I don’t know if I could.”

James’ brown eyes filled with sorrow. “If it was me, I don’t know if this is something I could deal with.”

“You’re not Finn,” Mandy reminded him.

“This is going to crush him,” James said.

“It’s going to crush them both.”

WHEN
Finn led Emma back into Mandy’s apartment, she was surprised to see how he’d spent his afternoon. The small unit was lit with candles from one end to the other, dinner was spread out on the table, and soft music was playing in the background.

“How did you do this?” Emma asked, amazement filling her heart and unbidden tears rushing to her eyes.

“Actually, Grady and Sophie finished it up for me,” Finn said, puffing out his chest. “They snuck out right before we got here.”

Emma glanced around the apartment, fighting the lump in her throat. No one had ever done anything this thoughtful, this romantic, for her before. “I don’t know what to say.”

Finn smiled, holding out his hand. “Don’t say anything. Just dance with me.”

Emma was unsure. She was getting in deeper and deeper with each kiss, with each whispered word, with each touch. His face was so earnest, though, worry lining the edges of his eyes as he waited for her to shoot him down, that Emma couldn’t hurt him that way.

She held out her hand, letting him draw her into his arms so they could sway to the music slowly. His hands were tight around her waist, and she locked her fingers behind his neck as she pressed herself as close to him as she could manage. They’re bodies melded together like one.

His mouth found hers, the kiss sweet.

She would have to tell him, Emma realized. She would have to tell him the truth – which would ultimately drive him away. She had no doubt about that. She was running out of time here. Her heart was already gone – and when she told him the truth, his would be gone, too.

She didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore.

Not tonight. She didn’t have to tell him tonight.

Tomorrow was another story.