Sex, Lies and Surveillance (19 page)

Damn, she’d caught him off guard.

Deep grief and pain welled up in his chest and he had to turn away on the pretense of sinking back into the couch. Seemed she’d been doing more digging than they’d thought.

“If you know about my partner, then you know how he died.”

She shook her head, eyes wide. “No. I don’t. I know you were a field agent. I also know your last partner was killed in the line of duty. That’s all.”

He really hoped she was telling the truth. He hoped to hell she didn’t find out his true mission until he had a chance to tell her.

Yes, talking about Dev would take her mind off other things but that didn’t make it any easier to do.

“We’d infiltrated a French national’s group attempting to steal and sell US intelligence secrets. We were ready to shut him down when my dad was in the accident. Dev was young. He was trained, but he was green. It was my job to keep him safe. When I got the news about Dad, I lost it.” He shook his head, still unable to comprehend how badly he’d failed.

“He was comatose and wasn’t expected to live. Dev thought I should be with him. But we were two days away from extraction. My dad wouldn’t have known I was there anyway. Dev decided to take matters into his own hands to get me out. God, he was young. And idealistic. Came from a close family. Couldn’t understand how I could bear to be anywhere but at that hospital.”

Mal had to pause and draw a deep breath. “The target found Dev making a call, the call I’d refused to make. He shot him. The guy shot him…and Dev died.”

Janey leaned forward and grasped his hand. “I’m so sorry. That must have been awful.”

“It was the worst week of my life.”

He looked into the warmth of her eyes and wanted to kiss her. Wanted to press his lips against hers and feed on that heat. To forget why he was here and who she was—

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my dad.”

And that forced a whole other load of guilt back onto his chest. What would happen when Frank found out about Mal? Would his heart be able to handle that stress?

And what would it do to this woman?

She dropped her gaze before rising. “I think I’m going to turn in. I’ll get you a blanket and some pillows. There’s an extra toothbrush in the cabinet under the sink. You can watch TV if you want. It won’t bother me.”

She disappeared behind the wall into her bedroom and he hobbled into the bathroom, telling himself it was better she hadn’t invited him into her bedroom.

The bathroom walls were tiled in soothing shades of cream, and there was a huge soaking tub that took up the end of the room. Definitely big enough for two people.

Images of the two of them in that tub made his cock throb, giving him the start of a hard-on he knew would just get worse.

He thought about taking care of himself in the bathroom because he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be sleeping in her bed tonight.

She was shaken, tired and worn out. He should leave her the hell alone.

When he emerged, she was nowhere in sight. He considered knocking on that large screen separating her bedroom from the rest of the space, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Looking around, he noticed she’d taken her laptop with her. And that she’d shut down the unit on the huge old steel desk on the opposite side of the room.

Guilt, anger, grief, desire. They all churned into one blazing ball of fire in his chest. He patted down the remains of his jeans for his antacids and took them to the couch. Janey had opened it up into a bed dressed in plain white sheets. Guess she
really
wasn’t inviting him to share as she had last night.

She’d thrown a blue comforter and a quilt at the bottom and a couple of pillows at the top. Cozy. And not at all where he wanted to be.

Instead of lying down, he paced the room, checking both front doors, the side door that led to an alley and all of the windows before grabbing the remote off the top of the television and settling onto the couch.

He tried not to think about Dev. Tried not to let that young man’s death cloud his judgment. If Janey had in any way contributed to Dev’s death, she’d have to pay. He couldn’t allow his emotions to get in the way. Emotion had already gotten Dev killed.

But Janey could be next if he wasn’t careful.

He released a sigh and flipped on CNN. It was going to be a long night.

***

Janey didn’t think she’d ever fall asleep.

Not with Mal so close.

She’d taken the laptop to bed with her to try to do some work. Luke needed results. Someone had leaked case information and he didn’t know who or how. He was depending on her to find out.

Which wasn’t going to happen if she couldn’t keep her mind on task and off the man in the other room.

She’d heard him pacing a while ago then he’d flipped on the TV, lowering the volume until she couldn’t hear it. Flickering light shown over the room divider but it didn’t bother her.

No, what bothered her was
him
. The way he kissed, the intelligence in his eyes. The possibility that he could be working for her family for reasons other than what he said. She was really afraid—

Mal leaned on the edge of the screen and stared at her. She froze for a second, before closing her laptop and setting it aside.

“Can’t sleep.” His voice made her chest tighten.

She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant when her pulse rate had just increased by a hundred. “Me either.”

Then she held out her hand and waited with bated breath for him to take it.

He crossed the floor in seconds, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her knees so their lips met in a rush.

Next she knew, his hands had delved under her T-shirt and he was pulling away to draw it over her head. Then he cupped her breasts, pinching the nipples into hard peaks, coaxing a groan out of her. She grabbed his borrowed shirt and tugged.

Instead of taking off the shirt like she wanted, he bent and sucked first her right, then her left nipple into his mouth, drawing hard and making moisture pool between her thighs.

“Mal.”

“Yeah?”

She could barely hear him as he trailed kisses across her chest to her other nipple.

“Take off your clothes.”

He nipped her, not enough to cause pain but just enough to make her cry out.

“I’m kinda liking this position at the moment. As a matter of fact…” He moved his hands and shoved the flannel pants to her knees, lifted her off the bed and dragged them down and off her legs. “I’d rather not stop.”

There was that alpha streak again, the one that made her toes curl and her heart pound against her ribs. The one that was so at odds with the rest of him.

“Mal,” she started again but couldn’t continue because she moaned when he placed one of those hands flat against her stomach, then slid it down to thread his fingers through her curls and tweak her clit.

Somehow, he managed to get her on her back with him beside her, one hand between her legs, caressing her with his fingers.

She came in seconds—a sharp, swift orgasm that left her wanting more.

“First but not last,” he muttered against her throat, where he nipped the sensitive skin.

But she wasn’t about to give up complete control. Rolling on her side, she lay full length against him. Forcing her hands between their bodies, she slid them under the sweatpants, smoothing over his butt, then using her nails to rake along the skin. He shuddered against her, grinding his erection into her thigh.

And when she moved her hands to the front and grabbed his still-thickening cock in her hand, he groaned against her skin.

“Come on, Mal. Take them off.”

He released a short laugh and lifted his head to look into her eyes. “You’re a demanding woman, aren’t you?”

“So everyone tells me. Just take them off. Right now.”

The expression on his face hardened into pure lust and he lay on his back, pulling the shirt over his head and shoving the pants down until he could kick them off with his feet.

He was so beautiful, he took her breath away. Muscle sculpted his lean body into a gorgeous display of masculine beauty. She could have stared all night but Mal had other ideas.

He must have taken notes last night because he pulled open the nightstand drawer and withdrew a condom. When he was sheathed, he reached for her, lifting her until her knees straddled his hips and her sex hovered just above the tip of his cock.

She sank lower, taking him in. Her inner muscles still quivering from the earlier orgasm, she clamped around him, forcing him to ease into her tight sheath.

When Mal had himself fully seated, he simply stared into her eyes, watching as hers darkened and her lips parted so she could draw in air.

Then she started to move. She eased up on her knees, the tight clasp of her sex drawing exquisite sensation with every centimeter she moved.

When she’d almost lifted herself completely off of him, she sank back down with a moan, her hands splaying across his chest to provide leverage.

Her head fell back as she rode him, and he nearly came at her expression. Sheer bliss.

He wanted her to go faster, tried to make her hurry with his hands on her hips, but she refused.

So he moved one hand to her stomach so he could brush his thumb against her clit.

Her moan made his muscles tighten, his cock harden even further. Now she moved faster, her ass hitting his thighs with each downward thrust. He couldn’t hold back his orgasm much longer but—

She contracted around him, gasping as he thrust up to meet her. Heat shot through him and spilled into her body as she came again.

With a sigh, she sank down onto him. His arms wrapped around her as her warm breath brushed against his chest.

“Stay.”

Her soft voice barely made it to his ears but he heard her loud and clear.

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

When she woke, the sun shone through the thin window above her bed. She stretched and immediately groaned and curled into a ball. She hurt from head to toe.

Thank God, she smelled coffee. Mal must have started it.

Now her eyes were open.

Last night replayed in a rush. Someone had tried to kill her. And she and Mal had spent another night in her bed.

She looked at the clock and gasped. It was already seven-thirty. Usually by this time she was on her way to the office.

Tearing off the sheets, she jumped out of bed, then peeked around the partition. Dressed in the sweats and T-shirt from last night, Mal sat at her kitchen table, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. She took a moment and simply stared.

He looked so solemn. So still. So intensely sexy with his mussed hair and sleep-rumpled clothes.

Not at all her ideal. No, she’d always thought her perfect man would be funny, light-hearted like Jimmy, not overbearing like Nic. But with Nic’s all-consuming attention and none of Jimmy’s absentmindedness.

So she wanted a man just like her brothers? God, she was certifiable.

After grabbing clean underwear—she debated between red silk and white cotton for far too long before choosing the red silk—a long skirt and tailored white shirt, she dashed into the bathroom and emerged fifteen minutes later, feeling only marginally ready to handle the day.

“Good morning.” Damn, she sounded so unsure, which happened to be how she felt. Still, she didn’t like hearing it in her voice.

Mal looked up from paper, his expression carefully blank. “I made coffee.”

“I guess you found everything okay.”

He stood and took his cup to the sink, rinsing it before placing it carefully in her dishwasher. He walked with only a slight limp.

Turning, he leaned against the counter as she walked over to pour a cup of coffee. Why did it always taste so much better when someone else made it?

“Yeah. Listen, we need to talk about what we’re going to tell your parents and your brothers. I figure you don’t want to tell them what happened.”

It hadn’t even crossed her mind. “No, of course not. I don’t want anything to upset my dad.”

Mal nodded, as if that was exactly what he thought she’d say. “I don’t figure your mom will be in the office much because of the kidnapping, but I don’t want Bennett bothering her. I’ll go talk to him this morning, convince him it’s in his best interests not to say anything about last night.”

Taking another sip of coffee, she watched his gorgeous mouth tilt up slightly.

She frowned at him. “What?”

“Your mom’s gonna have my head on a platter when she finds out about this.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, she won’t, Mal. I’ll make sure of it. My parents need to learn I’m not a child anymore who needs their protection.”

His grin twisted. “Yeah, well, after last night—”

“Don’t even go there.” Irritation began to replace anxiety. “I do
not
need another man hovering over me like my father or my brothers. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“I’m not your brother.” The softly spoken words made every hair on her body stand at attention, dissipating her irritation. The look in his eyes nearly melted the buttons on her shirt. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get enough air. And all she could smell was him. The coffee on his breath and the musky scent of his skin.

She turned away before she gave in to temptation and kissed him. They had too much to do to be distracted by that right now.

But later…

“So, what are you suggesting?”

He leaned away infinitesimally. “With the two of us working together, we should be able to close this case in a few days.”

He wanted her help with the case? “Okay.”

“And I want to be with you again tonight.”

Whoa. That hadn’t been at all what she’d been expecting, but butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she struggled not to break into a goofy grin “I want that too.”

His grin resurfaced and she heard him take a not quite steady breath, as if he’d been worried she’s say no. “Good. That’s good.”

He surprised her into laughing and it felt great. It made her hopeful for what would come.

“I do think,” she said, “that we shouldn’t tell my parents or my brothers, though. Not yet.” Who knew what would happen? “But—”