Daring Deception

by Barbara Freethy

  "I have a feeling Kevin didn't know he was being used. What would Allison have needed from him?"

  "Information on Lexitech?"

  "That would make the most sense, but there haven't been any attacks at Lexitech."

  "Not yet."

  "Good point. Clearly, they were going to do something with the bleach, unless that's what they used in the attack on Alancor yesterday. I need to call the team and get forensics over to the apartment."

  "While you do that, I'm going to get us some food."

  "Thanks—for everything, Quinn."

  He met her gaze, giving her a warm smile. "You're more than welcome. There's honestly nothing I wouldn't do for you, Caitlyn. You probably can't believe that, but it's true."

  She was so surprised by his words that she said nothing in return. A moment later, he was gone.

  She sat down on a hard chair by the table and took another breath, feeling light-headed for a different reason. But she couldn't think about Quinn now. She needed to call Emi and let them know about Allison and Tim and the potential evidence to be gathered at the apartment.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Thirty minutes later, Caitlyn got off the phone and let out a sigh. She'd filled Emi in on everything, tying Allison and Tim to Lauren and Donovan, two generations of Bolton students, possibly two generations of terrorists. BOLOs were going out on Tim, Allison and Lauren. She mentioned that the Pederson brothers needed to be interviewed again, but Emi suggested she take that up with Rob the next day. He wanted to stay focused on the current events.

  She had also told Emi that Quinn was with her at the park and at the apartment, that he'd saved her life. Whatever Emi wanted to do with that information was up to her, but she didn't believe Quinn was a person they needed to waste time on now. She also explained why she hadn't read her in earlier, that Quinn might possibly derail the investigation, and she couldn't let that happen.

  Emi agreed that Quinn could be problematic, considering the focus he'd received during the first investigation, but she wasn't thrilled to have been left out of the loop as long as she had been. Caitlyn suspected it might take some work on her part to rebuild the trust, but she couldn't worry about that now.

  She still hadn't mentioned Kevin's story about Spencer. That piece she would keep to herself until she had a chance to speak to her brother.

  Punching Spencer's number into her phone, she gave him a call. It went to voicemail, and she left yet another message expressing extreme urgency. She didn't know why he was suddenly so unreachable. It was Saturday. Even if he was doing some work, he couldn't be that busy. Where was he? Why wasn't he getting back to her?

  She hated the doubt building inside of her. She couldn't stand the thought of her brother being involved. Spencer was the person in her family who she was the closest to. It would be unbearable to have to accept any version of a story that involved him setting a bomb. But she needed him to call her back. Otherwise, it would be impossible to put her doubts at bay. She wanted to believe Kevin had been lying, but there had been just enough truth in his story to make her think twice.

  As for Kevin, she didn't know how to feel about his death. She hadn't had time to come to terms with it. He'd once been a friend. He was close to her family. But he'd clearly had involvement with Allison, maybe Tim as well. He could have been just a mark, someone targeted to help them gain access to something, which meant the threat to Lexitech and other Carlson companies was probably very high.

  Getting up, she crossed the room and then went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. As she stared at her image in the mirror, she could see how pale she was. No wonder Quinn had wanted to take her to the hospital. She looked like death. But she was fine. She felt a lot better now. She dried her face with a towel, bringing the color back into her cheeks. Then she took the band out of her hair and shook it out, running her fingers through the strands.

  As she walked back into the room, the door opened, and Quinn came in with two grocery bags and a pizza box.

  "I'm not sure I'm that hungry," she said.

  He smiled. "There's a fridge and a microwave." He set the bags down on the dresser. "I got some chocolate chip cookies, too. As I recall, chocolate chip cookies have magical healing properties for you."

  She grinned. "That is still true."

  "I also got a fruit bowl," he said, as he placed items in the fridge. "And a couple of green salads to balance out the pizza."

  "You thought of everything."

  "How do you feel?" he asked, as he closed the fridge. "Are you ready for pizza?"

  "Not quite yet."

  "Well, it's here whenever you want it."

  "I appreciate that. I called Emi and they're sending a team to the apartment. They'll also alert law enforcement throughout the area to look for Allison, Tim, and Lauren."

  "Good."

  "I thought I hated Donovan the most of all, but Lauren is a close second."

  He sighed, his lips turning down in an annoyed frown. "Someone else whose behavior I should have read more clearly."

  "I know you don't want to believe that she knew there was a bomb, but I have serious doubts."

  "You could be right. Lauren could have been Donovan's co-conspirator."

  "And Wyatt, too."

  He nodded. "Are they looking for him as well?"

  "No, I need to talk to Rob about the Pederson brothers before we move on them. That will happen tomorrow."

  "It sounds like everything that needs to be taken care of immediately is being handled. So, how are you feeling?"

  "A thousand times better."

  "I'm relieved. I was worried that I should have taken you to the hospital despite your protests. But I decided to let you make that decision for yourself," he added with a dry smile.

  "Thank you."

  "I like seeing you with your hair down."

  At his words, she tucked her hair behind her ears, feeling a restlessness that she couldn't seem to tamp down. Memories were coming back into her brain and as she looked into Quinn's blue eyes, she had a feeling she'd said a few things to him that she shouldn't have. "When you were carrying me out of the apartment, did I talk to you?"

  "You did. You had quite a lot to say," he said with a wicked sparkle in his eyes.

  "About what?"

  "How much you like…my eyes."

  She was happy she hadn't referred to some other part of his body. "Well, that's true. I have always liked your eyes."

  "And my chest. You had a lot to say about my chest."

  She'd celebrated too soon. "Maybe we don't need to talk about it."

  "Or maybe we do."

  He took a step forward, and she immediately jumped back, but she ran into the wall, and Quinn was now only inches away from her.

  "You said you wanted to kiss me," Quinn continued. "In fact, you begged me for one kiss."

  "I'm sure I didn't beg." Although, she did remember saying something about his mouth.

  "Oh, but you did." He framed her face with his hands. "You told me how much you wanted me."

  "Well, I was high on fumes. You can't take what I said seriously."

  "Are you still feeling high?"

  "No," she said, but there were a lot of other feelings running through her now, especially as he stroked her face with his thumb and leaned in even closer. "Which is why I'm not saying anything like that."

  "That's too bad. I'll talk then."

  "About what?"

  "How much I want you."

  He dropped his gaze to her lips, and her entire body tingled.

  "How much I need you," he continued, moving even closer.

  Her breasts brushed against his chest, her nipples tingling through her sweater.

  "I almost lost you again today," he said.

  "You didn't. You saved me."

  "Well, you saved me twice, so I still owe you one." His smile curved his very sexy lips. "Don't you think we should celebrate the fact that we're both alive and we're together?"


  "It would complicate things."

  "They're already complicated."

  "I don't know…"

  Disappointment ran through his gaze. "Then you do know."

  He took his hands away from her face, but as he started to move away, she threw her arms around his neck. "Stop. You didn't let me finish."

  "You have doubts."

  "Only about how I'm going to feel later, but later doesn't matter. We don't even know if there will be a later. I'm going to stop worrying about the future." She took a breath, feeling absolutely certain of what needed to happen. "I want you, too, Quinn. I don't want it to be about the past or even tomorrow—just about now, this moment, this night."

  Desire flared in his eyes. "I'm good with that."

  As he lowered his mouth to hers, a sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. She really did like his mouth. And she wanted it all over her.

  The sparks that had been simmering between them the last few days were suddenly blazing with heat. Their kisses were filled with hunger and desire, impatience and need. She couldn't get enough of him, and he couldn’t get enough of her.

  He pressed her up against the wall, and she rejoiced in the feeling of his hard body against hers. He was sweeping her away, just like he'd always done, but it was different now, because they were different.

  "Gotta slow down," Quinn said, lifting his mouth to grab a breath. But almost immediately, he was kissing her neck, sliding his tongue across her heated skin, making her shiver with delight.

  "I don't want to slow down. Let's go faster." She grabbed the edges of his coat and helped him off with it. Then she ran her hands under his sweater, and within seconds, that was gone, too. "I do like your chest," she said with appreciation for the muscled pecs and the fine dark- brown hair running down to the waistband of his jeans.

  "Less talking. Fewer clothes," he said, impatience in his voice.

  She laughed as he pulled her top up and over her head, her body tingling even more as his gaze ran across her breasts. And then his hands were on her. And she couldn't talk. She couldn't think. She could only feel.

  It had been ten years, but it felt like yesterday. All the same feelings were there—the overwhelming hunger, the desperate need to get closer.

  They kissed deeply and ravenously, stripping off each layer of clothing until they were bare. She ran her hands up and down his gorgeous male body while he did the same to her.

  She wasn't just rediscovering his body, she was rediscovering herself, the girl she'd locked away, the girl who had loved so openly, so freely and generously, who had been willing to put her heart on the line. That girl had disappeared, but now it felt like she was coming back.

  They found their way to the bed, with a quick stop to grab a condom out of Quinn's bag. She didn't question why he had packed condoms; she was just happy he had. That was one risk she couldn't take.

  As she pulled Quinn down on top of her, the weight of his body was all she wanted to feel. They moved together in familiar perfection. As she looked into his beautiful darkening blue eyes, and he filled her body with his, she felt as if her broken heart was becoming whole again, as if the two parts of her life were merging back into one.

  Quinn wrapped his arms around Caitlyn as they lay on their sides, facing each other. His heart was still beating out of his chest, and he doubted it would slow down any time soon.

  Caitlyn brushed the hair off his forehead and gave him a satisfied smile.

  "That was…" she said, searching for the right word.

  "Yes?" he prodded.

  "It's not easy to think of a good adjective."

  "You said it was amazing a couple of minutes ago, just after you screamed my name."

  "I didn't scream."

  "You did, and I liked it," he told her with a smile. "I liked it all."

  "We were always good together in the bedroom."

  "Not always in the bedroom. In the ocean, in the library, and the elevator in the science building that somehow got stuck between floors."

  She playfully punched his arm. "We promised never to speak of that."

  He laughed. "I never made that promise. I was not embarrassed at all. It was one of the hottest things I've ever done."

  "Me, too. You brought out an adventurous side in me back then, one I didn't know I had."

  "You had it all along. You just finally let it out."

  "Because I trusted you."

  Her words probably weren't meant to cut, judging by the smile on her face, but they did all the same. He'd lost her trust, and he hated that.

  "Don't," she said, running her fingers down his arm. "Tonight isn't about the past, remember? Or at least not the bad memories, just the good ones, like the elevator. Oh, and you forgot about the laundry room in your apartment building."

  "That's right. You got very worked up over the fact that I was not separating the colors from the whites. I had to find a way to calm you down."

  "I was anything but calm, and we almost got caught, remember? You were still in your boxers when that girl walked in. Not that she minded giving you a long look."

  "I don't remember that, but I was only looking at you, Caitlyn. You were the most beautiful girl in the room. You were the most beautiful girl in every room."

  She flushed at his words. "I'm sure not every room, but I like the exaggeration."

  "I'm not exaggerating. It's the way I saw you. I was the luckiest guy in the world to be with you."

  "I was lucky, too. You pushed me out of my comfort zone, Quinn. You made me try new things. You saw the world so differently than anyone in my family or in my friend group. I had been so isolated in my privileged world, but you opened it up in a huge way."

  "You were good for me, too. I had buried myself in school to replace the family that I'd lost. I had my friends, of course, but when I met you, when we fell in love, it was beyond anything I'd ever felt before. You filled this deep hole in my heart that I'd thought would be empty forever."

  "I wanted to fill it. I was never sure if I could ever really do that. You suffered losses I couldn't even imagine." She paused. "Well, not at that time anyway."

  Shadows filled her gaze, and he could see her fighting them away. She gave him a determined smile, then moved her hand down his body. "Maybe we should leave some of this talk for later."

  He caught his breath as her fingers closed around him with delicious heat. "I would have to agree. But we're going to slow down this time." He pushed her onto her back and let his gaze sweep across her beautiful curves. "I want to taste every inch of you." He ran his fingers across the slivered scars on her abdomen, the physical reminders of her deepest wound. He couldn't take away her pain, but he could give her pleasure; he could drive all the bad memories out of her head, at least for a while.

  He started with a kiss on her mouth, then ran his lips down her neck, across her collarbone. He loved the light splatter of freckles on her chest. There had been a time when he'd kissed each and every one of them. Maybe he'd do that tonight, too.

  But as his fingers played with her breasts, her eyes fluttered closed, and he knew what she needed. As his mouth closed around one nipple, she let out a small gasp of appreciation that made him even harder than he already was. He took his time, wanting to savor every moment that they could have together as long as he could.

  It was only minutes before Caitlyn was urging him to speed up, and he couldn't deny her what she wanted—what he wanted. He'd never felt connected to anyone until he'd been with her.

  As they came together once more, he felt that connection again. It was exhilarating and terrifying, because it wouldn't last. Nothing this good ever lasted.

  He shoved the thought away.

  He had her now, and she had him, and that was all that mattered.

  It was almost ten before they got to the pizza.

  "Thank goodness for the microwave," Caitlyn said, as Quinn brought her two slices of vegetarian pizza on a paper plate. She'd thrown on a T-shirt and PJ bottom
s while Quinn had put on a pair of sweats, leaving his chest bare, and she was more than fine with that.

  "I thought you were going to say thank goodness for me," he teased, as he sat down on the end of the bed with his own plate.

  "Well, that, too. And you remembered my favorite pizza."

  "Loaded with veggies, which you somehow got me to appreciate," he said with a laugh. "Before you, it was pepperoni and sausage all the time."

  "At least I was a good influence in one area."

  "More than one."

  For the next few minutes, they ate in happy silence. It was crazy to think that this night might be one of the best nights she'd had in years. But after the last few days, she'd come to appreciate how quickly her life could cease to exist. Not that she hadn't realized that ten years ago, but it had hit her again this weekend.

  She'd faced danger on the job many times, but this case was different, because it was so very personal.

  "What are you thinking about?" Quinn asked.

  "All the craziness that has gone down the past few days."

  "I knew you were going to be trouble when you put a gun in my face."

  "I knew you were going to be trouble the second I saw you at Bolton," she returned. "And you were never scared I was going to shoot you. You knew I wouldn't."

  "I wasn't that sure, but I had hope."

  "It feels like we've come a long way in a couple of days."

  "It doesn't feel that fast when you count the ten years in between or the time we were together before that." He put his empty plate down. "When did you change your mind about me?"

  "Who says I did?" she challenged.

  "You did. And I want to know when and why."

  She thought about that as she chewed her pizza. Swallowing, she said, "I think the first crack in my carefully built wall came when you said you wished that our baby had a name." A rush of emotion ran through her at that memory, forcing her to take a much-needed breath. "Until then, I felt like I had mourned her alone, and before you say that's because I wouldn't let you in, I already know that. But by the time I realized it, you were gone. And there was no one around me who felt what I felt. Actually, because you disappeared, I wasn't sure you did feel the way I felt. I was angry and confused and very bitter. I understand now why you did it, but I still don't know that I can forgive it—which probably seems weird after the last few hours."