by Cynthia Eden
More than a little. She’d been handling stress all her life. Try being thirteen in a room full of eighteen-year-olds—stress much?
Daniel’s gaze bored into her. “Christie, you know what he’s like.”
She knew exactly what Jonas was like. She nodded. “Jonas is your best friend. He’s had your back for years. He’s strong and loyal and—”
“Not when it comes to women.” Daniel lifted her hand from his chest and tried to tug her away from Jonas. She wasn’t in the mood to be tugged. “When it comes to women, he’s just like me.”
She shook her head. “You’re—”
“No commitment, Christie.”
Jonas cursed.
“When’s the last time I brought someone home for you to meet?” Daniel pushed. “Tell me when I introduced a date to you and our parents.”
Never. He’d never brought anyone home for a family meet and greet.
“Sex is great. Sex is fucking fantastic.” Daniel huffed out a breath. “But I’m not looking for forever right now.”
Neither is Jonas. The words hung unspoken in the air.
She took a moment to make sure her voice wouldn’t waver. A moment and a very deep breath. “I’m not a kid who needs looking after any longer.”
“Christie—”
“I make my own decisions. I can pick my own partner.”
“Damn right.” Jonas sounded pleased, almost proud.
She ignored him. “I don’t want forever.”
Daniel’s eyes slit so much he seemed to squint.
“Men aren’t the only ones who just want—what did you call it?” She tapped her chin with the index finger of her left hand as she pretended to remember. “Ah, yes, fucking fantastic sex.”
Daniel’s jaw dropped.
She stopped tapping her chin. “Jonas and I understand each other. What’s happening is between us. It doesn’t concern you.” Christie glanced at Jonas. His eyes were on her, and his expression—well, crap, what was wrong with him? He was glaring at her.
Glaring when she was trying to stop him from getting into another fight with her brother.
“Uh, Ms. Tate?” the uniformed officer called out tentatively.
Oh, no. No, no, no. She’d forgotten about the other cops. Their audience. Had they heard everything? How fast would this little conversation get repeated at the station? No wonder Jonas looked pissed.
She cleared her throat and peered over at the cop. He was standing near the doorway of her office.
“Since you’re here, ma’am, we need you to do a sweep of your office and lab and determine if anything was taken.”
“Right.” She sucked in what should have been a cleansing breath. It wasn’t. Christie stepped back and pointed at both Jonas and Daniel. “You two going to behave?”
Glares were her response.
“Fine.” She shifted her focus to Jonas. “Feel free to arrest Daniel if he swings again, or if you want to punch back, we both know he’s got a glass jaw.” With that, she left them. With every step that she took, Christie was aware that her strong mask was about to shatter.
Her knees shook as she headed back toward her office. The damn heels twisted beneath her, and she almost went down hard. Only a quick grab of the wall saved her, the wall and—
Jonas’s hand, catching her under her elbow.
“Sexy as hell, baby,” he breathed the words in her ear and she realized her coat had come open to reveal the green dress. His gaze dipped to her breasts. “Sexy as hell,” he whispered again, “but those shoes could be lethal.”
He bent and ran his hand over her calf. A soft, sensual caress that had her breath catching.
He eased off her high heel. The left shoe, then the right.
Her feet touched the soft carpet.
“Watch your step,” he told her, and for an instant, she couldn’t move because the warning in his words was too heavy. Jonas wasn’t just talking about walking. So about what? Them? The vandalism and destruction? She forced her shoulders to straighten as she pushed away from him. She grabbed the heels, clutching them too tightly, and even though she was tempted, Christie didn’t look back as she entered her office.
***
“I don’t know what kind of game Christie thinks she’s playing.” Daniel spoke only after Christie disappeared with Officer Piner. “But she’s not up to handling you.”
Jonas realized he was still staring after her. “Sometimes, I don’t think you know her well at all.” He slanted Daniel a measuring glance. Dangerous territory. He could well lose his friend over this situation.
She’s worth it.
“You don’t know her,” Daniel snarled right back.
Actually, he did. “I know she’s stronger than everyone gives her credit for.” Stronger than he’d given her credit for in the beginning. Christie wouldn’t break when reality shoved its ugly face before her. No, she wasn’t going to break—period.
“So…what? You think that makes it okay for you to screw around with her?” Real fury vibrated in Daniel’s voice. “She’s my sister! And you’re not—”
Jonas spun around. “Save it, Daniel.” Daniel didn’t need to say the words. And you’re not good enough for her. Sure, he got that picture. Perfectly. “This isn’t about you.” Just her.
But Daniel blazed on as he snarled, “You’re not the kind of guy who’s going to settle down. Hell, until six months ago, you were a different man with every case you took! You loved that undercover life. Christie isn’t like you—she wants stability. She wants a family. She wants forever.”
But she’d only asked him for a few nights. She’d told him she didn’t want forever.
Or maybe…maybe she just doesn’t want it with me.
“I told her to be careful with you.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. “I warned her, but she didn’t listen.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
Daniel just glared back at him. Then he exhaled. “You’ve known her all these years. So long. Why now? Why’d you finally make a move now?”
Because you’re right—until six months ago, I was a different man almost every damn day. I was drowning in the crime and the hate and realized I had to get out. And when I got out…there was Christie. As perfect and tempting as she’d always been and this time…“Because she wanted me.”
“Plenty of women will have sex with you. You don’t have to—”
“She wanted me,” he said again. “She knew me, and she still wanted me.” Dark shadows on his soul and all. “With Christie, I wasn’t going to be dumb enough to turn away from her. Not even for the sake of our friendship. So just deal with it, asshole.”
Daniel blinked at him. “Wait, wait. Wait. Man, are you saying—”
“I’m saying it’s none of your business, and I’m saying the last thing you want to do…” Jonas let the steel ripple beneath his words because he was tired of explaining himself and tired of playing the nice guy. “The last thing you want to do is get between me and Christie.” Because nothing would keep him from her, and the bond of friendship could only stretch so far.
Silence.
“I don’t think anything is missing.” Christie sounded uncertain as she appeared once more in the hallway, with the cops at her sides. “The files will take me hours to sort through, so I can’t say for sure about them. But, I mean, I didn’t have anything in my office that had massive value. The computer is still there—smashed—but there. The printer, all my photos—everything seems to still be inside.”
Officer Piner—Larry—had his notebook out. “If something wasn’t taken, then it seems like this was a personal attack against you.”
Jonas forgot about Daniel and hurried to her side.
“Does anyone have a grudge against you, Ms. Tate?” Larry asked.
Her brows rose.
“Did you fight with anyone recently?” Larry’s partner asked. He was a young guy with blond hair and ruddy cheeks.
Christie’s gaze darted to Jonas. “T
here was an incident the other night. Right after the office Christmas party.”
Daniel pushed closer. “What kind of incident?”
Her hand rose and caught the edge of her Christmas tree necklace. She pulled on the bottom of the tree and stretched the thin, gold chain. Her gaze returned to Larry. “A situation with my ex became a bit heated.”
“What?” Daniel demanded. “Was Charles causing trouble? I knew I should have fired—”
“Does this Charles have a last name?” Larry interrupted.
“Charles Crenshaw.” She dropped the necklace. It fell back into the lush cradle of her breasts. “But he wouldn’t do this. He’s an accountant, for goodness sake. He wouldn’t—”
“Take a swing at a cop because he was jealous that you were with another man?” Jonas offered quietly. “I think you’re underestimating the accountant.”
Her lips thinned.
“I think so, too,” Larry murmured. “And I think we’re gonna be wanting to have a talk with Mr. Crenshaw.” He inclined his head toward Daniel. “Is there any way he could have gained access to this building without being on the security camera downstairs?”
Before Christie had arrived, Larry had gone with Jonas to view the security footage. And they hadn’t seen anyone. Only Jamie, the security guard. No one else had entered the building or left. Not until Daniel came by a little after seven.
Daniel frowned. “The cameras rotate. I guess if you knew the timing, you might be able to avoid them, but there’s still Jamie. He would have noticed someone entering the building.”
“But he didn’t.” Larry shut his notebook.
“Maybe we’re looking at the time all wrong on this,” Jonas said quietly. They’d only gone back over the current day’s footage. “Maybe the attack didn’t happen today. Maybe it happened after the party, and it was just discovered.”
Maybe it happened when everyone was leaving. Too much activity. Too many people. The perfect time for an attack.
Sure, the computer would have made noise when it was smashed, but he’d seen for himself just how deserted this area of the building had been the other night. All of the action had been in the common areas. No one would’ve even heard the crash.
And there’d only been a few people left hanging around after Santa had finished all his deliveries.
He slanted a hard glance at Daniel. “Why’d you come to her office tonight?”
“I wanted to download some information on the projected development of Rover.”
Right. Rover the Robot.
“I thought I’d show the info to Dad at dinner. Figured he’d get a kick out of it. He loves Christie’s designs.”
Jonas nodded. “So if you hadn’t come by, no one would have even noticed the destruction until after Christmas.” What a hell of a present for Christie to return and discover. Maybe that was what the perp wanted.
“I’ll be needing Mr. Crenshaw’s address,” Larry noted.
“And I’ll be coming with you to talk with the jerk.” Jonas shook his head. “I knew I should have let that dumbass spend a night in jail.”
Christie shook her head. “Look, Charles might have been angry, but he wouldn’t do this. He backed off, remember? He knows things are over between us. Hell, he’s already seeing someone else. Vicki Jasper. They’ll probably get married one day and have little accounting babies.” She shoved back a heavy lock of hair that had fallen over her cheek. “He’s not the kind of guy who would destroy my office.”
“Then who would?” Jonas asked, stepping close, catching her scent and wanting to touch her so badly that he ached. “Who else would do this? Who else would want to hurt you?”
If she’d give him a name, he’d get busy tearing the bastard apart.
Her stare held his. “No one. I can’t think…no one.”
But someone was out there. Someone who had a grudge against her. Someone who was going to pay.
And Charles Crenshaw was at the top of Jonas’s suspect list.
Chapter Nine
Jonas didn’t go back to her parents’ house with her. Her parents had saved dinner for her and Daniel. They’d even kept their guests waiting so they could all eat together.
Her father was furious about her office, and he kept tossing out threats left and right. Her mother seemed worried, but unlike Christie’s father, she didn’t rage. Her voice was quiet and concerned as she asked questions.
And Daniel—well, he still seemed pissed.
There was an extra seat at the table. An obviously empty seat. Christie had asked her mother to make room for Jonas, and Clara had. Room that wasn’t needed.
“Christie, dear, what happened to your friend?” her mom finally asked in her soft, southern drawl just as they were beginning the second course. Maybe her mom was trying to take the focus off the vandalism. Maybe she was simply curious. Clara was known for her curiosity—ahem, nosiness—as much as for the slew of beauty pageant wins she’d racked up back in the day.
Christie’s hold on her knife tightened. “Jonas is working on the investigation about the incident tonight.” Incident sounded nice and vague. She really didn’t want her aunts, uncles, and assorted cousins knowing that her office had been trashed. And that the person who’d done the trashing was quite possibly an ex-lover.
“Jonas?” A smile stretched across her mother’s lips. “Oh, that’s good to know. I’m sure he’ll get to the bottom of this and—”
“No, Mom.” A long sigh came from Daniel. “What Christie means is that Jonas can’t be here because he’s working the case.”
“Such a shame,” her mother said, still obviously missing the point. “I invite him every year, and he never—”
“Jonas was my date,” Christie announced flatly.
“Your date?” Her mother blinked. Once. Twice. Then her smile widened and her blue eyes gleamed. “Oh, finally, you’re picking an interesting man!”
Yes, she was. Her gaze shifted to her father. She knew he’d heard everything.
He lifted one eyebrow. “You know what you’re doing?”
She nodded.
He picked up his fork. “I always rather liked Jonas.”
What?
Her father aimed his fork at Daniel. “You like him, too, so don’t be glaring at me, son.”
“He’s dating Christie. He is dating your daughter.”
Her father glanced her way once more. “Then that makes him one lucky man.”
Christie swallowed. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I learned my lesson with you years ago, sweetheart.” A grin edged across his mouth. “You weren’t ever really interested in that Benjamin, were you?”
She shook her head.
“Sometimes love can make a man do crazy things.” He dove into his plate, came back up, and said, “But my girl is wicked smart, and if she’s chosen to be with Jonas, then that’s fine by me.”
Daniel hung his head. “He is a lucky bastard.”
She thought about Jonas’s past. No, he wasn’t lucky. She was the one who’d had all the luck.
Daniel happened to look up at her in that moment. His eyes narrowed on her face. “Christie?”
People talked and ate around them. Her mother turned away to chat with a cousin. Daniel scooted toward Christie. “You…know, don’t you?” he asked. His voice was low. Meant only for her ears.
She let her fork drop. “Know what?” Jonas’s secrets were his. It wasn’t her place to tell them.
“I’ll be damned.” Daniel’s eyes swept her face. “He told you.”
No, I already knew.
“As far as I know, he’s never told anyone but me,” he added.
Her temper began to boil. It had really been one hell of a night. The break-in. The fight between Jonas and Daniel. Finding out her ex might be gunning for her. “He told you because he trusts you, Daniel. You’re friends, remember? Even if you are acting like a jerk, Jonas still sees you as his friend.”
His gaze held hers. “I’m sorry,” he sai
d softly, slowly.
“Don’t tell me,” she muttered. “Tell him.”
The doorbell rang. A long, echoing peal of sound, and Christie couldn’t help it—her heart started to race.
Then a few moments later, Jonas walked into the room, and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. His hair was swept back, and a dark coat stretched across his shoulders. He stopped when he saw the packed table. The spread of food. All those relatives.
Christie leapt to her feet and shoved back her chair. “Jonas!” She couldn’t stop the wide smile that lifted her lips.
He smiled back at her. A hesitant curl of his mouth that made him look even sexier.
Daniel rose, too. “Come on over here,” he called over the din of voices. “We’ve got you a seat waiting.” Daniel’s hand squeezed Christie’s shoulder.
Jonas came around the table. His steps were a bit slow. The bulge of his weapon was gone. He’d been armed when he met her at Tate Toys. He’d been a cop then. Now, he was coming to dinner just as a man. Her date. Christie took his hand and pulled him down beside her.
Just sex? Who was she kidding? It had never been just anything with Jonas. With him, it was everything.
“Glad to see you, Jonas,” her mother told him as she flashed her dimpled smile.
“Son, we’ve got plenty to eat,” her dad said. He waved his hand over the table. “Help yourself.”
Jonas blinked and shot her a questioning glance.
She squeezed his hand beneath the table. “It’s Christmas, and you’ve been invited to our Christmas dinner for years.” But finally, finally, he’d come to celebrate with them.
His fingers tightened around hers.
She had to swallow the lump that rose in her throat.
Daniel leaned toward Jonas and said bluntly, “Sorry for being a dick.”
To which her mother immediately shouted, “Oh, Lord, language! Don’t let Grandma Addie hear that kind of talk!”
“Too late!” Ninety-three-year-old Addie let out a pleased cackle because she absolutely loved that kind of talk.
When Daniel winced, Jonas laughed. His head tilted back, and a deep rumble of laughter shook his chest.
Christie stared at him, speechless, lost. So lost—in him.