A Guilty Affair

by Maureen Smith

“Even if you did see this man, what does that prove? Maybe he heard about Trevor’s shooting on the news and came to pay his last respects to a man he’d once met. Why do you see a connection between this German guy and what happened to Trevor?”

  “Conrad Weiss was German. What if this man was a friend of his, or a relative?” She hesitated. “Or a partner in crime?”

  Noah’s dark eyes narrowed and focused on her with dangerous intensity. “I’m not sure I like where you’re going with this, Riley,” he said, his voice a low, steely warning. “I hope you’re not trying to suggest that Trevor was somehow responsible for his own death.”

  Riley swallowed with difficulty. “I don’t know, Noah,” she whispered.

  “You don’t know,” he repeated flatly.

  “No, I don’t. I was hoping you could help me find out.”

  “Help you find out what, Riley?” Noah exploded, lunging to his feet with a fluidity that defied his powerful build. “You want me to help you find out whether your fiancé—and my best friend—was involved in some sort of criminal activity that got him killed?”

  “Yes!” Riley cried hoarsely. “That’s exactly what I want you to do!”

  “Damn it, Riley! Do you know how many women have walked through that door and begged me to help exonerate their convicted husbands and boyfriends? Trevor died honorably in the line of duty while trying to apprehend a criminal. Everyone who spoke at his funeral called him a hero. A hero, Riley! And here you are, determined to prove the exact opposite. Why?”

  “Because I need closure!” she cried. “Because ever since he died, I’ve been plagued by nightmares and questions that won’t go away! Because I can’t shake this horrible feeling that something’s wrong, terribly wrong, and until I find out what it is, I won’t be able to move on with my life.” Hot, stinging tears blurred her vision. “Do you think I enjoy this, Noah? Do you think I want to have these ugly fears about a man I was going to spend the rest of my life with?”

  Noah looked at her with an expression of fury mingled with grief. “I think you’re angry with Trevor for dying and leaving you, and this is your way of punishing him.”

  She gave a harsh, mirthless laugh. “Don’t try to psychoanalyze me, Noah. It doesn’t become you.”

  A muscle worked in his tightly clenched jaw. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Riley.”

  Something shriveled up inside her. She recognized it as hope. “Does this mean you’re not going to help me?”

  He said nothing, regarding her in stony silence.

  Blinking back tears, Riley crossed to the door and walked out of the room.

  Only when Noah heard the front door close behind her did he move. And then it was to clear the contents of his desk with a violent sweep of one arm. Sheets of paper went sailing through the air like confetti at a ticker-tape parade before scattering across the floor.

  Taking no satisfaction in the mess he’d made, Noah rounded the desk and began to pace the length of the room.

  Damn her!

  Damn her for waltzing back into his life after three years and making such an impossible demand of him.

  Damn her for reopening the wound that had never quite healed in the aftermath of Trevor’s death, for awakening old memories he’d sooner forget.

  Damn her for being the only woman he’d ever loved but could never have.

  With a savage oath, Noah sank into the chair behind his desk and dropped his head into his hands.

  He’d been in love with Riley Kane for five years, an obsession that began almost from the moment he met her. As if it were yesterday, he still remembered the fateful encounter that had changed his life forever.

  He’d been returning to the police station after an unproductive morning of interviewing witnesses for a homicide case he was working. He was hot, tired and in a foul enough mood to strangle the first person who crossed him.

  As he was pulling into a parking space, he was rear-ended by another vehicle that had just sped into the lot. Cursing a blue streak, Noah killed the engine and jumped out of the car to see what kind of an idiot would speed in the parking lot of a police station.

  A pair of long, shapely legs had emerged from the other car, and the next thing he knew, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen was hurrying toward him, apologizing profusely for her clumsiness. Impressions bombarded him at once. Flawless, velvety brown skin. Shoulder-length black hair cut in long, stylish layers that accentuated a face dominated by large, thick-lashed eyes the color of Godiva chocolate, high cheekbones, and an exquisitely lush mouth that threatened to send his imagination into overdrive.

  Before Noah could utter a single word—he’d been too tongue-tied, anyway—the woman hiked up her skirt and crouched down behind his Crown Victoria to investigate the damage she’d caused.

  But the only damage Riley Kane caused that day was to Noah’s heart.

  Especially when he learned that she and his best friend, Trevor Simmons, had been dating for a month. She was the “incredible, amazing, smart, sexy, beautiful” woman Trevor had been raving about since meeting her at a law-enforcement convention in Houston. Riley, a police beat reporter for the Houston Chronicle, had been there to cover the story for the newspaper.

  Ironically, it was Noah who was supposed to have attended the convention. But at the last minute he’d gotten a crucial break in one of his cases, and he’d asked Trevor to go in his place.

  Fate had an unbelievably cruel sense of humor.

  Even after all this time, the sight of Riley Kane still unraveled him. One look from her, and he was that same tongue-tied sap in the parking lot, not knowing whether to write her a speeding ticket or ask her out on a date.

  When she left San Antonio three years ago, he thought he’d never see her again. And though he’d secretly mourned her absence, he knew it was for the best. Riley was a constant reminder of Trevor, of the senseless shooting that had claimed his life. Noah couldn’t look at her without remembering how much Trevor had loved and worshipped her, how ecstatic he’d been when she finally agreed to marry him.

  And Noah couldn’t look at Riley without being reminded of his own forbidden feelings for her.

  From the very beginning she’d intrigued and fascinated him, tempting him as no other woman ever had. He’d quickly learned that being anywhere near her was the worst form of torture he could imagine, so he’d kept his distance. Having her in Washington, D.C., hundreds of miles away from him, had brought him a little peace of mind. He didn’t have to worry about pulling up beside her at a gas station, or running into her at a restaurant they’d frequented with Trevor. He didn’t have to be tormented by the constant knowledge that she was somewhere nearby. Within close proximity—yet hopelessly out of reach.

  But now she was back.

  Back to find closure, she’d said.

  Noah’s gut clenched at the memory of her outrageous proposition. He couldn’t believe she would even suspect Trevor of any sort of illegal activity. Trevor Simmons had been one of the most trustworthy, up-standing men Noah had ever known. For Riley to suggest otherwise was downright insane. He couldn’t begin to comprehend what had led her to such an unspeakable conclusion, but there was no way in hell he would help her betray Trevor’s memory by dragging his name through the dirt.

  As far as Noah was concerned, coveting his best friend’s fiancée was betrayal enough.

  Chapter 3

  If Noah thought he’d seen the last of Riley, he was sorely mistaken.

  After tossing and turning all night, she rose at six in the morning, took a quick shower and dressed in a lightweight gypsy skirt, a white tank top and a pair of strappy sandals. In the kitchen a few minutes later, she downed a glass of cranberry juice, then packed up the lemon pound cake Florinda Kane had baked last night. She scribbled a note to her grandmother, who was still sleeping, then slipped quietly from the house.

  Noah lived on the northeast side of town in an older subdivision that boasted lush, manicured lawns and brick ramblers s
haded by giant oaks. Noah’s one-story house was located on a cul-de-sac, and as Riley pulled up to the curb, she was relieved to see his black GMC Yukon parked in the driveway. Although it was Saturday, she knew he wouldn’t be sleeping in, just as she’d known he would be at the office late last night.

  It was funny how she could know so much about a man who’d always made a point of keeping her at arm’s length.

  Just as she was about to climb out of her car, she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the man in question jogging up the street toward the house. Riley waited until he’d nearly reached the Avalon before opening the door and stepping from the vehicle.

  Noah stopped on the other side of the car, sweaty and undeniably sexy in black athletic shorts and a gray sweatshirt with the sleeves torn off. Muscles bunched and rippled everywhere she looked, so she forced herself to look elsewhere, and found herself staring at the hard angle of his stubble-darkened jaw.

  “What’re you doing here, Riley?” he asked in a low, guarded voice.

  She lifted her eyes to his and saw that he didn’t appear at all pleased to see her. “I came to talk to you,” she said.

  “I think we did enough talking last night,” he said flatly.

  “I did a poor job of explaining myself. If you’d just give me another chance—”

  Noah shook his head. “Nothing you can say will change my mind about helping you. You wasted your time coming here. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” With a curt nod, he turned and started up the driveway.

  Riley panicked. “Maybe I should speak to Kenneth,” she blurted out, surprising herself. It had never occurred to her to approach Noah’s older brother about investigating the circumstances surrounding Trevor’s death. But now that she’d proposed the idea, she knew it had been the right move.

  Noah stopped and turned slowly to face her. His expression was inscrutable, but she could feel the coiled tension emanating from his body. A sane person might have backed off, but Riley had long since abandoned any pretense of sanity.

  “Maybe you’re right,” she continued pragmatically. “Maybe you’re not the right person to help me, Noah. You’re too personally involved, and I should have realized that. But I’m sure your brother would have no problem remaining objective. After all, Kenneth once worked in Internal Affairs. He’s used to investigating other cops, whether they were his friends or not.”

  “Kenneth won’t take your case,” Noah said tersely.

  “I guess there’s only one way to find out. I’m a paying customer—I’m sure I can persuade your brother to treat me as such.” She glanced at her slim gold wristwatch. “Do you think I can catch him at the office this early?”

  Noah gave her a long, measured look. Riley waited, chin tilted at an expectant angle, not backing down.

  After another moment, Noah growled, “Come inside,” and without waiting for her to follow, he turned and stalked off toward the house.

  Riley ducked inside her car to retrieve the pound cake, then closed the door and hurried after him. “I brought something for you,” she told him.

  He glanced over his shoulder at her as he unlocked the front door. “What is it?”

  “My grandmother’s lemon pound cake. She remembered how much you enjoyed it at the picnic a few years ago, so she baked one just for you.”

  Noah’s expression softened. “She didn’t have to do that.”

  Riley shrugged. “What can I say? She’s crazy about you.”

  Chuckling softly, Noah opened the door and stepped aside to let her enter. As she walked past him, her shoulder brushed against his chest, sending an unexpected tingle of awareness through her body. Her startled gaze flew to his face, but thankfully, Noah didn’t seem to notice as he followed her inside the house and closed the door.

  Golden pine floors gleamed under her feet as she stepped further into the foyer. Early-morning sunlight poured through wide glass windows on the facing wall. Riley glanced around the spacious living room with its dark, masculine furnishings and brick fireplace that stretched to the twenty-foot ceiling.

  “Goodness, I haven’t been here since…” She trailed off as a knot of sorrow wedged in her throat.

  Behind her, Noah said quietly, “Since Trevor’s surprise birthday party four years ago.”

  She turned around, and their eyes met and held in a moment of shared remembrance. “I miss him,” Riley whispered before she could stop herself.

  “I know,” Noah said gently.

  Mustering a feeble smile, she held out the cake to him. “Better take this before I change my mind about parting with it.”

  Noah’s mouth curved ruefully as he accepted the offering. “You can’t possibly expect me to eat this entire thing by myself.”

  “Why not? I used to do it all the time after I moved to the East Coast. Whenever I got homesick, Grandma would send me one of her cakes, and within a few days, it was all gone.” She grinned sheepishly, patting her hip. “Which would probably explain the reason I gained fifteen pounds after my first year in D.C.”

  Noah’s lazy gaze ran the length of her. “I can’t tell,” he murmured.

  “It’s the skirt,” Riley explained, and wondered why her palms were suddenly damp. “It hides everything.”

  He nodded, his mouth twitching. “I’ll take your word for it. Come on, I’ll fix some coffee so we can have it with the cake.”

  Riley wiped her hands on her skirt and followed him down the hall.

  The updated kitchen had been done in black and stainless steel, with a center island that gleamed like an iceberg at midnight. A pair of tall French doors looked out over a wooden deck, a sea of green lawn and blooming flower beds lovingly maintained by Noah’s mother, Pamela Roarke. Plastic chew toys were strewn around the yard, but there was no sign of their owner.

  “Wait a minute,” Riley wondered aloud. “Where’s—”

  Before she could complete the question, a black-and-white Alaskan malamute came bounding up the steps and barreling across the deck toward the house, barking excitedly.

  “Eskimo!” With a cry of delight, Riley opened the French doors and dropped to her knees to greet the large, furry dog who bathed her cheek with a wet, eager tongue. She laughed, looking up at Noah. “He remembers me!”

  “Of course he remembers you,” Noah said mildly. “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “Because it’s been four years since I last saw him.”

  “You’re unforgettable, Riley.”

  There was a strange, subdued note in Noah’s voice, but when Riley glanced up again, he’d walked over to the center island and begun busying himself with making coffee.

  She returned her attention to Eskimo, who had rolled onto his back and offered his belly for scratching. She obliged him, running her fingers through his thick, woolly coat and crooning, “What a good boy you are. Aren’t you the most handsome boy I’ve ever seen?”

  “Careful,” came Noah’s warning from across the room. “He’ll get an inflated ego, and then I’ll be the one fetching his slippers.”

  Riley laughed, then leaned close to murmur to the dog, “That’s okay. We both know who’s the real king of this castle.”

  “I heard that,” Noah muttered.

  Chuckling, Riley rose from the floor, toed off her sandals and padded across the room, enjoying the warm glide of wood beneath her bare feet. Eskimo trailed after her as she walked over to the sink and washed her hands, then opened a drawer and retrieved a knife to cut the cake, silently marveling that she’d remembered where Noah kept his cutlery.

  As she turned from the sink, Noah turned from the island at the same time, and they bumped into each other. The knife slipped from Riley’s hand and clattered to the floor, but neither of them noticed, their gazes locked on each other for a long, charged moment.

  It was Riley who stepped back first. Every nerve ending in her body felt as if it was on fire. “I—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t know you were right there.”

  “It’
s all right,” Noah said huskily. Without releasing her gaze, he knelt and picked up the knife from the floor. As he slowly rose, Riley moved aside so that he could rinse the knife at the sink. When he’d finished, he set it down carefully on the countertop.

  She gave a shaky little laugh. “That was a close call.”

  Dark, hooded eyes met hers. “Yeah, it was,” Noah softly agreed, and Riley wondered if he was referring to the dropped knife—or something else entirely.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” he told her. “The coffee’s ready. Help yourself.”

  She nodded wordlessly, not trusting her voice.

  When he’d left the kitchen, she sank weakly onto one of the bar stools at the island and blew out a long, ragged breath.

  Eskimo came over to where she sat, and looked up at her in curious inquiry.

  “I don’t know what just happened,” Riley murmured, absently scratching behind the dog’s ear. “And just between you and me, I don’t want to know.”

  Noah stayed in the shower until the water turned cold. He needed time to get himself together, to calm his jittery nerves and bring his galloping pulse under control.

  He took his time getting dressed, tugging on a pair of jeans and easing a black T-shirt over his chest as slowly and deliberately as if he were made of glass. He felt like that, as if he were teetering precariously on the edge of a cliff, and just one little push would send him over, shattering into a million pieces. It was downright maddening to know that one woman could hold this much power over him. In the space of one night, Riley Kane had turned his world upside down.

  Again.

  Knowing he could no longer put it off, Noah went in search of his uninvited houseguest. When he reached the entry to the living room, he froze, riveted by the sight that greeted him. Riley was curled up on the leather sofa with her head propped on her arms and her legs tucked underneath her long skirt. She was fast asleep. Dozing soundly on the floor at her feet was Eskimo.

  For several moments Noah just stood there, air stalled in his lungs, unable to look away. It was only when Eskimo quietly flicked his tail that Noah came out of his trance and remembered to breathe again.