Red-Hot & Reckless

by Tori Carrington

  So she up and disappeared for a day or two. The way he saw it, she was entitled. More than likely it was a survival technique. Much needed escape to keep herself from killing their overly protective, old-world parents.

  He glared at the empty coffeepot, then pulled on his shoes and reached for his coat. Despite what he’d told his mother and despite his need for caffeine, the first challenge on his list was to find Nicole Bennett.

  He turned toward the door, and nearly plowed right into her.

  Alex stopped dead in his tracks. There she was, smelling of morning air and looking good enough to drink. He hadn’t heard her come in, although the old door held no fewer than six locks. And he couldn’t be sure how long she’d been there, given the way she leaned against a support post, a carrying case next to her feet. It could have been a minute; it could have been ten. Hell, she could have watched him since he was startled awake by his dream.

  All he knew was that he’d never been more relieved to see anyone. And he feared that his objective to catch the thief wasn’t the only motivation behind his reaction.

  The sides of Nicole’s mouth turned up in a naughty, knowing smile as she lifted an extralarge cup of coffee designed to satisfy anyone’s caffeine cravings. “Thought you could use this.”

  Alex squinted at her. She was wearing a long, clingy black dress; what looked like combat boots that stretched to cover her knees, laced up the front, and had clunky heels; a shear black shirt that she had tied at the waist; and dozens of silver bracelets that clinked when she moved. He shook his head, wondering where she’d gotten the clothes but afraid to ask.

  “So are you going to take it or what?” she asked.

  “Mmm.” Alex accepted the coffee, reasonably sure that she hadn’t poisoned it since she’d gotten away and had come back on her own. He pulled the lid off and took a long pull of the hot liquid. “Where did you go?”

  “To get a cuppa, of course.” She glanced toward the kitchen. “That stuff you have isn’t fit for a dog.”

  Fitting, seeing as he pretty much felt like a dog just then. An abused dog who didn’t know where his next meal was coming from and whether or not the temptress in front of him would be the one to provide it.

  He glanced at her wrists, then back at the bed. “How did you open the cuffs?”

  Her smile widened. “Trade secret.”

  He nodded slowly. He’d concede that one. For now. But there was one question he wanted an answer to. And he wasn’t at all convinced it was for strictly professional reasons.

  He cleared his throat, keeping his gaze on her beautiful face. “Why did you come back?”

  NOW THAT WAS A QUESTION.

  Why had she come back?

  Nicole slid her hands down her sides to rest firmly against her thighs, trying not to show her uneasiness.

  The truth was, she wasn’t clear on the reasons why she had returned to Alex’s dark cavelike loft after leaving earlier that morning. She just knew that she had to. Because there was a rightness about his proposition that she couldn’t blatantly ignore? Because he intrigued her unlike any other man had in a long, long time? Because he’d foiled her last job and would likely throw a monkey wrench into any other plans she put together until she agreed to work with him? Because condoms had prevented her from finding out if Alex would be as good at stroking her intimately as he was emotionally?

  She eyed the way the red cotton of his T-shirt hugged his toned abdomen. “My intention had never been to leave.”

  He crossed his arms and stared at her, looking none too pleased with her disappearing and reappearing act. “I’m not following you here, Nicole.”

  She shrugged. “I merely wanted to prove a point.”

  “Ah.” He leaned against the counter, looking way too sexy so early in the morning.

  There were few guys who could pull off sexy before she’d had a full cup of coffee. Given her line of work, late nights were common, pushing back morning until almost noon. Rising before nine was like a death sentence to her, reducing her to little more than grumbles and glares until she fully woke up. Until then, humans resembled little more than intolerable trolls.

  But just looking at Alex now made her want to climb back into that bed and put good use to the box of condoms she’d picked up along with the coffee.

  “And that point would be?” Alex asked.

  Nicole took the coffee from him and took a long sip before handing it back. “That I am where I am because I choose to be. Not because someone forced me to be.”

  She leaned over and unzipped the side of the carrying case. Her battle-scarred black cat bounded out, paused to look around, then set out to explore his new surroundings. Having spent the past few days in her friend Danika’s cramped Village apartment, Cat appeared to approve of the change in scenery.

  Nicole, however, was holding off judgment. She stepped farther into the two-story-high living area of the loft and took in the place in the light of day. Whoever had initially converted the space had done a piss-poor job of it. Cheap black paint covered everything in sight, from the wide beams crisscrossing overhead, to the cracked walls and the floor.

  While black might be her favorite color, too much of a good thing was, well, too much. Besides, she half expected Dracula himself to step from the shadows at any moment and offer to add some color to the place. Namely red and by way of her blood.

  “What’s…that?”

  “That’s Cat. Cat, meet Alex. Alex, Cat.”

  The fearless feline crawled onto an old recliner, circled a few times, then plopped down right into the middle of it.

  “I’m allergic.”

  “Nice try. Wherever I go, Cat goes.”

  A long pause.

  “So you’ll help me, then.”

  It was more a statement of fact than a question. Nicole slid a gaze over her shoulder. “You need to fire your interior decorator.”

  He grimaced at her nonanswer. “That would be my mother. Or at least it would be if I let her at the place.”

  Nicole gestured with her hand. “Anything has to be better than this.”

  “Oh?” he asked. “I would have thought the color scheme would be right up your alley.” His gaze traveled slowly down her body, then back up again, sending shivers scooting everywhere. “And, trust me. What my mother has in mind would be worse. Think green tassels and gold Greek Orthodox icons covering the entire wall.”

  Nicole shuddered, but she wasn’t altogether sure it was a result of the picture he painted.

  Silence reigned as she turned back and pretended to study the apartment.

  She had to give Alex credit. Despite apprehending her in Baltimore, then cuffing her to his bed, he didn’t rush things. He asked a question, then gave her the space she needed to answer it.

  Finally, she said, “Let’s say we’ll help each other.”

  Alex put the coffee down on the counter, then came to stand next to her. The stairs to the upper part of the loft were to their left. A black wrought-iron railing followed them up then ran the length of what looked like a good-sized second floor with a view of the lower floor. “And what, exactly, do you plan to get out of all of this?” he asked quietly. “I mean, aside from a temporary ‘keep out of jail’ card?”

  Nicole notched her chin up. “I get to help nail the man who put my father behind bars.”

  SHE WAS ON BOARD.

  Two hours later, Alex’s triumph had faded, leaving him unsure if he was still happy about the arrangement. Because Nicole seemed bound and determined to make good on her comment about working together. He’d gone over everything he had so far, filled her in on some of the background information, and basically ground his teeth when she interrupted every five seconds with questions. The main problem being that those questions made him concentrate on her and her sexy mouth instead of the hunt.

  This wasn’t exactly the way he saw this…collaboration working out. Just when he thought he had everything figured out, Nicole would launch another one of her scud
missiles in his direction and render him speechless. Not that it was difficult. Unfortunately just looking at her struck him dumb.

  Of course, his idea had been to keep her handcuffed to his bed. Which, in his opinion, was still a pretty good idea. If only to give him enough time to go buy some friggin’ condoms.

  He quickened his step to keep up with her as she led the way down Houston Street, resisting the urge to drop a couple of steps behind her so he might watch her walk. Okay. So there was something about a woman wearing a snug black cotton skirt that brought out the ogler in any guy. The way the material slipped and hugged her delectably shaped bottom and thighs as she moved drove him insane. And the contrast of the military-style shiny leather boots only made her that much more enticing.

  A strange enigma, this Black Cat Nicole Bennett. Oh, she may have told him that her father was doing a nickel in prison, but she hadn’t offered much else aside from Dark Man having been involved in the crime. And whatever Nicole knew…well, she wasn’t sharing. After all, she’d pointed out, that wasn’t important, was it? What was important was that they got this guy.

  What was important to him… Well, maybe important wasn’t the word. He tugged at the collar of his T-shirt. What was more of a curiosity, really, was to discover that under Nicole’s tough-as-nails exterior, she was human. She had a family she cared about.

  “We should go to my office,” he said, surprised to find that they were only a block away from the building the insurance offices were located in. “Go through the material I’ve compiled there. See if there’s something you can pick up on that I’ve missed.”

  Nicole stared at him, a stubborn look on her face, but didn’t say anything.

  He grimaced. Definitely not the way he saw this going down.

  Okay, whatever point she might be trying to make, he’d give her the room to make it. Because the simple truth was he needed her to make this collar. To unmask the infamous Dark Man. He’d hit a wall months ago in his investigation, even as new crimes were committed and the theft-related death toll rose. That he’d as good as kidnapped Nicole Bennett was a clear enough sign that he was open to taking desperate measures. Allowing her to call the shots this morning…well, it wouldn’t be any more unusual than anything he’d already done in the past couple of days.

  Nicole’s step slowed and she opened the door to a coffee shop he knew well. It was within walking distance of the insurance company and served moderately good coffee along with muffins, donuts, burgers and a small menu of short-order stuff. He’d been there a time or two, but preferred the cleaner environment of the restaurant up the street. She led the way toward a free booth in the middle of the long, narrow establishment and scooted in, her back to the door.

  Odd. He would have thought she’d sit with her eye on everything going on. He started to sit on the other side of the table when she grasped his wrist and indicated he should scoot in next to her.

  He didn’t get it, but his body was in full agreement with the suggestion. Nicole leaned toward him. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” She smiled and the very devil seemed to dance in her dark eyes. “Unless you want me to, that is.”

  His libido immediately let him know it was in favor of whatever she had in mind.

  A female voice behind him was saying, “Work, work, work. I swear, they should have five people to do the job I’m doing. Or at least pay me a damn sight better than they are.”

  Nicole held up two fingers toward the waitress and within seconds their coffee cups were filled.

  “Anything else?” the waitress asked.

  Nicole looked at him.

  Alex realized she was waiting for a response. “Um, no. Nothing more for me, thanks.”

  “Fine.” The waitress moved on to the next table.

  “I don’t get it,” Alex said.

  Nicole lightly tapped her finger against her lips, indicating he should be quiet.

  Great. Just great. He needed questions answered, had a big-time crook to catch, and she didn’t feel like talking.

  Nicole smiled that sexy little knowing smile and silently sipped her black coffee.

  The woman’s voice behind him continued, “Take this morning, for example. My boss slaps a folder as thick as a Danielle Steele novel on my desk and tells me he needs the policy put together stat. Stat,” she snorted. “Like what we do is a matter of life or death or something.”

  Policy? Alex moved to turn his head, but Nicole stayed him with a hand on his arm. He stared at her. She discreetly nodded toward a large grimy mirror in the back of the establishment that was tilted to reflect everything and everyone in the diner.

  Alex heard a quiet response to the woman’s complaint behind him from her companion, another female.

  “And you wouldn’t believe what this policy is for. I swear, give a guy some money and turn him stupid.”

  Alex couldn’t see anything more than the back of the speaker’s blond head in the mirror, but watched as she waved her hand.

  “I mean, whoever heard of insuring a cockatiel for a quarter of a million dollars? A friggin’ cockatiel.”

  She sighed. “Anyway, I shouldn’t be telling you all this, you know, being against company policy and all. But I guess it’s not too bad, seeing as you work there, too. Anyway, who else would believe it?”

  Alex’s gaze moved beyond the speaker to the woman she was talking to and nearly choked on the coffee he was taking a sip of. It was the policy clerk in the office down the hall from his.

  “Anyway, we really should be getting back to work,” the speaker was saying. “Seeing as we have all those important idiots to protect and all.”

  Alex sat dumbfounded as the two women left the booth, gathered their purses and doggie bags, then left the coffee shop.

  “You can move to the other side now,” Nicole said, keeping her gaze on her coffee cup as she took a long sip.

  Alex’s gaze followed the move, zooming in on her full, luscious lips. She drank like she lived: dangerously. She didn’t seem to care that the coffee was hot or that there was someone watching her. The way she fastened those maddening lips on the rim made him think of certain areas of his anatomy that would be happy for the attention.

  It took him a full minute and her raised brow for him to finally register what she’d said.

  He moved to the other side of the booth.

  “You know what your problem is?” Nicole said.

  Oh, he had a pretty good idea. He was attracted to her, that’s what his problem was. No, not attracted. Attracted was too tame a word for what he felt for the bad girl across from him. He’d been blindsided by her. Was obsessed with the thought of easing between her thighs and finding out if she felt as good as she tasted.

  He had no doubt she did.

  Nicole’s half smile told him she probably knew where his mind was. “You think too much like a cop.”

  Alex blinked. “And that’s a problem how?” He leaned forward to get the sugar and cream from the end of the table. “You know, seeing as my background in law enforcement got me my job.”

  She absently ran her fingertip around the rim of her cup. Alex noted her black-painted short nails and the softness of her hands. “You have no finesse.”

  Alex didn’t think that was a compliment, but he thanked her just the same.

  She laughed quietly. “What I’m saying is that you’re used to barging into a situation, asking questions and expecting to get answers when sometimes just shutting up and listening is the best course of action.”

  Alex squinted toward the door the two company employees had just exited. “How many jobs you pick up on from those two?”

  Nicole shrugged. “One or two.”

  “I’ll have them fired.”

  Her smile widened. “There you go. Barging in again.”

  “And what would you have me do?”

  “First I would have you ask yourself if you really think they are the only two individuals innocently discussing company business during their person
al lunch hour.” She shrugged. “Fire them and the two who take their place will be exactly the same. They’re underpaid, overworked and to make it through the day they have to vent. You should be thankful they’re doing it with each other instead of outsiders.”

  Alex frowned. “I’ll talk to the higher-ups. Get them to make employees take lunch on the premises.”

  She laughed. A rich, genuine sound that caught Alex off guard. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re funny?”

  “No.” He drank his coffee, thinking funny was the last thing he wanted to be to her in that moment. “So is there any other reason we need to be here?”

  Her gaze caught on the mirror and her smile slipped. Alex glanced to see a young, nice-looking man entering the eatery.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said as the man passed by their table.

  WHAT WAS HER BROTHER Jeremy doing here?

  Nicole pushed from the bench seat and straightened her skirt, acutely aware of Alex’s gaze on her, wreaking havoc on her senses. When he looked at her, there was something…different somehow in his eyes. Physical need, yes. But there also lurked a hunger that nearly singed her with merely a glance. A craving that ignited an answering one in her, cutting the bottom out of her stomach and robbing the bone from her knees.

  The combination of that indecipherable desire, and the confusion of seeing her brother in the last place he should be, made her dizzy.

  It probably didn’t help that she’d put nothing in her mouth but coffee since lunch yesterday, but she wasn’t going to think about that right now.

  “Imagine running into you here,” she said when Jeremy took a stool at the counter near the back of the diner.

  “Nic!”

  Younger than her by two years, Jeremy towered over her by at least a foot, and was light where she was dark. She looked into his familiar blue eyes and took in his handsomely tousled blond hair…and suppressed the urge to cuff him one.