by Cat Johnson
Giovanni Scarpelli, up and coming artist who’d achieved far greater fame from his marriage to Jax than from his art, was a handsome man Shane supposed—if you liked the slightly sleazy Euro type. Just looking at his smug smile in the photo pissed Shane off, so he dug deeper, something Shane was extremely good at.
Hacking into the usual databases yielded nothing, so he tried a different tact and hit some sites in Europe. And, lo and behold, there was Giovanni Scarpelli’s marriage certificate…dated four years ago and the bride was not Jax. Fingers flying over the keyboard, Shane cruised deeper in Jax’s bastard husband’s records but what he didn’t find was far more interesting than what he did.
Could it be possible that in his haste to marry the American heiress, good old Giovanni had neglected to file the divorce papers to terminate his first marriage? Can you say “bigamy”, boys and girls?
“Gotcha, you slimy bastard!” Not counting his recent bedroom activities with Jax, Shane felt more satisfaction than he had in a long time.
Chapter Eight
The rest of that incredible day had passed like a whirlwind. Meeting with Arthur, and then afterwards, with the lawyer after Arthur had agreed what she found could be very important in getting Gio out of her life for good. Then today she’d had to go back to her job and suffer through a normal workday while trying not to obsess about what was happening behind closed doors at the lawyer’s office as they investigated the money trail that would, if not put Gio in big trouble with the IRS, at least hopefully free her from having to support him by proving he did have an income other than hers.
She’d left work, gone back to her parents’ house, hopefully for one of the last times, and thrown on some clothes for dinner. Now, she almost sprinted up the stairs of the country club because in the midst of it all, she’d still had time to miss Shane. More than that, she couldn’t wait to tell him all that had happened over the past two days.
He occupied her mind, day and night. Thoughts of him kept her awake into the wee hours. When she fell asleep, he invaded her dreams. At work that day, she’d been restless and distracted by memories of the feel of him, the sound of his voice, the scent of his skin. Jax hadn’t seen him in two days and, judging my how badly she missed him, she was falling for him, and hard. That was the only problem with all of this.
Was her mother right? Did Jax trust too easily? Love too fast? There had been Gio, and now Shane. First, a destitute artist who’d screwed her, literally, figuratively, and financially. Then, a bartender. Hot, sweet, sexy as hell, but living in a one-room apartment above a strip of stores on the main street in town. She barely knew the man, yet she was pretty sure if he asked her to marry him, she’d be on the next flight to Vegas with not a pre-nup in sight. She obviously was crazy.
Perhaps she should be locked up far away from any men in some all-female facility where she couldn’t do herself any harm. Even with that thought nagging at her brain, she strode down the hall so fast, she slammed head on into Shane when he turned the corner, nearly knocking her right out of her peep-toe pumps.
Heart racing from being near him as much as from the shock of running into him, Jax apologized. “I am so sorry.”
A smile curved his lips. “Sure. That’s what you always say. Where were you running off to?”
“I was going to find you. I have something to tell you.”
“What a coincidence, because I have something to tell you too.” Shane’s hands ran up both of her arms and drew her nearer.
If he didn’t stop pressing up against her like that, they’d start kissing and she’d never get to tell him, but she noticed she didn’t take a step back away. “Me first.”
“I don’t know. My news for you is pretty good. I think you’ll want to hear it, and I’ve kept it to myself since yesterday so I could tell you in person.”
Had his face gotten closer to hers? She yanked her gaze away from those tempting lips and tried to focus. “My news is very good, and I’ve been waiting to tell you since yesterday too.”
He gave in with a sexy as hell smile. “Okay, you go first.”
She dropped her voice low so no lurking gossips could hear. “I think I found a way to get out of paying the divorce settlement to Gio. I broke into his studio and went through his stuff. The bastard was not only making a ton of money on his paintings that he never told me about, we’re pretty sure he also never paid income taxes on it so we can nail him for tax evasion.”
Shane’s eyes opened wide. “You broke in and got the evidence yourself?”
“Yup, I had to crawl through the window but it was worth it.”
He laughed. “You really are something else, Jax Monroe. That’s wonderful. Now can I tell you my news?”
Jax smothered a pout. He could have been a little more impressed, and not about her burglary skills either. Getting out of having to pay Gio and being able to move out on her own again, meant everything to her. Didn’t he see that? “Aren’t you happy that I may not have to pay Gio a settlement?”
“Of course. I’m thrilled and you are amazing. What you found is great and the tax evasion rap will be a nice added bonus to not having to pay him, but my news is good too. Wanna hear?”
“Okay.” She tried to have an open mind, even though it could in no way be as good as what she’d told him.
“You’re not married to Gio. You never were. He never divorced his first wife.”
“What?” Jax felt her knees weaken. “Really? You know this for sure?”
Shane nodded. “Ninety-nine percent sure. I have a friend of mine overseas checking it out, and I’m sure your lawyer can confirm it too. Isn’t that great?”
“Oh my God, yes!” Her heart sped with excitement. Nailing Gio legally and not being married to him was more than she could have ever hoped for. “But how did you find out?”
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I haven’t been totally honest with you, Jax, and for that I’m sorry. I have something to confess.”
Her heart fell as quickly as it had risen before. “What is it?”
She obviously didn’t have the best taste in men. What the hell could Shane be hiding? A wife? Kids? A felony record? She honestly didn’t know what to expect. All she knew was her formerly bright future was suddenly beginning to dim.
Shane smiled wide and bent his head toward hers. He kissed her hard for too brief of a moment before pulling away. “Stop looking like that. It’s nothing bad. It’s good actually.”
Lips still tingling from that kiss, Jax wrestled her mind back to the question at hand. “So, then, tell me.”
He looked around. “This isn’t the place for this conversation. There are too many dark corners around here for people to lurk and listen.”
Jax raised a brow. “You are extremely mysterious. Do you know that?”
His grin widened as his hands slid down to cup her butt and give it a gentle squeeze, sending shivers through her middle. He bent and nuzzled her neck with his mouth. “Good. Does it turn you on?”
At that, she couldn’t do much more than laugh. Hotter than hell and funny. If Shane was just another man who would turn out to be bad for her, she didn’t really care at the moment, proving she was a fool.
Shane grabbed her hand and pulled her further down the hall.
“Look where we are. How about that, we’re right outside your favorite bathroom.” He looked devilish and led her into the ladies’ room. Inside, he glanced around, even checking each one of the stalls, which she thought was a little extreme. “Very nice. Much better than the men’s room. Okay, now, I can tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Shane pulled her close, pressed his mouth right to her ear and whispered, “I’m not really a bartender. I’m an investigator. Your father hired me to investigate one of the board members he suspected of embezzling, and to do that, I had to be undercover. No one knows who I really am except for him, and now you, but I think I may have broken the case today and the whole thing will be over soon. Yo
ur father is going to be extremely happy with me.”
Jax pulled away and looked at him in shock. “Really? Wow.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but I had to. Forgive me?”
How could she resist?
She nodded, in a daze as she tried to absorb it all. Shane wasn’t a married felon or a bartender. He was undercover and working for her father. Maybe her taste in men was better than she thought.
He was grinning hugely at her. “So, can I be there when you tell your parents what I found out about your husband? I’d really love to see your mother’s face.”
“If it’s all true. If he and I aren’t really married, I think that’s the least I can do to thank you.” Her insides fluttered with excitement. “This whole day has been incredible. We need to celebrate.”
“Hmm. I can think of one other way that you can pay me back and we can celebrate at the same time.” Waggling his eyebrows, he eyed the vanity. He turned her to face the low counter and met her gaze in the mirror.
Something tightened in her belly when she saw the reflected expression on his face and guessed what he had in mind. “Shane! Here?”
His nodded while bunching the fabric of her skirt. “Mmm hmm. The coffee shop is closed. No one’s around. Besides, it’s kind of been a fantasy of mine since the other night.”
“Sex in a bathroom is your fantasy?”
“No, sex in this particular bathroom with you is my fantasy.”
She laughed, before she moaned when his hand slid inside her panties. “Mine involves the pool.”
Before now, another fantasy had been screwing Gio out of getting any of her money, but since both her and Shane’s recent findings should take care of that nicely, this would be good too.
He slipped a finger inside her, ramping up her desire another notch. “We can try the pool later. After dinner.”
That was where the conversation ended as Shane lowered the zipper of his pants and she braced both hands on the marble surface. Jax watched the reflection of Shane’s impassioned face when he slipped inside her. He lifted one of her knees onto the cold stone of the counter. The new angle had him hitting the perfect spot inside her and she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.
This was one hell of a kick off for her celebration. Of course, she’d never be able to sit at this vanity making small talk while fixing her makeup again without thinking of this moment. Jax liked that a lot.
Epilogue
“Grey Goose, ma’am.” Shane handed Mrs. Monroe her drink, then handed Jax her bottle of water and plopped into the lounge chair with his own beer. It was all he could do to not smirk at the look of disdain on the older woman’s face. That was fine with him. He had Mr. Monroe’s respect, the club’s board of directors had invited him to lunch as a thank you for cracking the case and doing it discreetly, and he had Jax. More importantly, Jax had her own apartment back and was free and clear of her bigamist husband, who was being deported because of the tax evasion she’d uncovered.
Leaning back in the lounge chair, eyes closed behind the sunglasses, Shane listened to what he was sure would be a never-ending fight continue.
“I can’t believe the board invited him here as a guest,” Grey Goose hissed. “He’s the bartender, for God’s sake.”
Shane smiled when he heard Jax’s father respond. “He is also the man whose discovery got Jax out of that marriage. And he’s not a bartender. I told you. He’s a PI who was working undercover.”
“Undercover. Hmmph. It’s like some bad spy movie. I’m inclined to not believe one word of it,” the witch continued as if he couldn’t hear her.
A smile curved Shane’s lips. If she thought his being an undercover investigator was hard to believe, wait until he sprung the details of his past in the Special Forces on her. That should be a hoot. Maybe he’d save that revelation for a special occasion. He took a sip of his beer and felt Jax squeeze his hand.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I should have left with you right after your lunch with the board was over. This was a horrible idea.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m enjoying the entertainment.” And the knowledge that Jax’s mother sat in the exact lounge chair where he and Jax had done the naughty didn’t hurt either. He noted how the metal frame listed a bit to the left from the workout they’d given it and smiled.
Jackson Monroe continued. “It’s real. When I started to get suspicious, I hired the man, Meredith, and he did what we paid him to do, plus some. Remember, he was only hired to investigate where those club funds were disappearing. He discovered Scarpelli’s first marriage on his own time.”
“I warned her about that Italian. Bigamy and tax evasion, I wasn’t surprised to hear that at all. But a board member embezzling club funds! It’s outrageous. This would never have happened back in Granddad’s day.”
“Probably not, dear.” Jax’s father continued to read his newspaper as his wife bitched on.
“Still, I don’t know why we have to socialize with the man. His job is done here.”
At that, Jax swung her glorious legs to the ground as Shane remembered how nice it had been that very morning, waking up beside her in her bed, sliding between those soft thighs and bringing her slowly out of sleep and quickly into orgasm with just his tongue. But right now, he had to control his rising cock and possibly his woman, because she looked raring for a fight.
“Mother, Shane is here because I enjoy his company.”
Damn, she was beautiful when she was angry. Too bad he couldn’t just sit and enjoy it. “Jax, it’s okay,” he insisted softly, not wanting a scene, for Jax’s sake.
“No, baby. It’s not. I love you and I’m not going to let her talk about you like you’re not even here.”
At that, Shane’s existence narrowed to just the two of them and those three little words she’d just spoken. “You love me?” He choked on the lump in his throat.
Jax turned to him, the expression on her face softening. “Yes.”
Behind them, Grey Goose let out a huff. “God help me, now she’s in love with a cop.”
“Private investigator, dear.”
“Whatever. What about that nice Johnston boy?”
“I heard Arthur’s dating his second cousin now,” Mr. Monroe supplied.
“Is that legal?”
“I’m not sure, dear.”
Shane listened to the Monroes’ exchange with half an ear, ninety-nine percent of his attention focused on Jax and the fact that she’d said she loved him.
He put down his beer and rose from the lounge, rubbing his hands up and down Jax’s bare arms and causing goose bumps to appear on her skin in spite of the heat of the sun. Pulling her close, he bowed his head low, not wanting to share this moment with anyone. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
Jax’s eyes pooled with tears. “What do you say we get out of here?”
“Sounds good.”
Grabbing her cover-up and his hand, Jax turned towards her parents. "We’re leaving.”
“Thank you for lunch, sir.” Shane managed to call as Jax dragged him toward the exit.
“Jacqueline! Where are you going?” her mother squawked.
“I’m going home to my own apartment, which is mine again because of Shane, where I’ll spend the day in bed having incredible sex with the man I love, Mother.”
As they headed down the path, Shane heard Grey Goose sputter, “Jackson! Did you hear what your daughter said to me?”
“Yes, dear.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Not a damn thing, dear.”
With a smile of satisfaction, Shane pulled Jax to a stop between two clipped boxwood hedges and kissed her hard.
“What was that for?” she asked when he finally broke from her lips.
“For not taking after your mother.”
Jax laughed. “I thank God for that daily.”
“Me, too, baby. Me, too.”
About the Author
An awa
rd-winning author of contemporary erotic romance in genres including military, cowboy, ménage, and paranormal, Cat Johnson uses her computer so much she wore the letters off the keyboard within a year. She is known for her creative marketing and research practices. Consequently, Cat owns an entire collection of camouflage shoes for book signings and a fair number of her consultants wear combat and cowboy boots for a living. In her real life, she’s been a marketing manager, professional harpist, bartender, tour guide, radio show host, Junior League president, sponsor of a bull riding rodeo cowboy, wife, and avid animal lover.
To find out more about the author, please visit her website at www.catjohnson.net.
Also by This Author
Studs in Spurs
Unridden, Samhain Publishing
Bucked, Samhain Publishing
Red Hot & Blue
Trey, Samhain Publishing (April 2010)
Single Titles
Rough Stock, Samhain Publishing
Gillian’s Island, Sapphire Blue Publishing
Erato, Tease Publishing
Eros’ Valentine, Tease Publishing
Bacchanal, Tease Publishing
Bliss, Tease Publishing
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright
Foreword
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author