Danger and Desire: Ten Full-Length Steamy Romantic Suspense Novels

by Pamela Clare

  “I don’t think you’re in a particular place to bargain,” he growled, glaring down at her and not bothering to correct her assumption that he planned to kill Juneau. Although the idea had merit, torturing the man sounded better.

  She swallowed. “You n-need me,” she stammered. “I can find him. I know where he goes and who he meets. If you want him, you have to play by my rules. But I’ll only give him to you on one condition.”

  Staring into her eyes, Tanner clenched his fists, his frustration eating at him from the inside out. He’d been prepared to do this job solo. He’d had to. The last thing he wanted was to get someone else involved, especially this girl. He didn’t care if she was almost his age—she looked like a damn teenager. The more information he got out of her, the more he realized exactly how innocent she really was. Not so much in what she told him, but by her body language. Damn, she even smelled innocent and he didn’t want to involve her when it came to dealing with Maurice.

  On the other hand, she might be good to have around if she knew Juneau’s schedule. “How long have you worked for him?” Tanner asked.

  She hesitated before nodding. “I’ve been his assistant for three years and I’ve started working as a production coordinator.”

  Tanner remembered Juneau running through a lot of assistants back in the old days. But that had been before the trial. Before Juneau had turned on him to save his son. An old ache flared up at the thought of Alex and just as quickly it turned to a jagged wound, festering with lies and brimming with deceit. It shouldn’t surprise him that Juneau couldn’t hang onto an assistant. The man was in egomaniac, only interested in his life and image. Of course, that included Alex. Juneau couldn’t allow his only son going to go to prison, so Tanner had taken the fall. Now it was time for payback.

  So maybe this girl, Jess, might come in handy. Maybe he’d keep her until he had his sights back on Juneau. He sure as hell wouldn’t miss the next time and he didn’t care what she did or who she told after the fact, because he planned to disappear faster than one of Houdini’s illusions.

  But Jess was staring up at him as if he resembled the boogey man. Hell, maybe after seven years of hard time, he was the boogey man. Prison taught him that everything came with a price. She’d mentioned a condition…well he had one too.

  “What’s your condition?” he asked, taking a small step and crowding her even more, letting her know who was boss despite the information she had to offer.

  “That you d-don’t kill him…”

  If only. Tanner narrowed his eyes.

  “…until I’m done with him,” she finished.

  Definitely an interesting proposition, but not one he’d jump at without more to go on. Especially since it involved some type of trap. Why would she agree to let him kill her boss? Not that she had any say in the matter or that he intended to go that far, but didn’t she care about a paycheck?

  “Why should I bother waiting?” he asked.

  “I told you, I can help you. And maybe you can help me.”

  Tanner lifted a skeptical brow, but he laid out the challenge. “I don’t need your help and what makes you think I want to help you?”

  Instead of answering, she swallowed hard. “Do we have a deal?” She stuck out her hand between them. She wanted to shake on it? This little thing had more balls than brains.

  “You didn’t answer me. What makes you think I’d help you do anything?”

  Her mouth parted in a little “oh” but she never uttered the word. Instead, she glanced at her shoulder then back up at him. “Because you shot me tonight and you feel guilty.” She kept her hand out and by God, it was steady. He had to give her credit for that.

  Tanner took her hand in his. A mistake. Not only a mistake, but one of mega proportions. Her skin was soft, her hand warm and small in his. Like a jolt of electric energy, he realized he’d been celibate for seven years. Seven of the longest years of his life. He hadn’t thought much about it mostly because he’d been too busy planning revenge. Much of that had consisted of strengthening his body and that had been his only relief. Pushing himself so hard that he was too exhausted to think about missing sex.

  Goddamn, he missed sex. He missed the taste of a woman. The smell. The little sounds of surrender and need. He missed the feeling of legs wrapped around his hips as he thrust hard and fast. He missed having his cock buried in the tight heat of a woman’s body.

  Earlier, he’d been too preoccupied to think about the temptation of a female. Sure, he’d looked when he’d changed her shirt, but with her bleeding and his own anger at missing Juneau, his mind had been on other problems.

  He was paying attention now. Lots of attention.

  Heat rose up from his gut and her eyes widened as if she felt it, or knew. Her mouth did that little “oh” again. Stunned, Tanner looked down at her small hand, still in his. He brushed his thumb over the pale softness of her skin. Her scent, a light flowery combination, climbed up his nostrils and teased his senses.

  Her luminous brown eyes widened and she froze, simply quit breathing. Tanner, too, lost the use of his lungs. Sharp bolts of energy ricocheted between them despite the stillness.

  He could take her down right now. Stretch her sweet little body across the bed and make her his. Own her. He could relieve the fierce sudden pressure in his jeans. With his hands and his mouth, he could make her feel things she never thought possible. But he never would have thought about forcing a woman before prison and shame swamped him for thinking it now.

  Tanner quickly released her hand and stepped back. Hadn’t he done enough to her already? Jesus, he must be losing it to consider something so vile. Maybe he couldn’t be rehabilitated. Maybe those years in prison had changed him more than he thought and he was the lost cause he’d convinced his family that he’d become.

  Turning his back on her, Tanner struggled to get his libido in check. Scaring her more than he already had tonight wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Shooting her had been plenty, raping her was out of the question.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  What? Tanner looked over his shoulder. She looked like a kid with her arms wrapped around her waist, but her pert little breasts pressed against his T-shirt and reminded him she was all woman. He focused on her face, sure the question lurked in his eyes. “What are you sorry for?”

  “I know you’d rather that I wasn’t here and you didn’t mean to shoot me. I don’t know why you came back for me, but you did and I guess we’re stuck together until you trust that I won’t go to the cops. And until we find Maurice.” She swallowed and averted her gaze. “I just think that maybe it’s best if we keep our distance from each other.”

  “Isn’t that big of you,” he mocked. He shouldn’t vent, but it was easier to be pissed than tell her she was right, because they definitely needed to keep space between them. “Let me tell you something, sweetheart.” He advanced and her eyes opened wide. “You don’t know shit about me or my situation. You have no idea who you’re working for and what he does to the people around him. Don’t tell me what to do or when to do it and that includes dictating how close I get to you.” Tanner towered over her. A vein in her neck throbbed frantically. He made himself sick with how much he scared her.

  Clearly she thought he was going to attack her. Even under the cover of his giant shirt, he saw every muscle strained with tension as she waited. She might’ve looked young, but Tanner wanted to show her, just once, how he owned her. He wanted to grab her around the nape, tug her forward and crush his lips against hers. Just a taste. Just a warning. He wanted to feel her under him, even if it was only her lips beneath his. He wanted his tongue in her mouth, wanted to know if she tasted as good as she smelled.

  He could do it. One kiss and he’d back off.

  Chapter Three

  Jess stood frozen, her heart pounding wildly, every muscle tense. No way could she fight this guy off. He was too big. When had her judgment in character gone so completely off track? Just when she
thought she had a handle on the man, he popped a vessel and turned schizo. Prison will do that. His words rang in her head. What did she expect from a guy out for revenge? Why would he be even-tempered? Or sane for that matter.

  He looked scary as hell at the moment. His dark eyes blazed. Fierce. Unstoppable. And very ready to commit some unspeakable acts if she didn’t do something to change his mind. She needed to talk…so she tackled the subject that interested him most.

  “I think I know where Maurice might’ve gone tonight,” she blurted.

  His eyes narrowed. He scanned her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. His gaze lingered on her mouth and Jess bit her bottom lip, her nerves shot to hell and back. What if it wasn’t enough?

  His nostrils flared, animalistic.

  Though her insides quaked, she stayed outwardly calm. He wasn’t an animal and probably not insane. He was a man with a lot on his mind and she needed to treat him like a human being, something he probably wasn’t used to in prison. Mostly, she needed to get his mind focused on something other than her body. To do that she had to make him see her as a person, not an object.

  “If we’re going to find Maurice, I should know your name,” she said, trying to put some oomph behind her words. The stronger she sounded the less likely he was to think he could roll over her.

  Yeah, right. She may as well have been a leaf on the road and he was the Tuesday street-cleaner. He could blow through her in a matter of seconds. He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  “I guess you don’t have to give me your real name,” she offered. “But I should call you something. I can’t just say, ‘hey you.’” Long, tense seconds ticked by. She’d stared down her brothers before, but it had never been anything like this. They’d mostly conceded defeat, whether because she was the big sister or they didn’t want to face the wrath of their mother, Jess didn’t know. But holding her own with this man scared the hell out her. Especially the way his gaze drilled into hers as if he hadn’t yet decided if she was dinner…or dessert.

  Finally, anger ebbed from his eyes until he blinked away any emotion at all. “Tanner,” he mumbled.

  Relief whistled through her. Progress.

  Tanner. His first name or last? It didn’t matter. “It fits you,” she said softly. She’d never met a Tanner before, but this man wore his name well. Strong, Male. Competent and in charge. Clearly he wasn’t going to divulge another name, but she’d only given one, too, so fair was fair. Not that this situation seemed remotely fair.

  “Where is he?” Tanner asked.

  Maurice. He wanted Maurice tonight. It shouldn’t have surprised her. Just because he’d drawn blood didn’t mean he was done for the night…especially since the blood was hers. But her bait had worked. Finding Maurice would get her out of this hotel room. Then she’d find a way to get away from this man permanently.

  “He’s probably at his Malibu house,” Jess answered. That’s where he’d run to after every incident…and lately there had been several. Maybe she could ditch Tanner there. Maurice always had a couple of “guys” around. Jess had no clue what they did for a living besides mooch off Maurice. More recently he’d surrounded himself with security. If she could get to him, she’d be okay. Tanner didn’t stand a chance against five to one odds.

  Tanner snatched a pad of paper and pen from the scratched up desk and shoved it in front of her. “Write down the address and directions,” he ordered.

  Not likely. Jess didn’t take either item. “So you can go by yourself and kill him? Hell no,” she snapped. “I told you, I need him alive. I’ll show you how to get there.”

  His nostrils flared again and Jess got the impression he didn’t like obeying orders. Especially from someone half his size. God, he really was a giant. Huge shoulders and trim waist. Long muscular legs that filled out his dark jeans to perfection. How ironic that God could create something so ruggedly beautiful on the outside, but mess up so drastically beneath the surface.

  “How far is Malibu from here?” he asked.

  So he wasn’t a Los Angeles native. That worked to her advantage. “Where is here?” she demanded. She had no idea where he’d brought her.

  He swore under his breath. “Hollywood.”

  “We can take Sunset and be there in forty minutes,” she told him. “Give or take a few.”

  “I’ll need to blindfold you until we get a few miles away.”

  Naturally. She shrugged and hid her excitement. More progress. “Why not. I’ve already been shot. A blindfold is a piece of cake.” He flinched, but it was quick and if she hadn’t been watching, she’d have missed it.

  Fifteen minutes later, sitting shotgun, she was allowed to take off the bandana he’d wrapped around her eyes. She didn’t expect to be sitting in a Volvo of all things, and not a sporty one, but a family car. Her mother drove a car like this. A 740 GLE family wagon.

  Jess had a sudden flash of memory: her mother driving while Jess sat in the passenger seat, her four little brothers crammed into the back, all fighting over water guns and homemade sling shots. The noise had been deafening, but her mother had been calm and collected. How had her mother stayed so relaxed during the chaos? Jess never figured it out, but at the moment she wanted nothing more than to have inherited her mother’s genes.

  “Nice wheels,” she joked. “Did you get to drive the prison soccer team?”

  His deadly glare pierced her before focusing back on the road.

  Dumb thing to say, especially to a man just out of prison. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I get nervous traveling with…” Ex-cons. But she didn’t say it.

  Jess chose to look at the bright side. She needed to talk to Maurice and maybe Tanner’s gun would help her get what she needed. Then she’d find a way to save Maurice’s sorry ass before Tanner really killed him. There seemed to be some circularity to the evening. Tanner could help her with Maurice, Maurice could help her with her family and she could help Maurice with Tanner. A nice, neat package.

  Ha.

  What a surreal thought. That Tanner might actually kill Maurice if/when he found him. Looking at Tanner’s stone-cold face, mostly hidden in shadows, she doubted she’d be able to stop him from doing anything he wanted. Her shoulder throbbed as if to agree with the assessment. Maybe she couldn’t stop him, but Maurice’s security team could.

  “How much time do you need with Juneau before he’s mine?”

  Holy jeez! What a question. And he’d stated it so calmly. As if taking someone’s life was just another errand in a long day. Of course, if Tanner thought to ask, maybe he had the inclination to negotiate. Maurice had better hope so. So, the time she needed with Maurice depended on how seriously he took the situation. “I don’t know.”

  “Let me rephrase,” he said. “What do you need from Juneau before he’s mine?” The certainty in Tanner’s voice freaked her out. He didn’t strike her as a man who killed on a regular basis, yet he sure talked like it. What if that was why he’d been in prison? What if he’d killed multiple people? What if Maurice’s security couldn’t stop him? Bad thought. Because maybe he planned on taking her to Maurice and killing her there, making it seem like some type of work related incident. Crazy Assistant Attacks Boss And Takes Her Own Life. Story at eleven. Yikes.

  “Did you not understand my question?” he said. “What do you need with Juneau?”

  Jess swallowed. This guy wasn’t long on patience. Maybe after spending years in prison, his patience had evaporated. If he’d had any to begin with. “Money. I need money.” A whole hell of a lot of money.

  Tanner glanced at her again, but this time with assessing eyes. He hadn’t expected that answer. Good. She wanted to surprise him. Wanted him to know she wasn’t a wimp who crumbled at the littlest thing…well most of the time. Most of the time she handled a crisis with calm rational thinking. But her idea of a crisis was a cameraman calling in with car trouble and finding a replacement ASAP. Or making sure the location permits were in order or that a fire marsh
al was present when incendiary devices were used on the set.

  “How much money do you need?” he asked.

  Would it matter if she told him? If he knew how much, he might actually spare Maurice, especially if he thought he could get a fraction of that amount for himself.

  Jess took a deep breath. “Eight million dollars.”

  Tanner jerked his head and looked at her. A car horn blared and he quickly corrected the car. “Eight mil.” He whistled. “What’s a little thing like you going to do with eight million dollars?”

  Save her family, but that was none of his business. She’d been warned not to tell a soul and she wouldn’t. Not if it meant their lives.

  “What does anyone do with that kind of money?” She tried to sound casual, but sounded ridiculous even to herself.

  “Depends on who you are,” Tanner said. He gave her another hard glare. “Who are you, Jess-Jessie?”

  He was mocking her now? “It wasn’t enough that you shot me, now you have to make fun of me too?” It was something her brothers would do, but she didn’t get any type of brotherly vibe from Tanner. He had her on edge…made her angry. Worse than those two things, he made her itchy. Itchy in a way she couldn’t put a finger on. She held back the urge to squirm in her seat.

  “I told you,” she said, finally answering his question. “I’m his assistant.” And someone in a boatload of trouble.

  For the hundredth time, Jay St. John surveyed the unfinished basement where his wife and four sons had been tied—and trapped—for the last twenty-four hours. The cement walls had no windows and only one door led to a short hallway and stairs to the upper part of the house. A series of pipes ran horizontally against the walls several inches off the floor and that’s where the whole family had been handcuffed. No doubt about it, they were in a boatload of trouble. Trying to loosen the pipe that held him, Jay felt the bite of the handcuffs against his raw wrists and pain sizzled up his arms. The damn thing should give at some point.