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

by Pamela Clare

  “Jess? That you? It’s David. Is Bren around? He’s not answering his cell and I can’t find him anywhere. We’re supposed to meet up tonight.” David Meyer had been Brendan’s best friend since third grade. They were almost as close as Brendan was with his twin, Blake. David and Brendan suffered from egghead syndrome with their fascination of anything computer or video related. Though the twins had come out at the same time and were eerily close, their personalities were completely opposite. Blake’s knowledge of computers stopped after Google and email.

  “Hi, Dave.”

  Tanner’s gaze locked on her. She turned her back on him, self-conscious in the blanket, her face flaming with embarrassment and her thighs uncomfortably sticky from sex. Unprotected sex. Oh, God, what had she done?

  “Bren’s not here,” she said, finding her voice. But she had a dead guy in the studio and a virtual stranger nearby who’d just screwed her brains out. Jess swallowed and subtly used the blanket to clean the wetness from her thighs.

  “Have you seen him? We’re supposed to go to the Mac store to check out the new laptops.”

  “No. I haven’t s-seen him,” Jess murmured. But she did have a laptop here. Maurice’s laptop. With information she needed. “Mom told me the boys took a quick r-road trip to Vegas. Bren must have forgotten about your computer date. He should be back in a day or two.” If only… Her face heated at the blatant lie.

  “I can’t believe that shithead didn’t call me. He knows I’m looking to upgrade.”

  Guilt swiftly reared its ugly head and Jess scrambled to change the subject. “Hey, Dave, can you hack into a computer?”

  He laughed, and some of her tension eased out in a breath. “What’s Bren been telling you? Look, I only wanted to get into Chloe’s address book. I had no idea she—”

  “No, Dave. Listen to me.” God, what if someone else was listening to her right now. What if the phones had been tapped? What if Facinetti had that kind of power? “Better yet, can you come by here?”

  “When?”

  Jess glanced over her shoulder. Tanner still watched her, but he’d pulled up his jeans and covered himself. “Now.”

  “I can’t right this minute. I’m still at work, but I’ll be off in another few hours. I can come by when I’m done. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, sure.” She couldn’t tell him the truth. Didn’t want to involve him more than she had to. He didn’t have to know why she needed his hacking skills, and he’d either find what she needed or he wouldn’t. “Everything’s fine. I just need your help with a computer issue….Thanks.” Jess said goodbye and hung up the phone.

  “Who’s Dave?” Tanner asked.

  She felt his solid presence behind her, smelled the sex that still lingered on his body and in the air. “He’s my brother Brendan’s best friend. They’re both computer geeks.” Jess found her courage and faced Tanner. Just because she felt like crap, didn’t mean Tanner had to know it. “I thought he might be able to hack into Maurice’s computer and find those accounts.”

  “Even if he does, we don’t have the bank passwords.”

  “Maurice said they’re on the computer. It’s just a matter of finding them. If we can’t, I’ll go back to his office. Maybe there’s a master list somewhere or a flash drive he used as backup. I don’t know. It’s worth a try.” Emotion clogged her throat. “I can’t stay here and do nothing.” She definitely couldn’t stay here and have more sex with Tanner either.

  Tanner’s dark eyes watched her as if he knew what she was thinking. He set his palms on her shoulders and rubbed along her arms, sending chills across her skin.

  “You shouldn’t go back to his place,” he told her quietly. “It’s too dangerous. Once was bad enough, but you can’t risk it again.”

  There was only one thing she couldn’t risk again and it had nothing to do with going to any of Maurice’s places.

  Jess stared up at him. “You don’t understand. I’ll do whatever I have to, whether it’s going to all of Maurice’s stupid houses or offering myself in place of him. I lost all my bargaining power when I k-killed Maurice so nothing matters as long as I get the information I need.” Just saying the words aloud made her dizzy.

  “Bullshit.” Tanner’s grip tightened on her arms. “It matters. You need to stay alive to help your family so being stupid isn’t part of the plan.”

  Stupid? Wasn’t that the magic word? She’d been stupid to work for Maurice in the first place. Stupid to hold a gun in her hand, stupid to kill the only man who could get her family back alive. The word lingered inside her like a bomb and the explosion erupted with little warning.

  “Get your hands off me!” Jess stepped back, out of Tanner’s immediate range. “I’ve already proved the stupid part by killing Maurice, so spare me the lecture. I fucked up. Are those words you understand?” Jess turned before he saw the emotion in her eyes. She couldn’t, didn’t want to break down in front of him.

  Once again his presence loomed behind her. “Maurice fucked up when he wouldn’t help you in the first place,” he said quietly. “Maurice fucked up when he didn’t give Facinetti his money back.” One strong arm came around her waist and pulled her snuggly against him. “You did not fuck up. You saved my life, Jess. I won’t ever forget it and I won’t take it for granted. I owe you in this and I’ll do whatever you want.” His warm palm smoothed down her arm. “But I can’t help you if you’re dead, get it?” He moved his hand over her throat until her head rested against his chest. A totally dominant position. He could snap her neck like a twig and be done with her, Maurice and the whole situation if he wanted. Instead, his lips nuzzled beneath her ear. “Drop the blanket,” he told her.

  A zing of sexual electricity sparked in her blood, tore through her veins. Her mind might have decided to avoid sex, but it hadn’t told her body.

  His voice stayed calm in her ear. “I didn’t realize the molding was hurting you. You should’ve told me. Let me see the damage I did.”

  A flash of disappointment hit hard. “I’m okay. Just a bruise.” But she felt him tugging at the material.

  “Drop it, Jess.” The command was quiet, but steely.

  Jess kept the material gathered around her front, but let it fall in the back, exposing the sore spot at the base of her spine.

  “Ah, damn,” Tanner muttered. His thumb brushed over the spot and she jerked. Not because it hurt, but because his touch affected her on a molecular level. He drew her back against him, more gently this time. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.” He turned her in his arms, cupped her face in his hands. “How about some ice for your back.”

  Not the words she expected to hear.

  But Tanner had yet to do something she expected. He looked big and mean. Sometimes he even acted mean, but deep down he had a soft side. He’d threatened her, but he’d never followed through. Well, aside from shooting her and choking her, but nothing had been done with malice or premeditation.

  “Why are you smiling?” he asked, his lips curving in a rare grin.

  “Because, I’m adding this to the list of your transgressions.”

  “Transgressions?”

  She ticked off the list with her fingers. “Shooting me, choking me and now slamming me into the wainscoting.”

  His face darkened and his eyes narrowed. “None of those things happened intentionally.”

  “I know. Can you imagine if you meant to hurt to me?” She arched a brow. “I feel sorry for the people you don’t like.” Maurice for instance. Maurice, who was dead in her garage because she’d shot him. Maurice, who was the key to getting her family back safe.

  “Hey, don’t,” Tanner scolded, almost as if he knew what she was thinking. His hands moved to her neck, his thumbs under her chin, keeping her head up and her gaze on him.

  Jess pulled out of his grip, anger and frustration clawing its way up her chest. “Don’t?” she mocked. “Don’t think about it? Not possible. I kille
d a man, then I promptly slept with you. I must be nuts? I’ve lost my mind. My whole family is being held hostage and I’m standing here in a blanket because my clothes are on the kitchen floor because I let you take them off me.” She stalked past Tanner, toward the kitchen and the clothes she needed to put back on.

  But Tanner was right behind her. “You started the whole thing, Jess, so don’t go blaming me. I told you from the beginning what was going to happen if you pushed me so don’t start—”

  “I know!” She turned on him. Made him stop short as he loomed in front of her. “It was my fault. This whole situation is my fault. My dad told me not to work for Maurice and did I listen? No, of course not.” She scooped up her jeans and underwear from the floor. “I had to make my own way. I had to take the first job that came along that would get me into films. I had to be on my own, prove I could be independent.” Jess turned so Tanner couldn’t see the emotion on her face. She couldn’t blame him for anything. This whole situation was her fault for working for Maurice in the first place.

  “When are you going to get it through your thick head that you didn’t do this?” Tanner asked softly. “When are you going to quit beating yourself up for something Maurice created?”

  “When I get my family back.”

  Jess dropped the blanket and yanked her underwear on. Her jeans came next, but she flinched when the waistband hit the bruise on her back.

  “Dammit, Jess.” Tanner banged around in the freezer and came back with an ice bag. “C’mere.” When she didn’t, he stalked toward her, his face set, his jaw clenched. “Don’t make me put you over my knee,” he said.

  She flipped her shirt on and turned to him, furious that he’d even suggest it. “Don’t you dare threaten me.”

  “That’s not a threat, baby, that’s a promise. Pull the jeans down.” When she glared at him, he continued, “Not all the way down. Far enough so we can put some ice on you.” He wiped his hand down his face and when he opened his eyes, he looked exhausted. “I don’t want to fight you, Jess. I just want to help.”

  That did it. Tears welled up in her eyes. He did want to help. He’d been proving it since the minute he absconded with her at the studio. Tanner tugged her into his arms, held her close. “We’ll figure it out,” he said. “We just have to stay together on this.” His chest radiated heat. “When does this Dave guy get here?”

  “He’s a barista and he works the morning shift. He won’t get here for another few hours.”

  “So we’ve got time.”

  “Time for what?” Jess asked. She couldn’t just fall back into his arms. She had to stay clear, stay focused on what mattered.

  Tanner set the ice bag on her back and Jess gasped. “Time for some ice.” When she looked up at him, he gave her a half grin, then slowly leaned down and kissed her. This kiss differed from the others. This one was soft, tender. This one unraveled her senses in a different way. His tongue licked at her lips, enticed her to open for him. Even as the ice cooled her back, his kiss heated her up. His tongue danced with hers, slick and hungry. His big hand stroked through her hair and sent her senses flying. “I want to be inside you again,” he whispered at her lips. The words prompted a full body flush. “But I can wait until tonight.”

  “I don’t know.” She had no idea what the rest of the day would bring. Could Dave hack into Maurice’s computer? Could they access the accounts? And if they did, could she get her family back tonight? Jess backed away from Tanner and he let her. He could push her if he wanted. They both knew it. She’d melt under his touch because she needed the contact, the reassurance. But she needed her independence more. Needed to be strong, when she really wanted to forget everything and fall into Tanner’s strong arms. She picked up his T-shirt from the back of the chair and tossed it to him. He caught it one-handed. The less skin she saw the less tempted she’d be. That and staring at the bandages and all those scars made her ache for him.

  He eyed her before whipping the T-shirt over his head. “You want to tell me what’s got you all tongue tied now?”

  She was on the edge. Way too emotional as she blinked back the sting in her eyes. “I was…I’m sorry about all your scars. You went through hell and…” She didn’t know what to say. Maybe it was one fight in seven years that had given him all those marks. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she feared. “Are all those scars from one fight?”

  He shook his head. No. “More like a dozen. When you stand up for yourself and fight, you become a target. Every man wants to be the one who brings you down.”

  She couldn’t imagine being on guard all the time. Always having to watch her back or risk being attacked. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Sorry you went through it. Sorry Maurice did what he did to you.” Even though he was free of prison, the attacks stayed with him in his dreams. How long would he have to live with that? Was he scared to go to sleep at night because of what his mind might conjure up?

  She ran her hands through her hair. “Look, I can’t explain why this happened.” She gestured between them, indicating the physical relationship. “But I don’t promise that it’s going to happen again. I need to stay focused on what matters. I need to think this through.”

  Tanner nodded. “I hear you. But I’m not letting the situation get in the way of this.” He stressed her same word as he motioned between them with her identical gesture.

  Life just got more and more complicated.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Terry had a plan but Jay must have misunderstood it.

  “What?” he asked. He knew the question made her suggestion sound idiotic, but honestly…that’s what it was.

  “I’ll get the guy outside to unlock my cuffs.” Clearly his tone hadn’t fazed her because she launched into the idea again. “I’ll tell him I have cramps and need to use the bathroom. I’ll trip on the way out and fall against him then I’ll pickpocket the key. When he leaves, I’ll get all our cuffs off. Then we’ll lure him back in here and you can smash him over the head with something.” She sounded so hopeful. Looked it too, with her wide blue eyes.

  Just because they knew which pocket the key was in didn’t mean she could get it unnoticed. “No, Terry.” Jay said it quietly, but the there was no mistaking the unequivocal order. They were in enough trouble without her doing something so risky.

  “It’s worth a try,” she whispered, shooting a glance toward Eric. Neither one of them wanted the boys to know what they were talking about, but Eric was watching, probably trying to lip-read. He’d always had the biggest ears of the all the kids.

  Jay struggled to keep his voice down. He had to make her see how crazy this sounded. “You don’t even know how to pick a pocket.”

  Terry’s brows lifted, excitement brightened her eyes. “Yes, I do. Remember when I was in that production of Oliver at the community center?”

  Was she serious? “A play? You think because you acted in a play that you can do the real thing?” Had she gone off the deep end? Did she really think playing a street urchin pickpocket gave her the ability to do it in real life?

  “I got good at it, remember?” she insisted.

  He did, but that didn’t make this plan any more enticing. “This isn’t a play, Ter. These guys are big and they have guns. Did you forget what they did to Bren and Danny?” Both boys had a couple of cracked ribs and extra bruises on their faces, not to mention Bren’s lack of an earlobe.

  Terry glanced at the boys and anger lit her eyes. “No. I didn’t and I’m not going to sit here like a helpless victim when I can try and do something to get us out of here.” She took a steadying breath. “I can do this, Jay. Remember all that time I spent with the guy Joshua hooked me up with?” Joshua was their neighbor and fellow lawyer. When Terry was preparing for her role in the play, he’d introduced her to a reformed street thug whose specialty was picking pockets. Terry had been a quick study. For weeks, she’d enjoyed swiping keys, watches and wallets from every unsuspecting family member. Her ability had been frighteningly natu
ral. But still, from doing a play eight years ago, to doing the real thing now… That was a stretch for anybody much less someone out of practice.

  “I hate it.”

  “I don’t love it either, but we’re desperate and it’s worth a shot.”

  Jay shook his head. If he wanted to be honest, his wife might be able to pull it off. She was small and constantly underestimated. Very few people understood her strength—of body or mind. They overlooked her as inconsequential. But Jay had learned in high school what kind of woman he’d fallen in love with. She fought for the underdog and stood up for what she believed in and most of all, she protected her family. None of the guards watching now had been at the house when she’d taken out the first guy who’d attacked her. By now they’d heard the story, but since they hadn’t seen her in action, chances were they didn’t understand the scope of her abilities.

  He sure as hell never learned how to pick a pocket. His boys didn’t know how. He hated where his mind was going.

  “I see it on your face, Jay,” Terry said, watching him closely. “It’s better than doing nothing. We have to try.” She purposely used we because they were a team. Always had been.

  The silence between them stretched for a long time. Terry’s pleading eyes drilled into his. She wouldn’t do it unless they agreed on it. That’s how they based their marriage and this wasn’t any different. “Don’t you dare get caught,” he said. His insides twisted just thinking about it. “If anything happens to you…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. They were supposed to have sixty, seventy, maybe eighty years together. Losing her didn’t compute.

  Her eyes lit up in triumph. “I won’t. I promise. I’ll make you proud.” She didn’t waste any time calling for the guard outside as she doubled over, feigning pain.

  The guard barely got the door open before Terry started begging. “Please, please, I need to use the bathroom. My stomach is killing me.” She looked up at the guy…and damn if she didn’t have tears in her eyes. When had she become such a good actress? Hell, her pick-pocketing skills had been tremendously superior to her community theater acting skills. Had she ever played him with tears like this over the years? He’d have to ask her when they got out of here. And they were getting out of here.