by Tara Thomas
“Only on days that end in y.” She reached again for his waistband and this time, he didn’t stop her.
He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath as she lowered his pants and set him free. She ran her hands up his thighs and he cracked one eye open, only to see her licking her lips again.
“Jesus, Bea,” he croaked out.
“Just one kiss, right?” she said.
He nodded.
“Okay, then I pick a French kiss.”
Before he could say anything, she pulled him toward her and took his entire cock inside her mouth, swirling her tongue around his length.
“Holy mother of God.” He grabbed onto her hair, afraid he’d fall otherwise.
She pulled back, a deliciously satisfied grin on her face. “There you go. One little kiss.”
“You, Mrs. Benedict, are evil.”
“In that case, I’ll never do it again.” She moved on the bed, onto her back in the middle.
“Well,” he said, coming to rest beside her. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
She twirled a piece of his hair around her finger. “No?”
“Not at all. In fact, I liked it so much, I think it’s only fair I repay you. With one exception.”
She parted her legs as he moved to slide between them. “Oh?”
“Yes.” He grabbed her hips so she couldn’t move. “I’m not stopping at one kiss.”
“Cheater!”
He chuckled. “How is that cheating? I never said I was only going to give one kiss. If I recall, my exact words were, ‘I want tonight to be about you.’”
He was pleased to see she didn’t try to argue with him, instead deciding to fist her hands into the sheets.
“That’s more like it,” he said.
But before he could even pay her back a little, a high-pitched siren wailed from somewhere inside the house, causing them both to jump up.
He felt Bea tense and tremble. He pulled her close and murmured, “Stay with me, Bea. I’ve got you.”
She gave her head a slight shake and whispered, “What is that?”
“Security alarm. I remember the noise from when they were testing the damn thing.”
Bea froze and went deathly pale again. “Someone broke in?”
He cursed at himself for not thinking before he answered. “It means something tripped the alarm. But I promise you this, no one is going to hurt you.” He gave her a gentle kiss, pleased to see her tremors had stopped. “I do suggest getting dressed, though. I’m sure the police will be here soon.”
They dressed without speaking, both letting out a sigh of relief when the siren stopped. Even then, his ears still rang. He kept a close eye on Bea, while trying to act like he wasn’t doing so. She’d regained some of her color back, but she was trembling every so often.
Footsteps down the hall alerted them to the fact that the house’s other inhabitants were up and about. He stood at the door and waited for Bea, unwilling and unable to let her out of his sight for any length of time.
She walked to him and he hated the look of defeat he saw in her expression. He pulled her close to his chest. “Nothing and I mean nothing is going to hurt you. Especially here. Not on my watch.”
She pulled back and ran her thumb over his cheekbone. “Oh, Knox. You silly man. You think I’m worried about me?”
He just looked at her.
“I’m worried they’re coming after you.”
He held her tighter. “God, Bea. I love you so much. I swear nothing’s going to get to me, hurt me, or take me away from you. I’d like to see them try.”
She gave a deep restorative sigh and nodded. “Let’s go see what’s happening.” It was such a change from how she’d been directly following the attack. His feelings were torn. Part of him was humbled that she wanted to protect him so much, but mostly he was angry at the assholes who put her in such a position. Though he had to admit, it made him feel better to know that she trusted in his ability to keep her safe than she did in the assholes’ ability to harm them.
They walked together to the large office on the first floor where the security hub was located. Keaton and Tilly stood nearby, watching and listening to Kipling talk on the phone.
His back was to them. “Yes, you can cancel the police. Correct, no need to have them come by.” He hung up the phone and looked directly at Bea. His look was so pissed, Knox felt as if he should jump between his wife and his brother.
Knox took a step forward.
Kipling held up his hand. “Stand down, Knox.”
“What’s the look at Bea for, then?” he asked, not ready to stand down just yet.
“According to the monitoring center, the alarm was tripped from the inside,” Kipling explained. “Where’s that damn security guard? Any other time, he’d be breathing down our necks.”
“What?” Knox asked. “How?”
“The secret passage we had fitted with an alarm after what happened to Tilly.” Kipling looked around. “I think only one other person outside the family knows about that passage. Where is she?”
“Probably scared to death of seeing you and getting the third degree again.” Bea looked just as furious as Kipling. “And if she tripped the alarm, I’m sure she had good reasons.”
“Yeah,” Tilly said. “Just like she had good reasons at the homeless shelter.”
“You have to admit, Bea,” Keaton chimed in. “It’s starting to sound a bit off.”
“Starting to? A bit off?” Kipling shook his head and motioned for Bea. “Go get your client and bring her here.”
“She’s gone,” Tom said, breathing heavy as he entered the office. He looked a mess, shirt untucked and tie askew.
“What do you mean gone?” Bea asked.
“I was walking through the house, making sure everything was locked up, before I turned in for the night. I decided to make sure that office with the papers you’ve been going through was secure. I stepped into the hallway and saw her coming out. I told her to stop, but instead of listening, she takes off running. She was too fast and had too much of a head start. I couldn’t catch her.”
Only silence met his statement.
“You couldn’t catch her?” Kipling voiced the question they all had. Or at least Knox knew he had the same question. “Are you that incompetent? Seriously, she looks malnourished and can’t weigh over ninety pounds. Earlier, she was so exhausted, she was practically asleep standing.”
“Beg your pardon, sir,” Tom said. “She’s a snake, that one.”
Knox couldn’t help but notice that while his words and tone were calm and even, Tom’s eyes held nothing but rage.
“Also,” Tom continued. “I know her. I worked in the public school system a few years ago and she was expelled for stealing. Bad apple, that one. It’s my recommendation that you not let her in the house again or at least let me handle it if she shows back up.”
“Told you,” Tilly said with a self-satisfied nod of her head.
“Thank you,” Kipling said with a sigh. “Hopefully, that’s all the excitement for one night. I propose we all go back to bed.”
Bea had a strange look on her face, but she took the hand Knox offered and followed him up the stairs.
He knew something was wrong the minute they stepped into the bedroom. It took only a second for him to realize it was the breeze coming through the window, which he thought was strange since they hadn’t opened it. It wasn’t until Bea ran to the middle of the room and picked up a rock, that he realized someone had busted the window.
“I’d like for Kipling to try and explain how Jade did this.” She dropped the rock immediately and shook her hand. “Ow! It cut me!”
She held her hand up and he saw her palm was covered in red. He could see the shock and panic start to settle in her eyes and he knew he had to do something.
“Come to the bathroom.” He took her hand and led her to the connecting bathroom. He turned the water on and started washing her hands. “It’s actually quite juv
enile if you think about it. Throwing a rock through the window? Seriously, are they going to toilet-paper the house next?”
But Bea wasn’t laughing. “They did it to let us know they’re watching and they know exactly where we are. You shouldn’t look at this like it was something done by a person who lacks sophistication.”
“I should report it.”
“Not tonight,” Bea all but begged. “Please not tonight. I can’t handle one more thing.”
He didn’t think that was the smartest thing to do. If there were evidence, the police needed to go ahead and get busy on following leads. But he suspected Bea was almost at her breaking point, and he didn’t have to heart to subject her to another round of police questions tonight.
Against his better judgement, he left her in the bathroom to clean up while he tidied up the room as best he could. He hung a sheet over the window, figuring it was better than nothing and by the time Bea came out of the bathroom, the bedroom was as neat and glass-free as he could make it.
He settled Bea in his lap on the bed. They were both too wound up to sleep, but neither one of them was in the mood to pick up where they left off when the alarm sounded.
“I know we’re playing into their hands, but I just can’t tonight.” She pulled back to look at him. “I mean, at least Tom’s here, right? Just because he couldn’t keep Jade from leaving doesn’t mean he can’t protect us?”
“I wouldn’t have him here if I didn’t think he could.”
After a while her body relaxed. He kissed her forehead.
“I was thinking,” he said. “What do you think about heading to DC earlier than Friday? We can get a hotel if it’s too soon for Brent and Janie and they’re not ready for us.”
She pulled back. “I’d like that, but are you okay spending even more time with Brent?”
“Yes, of course. I think we just got off on the wrong foot. We need to tell him we’re married, too. It’s only fair since my family knows. Yours should know, too.”
Except for her dickwad father who still hadn’t called.
She yawned. Maybe now, she’d be able to get some sleep.
“Sounds good,” she muttered, eyelids drooping.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered. “I’m here and I’ll keep you safe.”
* * *
Jade stood in the shadows, watching as the lights went back out in the massive house. Holy shit, she’d just about peed her pants when the alarm went off as she let herself out of the secret passage.
She’d hated to leave without saying good-bye, but she had no choice with Tom nearby. She shivered at the memory of being so close to him. Bea hadn’t seen it, but Jade saw the murderous look he had when he recognized her.
She wished the Benedicts had liked her. Then maybe she could have been honest about Tom. Of course, she was used to people not liking her. She expected people not to like her. And Kipling made no secret as to what he thought of her.
She’d thought Keaton might be different. He’d seemed friendly enough to begin with. But he’d probably heard an earful from his girlfriend. Not that Jade could fault Tilly. The woman had every right to dislike and not trust her.
Then there was Knox. She had a feeling he only put up with her and stood up for her because he didn’t want to piss off his wife. If it wasn’t for Bea, she had a feeling he’d act the exact same as Kipling.
She didn’t know what she’d been thinking coming in the first place. It had been a bad idea from the get-go. Though the food had been really good. She rubbed her stomach. If she closed her eyes, she could still remember the heady scent of the pot roast.
As she’d waited for the house to go to sleep, she realized she still hadn’t told Bea about The Gentleman. She’d wanted to hold off until Bea was certain she could work out a deal to pardon her. And that had left Jade in a quandary.
She thought about the clue she’d ended up leaving. Please let Bea find it or anyone other than Tom. With a heavy heart, she said good-bye to the Benedict house, turned, and walked away.
CHAPTER 8
Bea woke up in Knox’s arms. She felt achy. It was entirely possible she hadn’t moved at all since she went to sleep, but she was loath to move out of the comfort of Knox’s embrace.
“Good morning,” Knox said.
She smiled and lifted her head, but her smile died on her lips when she saw the dark circles under his eyes. “Good morning. Did you sleep at all?”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I may have dozed a time or two.”
“I’m sorry, was it because I was in your lap?”
“No.” He kissed her forehead. “No, not at all. I was just thinking.”
“You’re going to be tired later today.”
“I’m going to work from home.”
Work. Ugh. She needed to call her boss. Actually, she decided, what she really needed was to take a leave of absence. At least until this threat was dealt with. Even then, she might not go back, especially if she decided to work with Keaton and Tilly.
Any major decision, though, needed to wait until after breakfast. She wasn’t going to commit to anything until she had a full stomach.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Just after eight thirty. Ready for some breakfast?”
Her stomach rumbled an answer and they both laughed.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a smile.
They dressed quickly. Bea purposely kept her eyes from the covered window and the red stain Knox hadn’t quite been able to get out last night. She’d let Knox and Kipling deal with that.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, each of them thinking their own thoughts. The house seemed too quiet to Bea and too big. Suddenly, she was glad Knox had booked tickets to DC for later in the day. She wanted nothing more than to get away from Charleston, if only for a few days. Surely if she stayed in town, she’d go crazy. Plus, she wanted to talk to her brother and Janie. They’d had their own issues similar to what she was going through.
* * *
It wasn’t until she was at the airport that she found the handwritten note stuffed inside her purse. And she didn’t have chance to read it until they were seated and waiting for takeoff.
Bea,
I’m sorry I had to take off without saying good-bye. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to explain. I really hope I can. If not, thank you for being so kind to me. If I ever had a sister, I’d want her to be like you.
Please be careful around Tom. Watch him. He’s not what he seems. If I know him, I’m sure he’ll make up some lies about me. Believe them if you want. Heaven knows I’m no saint. But no matter what, if you discard everything else I say, believe me about him. Also, you may want to put those boxes you and Knox have been going through where he can’t find them.
Just saying.
My name is Kaja Jade, but Mann isn’t my last name. I’m sorry I can’t give it to you yet, but if I have any hope of surviving, I have to go where no one knows me from Adam.
As you have probably guessed, my guardian is no gentleman. My mother died before I was five and he took me in. I don’t remember much about my mother, but I remember she loved me and she could sing like an angel.
All my best,
Jade
She passed it silently to Knox and blinked back the tears that filled her eyes unbidden.
* * *
Brent and Janie waited for them inside the airport terminal. Though she knew she’d missed her brother, it wasn’t until he took her in his arms and softly whispered, “What can we do to help?” that she truly realized how much she’d missed not having him in the same city.
She pulled back only to find that Janie had tears in her eyes as well. Bea gave her almost sister-in-law a hug and introduced her to Knox. Knox greeted her warmly and Bea watched to see how her brother would act toward him.
Brent had not been happy when he learned that she was dating a Benedict. Of course, by the time he’d found out, they were days away from getting married. She’d
told Brent a thing or two that day.
But now, Brent shook Knox’s hand, patted him on the shoulder, and welcomed him to Washington. It was more than Bea had hoped for and she couldn’t help but think his relationship with Janie had changed him for the better.
Not that Brent had been in bad shape before he found the love of his life. Not in the least. He’d always been one of the good guys. He’d just had a very clear idea of the type of man who he wanted to date his only sister. Unfortunately, Knox, with his family’s reputation of wealthy playboys, hadn’t fit into his idea of a suitable mate.
“We’re glad you guys are here,” Brent said, leading them outside to the waiting car. They all piled in and Bea sat back for the traffic-filled drive to Brent and Janie’s penthouse. By silent agreement, they kept the conversation light. There would be enough time in the days to come to discuss the more unpleasant topics. For tonight, they would all just enjoy each other’s company.
“Probably should have taken the Metro,” Brent admitted after he dodged the third reckless cab.
Bea didn’t want to say, but she didn’t think she’d feel comfortable in the Metro. She couldn’t help but think about being in an enclosed subway while the faceless man who haunted her dreams slowly approached. She shivered just thinking about it. No thank you. She’d deal with traffic.
She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder, telling herself there was no way they were being followed. No one other than the Benedicts even knew they had left for DC today. She cringed. If you didn’t count the pilot and the airport staff …
She made herself stop, knowing she’d go crazy if she thought about it too much.
“Hey.” Knox reached out and placed a hand on her knee. “What’s going through that beautiful head of yours that made you frown all of a sudden?”
“We’re safe here, right?” she asked quietly, not wanting Brent and Janie to hear. “I mean, no one knows we’re here, followed us on the plane or anything?”
He frowned and picked up her hand. “I won’t lie to you. I respect you too much for that. Is it possible? Yes, of course. Do I think it’s probable? No.”
She swallowed the fear at his admittance that it was possible. He’d told her the truth and that was what she wanted. Not a lie that would give her a false sense of security.