by Carla Cassidy, Evelyn Vaughn, Harper Allen, Ruth Wind, Cindy Dees
“No, I don’t think so. I just need to close my eyes for a few minutes. Everything is spinning.”
He tucked her into the passenger seat, then hurried to the driver’s side and slid in behind the wheel. She slumped back, eyes closed and appeared to pass into oblivion as he started the car and left Sensations behind.
As he drove, her scent eddied in the air, the fragrance of expensive spicy perfume and the faint sweet scent of punch and Southern Comfort.
She’d felt good against him. Too good. It had been more than two years since Nick had enjoyed any kind of relationship with a woman. Being undercover wasn’t conducive to relationships and usually only led to disaster. He hoped developing a relationship with Lynn wouldn’t prove disastrous for either one of them.
He thought of what she’d said when he’d told her it was time to go home, home to her ivory tower where the red eyes followed her and her cell phone rang all the time.
It wasn’t much of a life. He knew the red eyes she’d spoken of were the sensors in the walls. Jonas had been enthralled by the technology that would allowed him to see on a computer screen where in the house each member of the household was, to control the temperature of the air, the artwork on the wall, the music that was piped into each individual room.
Jonas had loved the unique technology, but Nick had never thought about what it would be like to live everyday life with that kind of Big Brother surveillance. Maybe that was another reason for her nightly drives—to escape the ivory tower that was home for a little while.
He had a feeling tonight had been some sort of latent teenage rebellion for Lynn, a bucking and kicking of the rigid rules and isolated lifestyle she lived to please Jonas.
“Nicky?”
He looked over to see her still slumped down, but her beautiful eyes were open and she looked at him. “Yeah?”
“I’m drunk.”
He smiled. “Yes, you are.”
“I’ve never been drunk before. I’m not sure I like it.”
She sat up and rolled down her window, appearing to sober up just a tad.
“How many drinks did you have?”
She frowned, a delicate furrow appearing between her brows. “I’m not sure…five or six. I think I might have lost count.” She tilted her head toward the window, letting the night breeze blow her hair and caress her face.
For a few minutes they rode in silence, then she turned to look at him once again. “Have you ever gotten totally blitzed?”
He laughed. “I’m ashamed to admit, on more than one occasion, although most of my drunks occurred in the six months after my twenty-first birthday.”
“Did you feel awful afterward?”
“Each and every time,” he admitted.
Once again she fell silent and her eyes drifted closed. He wondered if she’d fallen asleep. If so, it was probably the best thing for her as long as he could rouse her enough to get her into the house when they arrived.
The minute he pulled into the drive and pressed the button on his remote that would open the gates, she sat up and opened her eyes once again.
He parked in front of the door, got out of the car and went around to open her car door. He held out his hand to help her up out of the car. “Are you okay to get inside?”
“I’m fine.” She held on to his hand and leaned into him, the warmth of her body stirring an immediate response in his. “You won’t tell Uncle Jonas about tonight, will you? He’d be upset with me.”
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, this will be our little secret.”
She smiled, a half-drunk grin that was more than a little bit charming. Her face was mere inches from his. To his surprise she threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. Maybe we should kiss to seal our secret.”
Apparently she hadn’t sobered up much at all because Nick knew if she wasn’t drunk as a skunk she’d never be acting so forward.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t tempted. He was definitely tempted. Her lips looked soft and welcoming, but he knew if he took advantage of her now in her condition, he could kiss any hope of a future relationship goodbye.
He skimmed a strand of her silky, chestnut hair from her face and smiled down at her. “When I kiss you, Lynnette White, I want you sober as a preacher and aware of every second of that kiss.”
Her eyes widened as he released his hold on her. “If you’d like, I’ll be more than happy to drive you back to the club for your car in the morning.”
“Okay.” She blinked a couple of times, as if the gesture might help her clear her thoughts. “First thing in the morning? Maybe around eight?”
“Why don’t we make it around ten,” he countered, knowing she had no idea what was in store for her when she woke up in the morning.
“Okay, and thanks again.”
“No problem.”
She definitely wasn’t sober, he thought as he watched her weave her way toward the front door. One thing was clear—tonight certainly hadn’t hurt him in his bid to get closer to her.
It wasn’t until he was halfway to his own apartment that he thought of how she’d handled the creep who’d had her pinned against the wall.
He’d never seen anyone move so fast or with such skill. He’d intended to ride in on his white horse and save the day, but she hadn’t needed him to help her at all.
He had a feeling there was a lot more to Lynnette White than he’d initially thought. He was aware of the fact that he was probably on a path to destruction no matter how things went.
If he seduced Lynn and learned what he needed to bring Jonas down, then Lynn would live with the consequences of his actions.
If he seduced her and things went bad between them before he got the information he needed, then Jonas would either fire him or kill him.
Nick knew the man was capable of both.
Chapter 4
“Eat your breakfast. Eggs aren’t good when they’re cold.” Rita’s dark eyes gazed at Lynn suspiciously. “Are you coming down with something? It isn’t like you to dawdle over your food.”
Lynn stared down at the eggs on her plate and grimaced. The sunny-side-up eggs appeared to be staring back at her. “No, I’m not coming down with anything. I’m just not very hungry this morning.”
She wasn’t sick. It was much worse than that. She suspected she was on the verge of death.
She’d awakened forty-five minutes ago feeling as if a hundred drums thundered in her head. She’d still been wearing her clothes from the night before. Her mouth had felt as if it had been stuffed with foul-tasting cotton, and she was certain if she moved too fast she would be dead before she made it out of her bed.
A long, hot shower had done little to still the thunder in her head. She still felt more than a little queasy. She barely remembered falling into bed the night before and had only vague memories of the ride home in Nick’s car.
“Are you sure you aren’t getting sick?” Rita asked with a frown of concern. “You look pale.”
A burst of affection for the frowning Cuban woman filled Lynn. Rita was the closest thing to a mother Lynn would ever know. “Really, I’m fine.” To assure the older woman she picked up a piece of toast and bit into it. She thought she could handle toast and coffee.
Rita refilled her own coffee cup and joined Lynn at the kitchen table. “I know what’s wrong. You’re just missing Mr. Jonas,” she exclaimed.
Lynn nodded, relieved to have the subject changed. “It’s always difficult for the first couple of days when he leaves after being here. When he’s home he fills the house with such energy.”
“He spoils you.” Rita’s dark eyes twinkled. “If you were a different kind of person you would be intolerable from all his spoiling.”
Lynn laughed, then sobered. “I would gladly give up all the things Jonas brings me when he comes home if he would just spend more time here with us.”
“He’s an important man and does important work. Besides, it won’t be long until he’ll be home again.”
&
nbsp; “I know.” As Lynn ate her toast Rita talked about her children. She and Arturo had three boys, all older than Lynn and all married with their own families. As always, when Rita spoke of her family, a wistful yearning filled Lynn.
Rita’s boys had always been kind to Lynn, but even though Rita and Arturo had been good and loving to her, it wasn’t the same as having her own real family.
“Raoul is coming to visit on Sunday,” Rita said. “You enjoy visiting with him.”
At twenty-five, Raoul was Rita’s youngest son and the one closest in age to Lynn. “Yes, it will be nice seeing him again. Is he bringing his wife and kids?” Raoul had a two-year-old and a three-year-old, both boys, and utterly delightful children.
“Not this visit. It will just be Raoul.”
Lynn took another bite of her toast and thought about the parents she’d never known. “You didn’t know my parents, did you, Rita?” she asked.
Rita shook her head. “No. They were already gone when Mr. Jonas hired us. I only know what you know, that they were close friends to Mr. Jonas and when you were born they named him your godfather.”
“Jonas told me they were quite wealthy and eccentric.”
“They would have had to have been plain loco to take their yacht out on a day when there were storm warnings.”
Rita was right. According to what Jonas had told her, and the copies of news reports he’d saved for her, her parents had taken their yacht out and had been hit by a squall and lost at sea. Jonas, as her godfather, had petitioned the court for and won custody of five-month-old Lynn.
Rita sat at the table until Lynn had finished her toast and coffee then, Lynn headed upstairs to get ready for Nick to pick her up and take her to her car.
Nick. She was embarrassed to see him this morning. She didn’t remember everything that had occurred the night before, but she had a definite memory of being in his arms and of being half dragged, half carried to his car.
She remembered his eyes glittering dangerously dark as he’d grabbed her to him after she’d fought off the masher. She also remembered the feel of his tautly muscled chest when she’d patted it. She couldn’t believe she’d actually patted him on his chest.
She’d never drink again. She would never get so stupid again. As far as she was concerned her first foray into trying to have a life of her own had been a dismal failure. She’d acted like a fool.
At quarter to ten she walked out the front door to watch for Nick. She was dreading seeing him again, ashamed of her actions the night before and the fact that he’d had to rescue her from her own ignorance.
At least the two aspirins she’d swallowed right after breakfast had taken the edge off the headache that was a reminder of the night activities.
She should have just told Nick she’d take a cab this morning to get her car. Then she wouldn’t have had to face him. But even as she thought about it, she knew sooner or later she’d have to see him again. It might as well be first thing this morning.
She tensed as she heard the approach of a familiar car. Not Nick’s but rather Richard Dunst’s. Lynn had no idea what tied her godfather to the humorless, strange man. Richard had been around for as long as Lynn could remember, but she’d never been comfortable around him.
A moment later his car pulled up in front of her and Richard got out. “Good morning, Lynn,” he said. “On your way out?” His shaved head gleamed in the morning sunlight.
She resented the question. She had a feeling that when Jonas was away Richard took it upon himself to keep tabs on her movements. She couldn’t very well lie and tell him she wasn’t going out. Besides, at that moment Nick’s car entered through the gates.
“I’m taking a ride with Nick this morning,” she said. She didn’t intend to explain further. It was none of his business. She certainly didn’t want him to know that Nick was taking her to her car because she’d gone to a club the night before and had gotten too drunk to drive herself home.
“Indeed?” The single word held no inflection, nor did his face show any expression. “Enjoy yourself.” He nodded curtly, then went inside the front door.
She didn’t give Nick a chance to get out of the car but opened the passenger door herself and slid inside.
“Good morning,” he said. “Everything all right?”
“Yes, I’ve just never been comfortable around Richard.” She instantly bit her tongue. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why? You’re not allowed to have negative feelings? Personally, I find him rather creepy.”
She cast him a grateful smile.
“At least you look a bit better this morning than you did last night.” He put the car into gear and took off. “How’s your head?”
“When I first woke up I thought it might explode. I took some aspirin and it’s feeling a bit better now.” She bit her bottom lip, then continued. “I guess I owe you a big apology.”
“For what?” He gave her a sideways glance.
“For being drunk and stupid last night.” Her cheeks warmed with a blush.
“No need to apologize. Everyone in the place enjoyed it when you stripped down naked and danced onstage with the band.”
She stared at him in horror, then saw the teasing grin and the light of laughter in his eyes. “Stop it,” she exclaimed. “I did no such thing.” She laughed, her laughter quickly dying. “But, what I did was foolish and immature,” she admitted.
“You want a lecture about the dangers of young women getting drunk in bars?”
“No, thanks. Trust me Nick, you couldn’t say anything to me that I haven’t been telling myself all morning.”
“Ah, how quickly things change.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night I was Nicky and today I’m back to being just plain Nick.”
The heat in her cheeks intensified and her mind filled with a sudden memory of her not only calling him Nicky, but also patting his chest and asking him to kiss her. “Oh my God,” she breathed aloud.
“What?”
“I am so mortified. I just remembered asking you for a kiss last night.”
“Consider yourself lucky, a lot of women who drink too much in a bar don’t remember anything about the night before.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” She turned her head to look out the passenger window, trying to still the beating of her heart. She remembered more than asking him for a kiss. She now remembered his response to her, that when he kissed her he wanted her stone sober so she’d remember every minute of the kiss.
There was no getting around it. Nick Barnes affected her on a level she’d never felt before. There was a light in his eyes when he looked at her that excited her. The very scent of him stirred her, and that sexy smile of his created a heat in the pit of her stomach she’d never felt before.
He was dressed to kill this morning, wearing a pair of charcoal slacks and a black short-sleeved dress shirt that displayed his biceps. He looked cool and elegant and sinfully handsome.
“Personally, I have one regret about last night,” he said.
“What’s that?”
His dark eyes swept over her before turning back to focus out the front window. “There you were, looking all hot and sexy in those tight little jeans and blouse and I didn’t even get a chance to dance with you.”
Hot and sexy. Was that the way he saw her? “Do you like to dance?” she asked, grateful that her voice was steady and didn’t betray anything of her inner emotions.
“I like to slow dance. I think it’s one of the lost arts of our peers, who seem to prefer jumping around on the dance floor rather than being in each other’s arms.” Again those dark eyes of his swept over her. “I’d like to take you dancing sometime.”
“I think I’d like that.” Her breath caught in the center of her chest. Once again she looked out the window as she imagined being held tightly in his arms as they swayed to soft, romantic music.
“Where did you learn how to fight?”
; She turned her head to look at him once again, surprised at the abrupt change of subject. “What do you mean?”
“Last night when I got to the club you were pushed up against a wall by some creep. I tried to get to you to help you out, but before I got there you took care of the problem yourself.” His gaze held curiosity. “I’ve never seen anyone move so fast.”
She inwardly cursed her stupidity yet again. Jonas had warned her from the time she was little never to display any show of her skills. In the blink of a few drinks she’d forgotten all she’d been taught.
“I’ve been trained in self-defense. Uncle Jonas made sure of it,” she explained. “He’s always been afraid that I’d be kidnapped because of his wealth and the work he does for the government with defense contracts and such.”
He cast her a look that appeared to be full of surprise, then returned his gaze out the window. “He does seem to have his finger in a lot of pies,” he said as he changed lanes and they flew down the highway.
“Yes, he does. I know that besides the import business and his contract work he dabbles in real estate, among other things.” She felt herself relaxing with each mile that passed. “What about your family? Do you have relatives here in town?”
She saw his fingers tighten around the steering wheel. “My mother and father live here in Miami, and I’ve got two brothers and a sister, but I haven’t seen any of them for years.”
She looked at him in surprise. As someone who’d always hungered for a real family of her own, she couldn’t imagine such a thing…to have a big family in the same city and not see them every day. “Why don’t you see them?”
He hesitated a long moment before replying. “You ever heard of Joey Barnes?”
Lynn frowned thoughtfully. “Isn’t he some sort of Mafia guy?”
“Not Mafia, but organized crime. He’s the head of a large crime network here in Miami and he’s my father.”
Lynn gasped in shock as she digested this information about him. She’d have never guessed. “Does Jonas know about this?”