Courting Suspicion

by Kimberly Dean

  ‘Yes, isn’t it?’ Nina touched her earring. She’d been nervous about them showing up, and now she was uncomfortable with them leaving.

  ‘Enjoy your night,’ Dane said.

  He glanced from one of them to the other, and the butterflies in Nina’s chest took flight again. The look was pleasant but curious. Her smile turned stiff. The gossip at the office tomorrow would be like a firestorm.

  She suddenly felt uncomfortable in her own skin. She was aware that people talked about her. She was a powerful woman in a nonconformist position. At her age, without a ring on her finger, people talked. It was human nature to be fascinated by other’s personal lives, but she’d refused to play that game. Because it was personal. She was in control of her own life, and that was all that mattered. She’d learned that a little mystery could go a long way.

  So, apparently, could a strapping man and a hot sex life.

  Noelle smiled up at the detective. She seemed as fascinated by him as her boyfriend was. ‘It was nice to meet you.’

  ‘You too,’ Josh said.

  The couple trotted away as rapidly as they had appeared, leaving Nina alone with her rival turned lover.

  He watched her, the restoration activity around them forgotten. ‘You really don’t want to be seen with me.’

  She sighed. His expression had darkened. She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings. ‘It’s not you.’

  ‘Do not say, “It’s me”.’

  But it was.

  She faced him and pulled her shoulders back. ‘I don’t let my employees see my personal life. It makes things … uncomfortable.’

  His head cocked. ‘Wait. Are you saying you now consider me part of your personal life?’

  No. Yes … Darn the man.

  Nina shifted, and the heels of her silver shoes clicked.

  ‘It’s a complicated situation.’ She dealt in sex. She was very frank about it with clients, but her love life was off-limits to anyone but her.

  Her job. Her body. Her emotions. Her rules.

  ‘You bet it is.’ The storms in Morgan’s eyes cleared. Moving slowly, he caught her waist with both hands. ‘Because it’s personal.’

  She blushed. This was all moving too fast for her. He’d been chipping at her armour for a long time, but she’d never thought it would yield. Her body might have accepted him as a lover, but her mind hadn’t caught up with the drastic change yet.

  Trust didn’t come that easily for her.

  ‘So, employee, huh,’ he murmured. ‘You hire boys?’

  Her mouth dropped in surprise. Oh, dear Lord. Not only were her barriers dropping, she was losing her mind. ‘I misspoke.’

  His eyes danced. ‘Kind of a long word to misspeak.’

  She closed her eyes and counted to ten.

  His hands moved against her waist. ‘I never thought about it, but women need dates, too.’

  She gave him a hard look.

  ‘Is that what you call a night out with an escort?’

  Nina spoke very clearly and very quietly. ‘Dane is not an escort.’

  It was the truth. He’d left the business a while ago now.

  Josh frowned. ‘Not the schoolteacher.’

  ‘No, not the schoolteacher!’ Oh, the man was incorrigible. She grabbed his hand and turned. ‘I think it’s time we left, too.’

  He didn’t move easily, but he followed along behind her. ‘She couldn’t have worked for you.’

  Nina frowned over her shoulder. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Too sweet, too trusting.’

  So sweet she’d hired Dane as an escort and had landed him as a boyfriend all in one night!

  Nina kept her lips sealed. She had both female and male escorts who were sweet. They were very popular because of it.

  ‘Dane and Noelle met at a charity function I supported,’ she finally said. ‘They’re a cute couple. Let’s leave it at that.’

  ‘All right.’ Morgan shrugged, but then his eyes sparked. ‘Wait. Do you hire out duos?’

  ‘Oh, my word,’ she hissed. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  He chuckled as he fell into step beside her. Nina was exasperated. He liked to keep her off-balance. She knew that, but she hadn’t yet found a way to stop him doing it.

  He kept pace beside her easily, no matter how fast she walked. ‘Mad at me again?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I don’t think so. I’m beginning to know you, Nina, and I think you like me.’ He caught the purse that was hanging on her shoulder and handed it to her. ‘Call your security goons. Tell them I’ll drive you home tonight.’

  * * *

  Nina sat in the passenger seat of Josh’s car, watching the lights go by. The last time she’d been in this car, he’d been driving her home, too – but she’d worried about him taking her to jail. Now, she had strong suspicions he planned to take her to bed.

  They stopped at a light heading away from Capitol Hill.

  They’d see about that.

  The Capitol wasn’t the outstanding landmark of DC – there were many other historical buildings, monuments and other sights competing for that role – but the road numbering system did start at the seat of Congress and work its way out. Lettered streets ran east to west and numbered ones north to south. To make things fun, the city planner hired by George Washington had added a hub-and-spoke roadway system atop of it. They were currently heading northwest up Massachusetts Avenue. Her penthouse wasn’t but fifteen minutes away, especially at this time of night.

  She glanced at the clock on the dash of the car. She’d stayed longer than she’d planned. Then again, she’d had company.

  Her stomach knotted as she thought of the questions she’d face at the office tomorrow. Word would get back. Dane was still close with Sienna and Rielle, and the girls would be excited by the news. They liked Josh, pugnacious as he was.

  She tucked her beaded clutch higher on her lap. She liked him too, more than she should. ‘Did you happen to catch the score of the game?’

  He glanced away from the front windshield. He looked surprised. ‘We lost six–two.’

  It was hard work being a Nationals fan. The game might not have been fun to watch, but taking it easy on the couch with a glass of wine would have been nice. She’d thought about him once or twice, wondering if he was watching, but obviously he’d had other plans.

  She hadn’t liked the way he’d surprised her, but deep down it was kind of protective. She’d enjoyed the tour. It had been nice, just once, to have a companion by her side.

  An escort.

  She turned her head to look out the window. She hadn’t missed that.

  The alphabet streets passed by swiftly and soon he was pulling into the garage at her building. Without asking for directions, he wove through the underground maze and parked in the guest spot reserved for the penthouse.

  He put the transmission in park, but didn’t turn off the engine. ‘Can I come up?’

  She knew she was running a risk seeing him this way. Still, they both knew what her answer would be. ‘Yes.’

  He circled the car in his tuxedo and opened her door for her. She took his hand as she got out of the car, and the slit in her skirt parted like silk curtains halfway up her thigh. His eyelids got heavy. She took his hand and started to lead him towards the elevator, but he paused by the trunk of his car. The lock clunked as he opened it with his remote.

  He took a duffel bag out and looped it over his shoulder.

  Nina tapped her finger against her clutch. ‘Pretty presumptuous of you.’

  ‘Pretty prepared.’

  He began to shut the lid when she spotted something. Stepping forward, she quickly caught his arm. Her breaths had just gone shallow in her chest.

  The trunk of his car was as tidy as the interior. There was a place for everything, and everything was in its place. At a quick glance, she saw a shotgun, ammunition, a bulletproof vest, a first-aid kit, spike strips, flares, traffic cones and evidence bags. Yet the objects tucked int
o the netting on the driver’s side were definitely out of place. They were fuzzy.

  Wordlessly, she leaned past him to pick one up. It was a teddy bear, tan with big black eyes. She smoothed an ear that had gotten bent trapped up in the small space. ‘Do you have kids?’ she asked, her voice on the edge of trembling.

  Oh, God. Was he married?

  It had never occurred to her, and she hadn’t thought to check. What was wrong with her? She ran an escort service. She knew better than anyone what some men did behind their wives’ backs. And some women behind their husbands’, too …

  ‘No,’ he said calmly.

  She looked up at him, her breath feeling like toxic gas in her throat.

  ‘I’m a forty-year-old bachelor. I’ve never been married or had kids.’

  Her trembling voice hardened. ‘Then why are you carrying toys?’

  He looked at the bear in her hand and looked uncomfortable. ‘With my job, I never know what calls will come in or what I’ll be walking into. I’ve seen some bad situations, and sometimes there are kids involved.’

  He tried to make the bear’s ear stand up, too, but it still flopped over. ‘They’re scared and traumatised. A bear or doll helps more than I can.’

  Nina looked up at him, the big, tough guy, and thought of him handing a stuffed bear to a child who was crying and in need of a friend. Her eyes stung, and she blinked it away. There it was, that sweet side that liked to sneak up on her and crash through her defences.

  Her heart ached. She just couldn’t …

  She stepped up to him and fisted her hand in his lapel. She tugged him down as she lifted her mouth. The kiss she gave him was naked, vulnerable and heartfelt.

  He rocked back on his heels in surprise, then rocked forward again. His bag bumped into the car beside her, but she barely heard it. She rubbed her lips against his and touched the tips of their tongues. A rumble left the back of his throat, and she kissed him harder.

  She pulled back to see his pupils dilated and his brow furrowed. She smiled softly and tucked the bear back into the net so it could await a home where it was needed. She closed the trunk and took his hand again. She held it against the small of her back as she led him to the private entrance for tenants.

  The doorman working for the night nodded as they passed, but his eyes widened when he saw the duffel bag. She didn’t often have guests, and even more rarely overnight ones. The guard knew better than to say anything and turned back to his security monitors as they waited for the elevator.

  Nina didn’t care what the man thought. She didn’t care if her employees gossiped.

  When the doors opened, she spread her hand wide across Josh’s chest and pushed him inside. She trapped him in the corner, and the expression on his face was no longer one of confusion. He was a smart guy; he was catching on fast.

  Sliding her hands up the luxurious material of his tuxedo, she leaned into him. He dropped the bag with a thud, and his hands settled wide across her bottom. The kiss they shared was hotter. Full of promise.

  Nina kicked all the reservations out of her head.

  He was going to get so lucky tonight.

  Chapter Nine

  Merry elevators – Josh loved ’em. The way Nina was kissing him made bells go off inside his head. She was draped all over him like a blanket, but she felt a thousand times better. He squeezed her backside and felt her go up on tiptoe. Her teeth nipped at his bottom lip, but then she suddenly stopped. He reached to pull her back, but realised the doors had opened.

  When had they cranked the thing up to light speed?

  His gaze ran down her body as she led him towards her apartment door. That dress was one of the best yet. He liked the way she walked in it: confident and sexy. There was nothing bitchy about it. Screw the bastards who’d been intimidated by her. Their loss, his gain.

  He skimmed his hands around her waist from behind and kissed her neck as she unlocked the door. ‘Do you like kids, Nina?’

  ‘Mm.’ Her head fell back against his shoulder. ‘I like men who are nice to them even more.’

  The door opened, and they nearly fell inside.

  ‘Turn on the light,’ he whispered.

  He wanted to see her.

  He was sliding down the zipper of her dress before the lock even clicked. The material slithered down her tight curves and settled into a pool of purple at her feet. The bra and panties underneath were black this time, only there was even less of them. The bra was strapless, and the panties were an itty-bitty thong. He couldn’t help himself. He spread his hands over her cheeks and massaged her deeply. Her bottom was curvy and firm, with the sexiest little lift.

  She let out a surprised hum, and her hands came back to catch his hips.

  ‘What are you doing to stay in shape like this?’ he asked.

  She shivered when he ran his thumb over the lacy band riding along the top of her ass. ‘Pilates, and I have an in-home gym.’

  If he ever got out of her bedroom, he needed to explore the place more. He had a feeling he’d never want to leave.

  She turned and ran a fingernail along the line of his lapel. ‘What do you do?’

  He had sex with her. His heart was already getting some serious cardio.

  ‘Weights.’

  Her hair slid over her shoulder as she reached to undo his bowtie.

  ‘And I go a round or two with the boxing bag.’

  The silk noose that had him all trussed up for half the night finally turned loose. She pulled the black strip of material from under his collar and dangled it from her finger. ‘It’s working.’

  When she backed towards her bedroom, he followed. The strap of the duffel bag tangled with the door handle and jerked taut. He dropped it where it was and caught up to her fast.

  He knew she had a thing about her age, but he didn’t know why. She put twenty-somethings to shame. There wasn’t a dimple or stretch mark on her. He didn’t doubt she had as much focus and drive in the gym as she did in her business, but he was going to have to do something about that obsessive streak of hers.

  She needed to face the fact that she was hot.

  They stopped by the bed, and he pulled her into a kiss. It turned erotic, with him still fully dressed in his tux and her down to only lingerie and high heels. The front of his dress pants tented, but he wanted to know more.

  He wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

  Her fingers began working on his shirt studs as he pulled off his jacket.

  ‘Do you have any family in the area?’

  She shook her head, and kissed his chest in the vee she’d opened in his shirt. He slid his hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head. When she touched him like that, he lost his train of thought.

  ‘You said your grandfather raised you?’

  She pulled his shirt out from his pants and kept trying to get it undone. ‘He’s gone now.’

  ‘Parents?’

  ‘Died in a car accident when I was young.’

  So she was all alone. His heart ached a little over that.

  ‘Yours?’ she asked.

  ‘My dad is still causing problems.’ Josh couldn’t stop staring at the way her breasts bounced in that strapless bra. It plumped them up dangerously, and he kept waiting for a wardrobe malfunction. When it didn’t happen, he reached out and cupped her intimately.

  Her eyelids got heavy at the caress. ‘Is he pugnacious, too?’

  Josh stepped into her, sliding his knee between her bare thighs. ‘If that means ornery, then yes.’

  Her head fell back as he kissed her again. Maybe this was the way to get her to open up, to distract her while he was interrogating her. She’d never been forthcoming with anything personal before. Hell, she’d been tightlipped about everything since Day One.

  Her lips were more active tonight.

  He lifted her and set her on the bed. Eating at her mouth, he leaned over her until she lay flat on her back. Before she could pull him on top of her, he kissed his
way back down her front. ‘Did you grow up here?’ he asked.

  ‘Mm hm.’ She caught his shoulders and her breath hitched. ‘And New Hampshire.’

  He removed her shoes. They were more delicate tonight. Princess shoes.

  ‘What’s there?’ He pressed a kiss into the arch of her foot, and she shuddered.

  ‘Finishing school.’

  The social strictness, the polish … It made sense, but he focused on the fact that she’d lost her parents and her grandfather had sent her away. He was beginning to have a real hard time with that.

  He stripped her panties off quickly, and her hips rose to help him. She came up onto her knees as he plucked at her bra, and her hands went to his pants. She’d gotten his shirt undone, but he was still wearing too many clothes.

  Damn fancy pants. The clown suit was taking way too much time to get off.

  ‘The charities,’ he said as he toed off his shoes. ‘Kids, old buildings, single mothers, animal shelters … I’m starting to figure it out, you know.’

  ‘Figure out what?’

  She watched as he pushed down his pants, unstrapped the ankle holder and put his gun on the nightstand. He was almost desperate as he tugged off his socks. At last, he put a knee on the bed and climbed on with her. They knelt, facing each other with the light from the entryway filtering across the room.

  ‘The overlooked and those who are hurting …’ His breaths came hard when her hand slid dangerously down his chest. ‘You’re their champion.’

  ‘You’re their protector.’

  He supposed they just came at it from different angles.

  She reached past him to the nightstand, but instead of the crinkle of packaging, he heard an electronic click. She pointed a remote at the curtains, and they began to close. Her warm hand wrapped around his cock at the same time, and Josh groaned as he came to full erection.

  He caught her wrist. ‘You did that on purpose.’

  An impish grin settled on her face. ‘You told me the secret to it.’

  He had, but he hadn’t shared that her smile jacked him up even more. He got so hard in that instant, sweat beaded along his brow. She pumped him sexily, and a curse escaped his lips.

  She got to business then, kissing her way down his chest. If he had any questions left, they vanished from his head.