Tempted by Love

by Jennifer Ryan

  They hit the peak together in a shattering climax that slammed through both of them and left them breathless. Jay took her hands, threaded his fingers through hers, lay on top of her, his face in her hair, their arms above their heads, hands dangling off the other end of the desk.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her ear and ran his tongue along the edge of her earlobe, sending another wave of heat through her. Her body contracted around his again and she felt his smile against her cheek.

  “I love you, too.” She smiled up at the ceiling and giggled.

  “What?” Jay let go of one of her hands and leaned on his forearm.

  “I’m happy.” The bright smile matched the joy in her declaration.

  He rubbed his nose against hers. “Good. That’s how I want you to be all the time.”

  “And I’ve never had sex anywhere but in a bedroom. This was fun. And sexy.”

  He raised an eyebrow and dropped his voice. “I hear a challenge in there somewhere.”

  Stunned, she stared up at him and saw the mischief dancing in his eyes. She wanted to say no, not going to happen. But then the idea of him making love to her in the wildflower-dappled field behind his house under the stars made her ache for him again.

  “What’s that face?”

  “Will you make love to me in your backyard under the stars?”

  “I’m sure I can manage that by the time we get home.” He stood and pulled her up to sitting by their joined hands.

  “I didn’t mean tonight.”

  “One of the things I like most about you, Alina, is that you’re always so willing to give, but you hardly ever ask for anything. You want to lie in my arms under the stars, there is nothing I want to give you more than your wish come true.”

  She smiled up at him, her heart overflowing.

  He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Let’s go, sweetheart.” He plucked a tissue from the box on her desk, cleaned up, then dumped the garbage in the trash.

  She pulled her torn panties off the one leg they were still tangled around, wadded them up, and stuffed them in her skirt pocket.

  “Sorry about that.” His sheepish tone made him even more adorable. “I’ll buy you new ones.”

  She shrugged that off and helped him pick up the papers, stapler, and annoying phone.

  “Didn’t you get a call?”

  Jay pulled his phone from his back pocket and picked up his open wallet from the floor where it landed after he’d gotten the condom out of it. “I’ll listen to the voice mail while you make sure this place is secure.”

  She went to do just that, but turned back when Jay called her. A second ago, she’d been looking into the eyes of the man she loved. He was still there, but he’d gone into DEA mode. “You have forty-eight hours, then you need to tell me what is going on here whether you’re ready or not. I trust you, Alina, but I already don’t like this thing between you and Noel. If you think, even for a second, that he’ll do something to you, you need to let me know immediately. Promise me.”

  “I promise, Jay. I’ll pull what I know together tomorrow and look into the things I suspect. I’ll have an answer for you the day after next.” She hoped those answers didn’t put her in jail. Jay, her brothers, they’d do everything they could to help her, but they couldn’t change the law. And if Noel incriminated her, made it look like she was in on his activities, then even they couldn’t save her from the inevitable.

  Jay laid his hand on her shoulder. “I can help you, Alina. I’m good at research.”

  “I need to do this. I need to know what I’m facing.”

  He planted his hands on his hips. “I really don’t like this.”

  “I know. That’s why we’re going home. Unless that phone call means you have to go to work, you promised me a night under the stars.”

  Jay hit the button on his phone for voice mail, put the phone to his ear, listened, then smiled broadly. “Looks like I get my wish tonight. That wasn’t work, just my mom letting me know she fed the horses and left a cherry cobbler in my fridge.”

  “Have I told you how much I love your mom? Cherry cobbler is my favorite.”

  He smiled. “Mine, too.”

  “Then, let’s go.” Alina grabbed her purse, checked the front and back of the store, made sure everything was locked up tight, set the alarm system, then walked to her car with Jay right by her side. She followed him in her rental car out to his place, the anticipation growing with each mile closer to another night where they set work aside and could be alone together.

  She parked next to Jay in the driveway, walked up the path to the front door with the welcoming light in the entry, went into the cozy house, and found herself kissed soundly right there in the entryway. “Wait here. I’ll find a blanket.”

  “I’ll plate up some cobbler.”

  Mischief lit Jay’s eyes. “Double dessert tonight. Cobbler and you.”

  “This might turn out to be the perfect night.”

  Jay slid his hand over her hip and bottom and squeezed her ass. “I aim to please.”

  Alina handled the food in short order and met Jay in the dining room by the French doors. He’d found a thick quilt and a flashlight. They made their way out the back and away from the house into the field. Crickets chorused their progress and sang in the quiet night as Jay laid out the blanket. They sat close together under the stars and indulged in the closeness and amazing cobbler.

  Alina lay back on the blanket and stared up at the stars.

  Jay lay beside her and stretched out his arm. She lifted her head, lay in the crook of his shoulder, and snuggled close to him. “The sky is amazing.”

  A billion stars sparkled overhead. The quiet night enveloped them.

  Surrounded by peace, Jay kissed her on the temple as she lost herself in the vast night sky. “If I didn’t wait six months to ask you to marry me, would you?”

  “Yes.” Her heart pounded with excitement. A smile she couldn’t stop if she tried spread across her face.

  Jay rolled on top of her, his smile brilliant, the love in his eyes brighter than any of the stars sparkling overhead.

  “Keep your eyes on the sky, sweetheart, I’ll take you to heaven.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Jay walked out of the small office kitchen with his second cup of coffee. His mind replayed his and Alina’s amazing night under the stars making love and reveling in the closeness that grew between them every day. It echoed through his mind and body. He’d never imagined a relationship like this. He’d never known he could feel this much.

  Caden and Beck stepped in front of him in the middle of the rows of cubicles, blocking him from returning to his office.

  Caden glanced at Beck, then back to him. “He’s smiling again.”

  Beck shook his head. “You think he’s high?”

  Jay only smiled broader. “Don’t you guys have something to do?”

  “Deflecting,” Caden pointed out.

  “I’ve never seen it like this on him, but I think he’s happy.” Beck studied him with mock suspicion.

  King, back from leave after the shooting, joined them. “What’s going on?”

  Caden tapped King on the chest with the back of his hand. “Notice anything different about our fearless leader?”

  King studied him. “What the hell is that on your face?”

  “He’s smiling,” Beck supplied.

  Jay endured the ribbing. At least Caden and Beck were messing with him, not warning him away from Alina. Let them have their fun as long as they saw that he was happy with Alina. They had something great.

  Something he didn’t want to lose.

  Something that required a ring and a promise.

  The thought of buying a ring excited him. He’d never been one to buy gifts for women, but putting a ring, his ring, on Alina’s finger seemed like the most natural next step. But getting her promise meant more to him than anything.

  “I’ve been out of the loop, but I’m guessing this has somethin
g to do with Alina.” King held perfectly still, waiting to see if Caden or Beck decked Jay.

  “Don’t worry, King. They know I’m seeing their sister.” He meant to find a quiet moment to get Caden and Beck alone to talk to them about his plans. Why not now? “In fact, I’m going to marry her.”

  That wiped the grins off all of them and stopped the joking. Saying it out loud only solidified his resolve.

  Beck found his voice first. “Are you serious?”

  “I kind of asked her last night if she would accept if I proposed.” He took a sip of his coffee, enjoying their discombobulation, and waited for their brains to catch up to the magnitude of what he’d confessed.

  Beck got in his face. “Did you knock up my sister?”

  “No!” Truthfully, he hadn’t expected that assumption. But he loved the idea of kids with Alina.

  Beck backed off, barely. He stood within punching distance and glared. Hard.

  Caden pushed his shoulders back, chest out, and asked, “What did she say?”

  “Yes.” It still stunned and filled him to bursting with happiness.

  “Holy shit.” King took a step back just in case Caden and Beck went off.

  They stood still as stone in front of him. Jay quit messing around and said what he’d thought about all night. “I love her. When I’m not with her, I can’t stop thinking about her. When I am with her, I’m thinking about what we’ll do the next day, and the next, until I see her in every day and a future I want more than anything. I want her life and my life to be our life. I want my house to be our home. Before her, all I had was work. Now, I feel like I have a life.”

  Beck shifted on his feet and took a more relaxed stance. “After all her reservations about your job, she wants this.”

  “That’s become less important than holding on to what we have together and how we feel about each other. She wanted me to communicate with her more.” He shrugged. “The not knowing where I am and what I’m doing scared her the most. So I call and text a couple times a day just to let her know all’s good. She understands I can’t share everything about the job, but I’ve found telling her about what I do and how it affects me helps. I kept a lot of shit bottled up. I feel better when I talk to her about it.”

  Beck nodded like he got it. After all, he and Ashley had shared their mutual pain and found a connection and deep bond Jay had envied. Until now, because he had Alina.

  Caden tried to bring reason to something that already made perfect sense to Jay. “You barely know her. You’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks.”

  “I’ve known her a long time. All those little things about her past I’d discover over months I already knew because I know her through you and all the stories you tell about her. She gets me because I do what you guys do. I don’t know what happened. I’ve seen her a hundred times, but only as your sister. At the wedding, I saw her as something more. Maybe seeing you guys happy and in love made me realize how much I wanted that. I had been looking for it before that day and when I saw her laughing with Mia and Ashley in the lobby, something clicked.”

  Beck’s eyes narrowed. “So you guys are getting married?”

  “Yes. Soon, I hope. But I still need to propose.” Nerves fluttered in his stomach. “She deserves more than a hypothetical question.” Was she ready for the real thing? God, he hoped so. “I want her to have the whole deal, whatever she wants. And I know that includes both of you giving your blessing. I know you want only the best for her. All I can say is that I will try every day to be that for her.”

  Beck’s tense shoulders relaxed. “Alina has never been impulsive. She’s smart and methodical about everything she does. If she wants to marry you, I know it’s because she loves you and believes you’ll have a happy future together. She isn’t blind or ignorant to what life with you will be like. That will work in both your favors. More than anything, I want her to be happy. You’re my friend, and I want you to be happy, too. And if she puts that stupid grin you wear every day now on your face, I can live with it.”

  Caden hugged him with a thump on the back. “Me, too.”

  Beck gave him another hug and hearty pat on the back and stepped back. “Welcome to the family.”

  It meant a lot to him to have their support. “When you talk to Alina, you might want to say something more than you can live with it.” Jay smiled, letting them know he teased and understood they’d say something with more feeling to their sister. “And don’t say anything yet. I still need to propose.”

  “When do you plan to do this?” Caden asked.

  “Soon. I need to get a ring. I’m going out later today to do that.”

  Beck surprised him with a suggestion. “When she checked out Mia’s and Ashley’s rings at the wedding, she said she didn’t want a set, but one gorgeous ring because she works with her hands all day. If that helps.”

  “I’d put a ring on every one of her fingers if that’s what she wanted, but, yeah, that helps. I’ll see what I can find.”

  “Want us to come with you?” Caden asked.

  “I appreciate it, but I got this. I want her to know I picked it for her.”

  Beck grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. “She’ll like that. She thinks we interfere in her life too much as it is. And since we’re on Alina, I checked in with local PD about her accident. They’ve got nothing.”

  Jay didn’t know what Alina had on Noel or if it was tied to the accident, but he needed to bring Caden and Beck in on whatever she was doing. “Alina is working on something today that may tie in, or it may not.”

  Caden and Beck both went on alert.

  “What does she know?” Beck asked.

  “I’m waiting to find out. I gave her until tomorrow night to tell me everything.”

  Caden shook his head. “If she’s a target because of something she knows, she needs to tell us now.”

  “I tried to get her to open up, but it has to do with her partner.”

  “Noel?” Beck’s mouth turned into a derisive frown. “What’s he got to do with this?”

  “I’m not sure, but last night he got real grabby with her. She thinks, and I agree, that he was trying to split us up.”

  “What the fuck?” Beck raked his fingers through his hair. “Is she okay?”

  “When I walked in, he was on the floor, busted balls in hand.”

  Caden smiled. “I taught her that.”

  Jay’s flitting smile died when he thought of how upset she’d been last night. “Well, she shouldn’t have to use it at work.”

  “The guy is married. Why does he want to break you two up?”

  “I picked Alina up at the store the other day for lunch. He got real jumpy having a DEA agent there, especially one seeing Alina.”

  Caden’s lips pressed tight. “And you say Alina found something. About him and the business?”

  “That’s what it sounds like. She wanted to gather more information. She’s afraid whatever he’s done could land her in jail.”

  “Shit.” Beck fisted his hands. “She knows we’ll protect her.”

  “She knows we’ll try, but that we may not be able to get around the law.”

  “And you let her go into work today with him?” Caden took a step closer.

  “He won’t be there today. He doesn’t know she knows anything. She’s not even sure what she knows is anything more than an error, though that seems unlikely since she thinks they could be shut down and go to jail.”

  “We need to know what she knows now,” Beck ordered.

  “I tried but she wants to bring us facts. She doesn’t want Noel to push all the blame on her. She left early this morning. She asked Mandi to meet her at the store two hours early so they could dig through the computer system. She’s not alone there. I told her not to go anywhere alone until I pick her up tonight.”

  “I don’t like this.” Beck pulled out his phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Sending her a text, asking how she’s doing. Don’t
worry, I do it all the time. She won’t suspect anything.” Beck smiled when his phone dinged with a text. He held the phone up to Jay.

  Alina: Great. Best night EVER last night. Keep Jay safe for me. ♥

  Jay found himself smiling like an idiot filled with joy and a warm heart that she wanted Beck to look out for him. Memories of last night made that glow in his chest turn into a fire for her. He’d wanted to give her something special for being so open and honest about what she wanted. They’d shared the “best night EVER.” And he wanted a lifetime more.

  “You guys and your happiness are starting to make me sick,” King grumbled.

  “Is Cara talking to you yet?”

  “I need coffee.” King walked away.

  Jay felt sorry for King. “I’ll take that as a no.”

  Beck nodded. “She’ll come around. King’s not the kind of guy who gives up.”

  Caden got them back on track. “So we’re sure Noel isn’t an immediate problem?”

  Jay thought about it. “He doesn’t seem the type to steal a car and try to kill her.”

  “He could have hired someone,” Beck suggested.

  Jay shook his head. “He thinks he’s in love with her. His wife is sick. Alina is sweet to him, listens to his gripes, pats him on the back, and offers her support and comfort. She just found out, whatever she knows, so why go after her before she even discovered something?”

  “Makes sense,” Beck agreed. “Unless we’re missing something.”

  “We’ll know soon.” Jay hoped he hadn’t given Alina too much leeway.

  “What are you doing right now?” Caden asked.

  “I need to finish off the report on that drug lab we took down yesterday.”

  Beck smiled. “I bet you didn’t tell Alina about that shot that missed you by an inch.”

  “I bet you didn’t tell Ashley that scrawny kid got the drop on you and knocked you to the floor.” Jay smiled at Beck’s frown.

  “He came out of the ceiling.” Beck shook his head. “Stupid kid tried to hide in the rafters. It had to be a hundred and twenty up there at least. Kid got delirious and fell through the Sheetrock.”