by Lisa Cardiff
I moved her into my house.
I just punched Jack, my fucking best friend and partner, in the face.
I introduced her to my brother.
I made nice with her friend who wanted to rip my dick off the moment she met me.
I did all of that because I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to her. It felt wrong. I liked waking up next to her in the morning. In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing her face every morning. In other words, I could see myself keeping her around for the long haul and have the fucking white picket fence and two-point-five kids with her—and that was impossible. I wasn’t cut out for that life. My mom had systematically destroyed my belief in other people and love, but I sure as hell could delay the inevitable as long as she’d let me.
I closed my eyes for a second, gathering my thoughts. “It wasn’t just about Miles and using you to get information. When I told you I wanted you from the minute I saw you, I was telling the truth. That hasn’t changed. I turned my life inside out to fit you into it. I didn’t need you to puzzle together the pieces connecting Miles, Benton, and Lang. I used it as an excuse to get what I wanted.”
“And what’s that?” Her words echoed off the concrete walls.
“You.” I slid the pads of my fingers over her pouting lips.
Her eyes softened and she nodded. “What now? Where does this leave us?”
“That depends on you,” I said quietly.
“On me?”
I smiled. “Yeah. What do you want?”
She stared at me for a beat, reluctance etched into her face, then she took a heavy breath. “I want to explore this. Whatever it is,” she admitted. “But—”
Not wanting to hear her objections, I kissed her, but it was so much more than a kiss. Every little thing felt more significant and more unforgettable with her. Did she feel the same or was I the only one so wrapped up in us that I couldn’t imagine a future without her?
A familiar sensation hummed through my body and every one of my senses zeroed in on her.
Her lemon scent.
Her pouty lower lip.
The delicate curves of her waist.
The way her curves molded against my body.
I groaned. Everything about her fit me perfectly, almost as if she were created for me and me alone.
My hands moved to her waist and I shoved her running pants down her legs. This stairway was seldom used. Even if it had been highly trafficked, I probably wouldn’t have cared. She kicked her pants to the side, and I didn’t waste a second. My fingers sought and found her wet heat, sliding, teasing and circling. Pleading noises tumbled from her mouth, and she clawed at my pants, jerking them over my hips.
She looked beautiful. Her neck was arched. Her dark hair tumbled down her back in waves. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes glowed. Her lips were parted. I wished I could transport us back to my apartment so I had time to explore every inch of her.
I yanked up her shirt and pulled one pink nipple into my mouth, then the other. She swayed and I lifted her, wedging my hips between her long legs. My hands easily spanned her waist, making me realize how incredibly small she was compared to me. I leveraged her weight against the door. Her hands curled around the back of my neck.
My brain told me this was the wrong time. The wrong place. The wrong choice, but damn, everything about Trinity felt so right. I was slipping past the point of no return. Maybe I already had.
Somehow, without even trying, she made me break all my rules, but I didn’t care. I wanted to be under her skin, in her heart and in her thoughts. I wanted her to think of me when she closed her eyes at night. I was ready to give her everything.
I aligned my cock with her entrance. “Is this okay?” I whispered next to her ear.
“Yes,” she groaned. “I want you.”
I didn’t wait for clarification. I fused my mouth to hers as I slid inside her, drinking every one of her sexy little moans like a fine glass of wine. I moved in and out, the door rattling with every thrust, announcing what we were doing to anyone nearby. The noise should’ve compelled me to stop this insanity. My life, my profile, and my job demanded discretion. Right then, I didn’t care.
“Every time, Trinity. Every fucking time,” I murmured next to her ear.
The pads of my fingers dug into her hips, gripping tight, and I moved a little harder, a little quicker, like we were on a race to the finish line. With her back leveraged against the door, she met me thrust for thrust. Fleetingly, I worried I was being too rough, but her shuddering breaths and incoherent pleas told me otherwise.
Her movements turned jerky and a little frantic, and fuck if I didn’t feel a little out of control too. Being with her was raw and honest, and every time I touched her, I fell further under her spell. My arms shook with exertion. My legs burned like the fires of hell. My heart pounded. Sweat dripped down the side of my face.
All too soon, her inner muscles clamped around me. My name tore from her lips and she tossed her head back, exposing the long line of her throat.
I dragged my nose up her neck. “You make me lose my mind, every fucking time,” I growled.
Her eyes fluttered open, dilated and dreamy. This woman…
Pleasure snaked down my spine and I cursed under my breath. I couldn’t hold on any longer. She felt too good. She smelled too good. One more flex of my hips, and I spiraled over the edge of reason.
Our breaths echoing off the concrete walls, I leaned my forehead against hers for a second. The scent of sex filled the air. When I could move, I released her legs and slipped out of her.
I pushed the loose strands of hair away from her face. She caught my wrist and brought it to her lips. “I’m sorry about that. Normally, stairwells aren’t my style.”
She laughed as she pulled her pants up her long legs. The sound was low, husky, sexy. It made me want her again.
“It’s a first for me, too,” she said, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
“Are we okay? I’ve never been in a real relationship, but I’m trying.”
“Yeah. We’re good. I’m sorry I ran away like that. I’m just—”
My phone rang in my pocket, the sound amplifying in the tight space. I yanked my pants over my hips. “I need to get that. It’s Jack’s ringtone. He’s probably wondering what happened to me.”
She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and averted her gaze.
“Hey,” I whispered, framing her face with my hands. “Don’t worry about Jack. I’ll take care of him. He isn’t normally so confrontational.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I won’t take that shit from him again.”
“Noted.” I reached into my pocket to retrieve my phone. “What’s going on?” I said.
“Are you still around?” Jack asked, his words clipped.
I traced the collar of Trinity’s shirt with my finger. Her answering smile was tentative and sweet. “Yeah.”
“Well, get your ass back in here. I just hit the mother lode.”
I snapped my hand away from her and rubbed it down the side of my face. “What are you talking about?”
“I figured out how to open the encrypted files. God, you aren’t going to believe the crazy stuff he kept on his computer. Either he wanted to get caught or he is dumb as fuck.”
My heart rate skyrocketed. “We’ll be there in a minute, but you need to cut the bullshit with Trinity. I trust her.”
“Why are you pushing this? Why do you care about her?” he asked. “We have everything we need. We don’t need her. Cut the ties.”
“No,” I barked, my gaze colliding with hers.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered. “You can’t be serious. Please tell me she’s not under your skin. Please tell me you’re not in love with this woman.”
I sighed. I wasn’t having this conversation right now. I couldn’t explain my feelings for Trinity. I wanted to be around her. I wanted to touch her, talk to her. I craved her, but I didn’t know what any of it meant.
“When have I ever steer
ed you wrong? You know me. You know I don’t take unnecessary risks.” I squeezed Trinity’s arm. “I trust Trinity with my life.”
“Fine.” He blew out a breath. “If you trust her, I’ll go along with this. For now, but I’m keeping my eyes open. You’re more than my partner. You’re my best friend. You’ve stood by me through all this shit with my wife and respected my choices. I’ll do the same for you.”
“Thanks, man. We’ll be up in a couple of minutes.” I disconnected the phone and threaded my fingers through hers. “We have to go back in there. Jack opened Lang’s encrypted files.”
Trinity cleared her throat. “I gathered that.”
My mouth pulled wide, unable to take my eyes off her bee-stung lips. “This is a good thing. It could be the break we need.”
The tight lines between her eyebrows softened. “Okay, let’s do this, but if he’s a jerk—”
I kissed her forehead. “You have my permission to kick him in the balls,” I deadpanned.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
“Remind me why you wanted to do this in the middle of the night?” Trinity grumbled, her hands stuffed deep into the pockets of her black trench coat. “I’m freezing my ass off.”
Trinity, Jack and I stood on the back patio under a wood trellis of Representative Lang’s house dressed in black from head to toe.
I squeezed her hand but released it just as quickly. “It’s better this way. Miles’s surveillance team leaves after Lang turns off his bedroom light.”
Her gaze drifted to the balcony on the right side of the second story, and she wiped her palms down her thighs. “Well, they’re off,” she whispered.
Jack’s finger repeatedly stabbed at the screen of his phone. “You don’t have to whisper, Trinity. He knows we’re coming.”
Trinity shot a glare in Jack’s direction, but he didn’t lift his head. Jack hadn’t warmed to Trinity in the last few days, but he kept his thoughts to himself, and for the most part, he behaved civilly toward her.
A circle of light bobbed inside of the house from the second story to the main level. At least Lang had enough common sense to use a flashlight instead of turning on every light in the house, broadcasting our arrival to everyone.
“The alarm and his security cameras have been disabled,” Jack said, his eyes still glued to his phone.
Quick, rapid pants of air escaped from Trinity’s mouth.
I slid my hand inside the holster strapped around my waist and pulled out a gun. “Here he comes.”
Lang cracked open the glass door, his gaze sweeping over the three of us, and then landing on my gun. Sighing, he opened it wider. “You don’t need that. I’m not armed.”
I cocked one eyebrow but otherwise ignored his comment. I wasn’t taking any chances. We backed Lang into the corner, and in my experience, people never responded well when they didn’t have options.
I waved my gun at Lang. “Jack, pat him down.”
Lang rolled his eyes and propped his hands behind his head. “At least ask the girl to do it. It’ll be more enjoyable that way. I saw the way she kissed you in my study at the fundraiser last month. Did you bring her along as entertainment?”
My jaw flexed and my hand tightened around the gun, but I ignored the taunt.
Trinity didn’t. She laughed. “I don’t think you’d enjoy my type of entertainment. I hear your tastes are a little younger, much more helpless, and of the male variety.”
Jack chuckled as his hands moved systematically up and down each of Lang’s jean-clad legs. Then he came to his feet, patting the palms of his hands over the front and back of Lang’s light gray cashmere sweater.
Lang’s mouth snapped closed, his eyes narrowing and the vein on the side of his neck throbbing. “That’s all a bunch of bullshit.”
“Save it for someone who wants to listen to your lies. I’m not interested,” I said.
“He’s not armed.” Jack yanked Lang’s hands from the back of his head and clasped them in one hand behind Lang’s back. He grabbed a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and secured them around Lang’s wrists.
Lang spun around. “What the hell is this about?”
“We’re not taking any chances.” I handed Trinity the car keys. “Jones, you’re driving.”
“Where are we going?” Lang asked, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.
“We’re taking a little drive.” Jack ripped his gun from his holster and pressed it to the back of Lang’s head. “Now, walk.”
Lang jerked his head from side to side, his eyes wide with panic. “You’re fucking crazy. I agreed to talk to you from the comfort of my house. I didn’t agree to be carted around in the back of your car like a fucking criminal. I’m an elected official. You need to treat me with respect.”
“Are you done with your tantrum?” I drawled, sounding bored.
“No. I changed my mind. I’m not doing this.” He pulled his arms a few inches away from his lower back, and the metal of the handcuffs rattled. “Take these things off.”
I sighed wearily. “Do you want to go over your options again? Because I assure you what’s happening now is preferable to having the details of your secret life splashed all over the Internet by noon tomorrow.” I shrugged. “Who knows, maybe you’ll even be behind bars by Friday. People don’t like child predators.”
Lang’s nostrils flared. “Fine,” he spat out bitterly. “Let’s get this over with.”
The four of us circled the side of the brick house, clinging to the shadows as much as possible. When we reached our white van, Trinity climbed into the driver’s seat.
Jack opened the back door, shoved Lang inside, and jumped in behind him.
My hand curled around the open doorframe. “Stick to the plan. Drive to Alexandria and back and don’t go more than three miles over the speed limit.”
With shaking hands, Trinity shoved the keys into the ignition. “Got it.”
“And don’t stop no matter what you hear.”
She smirked and turned up the radio. “Don’t worry about me. Now get back there so we can get this over with and get to bed.”
“Yes, Jones. Did anyone ever tell you that you’re bossy?”
She shoved me playfully in the chest. “Too many times to count.”
By the time I joined Jack and Lang, Jack had removed one of Lang’s handcuffs and secured it around a metal bar on the far wall of the van. On the outside, it looked like a typical van used by a plumber or an HVAC company, but Jack and I had reconfigured the inside for interrogation and surveillance. A gray leather bench stretched along one side of the van, wrapping around the back, and computer equipment spanned the length of the other side. A metal partition separated the rear from the driver’s compartment.
Settling into the open spot next to Jack, I leaned forward and flipped on a switch and pressed a few buttons to start recording our conversation. The administration and the justice department wanted this blackmail scheme to disappear without the public knowing about it. Officially, they claimed they didn’t want to shake the public’s belief in the integrity of Congress and the sanctity of members’ votes during an election year. I didn’t buy it. In my opinion, they wanted to bury this scandal because it crossed party lines. For them, it was a political class problem, not a party problem. Without fail, political insiders will bend over backward to defend the status quo by protecting those at the top and their agendas, which meant this problem had to disappear without a trace.
I slanted my body so I could see Lang’s entire face. “Do you want to start?”
Lang pursed his lips and his eyes were stark. “You obviously summoned me for a reason. Why don’t you start?”
“Okay.” I drummed my fingers on my thigh. “We’ll make this short and sweet. I think you’ll do exactly as we tell you when you’ve heard everything.”
Lang flicked his free hand, smiling dismissively. “Yes, so you said on the phone yesterday.”
I nodded. “Approximately six months ago, you
lobbied heavily against a bill expanding trade with Russia, citing concerns about systemic corruption and Russia’s tendency to subsidize key industries to the detriment of U.S. exporters. At the last minute, you voted for the bill.”
“I remember.” He shrugged, the handcuffs clanking against the metal bar. “I talked to some of my colleagues and changed my mind. I’m not the first Representative to change my mind on a controversial issue. I won’t be the last.”
“Are you acquainted with Dima Antonov?” I asked. Antonov was a Russian businessman suspected of being involved in large-scale, cross-border tax fraud violations and market manipulations. He was on my short list of people who may have hired Miles to carry out the blackmail scheme.
“I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never met him.”
I turned to Jack. “Can you pull up that photo we discussed?”
“Sure.” Jack leaned forward and called up a photo of Miles and Lang on the monitor in front of me.
“Do you recall this meeting?”
Unbelievably, the bastard had the gall to smirk. “I’m pretty busy. I don’t recall every conversation or meeting I have.”
I flipped off the monitor and folded my arms across my chest. “Fair enough. I’ll cut the bullshit. When you were a high school gym teacher, you coerced more than one underage boy into a sexual relationship.”
Lang’s face turned beet red and his eyebrow twitched. “That’s not true.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “I have copies of the non-disclosure agreements you made the victims sign in exchange for a shit ton of money, and the corresponding wire transfers.”
Lang leaned back and tipped his head to the ceiling. “You’re bluffing.”
I smirked. “Actually, I’m not. I lifted them off your computer at your fundraiser. Do you want me to pull up a copy?”
“So what?” His jaw flexed. “There is no admission in that agreement. They blackmailed me and in the interest of expediency, I settled.”