by Liliana Hart
Her lips quirked in a half smile. “I don’t think so. But if you play your cards right I’ll be thanking you profusely later. Now what did Dec say?”
“They’ve still got no leads on the girl. He’s gone ahead and activated Shane and the rest of the team because he doesn’t want to leave us without backup if we need it. We’ve got to keep things rolling with Vassin until they can at least get an idea of where she’s being held. Dec said Vassin hasn’t been in touch with Senator Henry in more than two weeks, and the Senator is frantic.”
Jade bit down on her bottom lip while she thought it out. “It’s not good for him to stop communication. It could mean Vassin has reached the end of his use for the Senator and his daughter.”
“That’s what Dec thought as well. We need to find her fast. Vassin has a home here in Las Vegas. We need to try and get an invitation. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
The limo turned onto Sands and then made the slow drive to the massive front entrance of the hotel. It took up the entire block, and towers speared into the sky at each corner while huge angels that had been carved into the sides trumpeted over the street. There was nothing subtle about the elegant veneer—the electric excitement and the undercurrents of desperation could still be felt even in the finest establishments. Max glanced at Jade and caught her surprise as she saw where they were.
“I didn’t realize Vassin had done so well for himself. I was expecting a dive off The Strip.”
“Illegal arms dealing is a profitable business. And Vassin only owns about thirty percent of the hotel. But word is he’s got the capital to snap up more shares when they come available.”
He looked Jade over again slowly, and if he didn’t know exactly how dangerous she was, he wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at her now. She looked softer, and the touch of makeup made her eyes bigger and more alluring. Most of Vassin’s men still wouldn’t believe she was capable of being a bodyguard, even though the four men who attacked them knew the truth. It wouldn’t be long before Vassin learned just how deadly she was.
***
Jade turned off the white noise device and put it back in her purse as the limo stopped in front of the hotel, and she pulled down her skirt and wondered how the hell she was supposed to get out gracefully. It was a hell of a lot easier in her opinion to run through the jungle in BDUs than to brave an hour of wearing high heels in polite society. She felt like a fraud any time she had to play the part of sophisticated lover. What the hell did she know? She was an orphan from Nowhere, Louisiana, though she’d worked damned hard over the years to get rid of any accent that might give her away.
The door opened and she waited until Max got out of the car before she scooted over, and she breathed a sigh of relief that he was thoughtful enough to block the view as he held his hand out to help her.
He didn’t try to keep her hand as they followed the bellman into the lobby. Max knew her habits better than anyone, and he’d never tie up her hands in case she needed to get her weapon free. Just like she knew to always stay to his left in case he needed to get to his.
Max broke away as someone in an expensive charcoal suit and red tie met him with an outstretched hand, and she kept watch, looking for signs of Vassin or any of his men in the crowded lobby. The hotel was too big to see all of the possible hiding places, but she spotted two men in the main lobby who had the look of professionals, though they were both dressed as tourists. She spotted another at the restaurant across the way, sitting at one of the outdoor café-style tables, eating lunch and drinking coffee. He was better at the façade than the others, but the way his eyes kept skimming across them gave him away. That and the bulge she spotted beneath his sport coat.
Jade kept her eyes sharp as the man in the suit led them through a door marked Private and then to a wood-paneled elevator that opened with a key card. The suit handed Max an envelope with two identical cards and then they were all rising to the top fast enough to have the bottom drop out of her stomach.
“A lovely room,” she said to fill the silence once they were left alone in the penthouse.
The main area was wall-to-wall white carpet so thick the heels she wore sank deep into the pile. A long glass dining table that sat ten was on one side of the room and a cardinal red circular couch like none she’d never seen before sat on the other end. The entire back wall was nothing but glass and looked out over the Strip, but she could see for miles out into the desert beyond.
“I have to say, I prefer the penthouse in my own hotel,” Max said, taking the bug sweeper from his pocket and moving from room to room. “This one seems a bit obvious for my tastes. Vassin seems like a man who would overcompensate for certain things in his decorating.” He let out a low whistle when he came out of the bedroom. “That bedroom is the perfect example. We’ll have fun in there later,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
Jade stopped her task of gathering the two tiny listening devices she’d just found in the living area and looked up to see if Max was serious.
“I didn’t realize you had a hotel,” she said, taking the devices to the table to join the others they’d found.
“Of course I do, love. Seven of them. What kind of self-respecting billionaire doesn’t have hotels to diversify his holdings?”
He looked completely serious, and it was sometimes hard to remember that behind the gutter fighter was an honest to God businessman. He’d never talked about it while they were at the DEA and most of the other agents they worked with had no idea about his background or that his family was one of the wealthiest in the world. He was just so normal and down to Earth, and she knew he’d be doing this same job whether or not the money was there.
But thoughts of what he’d told her earlier, about how he should always remember where he came from and what the Devlin name stood for, only cemented the idea that she and Max would never work out. She was so out of her league she could only shake her head at the absurdity of it all.
“In fact,” he said. “We should take a couple of weeks off and head to Australia. We just opened a new hotel there and I need to check to make sure everything is running smoothly.”
Jade watched as Max shook his head at the collection of bugs they’d found throughout the penthouse. More than a dozen sat lined up on the little bar that divided the kitchen and dining room, and she took the neutralizer out of her purse and set it next to them, wondering what to say. Max set the bugs on the floor and then systematically crushed each one beneath his heel before dumping them all in the garbage.
“Why don’t we focus on the job here before we start making other plans,” she said, nerves prickling along her skin. “One day at a time. I figure you more than anyone else would know that’s the best way to live.”
“Yes, except for the fact that I happen to love you, even though every time I say it you get that look right there on your face. Is the thought of me loving you that repulsive, or are your feelings for me that non-existent?”
The words were angry, and the blue of his eyes seemed to become brighter, sharper, as he stared her down and waited for an answer. She’d known this was coming. He’d tried to bring it up on several occasions, and she’d always changed the subject and ignored the hurt she saw in his eyes.
“And how many women have you said those words to?” she asked. “You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know. It’s none of my business.” Her own anger and ineptitude made her lash back at him. “Why can’t we just leave things as they are?” She turned away and paced back and forth in front of the bar, while Max stayed completely still. That was never a good sign. Max was always in constant motion.
“I’ve never said those words to any woman, and it pisses me off that even now you don’t believe me. I understand if you need time to adjust to what’s happening between us, though to tell you the truth it feels like we’ve been adjusting for the last two years. Yes, I want a future with you and all the things that go with it, but that can wait until you’re ready. What I can’t understand is that you
don’t seem to want me to love you at all. Explain that one to me.”
“Why the hell aren’t you happy that you’re getting every man’s fantasy? You get to fuck me without any of the other bullshit.”
His mouth tightened in a straight line and his nostrils flared at how casually she’d debased what had happened between them, and guilt ate at her insides for deceiving him. But she couldn’t tell him the truth. Not yet. Though she knew the time would come soon. No one but her and her doctor knew she’d never be able to conceive again. Jade had made sure that secret hadn’t gone into any files or reports to Declan or Max. She didn’t need any more of their pity.
And as much as he’d like her to believe that he really did love her, part of her was skeptical. She was a nobody with no background or pedigree, and she had nothing to offer him. Once he got past the sex he’d realize his version of love and hers were two completely different things.
Max’s muscles were tense with anger. “So just to be clear.” His voice cut like a knife and she would have flinched if she hadn’t been holding herself so rigid. “Everything between us up to this point has been about nothing but sex. We shouldn’t try to cloud the issue with emotions or attachments or talk of the future in general. It’s just fucking.” His voice got softer the more he spoke, which she knew was a dangerous sign. “Just like it would be with any other warm body.”
“You’re overreacting,” she said. “I’m just saying we should enjoy it while it lasts and not dwell on anything else. You’re the one trying to make things more complicated.”
“Why, because I like to have feelings for the person I’m inside? I’m not a fucking robot. And we’ve been through too much together for you to tell me to my face that you don’t have feelings for me. Which means there’s some other reason for your resistance and whatever it is is going to piss me off.”
She felt the blood drain from her face and fear made her words harsh and regretful. “Or maybe you don’t know me as well as you like to think you do. Take what you can get, Max. Or you can take nothing. It’s your choice.”
A knock sounded at the door, but neither of them moved to answer it as they measured each other and where they stood. Jade couldn’t take the waves of hurt she felt coming from him, and she finally turned on her heel and headed to the door that led out onto the balcony while Max went to deal with whoever was at the door.
The wind was hot and arid and slapped across her face as she made her way to the half wall that separated her and the three hundred feet to the pavement below. Jade watched the lights and traffic of the city, the movement and flashes of color dizzying at such extreme heights. Despite the heat, her skin was chilled and she wrapped her arms around her torso to ward off the cold.
She heard the patio door open behind her and felt Max’s stare.
“That was a messenger delivering an envelope from Martin Vassin. We’ve got tickets to the Heavyweight Championship tonight. Front row seats. We’re supposed to meet to discuss our options.”
“Do you think he’ll show?”
“Doubtful. He’s playing the watching game for now. He needs time to evaluate what he sees and determine the best way to manipulate us. It’s what he’s best at.” She felt him come up directly behind her, though he didn’t touch. But the heat between them was as scorching as ever and her body tightened, waiting to see what he’d do with the anger she could still feel lashing at her skin.
“Wear the gold sequined dress tonight. We don’t need to be subtle, and it’s best if he doesn’t take you seriously.”
“Maybe we’ll hear from Dec that they’ve found the girl and we can take him down without having to jump through his hoops.”
“What’s the problem, baby? You’ve already scratched your itch and now you’re ready to run back home?” His hands touched her waist and scalded straight through the fabric to her skin. “Surely you haven’t reached your quota of fucking in the short time we’ve been together. Or will any cock do since there’s no emotion involved?” She tried to jerk away from him at the harshness of his words, but he put his hand in her back, keeping her in place and faced away from him. “That’s all it is. Right, Jade?”
His hands smoothed down over her ass and hips to the bottom of the hem of her skirt, and his fingers skimmed along the bare flesh of her leg. “I guess I should have just given in to you nine months ago when you wanted me then. It would’ve been the same either way. Or maybe I just don’t make you wet anymore. Is that the problem?”
His breath was hot on the back of her neck and already her pulse was pounding and need was rising inside of her. All he had to do was touch her and she was ready for anything, even though she could feel every ounce of his anger vibrating through the tips of his fingers.
He pushed her skirt above her waist and his fingers were suddenly there between her thighs, probing at the moist flesh.
“No, that’s not the problem,” he said, nipping at her shoulder. “Feel how wet you are for me. Fucking drenching my fingers.”
He withdrew his fingers and she whimpered as his hand fisted in the black thong she wore, ripping it from her body. She tried to shake him off so she could turn around, but he held her there with teeth and his hips like a stallion pinning a mare. She wanted to face his anger with her own—anger at him and herself and the world because she couldn’t have her happily ever after. Tears were pointless, and wishing for something she couldn’t have only made the pain worse. It was best to put it all away, to compartmentalize her emotions so she didn’t give too much—or at least give more than she could handle.
Two fingers plunged into her without warning and she cried out as her body adjusted to the invasion. She felt the liquid rush over his fingers, making the entry easier with every push and pull of his hand and her hands reached in front of her to grab on to the railing. His beard rasped against her neck and she spread her legs wider to take more of him.
“Please, Max—”
“What do you want, baby?” he asked. “My cock? Or will anyone’s do?”
“Stop it,” she panted, pushing her hips back against him. “Don’t be this way. You know it’s only you.”
“No, I don’t know that. That would be something discussed between a couple in a monogamous relationship. One that meant something besides the occasional fuck.” He pressed against her hip and she felt his cock, rigid beneath his slacks, grinding against her.
His fingers worked in and out of her while the heel of his hand pressed against her clit. She was going to come, and she shook her head as she felt her muscles tighten around him. She wanted him inside her when she came. Tingles gathered in her clit and her legs shook with tremors. She was almost there.
And then suddenly there was nothing but aching, empty space behind her.
“I’m not here to scratch your itch. You know where to find me if you want something more.”
Her breath sucked in on a sob, and she stood completely still as she tried to grasp what he was doing. Her skirt was still rucked around her waist and her hands had an iron grip on the top of the railing. But her spine was stiff in her humiliation as she stared straight ahead.
The patio door opened behind her. “We need to leave in twenty minutes. Be ready.” And then he was gone and she wondered how things had gotten so complicated. Because the only time she’d ever hurt as badly as she did now was when her husband had died.
CHAPTER TEN
Jade kept her head held high and her expression serene as she and Max were shown to the seats marked VIP. They hadn’t spoken since what had happened between them on the balcony, and he was doing his best to ignore her, despite his eyes going dark and the obvious bulge behind the zipper of his tuxedo slacks once he saw her in the excuse for a dress he’d asked her to wear.
Gold and sequined, the dress was strapless and fit like a bandage, stopping just below her ass and giving her the illusion of curves where she knew there were none. Matching stilettos made her legs look a mile long, and she’d actually bothered to put on ma
keup, so the green of her eyes was vibrant against the smoky shadow and thick eyeliner.
They were close enough to the ring to be spattered with sweat or blood, and she affected a slightly bored expression while she tried to catch sight of Martin Vassin. The arena was packed and the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up.
“I don’t have a good feeling,” she said, leaning into Max so she could be heard over the noise of the crowd.
“Because you’re not an idiot,” he said. “We’re being watched. I feel like I have a target on the back of my head.”
The announcer came on, his deep voice accelerating and growing louder and louder as he introduced the first boxer. The crowd went wild, jumping and screaming, and the whole arena vibrated from the stomps and shouts.
Max stiffened beside her and she looked over to see what was wrong.
“Hey, sugar.” Jade arched a brow as a scantily clad ring girl latched onto Max. She read the woman’s lips more than hearing the actual words, but the intent was plain as day.
“What do you say you and I get to know each other a little better?” She practically had to yell the words to be heard over the crowd, but Jade saw red as her hand trailed down Max’s chest toward his belt. He caught her hand before it could go too low and then quickly let go.
The woman’s skirt was white and short and her bikini top barely contained her generous breasts. Her body was tanned and slicked with oil and her dark hair hung in loosed curls down her back. Red lips pouted seductively as she moved in closer to Max and slid something into his hand. It was the only thing that kept Jade from knocking her back on her well-padded ass.
There was no doubt she was a beautiful woman, and jealousy reared its ugly head as she wondered again what Max was doing with her. She’d seen some of the women he’d dated over the last few years and she didn’t come anywhere close. Jade grabbed the woman’s hand before she could rub Max’s chest again.
“Don’t touch—sugar,” Jade said, her smile sharp.