His To Keep

by Stephanie Julian

  Jimmy continued smiling, and Nic had the almost overwhelming urge to wipe the smirk off his face. He’d always been bigger and stronger, able to best Jimmy in a fight. But Jimmy had been fast and intuitive, able to read Nic’s mind. There were things Nic didn’t want his brother to see.

  Finally, Jimmy shook his head. “Oh, ye of little faith. Gimme a day. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll show up on our doorstep demanding satisfaction or— Whoa, Nic, I’m kidding. Take a breath. You look ready to stroke out.”

  With a muttered oath, Nic turned away as he tried to get himself under control. He focused his gaze on the far wall, where Jimmy stored the dangerous chemicals he worked with. He kept them under lock, although this building was more secure than Fort Knox.

  Jimmy was conscientious like that. Careful.

  Nic was, too. But obviously not conscientious enough. And now it was surely coming back to bite him.

  Some madman had threatened Annie. She was the only blonde in his life. He wasn’t seeing anyone and no one in his family had blonde hair.

  “This guy gets close enough and he won’t have to worry about breathing. I need to do more digging, see what you come up with.”

  He turned back to Jimmy, now slouched in his chair and staring at him as if he’d suddenly grown a new head.

  “All right?” His tone grew harsh when Jimmy didn’t say anything.

  Slowly his brother nodded, and Nic saw concern in his narrowed eyes.

  Ignoring it, he turned and headed for the stairs.

  And nearly knocked Annie to the floor when he pushed open the door to the first floor.

  He grabbed the arm she flung out and ended up pulling her off her feet and against him to stop her fall.

  “Damn it, Dominic, watch where you’re going.”

  Her green eyes flashed at him, jewel bright and angry, her expression tight. But he felt the slight tremble of her body, pressed tight against his.

  Making sure she was steady before he released her, he tried to ignore the way his heart pounded at her proximity.

  “Sorry.” It wouldn’t be fair to take his frustration out on her even though she was spoiling for a fight and had been since she’d arrived this morning. “You okay?”

  She lifted finely arched brows at him. “I’ll live.” Then her gaze narrowed, as if she’d read something in his expression. “Is something wrong?”

  Damn. Could everyone read him so easily? He was losing it and he couldn’t afford to.

  He shook his head, making sure to maintain eye contact. “Nothing’s wrong. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

  He couldn’t handle her questions right now, not when he was so pissed off and worried.

  As her brow furrowed and her lips parted as if to speak, he turned his back on her and headed to his apartment.

  He paced his living room, not bothering to turn on the radio or the TV. He needed to think and he usually did his best thinking on his feet.

  But after a few minutes, he wound up standing in front of his king-size bed. He hadn’t bothered to make it this morning, and the rumpled black sheets and comforter testified to a restless night. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that Annie had contributed to at least some of that restlessness.

  He’d dreamed about her last night, in this bed with him. He blamed her for that dream. That kiss…

  No, his obsession had been getting out of hand before that. Now she was underfoot every day and it played havoc with his head. So much so, someone who wanted to hurt him had discovered the best way to do it. Through Annie.

  He wanted to get away from the office for a while but he couldn’t leave now.

  Why did he have the feeling his life had suddenly gone out of control?

  *

  Later that day, Nic sat in his office, grinning as he listened to Annie curse like a sailor. Four-letter words he never thought he’d hear coming from the proper Miss Reed’s incredibly beautiful lips.

  Despite her cool appearance, Annie had a volatile nature. Most people only saw the cold front moving in. He found it interesting that the only heat she seemed to generate usually was directed at him.

  Although right now…

  She swore, a string of profanity that made every muscle in his body clench. Damn, her foul mouth turned him on.

  Sighing, he cricked his neck back and forth, trying to make the bones pop back into place. Of course, they wouldn’t cooperate.

  “Arrrgh.” A metal ping and a muffled grunt followed her latest outburst.

  Must’ve kicked the cabinet. That had to hurt. She was wearing spike-heeled pumps today, and he’d bet the farm she didn’t have steel toes in those babies.

  He knew she thought she was alone. His parents hadn’t come in today. Jimmy had gone to the police station and wouldn’t be back. Janey and Mal had both left for the day and she thought he was gone, too. Otherwise, she never would have let her tongue get so loose.

  “Oh, come on, you slimy pig,” she hissed. “Open up. I can’t believe this. Why tonight? I’m going to be late, and we all know what Mummy dearest thinks about tardiness, now, don’t we?”

  That quickly killed his grin. So, Annie was going to her mother’s tonight. Well, that would explain her mood today. She’d been as jumpy as a cat, and as quick as one to bare her claws.

  “Son. Of. A. Bitch.” She hissed the words. “I am not going to go upstairs and ask that man for help. I absolutely refuse.”

  His grin returned, and he swallowed a laugh. Now sounded like the right time to make his entrance. Couldn’t let her be late to her mother’s, now, could he?

  Getting up without a sound, he made his way down the darkened hallway to the front of the building and the only room still lit. Warm yellow light cast a glow into the hallway to the front door, which he could see was locked.

  She had her back to him as she tugged at a file drawer in a cabinet against the far wall. Bent over at the waist, her bright red skirt outlined her slender rear. Not only that, but the position made her skirt ride up above mid-thigh.

  Nic’s jaw locked, but he took it all in. She was the only woman who could turn him on simply by being in the same room.

  He still remembered the hot need that had swamped him when she’d kissed him seven years ago. He’d had enough sense to know he would’ve frightened her if he’d returned her kiss the way he’d wanted to.

  He’d wanted to pull her against him and crush her willing mouth, run his hands down her body and tear away her clothes so she stood naked before him.

  Instead, he’d forced himself to sit as still as a stone then cut her to ribbons with a few words.

  Just released from the hospital, he’d needed to make life-altering decisions. He’d already talked to his parents, but he’d needed to see Janey. His baby sister had always been able to pick up on things he couldn’t. Even at eighteen, she’d been levelheaded and able to think things through clearly. He’d always been the one with a temper, hotheaded and eager to fight his way out of every situation.

  He’d come back from Iraq with a few more holes than he’d been born with. His superiors had wanted to sit him at a desk. He’d been tempted to tell them to shove it. But he was a Ranger. There was no way in hell he’d say that to his commanding officer.

  Still, desk duty was out. Not while everyone else was fighting.

  Janey had taken one look at him and told him to resign. Start over. Find something else.

  Problem was, he’d only wanted to be a soldier. He never would have admitted it to anyone, but he’d been scared about what the hell to do with the rest of his life.

  He didn’t think anything frightened Annie. She certainly wasn’t afraid of him. She’d never seemed afraid of him and the icy facade she showed to the world melted when she fought with him.

  Still he couldn’t help remembering the way she used to look at him when she thought he walked on water. She knew better now and she didn’t know half of what he’d done.

  She kicked the drawer again.

/>   “So. You need help or what?”

  Annie gasped and spun so quickly, she nearly fell off the four-inch heels that made her long legs look even more unforgettable. Her red patent-leather pumps matched the silk suit that delineated every feminine curve on her beautiful body. Each article of clothing seemed to have one express purpose in life—to drive him crazy.

  “Dominic!” she nearly shrieked but the alarm in her eyes quickly turned to anger. “You scared me. What are you still doing here?”

  Yeah, what are you doing here, old man?

  He stepped into the room, stopping at her desk. “I had work to finish, and I heard you cursing the furniture.”

  A blush heated her fair skin but she didn’t lower her gaze.

  “The drawer’s stuck. Forgive me if my language was a little rough for your delicate ears.”

  He suppressed a smile at the ice in her tone. “Nothing I haven’t heard before. Not from your delicate mouth, though.”

  “A gentleman wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  His grin resurfaced and he swore her eyes widened in surprise before she could control her reaction.

  Damn it, now he wanted her to smile.

  “How long have you known me, babe? I’m no gentleman.”

  He expected a comeback and was actually kind of disappointed when she didn’t say anything. Instead she let her gaze drop to her desk for a second before she pointed at the cabinet. “Are you going to help me or not?”

  Of course he was. But as soon as he was done, he’d have no reason to stay.

  Was she that uncomfortable around him?

  He’d been coming down hard on her lately. Maybe a little too hard. Maybe it’d be better if he just stayed the hell away from her.

  Stifling a sigh, he closed his eyes for a second before he re-opened them.

  And noticed the bare expanse of her desk. Only her monitor and a pristine desk pad sat on the polished surface. No pictures, no plants.

  With a frown, he looked around the rest of the room, searching for something, anything in the room that was hers.

  There was nothing. If she left tomorrow, she wouldn’t even need a box.

  “Nic?”

  He glanced up and caught her looking at him, concern in her eyes.

  For the first time in a long time, he let himself wonder what it would be like to have this woman as his own. To be able to steal a kiss whenever he wanted, to curl around her warm body at night.

  But this infatuation wasn’t only physical. If it had been, he’d have been able to do something about it.

  No, his emotions were involved. So that meant no sex.

  Stupid reasoning, but necessary. He wanted her so much he found himself grinding his teeth because of it. He couldn’t love her and leave her because he wouldn’t be able to leave her.

  And she was seeing someone.

  Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because she blinked. And drew back two inches. Even though she stood behind her desk and out of reach.

  “No, nothing’s wrong.” He shook his head and sighed. “So, you need me or not?”

  Maybe it was his words. Or maybe it was his tone of voice. But an expression he’d never seen on Annie’s face made his gut clench with lust.

  She stepped back again and bumped against the file cabinet. “I…I can’t get the bottom drawer unstuck. I need a file for the Jenkins case. Mal needs something researched. I didn’t get to it today, and I knew I was going to be a little late tonight. We’re going to my mother’s for dinner. But Brad’s running late.” She dropped her gaze now. “I thought I’d do a little work.”

  He froze, the mention of her current lover making him want to throw something.

  Christ, he was an idiot.

  Stepping around the desk, he dropped onto one knee, wincing as his knee cracked, and reached for the drawer. “So, what’s this dinner party for? Your mother buy a new painting she wants to show off?”

  She huffed nearly silently. “No, I think she might be celebrating the fact that I’ve had a steady job for more than a month.”

  He glanced up and she was closer than she’d been a few seconds ago. Close enough to touch, if he wanted to. Her slim legs, covered only to mid-thigh, filled his field of vision.

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

  She shook her head and looked out the front window. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Can you get that open for me, please?”

  No way was he letting her off that easily. “How many jobs have you had in the past few years?”

  Without meeting his gaze, she shrugged. “Maybe six.”

  He’d known about her last job, as the office manager for a downtown lawyer. Her name had been splashed all over the front page of one of the daily rags after the scum lawyer who’d tried to rape Annie had claimed she’d come onto him.

  He hadn’t been able to keep his mouth shut and had confronted Jason Carlson. He’d scared the guy pretty good and his father had finished the job with the man’s boss. But Nic had needed a trip out of the country to cool down afterward.

  “Why?” He tried but couldn’t keep the edge out of his voice.

  “Why what?” she asked, her gaze falling over his shoulder.

  He stood so he could look into her eyes, instead of focusing on the hem of her skirt. And all that silky flesh. “Why so many jobs? You’re doing a good job here, I don’t understand—”

  She shifted her bright green gaze to his, her eyes wide. “Then why are you always giving me such a hard time if I’m doing such a good job?”

  Couldn’t keep your big mouth shut, could you?

  Annie stared at him expectantly, and he couldn’t tell if she was going to hit him or smile at him. Yeah, he’d been giving her a hard time since the first day she started. Self-preservation, mainly. Teasing her had become second nature. He loved to see her eyes narrow and her mouth tighten in anger or outrage.

  Then his gaze slid down her body, from her suddenly flushed face to her rapidly rising and falling breasts. She was a hell of a lot closer than he’d realized.

  With a silent curse and a prayer for strength, he lowered back down on one knee, forcing himself to ignore the fact that if he turned his head to the left, his lips would land on her waist. Sudden, aching pressure gathered in his groin and he gripped the handle of the file drawer until his fingers hurt.

  “I don’t mean to give you hard time.” He tugged at the drawer with enough forced to make the entire unit shudder. “So, this guy, he’s picking you up here?”

  There, that should distract her. Let her talk about her new boyfriend. Now he felt like he could rip off the front of the file cabinet.

  “Nic?” Her voice was soft, the hand she placed on his shoulder warm, causing him to freeze. “Do you think I’m doing a good job?”

  Ah, Christ. Why didn’t she just hang him from his fingernails somewhere in the desert covered in honey so the fire ants could find him? Why did she have to go all soft and sweet on him?

  He curled his fingers around the handle again and ripped the drawer open, the motion causing her hand to drop. The file cabinet nearly tipped, but he steadied it with one hand while he took a deep breath to steady himself.

  “You’re doing fine, Annie.” He stood, looking down into her wide eyes. “You’re doing better than fine. I’ve just been…busy the past couple of weeks. And on edge. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”

  Asshole. Yes, you have. You’ve lived to give her a hard time lately.

  Yeah, but she didn’t have to know that.

  She stared at him, head cocked to one side, as if she was seeing him for the first time. Had he been that hard on her?

  Then she nodded once. And smiled. So damn sweet.

  Heat fell on him like a thirty-ton truck, flattening his lungs and making him feel like he’d just run ten miles in under thirty minutes.

  She hadn’t smiled at him like that since she was nineteen. Didn’t she know that smile was a lethal weapon?

&nbs
p; Of course she knew. She had to.

  He swallowed hard, forcing down the gut-crunching desire to kiss her. His hands fisted at his sides as totally unbidden images flooded his mind. Kissing her until she went limp against him, carrying her up to his apartment and laying her on the bed that had been awfully lonely lately. Since she’d started here.

  “Nic?”

  He forced a hand through his hair, pushing the length behind his ear. “Yeah?” He released the word with a sigh.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded slowly. “You’re welcome.”

  Kiss her. Really kiss her. Just one taste. Do it.

  Her gaze held him frozen in place. Then she moved closer—and knelt down to dig through the files in the now-open drawer.

  Feeling like he’d dodged a bullet—or missed a great opportunity—he turned and walked out of the room.

  Chapter Three

  Annie released the breath she’d been holding since he’d said, “You’re welcome.”

  For a few seconds there, she’d been sure he was going to kiss her. She’d wanted him to, desperately. He had to have seen her willingness in her eyes.

  Obviously not.

  Would she never learn?

  “You idiot,” she muttered under her breath, ripping the file out of the cursed drawer. She needed to expend the energy that made her feel like she could soar through the air.

  All because Nic had told her she was doing a good job.

  “You’re pathetic.” She stood and turned back to her desk.

  And came face to face with Nic.

  She would have screamed if it’d been anyone else. As it was, she jumped nearly an inch off the ground.

  Nic had come back to her office without a sound while she’d had her back to the door.

  He didn’t say anything, but the look on his face told a great story. One she wanted desperately to hear. She blindly tried to set the file on the desk. She couldn’t have cared less when she heard it slide to the floor with a soft thwap. The intensity in his eyes held her in thrall.

  She opened her mouth to say his name, to give her approval, thinking he needed to hear her say it.