Saving the Girl Next Door

by Susan Kearney

  “Lady, you are the finickiest—”

  “Finickiest isn’t a word.” Piper’s voice came from inside a changing booth. Jack could see her bare legs and feet and didn’t like the fact that Easy was staring at them as if she was to be his next meal.

  Easy had yet to spot Jack. “I don’t need any damn English lessons from the likes of you.”

  “Maybe not. But you could learn some manners.”

  Easy’s face reddened. He puffed up his chest like an angry bull ready to charge.

  Jack cleared his throat, then chuckled. “I always call her the Pest.”

  “Thanks a lot,” she muttered, but he thought he’d caught a measure of relief in her tone.

  Jack rolled his eyes at the ceiling as Easy turned to look at him. “Once she figures out which buttons to press—”

  “And I know all your hot buttons, don’t I, sweetheart?” she muttered in the most fake, sugary-sweet tone he’d ever heard, which told him she wasn’t just annoyed, but perhaps a little scared, although she’d never admit it.

  “That’s why I keep her around,” Jack told Easy with a man-to-man grin. “She’s annoying as hell, but that mouth of hers isn’t just sassy…it’s talented.”

  “Did you decide on a room?” Easy’s attention now focused on Jack, just as he’d intended. Whatever had been going on before he’d arrived had been temporarily set aside, if not forgotten.

  “Which room is the most popular?” Jack asked.

  “The waterfall.”

  “I can’t swim,” Piper protested.

  She could swim like a fish, and she knew he knew it. Obviously she was telling him that they’d taken their little venture far enough. But he wanted to extract them without creating more suspicion.

  “It won’t hurt you to take a look at the water, maybe slide in up to your ankles,” Jack coaxed.

  “I’ll go warm up the equipment. That room is downstairs.” Easy turned and left the huge closet.

  Piper barged out of the dressing room, her face flushed. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when Jack jerked his thumb toward the Webcam. He didn’t think it was there for security reasons. And those babies carried picture and sound.

  She caught his signal like a pro. “Jack, I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming here. I’ve changed my mind. I just can’t…”

  “I’ve already paid the man.” Jack took her hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think he’s going to give me my money back.”

  “I’ll make it up to you later, sweetie pie. Just get me out of here. All this black stuff gives me the creeps.”

  “But—”

  “Pretty please? My mother surfs the Net. If she ever saw me, us, well, she’d probably cut me out of her will then go straight to her grave.”

  “All right. Okay,” Jack agreed, pleased that she’d understood exactly what he’d needed. Together they walked down the stairs.

  Just as he’d expected, Easy had been listening to their conversation. He folded his arms over his huge chest, blocking their way out. “I don’t give refunds.”

  The man hadn’t even pretended not to be spying on them. Interesting.

  Jack didn’t care about the money, but if he didn’t furnish a token protest the man might become suspicious. Although Easy’s computer records made him appear innocent, Jack saw no reason to enlighten him—especially when he clearly wasn’t going to cooperate. “How about a rain check?”

  “Pest ain’t changing her mind.”

  Piper glared at Easy. “My mom brought me up better.”

  Jack frowned at her. “What if I come back—”

  “With another partner?” Easy sneered at Piper. “Then, yeah. You can have a rain check, dude.”

  “Thanks.” The men shook hands.

  Piper sighed a shudder of relief that went right through his arm, which was around her waist, as they exited the house. “What a sleazebag.”

  “A rich sleazebag.”

  “What exactly does he do?”

  “He rents rooms to couples. Digitalizes their activities, records them on a CD-ROM and offers the video stream for sale on the Internet. He gets a cut of every download.”

  “I’m glad you arrived when you did.” Piper threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “My hero.”

  He should have stopped her, but he didn’t have the willpower. So he drew her close, breathed in her sooty scent and planted kisses on her lips. “I seriously doubt you needed help.”

  She kissed him back, flattening her body against his, melding their mouths, giving him her heat. Her hands were sliding over his shoulders, down his back, his buttocks.

  She tilted her head back. “Nothing would have pleased me more than to kick him where it would hurt the most,” she whispered into his mouth. “That look in his eyes was sick.” She shivered, her breasts pressed against his chest, her hips rubbing his as if to get warm.

  Naturally his body again responded to her being pressed so close to him. In self-defense he gently pulled away. Intentionally or not, she was playing him like a yo-yo. And he could take only so much.

  “I didn’t find a thing on his computer system to link him to your firing or the arson,” Jack told her once they were in the car. He’d had to sit slowly or risk cutting off his circulation. “But his fire wall was way above average. I have to give him an A for effort.”

  “He’s clean?” Disappointment clouded her voice. She sagged in her seat and her shoulders slumped. “What now?”

  “We’ll track down more of your father’s old students and take a closer look at Danna Mudd’s and Aaron Hodges’s backgrounds. Maybe talk to Venus again. She might be willing to tell us more, now that Leroy is beyond the reach of the law. And Leroy’s wife might know something, too. But I’d rather give her a few days to bury her husband before we question her.”

  “Agreed. And I want to shower and change clothes before we talk to anyone else. Is it safe to go to my folks’ house or a hotel?”

  Jack would have preferred to work through the night. Preferably not in a hotel. Not with Piper next door. But he couldn’t think of a solid reason to deny her the comfort of a hot shower and a bed—except that he could no longer remember why he was resisting her advances. It might have something to do with the fact that after her kiss, he no longer had any blood above the waist.

  “We aren’t going back to your folks’ house until we solve this case. I can access the equipment at their house from a new hotel.” Despite his effort to speak in a normal tone, his voice was husky with desire.

  “Fine.” She patted his leg and let her fingers trail up his thigh. “This time we’ll just need one room.”

  HOW DARE THEY COME to the place of business?

  No wonder the e-mails from the buyers had stopped. In a high-caliber operation like this one, nobody could afford to make a mistake. Between the new agency of Homeland Security and the combined forces of the CIA and FBI scouring the country for terrorists, pulling off a scheme so bold would make all but the bravest of men hide at the first sign of trouble.

  The damn cop and her double-damn lover boy were doing real harm. They had to be stopped.

  Wait.

  Think outside the box.

  The operation needn’t be run from here.

  There was no reason not to go, leave everything behind. Not with the riches waiting at the end of the rainbow.

  Fingers flew over the keyboard. “Setting up in new location.”

  The reply came back almost instantly. “That would be wise. Is the information secure?”

  “Of course. What about my payment?”

  “Ready and waiting.”

  “Then we are good to go. Give me forty-eight hours.”

  “Twenty-four.”

  “Thirty-six.”

  “Done.”

  “Take the utmost care. The consequences of failure are permanent.”

  A threat? Or a warning? It didn’t matter.

  Disappearing wasn’t hard. Not when one knew how to
steal an ID off the Internet. Not when one could work in cash. Not for someone with an IQ of 176 and the guts to match.

  Let Payne and Donovan search all they wanted. By the time they figured out what had happened, it would be too late.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jack tossed the luggage onto the bed. “You can hit the shower first.”

  “Why don’t we share the hot water?” Piper rested her hand on a cocked hip and gave him a saucy smile that curled his toes.

  Ever since he’d registered for only one room, an aura of supreme confidence seemed to have surrounded her. Nothing he said, none of his most ferocious scowls made the least bit of difference in her attitude.

  “I need to set up the computer. Compile notes on Aaron Hodges, Danna Mudd and Easy As Pie for Adam to profile. With more specific data he might narrow down the suspects for us even further.”

  And Jack needed to cool down. She might be ready. But he was over ready.

  She’d kept him off balance all day. His entire body was set to boil over and he desperately needed to simmer down. Regain a measure of control. Distance would do the trick.

  If she’d just go into the bathroom. Give him a few precious minutes for his body to recuperate. His mind to settle. His stomach to unknot.

  Piper didn’t argue. She just stripped—her shirt, her bra, her pants, her panties. Until she stood naked. Right there in the middle of the room.

  He’d never seen anyone so beautiful. She had delicate breasts that puckered into hard tips, a flat tummy and slender hips, but it was her free spirit that seized hold of his heart.

  His entire body clenched and his mind froze in got-to-have-her mode as he stared in wonder, appreciation and awe. Her breasts rose high on her chest and her nipples, tiny rosebuds, bloomed under his gaze. His jeans grew so tight the seam must have been making a permanent indentation.

  He’d seen her nude before—in the dark. With the hotel room’s lights showing off her perfect sun-kissed tan and emphasizing her breasts and the tiny triangle between her thighs, his blood rushed south. Quite simply, he couldn’t have resisted her for another hour, never mind another day.

  That he’d once tried to deny her potent attraction now seemed the height of idiocy. What had he been thinking?

  She was all woman. She was willing. And waiting.

  For him.

  “I didn’t do it right, did I?” she muttered.

  His mouth felt sand dry with need, so he could barely get words past his tongue. “Do what right?”

  “Strip. I was going to tease you. Take my time. But I forgot the plan.”

  “You don’t honestly think I’m going to complain about the way you took off your clothes?”

  “Then why are you just standing there staring at me? Shouldn’t you be doing something?”

  “I’m staring because you are delectable and tempting and if I come any closer—”

  She flew across the room and straight into his arms, tumbling him onto the bed, landing on top of him with a soft oof.

  I’m going to explode.

  “Kiss me, Jack.”

  He twisted his hips, preventing permanent damage. “Whoa, babe. You’ve got to slow down.”

  She squirmed against him. “I’ve been waiting twenty-five years to make love. I don’t want to wait another second.”

  He threaded his fingers into her hair, pulled back her head so he could gaze deep into her eyes. “You’ve never?”

  She shook her head. “But I’m sure.”

  When a man was offered such a precious gift, he didn’t ask questions. Not when the lady was tearing the buttons off his shirt in order to slide her naked flesh against his eager chest.

  His cell phone rang and he bit back a curse of frustration. “I need to answer that.”

  “Kiss me first.”

  He kissed her and pressed the receive button on his phone. But he couldn’t speak as she blew him away with a storm of passion. His lips explored hers, their tongues entwined until his blood thundered and his heart roared.

  “Hello. Hello.” A voice came from his phone.

  Somehow he found the will to break their lip lock. Piper simply traded his lips for his ear. Her light nips stung, but then she took away the pain with tiny licks that made him consider turning off his phone’s power. Surely his battery could go dead every once in a while?

  Except Logan had packed spare batteries. And missing a phone call from headquarters or another team member could put a life at risk.

  He checked caller ID. He’d never hoped for a wrong number so badly in his life.

  Jack wanted to shout, “Not now” at the caller from the Shey Group’s home office. He settled for a husky “Yes.”

  Piper had abandoned his ear. Her tongue swirled over his nipple and her hands were everywhere, seeking, stroking, seducing.

  Perhaps the phone call’s distraction would help cool him down. Jack held the phone to his ear.

  “The stolen cell phone hasn’t been used,” Ryker Stevens told him. Ryker might be a brilliant computer hacker, but his timing sucked.

  Piper’s greedy hands were unbuttoning Jack’s fly. But he couldn’t let her touch him or he’d lose it. “Not yet.”

  Ryker, on the other end of his phone, must have thought Jack had been talking to him. “You don’t need a pen and paper. This isn’t rocket science.”

  Jack couldn’t counter Piper’s moves with just one hand. She had his jeans unbuttoned. He needed to get off the phone, and he grunted, “Huh?”

  “Leroy’s wife’s cell phone. You wanted me to check to see if any calls had been—”

  “Okay, thanks.” He cut off Ryker and made a mental note to thank him again and apologize for his rudeness later.

  Piper had just removed his jeans and tossed them to the floor when Jack sat up and tugged her onto the bed, then rolled her to her back and settled between her thighs. He used his body to pin her on the bed. “Slow down. There’s no rush.”

  She never did listen worth a damn. Her hands slipped down his sides and into his briefs.

  “I’ve waited way too long, Jack. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  “You should let me take the lead.”

  She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “If I waited for you to lead, we’d never get anywhere.”

  “Hey, I’m the one who knows what he’s doing.”

  “If you knew what you were doing, you’d be putting your mouth to better use than arguing with me,” she teased.

  “Exactly where do you want my mouth?” He kissed her chin. “Here?” He kissed her collarbone. “Here?” He dipped his head to kiss her navel. “Or maybe here?”

  She rose on her elbows, her breasts heaving. “I thought you said you knew what you were doing.”

  “I do.” He sat back on his heels, unsure whether to be amused or insulted.

  “Well, there’s a bunch of spots between my shoulders and my waist that you neglected.”

  He grinned at her bossy impatience. “Nag. Nag. Nag.”

  She chuckled. “And why aren’t you naked? In case you’re shy—”

  “I’m not shy.”

  “—let me remind you that I’ve already seen you in the nude.”

  There was really only one way to shut her up. He eased back over her and kissed her mouth. She might be a virgin, but she sure knew how to kiss like a dream. And she put her whole body into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his back, threading her fingers into his hair, pressing her breasts against his chest.

  As if on cue, his phone rang again.

  Damn. What was he? Mr. Popularity all of a sudden?

  She groaned, then pulled her mouth free. “Don’t answer it.”

  “Got to.” He felt around on the bed, found the phone and checked the caller ID. “It’s Adam.”

  “Who?”

  “Our profiler. Just let me tell him that I’ll call him back.”

  She snatched the ringing phone from his hand.

  Jack narrowed his eyes as she
held the phone over the edge of the bed and out of his reach. “Hey. Give me that.”

  “No.”

  “Might be important.”

  Her eyes gleamed with mischievous heat. “I’ll trade you the phone for your briefs.”

  One more ring and voice mail would pick up. He gave in. “Fine.”

  She tossed him the phone. And her hands shoved down his last physical defense against her.

  Out of necessity, Jack needed to keep the call short. “Adam, I’ve got to—”

  “Listen to me.”

  Piper’s hand closed around Jack’s erection.

  She didn’t understand that she was going to push him over the edge. But his tone came out harsher than he’d intended. “No.”

  “Don’t tell me no,” Adam said.

  She skimmed her hands up and down over his sex. Sweat beaded his brow. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

  Piper grinned. “Oh, you’re talking to me, all right.”

  “Did I call at a bad time?” Adam asked.

  “No.” Yeah. Couldn’t have been worse. He felt like shouting into the receiver that he was being seduced by a virgin. He could just imagine Adam’s face. But then he’d have to make explanations, which he didn’t want to do.

  Not when she felt so good.

  But she had to stop. Jack already felt as though he couldn’t hold on another second.

  Normally he had more control. But she’d had him up and down all day. And she was—oh, my—her curiosity was killing him, slowly. She had no mercy. No idea of—

  “Do you have any more information for me to add to the profile?”

  “Adam, if this isn’t an emergency, then I really can’t talk now.”

  “But you just said—”

  “Call…you…back…soon.”

  He reached down to draw her up to him for another kiss. “Piper, honey, you’ve got to stop.”

  “Okay.” She kept right on doing what she’d been doing. Driving him crazy with need.

  “I mean it. You’ve got to—” His cell phone rang again. Every atom in his body wanted to hurl the phone across the room. But when his legendary boss called, the man whose influence reached from the White House to the Kremlin, one didn’t ignore the call.