She held her breath when she caught him gazing down at her with a strange expression on his face. His eyes flicked across her shirt, then her jeans, and then her shoes. Through the haunted expression on his face, she swore she saw the ghost of a smile flicker across his lips.
“You look different.” He tugged the loose tie around his neck. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you out of a suit.”
Heat blazed across Carrie’s cheeks, and she glanced away.
“It looks good on you. You seem more relaxed.” He reached out and pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “You should dress like this more often.”
Irritation stormed through her chest, erasing the warmth she’d thought she felt between them. He’d always been like this, too. Bossy and commanding. And he’d only gotten worse since he’d decided his growing wealth was the most important thing in the world.
“And you should remember you asked me here to help, not judge my fashion choices.” Her words came out in a snap. She couldn’t help it. He always got under her skin when he talked this way.
Uneasy silence filled the elevator until the doors whirred open. Carrie stepped out onto the plush carpet and waited while Jace unlocked his penthouse door with his keycard. As she stared at his back and the rippling muscles underneath his wrinkled shirt, she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d come here. Just because he called for help didn’t mean she had to come running.
Just as Jace swung the door open, he paused and said, “I should warn you that this may be unpleasant. When you see what’s on my kitchen floor, I need you to promise you won’t scream.”
Jace watched as Carrie paced the floor with her hands jammed into her long and luscious dark hair. She hadn’t screamed when she’d seen the body, just like she’d promised, but she sure as hell had muttered some choice words about Jace’s decision to bring her into the middle of this. Whatever this was.
His eyes were drawn to that cute little sweater and the way it hugged her perfect curves. And those jeans. Her ass looked damn good in those jeans. Maybe, he thought, even better than it had in college. She might be ten years older than the day they’d met, but she looked better now than she ever had.
Your father married her mother, Jace.
He shook off those thoughts, holding up a hand to stop Carrie’s pacing. “I realize this looks bad. That’s why I called you.”
“You’re damn straight it looks bad,” Carrie said, shaking her head. “There’s a dead guy on your floor with a bullet hole in his skull. How did he end up here like this, Jace?”
He stiffened. “I hope you’re not asking me if I did it.”
She sighed, her eyes fluttering shut. “Of course I’m not asking if you did it.”
“Then, you’ll help me,” he said. “You’re the best lawyer I know. The only one I can trust with this.”
“Corporate lawyer.” Her eyes flicked open. “I’m no expert on criminal law, Jace.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Their gazes met across the kitchen, and something in the way her eyes drifted down sent a thrill through his heart. He could have sworn her reddened cheeks betrayed a flash of desire. He knew that look on her very well. Glancing down, he noticed his unbuttoned shirt revealed his tense pecs. So that’s what she’d been staring at…
“Okay, fine,” she said. “Tell me everything that happened tonight. And do it fast, because we really don’t have much time to figure this out.”
Jace frowned. “I don’t understand why time should be a factor.”
“Because the longer we wait, the worse this is going to look when we call the cops.” Her big blue eyes stared right into his, and he read the warning she was trying to convey. The first person they were going to point the finger at was him. He’d known that, of course, but he’d not really let the thought sink in, too distracted by Carrie’s perky breasts.
“They won’t arrest me without some proof. I’m Jace Holt.” He smoothed down the front of his wrinkled shirt and squared his shoulders. While he had no close friends on the force, the NYPD had always been cooperative when he needed their assistance with various matters. He imagined that positive relationship would come in handy.
Carrie rolled her eyes before her gaze drifted down to the dead man. “I don’t care if you’re Brad Pitt. You’ve got a body on your floor. Now, tell me what happened tonight.”
Jace winced as he thought back to the night’s events. Telling Carrie he’d gone out for drinks in order to seek a hot night between the sheets wasn’t exactly on the top of the list of things he’d like to do with her right now, but he knew he didn’t have much of a choice unless he wanted to look even more guilty than he already did.
“Around eleven or so, I went out to have a drink at one of my usual places.”
Her eyes lit up as she turned away from the body. “This might not be so tricky after all. Did anyone see you?”
“The bartender knows me. He served me a drink,” he said with a nod. “There was also a girl. I left with her after we had a chat.”
Carrie’s face fell for only a moment, but he caught the expression before she painted over it with disdain. Her eyes flicked toward the one interior wall in his penthouse, the one that separated the rest of the loft from Jace’s bedroom. “Please tell me she’s not still in there.”
“Of course not. She was never here. I don’t mix my extracurricular activities with business, and even though it’s my current home, this hotel is my business.”
“Your extracurricular activities?” Carrie coughed out a strained laugh and shook her head. “Is that why you had me come in through the back door? So no one would think I was one of your extracurricular activities?”
Jace fell silent. That wasn’t the full reason, but he couldn’t lie and say it hadn’t crossed his mind. If some snap-happy paparazzi managed to catch sight of Carrie visiting him in the dead of night, he knew exactly what would end up on the tabloid headlines in the morning.
Instead of saying all that, though, he motioned at the body on the floor and the blood staining his checkered tile. “I didn’t know how you’d want to proceed with…this.”
“Right.” She narrowed her eyes, and he knew that she’d read between the lines. He couldn’t get anything past her. He never could, and he never would. Her mind was too razor sharp. It was how she’d risen up the ranks of her law firm so fast. “So, you and this girl, where did you go?”
“We went back to her place, which is about ten blocks south of here. I stayed for maybe half an hour before coming home.”
Carrie raised her eyebrows. “Only half an hour? You really do work fast these days.”
“There was no sex, Carrie. I decided I wasn’t interested. Not that my interest in the girl, or the lack thereof, has any bearing on the situation whatsoever.” He was glad she now knew nothing had happened, though. Why he cared, he had no idea. Things between them had ended three years prior, and there hadn’t even been the hope of a spark since. The wedding had taken care of that.
“Well, it might end up mattering,” she snapped, brushing past him to take two strides toward the glittering windows. “Did you take a cab? And did anyone see you when you got back? These are important things, Jace.”
“No, I walked home.” He followed her to the window and stood just behind her. His hand twitched in an urge to reach out and put his arms around her slim yet curvy waist. But he held steady, catching her gaze in the reflection on the glass. Her wavy hair cascaded across her delicate shoulders, and he could almost forget there was a dead body on the floor. “And I came in through the back, like always. I’m sure you of all people know how much I value my privacy.”
Her shoulders tensed, but when she spoke, her voice was soft. “Jace, don’t.”
“I’m not doing a thing.” He stood firm and steady in his pose and fought hard to keep himself from giving into his desire to touch her. A need he hadn’t felt in years rose up inside him. He wanted her close to him. His night had spiralled out of hi
s usual measured control, and here Carrie was in the middle of it all looking more gorgeous than she ever had. For just one moment, he wanted to feel her skin on his.
She twisted to face him and looked up to meet his eyes. “You’re going to have to call this in. We can’t wait any longer. You have at least an hour of your night unaccounted for unless that girl you were with is willing to make a statement. The longer we stand here and talk about this, the worse this is going to look.”
The electricity between them fizzled into nothing as she stalked away and pulled her cell out of her pocket. Damn, he thought, watching her determined stabs on the phone’s keypad. That feisty spirit of hers had just made him want her even more.
Carrie forced herself not to pace the floor as the cops pored over the scene of the crime. So far, they had only asked Jace a few questions, and they hadn’t jumped to any immediate conclusions like she’d worried. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem keen on him leaving yet, even though their presence had the potential to disturb the evidence.
“Excuse me,” she asked the nearest cop, who didn’t seem to be doing much of anything at all. “When will Mr. Holt be able to leave?”
“What are you, his lawyer or something?” the guy asked around a mouthful of gum. Very professional.
“I’m an attorney,” she said, careful with her words. She couldn’t and wouldn’t represent Jace if the police decided to build a case against him—it was against company policy to represent family members. Someone else at the firm took care of his corporate needs, even though that was her specialty. Plus, she wasn’t a criminal defense attorney in the first place. No need to mention that at the moment though. “My firm represents Jace Holt’s interests.”
“Right.” The guy swept his eyes across her ensemble and didn’t look too impressed. She knew she should have gone with her gut and worn the skirt suit. “I’ll see what I can do.”
As the man disappeared into the swarm of cops, she trailed back over to Jace’s side. He stood next to the dark fireplace with his arms crossed, his face closed off and hard. She frowned. He would have looked more approachable if he’d kept his slightly-frazzled appearance in place, but he’d buttoned his shirt and tightened his tie. Back to the billionaire tycoon who didn’t bat an eye at a body in his kitchen. This was the Jace the world saw, but tonight, she’d caught a glimpse of something raw underneath.
“Jace.” She stopped in front of him and fought the urge to loosen his tie. “You look too stony.”
“They’re intruding on my personal space.”
“Just stop looking stony, okay?” She shook her head when his face remained as unmoving as ever. “Nevermind, forget I said anything. I asked one of the cops if we could get out of here. Remember, don’t say too much to them, not before I get you hooked up with Rick tomorrow.”
A frown tugged at his lips. “You’re the one who will be representing me.”
Great. Carrie could see this was going to be an issue with him.
“Listen, let’s not talk about this right now,” Carrie said, flicking her eyes around the room. The police still hadn’t moved the body from the floor. They were snapping photos, taking measurements, sweeping the area for any evidence they could find.
This was going to take awhile.
“Sir.” The policeman from earlier appeared before them. “You’ve been cleared to leave. We’re blocking off the area so our forensics team can complete their work.”
Jace frowned. “For how long?”
“It’s going to take awhile. I’d suggest you get some sleep somewhere else.”
“That’s fine.” Jace placed a hand at Carrie’s elbow, guiding her toward the open door. “Please give me a call when I’m able to return to my home.”
“And sir?” the policeman added before they’d left the room. “Don’t leave the city. We may need to ask you some more questions about what happened here tonight.”
In the executive suite on the floor below, Carrie watched as Jace mixed himself a drink from the liquor tray the concierge service had brought up moments before. Jace had always liked to pour his own drinks, arguing that no one else knew the perfect measures of the ingredients the way he did. He took a long, slow gulp of his gin and tonic as Carrie eased onto the black leather couch.
“Let me pour you a drink,” he said, settling his glass onto the marble coffee table and sinking beside her on the couch. “It’s been a long night for the both of us.”
“I probably shouldn’t. I have to be in work early in the morning. A big case has come up, and I—”
“You’ll have a drink with me.” He whipped out his cell and spoke in a low voice to someone on the other end of the line. Moments later, a soft knock sounded at the door, and Jace strode over to let in the concierge, who held a bottle of red.
Jace took the bottle and thanked the man before turning to Carrie. “You still enjoy Pinot Noir, I expect.”
“An entire bottle, Jace?” Carrie let out a light laugh and shook her head. She should have known that Jace wouldn’t let the evening end without roping her even further into his world. She let her eyes roam over his chiseled body. Would it be so bad to stay for one drink? It was hard to think up a reason to turn him down, not with him looking at her like that.
Jace poured the delicate wine into a glass and handed it to Carrie. While she swirled the liquid, her mind drifted over the night’s events. Through it all, there had been one nagging thought she hadn’t yet voiced, one she was certain was on Jace’s mind as well.
“I think we need to talk about what this means.” Carrie took a sip of wine and watched as Jace did the same with the glass he’d poured for himself.
“This doesn’t have to mean anything, Carrie.” Jace smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “We’re just two people enjoying a glass of wine together after a trying night. I’m sure even we can do that.”
She cleared her throat as heat rushed into her cheeks. “I meant we need to talk about what the murder means. That was Anders Holland. I know you two have been battling over some real estate for awhile now and so does anyone else who pays attention to this kind of thing. Someone was clearly trying to frame you. ”
“Indeed.” Jace took another slow sip of his wine as he leaned into the couch, his arm stretched across the back so that his hand was barely skimming Carrie’s sweater. He looked so at ease in these pristine and stylized surroundings, the life of a rich bachelor fitting him just as well as his suit did. Now that he’d taken some form of control over the situation upstairs, he didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed.
“Aren’t you worried?” Carrie asked, way too aware of how close his arm was to hers. “Whoever did this isn’t joking around.”
“Carrie.” His hand cupped her elbow, and she almost shuddered from the sensation that rippled through her. Memories flooded her mind, ones she fought so hard to keep clamped up tight inside. Jace’s mouth on hers, hungry, passionate, and hot. His strong arms encircling her waist, his nose trailing down her stomach, each touch lighting a fire inside her chest.
She sucked in a sharp breath and whipped her head around so that he couldn’t see the heat in her face and the tears in her eyes. Even after all this time, she couldn’t erase their past, and a part of her wasn’t even sure she wanted to forget what they used to have. But, they were in the same family now. The mere thought of it made her eyes burn. She needed to stop this. It wasn’t right for her to have these thoughts about him anymore.
Carrie stood up and ran.
Jace wasn’t entirely sure what had happened to cause Carrie to flee from his hotel the night before. One minute, they’d been enjoying a nice relaxing glass of Pinot Noir together, and the next, she’d almost torn down the door to get away. He’d only placed a hand on her elbow, a simple gesture that wouldn’t have meant a thing in normal circumstances. It wasn’t as if he’d ripped off her clothes, though he had to admit he’d been thinking about how her nipples would taste.
But Jace knew nothing about
his relationship with Carrie could be classified as normal. And for her to rush away from him like that must have meant she’d had at least some sort of reaction to his touch. He almost didn’t want to consider the implications. He’d long since accepted that there could be nothing between them, but Carrie’s actions made him wonder if her defenses might be crumbling after all this time.
He glided through the revolving doors and into the lobby of Hanson, Allen & Chase. As he waited for the elevator, he admired the gold lettering of the law firm’s sign. One day, a new name would get added to the sleek lobby wall. Hanson, Allen, Chase & Simmons. Jace was certain of it. If anyone could do it, Carrie could.
When he reached the tenth floor where Carrie and the rest of the corporate attorneys held court, he eased out of the elevator and strode purposely toward the welcoming desk. A young, perky blonde gave him a bright smile and flicked her hair back from her face.
“I’m here for Carrie Simmons.” He gave the receptionist a winning smile, an expression he knew women were particularly fond of receiving from him.
“Of course, Mr. Holt,” the girl said, reaching for the phone. “I’ll just call her now.”
Jace studied the girl. She might be young, yes, but the way she held back her shoulders and kept the nervousness from creeping into her eyes made him think she might be more put together than most of the other women he’d met recently. Unfortunately, now that he’d seen Carrie again, he couldn’t manage even the hint of interest. This girl couldn’t compare to her in any way.
“Jace,” he said, continuing to smile. “You can call me Jace.”
“Are you seriously flirting with Anna?” Carrie’s voice rang out sharp. “Leave the poor girl alone.”
Jace pivoted to find Carrie’s familiar glare, the one that made her pixie features look cute, almost like a harmless bulldog. Again, he noted her anger, a strong reaction to light and harmless flirting, something that shouldn’t have bothered her if her feelings for him were well and gone.
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