The attempt at a joke only made the situation worse for him, not that Elijah knew it. The satin gold dress she wore hung on inch long straps over each shoulder and skimmed to mid-thigh. It wasn’t skin-tight but it moulded to her slight figure.
‘We’re looking for paper,’ Lacie said.
‘You don’t have to explain anything to him,’ Elijah said, glancing around at her.
‘It’s a courtesy,’ Lacie said. ‘We’re not running amok around a house that he’s protecting.’
‘Not this weekend at least,’ Elijah teased, then turned back to Will. ‘May we pass now?’
‘You’re not on the list,’ Will said. Lacie didn’t miss that Will didn’t include her in that statement.
‘Let’s go back to the party,’ she said.
‘No,’ Elijah said and she knew this was alpha-male combatting alpha-male. ‘We’re at liberty to—‘
‘No, you’re not,’ Will said.
‘I’d like to speak to your superior,’ Elijah said in the tone she guessed he’d use with the board of his company.
Horror at his request made her eyes flare and her heart speed up. Jumping in, she wanted to dispel that request as quickly as she could. ‘No,’ she said to Will. ‘No, we absolutely do not want to speak to your superior.’
‘We do,’ Elijah insisted.
There was a whisper of a smile on Will’s face when he lifted his wrist to his mouth and backed away a couple of steps to talk to the team.
‘I’m going back to the party. Sorcha will be missing me,’ Lacie said, dropping Elijah’s hand to try and retreat, but Elijah got hold of her again before she could get two feet.
‘Sorcha will be fine, she’ll enjoy the attention,’ Elijah said.
An unseen door opened further down the corridor behind Will. A moment later, Ryder appeared and strode toward them, stopping a few feet behind Will, who didn’t flinch. The blank look on Ryder’s face adjusted to something much harder when he saw her, Elijah, and her hand that Elijah held.
‘Problems?’ Ryder asked on a growl she knew was never good.
‘No problem,’ Will said. ‘He requested my superior.’
Ryder scrutinised the scene. ‘Come here,’ he murmured, focusing his concentration on her hand in Elijah’s. Lacie wasn’t going to argue. She went past Elijah, but he didn’t release her. That he held on and hindered Lacie’s progress intensified Ryder’s focus, which pounced up to Elijah’s face. ‘It’s ok.’ Ryder’s words were aimed at her but his menace toward Elijah heightened.
‘We’re going to the office at the end of the corridor,’ Elijah said.
‘No, you’re not,’ Ryder said.
‘This is ridiculous,’ Elijah said.
‘Let go of the lady,’ Ryder said, shoulder to shoulder with Will.
‘This isn’t about the lady,’ Elijah said. ‘This is about your man and autocracy gone haywire.’
‘Would you please all stop looking at each other as though this is going to turn into a bar room brawl?’ Lacie asked, amazed at how quickly the mood of a situation could change.
‘Lace, we’ve put this off long enough already,’ Elijah said.
‘It’ll keep,’ she said, trying again to free her hand.
‘These men are not in charge of—‘
‘Tonight they are,’ Lacie said.
‘We’ve spent dozens of hours in rooms in this building. We’ve spent months—‘
‘Please,’ she whispered.
Elijah wasn’t happy, but he sighed and shrugged. ‘The lady has served you well tonight, gentlemen,’ Elijah said. ‘Now it’s just drinking and dancing.’
He tried to manoeuvre her around, but her gaze found Ryder’s and she couldn’t move. ‘You go on, Elijah,’ she said.
‘No, I must escort—‘
‘No, you must not,’ Will said, moving in.
‘Are you threatening me?’ Elijah asked. ‘How dare you—‘
‘I know these guys,’ Lacie said. ‘I’ll be safe. Would you just go, Lija, please?’
Again unhappy, Elijah frowned at the men. ‘I’ll go and check on Sorcha.’
After more glaring exchanges between the men, Elijah relented and let her go before he went back down the corridor and out of the door they’d entered by. When she turned back to security, Will was doing a disappearing act of his own.
Chapter Four
Once Will had retreated through the door Ryder had entered by, Lacie folded her arms and frowned at Ryder. ‘What was that?’ Lacie asked.
‘You tell me, who’s the suit?’ Ryder demanded, adopting a wider stance.
That he was angry with her, made Lacie scoff. ‘Why are you pissed? You and your staff—‘
‘My staff?’ he snapped, crowding in close.
She didn’t shrink because of his proximity. She kept her eyes trained to his, ready to argue if that’s what he was spoiling for. ‘You and Will both knew we were no threat of any kind. So why get in the way?’
‘I’ve watched you be kidnapped by one mad man, I’m not going to watch it again!’
‘If I’d been in danger I would’ve told Will.’
‘Have you got your panic button?’ Ryder asked, checking his watch with his eyes and his ear.
‘Yes,’ she said, picking up the clutch she had looped onto her wrist and waving it in the air. ‘It’s in here.’
‘Funny, because my watch hasn’t vibrated,’ he said, holding it up for her to see.
The panic button he’d given her weeks ago linked to his watch and computer. It had built-in GPS tracking. If she pushed the button, he got alerts and his software could track her.
‘I wasn’t in danger,’ she said, losing her patience.
‘So you wanted to be alone with him?’
The argument veered in a new direction that renewed her frown. ‘What do you think was going on?’ she asked. ‘You and I had sex this afternoon, Ryd. Do you think I was suddenly horny again and just grabbed the closest man I could find?’
‘I don’t know, “Lija” certainly seemed at ease with his hands on you.’
‘I don’t believe this,’ she said, holding her hands up in the air, Lacie turned around. ‘I’m walking away before you accuse me of anything else.’
Being that it was her intention to head for the exit, Ryder seized her waist and wrangled her to the wall where he pinned her with his body. He was no longer tense and frowning. In fact as he brought himself close to her, he kept a hand on her waist to keep her near him.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, insinuating his lips against hers, but she tipped her head away.
‘You’re pissed off, ruled by your caveman brain,’ she said. Being with an alpha male who was best friends with a bunch of other alpha males meant Ryder wasn’t always the best at being rational when it came to his primitive urges.
‘Baby,’ he muttered, sending shudders down to her bones. ‘I’m sorry. Don’t punish me.’
‘You’re working,’ she said, keeping her mouth down and her attention away so he couldn’t kiss her.
‘I’m due a break,’ he said with his lips against her temple.
Making eye contact, she sought a straight answer. ‘Do you think I’m sleeping around?’
‘I don’t,’ he said. ‘But I don’t want any man putting his hands on my girl.’
‘He’s a businessman,’ she said, exasperated by Ryder’s continued dislike of Elijah. ‘He was talking about setting me up with a lawyer.’
‘He wants you.’
‘No, he doesn’t.’
‘You’re vulnerable,’ Ryder said, stating his position with an equally serious expression. ‘It’s my responsibility to look out for you. Reading people is part of my job and believe me, that guy wanted you. I’m trying to look after you, Dusty.’
‘It turns you on to look after me, doesn’t it?’ she asked, finding her smile.
‘That and the dress,’ he mumbled and she tried to dampen her amusement.
Not quite ready to forgive his behaviour
, Lacie made sure he knew he was still in the doghouse. ‘I hope you enjoy seeing it hanging in my wardrobe the next time I invite you over.’
‘Mm,’ he hummed, crouching to take his mouth to her shoulder. ‘My girl’s not happy with me.’
‘Don’t,’ she said, pushing her shoulder into his to try and move him away. ‘I’ve had to cover your earlier exploits with make-up.’ She thought she was beyond the age for hickeys, though she hadn’t had many in her youth. But Ryder liked to mark her body, maybe because the reminder of their connection turned both of them on.
‘Mine?’
‘You don’t trust me,’ she said. That was the truth of her sulk. Ryder had seen Elijah with her and had been jealous, but he should know that he had nothing to be jealous of. ‘I love you so much and you don’t trust me to—‘
‘I do,’ Ryder said. ‘Look at me, Dusty. Come on, Baby, you know I—‘
‘I don’t,’ she said, finding his eyes. ‘I’ve spent hours with your men, late at night, most of them have seen me almost naked in your bed. They’ve seen us… together. I thought we were secure. I thought we knew—‘
‘Baby,’ he murmured, cutting her words off.
‘Don’t think that you can “baby” me and that will make things easier,’ she said. ‘I have been with insecure men in the past and it never works out. I spend all my time trying to make them feel better even when the relationship isn’t giving me what I need.’
His brows came down, erasing his contrition. ‘Are you saying I’m not giving you what you need? That our relationship—‘
‘Of course not,’ she said, moving into his arms and softening herself a little. ‘I love you and our relationship. You give me the confidence to be bolder than I ever have been and that’s why I can be honest with you about this.’
‘Ok,’ he said, running his hands up and down her back. ‘Then be honest with me.’
‘I like it when you’re possessive. I like it when you talk about forever like it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll always be together.’
‘It is,’ he said.
He still hadn’t relaxed his frown, but her smile loosened, so she reached up to graze his cheek with her thumb. ‘That being said, I don’t want you starting a fight with every man who dares to come near me. You don’t like it when Sorcha takes up more of my time than she should, but you never confront her about it in an aggressive way like you did with Elijah just now.’
‘Let me be honest with you,’ he said, letting his arms settle around her. ‘It’s not unusual for me to get a call at a party like this, when a guest thinks he’s entitled to more freedom than he is. And it’s not a power trip, by the way. Keeping everyone in one place keeps them safe. If we let guests wander to every corner of the house then we couldn’t possibly be expected to keep them all safe. If we let people wander all over then while we’re trying to keep lots of little groups safe, we’re spread thin. That means the bulk of the group—who stayed where they were supposed to—is more at risk.’
That made sense and she hadn’t thought about it that way. These men were trying to do a job that they should be respected for because if it came to it, it was their job to step in front of the bullet.
‘I understand,’ she said.
‘It can be frustrating when a guest patronises us and believes he can overrule us because he’s worth more money than we are.’
‘Elijah—‘
‘When I came through that door, into this corridor, and I saw that it was you with this guy, I had no idea if I had been called because there was a situation in progress. If we’re face to face with a threat we have codes we can use, but that’s not always an easy thing to do when the threat can hear you and is listening for any sign he’s been detected.’
‘You thought I was in danger?’
‘I thought there was a possibility of it. When we face dangerous scenarios, we have to get amped, we survive on the adrenaline. That’s what causes us to fight instead of fly.’
‘Ok, but surely when you came over and there was no trouble, you should’ve known I was ok.’
‘I don’t know anything,’ he said. ‘Making assumptions gets people dead. You might think that I acted inappropriately, but I could’ve put my hands on the guy and forced him to do what I said. We try to be as respectful as we can be. But if I have to throw someone out then Lawrence Reynolds is not going to argue with me. He never has, we have a history. I’ve worked closely with him before. I spent a few weeks protecting Sadie a couple of years ago against a stalker we eventually brought down. Lawrence trusts me and has respect for what we do.’
‘I have a respect for you too,’ she said. ‘That doesn’t mean you can accuse me of screwing around when you eliminate the possibility of physical threats.’
‘Ok,’ he smiled. ‘Understood. Can I say I’m sorry now?’
Still holding her smile at bay, she rolled her eyes like she was considering his request, but eventually relented. As soon as she nodded, he pulled her close and ducked to merge their mouths.
What she’d said about him being at work was true, but she was happy to help him pass the minutes of his break. Sliding her along the wall, he backed them into a recessed doorway and ran his hands down her arms to her hips where he began to gather her skirt.
Breaking their kiss, she grinned and tried to push down his wrists. ‘We’re not getting busy in my best friend’s parents’ house. What if someone saw?’
‘Best part about this job,’ he said, kissing her smile. ‘Security is the first to be told of any incidents.’
‘That’s just what I need,’ she said, lifting her arms to drape them over his shoulders. ‘The guys getting another good laugh at my expense.’
He wasn’t as worried if his next act was anything to go by. He kept lifting her skirt, and when he reached flesh, he spread his hands on her hips and toyed with the elastic of her panties, teasing the possibility of what could happen next.
Their relationship was still new and had been founded in an intensity that hadn’t yet waned. Learning each other and exploring their still fierce physical attraction was strengthening their bond. He made her more confident, giving her the chance to explore a new boldness in her nature, which hadn’t existed before she’d met Ryder Stone.
A door opened in the corridor and she tensed, fearful that they’d be discovered. Her panic made Ryder turn to conceal her in the nook at his back while he peered out into the hallway to see where the sound had come from.
‘Hey, Boss,’ Rocco chortled. ‘On a lap of—oh, you got company?’
‘What?’ the second voice was angry in its exclamation, whereas Rocco had been surprised.
The men had clocked that someone was behind Ryder’s back, but they hadn’t identified her. ‘Got a problem?’ Ryder demanded.
‘Might do,’ the angry second voice was Gabe, a man who had taken on the role of her protector since she’d been the catalyst to renewed trust between Ryder and his men after the Wallace betrayal.
‘Yeah?’ Ryder asked.
‘Yeah, I got a problem,’ Gabe said. ‘Have you forgotten about Lace? What are you going to say—‘
She poked her head around Ryder’s arm and managed a smile at the guys. Rocco grinned, as he was quick to do anyway, and Gabe took time to reorient himself out of his snit.
‘I didn’t know we got paid to fool around,’ Rocco sniggered. ‘I’ve seen a few debutants in there I might like to sample on my break.’
Gabe managed a smile once he’d absorbed the details. Lacie didn’t know why but Gabe liked seeing her and Ryder together and happy.
‘I should get back to Sorcha,’ Lacie said.
‘We’re having a goodbye party for SW next week, are you coming?’ Gabe asked.
‘Sorcha’s engagement party is next Friday.’
‘We’ll do it on Saturday, just for you,’ Rocco said.
‘I’ll bring Sorch,’ Lacie said. ‘Have a good night, guys.’
Slinking out of their den, Lacie intended
to go back to the party, but Ryder caught her hand and stalled her. Pressing a finger to his lips, she didn’t let him speak because their make-out session had provided all the explanations they needed. When she lowered her finger, Ryder took her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it.
It might seem odd that so much of their communication was unspoken, but her blush must have provided a translation for outsiders because Rocco sniggered again. Ryder glared at his colleague, giving Lacie the chance to slip away.
Steeling herself before she re-entered the bustling ballroom with its classical music and refined socialites. Lacie took a breath then opened the door to join the party again. Sorcha was upon her just as Lacie selected a glass of champagne from a passing tray.
‘What happened?’ Sorcha whispered. ‘I heard you and Elijah snuck off together.’
‘I’d rather not talk about it,’ Lacie said, downing half the glass.
‘I saw him thirty seconds ago over there at the buffet. He didn’t look like a man who just got laid.’
‘If it’s that obvious try not to catch a glimpse at Ryder.’
Sorcha sucked in a gasp and crowded her. ‘You didn’t! In my parents’ house? I thought you were meant to be the sensible one.’
‘We didn’t,’ Lacie said. ‘But we might have if we weren’t interrupted. Ryder brings out the wild in me I guess.’
‘How does he do that?’ Sorcha asked. ‘I could use a bit of that influence with Bruce.’
Lacie thought about it because she had never been bold when it came to sex. Even just making out with Ryder in a corridor, a door away from a crowded party, was something she would never have considered before him. Not a single atom in her body had resisted his kiss or even wanted to. If he had tried to take things up a level, she might just have let him.
‘Trust,’ Lacie said, which was odd in light of what they had argued about before their kiss and grope session.
Ryder’s problem wasn’t believing she would cheat on him. Ryder’s problem was the guilt he still carried about her abduction. He saw others, especially outsiders, as threats who could hurt her and he never wanted her to be hurt again. ‘Ryder would never compromise my honour or disrespect me and knowing that relaxes me into being a bit more daring.’
Sleight Mistake (Stone Investigations Book 2) Page 4