Undercover with the Heiress

by Nan Dixon

  She nodded. “I’ve never had a dream before.”

  Shock filled his face. “Never?”

  She shrugged. Dreaming of the next party didn’t count. She wouldn’t think about her old life. She wasn’t sure she would ever get back to Boston. “What should I wear tonight?”

  Kaden’s eyebrows snapped together. “Tonight?”

  “I thought...” Had she hallucinated it? Her elation at seeing the day care dissipated like smoke up a chimney. “You asked me out. Didn’t you?”

  “I forgot.” He rubbed his head. “With working on the space...”

  He forgot?

  “It’s...okay.” She moved to the door as fast as she could without running. She couldn’t let him see the hurt. Over her shoulder she called, “Don’t worry. No problem.”

  “Wait!” His boots thumped on the concrete floor. “Courtney.”

  No way. God, what if she hadn’t stopped at the day care? She would have waited like some slumpy girl for a man who wasn’t going to pick her up. She’d never been stood up—ever. She turned the corner and made it to the reception area.

  His hand closed over hers. “Give me a chance here.”

  “I need to go...research.” Something. Anything.

  “I’m sorry.” He tugged on her fingers and pressed her back against the closest wall. “I would have remembered and called you.”

  “Right.” He was lying.

  “I asked Nathan where he and Cheryl liked to go.” Kaden rested his arms on the wall next to her head. “I planned to walk down to River Street. So dress casual.”

  “Sure. Fine. Okay.” She stared at his shirt.

  He touched her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’m sorry.”

  They hadn’t been this close since he’d kissed her. She stared at his lips. Her chest tightened so hard, she struggled to breathe.

  He cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb across her bottom lip. Shivers sizzled through her body. “It’s pretty rare when I catch you without your shadows.”

  “I haven’t been with the kids all day.” Her voice was a whisper.

  “They keep me from doing this.” He stepped closer, his thighs brushing hers. She had to tilt her head to watch his face descend. He paused. “May I?”

  She couldn’t form words, so she nodded.

  His lips parted and their tongues met and tangled. One arm pulled her away from the wall and banded around her back. His hand caressed her bottom.

  Pressed flush against him, she was totally under his control, something she normally hated. Instead, she moaned, her breasts smashed against his chest.

  His lips trailed up to her ear and she gasped for breath. He nipped at her neck. “What time?”

  She couldn’t think. All she could do was feel his hard thigh between her legs. “What?”

  He kissed her hard, rolling his hips against her. “What time should I pick you up?”

  “S-s-seven.” At least she thought that’s what came out of her mouth. “I’ll meet you in the courtyard.”

  His last kiss was gentle, but it didn’t matter. He’d already knocked her off her feet. She flopped against the wall. Maybe she wasn’t ready to date a man like Kaden.

  * * *

  KADEN TUCKED A clean blue polo shirt into his khakis. With the shirt tucked in, he couldn’t wear his weapon. He hated that naked feeling.

  He shouldn’t be leaving the property. Both he and Nathan had assumed Heather wouldn’t return until Monday, but what if she did? If his security system alerted him, the pub was farther away than the fitness center.

  The good news was that Issy wasn’t at the B and B. The whole Forester family was sailing on Nathan’s twin brother Daniel’s boat. Kaden could eat and be back before Nathan and his family returned to Fitzgerald House.

  And to be going on a date? He’d justified romancing Courtney so that he could stay close to Issy. The fact that Bole had been on the property and Courtney didn’t know the full danger made his shoulders itch. Hell, when she’d thought he’d forgotten about their date, she’d run away from him, tears in her eyes. What would she think once he caught Bole and told her the truth of why he was here? Would she still trust him?

  Their kiss had kept him on edge all afternoon. Kisses weren’t enough. He wanted to spend an evening with her. A night with her. He heaved out a sigh. Even though dating her was good for the Bole case, Courtney was a big, big distraction.

  He’d take her to dinner. They’d be back on the property in an hour or two, well before Issy returned.

  He headed down the steps to the courtyard. A brief rain shower had come through, giving some relief from the heat and humidity. If he’d led a normal life, it would be a nice evening for a date.

  His steps quickened across the flagstone paths. He stopped at a table near the Carleton carriage house. Had Courtney wanted to meet in the courtyard because she didn’t want her brother to know they were dating? Was she ashamed to date the B and B’s handyman?

  That was one of the reasons he wanted Courtney to know his real purpose. He wasn’t just a handyman, not that there was anything wrong with that career. He was an FBI agent with a mission.

  The door of the carriage house opened and Courtney stepped out. He stopped breathing.

  Her black curls cascaded down her back. She wore a flimsy see-through red sweater over a black clingy tank top. He wanted to trace all her curves hidden by the sweater. Her black pants only went to her calves.

  He was up and moving before she took the last step down. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” She shook back her hair. He’d seen her do it a dozen times, but this time the move took his breath away.

  “Are you okay to walk?” Women liked to wear impractical shoes.

  She pointed to her toes. “Ballet flats. I can walk forever in these.”

  “Good.” He took her hand and she laced her fingers with his. “Nathan recommended Kevin Barry’s pub.”

  “A pub?”

  What had he been thinking? This was a Boston princess. “I guess it’s not what you’re used to.”

  “Are you crazy?” She squeezed his fingers. “I live in Boston. Of course I go to pubs.”

  “I just... I don’t know how to compete with the rich men who probably take you to five-star restaurants. Hell, I’ve never eaten at a five-star restaurant—unless you count Abby’s.”

  “She is a queen of the kitchen.”

  “Was that sarcasm?” He waited for the light on Bay Street to change. He was pretty sure he knew where the stairs were down to River Street.

  She snorted. “It should be. My sister-in-law is just so good at...everything.”

  “You keep beating us at Quarto. And you’re good with children.” Didn’t she know that? “You’re a great storyteller.”

  She shrugged. “My father doesn’t think that’s a worthwhile occupation.”

  “Then he’s a fool.” He set his hand on her lower back as they crossed the street with the crowd. “Working with children is the most important work there is.”

  “Then why don’t you? Work with children?”

  “I’ve...” He wanted to explain his job and real purpose. “I’d like to do what Granddad did. When I was growing up, he volunteered in sports programs for kids from homes broken apart by drugs.”

  “Have you volunteered up in Atlanta?” she asked.

  They headed down the steps, his hand on her shoulder. He couldn’t confess he was bad with kids, that he couldn’t keep them safe. “I haven’t had an opportunity.”

  On the River Street cobblestones, they walked side-by-side. “So you’d like to follow your grandfather’s footsteps in more than just construction. Why?” she asked.

  “Because of my parents.” He didn’t expand. That was not a first-date discussion. Not even a
third or fourth date one.

  Courtney must have caught the finality in his voice. She didn’t follow up with more questions. Thank goodness.

  “Umm, Abby suggested I talk to you about security for the center,” she said.

  This he could deal with. He held open the pub door. The hostess seated them at a table facing a small stage. Instead of sitting with his back to the stage, he sat next to her. As they settled into their seats, a server took their drink order. “A Jameson, please.”

  Courtney ordered a seasonal beer. That was a surprise.

  “I have some security ideas,” he said after the server left.

  The twins who had died had attended an expensive day care with excellent security. The security at the center was probably why they’d been snatched from baseball practice. “We could have key codes at each door. You would have to be diligent in restricting access.”

  “Do you mean just the front door?”

  “No. All doors until you get to the classrooms.”

  “Parents would have to enter their code and manage kids and bags?”

  “Think of it as layers of security.”

  “That would be cumbersome.” She tugged on her ear and silver flashed through her dark curls. “I can see why all doors into the center would need a code or a security card, but we have to think of the parents juggling everything.”

  Didn’t she understand the danger kids faced? “It would be very secure.”

  “If someone can get in the external door, what does it matter if there are more and more doors?”

  He turned so they were face-to-face. “We could have different codes for each door.”

  “That’s crazy. This isn’t the CIA. We don’t have state secrets.” She shook her head and her drive-a-man-crazy curls shifted and settled around her shoulders. “Only one code per family.”

  What she was saying made sense. “But the kids—”

  “Will be safe.”

  He exhaled. “Does that mean the retinal scan is out and no fingerprint identification?”

  She laughed. “All out.”

  He couldn’t keep from smiling back at her. Warmth filled his body. “I’ll research different systems.”

  “Thank you.” She tipped her head. “Why do you know so much about security?”

  “I...did some jobs in Atlanta.”

  “I guess I don’t know exactly what you do there. Handyman work? Construction?”

  Their drinks arrived. A reprieve. He didn’t want to lie to Courtney any more than necessary. He held up his glass. “To your success.”

  “My success. No one’s ever said that to me.” Her blue eyes were huge. Her lip trembled. She held up her mug. “Thank you.”

  He liked the idea of being the first person to recognize her strengths. And it kept her from drilling into his career. “What did you do in Boston?”

  “Nothing.” She shook her head and a curl flirted with her breast. Her finger drew designs in the condensation on her mug. “Shopped. Partied.”

  “That’s all?” That’s what he’d thought when they’d first met, but now that he knew her, that life didn’t sound like it would be satisfying to Courtney. He blurted out, “Weren’t you bored?”

  “I wasn’t encouraged to do anything else.” Her head snapped up and her blue eyes were like laser beams. “But I...”

  He waited, but she didn’t say anything more. “Yes?”

  “I told you before, I volunteered at a library.” She stared at her mug. “The weekly reading hour for kids.”

  Was she embarrassed by that? “And your family didn’t think that was—” What was the word she’d used? “Worthwhile?”

  She sipped her beer and set it down with a crack. “I never told them.”

  “Why not?” Would he ever understand Courtney? “Wouldn’t that have softened your father up?”

  “It was something I did for me.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “When I’m reading and see the kids’ entranced faces, I can’t stop smiling.”

  And the children had benefited the most. Even if he’d been able to tell Courtney that he was an FBI agent, eventually she’d realize he was a danger to children, while she was a blessing. “I’ll bet the kids miss you.”

  A smile lit her face. “The head of the program took a picture of the kids for me.”

  She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages.

  A group of kids held up a poster board that said Miss Courtney, We Miss You.

  “That’s nice.” He hesitated, then asked, “Do you plan to return to Boston?”

  “That’s what I wanted.” She shrugged and her curls bounced around again. “Mother hasn’t made any progress with my father. My friends rarely contact me. There’s nothing to go back to.”

  “And you have something here.”

  She frowned.

  “Your day care.”

  “It’s really Abby’s, isn’t it?” Her shoulders fell. “I’ll be employed by Fitzgerald House.”

  “And that’s bad?”

  “Abby saw a need and filled it.” Courtney circled the rim of her mug with her finger. “I’m a set of hands to accomplish Abby’s dreams.”

  “You’re the core, the center of what’s happening there.” He caught her hands. One was cold from her beer mug. “You’re creating the programs. This isn’t being a nanny. This is molding young children into good people.”

  “Then she’s made a mistake. I’m not the person to mold young children.” She tried to pull away, but he hung on. “I’m the epitome of how not to grow up. I’ve never accomplished anything.”

  “That will make it easier for you to keep the kids on the right path.” He couldn’t stand the sadness on her face. With a tug he drew her close and brushed a kiss on her lips. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  His granddad had said those words to him at least once a day for the first year he’d lived with him. Kaden had never believed it. He’d let his brother die.

  But Courtney was different. “Josh and Issy adore you.”

  She stared at him, her forehead furrowed. Normally she would touch the ridge between her arched eyebrows. He hadn’t seen her make that gesture in a while. He smoothed out the worry lines with his thumb.

  “Are you ready to order?” their server asked.

  Courtney asked for fish and chips and he requested the rib eye.

  After the server left, Courtney peeked at him from under her thick eyelashes, a promising wicked glance that had him shifting in his chair. “I might share some of my fish if I can taste your rib eye.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” He’d never been big on sharing food because there’d never been anyone to share with growing up. “Did you and Gray share?”

  “Mother didn’t allow that.” She rolled her neck.

  “With a boyfriend, then?” Jealousy exploded in his chest. The pain was as sharp as when a pit bull had attacked him and his partner at the first crack house he’d taken down.

  “No.” She blinked. “Gwen and I always split our meals.”

  He took a swallow of whiskey and let it burn its way to his stomach. “Will your friend come to visit?”

  “No. Gwen used to date Gray.” She stared into her beer, and her smile disappeared. “When Gray was working on his warehouse, she and I came to Savannah. That was a disaster. It was probably the beginning of the end of our friendship.”

  His chest ached for her. When she wasn’t playing games, she looked...lost. “You’ll make new friends here.”

  She snorted, then slapped her hand on her mouth. “Sure. Issy and Josh. And the other children.”

  He tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn’t look up. “And me.”

  “We’re friends?” There was that startled, vulnerable look aga
in. “I thought...”

  Were they friends? He felt a little guilty. Having to stay close to her didn’t mean he needed to date her. Or sleep with her. An image of stripping off the flimsy swimsuit she’d worn on their fishing trip rose in his mind.

  “Sure we are.” He threaded their fingers together. “What did you think?”

  “Most men—” she waved her free hand down her body “—don’t look beyond my facade.”

  “Because you don’t let them see anything else.” And he’d done the same thing. He brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re beautiful, but you’re so much more than that.”

  Her eyes shimmered. “Really?”

  “Really.” She was fragile. He had to get this right. He wouldn’t be like the other men in her life. “Tell me what you have planned for the children.”

  Her hand trembled in his. She stared as if she was trying to discern his truthfulness. Then she talked about her thoughts and plans, even asked his opinion.

  Halfway through dinner, a man took a seat on the stool on stage and greeted the audience. Kaden and Courtney stopped talking and enjoyed the music and being with each other. Her smile gleamed with joy.

  He wrapped an arm around her, needing to touch her. He didn’t want the night to end.

  He was getting emotionally involved in this assignment. Hell, it wasn’t an assignment anymore—was it?

  * * *

  COURTNEY CURLED A little deeper under Kaden’s arm, letting him guide her back to the B and B. “It’s a nice night.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” His voice rumbled through his chest.

  Was she really more than a pretty face to him, more than a conquest? Could she lower her defenses? Could this thing with her and Kaden be more than the Savannah fling she’d first imagined?

  It came down to trust. She’d trusted Kaden with the secret of her library volunteer work. And he’d listened. Maybe she was more than a conquest to him.

  At dinner, she hadn’t worried about who was watching and judging her as the worthless Smythe daughter. No one knew her in Savannah. Sure, she could probably only get preferred seating in restaurants if she dropped Abby’s name, but anonymity was freeing.