Secret Agent Boyfriend

by Addison Fox

Late-afternoon sunlight slanted through the room, highlighting the golden hue of her hair like a halo. It was the last thought Derek had—the last coherent one, at least—before the overwhelming need to consume her gripped him with mad, desperate need.

  The barely pent-up anger she’d wielded like a weapon channeled into a different sort of battle as they fought each other for control of the moment. Need shimmered around them in thick, humid waves. He tried to catch his breath, but he couldn’t seem to drag his mouth away from hers; the urge to devour—to consume whole—was a living, breathing fire inside him.

  Derek knew he needed boundaries—knew pushing this mind-numbing attraction for Landry Adair was a mistake—but he could no more walk away than he could stop breathing.

  “I want you.” He whispered the words against her lips, his hands roaming over her skin, seeking the heated flesh under her blouse.

  She smiled up at him, her eyes filled with a wash of feminine power. “You don’t say?”

  Before he could say, her hands were at his waist, dragging his T-shirt from his waistband and up over his stomach. Her hands splayed over his flesh, a sensual brand that had his skin on fire wherever she touched while she ran a series of nipping kisses over the line of his jaw.

  Her hands drove him crazy. Her mouth drove him wild. Hell, the woman drove him out of his ever-loving mind.

  “Landry—” A hard knock and a strange voice broke the moment.

  A wash of awareness slid over Derek and he dragged himself away from the temptation of the woman before him.

  “Oh. I’m so sorry to interrupt.”

  “Elizabeth.” Landry smoothed the hem of his T-shirt back into place. She then kept her hands on his waist an extra moment, as if she were ravished in her office every afternoon, before she turned toward the woman in the doorway. “Come on in.”

  A light blush colored Elizabeth’s cheeks, and Derek suspected if the woman could redo the last few moments, she’d have run for the hills. As it were, she made a quick recovery, her voice brisk and all business.

  “Whit wanted to do a family dinner this evening. I was stopping in to make sure you’d both be home.”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. I’m going to leave a message for Rachel to join us, too,” Elizabeth added.

  The thought of a family dinner, him and Landry pretending to be a couple, struck Derek as a strange sort of torture. Despite his misgivings, he was obviously in, prepared to see their charade through.

  It would also give him an opportunity to observe how the conversation swirled around their near miss in the stables that morning.

  “Noah volunteered to be on grill, but I think he may need to fight Whit off for the spatula.” Elizabeth’s eyes twinkled as her hand hovered over her rounded belly. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to fight them for a spot at the grill, as well, Derek.”

  “My talents around food extend to microwaving water and putting bread in the toaster. Whit and Noah can duke it out.”

  Elizabeth smiled, her grin going wider as she looked at the two of them. “I’ll see you later then. Seven on the back porch.”

  Whit’s wife vanished as quickly as she’d arrived, leaving the two of them.

  “Why don’t we go down to the security room and look at that footage.” Landry wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m sure the snake incident will be a topic of conversation this evening.”

  Not for the first time, she surprised him with just how in tune with him she was. “I was thinking the same. Tonight will be a good opportunity to observe.”

  “Noah’s already spread the word, and whomever he missed, the staff has caught up by now.”

  “I’m not so sure about the staff. I think Noah’s playing it a bit closer to the vest than that. He pinged me earlier to see if I’d called the police.”

  “Hmmm.” Her vivid expression grew thoughtful. “He sees more than he lets on. He always has. Maybe he’s waiting to see what type of response he’s going to get from my brothers.”

  “He also doesn’t know why I’m really here. Or that I’ve got investigative skills of my own.”

  A haze of worry dulled those vibrant blue eyes. “That part still feels awkward. We all know why you’re here, and he doesn’t.”

  “We could tell him I’m investigating your father’s murder. Would that make you feel better?”

  “No,” she said. “Whit, Carson and I agreed how to approach this, and we’re all in. My brothers know because they need to. I’m sure Whit told Elizabeth because he tells her everything and the woman is the equivalent of a human vault anyway.”

  “She was your father’s secretary?”

  “Yes.” Landry hesitated, her voice faltering. “She found him, too.”

  “She seems to be doing okay with it.”

  “Day by day. That’s what Whit keeps saying, and it appears to be working. Their focus on the baby is probably helping, too.”

  “The first Adair grandchild.”

  “For my father’s line. Kate’s got grandchildren and so does my father’s sister Rosalyn.”

  “Kate’s crazy about that baby. I think it’s one of the things that helped her survive the shooting attempt on her life.”

  Landry’s gaze grew thoughtful. “What if they’re related?”

  “What’s related?”

  “The attempt on Kate last year. The issue now with my father.”

  Derek thought back to those dark days. The call from Kate’s son, Trey, telling him about the attempt on his mother’s life. He’d kept close tabs on her touch-and-go situation in the hospital and had followed the news of the case and the ultimate capture of her shooter through his counterpart in the Raleigh field office.

  “Kate’s shooter was caught.”

  “But it is strange, don’t you think? The danger she and her family faced last year? The problems we’re having here?”

  “Landry. I know you want to believe this situation isn’t that dire, but I can’t promise you that. And I won’t placate you to make you feel better and inadvertently put you at risk.”

  “I know.” The light still shone through the oversize windows in the office, small dust motes swimming in the air. Only instead of highlighting her hair in a halo, all he saw were the twin expressions of fear and disappointment that filled her face in the afternoon sun.

  He owned putting the disappointment in her gaze—there was nothing to be done about it. But he’d be damned if he’d rest until he caught the bastard who’d marked Landry Adair with fear.

  * * *

  The rich scent of cooking meat wafted toward her, and Landry gave herself mental permission to enjoy dinner that evening. A juicy steak, an oversize baked potato and a piece of Kathleen’s cream cheese–frosted carrot cake was in her future, and she couldn’t wait.

  “Another?” Georgia waved a bottle of wine near her glass, her sharp green eyes bright with merriment, and Landry nodded for the refill.

  Landry took a moment to swirl the pretty Cabernet before taking a sip. Although she usually preferred light, crisp whites in summer, the anticipated steak and the fact that Whit had invested in the vineyard made it an easy decision.

  “This is amazing. Whit chose well.”

  Elizabeth smiled at the compliment before shooting her husband a warm, adoring smile. “He did.”

  “He chose well with you, too.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened on the compliment, a light sheen of moisture coating her warm brown gaze as her hand instinctively rested against her expanding belly. “That’s lovely.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Hear, hear,” Georgia added with a lift of her glass.

  And it was true, Landry realized as she and Georgia clinked glasses with Elizabeth’s flute of sparkling water. Elizabeth and Whit’s rela
tionship had started under the most extraordinary circumstances, but love had found its way. The bond between them was strong, forged even deeper as they awaited the birth of their first child.

  She turned a smile on Georgia. “Carson chose equally with you, my dear. He’s never been so happy.”

  Georgia’s smile was warm, her gaze full of the happy secrets of new lovers. “Neither have I.”

  Even with the pain of the past few months, Landry couldn’t help but count her blessings. She had two new sisters—women who had brought a renewed sense of family to both of her brothers—and, by extension, her. They fit, she thought as she took in her new sisters-in-law. Elizabeth, with her light blond hair, and Georgia, with her sassy red, fit in as if they’d always been there.

  And as they sat next to each other and shared a knowing gaze, Landry sensed that the familiar was about to become...sisterly.

  “So tell us a bit more about Derek.”

  Landry kept her voice low, unwilling to risk Noah overhearing. “He’s here as we’ve discussed.”

  “Oh yes, he’s definitely here.” Georgia shifted to the edge of her chair. “And he definitely notices you.”

  Her gaze drifted toward Derek. He’d stayed true to his earlier promise—he hadn’t touched the grill—but he had taken up a very manly pose next to Whit, Carson and Noah. All four men held beers and had fallen into easy conversation. Their voices drifted across the patio—a rather heated discussion about the Padres’ and Dodgers’ chances for the season.

  Whit and Carson may have known Derek’s real reason for being at Adair Acres, but they’d fallen as easily into the pretend situation as she had.

  It shouldn’t be this easy.

  When her brothers had told her Derek would be joining them, at her aunt Kate’s request, she’d been hesitant. Worse, she’d been insulted. Yet Derek had managed to captivate her in a matter of days.

  He fit here. And the more time she spent with him, the more she felt that urgent tug that said he fit with her.

  As her gaze once more took in the conversation circle around the grill, she couldn’t help noticing what an attractive foursome the men made. And she found herself wondering what it would be like to see all of them huddled together regularly.

  “Well, isn’t that a charming quartet of testosterone.” Rachel’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and Landry glanced up to see her best friend smirking down at her, a bottle of wine and a fresh bouquet of flowers in hand.

  Landry popped up and firmly tamped down the blush that threatened at being caught staring at Derek. “I didn’t think you could make it.” She gave Rachel a hard hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. I thought you had to go up to San Francisco for the day?”

  “I got back early, and when I got Elizabeth’s message I thought an evening with friends would cap off a pretty good day.”

  “What happened? It sounds like a toast is in order.” Georgia swapped a fresh glass for the flowers in Rachel’s hands before gesturing her toward a chair. “Let’s hear all about it.”

  Landry lost herself in the moment, congenial conversation under the fading light of day. Surrounded by friends and her increasing family, a warm, comfortable hum had settled in her veins. Although the past several months had been the hardest of her life, it was humbling to realize the time had brought good things, as well. Two new sisters and a closer bond with her best friend.

  And Derek.

  Rachel laid a hand on her knee after Elizabeth and Georgia disappeared into the house. “You doing better after last night?”

  She knew the conversation would ultimately swing around to the morning adventure in the stable, but Landry was hesitant to ruin the moment of calm. “Better. Last night’s girlfriend time went a long way toward making me feel better.”

  “And things with the underwear model?” Rachel kept her voice low but her gaze ran high with merriment. “I do hope you’ve gotten to the kissing part.”

  When Landry didn’t say anything, Rachel’s eyes widened. “You did get to the kissing part. Oh, please throw the single girl a bone here and tell me all about it.”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “It’s the best friend code of honor to point out that if there wasn’t anything to tell, you’d have told me already.”

  “I don’t tell you everything.”

  “You told me on the phone two days ago you had a chip in your nail polish. If that’s not the definition of everything, I’m not sure what is.”

  Landry laughed in spite of herself. “Maybe I was just savoring it for a while.”

  “That’s a better answer.”

  She was prevented from saying anything by the arrival of Derek and Noah.

  “Did you and Whit fight it out for the grill?” Rachel shifted her attention to Noah, her gaze appreciative. Maybe it was the dying light of day or the poolside tiki torches one of the staff had lit earlier, but something in Rachel’s gaze caught her attention.

  Was it possible? Rachel and Noah?

  Landry let the thought swirl, surprised when she moved so quickly to how she and Derek might use that to their advantage in trying to uncover the truth about Noah’s background.

  Oblivious to her thoughts, Noah grinned broadly, his gaze fully focused on Rachel. “Nah. I left Whit to the grill. It was his and Elizabeth’s idea to have a group dinner tonight and I figured the least I could do was let him do the cooking. Besides, I wanted to get the latest details from Derek on this morning.”

  “What details?” Rachel went on high alert, her eyes darting to each of them.

  Landry lifted her glass in a breezy wave. “We had a snake in the stable. It was no big deal.”

  “Ignore Landry. She said the same thing this morning, and if it was up to her we’d just brush over this.” Noah patted her on the back before he took the seat next to Rachel. “It was serious.”

  Noah ran down the events of the morning, and every time Landry tried to brush off the incident, Rachel shushed her until she finally stopped trying. Derek took the seat beside her and linked his fingers with hers. The warmth of his hand enveloped her fingers and she squeezed tightly.

  She had an ally in this. A partner. And she was quickly coming to appreciate the fact that she wasn’t dealing with this alone.

  Was that Derek’s real appeal? Or was it something deeper?

  Yes, the man was devastatingly handsome. And she had a base attraction to him that she simply couldn’t deny. But it was something more. Something that went beyond sex or even the appreciation that he was there to help her.

  Unlike the majority of the men she’d spent time with, she genuinely enjoyed Derek’s company. She’d dated plenty, of course. It wouldn’t do for Landry Adair, society queen, to be dateless to any event.

  But she’d always felt as if she was going through the motions. Living up to expectations instead of spending time with someone she could come to care about.

  “Both of you could have been seriously hurt.” Rachel’s heated comment and lurch across the small conversation area to pull her into a tight hug had Landry dropping Derek’s hand along with her train of thought.

  As she held her friend in a tight hug, Landry knew Rachel wasn’t far off the truth. They could have been hurt by the threat in the stables.

  But if she didn’t protect her increasingly vulnerable heart, the possibility of physical danger was the least of her worries.

  Chapter 9

  Derek settled into the ebb and flow of conversation around the table. Although he and Landry had spent time in the hot seat discussing the morning’s danger, the group had sensed when it was time to move on to new ground, as well.

  Topics ranged from Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Whit’s expansion of AdAir Corp to an expected new foal Noah was excited about. It was only now when they sat with coffee and after
-dinner drinks that Derek realized he’d actually enjoyed himself.

  Until thoughts of Rena Frederickson descended like a black cloud. He owed her better than a night spent in carefree conversation while she still sat in captivity somewhere.

  “You okay?” Landry’s hand floated over his forearm, gentle as the soft evening breeze that blew around them.

  “I’m fine.” When his voice came out on a strangled whisper, he took a sip of his coffee. “Fine.”

  Her smile never wavered, but he saw the confusion in her gaze. Knew another moment of sharp guilt that he’d put it there.

  Just like Sarah.

  The insult vanished as soon as it arrived, but the moment of surprise lingered on. Landry wasn’t like Sarah. Aside from the fact that he and Landry had a pretend relationship while he and Sarah had been engaged and planning a wedding, the women weren’t the same.

  Landry had proven herself a full partner. Even with her concerns about going behind Noah’s back, she’d soldiered on. Sarah, in contrast, had simply sat at a distance and bitched at him for his work ethic.

  The guilt that had slithered in, dragging up thoughts of Rena, faded as he considered the past few days. The stress of the Frederickson case had been intense, but it was only with a bit of distance that he’d begun to understand how it had taken over his life.

  Sarah hadn’t been wrong about that.

  He cared about his cases, but something about this one had been different. Maybe it was the clues that pointed to a case of heinous debauchery. Or maybe it was just the last straw in a long line of them that had proven how frustrated he was by his work.

  No matter how many missing persons he and his team found, there were always more. More individuals who vanished, their lives and the lives of their loved ones ruined by the evil choices of another.

  Coming to Adair had been good for him. Prior to his arrival at the ranch, he’d been on top of Mark constantly. Other than their quick catch-up at headquarters the day before, he hadn’t been in touch with his partner. Instead, he’d given himself the gift of distance, even without really realizing it. Much as it pained him to admit it, maybe his team lead was right all along.