by Debra Webb
She just wished he wasn’t so damned good-looking…and so deliciously sexy….
CHAPTER 13
Alex woke the next morning to the immediate realization that something was wrong.
There was an unfamiliar odor in the air.
There was sound, which she slowly recognized as a television news channel.
She threw back the covers and sat up. The change in position either woke her more fully or prompted her blood to move from her lower anatomy to her brain.
Not only had she awakened to odd goings-on in her home. She’d dreamed about sex. With him.
Hot, wild sex.
She shivered and climbed out of bed.
He was in there. Beyond that door, cooking or something. She wasn’t ready for that side of Austin Blake. She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready for anything other than the tense control freak she’d come to know him as.
She couldn’t exactly hide in her bedroom forever. Glancing back at the tousled sheets, she was pretty sure she needed to get out of this room and clear her head anyway. She dragged herself into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. A gasp escaped her when she saw her reflection. She’d gone to bed with wet hair. Big mistake. But one that could be rectified with a flatiron and some time.
Thirty minutes later she was presentable in jeans, a tank and one of her trademark belts. She had a thing for belts. All kinds.
She made her bed, just so she wouldn’t be reminded when she came home alone tonight of how she’d dreamed of making love with her shadow the night before.
Bad, bad idea.
When she entered the kitchen he was propped against the counter drinking a cup of coffee.
She stopped short of her destination, the coffeemaker. Where was the jacket? The tie? The top three buttons of his shirt were even open.
Blinking furiously, she growled a good-morning and darted around him to get herself a cup of coffee.
“I borrowed bacon and eggs from your mother.”
Alex almost spilled the coffee she was pouring. “You went up to my mother’s?” Damn. Now Marg would grill her about him. Letting Blake stay over had been a huge mistake. She hadn’t shared their arrangement with any of the crew. She’d known better. They were already trying to set her up on a blind date. Thank God, Robert’s abrupt demise had canceled whatever plans they’d made.
“There’s fresh orange juice, too. She squeezed it herself.”
Her mother? Squeezing orange juice? She didn’t even like orange juice.
Okay, clearly Marg had skipped right past the booze and gone for the hard drugs. She was not the squeezing-the-OJ type. And since when did she stock bacon and eggs?
Once Alex got over the initial shock, she had to admit that she was starved. After admitting as much, she couldn’t pretend disinterest.
Silently, they prepared their plates and sat. The silence continued, other than the crunching of bacon and scrape of silverware across stoneware.
Alex ate, refusing to consider how this CIA man, this uptight hard-ass could cook like this. She didn’t want to know that he could cook. She didn’t want to see him without the trappings of his day job. She wanted to button his shirt.
But his lips wouldn’t let her.
Her gaze kept drifting down to those nice lips. Whenever he licked them, she had to restrain the need to lick her own hungrily! He was so proper, so controlled, that watching his tongue glide over his bottom lip was incredibly intimate.
She liked his fingers, too. Long, blunt-tipped. His sleeves were rolled up and his forearms were well muscled. He would be really strong. Broad shoulders. Tall.
Her throat felt dry and breathing was difficult. She hadn’t had a reaction this strong to a stranger in a very long time.
She stood, unable to bear another second. “I have to get to work.” She moved to the sink with her dishes.
Unfortunately he did the same.
Her heart executed a strange little maneuver when she got a whiff of him. How could a guy who’d slept on her couch and cooked a greasy meal smell that good? It just wasn’t right.
“You know I’ll be right behind you every minute, right?”
She couldn’t help herself, she had to look up at him. He was standing so close…the scent of him…the pull of his proximity. And those eyes. Intense, watchful.
“Yeah, I know.”
He nodded and for one fleeting instant his gaze dropped to her lips. Her breath locked in her lungs and she had to refrain from pressing her palms against his chest, just to see if his heart was pounding as hard as hers was.
How could he cast such a spell so quickly…so seemingly effortlessly?
“Thanks for breakfast.” Her voice sounded breathless.
“Thank you,” he countered, that watchful gaze studying every feature of her face. “Sleeping on your sofa was far more comfortable than in my car.”
That usually tightly controlled tone was missing as he spoke…his voice was soft, too deep.
She nodded. “Fine. I should go.”
As she made her way to her 4Runner, he tugged his tie into place and shouldered into his jacket, all with efficiency and while en route to his supersexy red Mercedes convertible.
The scene was way too domestic-looking and entirely sexy.
Not real. Not real. Couldn’t be. Couldn’t be.
He followed her to work, but lucky for her didn’t come inside. Whatever he did with his day didn’t matter to her. She just needed him far away. He was the last man on earth she needed to get involved with and she knew it.
“You look grumpy this morning,” Shannon said with her usual aplomb.
“I am.” Alex didn’t pause to say hello to anyone. She went straight to her office, but before she closed the door, she said, “Don’t anyone even think about arranging my night for me.”
Five minutes later Shannon ventured in to join her. “Okay,” she began tentatively, “what’s wrong?”
She didn’t get too close. Probably because Alex gave her a look that would have made a wartime general wary.
“Nothing.” Alex forced her attention back to yesterday’s reports. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been working on reports barely a day old.
“Out with it, Alex.”
Shannon settled into the chair in front of Alex’s desk.
There was no getting rid of her now. Alex could either tell her the truth or the woman would sit there and harass her all morning.
“Everyone in the whole world besides me is having sex.” There. She’d said it. Blake made her want to have sex. With him. Dammit.
Shannon looked a little taken aback. “I know you haven’t had a date in—”
“Three weeks and four days.” Alex gave her the evil eye. Was she losing it? Had middle age finally caught up with her? Or was she only just realizing that her mother was right and she was a coward afraid to live her life. She was a forty-year-old woman whose life had never happened. She shuddered at the thoughts.
How could she feel that way? She’d made a great life for herself. Her business was thriving. Life was good.
Why did who she was have to be measured against the fact that she wasn’t part of a pair? And why the hell was it suddenly so important to her?
Maybe her mother was right. The idea scared the hell out of her, but it was possible…wasn’t it?
Marriage…kids…talk about terrifying.
But if not those things, then what?
“This is exactly why we tried to set you up yesterday.”
Alex snapped from her disturbing thoughts and sent another glower in her direction. “Thanks a lot.” Feeling like the fat girl at the prom, Alex tried her best to focus on her work, but her friend just wouldn’t go away.
Shannon cleared her throat. “Sorry about your mother’s boyfriend.”
Alex pointed that death stare at her again, but it didn’t stop Shannon from bursting into giggles.
Alex had to laugh. It wasn’t funny. Poor Robert was dead.
It wasn’t funny at all. But still, she laughed harder. Until tears gathered in her eyes. What made these dirty old men think they could load up on Viagra and not suffer the consequences?
“Okay,” Shannon said, gathering her composure once more. “How about you let us arrange that nice night out for you—”
Alex sent another lethal glare in her direction.
“You can go by yourself and just relax and enjoy.”
Now there was an idea.
She didn’t need a man right now.
She just needed to relax.
Dinner went reasonably well. The restaurant was lovely. The food was amazing. And Alex knew she looked great. She’d worn her favorite red dress and matching stilettos. She felt like a million bucks. There were a couple of other tables in the restaurant with only one occupant, so she wasn’t the only single diner.
Not a problem. She’d gone out by herself before and managed just fine. The dinner was both relaxing and elegant.
The real problem began when she drove home. Her 4Runner started to jerk as if the engine wanted to die on her. She patted the gas pedal, but that didn’t help. The engine ended up stalling just as she managed to ease it over to the curb.
Cursing under her breath, she called for a tow and got out, glancing in both directions. Not so far from home. She could walk it. It wasn’t as if she’d be alone. The sidewalk was teeming with Miami’s nightlife. Some bad, some good, some outstanding.
She could wait for the tow truck and get a ride home, but she needed to walk. She needed to think.
She strode along the sidewalk toward her side of town. Wolf calls cut through the night air as one car passed. Alex smiled and strutted with all the fervor she could marshal. Might as well enjoy herself. She had a longer walk ahead of her than she’d first thought. The shoes would likely end up swinging from her fingers before it was over, but that was okay. She could use the attention tonight.
The sound of a motor purring smoothly signaled that a car had rolled up behind her. She had wondered when he would show up. She’d known he would be around. Her own personal bodyguard. The question was, who would guard his body from her?
“How about a lift?”
Blake.
Alex pivoted on her precariously high heel. “No thanks. I’m fine.”
“I can’t let you out of my sight, Miss Jackson.”
Damn. He’d most likely witnessed tonight’s whole dining alone experience. God, he probably thought she was pathetic.
“Just so you know—” she decided to set him straight “—I don’t usually dine alone.”
He grinned, the first one she’d seen on those sexy lips. “Don’t worry. I get paid to keep secrets. I won’t tell anyone you didn’t have a date.”
She almost slammed the door he’d reached over and opened for her.
“I’m only kidding, Miss Jackson.” He looked up at her with those hooded eyes. “Get in. I don’t bite.”
A ride was a ride, right? She wasn’t worried about him being dangerous anymore. And he had said he was kidding.
Alex climbed into the passenger seat of the swanky Mercedes. “Some car.” She sank into the leather interior. It seemed to draw her into an embrace. Very nice.
“My work is dangerous. The way I see it—” he glanced at her as he moved back into traffic “—why not enjoy life? It could end tomorrow.” He shrugged. “I live for today.”
That was pretty much her motto. Life was short.
Live it like you mean it.
“Too bad about your mother’s boyfriend.”
Did everyone know about her mother’s latest tragic relationship? Jesus. Alex was really tired. Too tired. Between the week she’d had and all these emotional revelations, she was beginning to wish she hadn’t left the house this week.
“At least he died happy,” she murmured. What man didn’t want to go with a rock-hard erection?
Despite her best intentions not to, Alex used the ride to her house to study this CIA guy.
He really was handsome.
But he was not the type she got involved with.
She knew better. Letting herself even think along those lines was dumb, dumb, dumb.
“What you see is what you get, Miss Jackson. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Her breath caught, but she didn’t let his awareness that she was staring keep her from continuing to study that rigid profile. She wondered if he’d meant the statement as a warning or an invitation.
Considering it had been about a month since she’d had sex, dwelling on the idea for any length of time could be a costly mistake.
She decided to find a reason not to be interested.
“You married, Blake?”
“No.”
“Ever been married?”
“No.”
“Kids?”
“No.”
Well, damn. She was beginning to feel as if she’d just walked onto the set of a Capitol One commercial. No, no, no.
“Brothers?”
“No.”
Alex pushed a handful of hair behind her ear. “Sisters?”
“No.”
If he said no to her next question—
“My parents live in Iowa. I’m an only child and I’ve never had time to give a long-term relationship the attention it needed.”
“So you steer away from commitment?” Interesting. They had something in common.
“Relationships are complicated. I don’t need complications in my life.”
She faced forward and relaxed farther into the luxurious seat. “I have to agree.”
She hadn’t really planned to make that confession out loud, but there it was.
Blake pulled into her driveway. He turned to her, the low-slung moon drenching the interior of the car in a soft glow. She wanted to yell at Fate for throwing in one more romantic element.
He leaned in her direction. Only a little. She might not have even noticed if she hadn’t been staring at him. In spite of herself her pulse reacted to his nearness.
“The motto I live by is not getting involved with a player. Too much risk.”
Alex laughed softly. “Don’t flatter yourself, Blake. I invited you to sleep inside my house last night because I felt sorry for you. You’re the last man on the planet I’d be interested in being with.”
“I don’t believe you.”
She grabbed the door handle. “Believe what you will.”
He was out of the car, coming around to her door and up the walk, arriving at her front door at the same time as she did. She unlocked the door and he went inside to have a look. She tried hard not to let the motivation behind his movements add to her already mounting interest in the guy.
“The house is clear,” he informed her as she closed and locked the door behind them.
“See you tomorrow, Blake.” She headed for her bedroom.
Long, powerful fingers curled around her wrist. She turned to face him, knowing this was a major mistake.
“Good night.”
There was more he wanted to say. She could see the simmering heat in his eyes.
Damn him.
“I’m not having sex with you, Blake.”
“I didn’t ask you to have sex with me.” His gaze didn’t leave hers.
“Yes, you did.” Saying the words wasn’t necessary. She’d seen the want in his eyes.
Now who was in denial.
She eased her arm free of his touch. “Good night, Mr. Blake.”
He let her walk away. She would have been home free if she just hadn’t looked back.
Some of that fierce control had slipped. He looked almost…vulnerable standing there watching her walk away.
Before she could guess his next move, he was right in front of her and diving both hands into her hair. Her brain betrayed her, left her floundering for an appropriate response.
He tilted her chin up and kissed her.
Not just a quick peck or a smeary smooch, either. He took his time, let the sensations wash ove
r them until her knees felt a little weak.
This was not a good idea.
But it was exactly what she wanted to do.
A mistake. A big mistake.
She drew back. Took a breath. “Make yourself at home in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”
This time she didn’t look back. She didn’t even let herself think about what had just happened.
In the sanctuary of her room, she’d just washed off her makeup and dragged on her gown when the telephone rang.
She groaned.
Hopefully her mother hadn’t killed anyone else.
She grabbed up the receiver. “Alex Jackson.”
“Meet me at the fountain in De Soto Plaza. Ten tomorrow morning. Come alone and bring the contact lens or Detective Henson won’t be your only dead friend.”
Alex stared at the receiver long after the dial tone had started to buzz across the empty line. Henson won’t be your only dead friend….
Fear burst in her chest. She dialed Shannon’s number. It was late, but she didn’t care.
Her relief at hearing Shannon’s groggy hello stole her breath.
“Hello? Alex, is that you?”
She nodded then remembered she was on the phone. “You okay?”
“Sure. We’re in bed already, is something wrong?”
“No…no. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Before Shannon could interrogate her, she said goodbye and pushed the end button to sever the connection.
She called the Professor next. He was fine. Still up and reading.
Brown’s phone rang and rang and rang with no answer. No answer on his cell, either. She left a dozen messages and waited for him to call back…but he didn’t.
The fear started to mount all over again.
Blake was right in the other room. He could help her find Brown…but if she told him and her caller found out. Come alone. No way would Blake allow her to go alone if he found out.
She would have to go alone. She closed her eyes and prayed that Brown would be okay.
Getting rid of Blake would be the tough part.
CHAPTER 14
Alex spent the entire night worrying about Brown. He never returned her call. While she wasn’t entirely sure the man who’d called her last night had Brown, she couldn’t take any chances. She had to do exactly as he’d ordered.