by Nina Croft
“That’s Jess,” Rory said. “She was my son Declan’s bodyguard, and now she’s his other half.” Both were dressed casually in well-worn jeans and T-shirts under leather jackets. “They’ve been traveling, biking across Europe. They flew back from Greece to meet you and Jenny.”
“I’m honored,” she said.
“I suspect you might get on well with Jess.”
“Why’s that?”
“She doesn’t like me, either. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Rory and Declan hugged, then he leaned down and kissed Jess on the cheek.
“Hey, it’s granddad,” she said with a grin.
Rory turned to Abby. “Did I also mention she’s a total bitch? Jess, Declan, this is Abby.”
Declan shook her hand, but she could see that same wary expression in his face as in the other McCabes. “Nice to meet you.”
Jess was less reticent; she stepped closer and gave Abby a hug. “Welcome to the family.” She glanced across to the group. “They take a little—okay, a lot—of getting used to, but there are compensations.” She glanced sideways at Declan as she spoke and licked her lips suggestively. “Is that your daughter? Wow, she looks like Declan. And Logan of course.”
Five minutes later, Abby stood to the side and watched the group interact. Jenny stood surrounded by McCabe men—Logan, Declan and Rory. She might well have been intimidated, but they had obviously welcomed her with open arms, and she looked relaxed and at ease chatting with them. Her mum was talking with Judith and Tamara.
“Rory’s an asshole, but you have to stand up to him.” Jess had come up beside her, a beer in her hand.
“He told me you don’t like him.”
“Can’t stand him. He once tried to pay me to stop seeing Declan.”
“Really?”
“It was a long time ago, but I’m not quite ready to forgive him yet.” She studied Abby for a minute. “So, I get the feeling there’s a little tension here. Jenny has obviously been welcomed into the fold, but with you I sense a little bit of the cold shoulder.”
“I don’t think they’ve forgiven me for not telling them sooner.”
“No, I can see that might be a bit of a problem. So why didn’t you?”
Jess was certainly blunt and to the point, but Abby preferred that to circling around the subject. “I tried, but he was in prison at the time, so I went away again.”
“Oh God, of course, that would have been when he was locked up. A sore point, and not only for Logan.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Well, both Declan and Rory blamed themselves. Rory because, with his background, the cops were always looking for anything on the family, and Declan because Logan got into the fight to protect his little brother.”
“Oh.”
“They’ll get over it.”
“I doubt it.” She sounded morose. It was becoming clear that they really didn’t like the police, and maybe they had their reasons. But it was who she was, and she wasn’t going to change that, didn’t want to change it. A detective was all she had ever wanted to be.
“Why’s that?” Jess asked.
“I’m a sergeant in the metropolitan police.”
Jess’s lips twitched, and she burst into laughter. “Fucking brilliant.”
“I’m glad you think so. Rory and Logan were less than impressed. Rory almost accused me of some convoluted plot to set Logan up. I mean, yeah, I got pregnant at eighteen with the sole purpose of waiting eleven years and then weaseling my way into Logan’s life, discovering what nefarious practices he’s up to, and locking him away—for good this time.”
Jess laughed again. Declan and Logan stood across the room and they turned at the sound. Logan murmured something to his brother, and they both strolled over.
Seeing them together made her sigh out loud.
“They’re the stuff of fantasies aren’t they?” Jess murmured. “X-rated fantasies.”
They were so similar, with the same height and coloring, though Logan looked edgier, with a hint of danger. If Declan was a sleek, well-fed leopard, Logan was a panther, lean and mean and hungry.
She might say she wanted nothing to do with him, apart from what was absolutely necessary for Jenny’s sake, but that didn’t stop her eating him up with her eyes. He added a small swagger to his walk and fixed his gaze on her lips.
Jess was the more beautiful—he’d never met a woman to match her—but his gaze was drawn back to Abby. She had shadows under her eyes. Maybe, like him, she wasn’t sleeping. He’d been trying to keep his distance, but he wanted desperately to see her alone. Somehow he had to persuade her it was in her best interests to let him into her pants again.
“What are you two up to?” Declan asked as they came up beside the two women. Declan moved in closer, wrapping his arm around Jess’s shoulders and pulling her close. Logan wished he had the right to do the same with Abby, to touch her, hold her, as though she was his. The thought surprised him. He’d never been the possessive type.
“Discussing X-rated fantasies,” Jess said.
Logan’s gaze sharpened on Abby. “Have you been telling tales, sergeant?”
“No,” she snapped.
“Tales?” Jess asked. “What sort of tales.”
Abby was glaring daggers at him, so he continued, just to wind her up. If ever there was a woman in need of being wound up, it was his sergeant. He nodded in her direction. “The sarge here didn’t tell you she’s my fantasy girl?”
“Your what?” Declan asked.
“And what sort of fantasies?” Jess added.
“Definitely X-rated. I met Abby just before I was put inside. You could say she was the inspiration for my nightly entertainment.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Every night, I’d lie in my bunk and I—”
“Ugh. Stop right there,” Jess said putting her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to hear any more.” She cast a look back and forth between Logan and Abby and smiled. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Abby. I think you’ll be a fascinating addition to the McCabe family. Now, I’m going to go introduce myself to your daughter. I’m an honorary aunt after all. Maybe I could teach her to shoot, or…whatever. Now you two play nice.” She dragged Declan away, leaving him alone with Abby.
Turning to face him, she stabbed a finger in his chest. “Did you have to tell them that?”
“Ashamed of me?”
“No, I’m not goddamned ashamed of you. Just because I don’t want the whole world to know that you spent your year in prison jacking off to some perverted image of me does not mean I’m ashamed.”
“Hey, hardly perverted.” He shrugged. “Okay, a few might get a little risqué but I’ll work up to them slowly.”
“Shut. Up.”
“Temper, temper.”
She gritted her teeth. “You’re just so…aggravating.”
“I know. Let’s go get you another drink.” He waved toward her empty glass. “I think it’s actually loosening you up a little.”
Her jaw clenched tighter. She was in a temper. He liked it. “I do not need loosening up.”
“Have another drink anyway, sergeant.” He led her across the room, took her glass from her limp fingers and sniffed it, then mixed her a vodka tonic, added ice and lemon, and gave it back to her.
“And will you drop the sergeant crap,” she said, taking a huge gulp. “I love what I do, and I’m not ashamed of it. And I’m not going to try to justify it to you lot just because your dad used to be a totally dodgy bastard.”
His lips twitched. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
He shrugged. The fact was he used it to remind himself of what she was, so he wouldn’t get too caught up in the whole fantasy thing and get carried away. She was a copper with a perfection complex. He was an ex-con who liked things messy. There could never be anything between them except a brief sexual fling. Having said that, he wasn’t ready to let go yet. The last few days had made that abundantly clear. He was back to jacking off t
o fantasies of her, and yeah, maybe they were getting a little perverted. Last night’s had involved handcuffs. And it was weird, because if he’d ever considered the whole bondage thing, then it would have been him doing the tying up. But there he’d been, handcuffed to the bed, with Sergeant Abby Parker, naked except for her police hat, riding him hard. He had a twinge and shifted.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her eyes narrowed.
Jesus, he was a mess. In some ways it would be easier if he could just go and slake his bothersome urges with a more convenient, less complicated woman…or two…and relegate Abby to the role of mother-of-his-daughter. But no one else interested him. Only her.
“Well?” she prompted.
“You really don’t want to know.”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”
He leaned in close. “Well…I was imagining you had me handcuffed to my bed and your tight little pussy was wrapped around my cock. I was at your mercy…and I was fucking loving it.”
Her eyes widened, darkening, and she swallowed then glanced around. “Shut up,” she muttered.
He followed her gaze and realized they were the center of attention. “Why,” he said. “Do you like the idea?” But she was probably right. This was not the time or the place. And he needed to resist the urge to wind her up when Jenny was around. He didn’t want their daughter to pick up on any conflict between him and Abby.
She smoothed her hands down the sides of her pants. “I want this to work with Jenny,” she said. “She’s already fond of you, and there’s no going back. So somehow we need to find a way to make it work between us two as well.”
She was voicing his own thoughts, so he’d back off at this point. But the truth was, he wasn’t ready to let go of his fantasies yet. He’d have to find a way to get her alone, though he suspected she’d be on her guard now. “I know,” he said. “And we will. Let’s go see how she’s doing. I’d rather not leave her alone with Jess too long.”
“Why?”
“She’s a bad influence.”
Chapter Ten
The party had left Abby down and depressed, and by Wednesday she still hadn’t managed to shake the effects. She wasn’t sure why and was a little scared to investigate her feelings too deeply.
She suspected that she might be a teensy bit jealous of her own daughter. Logan’s family had all been so welcoming. And she was happy about that, really she was. If anything happened to her, the weight of looking after Jenny wouldn’t all fall on her mum. Jenny had another family now, who’d made it more than clear that they were delighted to have her in the fold. Judith had even asked Jenny over to New York in the summer, which had pissed Abby off, as she should have checked with her first before issuing the invitation.
Jess and Declan had already flown back to Greece, but Jess had promised to get in touch when they finally returned to the UK. She said they needed to show a united front against the McCabe men. It was nice to think she had an ally of sorts. Tamara, she guessed, was waiting to make judgment.
She’d heard nothing from Logan since Saturday, though she had been busy working long night shifts. This was the last. After tonight she had a couple of days off, and she needed them. She wasn’t sleeping well. Her nights were filled with dreams of Logan, which left her restless and on edge. After his comments at the party, she’d expected him to contact her, to try to persuade her into a few more of those fantasies. She was ashamed to admit it, but she had a real curiosity about those kinkier ones he’d mentioned, and she hadn’t been able to look at her handcuffs without a vivid image of Logan flashing in her mind. Very inconvenient.
Now, after four days and nothing from him, she suspected that part of her problem was disappointment and frustration.
She was one sad specimen.
She’d also been avoiding Jack. They’d had a good date last week, and he’d made it clear he would like to repeat the event. But she’d been putting him off. It didn’t seem right, dating one man while lusting after another.
Logan had taken Jenny and her friends out after school again today. She’d phoned home and learned everyone had gotten back safely and found Jenny already in bed. Probably exhausted from all the excitement. Had Logan been disappointed she wasn’t there?
Probably not. He’d obviously lost interest.
She exhaled loudly. It had been a quiet night. She’d caught up on paperwork and worked on the schedules for next week. After a week doing desk work, she was back on the emergency call team and out patrolling the streets starting Saturday. It was her favorite job and would no doubt take her mind off things.
Half an hour to go. Glancing up from the desk, she felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart stuttering as Logan came through the door. She glanced around to see if anyone else was watching, but they had the reception area to themselves. He’d gone into all out seduction mode. Black leather pants molded his long legs and hips. A black leather jacket gave him an air of menace.
“How long until you finish?” he asked.
“Half an hour.” As the words came out, it occurred to her that she should have maybe put him off, asked him what he was doing here, rather than obediently answering him. But he’d taken her by surprise, and her mind had turned to mush.
“I’ll be back.”
And then he was gone, and she was left staring at the door.
The last half hour of her shift dragged. Finally she handed the desk over to her replacement and headed to the locker room. She showered quickly and dressed in navy trousers, a blue sweater, and boots. She didn’t want Logan coming inside again. She wasn’t ashamed of him, but she didn’t see the point of a long, convoluted explanation as to who he was and how he fit in to her life. This might be a police station, but it was no different than any other workplace when it came to gossip. But Logan was nowhere in sight when she came into the reception area. Her chest tightened. Maybe he’d changed his mind. She waved at her replacement duty sergeant and headed out the door. Outside, Logan leaned against the wall, a lazy smile on his face, and the tightness melted inside her.
“Come on,” he said, and she followed him around to the parking area at the side of the building. Dawn was close, though the sky was still dark.
“Oh no,” she muttered as he approached the gleaming black Harley. No way was she going on that thing.
He turned to her with a grin. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
She held back.
“Actually,” he said, “Jenny asked for a ride. I told her I had to clear it with you first. So I’m here to show you how safe I can be.”
No way was Jenny going on that monster. But butterflies were fluttering in her belly, little tingles of excitement zipping up and down her nerves. How long was it since she did something wild? No, best not to go there. It all led back to Logan.
He held out a helmet to her. “Come on, sarge, you know you want to.”
Tentatively, she inched a step closer, reached out, and took the helmet from him. Before she could change her mind and tell herself that this was a really bad idea, she pulled it over her head. He considered her for a moment then slipped out of the leather jacket and handed it to her. “It can get cold.”
“What about you?”
“Oh, I’ll be warm enough.”
She pulled on the jacket, still heated from his body, and hugged it close, breathing in the scent of leather and spice and warm man.
“Good girl,” he said, pulling on his own helmet. “Just sit behind me and hold on tight.”
He swung his leg over the bike and patted the seat behind him. She took a deep breath and edged closer. The seat wasn’t high, and she managed to get her leg across. Tentatively she slid forward so she was pressed up against him, the V of her thighs tight to his ass, and heat washed through her. He turned to the side, no doubt so she could hear him through the helmet. “Try to relax and go with the movement of the bike.” As he switched on the engine, vibrations shuddered through her core. Her arms wra
pped around his waist so the whole front of her body was pressed up against his back. Her breasts swelled; her sex flooded. He revved the engine and she pressed even closer. Then they were off.
At first she held herself tense, her hands gripping his hard abs through the material of his shirt. But his driving was smooth and assured. They were deep in the city, and though there was little traffic at this time of day, the speed limits were low. Finally she relaxed enough to appreciate how close they were. She loosened the grip of her fingers and splayed them across his belly, feeling the rock hard stomach beneath her palm. She couldn’t resist, and one hand slid lower to push under his shirt and onto the hot satin skin beneath. He tensed a little and then relaxed. She dipped into his navel then into the silky line of hair that ran down lower.
He released one hand from the handlebars and placed it on top of hers, pushing it downward over the leather to rest on the bulge at his groin. It pulsed beneath her palm. Oh God, he had a hard-on. Was that dangerous? But she couldn’t prevent her fingers from tracing the shape of him. Then he pushed her hand back up, and at the same time they accelerated. She peered around; they were out of the city now and on a wide open road. Logan picked up speed and they were flying. Resting her head against his back, she gave in to the fabulous sensation of riding through the dawn on a Harley, wrapped around a stunning bad boy. She threw back her head and laughed.
He slowed and peeled off the road onto a smaller side street, finally pulling up around the back of a huge warehouse. The place appeared deserted. As he switched off the engine, her heart started up a slow steady thud. She suspected she was about to discover another of those fantasies.
Was it possible to make love on a motorcycle? She still had her hands wrapped around him, under his shirt, palms flat against his stomach. She didn’t want to let him go, but she also wanted a kiss—craved a kiss. Reluctantly, she slid her hands from him, reached up, and tugged off the helmet. Logan did the same and swung his leg over and stood up. Taking the helmet from her, he placed both of them on the ground next to the bike, then he climbed back on, facing her this time. His hand slid under her hair at the back of her neck, tipping her face up to his. He was so beautiful he made her heart ache. She held herself very still, and time seemed to slow. His lips touched hers, gentle at first, then firmer, his hands tightening in her hair, his tongue pushing inside her mouth, and she lost herself in the taste and feel of him. She hardly noticed as he slid the jacket from her shoulders. He cupped her breasts, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples, his mouth still on hers. Sensation shot from her breasts down her belly to settle at her core. His hands slid down to her thighs, and he lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist. For a moment she wobbled and her hands gripped his shoulders. He raised his head.