by Dawn Atkins
He sent her a slow, admiring and, he hoped, charming smile. “You’re not going to pull that trigger on the man who recruited you and trained you.”
Her brows shot up. “Want to bet? And don’t forget, you’re the one who drilled me on how to cover up a hit and make it look like an accident.”
Gage sighed. “Something or other in my past is always coming back to bite me in the butt.”
“I want to know why you’re following me.”
“I want to know what you were doing at the Blue Pepper last night. Why don’t you get in and we’ll trade information?”
With a quick nod, she settled herself in the seat beside him, then said, “You first. Why are you following me?”
“Since I have to keep my hands on the wheel, how about I drive to a place I know and I buy you lunch while we talk.”
“And why would I want to do that?” she asked.
“Because it’s damned hot in this car, and I’m hungry. Plus, I’m likely to be more cooperative with a full stomach.”
She regarded him steadily.
“C’mon, Agent Montgomery. For old times’ sake. What do you say?”
Bailey hesitated for only one more moment. “I choose the place and you pick up the tab.”
He shot her a grin as he pulled the car onto the street. “It’s a date.”
JED CALHOUN WIPED the steam off the bathroom mirror and studied his reflection until he was sure that every trace of Ethan Blair was gone. He ran his fingers through his hair three times until he was satisfied that the style was back to normal, albeit shorter. The only other part of Ethan that remained was the bandage on his upper arm. He’d replaced the one that Zoë had put on him, and the job he’d done wasn’t half as neat as hers had been.
Zoë. He couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. He pulled on a T-shirt and briefs that he’d copped from Ryder’s dresser. But he’d have to wear “Ethan’s” slacks. The idea of that brought a quick frown to his face.
If he could have avoided wearing anything of Ethan’s, he would have, but Ryder’s jeans wouldn’t fit him. His friend was a bit shorter and wider at the waist. In the shower, it had struck him that his efforts to get rid of all traces of Ethan Blair were all because of Zoë.
He couldn’t help thinking of Ethan as a rival. He was jealous of a man he’d created, a man who didn’t exist, a man who was him. If he could have had his wish, he’d go find Zoë right now and make love to her over and over until she completely forgot that Ethan Blair ever existed.
He met his eyes in the mirror and slowly shook his head again. Insane. That’s what he was. Somehow the woman had gotten into his system and attacked his brain cells. He should avoid her like the plague. And he would—at least until he solved his more pressing problems. Plan A was getting into Bailey Montgomery’s office tonight. If that failed…he was going to have a little heart-to-heart with Bailey herself.
On that note, he opened the bathroom door and stepped into the hall. At the same moment, the doors of Ryder’s private elevator door slid open, and Zoë walked through them.
Jed stopped dead in his tracks. His first thought was that he’d conjured her up. His gaze was drawn to her lacey camisole. She was wearing the same clothes she’d been wearing the night before. The memory had his blood heating. And the red lace panties? Was she wearing those, also? For some ridiculous reason it bothered him that Ethan Blair had seen them first.
“I…” she said, finally breaking the silence that stretched between them. She turned as if to run, but the elevator doors had already slid shut. Whirling back, she scurried for the kitchen area and put the small island between them. Then she faced him and met his eyes. “Ryder didn’t tell me you were here. He just said to come up and make myself at home.” She raised her hands and dropped them. “I don’t expect you’re happy to see me.”
She wasn’t a figment of his imagination. This was the real Zoë, nervous as a mouse. Cute as a button. He wanted to eat her right up. And for some reason her nerves eased his own tension as he moved forward. “Why would you think that I wouldn’t want to see you?”
“Because…” She paused to twist her hands together. “You didn’t call.”
The phone rang.
“Speaking of calls, hold that thought.” Jed circled the counter, and keeping his eyes on Zoë, picked up the phone on the wall behind the island. “Yeah?”
“Zoë’s on her way up,” Ryder said.
“She’s here. Thanks for the warning.”
“I tried, but you didn’t answer.”
“I was in the shower.”
“Well, she gave my men at the hotel the slip. I didn’t think you’d want her wandering around D.C. without some kind of protection. Besides, she has something to tell you. And don’t you have something you want to tell her?”
Jed could hear the suppressed laughter in Ryder’s voice.
“This is your chance to dig yourself out of that hole you’re in,” Ryder continued. “Or one of them at least.”
“Thanks.” Jed hung up the phone. There would be a time when he’d get even with his friend, but not now. There might also be a time when he’d confess to Zoë that he was Ethan Blair. But not until he’d taken the opportunity to wipe that man right out of her mind.
He took a step toward her, and Zoë stiffened. But she didn’t scurry to the other side of the counter this time.
“I think…you should get dressed,” she said.
Jed glanced down at his briefs and remembered that he’d been on his way to get his slacks out of the guest room. But he wasn’t about to put on Ethan’s clothes. She might recognize them. “First I want to finish the conversation we were having just before Ryder called.”
She frowned. “We weren’t having a conversation.”
“Sure we were. It was fascinating.” He moved toward her and she backed into the island.
“You didn’t think I would be happy to see you. Why is that?” he asked.
“Because you didn’t call,” she repeated.
“Call?”
“Forget it.” She waved a hand. “We agreed that making love was a one-time thing. You had no obligation to call. I understand that.”
He moved another step closer so that their bodies were nearly brushing. “But you wanted me to call? You wanted to see me again?”
“I—yes.”
Triumph moved through him. “I’ve missed you.”
Her eyes widened, and the little pulse at the base of her throat began to beat. “You have?”
He traced one finger along the lace at the top of her camisole. “I’ve been fantasizing again.”
Zoë swallowed hard. “Really?”
“Mmm, hmm.” The image in his mind right now was of taking her on that island that she had backed herself against. While he continued to trace the lace of her camisole, he used his free hand to nudge her toward him so that he only had to lower his head to whisper in her ear, “Want to know what I have in mind?”
“No.” She placed a hand on his chest.
He drew back then. “No?”
“I can’t. I came here to tell you something…. You’re making me forget it.”
“Can’t we talk about it later?” he asked as he brushed kisses along her jawline.
She increased the pressure of her hand on his chest until he drew back again.
“You might not want to make love to me once I tell you. Last night when I was at the Blue Pepper someone gave me an envelope addressed to you. And then I left with this other man. He…I…” She paused and began to bite on her bottom lip. “We ended up spending the night together.”
“You spent the night with another man?”
Heat flooded her cheeks. “Yes. And he took the envelope. It must have been what he was after all along. He must have seen Rad deliver it to me. That must be why he approached me and…I’m so sorry. The envelope must have been important. And I—you…that’s what I wanted Ryder to tell you. I thought you should know. I’ll go now.”
> Would she ever stop surprising him? He hadn’t expected a confession. And she felt she’d betrayed him by letting Ethan steal the envelope? The pleasure that gave him added fuel to the fire that had burst to life the moment he’d seen her. He took the hand she had pressed against his chest and raised it to his lips.
She simply stared at him.
“Answer one thing for me?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Let me make love to you again?”
13
ZOË FELT HER THOUGHTS slipping away as quickly as if the plug holding them in her head had been pulled. There wasn’t room for thoughts, not when there were so many feelings pouring through her. Delight. Surprise. And desire. There would always be desire with this man. But she really shouldn’t be giving in to it. If he wasn’t standing so close, if her head wasn’t filled with images of making love with him, if her heart wasn’t beating so hard, she might be able to say no.
“I…we…”
“Okay, let me put it another way,” Jed said. “You’re used to analyzing data, right?”
She nodded.
“Facts, evidence, that kind of stuff?”
“Yes.” How was she supposed to think clearly when his mouth hovered a breath away from hers?
“Try this. I want you.” He pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth. “You want me.” He moved his mouth to the other corner. “Don’t you?”
“Mmmm.” The feelings he was stirring in her were glorious. She wanted to drown in them. But she really shouldn’t.
“Come with me, Zoë.”
Oh, she wanted to. More than anything, she wanted this man—his touch, his mouth, his body pressed against hers. Hadn’t she come here secretly hoping that Jed would be here with Ryder?
Drawing back, she met his eyes and saw some, if not all, of what she was feeling. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Yes.”
She saw triumph flash into his eyes. Then he lowered his mouth to hers before either one of them had a chance to think about it anymore. Zoë let the feelings swamp her. She’d never tasted hunger like this before. She wasn’t sure if it was his or her own or a combination. And beneath it she tasted a desperation that was also new. This was not the playful man who’d made love with her in the hammock. His mouth was more demanding. His teeth nipped and scraped, sending chills and fire along her nerve endings. And his hands—they were impatient, rough, thrilling. He could have anything he asked. The realization frightened her, thrilled her. All she wanted to do was give and give.
She was vaguely aware of him pulling her camisole over her head. She pulled at the snap of her jeans, but he stilled her hands.
“Let me,” he said as he opened the zipper and pushed her jeans down her hips. Then, for a moment, his hands paused, and his voice was hoarse. “You’re not wearing any panties again.”
“No.” The word was barely audible. She drew in a huge gulp of air. “I didn’t have a chance…to stop by my apartment…for fresh clothes.”
He tipped her chin up so that she met his eyes. “Zoë McNamara, you’re my perfect fantasy girl.”
“Really?”
“This is twice now that you haven’t worn panties. I’ll never be able to be in the same room with you and not wonder.”
“You’ve got a dirty mind.”
He grinned at her as he slipped his hand between her thighs and found her heat. “Guilty as charged. But surely you can see the advantage? The ease of access?”
“Mmm.” She more than saw it. She was experiencing exactly what he was talking about. His finger was moving slowly, sliding deeper and then withdrawing just before it got close enough. Zoë couldn’t even remember to breathe. On some level, she was aware that he’d gotten rid of her jeans. But his finger continued to move. And so did his mouth. He nibbled a slow string of kisses along her jawline until he reached her ear.
“How do you feel about making love on a kitchen counter?” he asked just before he drew her earlobe between his teeth.
“Mmm.” She couldn’t even seem to form a word, not with the waves of heat shooting through her. Not with those clever fingers bringing her closer and closer. Then suddenly his hand wasn’t moving.
“Don’t stop.”
HE WASN’T GOING TO STOP. He didn’t think he could. But he wanted more. “Open your eyes, Zoë.”
She did. And he watched a shock of pleasure fill her eyes as he slipped two fingers into her. Her warm, moist response dampened his hand, and he felt those hot, slick muscles close around his fingers, tempting him with a taste of what it was going to feel like when he finally entered her.
“Don’t stop,” she said again, arching against him.
He held his hand still. “Say my name.”
Her eyes were half-closed, but her gaze was steady on his. “Jed.”
That one sound pulled at what was left of his control. He wanted her now. It was taking all of his strength not to drag her to the floor. And it wasn’t just some crazy jealousy of his alter ego that was triggering the intense rush of hunger and need he was feeling. It was the woman.
Withdrawing his fingers, he lifted her and settled her on the edge of the island countertop. “Wrap your legs around me, Zoë.”
She did, but when he started to push down his briefs, she stilled his hands.
“Let me,” she said, echoing his words, and she took the length of him into her hand.
He sucked in a sharp breath as pleasure knifed through him. He glanced down at those narrow hands, the long fingers wrapped around him, and he nearly came. “Put me inside of you.”
She guided him right to her entrance. He felt the hot velvet enclose just the tip of his penis. His hands gripped her hips, and he was about to draw her closer when his brain cleared enough to remember. “Protection.” But he wasn’t sure he could pull away, wasn’t sure he could walk to the duffel bag that held the condoms.
“My bag.”
Jed reached for it, found the package and somehow managed to sheathe himself.
Zoë locked her legs more tightly around him and shifted closer to the edge of the counter. “Take me now, Jed.”
He obliged her by thrusting into her in one hard stroke. “You’re my dream come true, Zoë.”
He kissed her then, and she began to convulse around him, pulling him in even deeper. Digging his fingers into her hips, he began to drive into her harder, faster, riding a wave of pleasure that took him higher and higher, growing in intensity until it overpowered him and sent him crashing into a world of ecstasy.
BAILEY USED one of the napkins she’d grabbed at the hot dog stand and wiped off the seat of the park bench before she sat down. The Washington Mall was crowded with summer tourists, families mostly. A couple strolled by with a double baby stroller. One of the occupants was crying. Behind them a little girl was whining to be carried. Once her daddy scooped her up, she was all smiles. Most of the pedestrians were headed up the path to join the long lines at the Washington Monument.
Gage handed her one of the loaded hot dogs he was carrying and then passed her the root beer she’d ordered. “You’re a surprising woman, Bailey Montgomery.”
“Because I lured you into Georgetown and threatened you with a gun?” She bit into her hot dog and enjoyed the explosion of flavors on her tongue—almost as much as she’d enjoyed getting the drop on Gage Sinclair.
Much less enjoyable was her realization that the man still had an effect on her senses. The years hadn’t changed that. Nor had the years seemed to change him. But she’d had plenty of time to outgrow a “crush.” What she felt now, she wasn’t sure.
“Well, there’s that. But I should have seen it coming. More than most people, I’m acquainted with your background and your abilities. What I was thinking was that you’re a cheap date.”
Bailey shot him a look. “This isn’t a date.”
He waved that aside with his free hand. “Whatever. The point is I offered to pay, and I was expecting you to insist on lunch at the Four Seasons complete with Fr
ench champagne. And I’m also surprised that you like your hot dogs fully loaded.”
She took another bite and spoke around the mouthful. “It’s the only way.”
“No argument there.” Gage took a healthy bite of his own hot dog. “But why here? Why not take my credit card for a ride at someplace trendy and expensive?”
She shot him a serious look. “Someone might see us at a place like the Four Seasons, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be seen together right now.”
Gage bit into his hot dog and chewed thoughtfully. Then he took a swallow of his coffee. “Your boss, Hadley Richards, eats lunch at the Four Seasons at least three times a week. He also spends the occasional night there when he doesn’t want to drive back to his home in Virginia. You don’t want him to see us together.”
Bailey studied him. She hadn’t quite decided if she could trust Gage Sinclair or not. But she badly wanted to. “You keep tabs on Had?”
Gage licked mustard off his thumb. “I like to keep tabs on people I don’t trust.” He turned to face her then. “You don’t completely trust me right now. And the feeling is mutual. Why don’t you tell me why you have doubts about me, and I’ll return the favor?”
Bailey took another bite of her hot dog while she considered. Finally she decided that there was no reason not to follow his suggestion. “Why were you following me?”
“Uh-uh. Explanations first and then questions.” He sipped his coffee and waited.
Bailey studied him for a moment. She’d forgotten how dark and blue his eyes were. They’d always reminded her of sapphires. She had trusted the man who’d recruited her and trained her. But she hadn’t seen him face-to-face since he’d left the CIA seven years ago. He’d come close to death and sometimes that changed a man. But she was already walking on eggshells, and she had a feeling that time was running out on her.
“Go with your gut instinct, Montgomery.”
That was exactly what he’d said to her on the first case they’d worked on together. Besides, what choice did she have? Taking a deep breath, she said, “I know that you went to the Blue Pepper last night to meet Jed Calhoun.”