“There’s too much work to do,” Viv stated, as she wrestled the hat and coat off Katie.
Gripping her bags, Jack headed toward the back, where her office was located. “We could’ve phoned or emailed,” he called over his shoulder. “I’m not that much of a slave driver that I expect you to take her out in this mess.”
This wasn’t the first time she’d had to bring Katie, so Viv had invested in a small play yard for her office. This way the door could stay closed, and there was an entertaining area for Katie to explore while Viv worked. The brownstone had two spacious bedrooms that Jack had converted into offices. He also happened to keep a sofa in his office that converted to a bed...which she knew he often used instead of going home.
Viv sat Katie in the designated kid area in the corner and turned to take off her own coat. Jack had set the bags on the long accent table against the back wall and was closing the distance between them.
Why did her boss have to smell so good? And why did she have to be tortured by it?
“I expect you to tell me when you need a break.”
Viv untied her wrap coat and draped it across the back of her desk chair. Smoothing her silk blouse down over her pencil skirt, she attempted to calm her nerves. She’d lain awake most of the night worried about that journal.
Correction. She’d read the journal the first half of the night, then had stared into the darkness the other half, terrified of Jack’s reaction once he discovered the truth.
From the veiled hints penned in Patrick O’Shea’s neat hand, Jack was indeed the patriarch’s son. Jack’s mother had wanted to keep their affair a secret. Though, according to the timeline, Patrick and Jack’s mother had been an item shortly after Patrick lost his wife.
Most likely the man had turned to her only for comfort. But according to the journal, he’d been torn up over not having his son in his life. The reasons seemed valid enough. Jack’s mother didn’t want her child to be exposed to the O’Shea lifestyle, and she worried what would happen if Jack were given the infamous last name. The affair wasn’t created out of love, but from Patrick’s tone, Viv could tell he cared for her.
Regardless of Patrick’s past feelings or intentions, Jack wouldn’t care. He’d be furious learning who his family was. All this time he’d thought he had nobody, but the family he was hell-bent on bringing down shared the same blood.
Every time he mentioned his mother, Catherine Carson, his tone held pure affection and adoration. Jack was a loyal man, which was why the pain he’d endured too often had hardened him. He was protecting himself.
“Sit down.”
Viv jerked back. “Excuse me?”
Jack reached around her, turning her chair until it bumped the backs of her knees. When he curled his hands around her shoulders, she stilled. Oh, those hands were powerful as they pushed her into the seat. His eyes never left hers as he loomed over her.
“If you exhaust yourself to the point you can’t work, you’re no good to me.”
Viv shivered, from her damp hair, from his stare...from his low tone that resembled anger, though there was concern in those eyes staring back at her.
“I’m off tomorrow,” she reminded him. “I can rest up then. But if I needed a day off, I would’ve told you.”
His gaze flickered to Katie, then back. This wasn’t the first time she’d noticed how uncomfortable he seemed around the little girl.
“Does this bother you? Her being here?”
Jack shook his head. “Of course not. I’m just not experienced with babies, that’s all.”
She knew he had no kids of his own, and he was an only child, so it made sense that he was nervous. But there was almost a level of sadness there—an emotion she recognized all too well.
“What’s got you so nervous?” she asked.
Jack eased to his full height, crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her. The intimidating stance might work on some, but Viv saw right through him. She wasn’t a stranger to defense mechanisms herself.
“I need to answer a couple of emails, then we can start working,” he stated, obviously changing the subject.
Viv slowly came to her feet, not at all surprised when he didn’t back up. “I never took you for someone who runs away from confrontation.”
Jack’s eyes swept over her, then up again to meet her gaze. “I never run from anything.”
“No?” she retorted. “You’re married to your job, you don’t date and the sight of a child has you twitching. I’d say you’re running from several things.”
Viv ignored his sneer. Sometimes people just needed to be called out on things. Perhaps not her boss, but she couldn’t stand her curiosity anymore. She’d worked for him so long, yet he never, ever opened up. How did anyone live so closed off for that long? It was like he bounced between the office and his mansion. What did he do at home in that empty, sprawling house?
He traveled for work, always alone, but that was all the man did. Living a robotic life with very little meaningful interaction sounded so hollow, so depressing.
“Not everyone is so open with their personal lives, Viv.”
Why did her name sound so sexy coming through those kissable lips?
“When was the last time you dated?” he added, quirking a dark brow as if he’d bested her.
“The day before Katie came to live with me.” There. That should wipe that smirk off his face. “And you?”
The muscles in his jaw ticked. “Instead of digging into my personal life, why don’t we dig in to work?”
Viv shrugged. “Fine with me. I need to get Katie settled and give her a snack. Go send your emails.”
When she turned to ease her chair back, Jack’s hand curled around her arm. Viv glanced from his strong fingers over her silk blouse up to his eyes.
“You may want to rethink giving me commands.” That low, throaty tone washed over her, the warmth from his touch piercing right through to her heart. “And always remember who’s in charge.”
Oh, he could be “in charge” of her any time he wanted. But now would be a good time to keep her mouth shut. Apparently she’d hit her mark. If the hunger in his eyes was any indication, Jack wasn’t thinking of her as just his assistant anymore.
Good. It was time he was as uncomfortable as she was, because she’d been keeping her sexual frustrations in check for too long.
He released her, but didn’t step back. “Be ready in twenty minutes.”
Viv nodded, letting him think he could throw his weight around. Fine. Whatever. This was his office, he was her boss, but they both knew she’d knocked him off his game earlier.
Jack took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Call the deli on the corner and have lunch delivered at noon. I want—”
“A Reuben with half the corned beef, no pickle on the side, no chips and a piece of carrot cake.”
When he raised his brows and smiled, Viv added, “This isn’t our first lunch stuck in the office.”
Katie started screaming, “Up, up, up.”
Viv laughed. “Sorry. Her new word apparently is up.”
Brushing past Jack, Viv approached the Pack ’n Play. Those sweet little arms stretched toward her. Katie clearly needed the comfort that only human contact could provide. Viv understood that yearning.
After settling Katie onto her hip, Viv turned back to Jack, who remained exactly where she’d left him. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes. She just needs some love right now.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked again. “Does she do that often? Want you to hold her?”
Katie rested her head on Viv’s shoulder. Viv knew of nothing sweeter than to be a comfort for a grieving child. Even if there was no possible way Katie understood the grief, she understood the void.
“She seems to be clingier tha
n when she first came.” Viv wrapped her arms around the little girl, holding her firmly against her chest. “It’s almost like she realizes now that certain people aren’t coming back into her life.”
Viv was extremely careful never to say mommy or daddy. She didn’t want to trigger any painful emotions in Katie. But at the same time, Viv hated acting as if the Parkers had never been part of the child’s life. Hopefully, the family that adopted Katie would tell her about the amazing parents she’d had.
Jack eased around the desk, but didn’t get too close to her as he kept his eyes on Katie. “I will bring them down,” he vowed. “It won’t bring her parents back, but there will be justice.”
The conviction in his voice, the anger flaring in his eyes, brought on a fresh wave of guilt. How could she help him bring down his own family? Would he want to bring them down if he knew the truth?
Pulling herself together, Viv crossed the office to the table. As would anyone experienced with children, she used a one-hand grab to find snacks in the diaper bag.
“Just give me a few minutes,” she told him. “Then I’ll be ready.”
She continued to shuffle items until Jack left the room. Once he was gone, Viv closed her eyes, resting her forehead against Katie’s. Because at the root of all this chaos, the lies, the unknowns...the fear, there was an innocent child who deserved to be Viv’s top priority. Every action, every decision right now revolved around Katie and her welfare. The journal, the secret—none of that mattered in the grand scheme of things. Viv would put Katie ahead of her own needs, her own wishes and even what was morally right, if need be.
Even if it cost everything with Jack once he realized she’d lied and withheld the ultimate secret.
Five
Jack eased back in the leather club chair opposite Viv’s desk as she reached for yet more pieces of candy from her little glass dish. He wondered if she even realized she was doing so. She scrolled through the items on her computer screen with one hand, and used the other for snacking.
He could watch her eat candy all day. His body tightened as her tongue darted out to catch a stray piece of chocolate on her bottom lip. Why was he so turned on by such a simple movement? He knew why—because it was Viv.
“The notes I have copies of are all clean,” she stated softly. Katie finally had fallen asleep in her Pack ’n Play after lunch, so they had to talk quietly. “There’s no red flags on shipments, nothing that looks suspicious in the days leading up to the Parkers’ deaths. On the evening of the robbery, Ryker and Laney were out to dinner with Braden and Zara. Mac and Jenna were in Florida at the Miami location. They haven’t deviated from their stories even once.”
Jack eased forward, resting his elbows on his knees and raking his hands through his hair. “I’m going to call a meeting with Braden.”
Viv jerked around in her seat. “What?”
He saw no other way. Jack had already put the pressure on Ryker, the family henchman. If that didn’t work to Jack’s satisfaction, he’d go straight to the top, and that meant the oldest of the O’Sheas.
“You can’t do that,” she went on. “They’ll know who you are if you go to them.”
“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
Viv leaned her forearms on her desk as her worried gaze held his. “You were at Braden’s house with me for the Christmas party. Then you surprised them just a couple months ago with a visit. You think he won’t start putting all this together?”
The Christmas party. As if Jack could forget. Viv had worn some emerald-green dress that hugged every damn curve she owned, and that memory had haunted his dreams, sleeping and awake, ever since. He’d been her faux date so he could get inside and eavesdrop. Not that he thought some epic family secrets would be revealed, but he wasn’t letting the opportunity pass him by...and he sure as hell wasn’t letting another man take his place.
Jealousy was an unwelcome bastard.
“That was months ago,” he told her. “Besides, I had a full beard then and my hair was longer. And when I approached them after, I didn’t look like the same man. They have no clue. They know now I’m onto them, but they don’t realize I was the guy at the party with you.”
He often changed his appearance, even in minor ways, because the average person didn’t look beneath the surface. With all the people milling about, Jack was confident nobody would remember him from the Christmas party...not when he’d been overshadowed by Vivianna’s beauty. He’d also been sure to make himself scarce the times she’d chatted with the key players. This had certainly not been his first time sneaking around and altering his identity.
“And what are you going to say?” she demanded in a harsh whisper. “You can’t very well ask him to spill all his illegal doings.”
Jack wondered if she had any idea that her eyes widened when she grew angry, that one of her brows arched higher than the other.
“I’ve done this a long time,” he assured her. “Trust me.”
Viv closed her eyes, reaching up to rub her forehead. Glancing at his watch, he was surprised to see that they’d been at this for quite a while. Katie had been asleep for over an hour, and judging by the dark circles under her eyes, Jack guessed it had been a while since Viv had actually had a restful night’s sleep herself.
“Go in my office and lie down.”
Viv lifted her head, smoothing her hair behind her ear. Her braid had started unraveling, giving her that sexy, tousled look. As if she needed to look sexier.
“You’re exhausted and she’s asleep. I promise I’ll come get you when she wakes.”
Because he’d have no clue what to do with a baby, and attempting to learn now would not be wise for the sake of his sanity.
Viv shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Not surprising that she refused, but he wasn’t about to let her win this fight...or any other, for that matter.
“Thirty minutes,” he stated. “The couch is more than comfortable.”
“You’re speaking from experience?” She tipped her head to the side, knowing very well he slept in his office on occasion.
“I’m not asking, Viv. I’m telling you.”
She rubbed her temples, as she’d done several times in the past twenty minutes, and Jack wondered if her head ached from her hair being pulled back or because she’d been staring at her computer screen.
Pulling her braid over her shoulder, she reached up and jerked the rubber band out. After threading her fingers through the strands to loosen them, she gave her head a shake. There was no way he could take his eyes off her now. The simple move was just as sultry and seductive as a striptease. All that long, rich hair spilling down her back, the groan that slipped through her lips had his own body stirring. Again.
“Viv.”
Damn, that had come out like a growl.
Her eyes snapped to his. They’d worked countless hours in her office, but this was the first time he’d locked the main door so they wouldn’t be interrupted. This was also the first time they’d closed her office door, but that was for Katie’s sake. Still, being so confined with Vivianna, knowing the crackling sexual tension wasn’t going anywhere, Jack was having a difficult time focusing.
He rubbed his index finger against his thumb, practically feeling all that hair wrapped around his hand as he tugged on it...from behind.
Raking a hand down his face, Jack finally came to his feet. “Actually, head on home. We’re not getting anywhere, and I’m going to call Braden anyway and arrange a meeting.”
Viv continued to look up at him. All that hair spread around her, those midnight eyes wide... His body stirred again.
“Why are you angry?”
More like sexually frustrated.
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m not angry with you. There’s so much at stake here and I refuse to
let those bastards get the best of me.”
Katie made a whimpering sound and Jack realized he hadn’t even tried to keep his voice down. Viv’s gaze darted in the baby’s direction, then back to Jack.
“They won’t,” she told him. “But don’t be so hell-bent on destruction that you don’t find the truth.”
“What the hell does that mean?” he demanded in a harsh whisper.
Viv circled her desk to stand before him. “I’m just as eager to learn what happened to the Parkers as you are, but what if the O’Sheas truly had nothing to do with their murders?”
This was the first Jack had heard her even mention any doubts. Where were they coming from?
Viv smoothed her hair behind her shoulders. “Listen, I know you and the Feds want to nail the O’Sheas. I understand. I just really don’t know that they had anything to do with that night.”
Jack gritted his teeth. “If you’re getting soft because you’re working there—”
“I’m not getting soft.” As if to prove her point, she tipped her chin and narrowed her eyes. “If anything, I’m getting to know them a bit better, and I can honestly say I just don’t see it.”
Jack couldn’t believe this. He threw his hands in the air. “Most criminals don’t go around with a sign announcing their offenses. Of course they’re going to be friendly toward you so you’re not apprehensive. And why the sudden change of heart? You never questioned my suspicions before.”
She said nothing, just kept staring at him as if she wasn’t sure how to respond...or as if she knew something he didn’t. His radar wasn’t often off the mark. Why would Viv come to the defense of such seasoned criminals?
“Did one of them threaten you?” he murmured, taking a step closer to her.
“What? No, of course not.”
She gripped his elbow and squeezed. A simple gesture any friend would use when trying to get his attention. Still, the touch from Viv was anything but friendly...at least in his own mind.
“Listen, I’m just saying they definitely had their share of, shall we say, questionable transactions in the past.” Viv offered him a sweet smile. “But with Braden in charge now, I know they are trying to keep things on the up and up.”
The Heir's Unexpected Baby Page 5