He lifted a shoulder; a line creased his brow in thought. “I thought maybe it hadn’t been closed. It seemed tightly sealed though.”
She shook her head. “Only Michael would be on the other end.”
“I know.” His tone was terse.
Her heart rate slowed and her lungs tightened. “You suspect him?” Michael had never crossed her mind as a suspect.
He scoffed. “Hell, I suspect everyone right now. Guilty until proven innocent and all that.” He pushed into a sitting position. “Let’s not worry about that for now, I’ll handle it. How about a shower?”
“That sounds good, but only if you’re in it.”
“You bet I’m going to be.” He tickled her side and she giggled and rolled away from him as he stood from the bed.
“I meant what I said about round three,” she called to his back as he exited the room. His broad shoulders nearly filled the doorway, the muscles down his bronzed spine clenched as he moved. His high, tight glutes sent a thrill over her skin.
“We’ll see about that.” He turned and winked at her. She laughed, and followed him to the bathroom.
Chapter 17
“What’s that?” Ethan throat tightened on the words. He wouldn’t sound like a jealous asshole if it killed him. Riley plucked the hem of her dress, lifting it out to reveal her supple thighs as she looked down.
“This?” Her eyebrows rose.
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts and rocked back on his heels. “Yeah, it’s uh… pretty. You look pretty.” He corrected. Fuck. Pretty didn’t cover it. The light pink linen dress revealed the bronze tone to her sun-kissed skin, the thin straps showed her shoulders and damn, her perky cleavage was barely concealed. He’d kept his promise last night and had kept his hands to himself until midnight. After that, he’d made her scream. His body tingled at the memory.
He’d kill Nate. The bastard wasn’t even here yet, and already Ethan wanted to wrap his hands around his throat and shake the salacious smile from his face. If he so much as looked at Riley—
“Thanks, I’m glad you like it.” She beamed and her cheeks flushed. “Ready to go?” She slipped her feet in low-heeled shoes and threaded her arm through his.
“Yeah,” he ground out. Nate would be landing any minute. After they picked him up and brought him to his hotel, they’d go over the plan for tonight. Ethan led her through the door and locked it behind him.
Her hips swayed gently in the short dress. It took everything he had not to scoop her up and carry her inside for a quickie. He stepped up behind her as she reached the passenger door of his truck and grasped the handle before she could. His free hand slid under the material of her dress. His palm settled over her ass cheek, his fingertips dipping along the thin material of her thong.
“Ethan,” she shrieked and clapped her hand over her dress. She spun around and pressed her back to the truck. His hand rested on the inside of the door, he cupped his free hand around her waist and drew her up so he could nuzzle his face into her neck. She squirmed as his lips moved over her satiny flesh. A giggle sounded in her throat. “You’re an animal,” she laughed.
He grinned. “You have no idea. Keep wearing dresses like that if you want to find out.” She shoved at his shoulder and inched her way toward the seat, keeping her butt out of his reach.
One perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. “You’re blaming the dress?” Her fingers trailed a line of fire across his chest. His hand closed around hers, stopping her. If he didn’t tear himself away from her they’d never make it out of the driveway.
He scoffed. “Damn right.” He wrapped his hands around her slight hips and lifted her into the seat. “Now buckle up before you lose that dress in the driveway.”
Her mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t dare.” Her eyes sparked with interest. The front of his jeans tightened. Taking Riley in the driveway in broad daylight wouldn’t faze him.
“I wouldn’t test me if I were you…unless of course, you’re game.” Her eyes drifted away from his. The faintest hint of a smile touched the corners of her mouth. Every muscle in his body tensed. “You’d better not answer that.”
He shut the door and rounded the vehicle. By the time he’d buckled up and pulled out of the driveway, his need for Riley hadn’t dimmed.
She rested her head against the seat, her hands clasped in her lap, and her knees pressed tightly together. His hand instinctively moved to her thigh, his fingers sliding over her skin. Her muscles relaxed under his touch and her hand covered his. His brain filled with the soft scent of her from their lovemaking last night, her sharp intakes of breath resounded in his head from her climaxes. His hand tightened on the wheel and his jaw locked as he headed toward the airport. Riley was intoxicating. Being near her was like an alcoholic on a wine tour. He couldn’t get enough of her.
“Has it been a long time since you’ve seen Nate?” Her question broke the silence and turned the direction of his thoughts. Nate had no place in his mind where Riley was concerned.
He cleared his throat. “It’s been a couple of months. I should probably warn you about him.” He loosened his death grip on the wheel and rested his fingers at the bottom of it. Riley’s thumb smoothed over his knuckles.
“Warn me?” A glance at her showed her face turned toward him, her brows furrowed with amusement. “About what?”
“He’s an idiot, that’s all.”
She laughed, the movement caused her hand to hitch his palm further up her leg. He stroked his fingers over the inside of her delicate flesh, remembering how she had reacted when he’d kissed the same spot. Her thighs tightened and her laughter faded on a gasp.
His fingers tensed, resisting the urge to trail the remaining couple of inches up her dress. Not now. Not when he’d have to see Nate’s stupid face in a few minutes.
“Why is he an idiot?” Her voice rasped through the interior of the truck. If it weren’t so damn warm out he’d open his window to cool the heat that had spread across the back of his neck.
“Just ignore almost everything he says. He’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong, but he’s an even bigger pain in the ass.”
Riley shook her head on a laugh and reached forward to adjust the cool air. A few minutes later, they pulled into the airport parking lot. He rounded the vehicle to help Riley out, but she was already on her feet by the time he reached her. He extended his arm to her and she moved into his side like a paperclip drawn to a magnet. She fit nicely under his arm, her hip brushed his and her hair tickled his bicep.
Nate was going to give him hell.
They waited at the luggage belt. Ethan checked his watch; Nate would have landed more than fifteen minutes ago.
“Goddamn, look at you sexy motherfuckers.” Nate came up behind him and nudged him in the back. Riley turned in his arm to face Nate.
She stuck her hand out. “Hi, I’m—”
Nate dropped his bag to the ground and pulled her into a hug. “I’ve heard all about you, honey. It’s nice to meet you.”
A dull throb started between Ethan’s temples as his eyes landed on Nate’s hands. One rested respectfully on Riley’s shoulder blades, the other on her lower back. Fuck, why had he thought Nate coming here would be a good idea? Nate had been here five seconds and already Ethan’s blood pressure had skyrocketed.
Nate backed away from her. “I’d better keep my hands off. Sasquatch looks ready to tear me to pieces.” Ethan seethed. Nate grinned, his eyes sparked mischievously and he pulled Ethan into a hug. “Good job, dude.” He mumbled next to Ethan’s ear. Ethan slammed his palm against Nate’s back with enough force to shut him up.
Riley eyed him over Nate’s shoulder, her lips pursed in a shitty effort to keep from laughing.
“Let’s go, we have lots to go over.” Ethan broke away from Nate, and pulled Riley against his side. Nate sided around him and fell into step with Ri
ley.
Nate talked about his flight on the way out, and roused several giggles from Riley. When they got to the truck, he stopped to open Riley’s door. Ethan folded his hand around the edge, and narrowed his eyes at Nate. “I got it. Hop in, babe.”
Riley wiggled her way between them and climbed in the truck, Nate was smart enough to keep his eyes off Riley’s ass. She settled in her seat and buckled up as Ethan closed the door.
“You don’t need to mark your territory, bro.” Nate clapped him on the shoulder with Riley out of earshot. “I like ribbing you guys. You and Cal get so damn jealous, it’s hilarious. You’re forgetting I’m like your damn brother.” Nate smacked Ethan in the chest, opened the rear passenger door, and got in. Ethan bit back a remark and rounded the truck. The sonofabitch was right, of course. He was being territorial for no reason. Nate would never make a move on a woman who one of his best friends had an interest in. He only acted like a douche to get a rise out of them and did a damn good job of it.
The tension eased from his shoulders as he got behind the wheel and started the ignition. Riley’s warm, soft fingers curled around his as he pulled out of the parking spot and eased onto the road. The hard knot that had formed in his chest loosened under her touch.
“Aww, you guys are so cute,” Nate sang from the back seat.
Riley covered her mouth on a chuckle. Ethan closed his eyes on a breath and opened them. Jesus Christ, he was going to fucking kill him. It was going to be a long week.
* * * *
“Wait, wait, wait—” Nate pressed his hands to the table, and his eyes bore into Ethan’s. Nate’s stony glare translated to: Are you fucking insane?
Ethan pressed his knuckles against his chin, his elbows rested on the table. They’d just finished the dinner they’d picked up on the way to Nate’s hotel, and now sat around the table, each with a drink. Riley topped off her glass of wine, oblivious to the silent battle raging between him and Nate. He agreed with his friend’s unspoken words—the idea of positioning Riley in the house to catch the bastard was reckless.
Ethan shifted his eyes from Nate, back to Riley. She tucked her foot under her and smoothed her dress over her thighs. Ethan curled his fingers against the table to refrain from touching her.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea, Nate?” She sipped from her glass, and the fire in Nate’s eyes dimmed.
“With all due respect, honey. No, I think it’s moronic.”
She set her glass down. Her cheeks tinted and her eyes darkened. “Well, it was my idea.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Ethan opened his mouth to step in before Nate put his neck further on the line, but Riley continued before he could speak.
“If Ethan had his way, we’d be laying breadcrumbs. I don’t know if you’re up-to-date on the situation, but a young woman, my best friend to be exact, has been missing for a month. The police are stumped and more concerned about speeding tickets, so if you’ve got a better idea, let’s hear it.”
As much as he hated the idea, Riley’s steely glare and hard words fell over him. Pride surged through Ethan’s chest. She was so damn strong and confident, even the sharp opinion of an FBI agent didn’t rattle her. She twirled a lock of her blond hair around her finger as if she hadn’t just insulted them both.
“Well?”
Nate dropped his attention from Riley and zeroed in on Ethan. “She always like this?”
Ethan met Nate’s eyes and lifted his shoulders. “You see what I’m dealing with now?”
She leaned forward in her seat. “You’re dealing with someone who has a personal investment in this. Someone who—”
Ethan rested his hand on hers. Her temper waned under his touch, but fire shot from her eyes.
“That’s just it, Rye. When things affect us personally, our judgement is off.” He wouldn’t bring up her last tactic of luring men at bars in hopes to find the bastard. That, Nate didn’t need to know. He smoothed his thumb over her knuckle. Her eyes flared at him.
“We already agreed on this, Ethan. There’s no other way.” She swung her attention to Nate, pinning him with her stare. “Unless Nate’s got a better idea, this is what we’re doing. You may not like it, but you can’t stop me from going there. You can either help me do this, or I’ll do it on my own.” She pulled her hand from his and flattened her back against the chair.
Nate took a swig from his rum and Coke. “Fine, I’m in. But under one condition, we do it my way.”
Riley’s jaw worked. “And what way is that?”
“I don’t think you realize what’s at stake here. I see your reasoning and in theory, it’s not a bad plan.” He leaned forward to wrap his hands around his glass. “Problem is, he knows you’ve been hanging out with King Kong, and all of a sudden despite the attempts he’s made against you, you’re staying at your house unprotected? I’m not saying the guy’s a genius, but let’s not assume he’s brain-dead.”
The hard line in her shoulders sank as if a weight had dropped on them. Ethan inched closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to soften the blow of Nate’s words. This close, the delicate line of her profile etched with strain. Moisture collected at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked furiously. She hadn’t thought it through, and dammit, he hadn’t either. Classic mistake of getting emotionally involved. He may not have the ties to Hanna that Riley did, but his ties to Riley made him vulnerable.
“So what do we do?” Her voice was small, her fingers intertwined with his at her shoulder.
“It can work, but we have to be smart.” Nate rubbed his knuckles over his jaw. “We need to come up with something, a reason that you’d be by yourself.”
Ethan massaged his temple with his fingers. They couldn’t screw this up. “What about a party?”
Riley swirled around to face him, her brow crunched over her eyes. “A party? How is that going to help?”
“Wait a minute; E could be on to something.” Nate’s index finger wagged in the air as he mulled over the idea. “And, no one knows who I am”—his eyes widened—“right? You didn’t tell anyone I was coming or that I’m with the FBI?”
“Nope.” Ethan shook his head.
“I’m not following you guys.” Riley shook her head, her emerald eyes clouded with confusion.
“It doesn’t have to be a party.” Ethan’s wheels began to turn as he squeezed his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Just as long as we publicly have a falling out—an argument maybe. You tell a few people that I’m a dick and it appears as if we’re on a break or something.”
“And I could solidify that assumption.” Nate’s flashed a smile.
“How do you mean?” Riley sat up straighter, her eyes wide with interest.
“Well, maybe I could be the reason you two fight. We could pretend to bump into each other at a bar, where there’s lots of people. Jealous E”—Nate nodded at Ethan—“gets pissed off, you two exchange some words, and poof! Word gets out that you two are finished and it’s not a red flag that you’re back at your place alone.”
Riley’s shoulders loosened beneath his arm as she nodded. She turned to Ethan, her eyes round and hopeful. “That could work.” Then more carefully to him, “Don’t you think?”
Unease swirled in his gut. It was dangerous. The reality of what they were exposing Riley to settled on his chest with the weight of a dump truck. If the bastard knew she was unprotected, he would undoubtedly make a move.
Riley’s eyes searched his face, fear hardened the soft lines of her cheeks. Fear that he would say no.
“I’m more worried that it will work.” He rasped through the tightness in his chest. “You know she’s not actually going to stay at her place alone, right? We can’t do that.” This he directed to Nate.
Nate chewed his bottom lip. “I’m not sure how we’re going to sneak you in there, bud. An elephant would draw less attention.”
/>
“Fuck you,” he bit out.
Nate chuckled and poured another shot of rum into his glass, then reached for the bottle of Coke. “I can set up cameras inside—”
Ethan snorted. “Not good enough. What the hell is a camera going to do?”
“It will alert us if someone gets into the house.”
“No. Hell no. I’m going to be in that house with her or the plan is off.”
Riley rested her elbow on the table and dropped her head into her hand. He smoothed his hand down her spine but she shook him off. Was she mad? Hell, he didn’t care. When it came down to her life that was all that mattered to him. She could be as pissed as she wanted.
“We’ll go through with the fight at the bar, and Ethan will leave angry. I’ll stick around for a bit and then take a cab home.” She brought her attention to Ethan. “You can cut through the neighbor’s backyard and let yourself in through my back door. It’s the only option.”
Nate shrugged. “Could work.”
Riley smiled and lifted her eyebrows expectantly at him. “What do you say?”
“Sounds like a solid plan.”
She took a sip of her wine, strain crinkled the corners of her eyes. She lowered her glass and took a deep shaky breath. “If he finds out we’re onto him…that the FBI is involved…what will he do to Hanna?” Her voice broke on the last words.
Ethan’s chest constricted and his pulse slowed. One glance at Nate showed he’d picked up his phone, pretending to be distracted. Ethan rubbed his hand over her wrist, his eyes locked with hers. His teeth clenched, making his jaw grow stiff.
“What will he do if we do nothing? You said yourself that every minute counts. Either way, we’ll have to take some kind of risk.” He massaged the back of his neck with his free hand, but the muscles didn’t relax. “I hate using you to bait him.” His tongue rolled across the back of his teeth. “But we don’t have much choice.”
Her eyes lowered, revealing the contrast of her long, dark lashes against her creamy cheek. Slowly, she nodded. Her eyes lifted to his, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a tight, determined smile.
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