by M. S. Parker
Now he stood there, staring through the slit in the door, feeling like the world’s biggest deviant, and the world’s biggest ass, and a million other things, as he watched some bastard going down on his woman.
Lacey was his, damn it.
But she was sitting in there, letting another man touch her.
Long moments passed and he watched as another man brought her to climax, and son of a bitch, she wasn’t faking it, either. He knew her climaxes—knew the feel of them, the look of them…even the taste of them, but he didn’t have that pleasure now.
Another man did.
Brogan was stuck there watching.
Just let that be all I have to watch—
A sly little voice in the back of his reminded him, You can leave whenever you want.
He couldn’t leave until he’d talked to her.
But he didn’t have to watch her having sex, damn it.
Before he did something that would make things even worse, he tore himself away.
I should just go home, he thought woodenly.
It looked pretty damn clear that she’d already kicked him to the curb.
Except Brogan wasn’t ready to let her go.
Not as easy as that.
So he’d go back up to the club. Wait until he’d cooled off. Wait until he could find her for a few minutes. Talk to her.
They needed to talk.
He doubted he could manage a rational conversation tonight, but he sure as hell wasn’t leaving until he at least figured out where in the hell she was staying.
Although he had a sinking suspicion he already knew.
Nearly an hour passed before Lacey left his office.
Louis Rainier settled back behind his desk, a smile on his lips, feeling pretty damn pleased with himself.
He’d made her smile. Finally.
Then he’d made her sigh.
It had taken a long time, but Lacey had finally smiled for him.
It wasn’t proving very easy to lighten whatever dark cloud had settled over her…
The phone on his desk rang.
“Yeah?”
“Boss, you remember that dude you wanted us to watch for?”
Narrowing his eyes, Lou leaned back in his seat. “Yes.”
He’d been in contact—albeit brief contact—with Lacey’s friend back home, Rocki. After she’d seemed so quiet and sad, he’d gotten worried. What kind of friend would he be if he wasn’t worried? They might be very good in the sack, and maybe he’d carried a torch for years, but she was also one of his best friends. He was supposed to worry about her. Rocki had all but had him seeing red by the time their brief conversation was done.
A bastard was responsible, one by the name of Brogan Grainger. Rich fucker. Into security. Broke Lacey’s heart. If he came around, Rocki would appreciate if Lou broke a whiskey bottle over his head—her exact words.
Armed with that info, he’d done some research and then he’d asked his own security people to watch in case the guy showed up.
“I think he was here, boss. Scary-looking dude too.” Dugger handled the cameras, and to him, anybody he had to look at in person was scary.
“Shoot me the feed.” He’d seen a few pictures of Grainger online. Spinning around in his chair, he flipped on the monitor and then scowled as he recognized the face.
Yeah, that was him.
Then, eyes narrowing, Lou watched the man walk down the hall. Studying the timestamp, he murmured, “Man, you got an eyeful, didn’t you?”
Lacey had realized when she left that he hadn’t shut the door all the way. She’d blushed clear down to the edge of her sexy little corset, tempting him to strip her right back out of it.
The door had been open—it never shut all that well and normally he was better about closing it, but earlier, he’d had other things on his mind. Namely, getting Lacey naked.
Seemed somebody had likely seen things he might not have wanted to see.
“Boss?”
“Yeah?”
“Should I get Jinks down here? You want us to boot him?” Dugger asked, his voice nervous.
That was Dugger. Dugger was always nervous. He practically oozed anxiety. Frowning, Lou continued to study the feed for a few more minutes, watching the man’s face as he came striding back down the hall a few minutes later. “Where is he now?”
“Sitting up in the club. In a booth. Just sitting there. No drinking, not talking. Not causing trouble, just sitting there.”
“Leave him alone. But tell Jinks I want him keeping a close eye on Lacey tonight—he’s not to leave until Lacey and I are in my car, got it?” If it was just Lou, he wouldn’t worry—he could go a few rounds with the jerk. He didn’t mind if the fucker was a bruiser or not. But he wasn’t going to drag Lacey into it. No way, no how.
Brogan had spent too many years working security not to know when he was being watched.
He didn’t think Lacey had made him, but somebody sure as hell had.
There was a big-ass man hanging by the door, although he had his eyes trained on Lacey.
He had two men watching him.
Decent security, he figured, for a bar.
They managed to keep him in their sights and still watch their clientele, although if he’d decided to get ugly, what were they going to do?
Not that he was there to get ugly. He just wanted to talk to Lacey.
He slid her another look…and saw the big guy shoot him a narrow one in return. Brogan smiled to himself as he toyed with his straw. He’d wanted to order whiskey—preferably a gallon of it, but he’d stuck with a soft drink and it was watered down now.
He’d talk to her. Maybe not tonight, and that might be for the best. And it might not happen here. But past six weeks had proven something—he had a hole inside him. A big, ugly hole and it hadn’t existed until he’d fucked up and lost Lacey.
He wanted her back.
If that didn’t happen, he might as well just dig a real hole and get it done, because his life was empty without her.
Eyes gritty, heavy, he leaned back in the seat and watched as she continued to work the bar, side by side with a stocky, redheaded giant.
The two of them were a pair, he mused.
They joked around as if they’d known each other their whole lives, it looked like.
Broodingly, he noticed that she was laughing…a lot.
He hadn’t given her much cause to smile. To sing. To laugh.
“I’ll make it up to you, Lace,” he murmured.
Jinks was lingering at their back as they headed out to Lou’s car.
Lacey slid him a look before glancing at Lou.
He shrugged. The big guy was the quiet sort. It had been nearly two weeks before he’d done anything more than grunt Hey in her direction.
Tonight, though, he was following them out to Lou’s car and when she reached the door, he had a big hand on it to open it before she even had a chance. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
Jinks just grunted and headed back into the club. He was a big dude but he moved as quick and light as a dancer. Just doesn’t seem natural, she thought. As Lou slid into the seat next to hers, she studied him, waiting for an answer.
“Lou…?”
He gave her a puzzled look.
“Yeah?”
“What was the deal with the escort?”
“Hell, you know Jinks. If he’s decided he needs to follow people out to their cars, he’s going to do it, and he might explain why…under threat of starvation.” Lou paused, and then added, “Or cats.”
“Cats?”
Turning the key in the ignition, Lou shot her a grin. “Yeah. Lou doesn’t like cats. Threaten to surround him with cats and he might do just about anything to avoid it.”
Chapter Four
She’d gone home with him.
Brogan sat in his car outside the house, staring up at the place and keeping himself inside through sheer will alone.
Well, at least he knew why she hadn’t h
ad anything pop for home rentals when they’d tried to find her.
She was staying with a fucking lover.
It was the only thing that made sense.
It ripped his heart out to think about it.
Sitting there, staring as shadows moved back and forth in front of the windows, he fought with the monster of rage inside him, the demon of jealousy, and the beast of grief. He’d had her…and it looked as if he’d lost her.
All because he was too lost in his own head.
Just leave, that insidious little voice murmured yet again. But he ignored it. Any time he listened to that voice, he’d gotten in trouble.
He’d been listening to that voice when he’d been married.
She had been perfect for him, after all. He’d been fresh out of the military, recovering from an injury and trying to find a way to invest the money his grandfather had left him. He had the training and the smarts, so why not security? The lovely wife seemed a fit and she had helped open so many doors…and then she’d slid a knife in his back. That little voice had told him there was nothing wrong with all those hushed conversations and that little voice had told him a million other lies too.
It had been that voice that had told him not to get too involved with Lacey… He couldn’t trust women, right? Steered him to the wrong woman, then away from the right one. So much for trusting his instincts.
It was time to listen to his gut now. His gut. His heart.
If he wanted any chance at all of winning Lacey back, he needed to stop worrying about the past and focus on Lacey. And probably cut it with the stalker shit. He was almost positive that wasn’t going to go over well with her.
Get a little bit of sleep, shower and change so when he came back tomorrow, he didn’t look like a fucking zombie.
Maybe he could find a way to throttle down on the rage so when he saw Mr. Piano Man, he didn’t beat him bloody.
Shoving the key into the ignition, Brogan gave the house one last, lingering look.
Lacey was in there. It was like ripping out a kidney to drive away.
But he did it anyway.
It was noon when she finally stumbled out of the shower.
Lou’s hand stroked down her ass, and she shifted, smacked it away. “Damn it, quit it. You’ll drown me if you pull me back in there,” she said, laughing at him as he gave a theatrical sigh.
Lou was all sorts of theatrical.
And he was all sorts of good for her too. Her libido. Her ego. There was no reason she should have waited three weeks to get back with him. She probably shouldn’t have waited as long as she had to come here period.
It took having her heart ripped out to realize how bad Brogan had been for her.
Towel-drying her hair, she closed her eyes and let herself admit some of the things she’d been hiding from. She should have walked away well before now. Should have come here or even gone to spend a few months in France with her dad. Anything to get some distance. The ache in her chest was there, and she knew it was going to be a while before she could think about Brogan without it hurting, but she’d make the break.
That was the big thing, right?
It gets easier at this point, she thought.
She hoped.
She prayed.
The water turned off as she finished drying her hair and she yelped as a pair of hands closed over her hips, drawing her back up against him. “You’re insatiable, “she sighed.
“Hmmm. Well, I’ve got a woman bent over naked in front of me, letting me see all sorts of interesting things…” He cupped her in his hand and pushed one finger inside her pussy. “What do you expect?”
Pleasure shuddered through her. Need was a hot, slippery little devil that licked at her insides and turned her blood to molten lava. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Nope.” He bit her shoulder, twisted his wrist…and then moved away, slipping his finger into his mouth. “I just couldn’t help myself.”
“You’re about as rotten as you ever were.” Frustration and humor danced inside her. She’d forgotten that sex could be fun. It had always been like that with Lou. Nice to see she could find that again. She grabbed her robe and moved up to him, leaving the robe hanging open as she stroked a hand down his middle, closed her fingers around his cock, stroked up, then down. “So…you can’t help yourself.”
His lids drooped under the touch of her hand and she started to pump as he muttered, “Yeah.” He thrust against her hand.
But when he went to grab her wrist, she pulled back.
“I get that way a lot. Impulsive and all.” She grinned at him and then said, “So, I’m hungry. Want some breakfast?”
He pressed his hand against his cock, grumbling a little before reaching for his clothes. “You’re a brat.”
“Yep. Breakfast?”
He sighed. “As long as you’re cooking it.”
“As if you could.” She smiled at him as she tied the robe around her waist and headed out the door.
I almost…almost feel happy, she thought. Almost. She wasn’t quite there yet. There would still be a lot of bad days ahead. But maybe she could get over Brogan. One of these days.
The doorbell rang before she made it to the kitchen. Groaning, she glanced down at her robe. It was lined—she’d brought her winter one, the silk one lined with cotton on the inside—she never knew when Lou was going to have a weird idea for a photo shoot that was going to involve her being naked and freezing, but she didn’t want to answer the door in her robe.
Sighing, she made her way to the door and punched in her code before opening it.
If she’d looked through the peephole as Lou was always nagging her to, she never would have opened it.
By the time she thought about it, it was too late. Her heart crashed to her feet, and then it started to dance and she wanted to kick herself, grab her heart and put a leash on it…something, anything, to keep herself from feeling so happy at that sight of that craggy, not exactly handsome face.
As her heart gave one hard, bruising knock against her ribs, she swallowed.
“Good morning, Lacey,” he said quietly. That low, raspy voice, just barely above a growl, sent shudders coursing through her and she had to lock her knees just to keeping them from trembling.
“Brogan.”
He glanced down, his gaze lingering on her robe, and then he lifted his eyes back to her face.
“I’d like to talk with you—”
“We got company, baby?”
Still in shock, Lacey was stiff as Lou came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, hauling her back against him. He planted a playful kiss on her neck before looking up at the man standing in the doorway.
“Hello…” He smiled, all friendly like. Typical Lou. Then, still being typical Lou, he said, “Dunno if you’re a politician or a salesman, but we’re not interested. Are we, baby?” As if to reiterate that fact, he skimmed a hand up her side, up…then down. Up, then down.
“This is a…” Lacey cleared her throat. “An old acquaintance of mine, Lou.”
“Oh…gotcha.” He nudged the door open. “Come on in. Any friend of Lacey’s…”
Brogan inclined his head. “Thank you.”
So polite, Lacey thought. Dazed. So very polite…
Then she wasn’t able to think much at all—Lou had her turned around, planting a quick kiss on her lips, one hand resting too damn low on her back, just above her ass. “Why don’t you go get dressed and I’ll make up some coffee?” he murmured against her lips.
“Get dressed…” She glanced down, scowling.
Then she groaned, feeling a blush creeping up her neck. She was standing there. In her robe.
Between her current lover and a very recent ex-lover. Of course, Brogan had probably just now figured out he was an ex-lover.
Glancing at Brogan, she beat a quick retreat.
If she’d bothered to look back, even for a second, she might have glimpsed the icy look flashing in Lou’s eyes.
<
br /> “You frequently paw women in front of guests?” Brogan asked coolly.
Lou shrugged. “Hey, our house…we can do as we see fit.”
“Our?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah.” Lou studied him coolly, and that friendly façade was gone as if it had never existed. The blue eyes that had smiled so easily were now brittle, sharp as broken glass. “Our. As in ours. Lacey lives here with me, has for a few weeks and she’s planning on hanging around a while. That makes it our house.”
“I see.”
Lou smirked. “Yes, I bet you do.” He brushed past Brogan. Close. Close enough that Brogan could have reached out and punched the bastard. Snapped his neck.
Then the man paused and slid him a narrow look—challenging. The glint in his eyes seemed to whisper, Try it.
Their gazes held for a moment and then Lou headed on into the kitchen. “So did you get an eyeful last night?”
Brogan tensed.
Over the counter, Lou smiled. Seconds later, the rich scent of coffee beans filled the air, followed by the whir of the grinder.
“Excuse me?”
“You make decent security systems—one of the branches your dad owned installed the one I’ve got in my place years ago. My uncle updated the cameras last year, and let me tell you, they can capture some really clear images.” Lou braced his elbows on the counter and those blue eyes remained cool, remained icy. “I saw you down by my office. Bad timing, man. Bad, bad timing. That couldn’t have been any fun. Well, at least not for you.”
Brogan almost went over the island after him.
Then Lou shifted his gaze to the side, a smile curling his lips up, and the cool look in his eyes softened.
“Hey, angel,” he murmured.
“What wasn’t any fun?”
Eying the bastard, Brogan crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the lies.
But to his surprise, Lou chuckled and held out a hand. As Lacey accepted, Brogan found himself sinking—everything sinking. His heart down to his knees, any hopes he had of fighting for her.
This fucker was about to screw everything up.
No, you did that.
But if the bastard had lied…