The Boss

by Melissa Schroeder

  Heat flared, and her body easily responded. It took all of her control not to ease back, to press against him. God, she wanted this. Just this. Okay, she wanted sex, too, but she yearned for these stolen moments, the sweet times like these. She had missed them so much. Just simple affection. Like this. Right now. She had never shared this with another man and had never wanted to. That is, until Vic.

  It was stupid, though.

  “Vic? What are you doing?”

  “Nothin’.”

  He slipped his fingers beneath her shirt and flattened his palm against her stomach. She loved the feel of his callused fingers as he danced over her flesh and then played with her belly ring.

  “You are doing something,” she said, as he eased her even closer to him. She felt his erection against her ass and gave in, pressing back against him. Oh, bloody hell, the man would always get to her. Right now, her nipples were hard, and her panties were damp. “And it’s not a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  Good question. Right now, she couldn’t think of anything but touching him and having him touch her. She felt his teeth graze her neck, then the flat of his tongue trace over the spot. The man was trying to bloody kill her. His fingers inched up closer to her breasts as anticipation wound its way through her blood.

  It was now or never. If she was going to preserve her sanity, she had to move away from him. Sex had never been one of their problems. In fact, they were damned good at it. Too good, maybe. But it wouldn’t solve their issues, not right now. With more than a little regret, she shifted away and turned over to face him. He leaned closer to kiss her before she could say anything.

  It was heady, just like that first time all those years ago. Before she could control herself, she was sinking into the kiss, losing herself under his passionate onslaught. He rolled over on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him and gave in to the need that had been pulsing through her for months…years. She could never say no to him, and she knew he was the same way. She lifted up against him, reveling in the feel of his weight. Vic slipped one hand down to her rear end and cupped her ass cheek, pressing her harder against his erection.

  Yes. This. Now.

  He slanted his mouth over hers again and again. Each time he dipped his tongue against hers, she thought she would lose it. Just as she was about to completely surrender, her phone buzzed against the table. She wanted to ignore it, but just a few people had the burner phone number. Right now, though, it just didn’t seem important enough to stop.

  He pulled back with a growl. They stared at each other, their breathing and the buzzing of her burner the only sounds. The buzzing stopped, then immediately started up again.

  “I guess you should get that.”

  She nodded. “I would rather not, but only two people have that number.”

  He looked at her a long time, the sun streaming in and giving his skin a golden hue. With a sigh, he gave her a hard, quick kiss, then rolled away. She lay there for a long moment, trying to gather any brain cells he might have left. When she picked up the phone and saw it was Jay, she had to bite back a growl.

  “Yeah?”

  “Hope you two aren’t wasting time in there,” Jay said.

  The cheeky bugger. “Sleeping is not wasting time.”

  “I walked past, and it was a lot of moving around for sleeping.”

  The prat. “I think that is none of your business.”

  Now sitting on the edge of the bed, Vic glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “It is my business. We have a girl to protect—”

  “I am not a girl,” Millie said in the background.

  Jay apparently ignored her. “And we have things to do. I can’t have you two screwing things up by screwing your brains out.”

  Anger, swift and hard, shot through her. “I think you need to step back.”

  Before he could respond, Vic pulled the phone out of her grasp.

  “Hey, I’ll be out in a second. You and I need to chat, and I need to make sure that Mac doesn’t slit your throat for whatever you said.”

  Then he clicked the phone off and tossed it back to her. She caught it easily, her temper still brewing. The little weasel was going to regret that comment. She would make sure of it.

  “Why did you do that?” she demanded.

  He shrugged. “I kind of like my brother. I want him to survive another day.”

  “I can handle my own fights.”

  “I know you can.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and then looked at her. “Maybe that’s always been our problem.”

  His serious tone caught her off guard. “What the bloody hell do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, if you had told me once you needed me, or if I knew you needed me, we might not have had so many fights.”

  The sadness in his voice struck at her composure. One thing Vic rarely showed was his vulnerability. It was one of the many bad traits they had in common. Two tough people too afraid to show their softer sides—outside of the bedroom.

  She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

  “We don’t have time to rehash this,” he said. “Not right now.”

  “You think there will be time in the future?”

  The moment she asked, Mac regretted it. Why did she ask such a stupid question? It made her sound needy, which she was. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the answer, if she would ever be ready. He cupped her face with one hand. She could feel the calluses against her flesh again, and she sighed. She always liked a man who could work with his hands, and Vic definitely knew how to use his hands.

  “I didn’t think so. I thought everything was over and done with.”

  Meaning them. They were over and done with. But there was hope, wasn’t there?

  “And now?” she asked.

  He leaned closer and brushed his mouth over hers. The gentle touch was more about comfort than passion, and it nearly broke her heart.

  “Maybe. Let’s get this fixed, and then we can talk.”

  She nodded and blinked, trying her best to keep the tears at bay. Vic hated crying women, and she hated crying. He stood, grabbed his jeans, and stepped into them.

  “Gonna clean up, then have a real family chat with Jay. We’ll leave as soon as I get that cleared up.”

  He went into the bathroom and closed the door quietly. She sat up, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. When she heard the water running in the shower, she gave into the tears.

  So much, too much. It had always been this way with Vic. He could see right through her, and while she adored that, she also hated it. No man had ever been able to strip her bare. After that last big argument, when she had finally had the nerve to give him an ultimatum, he had left. On the surface, it had been about the business, but both of them knew it was about more.

  She scrubbed the tears from her face, trying her best to hide that she had been crying. She grabbed her phone and started to research what was going on in the diplomatic world tonight to see where they might be able to find out just what the hell was going on. Focusing on the mission was a lot easier than focusing on her relationship.

  …

  By the time Vic made it into the living area of the house, Jay was pacing the floor. He tried to fight the smile. He had been in this position more than once when Jay was younger. Raising his brother hadn’t been an easy chore. More than one night, he had spent his time wondering and worrying. Late nights and early mornings, hoping that he could live up to what his parents had asked of him. Kind of odd the shoe was on the other foot right now.

  “So, you wanted to talk.”

  Jay looked at him, a sneer on his face. “You two just don’t know how to stop. I would think at your age you’d know how to control yourself.”

  Another moment of déjà vu swept over Vic. Damn. He was sure he said that to Jay more than once during his teenage years. It was amusing to have the same person who hadn’t been able to control many of his teenage urges telling him he n
eeded to keep it in his pants.

  “First, I do know how to control myself. Second, it really is none of your business.”

  “Actually, it is.” He crossed his arms and frowned at Vic. “Rock and I just got everything back to rights before you blew in here and messed things up.”

  He blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  Yeah, he had, but he wanted to give his brother a chance to step back. Of course, Jay didn’t. Vic knew now why Mac had gotten so pissed earlier. It was the holier-than-thou tone Jay was using. Vic had a slow temper, but Jay had always known what switch to flip.

  “Yeah, I heard you. And I have more experience to know just what the fuck I am doing. Compared to you, that is.”

  The barb struck just where he wanted it to. Pain and embarrassment filled Jay’s expression. Dammit. Now he felt like shit.

  It took Jay a second to recover. “Well, at least I never bailed.”

  “You never bailed? Really? You’re inferring that I did bail?”

  “What do you call it?”

  Making sure he didn’t lose his mind had been most important. And his soul. He had been worried what might happen to both Mac and him if he had stayed.

  “Let’s talk about never bailing. Who gave up a promising career in the Army, then the CIA, because he had a brother to raise? Yeah, me. Who took jobs he would rather not handle because they were closer to North Carolina, so you could stay in the same high school? Yeah, me again. So don’t throw words like ‘bailing’ around. I did my time, and I did it without a thought. This time was about me and Mac. Not you. Not Rock. Not the damned job. For once, I thought you would have my fucking back.”

  “Excuse me,” Millie said. He looked back over his shoulder and then at his brother. It was pretty clear he hadn’t known that their “client” had been standing there.

  “What do you want, Millie?” Jay asked.

  “Are we staying here?”

  Jay looked at Vic, waiting for him to answer.

  He turned to face Millie.

  “For today, you stay here. We have a panic room in the cellar, so that will work, just in case. I think by tonight we will have some kind of handle on the situation. Then we’ll know where to stash you in D.C., if it is safe enough. Right now, this is off the books and away from the men with guns.”

  She nodded. He heard footsteps coming down the hall, and his pulse ratcheted up a few paces. Mac was coming. And just like that, his hair trigger was flipped. Worse, now that he’d slept next to her again. When he had awakened, the first breath he’d taken had been filled with her scent.

  “Hey,” she said when she stepped into the room. She glanced around at the faces, and he could see she knew there was a fight. “There’s a big to-do at the British Embassy tonight. I can get us in easily. We can definitely chat up some folks. Maybe get some joy that way.”

  He nodded. “Sounds good.”

  “Do you think it’s safe?” Millie asked.

  He didn’t answer her. There was still a part of him that thought the woman was putting them on. Was it safe? Less than seventy-two hours earlier, she had been drugged, abducted, and almost handed over to some very nasty men. What did she call safe?

  He looked at Mac, who smiled at him, and then turned to face Millie. “No. But that’s what we do.” She glanced back at Vic. “You need a tux, and I need a dress.”

  “Don’t we have something here?” he asked.

  She nodded as she smiled. “Dress up. Wanna help me pick something out?”

  Millie looked a little wary, but nodded.

  “Don’t get carried away,” he warned.

  “I’ll be ready to roll in less than an hour. I’ll grab you the Armani we bought last year.”

  He nodded. Then she practically danced away. He couldn’t fight the smile. Jay gave him a look. Vic shrugged.

  “Yeah, I know she’s a bloodthirsty killer, but the woman does like a reason to put on a pair of heels.”

  Jay smiled, but it faded away. “Sorry about before.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Some of what you said was true. Mom and Dad raised us both to speak our minds.”

  “Still. It was disrespectful.”

  Vic blinked and looked around the room. He leaned closer. “Where is my brother, and who are you?”

  Jay shook his head. “Serious, man. I know that you two have a long history. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt again. It was bad enough witnessing Mac fall apart.”

  Jay hadn’t really been working for them before. He handled some office stuff, answered the phone, but he had never been out on the job. Until Vic had left, that was.

  “Yeah, it was. That’s why I left.”

  “It was like watching my parents fight.”

  He understood where Jay was coming from, but it was still a little scary that Jay thought of them that way. Not many people would see Vic and Mac as candidates for marriage and kids.

  “Yeah? Think about it from where I am. The woman scares the hell out of me.”

  “I just need to make sure that when this is done Rock and I don’t have to fix her. It was hard enough before. I didn’t expect that.”

  “I just don’t know what to say to that. I thought she was better off without me.”

  Jay sighed, and for the first time, Vic saw him as an adult. He was ashamed to admit it, but he hadn’t given his younger brother enough credit for growing up.

  “She’s brash and rude all of the time, but when you aren’t around, she’s dangerous. To herself, to others.”

  “I know. Rock read me the riot act.”

  “So you know she’s talking about going back to England, then, right?”

  “Yeah, I heard. It’s bullshit, is what it is.”

  “No. She was serious. She’d even been talking to her father.”

  He bit back a growl and started to prowl the room. The thought that she had contacted that bastard was a bad sign. Her family put the dys in dysfunctional.

  “Just what the hell was she thinking?”

  “She wasn’t thinking, any more than you were. While I have to agree you are both mental—as she likes to say—you two seem to work better as a unit.”

  “That is, if we aren’t fighting.”

  “Yeah, well, you need to work it out.”

  He stopped his pacing and looked at his brother. “Why do you keep interrupting us, then?”

  “Messing around now isn’t going to solve anything. You need to wait until this is fixed to work on it.”

  “Yeah?” he asked, tongue in his cheek, but Jay didn’t seem to notice.

  “Yes. Heightened excitement, the danger, it makes people do dumb-ass things.”

  Vic cocked his head to the side and studied his brother. “And you learned this where?”

  “Hey, I took some college courses.”

  Vic straightened and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Jay smiled. “Okay. I remember it from Speed.”

  Vic rolled his eyes. “Speed? Bullock and Reeves?”

  “Doesn’t make it any less true, and you know it. I want you two to stay safe, too.”

  “Right back at ya.”

  “No. I’m serious, Vic. I know what kind of things you’ve had to do, how dangerous your jobs were. I didn’t always appreciate it then, but I want you to know that I do now.”

  For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. He wasn’t used to this grown-up version of his brother. Vic cleared his throat. “You’re welcome.”

  “Just promise me that you’ll keep your head screwed on straight for this job.”

  “I’ll try, but you know the truth of the matter is that being a few screws less than normal is why I am so damned good at this job.”

  Chapter Seven

  Life as a spy can suck, but if you play your cards right, there are champagne and designer shoes.

  —Mac Donovan

  Mac clawed through her closet, lamenting the fact she didn’
t have her clothes from her Georgetown flat. She had a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos she wore last time they had an opportunity to dress up, and a killer Michael Kors dress perfect for what they had to do tonight. She frowned. She really would love to wear them, but popping over to Avenue U to grab them wasn’t convenient or smart. There would definitely be someone watching the place.

  At least she had her favorite thigh holster. She felt positively naked without it, although she was pretty sure they were going in without any kind of hardware. They would have to go through a metal detector.

  “I know you said this was something you do all the time, but I still feel guilty,” Millie said.

  Mac looked at her. The young woman was definitely looking better. Sure, the what-the-fuck-did-I-get-myself-into look was still on her face, but she appeared a lot more solid than she had before.

  “You shouldn’t.”

  She sighed and looked out the window. The sad, lonely expression was one Mac knew well. What she didn’t understand was the guilt.

  “I can’t pay you.” Her voice was so small, Mac barely heard her.

  Ah, so that was the problem. “I know.”

  When Millie glanced back at her, Mac saw it there. The pain and embarrassment of having to depend on other people. Mac understood that. Standing on her own two feet was as important as drawing her next breath. She hated asking for help. It was bred into her blood, and she had learned it at the hands of her insane family. Asking for help was a sign of weakness.

  “But…still.”

  Mac set down the dress she’d been holding and approached the younger woman.

  “I want you to listen up. We took a job. It was a little suspect, but we still took it. It isn’t your fault or ours that it went south, but now we feel duty bound to fix it.”

  Millie nodded but still looked unconvinced.

  “I mean it, Millie. We have a reputation to uphold, and you’re not the person who needs to answer for this cock-up. That we lay at the feet of the federal government.”

  “I still don’t understand.”

  Mac studied her for a long moment. Millie was the kind of person who needed a direct answer, but Mac didn’t exactly know how to answer it.

  “What don’t you understand?”