Testing The Boss (Billionaires In The City, #5)

by Mallory Crowe

  One more thing out of her hands. So she’d do the one thing she could. Watch Luke and make sure he didn’t die.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I have some news,” said the man over the phone.

  Luke stood and pushed his carton of shrimp fried rice farther on the kitchen island as he headed for the balcony. “I have to take this,” he mouthed to Evelyn before he escaped to the terrace. The wind up here was loud, but he held the phone closer. He wasn’t going to take this call anywhere Evelyn could overhear.

  “Colin?” he asked once he was alone.

  “Jace said that you needed some assistance in the city. I owe him a few favors.”

  Luke noticed he didn’t confirm his name, but he didn’t care who it was if they had something that could help him. “What do you have?”

  “Not much yet, but I got a copy of Longineu’s private schedule. I just sent it to your phone.”

  “That was fast. Didn’t Jace just contact you today?”

  “It was convenient. Longineu has been spending a lot of time with Walter Farrell over the past few weeks. I lifted his phone for a few minutes during lunch today.”

  Convenient...and scary. If Longineu was trying to recruit Farrell, that meant he was stepping up his plans. The Farrell fortune was notorious, and Longineu was probably chomping at the bit to get his hands on some of that money. Not to mention the power that went along with it.

  If Farrell joined the Thirteen Stars, their power would increase exponentially.

  “Thanks for the schedule,” said Luke. “Do you need a retainer for your services?” He didn’t mind paying for the help, but he’d like to know the fees ahead of time.

  “This one’s on the house.”

  “On the house?” If there was one thing Luke didn’t trust, it was free things.

  “Longineu rubs me the wrong way and I don’t like that Walter has been meeting with him so much. If you take care of Longineu, that would be payment enough for me.”

  Luke frowned. What kind of relationship did Colin have to the Farrells that would inspire so much loyalty? But saving a few extra bucks probably wouldn’t hurt. He had a bad feeling he’d never see that hundred million he’d invested to get into the Thirteen Stars again.

  “Thanks for the info. Keep me updated if you learn anything else.”

  The other man hung up without a word, and Luke pulled up the calendar that Colin had sent over. Lots of business lunches, dinners, drinks, but not a lot of work. Figured.

  He tucked the phone into the pocket of his pants and headed back into the living room.

  Evelyn had taken off her suit jacket and was just in her unbuttoned blouse, and he found himself wishing the tank she wore beneath was lower cut. “Did I miss anything?” he asked. He realized that her gun holster was off too, and resting on the far side of the counter next to her phone. The holster had to be uncomfortable after eight hours, but it was still a strange sight to see in his kitchen.

  “Just me stealing one of your shrimp. Besides that, nothing. Was that a work call?”

  “Yep. Nothing important. I tell people only to call me after hours if something is on fire or someone is dying, but they never listen.”

  Evelyn let out a small laugh. “Unfortunately, that’s the reason for most of my phone calls.”

  Luke pushed his food over and took the stool next to her at the island. “So what about your day? Make any good breakthroughs on the case?”

  Evelyn met his eyes and then looked back to her food. “Unfortunately, we’re still coming up empty in most areas. We’re working on tracing one of the phone numbers from the cell I took from the man at the cottage, though.”

  Luke took a breath. Damn. She was still feeling guilty. What did he have to say to get through to her that she shouldn’t mourn that man’s death? “Stop thinking about it.” He set a hand on her knee.

  Fear flashed in her eyes. “Forget what?”

  “This guilt you’re feeling,” he said. “You know, the only reason you should feel bad is if you felt nothing. If killing someone had no effect. But trust me, as the person you saved, I think you were completely justified.”

  Evelyn smiled at him and reached up to cup his cheek. “That’s really nice, Luke,” she whispered. “But that’s not what’s bothering me.”

  “What is?”

  She tightened her lips as her hand fell from his face. “That’s confidential.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “Don't keep secrets?”

  “Don't stop touching me.” He used his free hand to catch hers, the one that had just been stroking his face.

  “I thought we weren’t doing this anymore.”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “You did think that. I never did.”

  “Feeling a little cocky, Devereaux?”

  “Feeling like I want you in my bed, Price. Now I challenge you to give me one good reason why we shouldn’t go upstairs together right now.”

  Her brows furrowed. “How about the massive bruise and cut on your forehead that has been giving you a headache all day?”

  “Would’ve been much worse without you there to be my knight in shining armor.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Wouldn’t have happened at all if I didn’t let you distract me. Which is exactly what you’re trying to do right now.”

  Fuck. Reasoning wasn’t working. Luke decided to go for it and leaned in, capturing Evelyn’s lips with his. She started to pull away and he caged her head with his hands. “Please, don’t.” He couldn’t say that he was proud to beg, but damn, he really didn’t want her sleeping alone tonight. He didn’t want to sleep alone tonight. Not when she was so close and so perfect. “Come upstairs with me,” he said between kisses.

  “Luke, I—”

  “You want to,” he insisted. He wasn’t opposed to playing dirty. Evelyn wanted him, and he was determined to make her see that. He reached down to her knees and pushed her legs open. Her breath caught as she met his gaze, but she didn’t move to stop him. Progress.

  He reached between them and pressed his palm to her mound. He could feel her heat through the fabric of her pants, and he knew that if he could push inside her like he wanted to, she’d be wet for him.

  Her eyes drifted closed as he rubbed her, and he leaned forward, nipping at the curve of her neck while she wasn’t expecting it. She jumped under his unexpected touch and made the sexiest sound of surprise he’d ever heard.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her, leaning back at the same time until she was straddling him on the stool as he kept kissing her throat.

  Her arms held him tightly as though she thought he might drop her, but he had her perfectly balanced. There wasn’t any way he was going to mess up having her in this position.

  He gripped her ponytail to angle her head in the other direction so he could give the same attention to the other side of her neck, and she signaled her approval as she started to move against him. He was torn between the discomfort of his erection pressing against his pants and the need to move against her. Damn, he needed to get her into bed as soon as possible.

  But then she tilted his head back and kissed him fiercely even as she pulled at her blouse, throwing it on the floor next to them. Luke immediately pulled at the hem of her tank, desperate to expose as much of her skin as possible. Desperate to get more of her.

  She pulled away from him just long enough to pull off the tank top and bra in one quick motion.

  His breath left him as her beautiful breasts were freed right in front of his eyes. But he couldn’t touch her and keep her on his lap at the same time. Which meant he needed to adjust positions ASAP.

  He stood with her in his arms, kicking the stool down. It fell with a loud bang as he positioned her ass on the edge of the counter. She tugged at his belt, and he knew they were on the same wavelength. God, he loved this woman. He pushed her hands away and undid his pants himself, pushing them down and kicking off his shoes at the same time.

  Evelyn turned
back to her own pants, and he helped lift her so the material could slide down her legs. He knelt down to unzip her boots until she was fully naked.

  He took in the sight of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen: naked, leaning back and staring at him with lust in her eyes. He might never be able to eat on this counter again, but, damn, it was worth it.

  “I need you so bad.” He stood up and positioned himself between her legs. He wanted to romance her. Seduce her. Prove to her why she should stay.

  But every time he was around her, logic seemed to slip away, replaced with the primal urge to get her naked and beneath him as soon as possible.

  At least it seemed he wasn’t the only one. Evelyn reached between them and wrapped her fingers around his cock and all rational thought fled. He needed to be inside her. Now.

  She positioned the tip of his cock at her entrance, and he didn’t wait any longer. Luke held her close as he pushed in. Her head fell back as she moaned his name.

  He pulled almost completely out before he thrust in again; her breasts jiggled at the motion, and he thought he might come right then and there. He was never going to get enough of this woman.

  But he was determined to make her come. He just needed to hold on...

  One arm wrapped around her waist and held her steady as the other one found the small, sensitive nub right above her entrance and pushed.

  Evelyn gasped and moaned at the same time. The sexy noise went straight to Luke’s cock. Damn.

  His thrusts came faster and harder, his own body directing the pressure his hand was putting on her clit, and he said a silent thanks as her orgasm hit her hard.

  The feeling of her clenching tightly around him was all it took to push him over the edge. He had to use both hands to hold her ass as he came, the release shaking his entire body.

  He opened his eyes a second later and held the breathless Evelyn close. He rested his head against her neck and ran his hands along her back, savoring the feel of her. He might be losing her soon, but at least she was still with him for now. He’d savor the moment and take advantage of any future ones as long as she’d let him.

  Evelyn ran her hands over his back and pressed a kiss to his neck. “You’re officially a bad influence.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” he muttered, even as a grin covered his face.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t even get you shirtless.” She pulled at the buttons of his shirt.

  “Night is young,” he promised. “I have plenty of time to keep corrupting you.”

  He started to pick her up, but she shook her head. “Wait.”

  Luke winced. Was he going to have to convince her that this was a good idea all over again?

  Evelyn reached back and grabbed her holstered gun and cell phone from the counter. “I’m ready now.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Tell me everything you know about Easson Harper.” Evelyn pulled Hotchins into the conference room next to Luke’s office.

  He held out a folder and set it down. “Nothing good. He’s military background, but his files were sealed. If you can read between the blacked-out sections, you’ll know as much as me.”

  Evelyn frowned as she pulled the folder from his hands and opened it on the conference table. “Military? What branch? What squad?”

  “Nothing. Everything was classified, even for me. It took me three days to even get this.”

  She frowned as she flipped the pages in the file, skimming over everything that wasn’t concealed by a fat black marker. “This doesn’t make sense. He seemed trained, but I was able to fight him off easy enough.”

  “Well, you’re special. He probably wasn’t expecting a fight when he came up on you.”

  He hadn’t expected a fight as he snuck up on a woman alone in her apartment. “This man is dangerous,” she muttered.

  “Does Luke’s assistant realize what she’s gotten herself into?” Hotchins took a seat.

  “I didn’t tell Luke about it.” Hotchins frowned and Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Don’t judge me. She was out with this guy for the entire weekend and didn’t have a scratch on her. What harm could a few more days do?”

  He raised a brow. “Since you already know the answer to that, I’m not going to dignify it with a response.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “But you should’ve told Luke,” he said.

  “Scared of a lawsuit?”

  “You seemed to be getting along lately. I’d hate for that newfound trust to be ruined.”

  Evelyn felt the blood rush from her face and tried to keep her reaction neutral. Did Hotchins know exactly how well they’d been getting along? Ever since that episode on Luke’s counter, she’d hardly been able to take her hands off him. The only boundary she’d been able to maintain was no showers. At least she could slightly concentrate on hearing if anyone broke into the apartment.

  “We’ve been able to set aside our differences for a common goal,” she said carefully.

  “That’s good. He mentioned that you were hoping to get back to Texas when this investigation was over.”

  Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest and stood up straighter. What was Luke doing talking to Hotchins behind her back? “That’s hardly a secret. You’ve already declined three of my transfer requests.”

  “You do good work here. I know it feels like you’re running on a treadmill getting nowhere, but you’ve made more progress with Thirteen Stars in a few months than we’ve done in years. I’d hate to lose a resource like you.”

  “I appreciate the praise, sir, but this was only temporary until I recovered enough to head back.”

  Hotchins sighed. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Price.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “The man you shot back in Texas didn’t die from his wounds.”

  “You know who he was?” She’d been under the impression that the man had never been found.

  “His name is Victor Morales.”

  “Shit.”

  Hotchins stood and put on his official face that told Evelyn that nothing good was going to come from this conversation. “So you know who he is?”

  “The nephew of the leader of one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico. I’m familiar with the family,” she said bitterly.

  “You should be happy he’s not dead. If he was, their hitters would’ve tracked you down no matter where you were transferred to. But even though they haven’t found you, you’re officially on the do not enter list down there. If the cartels find out that you’re back, you’ll be dead before you can get any shots off.”

  An uneasy feeling settled in Evelyn’s stomach as she realized exactly what Hotchins was telling her. “This wasn’t a temporary transfer, was it?”

  “I hoped that you would see how well you fit in here and want to stay, but I suppose I overestimated my charm.”

  “You could’ve told me up front.”

  “In my experience, people don’t like being told what to do. I prefer to lead them to the right decision and let them think it was their idea.”

  “What changed your mind about making me decide to work here?”

  “The fact that your best friend in the department gave your address to someone who tried to kill you was a nail in that coffin.”

  He probably figured right. “I hate this city,” she reminded him.

  “So I’ve heard. But not in the past week, funny enough.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Hotchins passed her and opened the door to the conference room. “I have a schedule full of meetings this afternoon. Keep me updated on your progress, Agent Price.”

  “What did you mean?” she asked again, not happy about his evasiveness after he just confessed how much important information he’d been concealing from her the entire time she’d been up here.

  “It’s not my business,” he said, “but you seem to be a bit happier about the city ever since you stepped up your involvement with Mr.
Devereaux.”

  She tried to keep her face blank, but she could feel the blood rush up her cheeks. “You have a strange definition of happier,” she said, but he was already leaving.

  “Keep me updated,” he called as he headed down the hallway.

  Evelyn glanced behind her and saw that he’d left Easson’s file for her. Probably a not-so-subtle hint to tell Luke about what they were up against. Evelyn snatched the file and tucked it under her arm and started to turn when the glinting sun reflecting off the skyscraper across the street caught her eye.

  She crossed to the window as though drawn by some force and glanced out at the street below, mostly in shadow due to the buildings and setting sun. So unlike Texas, where the sun was practically a constant. Sun she’d never be able to see again.

  Maybe for short periods, sure. But long term? As long as the man she shot still had family connections in high places in the cartel, she’d never be safe there. That was just how powerful they were. She could actually count herself lucky they didn’t send someone to track her down in New York, but she didn’t see anything lucky about this.

  As soon as she finished this case, she was supposed to go home, but now there wasn’t a home to go to. Just a crappy apartment and a job where her best friend had tried to kill her.

  So she was just supposed to sit back and get comfortable?

  There was another option still. She could leave. Transfer to another office or even leave the Bureau. Jace had done well for himself on his own, and she had a feeling he wasn’t going to be taking on as many clients in the near future. If she went into the business, he’d be more than willing to shoot her referrals.

  But she’d wanted to make a difference. After her time in the service with Jace and the rest of their team, she could’ve made millions if she struck out on her own. But she’d thought she could help if she had Uncle Sam backing her work. And she had. She hadn’t fixed the broken system down there, but she’d made a lot of busts and set up a great backbone in the agencies she’d worked with.