A Little Harmless Lie

by Melissa Schroeder

  He leaned over, set his hand against her pussy and gave her clit one last press before joining her on the bed. He moved between her legs again, his cock in his hand. He moved it over her slit and then entered her in one hard thrust.

  Her muscles flexed against him as he started to move. His thrusts were slow, even, shallow, and she could do nothing to change his pace. When she settled her feet on the bed and tried to push against him, he rose to his knees and took her hips in his hands, lifting her feet off the mattress. She was now completely under his control and he knew it from the smile he gave her. Soon though, his thrusts sped up, deepened. Flesh slapped against flesh, her body hurdling toward her orgasm.

  “Baby, come now, do it.”

  She couldn’t do anything else but obey his command. Her release crashed through her, sending a wave of heated pleasure over her nerve endings as her body convulsed with it. He shouted her name and thrust into her one last time, the tendons in his neck strained, his whole body rigid as he came. She watched even as her body was still recovering from her orgasm, entranced by the sight.

  He was stunning.

  Long moments later, he lowered her hips and pulled out of her. He bent down, his eyes filled with tenderness, and she realized then that something big had happened. She knew it the moment she couldn’t come without an order from him. But it was then she realized he knew it too, that he had expected it.

  Dee waited for the fear, for the panic to set in, but as he undid the belt from around her wrists, a strong sense of rightness settled within her. This is what she wanted, what she needed. He slipped from the bed, set the belt on the dresser, threw away the condom and then joined her back in the bed. He pulled the sheet over them and then tugged her into his arms. As the warmth of his body surrounded her, his lips brushed her temple.

  “Thank you.”

  She sighed and let the sleep dragging on her take her, knowing that the man she loved had given her a gift that no one else could.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “It’s set up,” Dillon announced the moment he got off the phone. “I made sure that no one at the FBI knows anything about it, and I threatened a certain US Attorney with some bad press if he didn’t make sure that all of this was taken care of discreetly.”

  “So are Dad and Petey going to be here?” Devon asked.

  “Yeah, both of them. They were already planning a trip here.”

  Devon’s face showed his surprise and a little guilt.

  “No. Not your fault. He was planning this trip for a while. He was apparently genuinely surprised to find out that you two are alive.”

  Knowing that Devon wanted to know more, and that it would slow them down, Micah took over. “What are we doing? Where do we all need to be?”

  “They are going to meet downstairs in the casino.”

  “Isn’t that a little risky?” Dee asked.

  “It’s safety. Your father might not think twice about kidnapping you, but he wouldn’t do it with witnesses. If we can get the bastard on tape admitting to the killings, there will be no problem with the trial. In fact, it might keep you from having to testify, and it will offer some protection. Killing you will not stop a trial.”

  She sighed and leaned against Micah, and he could feel her muscles relax a bit. She would testify if she had to, that much he knew. But she would be happy not to have to go through it.

  “We need to wire you.”

  Conner stepped forward and Micah almost growled. The former agent must have seen his expression. “I have to wire her to be able to have the recording.”

  “Her brother can do it.”

  Devon stood and grinned at Micah. “Yeah, I know how to do a wire. Come on, Dee. Where’s the stuff?” he asked Conner.

  Conner led him to another area of the expansive suite.

  “You can stop trying to come up with ways to kill my brother.”

  He looked up at Maura, who had been pretty quiet up until then. It was only the two of them in the living area as she sat down on the oversized chair Devon had just vacated.

  “How do you know I was?”

  She laughed. “You have the whole predatory male thing down. But he has no interest in Dee that way.”

  “That’s not what her brother said.”

  She shook her head. “How did he find out?”

  “Said something about the case file.”

  She shut her eyes and shivered. “Oh, he hacked the FBI. Be still my heart.”

  He was smiling when she opened her eyes.

  “My brother didn’t have a thing for her. What you have to understand is after my folks died it was just Conner and I. He practically raised me.”

  “And?”

  “Okay, move your male stupidity out of the way and think. Dee and I are about the same age.”

  His mind turned over what she said and then it hit him.

  “Yeah. His judgment wasn’t clouded because of his interest in her sexually. It still disgusts him people thought that. His problem was every time he saw her, he saw me. It was hard to separate from that. I had just left for school. Then Dee falls into his lap. He blames himself.”

  “And his superiors think he had the hots for her.”

  “Yeah.” She made a face. “He lost all interest in keeping his career after that. Especially after John died. He resigned after they couldn’t find her.”

  “Why did they think he had an interest in her?”

  She shrugged. “He doesn’t know. John would have never said something like that. He had talked to Conner about it. Why?”

  “There’s a good chance whoever accused him of misconduct is the mole in the FBI. Or someone close to him was in the position to do it. You find out who did the report and you can find the person who got John killed.”

  “I don’t know why I didn’t think about that,” Dillon said from the edge of the room. “But you’re right. If whoever got me out of there, got me off the case, is still around, there’s a good chance that is whoever sold Dee out to her father. Why the hell didn’t I think of it?”

  The disgust he heard in the other man’s voice should have made Micah happy, but it didn’t. “You had just lost your partner, and I’m guessing at the time, your best friend. A young woman who reminded you of your sister had just been attacked and was possibly dead, and you had been pulled off the case. Most people wouldn’t think of it.”

  He said nothing but walked away, the anger and guilt vibrating off him.

  “Well, shit,” Maura said. “I should have thought of it too. It might have given us some kind of insight into what was going on at the time.”

  He shook his head. “I think it might have been a good thing.”

  “You think Conner being pulled from the case was a good thing?”

  “No, but him being smart enough to suggest they leave her on her own is probably what saved her. At the time, she wasn’t strong enough to testify. You know the FBI wouldn’t have protected her without any information. After the attack, I am pretty sure she would have had a breakdown if she had been forced to testify.”

  She nodded. “Still, you can’t understand the guilt he feels.”

  “No? I led you to her. How do you think that makes me feel?”

  She offered him a smile. “I knew after seeing you together at the club that no matter what happened, you would follow her. Zeke and my brother weren’t too sure.”

  “You need to talk to your brother.”

  She nodded and headed off in the direction her brother had gone in.

  “Oh, and Maura.”

  She turned around, her inquisitive eyes sparkling behind the lenses of her glasses.

  “Consider yourself a lifetime member of Rough ’n Ready.”

  Her lips curved into a smile that normally would have tempted him. She was just the type of sub he liked, but it seemed the position had been filled. Permanently.

  “Thanks.”

  As she strode away, he tried to wrap his mind around everything that had happened. It wa
s hard to fathom that just weeks ago all he wanted was Dee in his bed. He should have known there was something under the surface, something that was drawing her to him. He walked to the bedroom, his mind on the future. He hadn’t thought of it for years. Micah planned business, not life. It was one of his mottos. His main one in fact.

  When did things get so turned around?

  That was easy. It was the day that Dee had walked into his club. At first, he’d kept his distance, but that hadn’t worked. Granted, she had very adamantly said she wasn’t into the life, and if that was expected of her she didn’t want the job. His lips curved as he thought of the memory, the righteous indignation pouring off her.

  She had been a thorn in his side from the moment he’d hired her. One of the best bartenders, but hard for him to resist.

  He shook his head and decided to call Evan. He had to let him know everything was okay and check in on the business. He poked his head inside where Devon was wiring Dee.

  “Hey, do you have a secure phone?”

  Dee twisted around and smiled at him. Just that small curving of the lips and his entire body came alert…but scarier was the way his heart tripped at the sight. Jesus, if the woman knew just how much power she had over him, he was fucked.

  Devon looked at him. “Sure.” He handed him a cell phone.

  Micah took it and dialed Evan’s number as he walked back to the living area, realizing that life as he knew it was gone. For some reason, what he’d lost didn’t bother him that much. He looked at the door to the bedroom. Probably because of what he had gained.

  “God, what a sad sight.”

  Dee looked back over her shoulder at her brother. “What do you mean?”

  “Micah.”

  “Do you think there’s something wrong?” She couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice. The fact that the man hadn’t run like she’d expected, like she’d expected of everyone, still had her heart dancing the Lambada.

  “Other than the fact that he’s whipped?” He shook his head. “No.”

  She snorted. “Sure, he’s whipped.”

  “Turn.” She did as he ordered and he studied her. “Are you that stupid? I always thought you were smarter than that.”

  “I don’t have time to worry about my relationship with him. I have to get through the next few days without getting killed. That’s the priority.”

  He said nothing for a few minutes as he concentrated on his task. The only sounds in the room were his movements.

  “You think…” She let her words trail off as he glanced up at her with an amused look.

  “Yeah. Jesus, he followed you. He tracked you down. Men don’t usually do that unless they’re whipped.”

  She shook her head, trying to dismiss her brother’s words even as hope speared through her. “Micah just doesn’t like being lied to. And he always thinks he’s right.”

  Her brother laughed. “Believe me, I would have tracked down a woman who had lied to me, but I definitely wouldn’t go about trying to save her unless I was whipped.”

  She stared down at him, still unable to believe that Micah would feel that way about her. Life just didn’t happen for her like that. Men left. Men weren’t dependable. But there was something there, something deep in her heart that needed this to be true. She yearned to have a man to be there, to lean on, to trust.

  Stupid girls trust. Smart girls depended only on themselves.

  Oh, how she wanted to be a stupid girl. For once.

  Devon finished his task and she pulled her shirt back on over her head.

  “Why don’t you think you deserve him?”

  She glanced at her brother and then away. “What’re you talking about?”

  He sighed. “Don’t bullshit me. Tell me.”

  “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  When he said nothing, she looked over at him. He’d crossed his arms over his chest and was staring her down. Damn, she forgot just how irritating he could be. As twins, they often knew each other better than anyone.

  “Everyone leaves.” Her voice cracked on the second word and she closed her eyes. It was a waste of time because tears started to slip from her eyes. “Oh, shit.”

  “Everyone doesn’t leave.”

  She knuckled the tear away and tossed him a nasty look. “Really? Tell me where in my life that you think that hasn’t happened to me. Every important man in my life has let me down.”

  The moment she said the words, she regretted them. Devon’s face lost some of its coloring and his jaw flexed.

  “Devon—”

  “No. You’re right. I knew what those bastards were like and I left. You had no idea, but I did. But I escaped, reasoning what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you.”

  She could hear the condemnation in his voice. “Devon…I don’t blame you.”

  “No? Well, I would.”

  She shook her head as she walked over to hug him. “At seventeen, I probably would have done the same thing. Seriously. If I had known what they were like, I would have run a long time before I did.”

  “But I should have—”

  “What? Told me that our brother and father were sadistic fucks?”

  He snorted.

  “Not sure I would have listened to you then.”

  “Probably not. You were pretty hard-headed.”

  She sniffed. “Yeah, well, at least I didn’t do illegal things.”

  He pulled back and smiled down at her. “Only faked an identity.”

  “Hey. I paid my taxes and was a good citizen for ten years.”

  “Go see your man.”

  She turned to leave but then paused. “You really think he’s whipped?”

  He nodded. “You might have had every man walk away from you, but there was one who didn’t. In fact, the man raced across an ocean to come get you.”

  She smiled as she slipped out the door and walked toward Micah.

  “I don’t give a fuck. You tell Franklin that we aren’t paying more for the liquor.”

  She laughed. He might play the carefree Dom, but the truth was he was a businessman. She should have known he would be talking business with Evan. She must have made some kind of noise because he turned to look over his shoulder. Heat flared in his eyes as his gaze locked in on her. She stopped, unable to walk. Her whole body sizzled, her nerve endings sparking. Jesus, all the man had to do was look at her and she was lost.

  “I gotta go.”

  Evan said something because Micah smiled. “Tell May I owe her a drink.”

  He clicked off the phone and without a word walked toward her. He stopped inches from her, cupped her face with his hands and leaned down for a kiss. He didn’t close his eyes. Heat, delicious and familiar wound through her veins and wrapped around her heart.

  He pulled away. “Did Devon get you all wired?”

  Her heart was smacking against her chest and there was a lump the size of a boulder in her throat. She swallowed past it and nodded.

  “Hey, are you okay with this? If not, we can go.”

  Tears prickled the back of her eyes and she shook her head. “No. I outed myself. I need to go through with it. Who knows what else my brother and father will do if I don’t get them behind bars.”

  He nodded and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll do whatever you want. You want to stay and fight or run, just let me know.”

  Again, another rush of tears filled her eyes. Damn, she was crying again.

  She wanted to run far away from Micah. If her father found out how much he meant to her, he would hurt Micah to hurt her. At the same time, she wanted him here by her side. She was making about as much sense as this situation.

  “Dee?” Dillon’s soft voice drifted through the room and brought her back to the present.

  She leaned back and looked at Micah, a man she thought never to have, the one she had thought out of reach, too dangerous. He hadn’t been the kind of man she had dreamed of years ago. But beyond everything else, he had given her bac
k her dreams…her tomorrows. No one had thought enough of her to do that, had loved her enough to put their life on the line to ensure her happiness.

  She rose to her tiptoes and brushed her mouth over his. With her lips still against his, she said, “I love you.”

  Anyone watching wouldn’t have seen his reaction, but she did. His eyes widened and his hands flexed on her waist. He opened his mouth, but she pulled away and shook her head.

  “I just had to say it. For me, I had to say it.”

  Micah studied her for a second and then nodded. “Don’t think we won’t talk about this.”

  “Dee?” Dillon said. “Time to go.”

  She nodded and turned, but Micah followed.

  “You can’t go,” she said.

  Micah frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “No, you can’t. Conner can go, because well, he has the connections. If my father knows anything, and I am sure after that email he sent out feelers, he knows how important you are to me. You’ll become a target.”

  “You shouldn’t be going alone. I can go. I can take care of myself.”

  “I have to agree with him,” Devon said. She glanced at her brother. “If Dad knows about him, he will think it’s odd he isn’t there.”

  She looked at Conner who nodded.

  With a sigh, she rolled her eyes. “Freaking men. Okay, come on, but let me handle it.”

  He gave her a smile that told her he could care less about her warnings. With a huff, she followed Conner out of the room, with Micah close behind.

  As they stepped on the elevator, she realized this was the first day of the rest of her life. She just hoped that life didn’t end today.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Something cold slithered down Micah’s spine the moment he spotted Peter Rizzoli. Just like the last time Micah had faced him, Rizzoli didn’t look like the bastard he was. In better shape than most men his age, his dark hair was now threaded with gray and his face almost unlined. More than likely Rizzoli had been botoxed. The man was vain enough for it.

  He was dressed in a conservative tailored suit, the only splash of color the red tie. The young man standing next to him had to be Petey, the oldest and the one Conner had said was completely out of control. Rizzoli was a bastard, a murdering bastard, one who put a hit out on his daughter. It was business. While Micah couldn’t understand feeling that way about another person, he knew the type. His mother had been that way. Dee was in Rizzoli’s way, so he put out a hit.