“What’s the alternative?”
She didn’t have an answer.
“If we don’t,” he said, “we’ll go crazy.”
She couldn’t argue with that. She was already going crazy.
“We do it,” he stated. “We get it out of our system. We move on.”
She was tempted. Her body shifted toward him. She was inches, seconds from melting into his arms.
A boom reverberated through the apartment while white light flashed outside the windows.
In a split second, they were on the floor, Troy’s body covering hers as the apartment plunged into darkness.
“What?” she gasped against the press of his shoulder.
Troy raised his head. “Don’t move.” He pulled up.
She sat, blinking against the dark room. Through the windows, she could see city light a couple of blocks away. Whatever had happened, it was local.
“It was an explosion,” she said.
Was it a pipeline? A gas stove? A bomb?
“I’m going to check it out,” said Troy.
She came to her feet. “I’m coming with you.”
“Stay here.” It was a clear order. He’d already moved across the apartment, and a small flashlight beam shone in the foyer.
“I’m not some delicate flower.” No way, no how was she cowering up here while the men investigated the danger.
“You’re also not dressed.”
She tightened the robe around her. “So what, I’ll—”
The apartment door banged shut.
“—find something to wear,” she finished.
It only took her a moment to find the dining room table. She felt her way to her cell phone and turned on the flashlight.
Permission or not, she was borrowing some of Kassidy’s clothes.
Seven
Troy and Vegas were on the rain-swept street with the majority of the Pinion staff on duty. Edison was inside with a few other men, starting the backup generator and making sure Pinion wasn’t the target. Sirens whined, red and blue lights flashing in the dark as more police and firefighters arrived.
“A vehicle hit the electrical pole,” said Vegas. “They’re guessing a faulty wire, or the impact could have cracked the insulation on the transformer. Went up like a torch.”
“The driver took off?” Troy asked.
As he spoke, his gaze caught a flash of orange leggings and a glittering top. His first thought was Kassidy had arrived home. But then he saw it was Mila. She was soaking wet, talking to a man in the crowd.
“Probably drunk,” said Vegas. “Cops only heard from witnesses that it was a black SUV. Our security cameras might show more.”
Mila handed something to the man. With a sinking feeling, Troy realized it was probably a Pinion business card. She was representing Pinion Security looking like that. Fantastic.
“Anyone gunning for us right now?” He wasn’t particularly paranoid, but Pinion did gather its share of enemies.
“Nothing particular comes to mind,” said Vegas. “Most of the messy stuff is offshore.”
“That’s what I thought.” Troy watched Mila approach another man. He assumed she was introducing herself as a Pinion employee. “Good grief,” he muttered.
“What?” Vegas glanced around.
“I’ll be back.”
Troy strode through the puddles, rain falling on his face, the lingering fire from atop the power pole flickering against the wet ground. The strobes of the police cars put Mila into light and then shadow, light and then shadow.
Her hair was soaked. Her shoulders were bare. And her boots, still saturated from the obstacle course and shower, were unlaced and flopping around her ankles.
He shrugged out of his jacket as he approached, wrapping it around her shoulders as he spoke into her ear.
“I thought I told you to stay inside.”
“Thank you,” she said to the man, handing him a card. “If you remember anything else, please give me a call.”
“I’m investigating,” she told Troy as the man walked away.
“It was a hit-and-run. Both the police and station fifty-one are here investigating.”
“But who hit and who ran?”
“Put your arms in the sleeves.” He latched the bottom of the zipper.
She quickly stepped back. “Don’t treat me like a child.”
“We have a dress code.” He eyeballed her up and down. “You look ridiculous.”
She closed his jacket around herself. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“You had the choice to stay put upstairs.”
“This could have something to do with Kassidy.”
He paused for a moment, thinking his way through the incident. He wasn’t seeing it, but Mila had his curiosity going. “How?”
“Whoever hit the pole was distracted.”
“Or drunk.”
“Maybe. But it’s a Wednesday night, and there aren’t a lot of bars in the neighborhood. Someone might have been checking out the Pinion building to look for Kassidy, missed seeing the pole, set off the explosion then took off to protect his identity.”
“You’re reaching.” It was a common mistake, particularly among rookies—looking at evidence in a way to fit a pet theory.
“It’s a theory,” she said. “I’m not married to it. But I’m not discounting it, either.”
“You have evidence?”
“Two witnesses say it was a man. They describe him as a businessman.”
Troy waited. “That’s it?”
“There was a guy at the last gig. He was in a blazer. Something about him looked out of place.”
“And you’re thinking businessmen wear blazers.”
“Exactly.”
It was the first time Troy had been disappointed in her reasoning. He hadn’t always agreed with her, but he’d taken her for logical and intelligent.
“There are a lot of blazers in DC,” he said.
“And somebody’s stalking Kassidy.”
“Maybe.” As far as he was concerned, they hadn’t even established that much. Nothing had happened so far that couldn’t be explained by an exuberant fan base.
Mila set her jaw. “I’m going to ask some more questions.”
Troy scanned the small crowd of onlookers. Nobody set off his radar. Nobody looked suspicious. He was inclined to believe this was just a random accident that had nothing to do with either Pinion or Kassidy. There was little good, but little harm Mila could do by continuing to question bystanders.
“Zip up the jacket,” he told her. “And next time, wear appropriate clothing.”
“That wasn’t my—” She seemed to check herself. She swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
His passion rolled back in a rush. She looked sexy and sweet and vulnerable standing in the rain in his oversize jacket, determined as all get-out to do a good job. What was he going to do with her? How the hell was he going to keep his perspective?
He checked out the crowd one more time.
He didn’t see any danger.
He turned away, crossing the street to where Vegas was on his cell phone.
Vegas tucked away the phone. “What was that all about?”
“She was handing out our business cards, looking like a rock star.”
“Why does she look like a rock star?”
“Kassidy’s clothes.”
Vegas looked him up and down, clearly suspicious.
“No,” said Troy. “She showered, and we ate some pizza.”
“Uh-huh,” Vegas said, still looking skeptical.
“I’m not lying.”
“You just tried to zip her up nice and cozy in your jacket.”
“So she wouldn�
��t embarrass Pinion.”
“I don’t care if you lie to me. But don’t lie to yourself.”
“She’s hot,” said Troy. “She’s sizzling. If she offers, I won’t say no.” He set his jaw, letting his expression serve as a challenge to Vegas.
“I couldn’t care less about your personal life,” said Vegas. “Just don’t make stupid decisions when it comes to Pinion.”
“You think she’d sue?” Troy’s gaze moved back to Mila. He couldn’t imagine her claiming sexual harassment.
“I’m not talking about a lawsuit.” Vegas sounded disgusted. “I’m talking about you rejecting a good employee because you can’t see past your own lust.”
“She’s a woman,” said Troy.
His decision had nothing to do with her being attractive or not. Though she was intensely and incredibly beautiful. He watched the play of light on her face as she spoke. Her skin was creamy smooth, her eyes a deep green that seemed to go on forever, and her lips were plump, ripe and kissable.
He should have kissed her when he had the chance. If he’d kissed her hard enough, maybe they wouldn’t even have seen the explosion.
“Troy?” came Kassidy’s questioning voice, approaching them.
Drake was in her arms in a yellow raincoat. They’d obviously just arrived home.
“What happened?” she asked, looking around.
Troy couldn’t help but smile at his nephew. The hood was askew, and Drake was chewing on the plastic sleeve. His cheeks were plump and pink, and his eyes took in the chaotic scene of flashing lights and bustling bodies.
“Blown transformer,” said Troy. “It was quite spectacular.”
Though he wasn’t buying into Mila’s theory, he couldn’t help glancing around. He’d be more comfortable if Kassidy and Drake were inside.
“The generator’s running,” he told her. “You should take him in and warm him up.”
Mila appeared. “Have you got a minute?” she asked Kassidy.
“No, she doesn’t,” said Troy. The last thing he needed was Mila frightening or upsetting his sister. “Drake needs to get to bed.”
Both women looked at him in obvious surprise.
“What? I can’t know his routine?”
“It’ll just take a minute,” Mila said to Kassidy.
“She doesn’t have a minute,” said Troy. “And I need to talk to you. Vegas, can you take Kassidy and Drake upstairs?”
Kassidy’s surprised glance went to Vegas. She looked decidedly uncomfortable. Troy guessed she knew Vegas wasn’t her biggest fan. Too bad. Not everybody could adore her. Troy needed some time alone with Mila.
“Sure,” said Vegas.
“I can take her upstairs,” said Mila.
“I need you here,” said Troy; his look told her to keep quiet and agree.
She opened her mouth, but he didn’t let her get in another word. He grasped her by the arm and turned her away, walking her across the street.
“Don’t forget I’m your boss,” he said close to her ear.
“So, I’m hired?” Her retort was sharp and saucy.
“Temporarily.” He let go of her arm, weaving between two police cars to the perimeter of the hubbub.
She kept pace. “You’re overbearing, you know that?”
“I don’t need you upsetting Kassidy.”
“I’m not going to upset her.”
“She doesn’t need to hear your theory.”
They made it past the emergency lights and into the shadows of the dark buildings.
He halted and turned to face her, slammed immediately by a wall of desire. His hormones might have gone dormant there for a while, but they were now waking up to the moments before the explosion.
“I was only going to ask her some questions,” said Mila. “Jeez, Troy, give me a little credit. My theory is my theory. I’m pursuing it. But I’m not going to freak Kassidy out for no reason.”
Troy knew she was talking. Her gorgeous lips were moving. But his brain had stopped making out the words.
She paused. “Troy?”
“We need to talk about this.” It was getting worse. He could barely focus around her.
“We are talking about this.”
“Not that. The other.”
She seemed to regroup. “You mean sex?”
“I mean us. You and me, and how we’re reacting to each other.”
“We need to ignore that.”
“You think that’s the answer?” It sure wasn’t his answer. He’d been trying to ignore it for days. Ignoring it only made it worse.
“I do,” she said.
“It’s not working.”
“So we make it work. We’re rational adults.”
He wasn’t so sure about the rational part. He took a step closer to her. “We were ready to tear each other’s clothes off.”
“But we didn’t.”
“Only because something blew up.”
“I take that as a sign.”
“You don’t believe in signs.”
She flexed the slightest smile. “True. But we were lucky. Another couple of minutes...”
Another couple of minutes, and Troy would have felt extremely lucky.
“We can’t give in,” she said. “It would be bad for you, and it would be really bad for me.”
He started to argue, but she kept on talking.
“I need you to have confidence in me, to see me as a fellow professional, one of the guys.”
“I’m never going to see you as one of the guys.”
“Not if you see me naked.”
A vision flashed through Troy’s brain, Mila naked on his bed. “Too late.”
She drew back in obvious surprise.
“In my imagination,” he clarified. “I’ve seen you in my imagination.”
“Well, stop.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Then it’s a good thing you have self-control.”
“You’re saying no.” He didn’t like it, but he had to accept it.
“Yes. No. I’m saying no.”
“But you weren’t back there.” For some reason, he needed to hear it. “I saw your expression. That was a yes in my apartment.”
Silence stretched between them. The shouts of the firefighters and the lights of the accident scene seemed to fade.
When she finally spoke, her voice was low. Standing in the drizzling rain, she looked more vulnerable and desirable than ever. “Back there. Yes, it was a yes.”
Troy wanted to drag her into his arms. He wanted to hold her tight then carry her back to his room, where he’d strip off her clothes and kiss every inch of her delectable body.
There was no way on earth he was ever going to think of her as one of the guys.
“I don’t know where we go from here,” he said.
She squared her shoulders. “We go back to work.”
“And pretend it never happened?”
“It’s the only thing that will work.”
“That’s not going to work, Mila.”
It was never going to work.
* * *
Zoey hung her big shoulder bag on the back of the maple dining chair Sunday morning, plunking down across the table from Mila.
She glanced around the upscale family restaurant. “What are we doing here?”
“A muffin isn’t going to cut it today,” said Mila, closing her menu, having decided on a Southwestern omelet and wheat toast.
“You need comfort food? Pancakes? What happened? What’s going on?”
Mila briefly considered the merits of pancakes. Carb loading wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
“I’m having a do-over on the obstacle cou
rse today.”
“Oh.” Zoey drew out the word in a dire tone. Then she leaned forward. “I thought you might want to talk about the hunky boss.”
“I don’t.”
“Will he be there?”
“He was last time,” said Mila. “But I asked Vegas if he could supervise.”
“What’s going on with that?”
“Vegas?” Nothing was going on with Vegas. He was a decent guy, loyal to Troy, sure. But he didn’t seem to have the same chauvinistic tendencies.
“Not Vegas. The boss.”
“I’ve been staying out of his way since Wednesday night.”
Zoey said she understood Mila’s hesitation but, like Troy, she had wondered aloud about the practicality of bottling up their desire.
“How’s that working?” Zoey asked. “Have your feelings changed at all?”
Mila wished she could say they had. But they were intensifying. Even seeing Troy from a distance made her heart beat faster, her knees go weak and her lips tingle with anticipation.
“I’ll get over it.”
Her sister gave a shake of her head and a disbelieving smile. “That’s not the way it works.”
“It will be this time.”
Zoey gave a roll of her eyes. “Are you coming to Mom and Dad’s next weekend?”
Mila cringed. She’d forgotten about the upcoming family dinner. Her brother Rand had arranged a video conference from the ship, so it was a mandatory invitation. She’d have to find the time.
“I thought I’d bring Dustin along,” said Zoey.
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Rand will help calm Mom down. We know Dad’ll be no help in that.”
“Are you actually serious?”
“I want to get it over with. The subterfuge is killing me.”
“You don’t like lying.”
“I’m not exactly lying. But I’m leaving out volumes of information. And, yes, I hate it. I want to be honest and up front with myself and everyone else. Dustin’s a fantastic guy, and I refuse to treat him like some shameful secret.”
“He knows what’s going to happen?”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Yes, baby sister, he has met our mother.”
Mila coughed out a laugh. “He must really like you.”
The Baby Contract Page 10
