To his credit, Josh listened without interrupting, but once she’d finished, it seemed as if he could barely hold his anger in check. “Let’s make one thing very clear here. I don’t give a damn what my father thinks is riding on this election. My running for governor has nothing to do with him. Or anyone else in my family, for that matter. My reasons for running are my own.”
“I understand. But you need to understand something, too. I’m not asking these questions out of some sort of perverse curiosity. If I’m to do my job, then I have to know about your relationships with the people who are closest to you. That includes family, friends, business associates, people who are working on your campaign. I need to know if there’s anyone from your past or present with an ax to grind against you or your family. But even apart from that, I need to know about all these people because a fiancée would know. If I’m to be convincing—”
He turned suddenly, stopping her in midsentence. “It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? Convincing the people closet to me that you and I share an intimacy. But have you given much thought to what that will entail?”
“Of course, I have.”
“Really? Because an engaged couple would behave in a certain way, you know. The way they look at each other, the way they touch, kiss…”
Fiona caught her breath on that last word. “When we’re in public—”
“Even in public, a certain amount of affection will be expected. But tell me something, Fiona.” It was the first time he’d used her first name, and the way he said it, the way he lingered over the syllables caused her pulse to race. “When I put my jacket around you, you tensed the moment I touched you. And even now…” He took a step toward her, and Fiona automatically moved away. “See what I mean? You’ve been concerned about how well I’ll play my part, but you’re the one you should be worried about.”
“I’ll do whatever necessary when the time comes,” she assured him.
“How do you know?”
She could feel his gaze on her in the dark, and the intensity sent shivers up and down her spine. “Because I’ve worked undercover before.”
“As someone’s lover?”
“Who said we were lovers?”
He gave a low laugh. “According to Wiley’s scenario, we’ve been engaged how long? A few weeks? Months? We’re neither one the patient type. We’re lovers, Fiona.”
He was deliberately doing this, Fiona thought. Deliberately seducing her. Deliberately making her picture the two of them together…intimately…passionately…
She lifted her chin. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter as long as we get the job done.”
“I think it does matter.” He reached out and cupped the back of her neck, gently pulling her to him. “Because if we’re going to be convincing as lovers…”
Fiona tensed, resisted.
“You can’t do that,” he murmured, “when I do this.”
The moment his lips touched hers, Fiona’s first instinct was to resist again, and her second was to relax. To go with the flow. To enjoy the gentle but demanding pressure of his mouth on hers.
Fiona went with the second. She couldn’t seem to help herself. She hadn’t been with a man…in that way…in a very long time. Hadn’t been kissed by a man as handsome and sexy and accomplished as Josh Langworthy…ever.
He knew what he was doing, too. Knew how to make her feel as if they were the only two people in the world at that moment.
He could seduce her. Quite easily. In the back of her mind, Fiona heard the sound of a warning bell, but she chose to ignore it. Just for the moment. After tonight, she would be on her guard with him. She would. But for now…
She put her hands flat against his chest and kissed him back. Kissed him as if they were the only two people in the world at that moment. Kissed him with an erotic intimacy that made him—for just a split second—hesitate in surprise.
Then he upped the ante. Moved in for the kill.
His hands slipped inside the jacket, and he pulled her to him, pressing her body against his as he deepened the kiss, making Fiona think of old-fashioned words like “swoon” and “ravished.” Words that any self-respecting undercover agent would never have in her vocabulary.
Maybe this was all part of his grand plan, she thought. To keep her so dazzled that she wouldn’t see the truth about him if it hit her in the face.
Steeling her determination, she pulled away from the kiss. Josh held her for a moment, then let her go.
“You were right,” he said softly. “You are good at what you do.”
* * *
FIONA COULDN’T STOP thinking about that kiss. Even as she made her rounds that night, checking to make sure the cabin was secure before turning in, her mind was on that kiss. When she said good-night to Josh outside his bedroom door, her mind was on that kiss. When she showered and crawled into her own bed, her mind was on that kiss.
And now, hours later, she lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling and wondering what it was about Josh Langworthy that had gotten to her in a way that could only lead to trouble.
He was attractive, of course, but she’d known plenty of attractive men. He was wealthy, charming, charismatic…quite a catch, actually, but it was more than that. It was something inside him. Something deep within his soul that lured Fiona to a dark and tempting place. That made her, for the first time in her career, want to toss caution to the wind.
But as she lay there, thinking about Josh Langworthy in a very unprofessional way, she remembered her conversation with Colleen earlier. After all the kidnapping cases you worked on while you were with the FBI, nothing should surprise you anymore.
If Joshua Langworthy wasn’t a viable suspect, then Colorado Confidential wouldn’t be wasting time and money investigating him. Fiona had to remember that. She had to remain objective at any cost, because it wasn’t just her career on the line. A baby’s life was at stake.
Rolling over to her side, she fluffed her pillow, then settled into a comfortable spot and was just drifting off when a noise outside the cabin catapulted her upright in bed.
She couldn’t say exactly what the sound had been. The barn door closing?
Had a wind come up since she’d turned in?
Getting out of bed, Fiona automatically reached for her weapon on the nightstand as she padded on bare feet to the window. Parting the curtains with the barrel of the gun, she peered out into the night.
All was still outside her window. Trees and darkness obscured the barn from her view, but Fiona stood watching for a long moment, her senses on full alert. She heard nothing else, but just as she was about to turn away, a shadow moved near the hot tub. Someone was stealthily making his way toward the back of the cabin.
Adrenaline kicking in, Fiona crossed the room, drew open the door, and hurried silently down the hallway. The door to Josh’s room was closed, and she considered stopping for a moment to give him a heads up. But there was no time for that. The intruder would already have reached the deck.
Thankful she’d taken the time to absorb the layout of the cabin earlier, including furniture placement, she made her way unerringly to the back door, keeping away from the windows as much as possible.
Flattening herself against the wall, she watched as the back door slowly opened. She’d locked it herself earlier. Which could only mean—
Josh slipped inside, closed the door softly behind him, and then leaned his rifle against the wall as he bent to pull off his boots.
Whether he saw her or simply sensed another presence in the room, Fiona didn’t know. But as he reached for the rifle, she lifted her own weapon.
His gaze on her gun, he let his hand drop slowly to his side. “Mind putting that thing away? I don’t know how itchy your trigger finger is.”
“Lucky for you, I’m the very epitome of self-restraint,” she said dryly, lowering her weapon.
He mumbled something unintelligible as he bent to finish removing his boots.
“Where were you just now?” Fion
a asked.
“I heard a noise outside.”
“What kind of noise?”
“I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly.”
“So you went out to investigate it on your own?”
He shrugged. “There’ve been some bear sightings around here recently, not to mention the occasional mountain lion, so I went out to check on the horses.” He let the remaining boot drop to the plank flooring with a loud thud.
In spite of herself, Fiona jumped. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Why? So you could go out and investigate?” He straightened, and even in his sock feet he towered over her.
Suddenly, Fiona remembered the way she’d had to stand on tiptoes earlier to kiss him….
She tried to shake off the image. “It’s my job to protect you.”
“No, it’s not.” His gaze met hers in the darkness. “It’s your job to find out if there’s a connection between the threat against me and my nephew’s kidnapping, but it is not your job to put yourself between me and danger. Let’s be clear on that.”
“That’s what bodyguards do.”
“You’re not a bodyguard. You’re here to play a role so that you can investigate ‘from the inside’ I believe is how you put it. Anything beyond that and the deal is off as far as I’m concerned.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little unreasonable?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But right now the discussion is tabled as far as I’m concerned. I’m going back to bed.” He picked up his rifle and started across the room toward the hallway, then turned to glance over his shoulder. “Are you coming?”
“In a minute.”
He stopped at that and turned back to face her. “I wouldn’t advise going out there alone with that pea-shooter of yours.” He nodded toward her gun. “It may work fine in an urban setting, but up here…” He trailed off with a shrug. “Grizzlies are mostly extinct in these parts, but you never know.” And with that, he disappeared down the hallway.
Fiona waited until she heard his door close and then she turned to peer out the back window. She could go out and have a look around for herself, but honestly, what would that prove? Her bravery? It sure as heck wouldn’t say much for her intelligence. She wouldn’t be able to see a thing in the dark, and if something was out there…
Or someone…
Had Josh told her the truth? Had he really heard a noise and gone out to check on the horses?
Fiona had heard the barn door close herself, but what if Josh had gone out there to meet someone?
Had she missed her opportunity to blow this case wide open by fantasizing about a kiss that should never have happened in the first place?
CHAPTER FIVE
BY THE TIME Josh got up the next morning, Fiona had coffee and scrambled eggs waiting for him on the stove. She dished them up, and as they ate, he tried to ignore the full-blown sexual attraction that had suddenly sprung between them since that kiss.
This was ridiculous, he told himself sternly. He’d known women far sexier than Fiona Clark. Far more worldly and sophisticated.
But he couldn’t honestly say any of them had ever laid one on him quite the way Fiona had last night.
And that body…
Whoa.
The contrast of soft skin and toned muscle…
He found himself getting aroused just thinking about that body moving against his…those lips…her tongue…
“Anything wrong?”
He looked up to find her gazing at him curiously over the rim of her coffee cup.
“No, just enjoying my breakfast,” he said with a shrug. “The eggs are great, by the way.”
She set aside her cup and folded her arms on the table. “I’ve been thinking about last night.”
“That makes two of us.”
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought a faint blush touched her cheeks. “I’m talking about the noise you heard. I went out earlier to have a look around. I saw fresh hoof prints leading from the barn back into the woods. Someone was up here on horseback.”
Josh glanced up with a frown. “How fresh?”
“No more than a day or two.”
“Could have been the caretaker. He looks in on the place at least once a week. Maybe he was up here yesterday before we arrived.”
“I didn’t notice the prints when I put my horse away,” she said.
“No, but were you looking for them then?”
Fiona shrugged. “I guess I could have missed them. But under the circumstances, I think we have to assume that I didn’t. Which means someone may have followed us up here.”
He put down his cup. “If someone came up here to harm me—kill me, even—why didn’t he just shoot me last night when I went out to investigate the noise?”
“Last night he—or she—may have been reconnoitering,” Fiona said. “Maybe you startled him away when you came outside unexpectedly. Plus, you were armed. Next time, you may not be so lucky.”
“So what do you suggest we do?”
She hesitated, her gaze going back to the window. “We need to get off this mountain. I don’t think it’s safe to spend another night up here.”
After the kiss they’d shared last night and Josh’s reaction to her this morning, he had to agree. “When do you want to leave?”
She stared at him in surprise. “Just like that? No argument?”
He shrugged. “You’re the expert. Besides, it’s not just my life on the line here. You could be in danger as well.”
“Your safety is my primary concern,” she said. “But you’re right. We could both be in danger. I think it would probably be a good idea to leave right after breakfast. No sense hanging around tempting fate.”
She certainly had a way with the double entendre, Josh thought dryly. “Why don’t you start getting things organized in here, and I’ll see to the horses.” He started to stand, then paused. “Or would you rather go saddle up the horses?”
Something that might have been panic flickered across her features before she hurriedly rose and began gathering up their plates. “No, that’s okay. I’m the one who made the mess in the kitchen. I should be the one to clean it up.”
* * *
SHE WAS TERRIFIED OF HORSES.
Well, perhaps terrified was too strong a word, but she definitely was out of her element, Josh thought as they mounted up a little while later.
She was competent enough. Someone had taught her the basics, but there was more to riding than skill. There was instinct, telepathy and a mutual respect between rider and beast.
Fiona had none of those. Oh, she had plenty of respect for her horse. She just didn’t command the same in return. Luckily, the mare she’d hired was a gentle, soulful creature that didn’t require much from her rider.
Still, as Josh took the lead, he couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure Fiona was holding her own.
It was a long ride, and although he’d enjoyed the leisurely pace he’d set the day before, now he felt anxious and wary. What if someone really had followed them up the mountain? What if that same someone had been watching the cabin last night, lying in wait? What if Fiona had been the one to go out and investigate?
What if she’d been shot…or worse…
He had to keep reminding himself that she was a trained professional. And ex-FBI agent. She knew how to take care of herself.
But she was also a woman, and his attraction to her made him protective. He couldn’t help it. He was a man and certain feelings were instinctive even though he knew she would be the first to wave aside his concern.
He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze lifting for a moment to a flash of light back up the mountain. He stared at the spot for a moment, then, concluding it must have been sunlight dancing off rock, turned back to the trail.
And that’s when it happened.
A gunshot fired from a high-caliber weapon somewhere behind them.
The sound echoed down the mountainside, shattering th
e serenity and sending both horses into a momentary frenzy. It was all Josh could do to control his own mount. Reining the horse in, he glanced back.
He had only a glimpse of the stark terror in Fiona’s eyes before the mare reared back and tossed her to the ground with a bone-crunching jar.
CHAPTER SIX
THEY RODE DOUBLE down the mountain because Josh didn’t know how badly injured Fiona might be, and he didn’t want to risk her taking another nasty fall.
When he’d reached her side after the accident, she’d insisted she was okay, but Josh wasn’t convinced. She’d hit her head on a rock, and though there was very little blood, she’d seemed dazed for several minutes afterward.
They’d taken cover behind a boulder and Josh had tried to check her out, but even though he was fairly certain she didn’t have any broken bones, the head injury worried him. And there was always the possibility of internal bleeding.
He had to get her to a doctor, even though it meant exposing themselves to the gunman again.
But luckily, there were no more shots, and they made it without incident to the medical clinic in Crystal Falls. The doctor there had been cautiously optimistic about Fiona’s condition. No broken bones, but the head injury worried him, too. He recommended that she go to a larger facility where she could get an MRI or EEG if necessary.
So Josh had whisked her off to the hospital in Aspen where for the past forty-five minutes he’d been cooling his jets in the emergency room waiting area, anxious for some word on her condition.
The waiting room was crowded, and he noticed people casting him curious glances from time to time. But if anyone recognized him, they didn’t approach and he was thankful for that. He didn’t feel like talking. He was much too worried about Fiona.
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