Ally resisted Finn’s pull on her arm. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she called out to Mandy.
Mandy smiled, nodding. The smile slid from her face when she saw James’ furious glare. She turned to the deputy. “Am I done, too?”
“Go ahead. If we need more information, we’ll call you.”
“Great. I can’t wait.”
Once she was by his side, James was torn. Part of him wanted to hug her. The other parted of him wanted to spank her until she admitted what she’d done was stupid.
“Are you going to be mad all night?” Mandy asked.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well, if you want to decide, I have some excess energy to work off, and I’m thinking you might be my guy.”
James sighed. The hug won out. He pulled her to him, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “You and I are going to have a long conversation about self-preservation tomorrow.”
“Well, that sounds fun,” Mandy said, pinching his rear. “What are we going to talk about tonight?”
On second thought, that spanking was sounding more and more appealing.
GRADY was about to pop this guy in the face – even if he was a sheriff’s deputy. If he asked one more stupid question … .
“And you’re sure this is the same man who approached you outside of the Daily Tribune?”
“She already answered that,” Grady growled.
“Let me do my job, sir.”
Grady blew out an exasperated sigh.
“I’m sure,” Sophie said.
“And you have no idea who he is?”
“None.”
“And you’re sure he had a knife?”
Grady’s heart was hammering. The idea of someone going after Sophie with a knife had his machismo firing on all cylinders.
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t touch him?”
“I never had a chance to even think about it,” Sophie admitted. “Mandy and Ally were hitting him with their purses, and then Heidi was kicking him in the balls. It all happened really fast.”
The thought of Heidi kicking this guy in the nuts gave Grady pause. Okay, that was kind of funny. The rest of it was infuriating.
“Can we go now?” Grady asked.
The deputy shot him a disdainful look. “For now. We’ll be in touch.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” Grady said, grabbing Sophie’s arm and dragging her away from the scene.
Once they were a block away, Sophie jerked her arm from his hand. “You’re hurting me.”
Grady slowed his pace, checking his anger. He wasn’t really mad at her. It was the situation frustrating him – although, to be fair, she wasn’t helping matters. “I knew this girl’s night was a bad idea.”
“Why?”
“Because someone is after you,” Grady replied. “Someone has shot at you. Someone has sent you a threat. Now someone has gone after you with a knife. When is it going to be enough?”
“When is what going to be enough?” Sophie’s face reflected confusion.
“When are you going to realize that you’re in danger?”
Sophie opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
“When are you going to realize you need help?” Grady pressed.
“I don’t need help,” Sophie said, her shoulders stiffening. “We’re working together. I don’t need help.”
Grady ran his hand through his hair, his frustration evident. “I understand that the idea of relying on someone freaks you out. I get that. You’ve had to take care of yourself for a really long time. People don’t just get over that. What I don’t get is why you won’t even open yourself up to the possibility that people are willing to help – that I’m willing to help.”
“I don’t need help,” Sophie said, her voice barely a whisper.
Grady shook his head. “Get in the car. I’m taking you home.”
THE RIDE back to her house was uncomfortable – and silent. Sophie found herself wishing for Grady’s anger to return. Yelling was better than … this.
Grady parked his truck in her driveway, killing the engine. He pushed open his door and climbed out, leaving Sophie inside the cab by herself. When she finally glanced up, she found him waiting for her on the front porch.
She sighed and climbed out of the truck. He was obviously going to make sure she got inside safely, and then escape to another location to pout. She didn’t blame him. He’d gone above and beyond where she was concerned. She just couldn’t let him in. If she did, when he was gone – and he would leave – she was going to be left with nothing but a broken heart.
Once she got to the front door, Sophie fumbled for her keys in the dark. The attack had sobered her up, but she was still feeling a little tipsy. Grady grew tired of waiting and took the purse from her, finding the keys. He inserted the correct one into the lock and pushed it open.
Sophie stepped through the threshold and then turned. “Thanks for the ride.”
Grady just stood there a second, his expression unreadable.
“Thanks for … all you’ve done.”
Grady exhaled deeply. “You’re frustrating.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re really frustrating.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Grady grabbed her by her belt and jerked her forward, swallowing her protest with his mouth as he kissed her senseless. When Sophie finally regained her faculties, she pulled back slightly. “You’re not mad?”
“Oh, I’m mad,” Grady said. “There’s nothing I can do about it, though, so I’ve decided to let it go.”
Sophie was scared to ask the next question – but she was even more scared not to ask it. “Are you coming in?”
Grady bit the inside of his mouth, but he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “Do you want me to?”
Sophie hated being put on the spot. “Yes.”
Grady pressed his lips against hers again. “Then I’m coming in.”
Once the door was shut and locked behind them, Sophie stilled on the steps. “Would you really have left if I told you to?”
“No. I would’ve slept in my truck in the driveway.”
Sophie smiled – the first real smile she’d managed to muster in the past hour. “Thank you.”
“Get your fine ass up those stairs,” Grady said. “I’m tired and I want to go to sleep.”
“We’re going to sleep?” Sophie was disappointed.
“Eventually.”
“Can we sleep in my room tonight?”
“Sure.”
Sophie moved down the hall, leading Grady to the far bedroom. He made a detour into the guest room, returning to her side a few seconds later.
“What were you doing?”
Grady held up the box of condoms.
“Ah.”
Grady pushed her into the bedroom lightly. “Take your clothes off.”
“You’re awfully bossy.”
“Take your clothes off please.”
Sophie dropped her purse on the floor and kicked off her shoes. She raised an eyebrow suggestively, reaching for the button of her pants. Grady watched her, amusement flickering as he leaned against the doorframe.
Sophie stripped out of her jeans, revealing a pale, pink thong. When she pulled off her shirt, Grady found the bra matched the panties – and his cool reserve was slipping.
Sophie watched him. “Aren’t you going to take your clothes off?”
“You’re not done yet,” Grady said.
Sophie pursed her lips. She reached behind her and unclasped the bra, pulling it off and dropping it to the floor. The panties followed.
Once she was completely naked, Grady couldn’t stay away. He tugged his own shirt off, revealing his cut chest. He was pulling his jeans down as he moved across the room, almost tripping when they pooled at his ankles.
Sophie laughed as she caught him. “I thought I was the drunk one?”
“Maybe I’m just excited.”
“Good.”
Grady grabbed Sophie around the waist, pulling her close so he could inhale her scent. She smelled like peaches tonight. It was simple. Basic. He devoured her mouth, running a hand through her dark waves as his fingers tangled in her tresses.
Sophie touched her tongue against his, moving her hands down his naked back. When she got to his waist, she pulled his boxers down, drinking in his stiff erection when it popped free. She wrapped her hand around him, jacking him softly.
Grady moaned. “Get on the bed.”
Sophie crawled onto the bed, not bothering to pull the comforter down. She heard Grady snap the condom into place and glanced over her shoulder. Grady positioned her on all fours, crawling in behind her.
As he slid in, he wrapped an arm around her chest and pulled her up so her back was flush with his chest. He gripped her hip with his other hand, letting the one around her chest trail down low – lower – and then disappear between her nether lips.
He rubbed her with one hand while he used his other to stabilize her hips as he pumped in and out of her from behind.
Sophie grunted every time he slipped in. Grady moaned every time he pulled out. They were coming together, tumbling to the mattress a few minutes later. Once their hearts had slowed, Grady shifted them so they could slip under the covers.
He pulled Sophie to him, resting her head on his chest, and then tightening his arms around her back to make sure she wouldn’t try to escape during the night. They fell asleep that way – in the same position they would wake eight hours later – and Grady didn’t even think of an escape route that night.
Eighteen
“You didn’t need to come with me,” Sophie said.
It was the next morning, and she and Grady were parked in front of the county building. Mondays were usually a chore – but Sophie was having trouble pushing the smile from her face as this workweek kicked off. The reason why was watching her placidly from the driver’s seat of his truck.
“I’m not going to argue with you,” Grady said.
“Well, that should make winning easy,” Sophie countered.
Grady smirked. “Go get your documents.”
“You’re going to wait here, right?”
“Are you asking if I’m going to follow you in there and embarrass you?”
“Maybe,” Sophie hedged.
“No, I’m not going to follow you in there,” Grady said. “I’m going to sit right here and make sure you get in – and then out – of the building safely. Then we’re going to take whatever this new stuff is and go over it with my brothers.”
“You’re really bossy,” Sophie said, jumping out of the truck. “Part of me likes it.”
Grady rolled down the window of the truck. “What about the other part of you?”
Sophie glanced back at him. “That part of me wants to smack you silly.”
Grady smiled widely as he watched her sashay up the sidewalk and disappear into the building. She returned about fifteen minutes later – and the stack of papers she was carrying was nothing short of daunting.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said when she climbed back into the truck.
“They’re trying to bury me in paper,” Sophie said. “It’s normal.”
“What is all of that?”
“It’s the stuff I requested under the Freedom of Information Act.”
“I thought you said they had ten days,” Grady said. “Why would they give it to you early?”
“They want it to look like they’re being helpful.”
“Are they being helpful?”
“We won’t know until we look,” Sophie said, smiling brightly. “We should pick up food to take back to your brothers. This is going to take a long time, and I could use some food.”
Grady cursed under his breath. “That’s going to take forever.” He had no idea why a big pile of documents made Sophie so happy – but her smile was enough to propel him to jump into the fray without complaint. “What do you want to eat?”
“I THINK I’m going blind,” Finn said a few hours later.
The brothers had taken Sophie’s files upstairs to James’ apartment so they could spread out while sorting through them. Finn was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Grady was a few feet away, poring through an equally impressive pile of paper. James was on the couch, his long legs spread out in front of him.
Sophie was the only one not being swallowed by reams of paper. She had a system – and she knew what she was looking for. She was moving paper into separate piles on the floor in front of the television, never bothering to look up from her task.
“I think she’s a robot,” Finn said.
“She’s definitely fixated,” James agreed.
Grady enjoyed watching her work. Her face was impassive, blank, and yet he knew she was absorbing every iota of information she could glean from the documents.
After a few minutes, Sophie realized the room had fallen silent. “What did I miss?”
Grady chuckled. “Nothing. We were just marveling at your focus.”
“Sorry,” Sophie said. “There’s just a lot here.”
“Have you found anything?” James asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Sophie said. “I’ve barely gotten into it. It takes time.”
“We’ve been up here for almost six hours,” Grady said.
Sophie glanced up at the clock on the wall. She seemed surprised. “I didn’t realize how long we’d been at it.”
“Your boss doesn’t care that you didn’t come into work today?” Finn asked.
Sophie shook her head. “No. He knows I’m working on this. There’s no way I could go through a stack of paper like this at the office. We’ve been in contact via email. He told me to take my time. He knows this could be huge.”
“That sounds like a cool job,” Finn said.
“It has its moments,” Sophie said. “It can also be frustrating and fruitless.”
Grady glanced down at the stacks of paper. “I can see that.”
“I’m hungry,” Finn said. “Lunch was a long time ago.”
“Mandy is bringing dinner home,” James said. “I texted her. She should be here in a few minutes.”
“Did you yell at her for going after that guy last night?” Finn asked. “Ally was pretty proud of herself.”
“Ally is an idiot sometimes,” James said. “When Ally and Mandy get together, they like to be idiots together.”
Sophie frowned. She didn’t like the way James was talking about his girlfriend. “I think they were brave.”
James glanced over at her. “I’ll write that on her tombstone.”
Sophie sucked in a breath. “I don’t think you should say bad things about her behind her back.” She felt a sense of loyalty to the outgoing blonde.
“I’m not saying anything behind her back I didn’t say to her face last night,” James said, although his tone softened. “I’m not mad because she’s loyal and brave. I’m mad because she could’ve been hurt.”
Sophie frowned. “You called her an idiot.”
“No, I said she and my sister act like idiots on occasion,” James countered. “And they do.”
The sound of keys jangling on the other side of the door caught everyone’s attention. A few seconds later, Mandy popped into the apartment, her arms laden with takeout bags.
She pulled up short when she saw all the paper. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” Finn said. “Wow is right. What did you bring for dinner?”
“Coneys. Fries. Onion rings. Sandwiches.”
“Ah, health food,” Grady said, laughing.
“I brought a few Greek salads, too.” Mandy glanced in Sophie’s direction. “How are you feeling today? Did you sleep okay?”
“I’m fine,” Sophie said, her frame and tone stiff.
“No offense, but you don’t seem fine,” Mandy said.
“She’s mad because I said you and Ally acted like idiots last night,” James supplied. “She thinks I was ta
lking bad about you. She’s loyal to you. It’s kind of cute.”
“You called me an idiot?”
“I said you and Ally acted like idiots. There’s a difference.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She stripped off her coat and then started pulling containers out of the bags. “Go and get some plates.”
James got to his feet and headed toward the kitchen, stopping at Mandy’s side to whisper something in her ear. She smiled – the expression catching Sophie off guard – and then she gave James a quick kiss.
“You’re not mad at him?” Sophie asked, the words escaping before she got a chance to assess the intelligence associated with uttering them.
“I’m always mad at him,” Mandy said. “I’m not mad about this, though.”
“He called you an idiot.”
“That’s because he thinks what we did was dumb,” Mandy replied. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t really think I’m an idiot. He just doesn’t like it when he thinks I’m in danger. That’s the alpha in him. He’s like a dog.”
James barked in her ear, spanking her rear for emphasis as he moved back toward the living room, causing Mandy to swat his butt in return.
James put the plates on the coffee table, watching Sophie curiously to see what her reaction would be.
Sophie shifted her gaze over to Grady. “Don’t ever call me an idiot. I’m not as forgiving as she is.”
Grady nodded. “I got it.”
Everyone took a break from the file search and focused on dinner, Mandy settling next to James on the couch.
“Did you find out about the code?” James asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Mandy said. “It’s the code for the jail at the sheriff’s department.”
James shifted his attention to Sophie. “Does that mean anything to you?”
Sophie tilted her head to the side. “Not really. It just means that someone at the sheriff’s department sent it. Not who.”
“So, did you guys find anything in here?” Mandy asked.
“There’s tons of stuff in there,” James said. “We just don’t know what’s helpful and what’s not.”
“How are you whittling this down?”
James took a bite of his Coney, not answering until he swallowed. “We’re looking at the documents and then putting them into piles.”
Deadly Intuition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 2) Page 11
