by Zara Keane
She opened her mouth to refuse but then caught sight of the label. It was a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon made by one her favorite wineries. He’d remembered her preference. Her treacherous heart beat faster.
“Okay,” she said. “A glass of wine, an explanation, and then you leave.”
“To use the beloved Irish phrase, fair enough.” He was grinning now, drawing attention to the adorable dimples in his cheeks. Infuriating man. Was her urge to slap him or to kiss him stronger? It was hard to tell.
“Take a seat while I open the wine,” she said and gestured toward the living room.
Her mother had renovated the cottage when she’d bought it a couple of years previously as an investment property. The original idea had been to lease it to holidaymakers looking for a quieter location than the center of town, but when Jill moved back to Ballybeg after a year in Dublin, her mother gave her the lease at a bargain rate in return for the cottage’s upkeep.
During the renovations, the wall dividing the two rooms downstairs had been knocked down to form one large room. The door to the kitchen had been removed, and a cute little archway now divided the kitchen from the open plan living area, giving Jill a perfect view of Liam.
While she uncorked the wine bottle and fetched glasses, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was more handsome without the bushy eyebrows and beard, although she missed his tousled shoulder-length hair. His new look didn’t dim his sex appeal. Far from it. The grumpy slouch she’d associated with Jean-Baptiste was gone. This man moved with the lithe stealth of a skilled predator.
She carried the glasses into the living room and handed him one. When his fingers brushed against hers, she drew in a sharp breath and prayed for self-control.
“Sláinte,” he said, taking her off guard. She clinked glasses on reflex.
While Jill took a seat on the sofa, Liam stayed upright, pacing in front of the window like an impatient panther. “Okay,” he said in a husky tone that sent an electric awareness shooting through her veins. “Let me preface this by saying that I never meant to hurt you. I fucked up big time, but not for the reasons you think.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And what do I think?”
“That I used you for sex and disappeared, rather than break up with you properly.”
“A-plus for astuteness,” she drawled, swirling the wine in her glass. “I understand the undercover part…sort of. But why turn on the charm only to bolt a couple of months later? If you weren’t interested in seeing me anymore, all you had to do was tell me. How would that have compromised your undercover operation?”
Liam ran a hand over his short hair. “Here’s what happened. I work for a private security firm. We fix…situations…that government agencies can’t be seen to involve themselves in.”
“Black ops,” Jill supplied in an icy tone.
He grimaced but didn’t deny her assertion. “I was sent to Inish Glas to track down and trap the leader of an international human trafficking gang. We knew they’d been active on Inish Glas before Darko Dunne moved out there, and we figured the gang was using another small island in that section of the Celtic Sea to trade sex slaves kidnapped on the Ivory Coast. I spent my weekends sailing around the islands, checking for signs of illegal activity.”
“Did you catch the gang leader?”
He nodded. “Eventually, but not under the circumstances I expected. The operation is classified, and that’s really all I can tell you.”
Jill crossed her arms over her breasts. “Was it on one of those weekend jaunts that you decided to cut ties with me?”
Liam shook his head. “Totally different scenario. Back in July, I got word that my little sister, Katy, was in Ballybeg as part of a diving expedition. I couldn’t risk running into her and having her blow my cover. At the time, she thought I was still in the Navy.”
Jill frowned. “Wait…was that the dive down to the wreck of the Lusitania?”
“That’s the one. My sister’s an underwater archaeologist. Before going into academia, she was in the Navy.”
“You both went into the military?” Jill frowned. “How did your parents feel about that?”
“I neither know nor care what my dad thinks. I haven’t seen him since I was a kid. As for Mom, she was okay with it. The Navy paid for our college education and gave us opportunities we’d never have had if we’d stayed civilians. The US military isn’t perfect, but I have no regrets about my years serving Uncle Sam.”
“Where did you learn to speak French? You did that quite convincingly.” Jill failed to hide the note of asperity in her voice. “So much so that you ‘helped’ me improve my skills.”
“That wasn’t fake. I speak French like a native. My mother is from France, and I grew up bilingual. She also taught me to cook. Anyway, I stayed on the island until I was sure Katy had left Ballybeg. We had no telephone or Internet access on Inish Glas at that time, and I couldn’t call you on the satellite phone my boss had given me.”
Jill exhaled sharply. “You have a neat explanation for everything.”
“What more can I say? I needed to avoid Ballybeg while Katy was here. I knew she’d see past the beard and fake eyebrows. I couldn’t risk her blowing my cover. I came to see you the moment I heard she’d left.”
“And I slapped you across the face in front of everyone in McCarthy’s pub.”
“Yeah, you did,” Liam said with a bark of laughter. “It hurt.”
A glint of humor sparkled in her dark eyes. “Good. You still should have called me.”
“I know. I should have cleared it with Cash—my boss—or found some other way to contact you.” He stopped pacing and looked her straight in the eye, pinning her in place with the intensity of his stare. “I’m flying back to the States right after this case wraps up—or I hand it over to someone else. Where do we go from here?”
“We go nowhere. If you’re leaving the country, I see no point in rekindling…whatever it was we had.”
That slow-burn smile again. Her tummy performed an acrobatic flip. “What we had was a good time and great sex.”
Her heart beat faster. “Are you trying to seduce me?”
“Not really.” He grinned. “Well, maybe just a little.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “There are a lot of modifiers in that sentence.”
“Okay. You’re sexy, funny, and I like being around you. But you’ve had a hell of a shock today, and I don’t want to take advantage of the situation.”
Her lips twitched. “Not willing to take advantage of the fact that you saved my life?”
His face turned grave. “No, Jill. That was pure dumb luck, not skill. I was in the right place at the right time.”
“Thank goodness you were,” she said in a solemn tone.
He sat beside her and took her hand in his. The sensation of his skin against hers made her blood hum. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Jill. After the night in the pub, I should have tried to talk to you again.”
“You did try. I ignored your letter.”
“I should have tried harder.”
“What would you have said? The truth? Or a lie to make yourself feel better?”
He had the good grace to flush. “I wouldn’t have told you I was working undercover. My mission wasn’t yet over.”
She removed her hand from his. “See? You’d have fobbed me off with yet another lie.”
He sighed. “I had a job to do, and that job required me to play a role. For what it’s worth, I was always me when we were together, despite the different name and accent. What we had was real. Maybe that’s why I didn’t make more of an effort when you didn’t respond to my letter. Forming an attachment while undercover wasn’t a smart move.”
She gave a low laugh. “And what do you define as an ‘attachment?’”
“Feelings. Emotions. What we had wasn’t just sex.”
She took a sip of the wine and absorbed his words. Did she believe him? The undercover story was outlandish, but the
head policeman at the bomb scene treated him like an old friend. “The police took a brief statement from me and Olivia before we were allowed to go home. I couldn’t tell them anything. I’m the manager of Blush Shoppe’s Cork store, and we didn’t receive any threats.”
“Rebecca Sampson, Blush Shoppe’s founder and CEO, received an email around an hour before the Paris bomb detonated,” Liam said. “The sender is a known morality terrorist who goes by the name The Ghost. He said Blush Shoppe stores in five cities would be targeted. Rebecca contacted the authorities as soon as she read the email, and they got in touch with my boss.”
“What on earth is a morality terrorist?”
“The Ghost refers to himself as a moral judge. He targets people working in the sex industry, and those who pay for their services or avail of their products.”
Jill shuddered. “That’s crazy.”
“Totally.”
Jill fell silent for a minute, sipping her wine and mulling over what he’d told her. The entire scenario was preposterous, but the bomb had been very real. She turned to him and noted the chiseled jaw that had been less apparent when he’d worn a beard. “Is there anything else I should know about Liam Ryan, Man of Mystery?”
A shy smile suffused his face. He took out his phone and showed her his screensaver. “This is my daughter, Meggie.” The photo was of a sweet little girl of four or five holding a black puppy. She had her father’s dimples and dark eyes, but her hair was a rich auburn.
“She’s adorable.”
“She’s the best,” he said with a beam.
“Where’s her mother? I’m assuming you’re no longer together.”
“We’re divorced. Karen left me for an investment banker with an apartment overlooking Central Park and a holiday home in the Hamptons.”
Jill winced. “Ouch.”
“It was for the best. By the end, we were going through the motions for Meggie’s sake. That’s no way to live.”
“Were you not rich enough for her?”
“SEALs earn decent money but nowhere in the same league as her new husband.” He shook his head with regret. “No, the military lifestyle was the problem. Karen struggled with postpartum depression after Meggie was born, and I was no help. Two weeks after the birth, I was deployed for six months overseas. By the time I came back, Karen had found another shoulder to lean on. I don’t blame her…” He paused and gave a rueful laugh. “Okay, the infidelity part stung. But I let her down when she needed me the most, and there was no coming back from that.”
“You were doing your job,” Jill said softly. “She knew you were in the military when she married you.”
“Right, but I don’t think she realized how hard the separations would be.”
“What’s the custody situation? Do you get to see Meggie?”
“Not as often as I’d like. That’s why I left the Navy a few months ago and started working in the private security sector.” He scrunched up his nose. “I thought I’d have more control over my assignments and get to see Meggie more often. I didn’t reckon on my first job taking seven months to wrap up.”
“Will you see her over the holidays?”
“That’s the plan. When my boss called, I was on my way to Shannon Airport. I’m due to spend the holidays with my mom and then have a five-day vacation with Meggie in Florida.”
Jill whistled. “I guess that’s on hold now.”
“Not if I can help it,” Liam said grimly. “I might have to bail on Mom, but I’ve told Cash I need to be home by the twenty-fifth. Meggie is expecting me, and I won’t let her down.”
“Then you’d better hope you track down whoever is responsible for the bombs before then.” They fell silent for a moment, each lost in contemplation. Finally, she asked, “Why do the police think the bomber is in Ireland? The news report indicated that Cork is the main focus of the manhunt.”
Liam’s steady gaze met hers. “Because I saw him.”
5
Jill’s hand flew to her mouth. “You saw the bomber?” she gasped. “How did you know it was him?”
“I encountered The Ghost on one of my missions as a SEAL. I’m supposedly the only person who has ever eyeballed him.” He gave a rueful smile. “Unfortunately, he also eyeballed me.”
“Are you in danger?” she demanded, searching his face for clues. “The truth, now.”
“I don’t know. The media have been told not to mention my name.”
“The tabloids won’t care. If they can sell an extra paper, they’ll print whatever garbage comes their way.”
He grimaced. “Why do you think I was pissed at that photographer?”
“I know the guy. His name is Dermot Dean. He works for a rag of a tabloid called The Daily Echo. They’ll print anything if they think it will sell copies, and a photo of the man who saved the day definitely fits the bill.”
“We’ve got to hope the injunction I’ve applied for comes through in time. The last thing this investigation needs is my face splashed across the media.”
“Do you really believe this Ghost person would recognize you?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not a risk I want to take. He’s not dealing with a full deck, and I don’t want him looking up my family.”
The hair on the nape of her neck stood on end. Jill wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
“Do you have someone to stay with you tonight?” Liam asked gently. “Or somewhere to go?”
Jill shook her head, unable to stop the trembling. “I’ll be fine.”
He put down his glass and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want me to call someone? Olivia, maybe? Or your mom?”
Yes, a voice in her head shouted. “Olivia’s stepson has the ’flu. I can’t risk getting sick when we’re so busy at work.”
“What about your parents? Could you stay with them?”
She shook her head. “My dad is dead. It was just me, Mum, and my little sister when I was growing up.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. What happened to your him?”
“He died in a car crash when I was ten.”
“That sucks.”
She shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Shit happens, we deal with it and get on with our lives.”
“That’s all any of us can do.” Liam leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re beautiful, Jill, both inside and out.”
The sensation of his lips on her skin sent a frisson of awareness from her head to her toes. God, this man had the power to turn her on with one word, one touch. “You’re trying to flatter me,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“No flattery required,” Liam said, staring into her eyes and turning her into a quivering mass of sexual tension.
“As for Mum,” she blurted, desperate to distract herself from dirty thoughts about the last man on Earth she should get dirty with, “she’s spending Christmas with my sister in Spain. They asked me to join them, but I couldn’t get away.”
His forehead rumpled. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Of course.” Jill swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Liam removed his arm from her shoulders and stood. She felt oddly bereft without his warm touch on her skin. He pulled a car key from the pocket of his jeans. “I guess I’d better make tracks.”
“Where are you staying?”
He shrugged. “I’ll find a room in the city. If I can’t, there’s a camp bed at the Emergency Response Unit’s HQ.”
Jill took a deep breath and stood to join him. She was a liar, a fraud, a coward. Who was she trying to kid? She didn’t want him to leave. The idea of being alone after what had happened sent a shiver down her spine.
As if in a trance, she ran a finger across his strong jawline, pausing on the cleft in his chin. “Stay with me, Liam. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Liam released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He hadn’t wanted to leave Jill alone. Not with a maniac on the loose. He’d asked if sh
e could have police protection, but Inspector Tobin and his team had dismissed Liam’s concerns. They seemed convinced that The Ghost was targeting Blush Shoppe in general, rather than specific employees. With finite resources and a ticking clock, they preferred to concentrate their efforts on the manhunt, in addition to placing a guard in front of the Blush Shoppe store.
Liam pulled Jill close and inhaled the scent of her freshly washed hair. What was her shampoo? Vanilla? “I can sleep on the couch.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you’re staying, you can share my bed.” She drew a finger down the back of his neck, sending a shot of lust coursing through his body.
“I don’t want to take advantage of the situation,” he said through gritted teeth, desperately trying to conjure up unerotic images but failing to see anything in his mind’s eye but the memory of her naked body.
She drew back and raised her huge dark eyes. “I might be frightened, but I know exactly what I want. You used me before. I intend to use you tonight.”
“Jill, I—”
She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “Are you going to refuse?” Her finger meandered from his lips down his neck and paused at the pulse at the base of his throat.
“No,” he said hoarsely.
Her catlike smile made his heart beat faster. “Excellent. You can help me try out one of Blush Shoppe’s new products.”
Liam’s mouth went bone dry. “You want to use a sex toy?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Why are you so shocked? I work for a company that manufactures and sells sex toys. Don’t you think I put my staff discount to good use?”
He licked his lips. “In that case, I guess we’d better see what the Blush Shoppe catalog has to offer.”
“Apart from the dildo you became intimately acquainted with earlier?” she teased and tugged him toward the wooden ladder that led up to her loft bedroom.
Liam had visited the cottage on several occasions over the summer and had fallen foul of the low ceiling more than once. Tonight was no exception. “Ouch,” he said after he whacked his head off a low beam, the sharp sting of pain making him wince.
