He stole another quick kiss. “I want you, Janey. You’re beautiful. I want you. But we both know your family will find out soon enough if this goes anywhere.”
Her eyes narrowed as blush suffused her cheeks. “My life is not dictated by my family—”
He laid a finger across her lips. “Just…hear me out. Your father’s an intimidating man. So are your brothers.” The honest-to-God truth. “And then there’s your mother.”
Her lips tilted upward as she scraped her nails, still caught in his overlong hair, against his nape. The motion sent chills shooting down his back. Christ, he wanted to feel those nails on his thighs, on his balls, on his shaft. He inhaled sharply and couldn’t stop his hips from thrusting against her.
“Janey…” he started but couldn’t continue. He didn’t know what to say to the beautiful woman straddling his lap. A first for a man used to thinking on his feet.
“Shh,” she whispered, releasing one hand from the intimate torture she’d been inflicting on his neck to lay a slim finger across his lips. “Let me ask you a question. Why did you come in tonight, Mal?”
A reluctant grin pulled at one corner of his mouth. Oh, she was definitely a DeMarco. She didn’t miss a trick.
Go on, son. Give her a line. She’ll buy anything you say right now.
No, she won’t. She was smarter than that. Too smart.
Still, color flushed her cheeks and her eyes shone like polished turquoise.
“Because I want you.”
Oh, hell. He was so close to blowing his cover and revealing way too much of himself. Because he’d spoken the truth.
“Glad to hear it.” She leaned forward just enough to softly brush her lips against his. Then she leaned back before he could fully capture that kiss. “But I just can’t figure you out.”
Shit. “I don’t know what you mean.”
With a sigh, she released his hair and, with great regret on his part, slipped off his lap to sit on the cushion farthest from him. But she maintained eye contact.
“I don’t know you all that well, and I can’t seem to keep my hands off of you. That worries me.”
“So, what do you want to know?”
Whoa, son. What are you doing?
Hell if he knew. The words had fallen out of his mouth.
Janey didn’t answer right away. Before she could ask the question he saw forming in her eyes, he leaned forward and kissed her.
Her lips parted under his and he cupped her face in his hands, the bones of her chin and cheeks delicate beneath his fingers, her skin so soft. He knew he should slow down, didn’t want to rush her or overpower her.
But that wasn’t an option when her tongue flicked against his.
That little motion, just the quick slide of her flesh on his, made his brain shut down as his body took over.
With a groan, he moved over her, following her down as he settled the hard ridge of his erection between the warmth of her thighs. Lust burned through his blood at the contact. His cock strained against the layer of denim, throbbing with the need to tear off their clothes and sink into her. His lips slanted over hers, pressing harder as she took more of him. Took his weight and his breath and gave up her heat and sweet taste. He couldn’t get enough of her, his tongue dueling with hers as his hands held her jaw steady for his possession.
She didn’t just let him take over, though.
Her fingers wove through the long strands of his hair and tugged, the slight pain on his scalp throwing fuel on the fire that began in the pit of his stomach and spread outward.
He released her jaw to caress the smooth skin of her neck, feeling her shiver. Her reaction further loosened the already fragile tethers on his control. His hips pressed forward, grinding his aching cock against her mound, and her breath stuttered in her throat as her hips arched toward him.
Ripping his mouth away to suck in air, he pressed a kiss just below her ears, then pulled away so he could watch his hands make slow, steady progress to her breasts. Each heavy breath she took pushed him closer until he cupped them in his hands.
Soft, feminine. They fit in his hands perfectly. Through the soft cotton of her shirt, he felt the outline of her bra and when he brushed his thumbs over the pointed tips, he swore they tightened even more.
“Beautiful, Janey. Jesus, you’re so damn pretty.”
She didn’t say anything, but when he forced his gaze away from her breasts to stare up at her, he saw that smile on her face, the one he’d only ever seen her give him.
It made his muscles tighten until they hurt.
And then she let one of her hands smooth over his shoulder to his chest, where she placed it over his rapidly beating heart.
“Kiss me, Mal. When you kiss me, I can’t think—”
He covered her mouth again, stopping her from speaking and goading him into losing the last vestige of his common sense.
He’d already tossed too much of it out the window.
It was time to regroup.
First, one more kiss.
He forced himself to ease back after another minute. Or two. Hell, he didn’t know how long it took him to pull back, but when he finally did, he could barely see straight and her eyes were closed as she took deep breaths.
He didn’t want to release her but he did, forcing himself to ease back into a sitting position as she opened her eyes and stared at him.
“I think I better go.”
Not that he wanted to but if he stayed any longer, he wasn’t sure they wouldn’t end up naked in her bed.
He needed space to think.
“Are we still on for tomorrow?” she asked.
He nodded, steeling his resolve. Reminding himself that he had a job to do. That she was the job. “Absolutely.”
Her lips curved. “Okay.”
Goddamn. “Night, Janey.”
He barely gave her time to respond with her own, “Good night, Mal,” before he was out her door and back onto the street.
Just a job, right, son? She’s supposed to be just a job.
Yeah. Exactly.
He felt like he’d dodged a couple of bullets.
Though his gut ached like he’d caught one, at least.
***
Everyone knew her Saturday morning routine, so she wasn’t surprised to find her dad standing behind her in the climate-controlled, windowless mainframe room in the basement.
“Hey, sweetie. Get home okay last night?”
She didn’t turn to look at him. Couldn’t risk him seeing what had happened last night in her eyes. “We got home fine, Dad. Annie and I are big girls now.”
“I know that, hon, but give your old dad a little leeway. Besides, it was on Mal’s way home. Speaking of Mal…how do you think he’s working out?”
Janey slid her father a look, careful to keep her expression just a little confused. “He seems to be fitting in just fine. His performance has been exceptional.”
Frank nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. “His probationary period’s up. You don’t have any objection to keeping him on, do you? No worries?”
Can I? Keep him, that is? Yes, please.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Why? Do you have concerns?”
Her father eased into the room, dressed in a baby-blue sweater that matched his eyes and made him look twenty years younger. His worn jeans hung on his hips, and she couldn’t decide if she was worried about the weight he’d lost or if she should be glad he’d shed the few extra pounds he’d been carrying.
“Nope, I think he’s doing just fine.”
She nodded. “Good. Then you don’t have anything to worry about.”
He laughed as he leaned against the wall. “Who said I was worried? Should I be?”
She gave him a frown because that was what he’d expect her to do. “No, and stop baiting me. You know the doctor said you shouldn’t have any undue stress and—”
“Janey, honey.” He leaned forward to place one finger under her chin, forcing her gaze to his. “I’m
fine. And I know exactly what the doctor said because you’ve been repeating it back to me for six weeks. Sweetheart, nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m too ornery.”
“I know. But I still worry.”
He nodded, reaching out to gently tug at her hair, a well-remembered gesture from childhood. It had been their secret signal, his way of telling her he loved her when she’d been too much of a teenager to want the words.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“Yeah, honey, I love you too. Don’t work too hard. It’s Saturday. Don’t you have something to do that doesn’t involve this office?”
Why, yes, she did, but there was no way she was telling her dad she had a date with Mal. She lifted an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “And you’re here…why?”
Shaking his head, her father turned to leave. “Don’t spend all day here, hon.”
Her father disappeared out the door, leaving Janey staring after him for several seconds.
Her dad was hiding something.
Whether it was about work or his health, she wasn’t sure. And that scared her.
She’d wanted to pursue it, but she had her own secrets at the moment.
What would he make of her and Mal? Not that she needed his approval but…she loved her dad. And she trusted his instincts. He liked Mal. He’d made that pretty clear.
But would he approve of her and Mal together when she told him Mal had lied to them?
The computer beeped, drawing her attention back to her work.
Staring at the screen, she sifted through code, staring at it through narrowed eyes. Something was out of whack.
Someone had been digging through her system. She didn’t like people messing with her system.
If her brothers had problems, they called her. Jimmy was smart enough to keep his stuff confined to his laptop but Nic lost files on a weekly basis. Computers didn’t like him. And he didn’t like them.
Usually, though, he told her if he’d screwed something up. Sometimes her mom had problems, though, that she fixed herself.
Janey decided to find out before jumping to conclusions. After she finished her maintenance work, she headed upstairs for her mom’s office and knocked on the door.
“Hey, Mom. You have a minute?”
There was a short pause before her mom said, “Sure, sweetie. Come on in.”
Janey pushed through the door and walked toward the desk. “Did you lose something in the system?”
Sitting at her desk, her mother looked up and grinned, like a kid with her hand caught in the candy jar. Something rustled under the desk.
“No, I do—”
Janey gasped. “Mom, you sneak. I thought you and Dad were going on this diet together.”
Her mother rolled her eyes and withdrew the potato chip bag from where she’d hidden it under the desk. “Honey, even your father knows I can’t live without chips. I just hide them so he won’t be tempted. We don’t even keep them in the house anymore.”
“They’re not good for you either, you know.”
Her mother rolled her eyes and deliberately crunched another chip. “We all have our addictions, dear. Some of mine happen to be salt and lard.”
Janey gave her mother a wry smile as she sank into the chair opposite the desk. “Anyway, someone’s gone through the system looking for something and I wondered if it was you.”
Grace didn’t answer right away, taking her time with her chip. “Nope, not me. It was probably Nic. He’s just afraid to tell you.”
Janey shook her head. “Nic’s not afraid of anyone. Especially not me.” Although her brother was stubborn enough not to ask for her help sometimes. “What about Mal? Do you have him working on something?”
Grace blinked. “Just the Bennett case.” She placed the chip bag on her desk and nudged it across. “Want one?”
That blink gave her mom away. Grace was hiding something. Something that involved Mal? Or did it have to do with Bennett?
Secrets appeared to be the family stock in trade today.
Janey snitched a greasy, crunchy morsel of fat and studied Grace. “Are you going to tell me what you’re hiding?”
Grace’s expression never changed. Damn, her mom was good. “I’m not hiding anything.”
Janey’s gaze narrowed. “You’d tell me if there was something going on, right? Something with Daddy?”
Grace rolled her eyes and Janey released her anxiety on a sigh. Whatever was going on, it didn’t have anything to do with her father’s health.
“Your father’s fine. Of course, I’m sure he’d sleep better if he knew you were in a serious relationship with a nice man…”
Janey groaned, as she was expected to do, and rose before her mom could read something on her face she didn’t want her to see.
“Don’t even go there, Mom. I’m so not in the mood for another lecture about men. I’ll talk to you later. Don’t finish that whole bag in one sitting.”
She snatched one more chip. Just one. She didn’t buy them because they were addictive and counterproductive to her diet. She didn’t like being controlled by her appetite. Or anything else, for that matter.
Her mother laughed, but Janey heard an undertone of melancholy. “Sometimes, honey, you just have to let go and indulge. You should try it sometime.”
Oh, if you only knew.
“I’ve got to get going, Mom.” She opened the door, giving her mom one last glance over her shoulder. “I’ll—Oh.”
His chest muffled her surprised exclamation as strong arms caught her when she stumbled. And, oh God, he smelled great.
She looked up, straight into Mal’s hazel eyes.
Freezing, she allowed herself to be held for one brief moment, before moving away…and getting caught in those beautiful eyes.
With an alien disregard for her mother watching the entire scene, Janey wished he’d kiss her. Wished she could kiss him and damn the consequences.
Instead, he muttered, “Sorry,” and dropped his gaze before releasing her. Reluctantly. Or so it seemed. “I’ll come back later.”
“Hey, Mal. What are you doing here?”
His gaze caught hers for a brief second before he nodded toward her mom. “Bennett got another letter this morning and I need to talk to Grace about it. I’m going to have to follow the, uh, director around this afternoon, see if I anyone makes a play on him. How are you, Janey?”
Well, hell. There went their date for this afternoon. Disappointment bit into her and she had to work hard to cover it.
But wow, the guy was good. Not a trace of anything except polite interest showed on his face. She had to admit she was disappointed they wouldn’t spend the afternoon together, though she covered it well as she gave him a bright smile. One that hopefully didn’t broadcast her desire for him to her mom. “Fine, thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
With a backward wave to her mom, she high-tailed it back to her office, feeling like she’d dodged a bullet.
***
Grace looked up after reading Benentt’s latest letter, her green eyes furious.
Mal knew exactly how she felt.
You’re supposed to be mine. You promised. I know you don’t love your wife. And that little brown-haired bitch who’s been sniffing around isn’t worth your time. She’s a distraction you don’t need. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she doesn’t come between us.
“The tone appears to be escalating.” Grace’s voice sound tight, cold. “No outright threat of violence but enough to imply she isn’t afraid to use it.”
“The fact that she hasn’t used Janey’s name in any of the letters may indicate she doesn’t know who Janey is, only that she’s been seen with Bennett.”
“But the only place Janey has ever been in Bennett’s vicinity has been in the office.”
“You’re sure of that?”
Grace’s wry grin calmed the jealousy that’d flashed through him like quicksilver. “Positive. Janey can’t stand the man. She’s made that clear. Sh
e knows what she wants and I can assure you Bennett is not on her list. That means the woman must have followed him here at some point.”
Grace sounded completely confident in what she knew about her daughter. And why wouldn’t she? Janey and Grace were close. The entire family didn’t appear to have any secrets from each other.
Except, Mal was pretty sure Grace didn’t know about Janey’s involvement with Luke.
Or that he’d kissed Janey. If she had… Hell, he honestly didn’t know what Grace would think about that.
“I know you’re doing everything you can to close this case, Mal. But this needs to be gone yesterday.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”
***
Mal couldn’t believe his goddamn awful luck.
He’d been following Bennett all fucking day, giving up his date with Janey in an attempt to close this case and fast.
The slimy director had schmoozed a couple of city officials over a liquid lunch on South Street, caught a meeting with a rich local businessman at the Four Seasons Hotel in Center City in the afternoon and had been dropped off by his limo driver at a high-priced apartment building in Rittenhouse Square, where he’d disappeared for an hour between six and seven.
Now, Mal sat in the plain tan Celica the DeMarcos kept for surveillance outside a nondescript restaurant in Chinatown, while Bennett seduced a twenty-something blonde with an obvious boob job over dim sum.
The guy and his date sat in the front window, the better to be seen by anyone who passed by. Goddamn publicity whore.
Mal had hoped to spot a tail on this creep, find something, anything to wrap this case quickly. He didn’t like the escalating tone of the letters.
But of course, nothing was that easy.
Not Bennett. Not the DeMarcos.
And definitely not Janey.
Last night…
Hell, last night was a fucking mistake of gargantuan proportions. Not only had he not gained any information from Janey that would help with his case, but he’d fallen even more in lust with her.
Yeah, son. You’ve done it up good this time.
“Jeez, Dad, give it a break,” he muttered. Thankfully there was no one around the hear him talk to his dead father.
He didn’t think things could get any worse at that particular moment.
Sex, Lies and Surveillance Page 11
