She wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily. “No way, buddy. Spill. Come on, I’m a girl. You can tell me. I might even understand.”
A hard look at Merri—who deflected every jibe, joke and judgment with a quip—revealed that she was dead serious.
“She’s driving me insane,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here, watching her on a date. I want to kill her brother for asking me to do this but it’s my own damn fault. I listen to her voice all day and, at night, it follows me home and into my dreams. She makes a business suit sexy, for Christ’s sake. She’s intelligent and sweet and I think… Hell, I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“You like her.” Merri finished his unspoken thought as if she’d read his mind. Maybe his thoughts were transparent and he was becoming even more of a danger to himself and this case. “Do you really think there’s anything here? I’ve never heard anything skanky about the DeMarcos. I mean, my God, they’re, like, legendary—”
He held up a hand to stop her. “I’ve already had this discussion with Gallagher. As far as I can tell—”
Janey had seen him. He could tell the second she spotted him across the room because he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her for more than a few seconds.
She blinked a few times, leaned closer to her date—who nodded—then rose from the table and headed straight for him. He couldn’t pretend not to notice her because he couldn’t look away. She walked with a slow, steady stride, her legs looking incredibly long in heels higher than anything he’d ever seen her wear.
He stood, Aunt Gert’s training coming to the fore.
“Hi, Mal.” She stopped at their table, her tentative smile including Merri in its welcome. “I see you’ve found my mother’s favorite restaurant. Did she tell you about this place? Or did my brothers?”
The first thing he was going to do when he saw Jimmy was pop him in the nose.
“Actually—” he started.
“I asked him to bring me,” Merri broke in, a big grin on her face. “Hi, I’m Merri Simmons.” She held out her hand.
As Mal watched, Janey took the other woman’s hand. “Janey DeMarco. I work with Mal.”
“And I used to work with Mal. Nice to meet you, Janey. Can you join us for a few minutes?”
Mal sliced a look at his dinner companion that should have drawn blood. First he’d strangle Merri. Then he’d deal with Jimmy.
“No, I’m with some friends.” Janey gestured toward the other table. “I just wanted to say hi. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“You’re welcome to sit for a few minutes,” he offered gruffly. Anything to keep her away from Mr. I-Make-More-Money-Than-You-Ever-Will.
She looked ready to accept when Annie appeared by her side.
“Hello, Mal.” Annie shot him a grin, then turned to Merri, who looked like she’d just discovered a long-lost family member. “Hello.”
“Hi. Merri Simmons. I’m just up from Maryland for the day to visit Mal. We used to work together.”
“Really?” The blonde looked fascinated. “So you work for the government?”
“That’s right.” Merri nodded. “We worked together for several years.”
“Interesting,” Annie murmured, sliding a look at Janey. “Anyway, I’m just on my way to the ladies’ room. It was nice to meet you both.”
Merri, damn her, jumped out of her seat like she’d been kicked in the ass. “I think I’ll just tag along, if you don’t mind. Be right back, Mal.”
And they were gone, leaving him alone with Janey. The urge to sweep her out of the restaurant and back to his apartment nearly overwhelmed him.
Instead, he pointed to a chair. “Sit down. Your…date isn’t going anywhere.”
And why would he, Mal thought wryly, when this woman would be coming back to him?
“So, you and Merri used to work together? In the code lab?”
“Yeah. She’s the supervisor of my old team.”
When Mal fell silent, Janey’s heart dropped into her stomach. He was the last person she’d expected tonight. Nic wouldn’t have surprised her, but he was in Jersey. And she doubted Jimmy would’ve been able to get away from their mother’s watchful eye after his accident yesterday.
At first, she couldn’t believe Mal’d fallen prey to her brothers’ schemes to keep an eye on her. But then she’d seen his date.
He’d brought a woman. A delicate beauty, with sparkling blue eyes, masses of blond hair, a tiny little body and a laugh that traveled the room. Vivacious described her perfectly.
The exact opposite of staid, dependable Janey, who’d had to dig deep into her underwear drawer to find panties that weren’t plain cotton.
She cut off those thoughts, gaze still pasted to the table. She was not jealous, damn it. A few kisses and one wonderful orgasm did not give her any rights.
She started to rise, feeling incredibly awkward. “Well, I certainly don’t want to interrupt your date—”
“It’s not a date, Janey.” He reached for her hand before she could leave. “It’s two old friends having dinner. I want to make that clear.”
His hand completely enveloped hers. The heat of his body seeped into hers and her blood began to chug though her veins, making it hard to catch her breath. She wanted to lace her fingers with his and let him lead her out of here. Take her home.
She looked into his eyes and saw a tangle of emotion there. When his thumb started making little circles on her skin, it took all she had to carefully withdraw her hand. It took her another few seconds to stand, though.
She had to get out of here before she really embarrassed herself and threw herself at him.
“Well, have a nice dinner. I’ve got to get back to my… He’s not really my date either. I agreed to come with Annie and her boyfriend. The other guy is a friend of his. Not my date.”
Jesus, could she make herself any more pathetic?
He stood as well, tall and gorgeous in a forest-green sweater and jeans. “See you tomorrow, Janey.”
She turned away, not sure she could speak. His touch did too many strange things to her body. It was a wonder she could walk back to the table unassisted, because her knees were literally weak.
***
“Oh, you’ve got it bad, buddy. I almost feel a little sorry for you.” Merri’s voice held way too much glee. “I’ve never seen you like this over a woman. Who would’ve guessed the unflappable Mal Laughlin would fall for a suspect?”
Mal’s hands gripped the taxi’s seat as they parked at Penn Station. Dinner had been a bust after Merri returned to the table, though she’d been remarkably restrained for the hour they’d pushed food around their plates. He hadn’t been able to eat, couldn’t concentrate on conversation and he damn well couldn’t stop watching Janey.
He dug in his pants pocket for antacids. “It’s under control. I’m under control. Nothing’s gonna happen. I’m not gonna let anything happen.”
Merri’s grin had a sharklike appearance. “Well, that’s too bad, because from what I can see, the girl’s got it bad for you too.”
Mal pushed money through the glass divider, then shot Merri a blistering look.
She stared at him innocently. “So, aren’t you going to ask me what I learned from the blonde?”
Mal ignored her and got out of the cab. As soon as he got Merri on a train back to Maryland, he needed a beer. Or two. Maybe three.
He headed toward the doors, not waiting for Merri.
“Oh, come on, Mal.” Merri had to run to keep up. “You have to be curious. The woman spilled her guts. Did you know Janey’s only here because Annie basically twisted her arm? And that Janey wanted to back out at the last minute? And that—”
“Merri.” He sighed harshly. “Give me a damn break. I don’t want to know.”
“Mal.” She grabbed for his arm. “Jesus, you’re practically vibrating. You need to calm down, buddy. Maybe tonight wasn’t such a good idea.”
Too late, he thought. Much, muc
h too late.
The only ideas he had lately involved him, a bed and Janey. Probably not the best ideas for his investigation, but they certainly seemed great to him.
And that meant only one thing.
He was going to have to be taken off the case.
Chapter Twelve
Why did all the seemingly nice guys have hands like an octopus?
Sweater Man—Stephen, damn it, Stephen—backed Janey up against her front door and leaned in for the kill.
Well, a kiss, actually. Polo cologne mixed with the beer on his breath in the cold night air. His too-big hands gripped around her waist like she was a football he was about to heave, and his lips were on a suicide mission.
“I had a great time tonight.” His tone fell into a husky rasp—that didn’t hold a candle to Mal’s.
Okay, she could do this. Let him have a peck and send him back out into the night.
It hadn’t been a fun evening. Sweater Man threatened to make it a complete disaster. Not only had he tried to monopolize her the entire night, but now he thought she owed him a kiss. If not more.
She turned to give him her cheek, but the man anticipated and planted one right on her lips. With long-practiced ease, she squirmed out of his arms and put some space between them.
“Thanks again for dinner, Sw—Stephen.” She grimaced but he didn’t seem to notice her slip. He was too busy studying her cleavage. Well, that was just too damn bad. A look was all he would get. “I’ve got to get up early tomorrow, so good night.”
Unfortunately, Sweater Man was dumber than the average bear. He leaned one arm on the doorjamb and came in much too close for comfort. “I’d like to call you again.”
Not in this lifetime, buddy.
She dredged up a smile while trying to key in her code without being able to see the pad. She didn’t want to take her eyes off him. His hands were much too close.
“Actually, Stephen, you’re very nice—” she caught his hand just as it was about to come to rest awfully close to her left breast, “—but I’m so busy at work right now and—”
“That’s okay.” He leaned closer, capturing her hand in his. “I’m busy too. That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun tonight.”
Exasperated, Janey wished, for the first time in her life, for someone to save her. Annie was staying at Brad’s tonight, so there was no help there. That left her brothers or …
Oh, go ahead and wish for it.
Damn it, she wanted Mal to jump from the shadows, not that there were any on her well-lit street, but hey, this was her fantasy. She wanted him to rip this guy off of her, fight for her. She wasn’t up for this tonight.
“Excuse me, Janey?” A voice came from behind Sweater Man’s broad shoulders. “Sorry to interrupt, but do you have a minute? I had a question about a case and I need to talk to you.”
Mal. Mal was here. Oh, my. She did have a fairy godmother.
Peering around Sweater Man’s arms, she froze at the complete fury in Mal’s expression.
She glanced up at Stephen, who was eyeing Mal with a predator’s glare. “Ah, sure. Stephen was just leaving, as a matter of fact.”
Sweater Man scowled down at her. “Yeah, we were just saying good night. I’ll give you a call, Janey. We’ll do this again.”
Her mouth dropped open at his conceit as he swaggered away, not giving Mal a second look.
Mal never acknowledged Stephen. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.
“Are you okay?” she asked hesitantly.
He shut his eyes for two seconds and when he opened them, the look on his face had softened to the point where he looked kind of sheepish. Sweet.
“Are you all right, Janey?” he asked.
She watched him move closer until he stood exactly where Sweater Man had been. But this time, her instinct was to draw the man before her closer, not push him away.
“Yes.” She swallowed heavily. “I’m fine. Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “I need to talk to you.”
“I could have handled him, you know.”
Oh, how stupid did that sound? She wanted to groan. The words had rushed out before she could stop them, reflex against years of older brothers.
“I know.” He exhaled heavily. “Look, maybe I’d better go.”
She clenched her hands into fists, afraid she was going to grab him around the neck and drag him into her home against his will. And how pathetic would that be?
“No, please stay.” Yes, please stay all night. “Come in for a drink.” She didn’t wait to hear his reply, just opened the door and walked through to her living room. Relief seeped through her when she heard him follow and close the door behind him.
“I really shouldn’t stay long.”
Then she remembered. “Your friend, Merri. Is she in the taxi?” She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten Mal’s date. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking—”
“No, I dropped her off at the train station. She had to get back tonight. It really wasn’t a date, Janey. Just two friends having dinner. She had things she wanted to discuss.”
His lips twisted slightly, and her stomach flipped.
“Well, thanks for showing up when you did. Sweater Man was becoming a real pain in the ass.”
His smile came easier now. “Sweater Man, huh? Fits him.”
Silence fell then and she had no idea what to fill it with.
Mal finally said, “Damn it, I don’t have one good reason for being here, but I couldn’t stay away.”
Then he stepped forward and pressed his mouth to hers.
When she parted her lips and let her tongue flick out to taste him, he groaned as her tongue slid across his lips. His chest rose and fell against hers, his accelerating heartbeat pounding against her sensitive breasts.
And when he drew her even closer, she could feel the hard ridge behind his zipper against her mound. She wanted to slide her hands into his pants and wrap her fingers around that warmth.
Breaking the kiss, she leaned back and found herself staring into his hazel eyes. She could get lost in that gaze.
Deliberately, she fisted her fingers in his hair and drew him back down to her. She twisted her head slightly, rose on her toes and sealed their mouths together again. His lips were firm and slightly dry. She used her tongue to moisten them, licking in a steady motion from one corner to the next, first the bottom and then the top.
He stilled as she pulled back only far enough to see her handiwork. She didn’t have a chance, though, because he had his lips locked on hers again.
And, oh, what a kiss it was.
With his hands tight on her hips, he explored every inch of her mouth until her knees threatened to buckle. He parted her lips with his tongue and plunged inside. He plundered, ravaged, and Janey wrapped her arms even more tightly around his shoulders.
When he let her up for air, she dragged in a shaky breath and moved her hands from his shoulders, where they’d been smoothing over hard muscles, to his nape, trying to guide his mouth back to hers.
He wouldn’t let her. His mouth slipped onto the curve of her neck, kissing a path from just under her ear to her shoulder. She groaned when he raised one hand to cup her breast through the thin material of her shirt. Her nipples pebbled instantly, rasping deliciously against the cotton.
He made a rough sound in his throat as he stroked the peak, halting his lips’ progress across her breastbone. Lifting his head, he stared into her eyes. Hers widened with wonder and desire. His were slitted and dangerous-looking. Her breath stopped in her throat at the heat she saw there, then started again with quick, shallow gasps when he lowered his head to her breast.
He suckled her through the double layer of fabric, drawing her into his mouth and making her gasp. Her fingers slipped through his hair and then tightened, grasping the long strands like lifelines, arching into him.
He groaned and froze. Aroused to a flashpoint, she cried out his name, her body tightening in aching desire.
&nbs
p; “Don’t stop now,” she whispered. “Please, Mal. You can’t stop now. I’ll have to kill you if you do.”
She felt his muscles shake with the rigid control he exerted over himself, but she could also feel his hot erection pressing against her stomach.
“Are you gonna tell me tomorrow this was a big mistake?” he asked.
She bit his earlobe, then licked it. “This is what I’ve wanted since the first moment I met you.”
The intensity of his gaze burned and her heart skipped a couple of beats as her body tightened unmercifully.
Tugging on his hand, she drew him to her bedroom, not bothering with lights. The bed loomed large in one corner, the rumpled sheets an invitation to fall into them.
When Janey stopped several feet from the bed, so did Mal’s heart, because he was positive she’d reconsidered. But what she did next left him in no doubt of what she wanted.
Gathering the skirt of her dress in her hands, she drew it over her head and tossed it to the floor. Then she unhooked the black lace bra to follow it. With only her thumbs, she flicked her matching panties to the ground.
Mal had to catch his jaw before it fell to the ground. She wasn’t at all embarrassed by her nudity. And she had absolutely no reason to be.
She was gorgeous—with curves like an ancient Roman statue. Her hips called out to him to rest his hands on them, as did her full, round breasts. Her shoulders gleamed in the faint glow of light from the bathroom. It gave her pale olive skin an exotic sheen. Her dark hair rioted over her shoulders and it was this that drew him first.
Stepping closer, he gathered her hair into one hand and lowered his mouth to her exposed neck, kissing the curve where it met her shoulder. She groaned, her fingernails digging into his waist.
He barely noticed the slight pain, too busy exploring the contrast of the soft skin beneath her breast and its hardened tip. He closed his mouth over her nipple and suckled her, drawing her arousal into one fine point, centered in her breast.
His control about to implode, he had to stop himself from shoving her on the bed and thrusting into her hard.
Sex, Lies and Surveillance Page 15
