by Katie Reus
Looking away from Roman before she started crying, she focused on her task, infiltrating Neal’s multiple email accounts and files he thought he’d hidden. She nearly snorted at his stupidity and saved them all to a secret company Cloud account only she and Hugh had access to. Well, just her now.
After finding those files it was just a matter of time before tracing the trail of diverted money. She wasn’t able to guess his password, but she was able to reset it using one of his email accounts. The bank sent a ‘reset password’ email to him and she reset it all right. She laughed to herself as she did it, feeling insanely pleased that she was able to do this much to Neal. A man like him only cared about money and she was taking all of this away from him. Sure, he had personal accounts but he was stealing for a reason. He needed the cash because of his gambling debts. She wasn’t sure who he owed money to and she didn’t particularly care. She just cared that he wasn’t going to hurt the company or take anything else that didn’t belong to him. As soon as she’d transferred all the money, she changed the passwords in all his accounts to different ones, effectively locking him out of everything. She wanted him to know exactly what she’d done. Even if he called his bank and got back into his account online, all his money was still gone.
Next she locked him out of the Powers Group system.
“And fuck you,” she muttered as she finished the last keystrokes. When she was done, she closed everything down and gently shut the laptop. She looked up to find Roman watching her with a mixture of humor and something else. It was almost like he was impressed. “What?” she asked self-consciously, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“You just did a pretty impressive evil genius laugh.” His lips twitched again, the humor in his beautiful eyes clear.
For a long moment she watched him, completely drawn into his gaze. She felt her cheeks heating up. “I did not do an evil genius laugh.”
A dark eyebrow lifted. “You kinda did. And it was hot.”
Her eyes widened at the same time his did. As if he was surprised he’d said it. A spiral of heat swirled through her as she watched him. “You think it was hot?”
He cleared his throat and even though she was just getting to know him, his response told her he might not be big on flirting. Which was fine with her because she sucked at it. She didn’t do coy well. Hell, she sometimes struggled with normal social conversations. Computers were easier to deal with than people and their mixed signals. Feeling awkward when he didn’t say anything else, she slid the laptop onto the bed behind her. “Well, thanks for letting me use your computer.”
Taking her completely by surprise—and that was an understatement—he leaned in close, covering the distance between them, obviously giving her time to pull back. He watched her carefully, his eyes intense as he brushed his lips over hers. As if he was testing the waters.
It was like an electric current jolted through her at the contact. He felt it too. She saw it in his eyes. Refusing to pass up this opportunity, she pressed her lips fully to his, making her intent clear. She didn’t want a weak, barely-there kiss.
Not when this brief contact already had her nipples tightening and heat rushing between her legs. If this was happening, she was getting the real thing. He took over, one of his big hands sliding up to cup the back of her head as his mouth devoured hers. The grip on her head was tight, dominating and had her moaning into his mouth as a shudder rolled through her. He was so different from other men she’d kissed or dated. Not that they were remotely dating, but even her response to him was different. She felt as if he was heating her up from the inside out.
His tongue pressed insistently against the seam of her lips, demanding entrance as his other hand slid up to cradle her cheek. She loved the way he held her in place, as if he thought she might flee.
No way was that happening.
Unable to stop herself, even if she’d wanted to—and she most definitely didn’t—she slid her hands up his bare chest, another shudder rippling through her as her fingers skimmed all those rock-hard surfaces. It was like the man had been created from marble.
As their tongues danced together, Roman withdrew his hands from her head and face. Before she realized what he was doing, he fisted her hips and she found herself straddling his lap. His erection rubbed against her covered mound, the friction still amazing even through the too-big sweatpants he’d let her borrow and his plaid boxer shorts.
He kept his hands on the outside of her clothes, but slid one carefully over her non-injured side, and the other over her hip and down her leg, as if he was memorizing the way she felt.
She lifted up slightly on her knees, rubbing herself over his hard length, loving the sensation of it where she was wet and needy. He groaned into her mouth, his big body shuddering underneath her.
It was as if her entire body was lit up with need and hunger. Sure it had been a while since she’d been with anyone, but she couldn’t ever remember being this turned on by a kiss. Maybe it was the emotional rollercoaster she’d been on the last couple days but she really didn’t think so.
It was because of Roman.
She clutched his shoulders and started to push him back against the bed, but he took over completely, rolling them so that she was under him. Something hard rubbed against her back and it took her a moment to realize it was the laptop.
Making an annoyed growling sound, he grabbed it and shoved it somewhere above their heads on the bed. Rolling her hips into him, she loved the sensation of his erection stroking over her. His weight was heavy and perfect, his masculine scent addictive.
When a low ringing sound penetrated her brain, she wondered what was going on when Roman pulled back from her, breathing hard. He stared down at her as the ringing continued. What was that? His alarm? She blinked, feeling dazed as he cursed and slid off her body. Immediately she mourned the loss of his big body covering hers.
“Better be fucking life and death,” he muttered as he moved to his nightstand.
She sat back up and turned around to see him picking up his cell phone. She’d been so focused on Roman she’d barely been aware of anything else.
“Hey, Hurley,” he said, his voice tight, turning to face her.
Taylor slid off the bed and straightened, wrapping her arms around herself. If the detective was calling this early she didn’t know if that was good or bad. Only able to listen to half of the conversation, she didn’t garner much since Roman responded a lot with one word answers or grunts.
As soon as he hung up, she practically pounced on him. “Well?”
“They dug a bullet out of the back of the elevator. Hurley said the lead detective is pissed the crime scene guys missed it the first go around, but I guess the elevator has a weird texture?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s all chrome and nickel with weird rises in the texture. It’s always made me think of medieval armor. Did they find anything else?”
“Blood on the bullet. They’re testing it now and putting a rush on it. Since it goes against Neal’s story, combined with the traces of blood splatter they found with luminol, you’re going to be cleared soon. Hurley wants us to come down to the station to make a statement about what happened yesterday, then the Oceanside PD wants you to come in. They’re going to give you time to return to the city voluntarily and they’re bringing Neal in for more questioning. They can hold him long enough to do the blood test. As long as the evidence corroborates with your story—and I know it will—you’ll be cleared of everything.”
She perched on the edge of the bed as she digested his words. She was innocent so she wasn’t worried about being cleared, but there would be so much to do now, including planning Hugh’s funeral. That thought brought up a fresh wave of sadness so she stood. “Do you think I have time for coffee before we head to the station?” Part of her wanted to finish what she and Roman had just started, but the realistic part of her brain knew it was probably for the best they didn’t do anything else.
Roman nodded and glance
d at the clock. “Yeah. My brother should be home soon too. I texted him and asked him to bring you some clothes so I apologize in advance if they’re…not your style.”
She lifted her eyebrows at that, but didn’t question him. “Thank you. Again. I know you’re doing all this for Vadim, but still—”
“Stop thanking me. This stopped being about Vadim a while ago.” His voice was raspy and an octave lower than normal as he watched her.
Oh. Okay, maybe she really did want to finish what they’d just started. “Um…” She didn’t know what to say, but thankfully he saved her.
“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” he said, shifting as if he was uncomfortable. It took about a second for her to realize why and her face flamed once again. “The coffee maker is the one-cup kind and easy to use.”
“I saw it last night and it’s the same kind I have.” She seriously needed a dose of caffeine. Once she left his room, she let out a big breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The man lit her nerves on fire and had the ability to distract her even from the worst situation. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. For all she knew what she was feeling was because of everything that had happened, but something told her she’d be feeling this way about Roman no matter what. The timing sucked too because she had way too much to deal with right now without worrying about her reaction to him. She’d be leaving town in a couple hours anyway.
* * *
Roman strode down the stairs, pausing when he heard his brother’s voice and Taylor’s following laughter. He was surprised his brother was home so soon. The shower he’d taken had done nothing to douse the hunger raging through him. He hadn’t expected her to knock on his door so early this morning.
Hadn’t expected to kiss her.
And he hadn’t expected the primal reaction he was still coming to grips with. He’d wanted to take her right on his bed, a place he never brought women. His few and far between fucks were always at the woman’s place or in a hotel when he was out of town. That was one thing he and his twin had in common, they never brought women back to their place.
But he’d liked the thought of Taylor in his bed, underneath him, moaning out his name as he brought her pleasure. Way too much. Fuck. He scrubbed a hand over his face as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
When he entered the kitchen he found Taylor leaning against one of the granite countertops, a coffee cup in hand. She was dressed in clothes his brother had presumably brought for her. Tight jeans that were a little too long and a plain black V-neck T-shirt that stretched across her breasts. He found his gaze lingering on those full breasts and once again, his dick decided to wake up. Damn it, he’d just jerked off in the shower to thoughts of Taylor—something he should probably feel bad about, but didn’t—he should be fine, but one look at her and he was getting hard again.
Roman focused on his brother because it was better than staring at Taylor like some horny teenager.
“Where’s Charlie?” Logan asked.
“Oh, had Brannon pick her up after we got back from the hospital.” Nicholas Brannon worked security at the Serafina. Since Roman wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Taylor and he’d known his brother would be exhausted after his last job, he’d wanted to make sure the dog was taken care of for a while. And Brannon would spoil the dog more than Vadim. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Thanks for the clothes. Did you get her a sweater?” It was chilly outside.
Logan gave him a strange look and nodded at one of the chairs at the island where a black cardigan was slung across the back. “Yeah. Taylor tells me you two are headed to the police station.”
“Yeah.” He’d been scarce on information about her, only telling his twin the basics when he’d asked him to bring her clothes. And that wasn’t like him. But he felt a strange proprietary sense toward her. Even where his twin was concerned.
“Should I come along?” There was a note in his twin’s voice he recognized. It was subtle, but it almost sounded like Logan was baiting him. Or at least trying to push him for some reason. Probably because he’d been so secretive about Taylor and the whole situation.
“Nah, you just got off a long stretch. We’ll be fine.” It was true that Logan had just come off a longer than normal security job for their boss, Wyatt. He’d been on an out of town trip and taken on more responsibility since Wyatt’s normal right-hand man, Jay Wentworth, had some old SEAL buddies in town for the week and had taken off. Roman didn’t really care that Logan had come off a job though, he wanted Taylor all to himself, not around his charming twin.
His brother’s dark eyes narrowed a fraction, but he nodded. “All right.”
Roman looked back at Taylor and his heart rate kicked up about a hundred notches. “We’ve got insulated cups if you want to bring your coffee with you.”
She shook her head, her cheeks slightly flushed. “I’m good, but thanks. I just need to grab my shoes from upstairs and I’ll be ready to go.”
He nodded, watching as she said something else to his brother, then headed out of the kitchen. Even though it was instinct to trail after her with his gaze, he didn’t. Instead, he headed for the coffee pot and grabbed a mug from the cabinet above it.
“What’s going on with you? Why don’t you want me going along?” Logan asked.
Roman shrugged, but his shoulders were stiff. “I know you’ve got better things to do.”
“This isn’t about Taylor?” His brother’s voice was dry.
“No. I’m ready to get rid of her.” A big fucking lie. One that tasted bitter in his mouth.
Logan snorted. “Bullshit.”
He glanced over his shoulder at his brother. “You think I like dealing with this situation?”
“I think you like her and you don’t want me around.”
Damn his brother and their fucking twin bond. He could never hide anything from Logan. All he had to do was walk into a room and his twin just got a vibe for how he was feeling. It was the same for Roman. They’d driven their mother insane when they’d been kids.
“I also think salt is going to taste nasty in your coffee.” Logan tilted his chin toward the open cabinet where Roman had his fingers clenched around a container of salt.
Damn, he was distracted. He let it go and grabbed the sugar before turning to face his brother. “You’ve got a smug look on your face.”
Logan lifted his hands and framed his face with his fingers into a square. “This handsome mug?”
The corners of Roman’s mouth lifted. “Yeah. Why?”
“Why? Because you like this girl enough that you brought her back to our place.”
“I only brought her here to keep her safe. And she slept in your bed.” After that kiss they’d just shared, he really wished it had been in his bed instead.
“Too bad I wasn’t there. She wouldn’t have gotten any sleep.”
Before he realized he’d moved, Roman took a step forward—and stopped when Logan’s face split into a wide grin.
“You’re a dick,” Roman muttered.
Logan’s grin just grew wider. “Roman and Taylor, sitting in a tree—”
He groaned. “You’re so fucking infantile. Seriously, I don’t know how you ever get laid.”
Logan shrugged and moved past him, grabbing Roman’s mug, like he normally did. Roman started making another cup as his brother said, “You know how. It’s this handsome face and charming personality.”
“You’re in a mood this morning. Good trip?” he asked as the machine started brewing another cup.
“Trip was fine. I’m just glad you met someone normal.”
“You spent maybe ten minutes with her.”
“Yeah and I can already tell she’s a hundred times sweeter and saner than that bitch—”
“Logan.” Roman didn’t want to talk about his ex. Didn’t want to think about her. Not because he was still hung up on her, he just didn’t want to compare Taylor to Justina.
It felt wrong on too many levels. Mainly because
it reminded him what an idiot he’d been. And the two women were in completely different leagues. Taylor was…fucking amazing. She was beautiful, yeah, but she’d held up well under some shitty circumstances. Not only that, but she was a fighter. Her determination to bring down the man who’d killed her friend was impressive. Not once had she complained about her circumstances.
His brother shrugged again. “All I’m saying is, I like Taylor.”
“Yeah, me too.” Probably too much. Now he needed to get his game face on and get her to the police station. So far it seemed as if the evidence was backing up her story—and he believed her anyway, her grief over Hugh was too damn real—but there was still a threat out there. Whoever had shot at him yesterday had likely been there for her.
Just because the Oceanside PD was going to bring Neal Lynch in didn’t mean that whoever had come after Taylor would stop gunning for her. If that bastard Neal had sent someone after her, they might not stop until she was silenced.
That was happening over his dead body.
Chapter 7
Neal groaned as the sound of a phone ringing cut through the quiet room. He recognized the ringtone, otherwise he’d have ignored it. Opening his eyes, he looked over at the naked woman in his bed. Sunlight from a couple open blinds streamed through, highlighting her face. Her body was perfectly toned but she had more wrinkles around her mouth and eyes than he remembered last night when he’d picked her up. But he’d needed some quick stress relief and she’d been cheaper than buying a professional for the evening. All he’d had to do was buy her a few drinks.
Ignoring her presence, he grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and answered it. She didn’t even stir as he left the room. “Yeah?” His voice was hoarse and raspy. Probably shouldn’t have drank so much last night. Or done those lines of coke. But the woman had had extra, what was he going to say, no?
“Get out of your place now.” His contact’s voice was urgent.
“What, why?”
