by Sophie Oak
He smiled as he found a number he knew well on the screen. Logan. Damn straight. He loved it when a plan came together. “Naw. It’s just some office stuff. I’ll be with you in a second, sweetheart.”
She gave him a smile and started off the plane, giving him the privacy he needed. He pressed the button to start the first message and hoped all his pieces were in working order. It was a long row of dominoes he’d set in motion. There was always the chance that one had gone astray.
Stella’s Western twang came across the line. “Hi, Miss Hill. I wanted to let you know that I found the perfect man to house-sit for your client. I’ve got the paperwork ready, but I went ahead and gave him the key. I know this kid. He’s good people. Hope you don’t mind. Call me.”
He didn’t mind. He’d totally planned it that way. He moved on and pressed the button that brought him to Logan’s message. A deep voice came over the line, and Seth couldn’t help but smile.
“Seth, you shit ball. How dare you pull this crap with me. I’m paying you back. Every fucking cent.” He wasn’t going to let that happen, but Logan’s angry voice warmed him because it was the first time in a year he’d heard emotion in that laconic Western drawl. “You can’t think I wouldn’t fucking find out. I’m pissed as shit.” There was a pause in the line. “I need a favor. Look, man, there’s this chick I met out here in Dallas. She’s in New York now, and I need you to look for her. She’s just a friend, but she’s cool, you know? I like her. Not like like her, but like her. Like a friend. I want to make sure she’s okay. So just fucking drop me a line and we’ll work out a payment plan and you can do me a solid. K?”
The message dropped and Seth sat back, a deep satisfaction running through his system.
No. Logan didn’t like like her. God, were they back in junior high? Was Logan somewhere writing her name all over his notebooks? Yeah. Didn’t like her. Not at all.
Seth got out of his seat as he dialed the one number he didn’t want to dial. There was more than one reason he was here. Oh, sure, he would have come no matter what, but he had an obligation.
“Hello.” No matter how Seth sliced it, Henry Flanders sounded dark and dangerous.
Maybe if he didn’t know what he knew, he would shrug and just call that dark voice masculine, but the CIA operative Henry had been was still there. Seth was one of three people in the whole world who knew that Henry Flanders, mild-mannered former professor, used to be John Bishop, CIA assassin.
“Henry, it’s Seth.”
A low chuckle came over the line, and Seth was struck by just how far the man had come. He’d never laughed before he’d come to Bliss. “Hey, man, how’s it going? I read that Time article about you. You’re doing pretty awesome. I’m proud of you, Seth.”
An odd feeling went through him, and he had to blink back stupid, dumb-ass tears. Over the years, Henry Flanders had been a source of strength. They’d talked often over the last five years. It had started out as Henry simply checking in to make sure his cover was solid, but at some point in time, they’d just started talking.
So he didn’t prevaricate or drag out what he had to say. “Someone is looking for Henry Flanders.”
Seth could hear the temperature drop. Fuck.
“Really? How deep does it go?” Henry’s voice had gone silky and smooth, perfectly deadly.
And there was nothing Seth could offer him but the truth. “I shut it down, but he went deep. It’s possible that you’ve been compromised. I’m looking into it. Whoever is looking for you, they’re serious, man. I’ve been running around like a dog chasing my tail trying to find this guy. He wants me to believe he’s a twelve-year-old looking for his bio dad.”
“Fuck.”
Double fuck. “I’m going to take care of this.”
A long pause. “Seth, this is my business. I’ll take care of it.”
As any halfway decent mentor would say. But Seth knew the value of a really great father figure. He’d had a perfectly shitty one for most of his life, and then he’d had Henry. “I’m going to make sure this works out. I promise. I’m in town.”
Henry’s voice was back to smooth and calm. Henry and Nell were the only ones who knew he’d bought all that land. He’d even let Nell pick the builder so he could ensure that the place was as bio-friendly as possible and he could avoid any protests she might mount. “Well, hello, neighbor. The cabin is beautiful. I would love to see you. Tomorrow. Lunch at Stella’s. Nell will be happy you’re here, son.”
The son comment hit him hard, and he promised himself that he wouldn’t let Henry down. Nell had no idea what her husband used to do, and it should stay that way. After all, the dude hadn’t eaten meat in like five years. If that wasn’t love, then Seth didn’t know what was. “I’ll be there.”
The line clicked off, and Seth took a long breath before pocketing his phone.
“OMG, you call that a cabin?” Georgia asked, poking her head back in the plane. “I was prepared for something small. What is the square footage on that?”
Satisfaction coursed through his veins. She would like it even better when she walked through those doors. “Ten thousand, sweetheart. And I made sure your room is up to your standards. Tempur-Pedic bedding, thousand thread count sheets, and a walk-in closet to die for.”
She smiled, but there was a little shake of her head that let him know she thought he was a little out there. “I’m not sure I need a walk-in closet, Seth. And why am I coming on your vacation? Shouldn’t you have, I don’t know, invited a friend?”
“You’re my friend.” He took the stairs quickly, the chilly night air hitting his lungs. Yeah, he loved that. It was springtime, but the nights were still nice and cold.
“Seth, I’m your employee.” Her mouth settled into a frown as she strode to keep up with him. She was wearing a hot-as-hell pair of Gucci boots with gold studs on the heel. She’d gotten them the day before with her brother’s credit card. Ben had very happily sent Seth the receipt with a note and a deeply sarcastic smiley face. It said that in the future, he’d be sending all of Georgia’s receipts Seth’s way. Seth was sure Ben had laughed as he’d signed that note, but Seth had been more than happy to write that check. The fact that she was wearing clothes he’d purchased for her—from the St. John blouse to the killer Rag & Bone jeans, to those boots that would look good wrapped around his neck—did nothing but make Seth smile on the inside. And he’d paid for lunch, too, because he liked knowing that she wasn’t hungry because he’d fed her.
He was sure there was a psychiatrist somewhere who would say his possessiveness bordered on the psychotic, but he didn’t give a damn.
“Have you listened to a word I’ve said?” Georgia asked as the hostess carried out the rest of their luggage. Georgia didn’t pack light, and he was going to have to haul everything up to the house because he hadn’t brought along servants. He wanted to be alone with her.
“Sorry, my mind drifted.” He was glad he worked out. He stacked the two large rolling bags and lifted the third one. Damn. What had she packed? Her whole shoe collection? At least her brothers had done one thing right. She didn’t protest that she should be carrying the luggage. She made a single attempt to get her own suitcases and backed off when Seth waved her away.
“I said maybe I should hop a plane to Malibu and visit my brother. I don’t know these people, Seth. You should have brought a girlfriend.”
Seth stopped because this wasn’t going according to plans. Fuck. She was back to feeling bad about the kissing incident. He had to think and fast. “Georgia, you know how my work goes. I need you here with me. It’s just two weeks. If you still want to go out to Winter’s place after that, then I’ll give you some time off and let the jet take you out there.”
She wasn’t going to Win’s place. At least not without him. Seth still didn’t trust the bastard. For all he knew, Win might lock her away like a freaking princess in a castle.
In the low glow that came from the plane and the landing strip lights, he could
see the indecision on her face as she kept pace with him. They walked toward the back porch of the cabin. The beautiful structure had three levels and some floor-to-ceiling windows that would offer a spectacular view of the river and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. “I don’t know, Seth.”
The porch light wasn’t on. Actually, no lights were on. Was Logan here? He couldn’t see the front of the house so he wasn’t sure there was a truck up ahead. If Logan was at Hell on Wheels, Seth was going to have to go drag his ass out. Damn it, he was supposed to be better. Seth hefted the suitcases onto the perfectly finished wraparound deck and prayed he’d remembered the key.
“It’s going to be great, G.” Where would the broker have hidden a key? He needed to get Georgia settled and then go after his crazy-ass best friend. He had to make sure Logan was sober and presentable enough for breakfast in the morning.
Georgia followed him up the steps. “It just seems weird to go to someone’s party. I don’t know them. I’m just your assistant, but sometimes you don’t tell people that when you introduce me and they assume we have something going and I have to correct them. I don’t like it, Seth.”
He set the bags down and realized that she needed him more than he needed to plot. He could try to make her understand a little. He got in her space and was happy when she didn’t back down.
“Can you have some faith in me?” he asked, looking down at the face he was just crazy about. God, she was so fucking pretty. “Can you believe that I want what is absolutely best for you, and I will do anything I need to do to make it happen?”
“Seth, I don’t know why you would say that to me.”
“Yes, you do.” His lips hovered above hers. Maybe he shouldn’t wait any longer. He was finally home. He wanted to commemorate the moment, and there was nothing better on the planet than kissing Georgia in the moonlight. He was jumping the gun, but god, she was so close and he just didn’t have the heart to shut her out again. He couldn’t do it. She was his Kryptonite. Just one kiss. Then he would put her to bed and make sure she was safe and he would go after Logan’s ass.
The sound of a gun being cocked wasn’t completely foreign to Seth’s ears. Nope. There was just no way to mistake that fucking sound.
“Move an inch and I’ll blow your head off,” a familiar voice said.
Seth felt the press of metal against his head and realized that Robert Burns had been right. Sometimes the best laid schemes of mice and men came up against an idiot with tequila on his breath. Or something like that.
Chapter Four
Georgia held her breath. The cool of the night air suddenly felt thick along her skin, and she remembered just how badly it hurt to get shot. She remembered the fire lashing along her flesh and the almost certainty that she was going to die and it might be better for everyone that she did. It hadn’t been so terribly long ago. She still dreamed about it—dreamed about that stupid cage and how Nat should have let her go.
Now she understood Nat a little better because she couldn’t imagine anything worse than Seth being in the same position.
She couldn’t see their assailant. He was a looming shadow, but the metal of his pistol glinted off the moonlight.
Such a beautiful setting to die in.
“Please don’t hurt him.” Funny. She didn’t think about it. Georgia didn’t think to plead for her own life or to use those feminine wiles she’d always fallen back on. They only worked part of the time anyway, and this was too important to play around. She couldn’t stand here and watch someone shoot Seth. She couldn’t. She wasn’t even sure who she was asking. The assailant probably wouldn’t care. Maybe she was just pleading with the universe.
“He’s not going to hurt me,” Seth said in an altogether “too calm for the situation” voice. He dropped contact with her. Seth brought his hands up slowly as though he was showing their attacker that he wasn’t armed with anything but that big brain of his. “He’s going to put down the gun because he shouldn’t be carrying while he’s obviously toasted. Georgia, this is my friend. His name is Logan Green, and we’re going to have a throw down the minute he gets rid of that gun. Or maybe he’ll go ahead and shoot me since he knows damn well he’s an instant billionaire if he does it. What’s it going to be, buddy? Are we going to play out this ID TV special right here?”
Logan? No. No. That massive shadow seemed to reform and now she could see those big, broad shoulders and muscled arms.
“G? Georgia?” His words seemed a little slurred, but sure enough he tossed the gun aside and shoved Seth out of the way.
Logan. Oh, god, he was right in front of her. She could feel the heat coming off his body. He wasn’t wearing anything but a pair of low-slung jeans and a white muscle shirt that clearly defined his too-die-for body. He was so big, so tall and strong. And he was going to be so pissed off that she’d found him. He would probably think she’d been looking for him.
“I didn’t know you were here,” she said quickly, forcing her hands to her sides.
He didn’t seem to hear her. The smile that crept across his face was slightly loopy, like he wasn’t altogether there, and yes, she could definitely smell the tequila on his breath. “I thought this was a shitty dream.” He sighed as he moved in closer. “Thank god. It’s a good dream. Seth, you can go away now. I’ll deal with you when I’m awake.”
He moved faster than a drunk should be able to and with far more grace and strength. One minute she was standing there waiting for him to get all mad Dom on her because she’d disobeyed his “never see me again” order, and the next her back was flat against the side of the cabin, her balance off, but he seemed to like it that way.
“Hello, Georgie. You miss me, girl?” He plastered his body to the front of hers, crushing her in between the cabin and his very excited form. His hips moved from side to side, rubbing himself against her like a horny cat.
And damn her, but she just responded. Maybe he was right and this was a very nice dream. She would wake up and the plane would be landing. It wasn’t like she hadn’t dreamed about him before.
He didn’t wait for her to answer, just put those ridiculously sculpted lips over hers and sucked her bottom lip straight into his mouth with a groan that had her insides lighting up.
No one had ever had this effect on her before. Logan Green was the match and her body was lighter fluid waiting to explode. He kissed her like she was made of sugar and he’d been on a low-carb diet for six months. He licked and savored and drove his tongue deep, pressing it against hers and dancing all around. He practically inhaled her.
And she loved it. He’d only kissed her the once before, and it had been just like this. Just for a second she’d felt like a goddess, worshipped and beloved, like she was the only woman for him. The rest of the world seemed to drop away and she was wrapped in him.
He managed to circle his arms around her as he picked her up, leaving her no option except to wrap her body around his for support as he started to move toward the door.
“If you drop her, I will kill you, Logan.”
Reality rushed back in. Seth. Oh, god. Seth was here and she’d nearly forgotten about him. What was wrong with her? And why the hell had her present and her past collided? How did Seth know Logan? Why had Logan been standing outside the cabin?
She pushed against Logan, but he wasn’t letting her go. He just cupped her ass and started moving into the cabin, his bare feet shifting along the wood. “Let me go, Logan. “
“Already did that. Didn’t work. You came back. Stop wiggling or I’ll tie you down.” The words came out as a silky, seductive threat.
Yeah, like she hadn’t dreamed about that, too? If she thought for a moment that he really wanted her, she would have put her whole body into giving him exactly what he desired. She would have gotten on her knees and spread them, showing him the work she’d put in once she’d found out what he’d needed. Those days before he’d pushed her away had been spent with Nat learning how to submit to the man she wanted more than anything
in the world.
But he hadn’t wanted her then, and she wasn’t sure he wanted her now.
Except his cock really seemed ready to play.
“Logan.” She had to find a way to get him to make a lick of sense.
A light came on and his eyes fastened on her breasts. Her blouse had come unbuttoned and those big boobs of hers were trying to climb their way out of their punishing minimizer bra. She’d always hated those bras because it meant she couldn’t wear most of the designers her so-called friends in LA wore. One of the casting directors in LA she’d seen had told her to try her hand in the Valley since her tits were made for porn, but only after she’d lost a few pounds.
His mouth was right back at hers, and she wondered just how long he was going to be able to hold her. God, it felt good to be held, and he wasn’t shaking at all. He was holding her like she didn’t weigh a thing.
“I want you naked. We’re going back to the bedroom and you’re going to take off those clothes and spread your legs for me. Do you understand? You’re going to get wet for me, and I’m going to give you everything I have. Fuck, baby, I’m going to fill you up with cum.”
Dirty words that should have her fighting to get away from him, but her whole body softened as he kissed her again, his tongue tangling with hers, strong and dominant. Always dominant.
“This fucking gun didn’t have the safety on when you tossed it across the yard. It could have gone off.” Seth’s angry voice rang out as he walked back into the room and slammed the gun down. “And it’s county issued. Did you get your badge back and immediately hit the sauce? What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m bringing in the luggage.”
Seth. God, what must he think of her? And why hadn’t he tried to take them apart?
“Asshole!” Logan yelled back. “Fucking messing up my one goddamn good dream.”
