Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2)

by Lisa Cardiff

  He leaned forward, sweeping one arm along the counter and the other along the back of my barstool. “A relationship. I thought it was pretty obvious.”

  I wrinkled my nose. I didn’t need to hear the details to know Knox was probably worse than Miles in the commitment department. I should stop this conversation in its tracks, but part of me needed to hear the words so I didn’t keep secretly longing for something between us. “Are you adverse to a relationship with her…or with anyone?”

  He tapped his fingers on the table. “For the most part, I avoid anything serious.” He glanced to the side. “Relationships aren’t easy in our line of work. Too many secrets. Too many late nights. Too many unexplainable exits and absences.”

  “Was she upset?”

  He shrugged. “She wanted me to reconsider, but I told her another woman snared my attention, and I wanted to pursue her.”

  My heart clenched. “Where’s this woman?”

  “I guess it’s my lucky day because she’s conveniently located right in front of me,” he teased, his lips quirking into a crooked grin that lit up his entire face.

  Flames shot up my cheeks. “So that’s the whole story? There’s no ex-wife hovering in the wings?” I tapped my chin with two fingers. “Or a wounded little boy who needs his ego stroked by a variety of women to make himself feel better?”

  He slid me off the barstool, positioning me between his legs, and I smelled soap, outdoors, and man. “Definitely no ex-wife or ex-girlfriend.”

  I grinned, angling my head to the side. “So you’re the wounded boy? How sad,” I mocked.

  His hands closed around my waist, pulling me flush against the hard planes of his chest. The feel of his thumbs as they drew circles on my belly went to my head like a shot of tequila.

  “I wouldn’t call myself wounded, but I wouldn’t object to being nursed a little,” he murmured, his voice deep, the corner of his eyes crinkling playfully. His calloused thumb scraped across my lips. I felt that touch all the way down to my toes.

  My heart jumped inside of my chest, and my lashes fluttered. “By me or by anyone?” I replied, my voice low and breathy.

  His hands twisted in the fabric of my shirt and from the cocky smile on his face, he knew how much he affected me. “Just you, Jones.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief and surrender. There were over a dozen good reasons, all of them ready to roll off the tip of my tongue, why I shouldn’t get involved with Knox Black. But just like every other time he touched me, I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of them. His undeniable strength and vitality seduced me like a siren’s song.

  His attention dipped to my mouth, and his fingers curled around the back of my head, tangling in my hair. Our eyes locked and he didn’t make a move for a fraction of a second. Our lips hovered inches apart. My exhalations became his inhalations. My desire fed his desire.

  I skimmed the palm of my hand up his chest, inviting him to continue. He didn’t have any trouble interpreting my message. His lips grazed the corner of my mouth, then moved to the sensitive skin beneath my ear. Goose bumps kissed my arms.

  He flicked open the buttons of my shirt and parted the white material, exposing me from my neck to the top of my black lace panties. His fingertips trailed along my collarbone down to my breasts, moving lower and lower with every intoxicating swirl. His hand seared me. Branded me. Worshiped me.

  When he reached the lace waistline of my panties, my insides clenched and liquid heat pooled between my thighs. A moan tumbled from my mouth, and his pupils dilated, the black core swelling until they nearly eclipsed the clear blue of his irises. Temptation and lust swirled in the air, hot and heavy. Any thought of stopping evaporated like a puddle in the desert.

  “Trinity?” he said. His breath felt like velvet caressing my skin.

  Arching my neck, my eyelids fluttered closed in invitation. “Yes.”

  “Let’s go to my room.”

  I nodded, desire clogging my throat.

  He scooped me up, wrapping my legs around his waist and carried me to the bedroom. I didn’t murmur a single word of protest because I wanted to live in the present, untethered from everything and everyone.

  My cat.

  Derrick.

  Miles.

  My job.

  My past.

  My future.

  And something told me Knox could help me with that.

  I clung to him as he lay me down on the bed, his body pinning mine against the white, puffy cloud of bedding. The bright morning sunlight streamed through the long rectangular window that stretched the entire length of the far wall, bathing us in a golden light that felt almost magical.

  My hands dove under the hem of his shirt, painting streaks of desire on every sinful contour. His breathing turned rapid and urgent, and his lips crashed against mine. In less than an instant, his tongue thrust between my lips, claiming me. Owning me.

  I reached between us and shoved his pants and boxer briefs down his hips. I clawed at his shirt, ripping it over his head and tossing it on the floor. He toyed with my panties, shoving them to the side, not even bothering to remove them before his fingers plunged inside me. An uncontrolled tremble rushed through my body.

  “Knox, please,” I said, the words blurring into incoherent syllables.

  I clutched his shoulders, my nails digging into his skin. With his lips next to my ear, he told me how much he craved me from the minute he saw me. He told me I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He mumbled dirty, filthy things that should’ve made me blush, but instead they made me desperate for him; desperate for this.

  My body hummed with need, every nerve buzzing on high alert. Bowing off the bed, I rocked against the heel of his hand, hungry for more. His free hand palmed my breast, rolling one nipple between his thumb and forefinger, then the other. More dirty words and just like that, I tumbled over the edge, the pleasure so surreal it bordered on pain. His lips melded against mine, drinking my moans and groans into my mouth like he wanted to save them for later.

  He yanked his fingers out of me. “Dammit, Trinity,” he hissed. “This is going too fast. I can’t wait any longer.”

  He rolled off me and sat on the edge of the bed. I pushed onto my elbows, watching him pull a condom from the top drawer of the nightstand. His brows pulled together as he ripped it open and rolled it down his shaft. When he finished, his blue eyes laser-focused on me, sweeping over my body with enough heat to set me on fire.

  “These need to go,” he said, his voice smoky, deep and perfect. He yanked my panties down my legs. Seconds later, he braced his body over mine, his hands bracketing my head, his triceps bulging. He slid his erection back and forth over my entrance, testing and teasing with the heavy press of his hard length. Greedy anticipation vibrated in my core, and I realized I had never felt so impatient for any other man; certainly not Miles or the two other men who came before him. With them, I was going through the motions, taking the obligatory next step in the relationship.

  Before the thought could take root, he plunged inside of me.

  In.

  Out.

  Back in again with skilled movements that had me riding the edge to oblivion faster than I wanted to admit.

  His body pressed into mine, and his hands drifted to my hips, angling my pelvis so perfectly. Too perfectly. I circled my legs around his waist, wanting him deeper. Fire knotted low in my belly, spreading and growing stronger with every thrust.

  “God, you feel good. Too good,” he whispered.

  I nodded because words weren’t possible. My climax shimmered infuriatingly near, but too far out of my reach. I moaned in frustration, and as if he could read my mind, his hand snaked between us and strummed against my clit. Like magic, my muscles tensed. I gritted my teeth. My pulsed jackhammered inside of my chest. My blood raced through my veins. My sex clenched. I arched off the bed, chanting his name like a benediction. One jagged thrust later, he followed me over, a string of curses interspersed with a guttura
l groan flowing from his parted lips.

  Minutes ticked by and neither of us uttered a word. I clung to him, not wanting to let go. Not wanting the moment to end. I didn’t want to face reality and the problems and uncertainties hanging over my life like a thundercloud.

  Too soon, he rolled onto his side and wrapped his body around mine, our legs tangling together. His hands explored my body, but without the heat of a few minutes ago. My eyes felt heavy, and I yawned, the sleepless night catching up with me.

  “Are you tired?” he asked, his fingertips drawing circles on my belly.

  “Yeah.” I rotated onto my other hip so I could see his face, my hair rustling on the pillow. “I didn’t sleep very well last night or the night before that. I’ve been a wreck between worrying about my brother and my job.” I poked him in the chest. “And you didn’t help matters. I didn’t know what you wanted from me.” I pursed my lips. “I still don’t know.”

  The corner of his eyes crinkled in amusement. “I’m a man of mystery.”

  “Something like that.” I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, though, where do we go from here?” The weight of my words hit my stomach as if I’d swallowed acid.

  He blew out a breath. “Honestly, Trinity.” He sat up, his legs dangling over the side of the bed and his back to me. “I don’t know.”

  Flames shot up my face, and I was thankful he didn’t turn around to look at me. With shaky hands, I buttoned my shirt. “I’m not trying to push for a relationship if that’s what you’re worried about. Last night you all but kicked me out of your car and life, and now this happened.” I waved my hand in the air.

  He pulled his shirt over his head and yanked on his pants. He dropped his head for a second, clearly contemplating what to say to me. Then he stood and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Why don’t you take a nap and I’ll run over to your house and pick up your things. I think it’d be safer for you to stay here for a couple of days.”

  I shook my head. “That’s it. That’s all you have to say?”

  He raked his hands through his blond hair and it stuck out in a dozen different angles. He looked boyish, adorable even. Damn him for being…him.

  “Yes.”

  “Look.” I sat up, my gaze settling on the strong column of his throat because I didn’t want him to see the disappointment etched on my face. “Just take me home. I don’t want this to be awkward, and I sure as hell don’t want you to feel obligated to let me stay at your house.”

  “Relax, Trinity,” he murmured, pressing a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t have all the answers right now, and neither do you. Let’s process this for more than a few minutes, and we’ll go from there.”

  I stared at the bedding, feeling foolish. He was right. I didn’t know what I wanted from him either. “All right.”

  “Good.” He grinned. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. There’s plenty of food in the kitchen. Help yourself to whatever you want.”

  “I will.”

  He cupped my face as he kissed my mouth hard. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers twitching to yank him back into bed and start all over. No thinking. Just touching.

  He untangled my arms from his neck, a maddening closed-lipped smile on his face. “I bet you will.” He walked to the entrance of the bedroom. He grabbed a pair of aviator sunglasses from the top of the dresser and slid them on his face, pausing for a moment. “And try to refrain from rifling through my files again.”

  “Jerk.” I threw a pillow at him, but he dodged it without difficulty.

  His deep laugh echoed down the hallway.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Knox

  I pulled into a parking place down the street from Trinity’s townhome, and I checked my phone. There were two messages from Archer, demanding I call him immediately.

  “Hey, Archer. It’s me,” I said.

  “Finally,” Archer growled. “I was about to filing a missing person’s report. You haven’t returned my phone calls for a week.”

  “Yeah. Yeah,” I said, feeling like a major asshole. I glanced out of the rear window of my car to see if I was being followed. “I’m busy. If you haven’t noticed, I have two fucking jobs, and my boss for one of those is a real piece of work. He’s always riding my ass like I don’t have anything else to do.”

  He chuckled. “I assume you’re referring to me.”

  “If the shoe fits…” I answered, swinging my legs out of my car, then pushing the door shut behind me.

  “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you still haven’t finished that security update for Black Investments.”

  I switched my phone to the other ear and pumped a couple of quarters into the meter. “I haven’t forgotten about it, but it will probably be a few weeks before I can wrap it up.”

  “What’s going on?”

  I glanced up and down the street. “You know how these things go, Archer. I can’t talk about it on the phone. In fact, I shouldn’t tell you anything, ever, but I wouldn’t mind bouncing some ideas off you.”

  My brother was one of the smartest people I’d ever met. He was a wizard with numbers and had an uncanny ability to see through the bullshit. Jack was a good business partner. We understood each other, and I respected his work ethic. He respected me, but I would never trust anyone as much as I trusted Archer. I had idolized him for as long as I could remember. That would never change.

  He was only a couple of years older than me, but if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have survived past my fifth birthday. To put it mildly, my mom was a shitty parent who took her role as a victim seriously. Until the last year of her life, she used vodka to cope with the fallout from one self-created disaster after another. I’d spent my entire childhood and most of my adult life hating her. Resenting her. She stripped away my innocence and subjected me to the ugly side of life before I could even walk. Her neglect lingered over me like a thunderstorm my entire life.

  “Then you’re in luck. Langley and I are in D.C. for a couple of days. I made reservations for the three us at that sushi place in my building at seven-thirty.”

  Even though he and Langley moved to L.A. a year ago, Archer still owned his plush condo in the Four Seasons Hotel. He did everything but hold a gun to my head to get me to buy the place from him, but I didn’t want it. I made good money, especially in the past year or two, but nothing like Archer. It didn’t hurt that his fiancée had a healthy trust fund too.

  I leaned my hip against a bike rack, crossing my ankles. “I don’t know, Archer. I am swimming in a pile of shit right now. Can we meet for coffee tomorrow?”

  He didn’t answer for a second, and I could imagine the look of disapproval splashed all over his face. “Langley will be disappointed.”

  I grinned and shoved my free hand into my pocket. “Just Langley, not you? I think you’ve got that backward.”

  Langley was a beautiful and talented woman. My brother looked at her like she had created the universe. And for that, I loved her, but I wasn’t deluded enough to think she returned the sentiment. She tolerated me. She invited me to their home for the holidays, but I’d always gotten the distinct impression that I made her uncomfortable, nervous even.

  Archer sighed. “Dinner was Langley’s idea. She wants to get to know you better. I want the two most important people in my life to know each other and be friends. What’s so bad about that?”

  Guilt swirled in my gut. Archer was right. I needed to make more of an effort with Langley. She wasn’t going anywhere, and I didn’t want her to. She softened all my brother’s hard edges.

  “Fine.” I rubbed a hand down the side of my face. “Can you change the reservation to four people? I’d like to bring someone.”

  “A woman?”

  “Yes.” I curled my hand around the icy metal of the bike rack.

  “Seriously?” Archer said, drawing out the word.

  “Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m not a complete asshole.”

  “What
happened to the three and done rule?” he asked.

  In the past, I kept my relationships short and sweet. I didn’t want any commitments. I didn’t want anyone encroaching on my freedom, and I sure as hell didn’t want anyone telling me what to do. Since I met Trinity, none of that seemed important. I wanted her in my life and in my space. The thought of her walking out of my life in a couple of days or a couple of weeks hit me like a punch to the gut. Unfortunately, I didn’t know if I could trust her. My gut said yes, but I’d be the first to admit lust clouded my judgment when it came to her.

  “Yeah, well, this woman is different,” I responded, my voice gruff.

  “If she successfully navigated the three date Knox obstacle course, then she is different.”

  “We haven’t been on three dates. In fact, we’ve barely made it through one,” I confessed.

  Archer didn’t respond for a prolonged beat. I heard paper shuffling in the background, indicating he was working. He was always working. Less now that he lived with Langley, but he still put in ten-hour days.

  “Ah, I suspect there’s a story there.”

  “Probably. I don’t know.” I pushed away from the bike rack and started walking down the street, maneuvering between people. “It’s complicated.”

  Archer chuckled. “It always is. How’d you meet her?”

  I snorted. “She pointed a gun at me, and basically threatened to kill me.”

  “Wait. You’re kidding, right?”

  “No.”

  “Not exactly a fairytale beginning.”

  “No. Certainly not,” I agreed, pausing in front of Trinity’s house. “But neither was your first encounter with Langley.”

  Last year, Archer concocted a plan to destroy Senator Wharton, his biological father. He used Senator Wharton’s stepdaughter, Langley, to make it happen. Somehow, they ended up falling in love and getting a sickeningly sweet happily ever after.

  “Maybe not, but no guns were involved.”

  “Right, the guns came later,” I said dryly, referring to Senator Wharton’s attempt on Langley’s life that landed him in prison.

  “It’s water under the bridge.” He cleared his throat. “So, does this woman you’re not really dating have a name?”