The Last Detail

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Jared?”

  “Why did you let him touch you, Lou?”

  Of all the questions she expected, that was one she could have never thought he would ask.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know you slept with him. Why did you let him?”

  She couldn’t lie to him. In the last ten years, there had only been one man that she had wanted—that is until she met Sam. “I wanted to.”

  He tossed her a look that could have made any lesser woman shrivel. “Whoring yourself out to get the job done?”

  She didn’t even think. She raised her hand and slapped him. In truth she was ready to hit him harder. Since they first met, he had never called her one, even when she was one. So hearing it from him struck straight to her heart. She had to blink back the hot press of tears that threatened to embarrass her.

  “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. Before she knew what he had planned, he pulled her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. At first, she said nothing. It had been a decade since he had held her like this, cradled her against his chest as he rushed her to the medics. His heart sped up beneath her hand.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, and she wouldn’t have believed him if she didn’t hear it in his voice. He had never in all their years together ever brought up her former profession. “I just don’t understand why you would sleep with Sam.”

  She pulled back and looked up at him. “He’s not dirty.”

  He cocked his head to one side and studied her. “How do you know that?”

  “You seem to know him. What do you think?”

  He sighed and let her go, albeit reluctantly. “I knew him. We grew up in the same neighborhood, so to speak.”

  She frowned at him. “He’s a rich kid like you?”

  He nodded. “Both of us went to The Academy.”

  Well, that explained a lot. To get into the military school took a lot of money and a lot of connections. Jared’s family had both, but he had left disgusted with the entire idea of what they wanted of him. Then she remembered the story of his first love, the one Jared regretted letting get away.

  “He’s the one,” she said. She wasn’t sure he heard her until he looked at her.

  “Yeah.”

  She sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry, Jared. I didn’t know. I take it you didn’t know when you sent me after him.”

  He shook his head. “No. He’s using a different last name. It wasn’t until I dug up a surveillance video and could strip a hologram from it that I realized it was him. It took me a moment or two to realize who he was. He’s changed so much.”

  She raised her hand to cup his face. “I bet you both have. Do you think he’s dirty?”

  Jared sighed. “It would be easier to be pissed at him and accuse him, but there is one thing about Sam I know. He’s straight as an arrow. Besides the fact you were apparently followed when I sent you out.”

  “That was my fault. I should have been more careful.”

  Now his eyes warmed as he offered her a smile, and she felt her heart do a little flip flop. It was like that whenever he smiled, or gave her one of his laughing looks. She could never stop the way her body reacted to him. Ten years and she still had a crush on him.

  “There’s no one who is more careful than you, Lou.” The certainty in his voice made her feel a little bit better.

  “You think I was followed on purpose by Zenich?” she asked.

  He nodded, his smile fading into regret. “Yeah, I think so. The base camp was hit.”

  “Casualities?”

  He nodded, suddenly looking more tired than she had ever seen him. “We lost Michelson and Chambers.”

  She sighed, thinking of the two men she had worked with and sometimes fought with over the last few years. She rubbed her chest, trying to ease the pain, but it didn’t work. “They’ve been watching us.”

  “And worse, I think he’s being set up. Sam was a lot of things in school, but dirty wasn’t one of them. At least not in this respect.”

  “In what respect do you think he was dirty?”

  The moment she asked it, she realized that she had stepped into a quagmire.

  “His personal life, well, he was a little, shall we say, easy.”

  She studied him for a second. “Is this about how he treated you?”

  He shook his head. “Actually, we were pretty exclusive for a while, but before and after, well, he had a reputation.

  “And you didn’t? Give me a break, Jared. I’ve known you for over ten years, and I’ve seen the women and men come and go. Not like you’ve settled down.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, that’s true.” He reached out and took a strand of her hair and wrapped it around his fingers. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you with your hair down.”

  There was something in his voice that shimmered with a yearning she recognized. She had felt it so many times in the last few years for him, had ignored the twinge she felt every time she saw him leave with one of his many lovers. She had never spoken of it, tried to pretend that it didn’t exist. Until Sam, she hadn’t been too sure that she would be able to let a man even kiss her. But now, with her senses in overdrive, she was picking up on the subtle differences in his tone. The atmosphere in the kitchen heated. She didn’t know what to say when he stepped close enough for her to feel his body heat.

  “Why did you have to sleep with him?”

  Lou opened her mouth but nothing came out. His gaze was so intense, the hunger darkening the green. She had been in love with him for years, but never acted on it, never could before now. What the hell was wrong with her? She had those same deep hungry feelings for Sam, but now she felt the rising need in her for Jared. The craving rose up inside of her, entwining her heart, pulling at the need she had for Sam. She had been so afraid to even try to have sex again, but now, in the span of twenty-four hours, she was craving two different men.

  Jared slipped his hand up to her neck and pulled her forward. She could have stopped him right there, told him that she wasn’t interested. He would have obeyed her request. But she couldn’t ask him to stop. The words she should say were tangled in her throat, along with her heart. She could only watch as he lowered his mouth to hers, and without breaking eye contact, he pressed it against hers. He winced a little probably due to the split lip, but when she tried to pull away, he tightened his hand at the base of her neck. Instantly, heat zinged through her, her pulse accelerated, and she felt the overwhelming need to curl up close to Jared and forget the world. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth and she moaned against it, closing her eyes and losing herself in the kiss.

  He skimmed his hands down her body to her rear end and pulled her hard up against him. She wasn’t surprised to feel his erection against her belly, but it did surprise her that she wanted him at the same level she had wanted Sam.

  When he drew away, she couldn’t seem to get her mind from spinning or her body from yearning to be taken.

  What the bloody hell was wrong with her?

  “What was that about?”

  He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve waited a long time for you to be ready.”

  She couldn’t hide her surprise. “But…”

  The smile he gave her was gentle and sweet. “I know. You were completely oblivious.”

  “You always had lovers. It isn’t like you lived like a monk.” She couldn’t keep the accusation out of her tone.

  “I didn’t know if you would ever be ready.”

  She sighed. “And now that you have your old competition back from The Academy, you’re ready to jump on board.”

  “Dammit, it isn’t like that.”

  Hurt and a bit embarrassed, and more than a little aroused, she asked, “No, then what is it like?”

  “Yeah, Jared, why don’t you take your hands off her and tell us both what it was like?” Sam asked from the doorway.

  Chapter Seven

  Jared wanted to kill someone. Top of his list was Sam
, but right after Sam, he wanted to kick his own ass. He had waited for years, waited for the one woman he had always loved to be ready for him. Knowing that he might have waited too long left a sour taste in his mouth and in his belly. It was bad enough dealing with the twist in his gut at seeing Sam. Sam had cleaned up his face and it was easy to see the years had been kind to his old lover. Jared could still remember the last time they had made love, the feel of Sam’s mouth against his, the way his skin felt—

  Shit, he had to stop that. What contest in Hades had he lost to be forced to deal with the two people he loved most in the world?

  “I don’t want to discuss my feelings in front of my rival.”

  “Listen, Jared, I care for you.” The way she said it irritated Jared and made Sam laugh.

  “I care for you too. And I waited to make sure you were ready.” Now hearing it said out loud sounded stupid, but Lou’s face softened. A lot of people thought she was some kind of hard-assed bitch, but there was a sweet girl beneath, the one that had gone into hiding all those years ago.

  “Jared, I don’t really know what to say.”

  “How about, ‘it’s too late’?” Sam remarked, a nasty edge to his voice. When Jared glanced at him, he realized that his old lover was worried. Sam always got like this when he was backed into a corner. Jared was sure Sam could see the way Lou was looking at him, and with their history together Jared knew he had an advantage.

  “Behave, Dawson,” Lou said.

  He should have been happy that Lou had resorted to the last name for Sam, but that could also be a sign of affection.

  “When did you change your name?” he asked Sam.

  Sam shrugged. “Like I said, I did it when I needed to escape. You know what my family is like. I take it you were trying to avoid your brothers?”

  He could feel Lou’s interest growing by the minute, but he figured it would be best to put everything out in the open now. “Yeah. They wanted me in the family business.”

  “Didn’t want to go into organized crime, did ya?”

  He shook his head and glanced at Lou.

  She shook her head. “I had a feeling, so I am not going to be surprised. I thought it was much worse than hiding out from loser family members.”

  “That’s all nice, but what I want to know is when he’s going to get his fucking hands off you?” Sam asked, venom dripping from every word.

  It wasn’t until then that he realized he’d draped his arm over Lou’s shoulders.

  “I really don’t like that tone, and I don’t like the way you think you can order me around,” Lou said.

  “Get used to it, sugar,” Sam growled.

  “Yeah, Sam can get a mite possessive,” Jared said, finally happy he was no longer on the defensive.

  Sam’s eyebrows rose. “So she knows?”

  “Hard to hide things from this one. Besides, she knew there was someone in my past.”

  A look he couldn’t decipher moved Sam’s face, but he said nothing. Typical of him. Still on lockdown mode with emotions. It was one of their multitude of problems when they were together.

  “Not to mention I am bit on the possessive side myself,” Jared commented.

  Sam gave a derisive snort. “Ten years waiting around? Get real.”

  “There wasn’t anyone before this to worry about.”

  “Yeah, I got that. Should have stepped in while you had a chance.”

  Irritation and something close to fear slithered down his spine. Dammit to Hades, he didn’t like it. Didn’t like the idea that he knew that in the end, Lou would be hurt. Sam only had one thing he was good at. And that was leaving.

  “Don’t act like you’re in this for the long haul. You never were because the only staying power you ever had was in bed. She’s been mine for ten years.”

  “Yeah, well, ownership doesn’t come from being a friend.”

  “Really?”

  For an instant, he shared a knowing look with Sam. They had always had tempers around each other, mainly because Sam knew just what buttons to push with Jared. It was how they ended up in bed the first few times, and he could tell that Sam was aroused by their argument by the flush on his cheeks and the way his eyes darkened.

  “Excuse me, but I really don’t like getting tossed around like some kind of depot whore.” Lou frowned at Sam. “Listen, I don’t belong to either of you. I own myself. No one tells me where to go, what to do, or even who to do. And seriously, if I wanted to fuck one or both of you at the same time I have a right.”

  Her voice had risen with each word, and when she stopped talking the silence was almost deafening. He glanced at Sam and realized his old friend wasn’t mad. He was studying Lou and him, his gaze thoughtful. One of the few times they had a female with them had been interesting, but she hadn’t been a good fit. This was different.

  “Is that something that interests you?” Sam asked.

  She stilled beneath Jared’s arm and he could almost feel her entire body go on alert. He could have sworn he heard her breathing hitch.

  She shook her head. “We don’t have time to be fooling around like that. We have a pack of agents sniffing around after you and now me.”

  “No. They think you got away on a transport,” Jared said.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I got a decoy away. I also put out some rumors that you were out in the Freanklin sector.”

  “You were always a smart shit, Jared.”

  “Fuck off,” Jared said with little heat. He still should be furious with Sam for taking advantage of Lou. She was a woman who didn’t allow people close to her. In all the years he had known Lou, Jared understood he was about the only person she truly trusted. In her own way. He didn’t think she would ever trust anyone completely.

  But he wasn’t even that pissed anymore. Okay, he was, but another image was forming. Instead, he was trying to get the idea of taking Lou to bed, of sharing her with Sam, out of his head. Dammit to Hades, thinking of being in bed with Sam was bad enough. He knew there wasn’t a chance the two of them would be able to keep their hands off each other.

  Sam chuckled as he approached them. “So we have some time to play. And since you mentioned taking on both of us…”

  Even the thought should have annoyed and disgusted Jared, but for some reason it didn’t. He cared about these two people more than he had ever cared about anyone else. Maybe he hadn’t seen Sam in years, but there was still that part of Jared that cared, who knew the man beneath wasn’t the man he showed the world. In fact, the idea of sharing her with Sam sent a shaft of need reeling through his blood stream.

  He pulled her in front of him and tugged her against his chest. Those whiskey-brown eyes stared up at him with a mixture of confusion and excitement. That alone had his lust rising up. He bent forward to test her out and nuzzled her neck. Sweet Lucifer, she smelled of sin. More nights than he would like to admit he found himself lying awake, wondering what it would feel like to have his skin against hers, and breathe her tantalizing scent in as she slept next to him.

  It wasn’t just her body he yearned for. From their humble beginnings together to the woman she’d became today, she was an amazing woman. But now he could smell her arousal, feel the way she tried to resist the pull of having two men take her.

  Sam crowded in behind her and he looked at Jared over her shoulder. It was insane how they had gone from rivals and competitors in less than five minutes. And seeing the need in Sam’s eyes as he looked at Jared brought back so many memories. They crashed into him, his body going from aroused to almost painfully so, in a matter of seconds. There would be time for that later, he thought as he brushed that aside and focused on Lou again. If there was one woman who deserved the undivided attention of two men, it was Lou. She’d had precious little affection in her life, before and after he’d met her.

  He nipped at her ear. “What do you say, Lou?”

  She shivered in reaction, and for a moment, he was worried she would say no
. Intimacy was something she had avoided for years. Even the slightest touch would sometimes cause her to involuntarily cringe. He knew it was a lot to ask of the woman. But in that next instant, she pulled back and captured his gaze.

  “You’ll stop if it’s too much?”

  He nodded. “Promise on my tattered honor.”

  She smiled at the shared memory of his promise to stay with her the night she’d been attacked. Then she nodded and Sam groaned.

  “Well, thank the Lord in Heaven.”

  She laughed. “You have no patience.”

  Jared glanced at his old lover and thought of the way they had tried to resist their feelings for each other. “No. Actually, Sam’s known for his amazing patience. In fact, it was one of the things the instructors tried to beat out of him.”

  From the look on Sam’s face, he wasn’t interested in talking about it. Jared could understand. The most luscious, tempting woman stood between them, agreeing to take both of them to bed.

  “Let’s move this into the bedroom.”

  He leaned forward and picked her up to carry her down the hall. Her face flushed red. “You don’t have to carry me.”

  “Ah, but if there was a woman who needed it, it’s you. Plus, I can ensure that you don’t change your mind.”

  She laughed, the sound filling the hallway as he followed Sam to the room. The carefree sound had his heart tripping and his body warming. It wasn’t usual to hear such lightness from her.

  As he stepped into the room, Sam was already pulling his clothes from his body, his need easy to see. Jared let his gaze travel down Sam’s hard body to his cock. The head was already dark, filled with blood, a drop of precome wetting the head of it. Jared swallowed, his mouth suddenly going dry. Damn, between the two of them, there was a good chance they would make him lose all control, and that wasn’t something he had done since the last time he’d slept with Sam.

  Jared set Lou on her feet then started to undress himself. He barely kept himself from tearing off the clothes. Lou watched them with undisguised interest. Her arousal fed his own.

  He looked at Sam and had to bite back a sigh. The man had filled out in their years apart. His chest had been lean when they had been together all those years ago, but now the muscles rippled beneath the surface of tanned flesh. A thin line of hair bisected his chest and ran down, past his abs to his groin. Jared licked his lips. He could remember just how Sam tasted. The salty sweet essence had been like a drug to him.