“And why am I blocking the camera?” he asked.
“Because if the receptionist gets bored tomorrow and starts looking through footage, we don’t want her to see us doing a sweep.”
“Do you really think she’ll know what that looks like?” He doubted he would.
Sophie shot him a look of mild annoyance that was tempered by the amusement dancing in her eyes. “I don’t think the extra precaution will kill you. I mean, take a step to the left and do that hulking thing you’re so good at, and you’re done.”
“May I offer a suggestion?”
Even in the dim light, he could see the suspicion behind the look she cast his way. But she didn’t say no to his offer.
He closed the distance between them and slipped his arms around her. “Now you can wave that thing all over the room,” he whispered in her ear, “and I can guarantee the only thing anyone watching this will see is this little matter of you and me.”
“Not so little,” she remarked, leaving him to wonder what the hell she meant. But she didn’t exactly resist when he drew closer.
“Let me know if you find what you’re looking for,” he murmured. Her lips were close. So close. But in lieu of kissing her, he walked her backward toward his desk. Because she expected the camera was over it—not because he suddenly wanted her sprawled over the glossy surface. Only that was exactly what he wanted, and he was a fool for admitting it.
“You see anything?” he asked.
“Yes.” But she was looking at him.
He tried to ignore the thrill of that one word, but he failed. “The camera?”
She glanced at the RF detector. “Nothing yet.”
“Maybe you’re not in the right spot.”
The room echoed with her gasp when he picked her up and deposited her on the desk. Settling between her legs, he nipped at her neck. “Look up,” he said. “Pretend you’re experiencing unrestrained ecstasy.”
She muttered something profane, catapulting him into the realization that he could really go for a woman who talked dirty. Not just any woman, he corrected himself. This one.
Not the best place for him to go in that moment. “Was that language on account of me,” he asked, “or did you just find what you were looking for?”
“You keep this up, and there won’t be a difference.”
“Is that so?” he teased.
“Try me.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. Hell, the woman spoke sarcasm almost as fluently as he did, so he wasn’t sure she’d asked the first time, but if she wasn’t going to argue, neither would he.
No way in hell he’d argue.
He didn’t have the sense. His ability to reason took the red-eye south with every blood cell in his body, leaving him rock hard and all too aware of the soft, warm woman in his arms. This wasn’t like earlier. Then, it had been the innocence of the touch that had pulled him under.
Innocence had left the building.
He pulled her tight against him, but it was a futile effort. There was no distance. The only thing that separated them was a couple of layers of clothing, and as much as he wanted more he was damned grateful he couldn’t feel the direct heat of her skin against his. He didn’t think he could handle it, and the admission meant more than he cared to acknowledge.
When his mouth hit hers, they didn’t waste time with pretenses. He kissed her deeply, feasting on the planes of her mouth. Indulging in every soft, warm contour. She fisted his jacket with both hands. He gave only a passing thought to the fate of the gadget she must have dropped before he let go of her and—wanting to be closer—yanked off the thousand-dollar jacket, letting it fall where it landed.
Big. Mistake.
With only the protection of his shirt, her body was that much hotter against his. Where her fingertips before had been streaks of pressure against his back, he now felt the edges of her nails digging against his skin. He was damned hard, his erection trapped in his pants at the worst kind of angle, but he needed that discomfort to rein in what was left of his control.
One kiss led to another, playful nibbles succumbing to starvation. He cradled the small of her back, nearly coming undone when she wriggled against him. His mind went immediately to visions of her riding him, and with the groan that slipped from his throat he nearly devoured her. He wanted to touch her—wanted it more than anything—but he wasn’t going to be that guy. Not even if he could think of absolutely nothing else.
She kissed him softly. Sweetly. And it was agony.
“Is that what you wanted me to try, Ms. Garza?” He kissed her again before she had a chance to answer, and what started as something gentle quickly flared hot. Her hands cradled his head, her fingers driven through his hair. Her body pulsed against his.
He hadn’t been this close to embarrassing himself since he was a teenager.
“Is this how you vet the contract workers around here?” She peered at him through her lashes and delivered the breathless words with her lips grazing the corner of his mouth.
“Fuck. No.”
He barely managed the second word before she dragged him back in, her sweet little tongue overtaking him. She caught his lip between her teeth and tugged until she was flat on her back on his desk and his body covered hers. He was tightly wound and on the verge of exploding, and she was purring like a damned kitten. Then her eyes focused on something past his shoulder, and he remembered.
They weren’t alone.
“Jesus,” he said. Out of breath. Had he completely lost his mind? He was at his place of employment…and in full view of security cameras. He stood, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. “That’s twice in one day. I feel like an ass.”
Her fingertips went to her swollen lips. “For what?”
“For forgetting about the cameras. Again.”
Her mouth tilted. “Maybe no one will see?”
“I’m glad you’re always so amused,” he muttered, though with humor. “Rest assured, this will make the front page of the employee newsletter.”
She blinked. “You have one of those?”
“No. But we have a water cooler, so I guess this will give everyone something to talk about.” He helped her off the desk, then looked for his jacket. He was standing on it. He stepped to the side and picked it up, giving it a good shake. “Maybe you should look for your hidden camera.”
“It’s there,” she said sweetly. “I found it before you started kissing me.”
“You could have mentioned that.” It was a weak protest if ever one had been uttered.
She cast a pointed look at his erection. “I don’t think you suffered.”
“Not then. You can bet I will now.”
Her eyes danced. “Don’t think you’re the only one.”
Damn. He had the not-so-sudden urge to drag her into bed and finish what they started—an urge he’d surely entertain for the remainder of the night, if not for the rest of his life. She was flushed, and he’d tousled her hair and knocked her shirt askew. He’d never seen anyone more gorgeous.
She looked up at him, eyes shining, and he couldn’t help wondering how much of that was for her discovery of the camera. Despite his warning, the footage would probably never see the light of day—not unless there was a good reason for it—but he didn’t like that he’d put her in that position. However, any other position—every other position—would be just fine with him.
Sophie smoothed her hair and straightened her shirt. “If you look up, you’ll find the camera is directly overhead—it’s that black speck that’s slightly larger than the others,” she said of the mottled tiles. “Call maintenance in the morning and have them replace several of the tiles—including that one—but leave the old ones in here. I want to see the setup behind that device.”
“I’d like to see that myself,” he admitted. “I don’t love the idea of having been on candid camera for the last few months.”
“What’s the matter?” she teased. “Do you make a habit of this?”
> “Nope. You are definitely the first woman I’ve ever kissed in my office.”
One of her eyebrows lifted. “What about the boardroom?”
“You’re the first for the entire building.”
She grinned. “It must have been the chocolate-covered donut.”
“That might be one of my weaknesses.”
Her eyes widened. “You have others?”
“You have no idea, Ms. Garza.” But you’re damned close to finding out. And if there was a God in heaven, she would find out. Because in just a couple of days, she’d done more than crawl under his skin. She’d actually changed him into something he’d never been before.
He’d just become the kind of guy who walked around with a go-to condom in his wallet.
* * * * *
Sophie slept in. Who would blame her? She’d spent the entire night dreaming of finishing what she and Edward had started. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint she had in her body not to invite him up to her hotel room, and almost as much not to call Honeysuckle and…what? Say she’d almost slept with their suspect? On camera? If that footage got out…she’d think of something more convincing than denial. She’d have to.
On second thought, she wouldn’t. Making excuses would cheapen something that didn’t deserve to be cheapened.
Shut up, Sophie. What wasn’t cheap about crawling all over the man like they were a couple of teenagers under a very transparent set of bleachers? Because he’s different. The Edward she knew wasn’t the version she’d been sold by Adam and Honeysuckle. Or the one about which the receptionist had forewarned, for that matter. Edward wasn’t cold and pissed off at the world. He was warm, sexy as hell, and funny. He was…ideal. What she’d seen thus far was exactly the kind of man she’d always wanted, only now he had a face. An unfairly handsome one.
Sophie buried her head under a pillow. God, she needed to find a flaw in that man, pronto, because she was falling fast and hard for someone who by all accounts didn’t exist. Not like she knew him.
It was after ten, and she still hadn’t gotten out of bed. She’d needed the extra time after pulling an all-nighter the night before, but truthfully, there’d been something utterly delicious about lying there thinking about Edward. Knowing damn well that Edward, wherever he was, was thinking about her.
She rolled over and stretched against the cool sheets. Sunlight poured through the windows and glinted off her cell phone, which chose that moment to start ringing. Sophie grabbed it.
Honeysuckle.
“Good morning,” Sophie said.
“Are you still in bed?”
Sophie yawned. “I repeat. Morning.”
“It’s not that early.”
“Ten.” Yikes. Not so early.
Honeysuckle was probably frowning. “You are still working, right?”
“In bed? Wrong profession, thank you very much.”
“Steel Hawk,” Honeysuckle said. “Adam is twisted into knots. It’s ugly.”
Guilt dug in. Sophie hadn’t forgotten the magnitude of what they were dealing with—or the importance for everyone involved—but she was wired differently from most. Finding the lighter side kept her from getting dragged in by the dark, but her clients were seldom witnesses to that particular quirk. “I’m pretty sure you’d never, under any circumstances, think Adam ugly. And for what it’s worth, I really don’t think Edward is the bad guy. We found a really small camera inserted into the ceiling tile over his desk. If he sat there and looked through the patent paperwork—which he says he did—it’s entirely possible the entire thing was recorded. From there, all someone would have to do is create stills from video, and they’d have copies of the specs for Adam’s inventions.”
“Um, wow. Adam is going to combust.”
“I know it sounds bad, but there’s some good news in there. Everything I’ve found indicates Edward’s a victim of this, not a traitor.”
“Edward?”
“Yeah, you know the guy. Tall, dark, and deadly handsome?”
“I meant, as in you’re on a first-name basis Edward.”
“Same guy.” Sophie’s insides fluttered like she was a teenager with a crush, and even though she knew better than to like it, she didn’t hate it.
Honeysuckle sighed. “Not a good idea, Soph.”
“What’s not?”
“Getting involved with Edward.”
“You mean first-name basis Edward?” Sophie gleefully threw back the words. “In case you’ve forgotten, my job requires it. Did you or did you not tell me to—and I quote—stay on his ass until we figured out what he was up to?”
A heavy sigh filled the connection. “That’s not what I’m talking about, although for the record, you seem to have twisted the intent of those instructions. It’s just…you’re smiling. I can tell by the tone of your voice.”
“Give me some credit,” Sophie said, not that she deserved it. “I’m working. Closely with Edward, yes, but other than the one incident last night, we’ve kept it professional.”
“What? What one incident?”
Her carefree sister sounded like she was about to snap, which said a lot about her feelings for Adam. Sophie tried to tone it down a little. “I didn’t want the whole world to know I was sweeping for a bug, so we pretended we were in there for…personal reasons.” Pretended. Liar.
“Oh my God. Sophie Hawk, did you kiss him?”
“A little,” Sophie admitted.
“A little? You do realize he could be dangerous?”
Could be? Sophie choked back laughter. “There’s no doubt in my mind he’s dangerous,” she said. “In fact, I’m beginning to think that’s one of his perks.”
“You just tell that man to keep his perks to himself.”
“Even if he’s innocent?”
“Especially then.”
Sophie laughed, then listened while her sister told her how amazing Europe was. A week ago, Sophie would have been green with envy. Now, she very much preferred the view stateside, and the only inkling of jealousy was that Honeysuckle seemed to have found her plus one. Sophie could really go for a relationship that lasted longer than a week. No matter what happened with Edward, they’d never last past the end of her assignment. Once he found out she’d failed to disclose that she was a Hawk, he’d have her for breakfast. She reached up and absently played with the chain that held the key that had been passed down through generations of Hawk women. She didn’t know if it had any real value, but it meant the world to her. She’d started wearing it after Honeysuckle’s apartment had been broken into and her key went missing for a brief period. Without knowing what the true target was—her sister, the key, or something else—she’d taken her sister’s advice and kept the key close, hidden on her person at the end of a long chain. It had long been a comfort, but now it felt more like a symbol of what she’d likely never have.
After they hung up, Sophie sat back and tried to see Edward objectively. She’d given her sister a hard time, but the truth was, Honeysuckle’s warning wasn’t without merit. Edward wasn’t off the hook, but she genuinely liked the guy—and clearly dabbled in profound understatements. Kissing him had crossed the line. At some point he’d morphed from the target of her investigation to an integral part thereof, but that didn’t make him innocent. And if he was guilty of anything, she was well and truly screwed—and not at all in the way she liked.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex any more than she could forget the power of Edward’s mouth.
She dragged herself out of bed and showered, her mind thick into dangerous territory, her body throbbing with unfinished business. It was nearly eleven when she finally cracked open her laptop. Her in-box held nothing exciting. She was still staring at her email screen, lost in thought, when a new email came in. The From field read AnonymousSender, the contents blank. But there was an attachment.
“So clever,” she muttered. She waited for her virus scanner to clear the file, and was a little surprised when it did.
“Maybe my long-lost royal relative died, and I need only to forward my banking information to claim my inheritance.”
Finally, the file made it through her system and opened on the screen. It was a video. A man and a woman kissing.
It was…Edward?
And her sister?
Sophie watched in disbelief, unable to tear her eyes from the horrible display of Edward groping her sister. Her sister groping Edward.
Sophie hadn’t any idea how long ago the footage had been taken, but Honeysuckle’s relationship with Adam was relatively new. Had her sister slept with Edward? It sure as hell looked like a possibility—one Sophie didn’t see to fruition. She was only three minutes into the footage when Edward shed his shirt and started unzipping, and there was a lot of video left. She’d seen enough.
Twelve hours ago, it had been she in his arms. Five minutes ago, she’d felt special.
Now she felt like a joke.
He didn’t know Honeysuckle was her sister, but Honeysuckle sure as hell had known it when she’d warned Sophie away from Edward. And Edward had clearly misled her about his extracurricular activities. Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but it did.
She’d wanted to find a flaw in him. She never dreamed that flaw would find her. But there was more to it than that. Only two people knew she had a personal interest in Edward—her sister, and the person who planted that camera. Honeysuckle wouldn’t send a video like that—her past as a burlesque dancer had burned her enough without adding pornographic fuel to the fire—which meant in all likelihood, the video had come from their perp.
Sophie had to know for sure, so she called Honeysuckle.
“Miss me already?” her sister asked.
“Is Adam around?” This was definitely a conversation Adam didn’t need to hear, and Sophie needed her sister to speak freely.
“I can get him.”
“No! This is…private. The video… Did you send it to me?”
“What video?” Genuine confusion laced her sister’s voice. Which could mean Honeysuckle didn’t know Sophie had the video, or it could mean she didn’t know it existed. Either way, Sophie had a feeling her sister hadn’t sent it.
Dangerous Illusions (Steel Hawk Book 3) Page 8
