Into Temptation

by Jeanie London

  “Sounds like someone’s in a strop.” She spun around in her chair. “Looks like it, too. Why don’t you scurry back to whatever rock you’ve been hiding under and not come out until you’ve had a rest. A shower, too. You look like hell.”

  “Be careful, I bite. Now where is he?”

  Blythe turned back to her display. “You didn’t say please.”

  Scowling, Lindy headed to the nearest station and grabbed a headset. Suddenly her voice rang out over the intercom. “Two Man U tickets for a location on Malcolm.”

  “Bloody hell,” Blythe cursed as several voices called out his location in the sublevels.

  “They’re yours, Deckard,” Lindy said. “Have fun.”

  The agent gave her a thumbs-up before disappearing behind his station again, and Lindy shot Blythe a smug smile. But her smile faded fast when she heard laughter coming from behind her, familiar laughter. Spinning around, Lindy’s mouth went dry.

  There he was. Just as dishy as he’d been the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Just as blond. His smile just as dashing.

  His dark gaze swept over her, almost a physical caress, a look that reminded her of the intimacies they’d shared, a look of mingled pleasure and relief.

  Her temperature spiked hot and cold all at once, and a crazy sense of relief collided with questions about what he was doing here. If Joshua was spilling his guts about Renouf, he would be in Containment, not sitting here like a bloody guest.

  Lindy never got a chance to ask because he chose that moment to cover the distance between them. In a few long strides, he was suddenly there, pulling her into his arms.

  He didn’t seem to mind that they were standing in full view of her coworkers.

  Funny thing…neither did Lindy.

  She was glad to feel his arms around her, feel his hard self crowding up against her and doing all sorts of screwy things to her insides.

  Then his mouth came down on hers, and Lindy knew in that moment, as their breaths collided and their tongues tangled in a rush of awareness that made her knees weak, no matter what the outcome of this fiasco, no matter what the consequences, she wouldn’t have missed this ride with Joshua.

  Not for anything.

  “Get a room!” Blythe’s voice startled the moment.

  Lindy and Joshua broke apart to the sounds of whooping and applause and not a few raw comments.

  Joshua didn’t let her go. He anchored an arm around her waist, laughing good-naturedly.

  “Best idea you’ve had all month,” Lindy shot back, all bravado, when she could feel the heat searing her cheeks. “We need some privacy,” she whispered to Joshua.

  The best she could come up with was an empty briefing room, and the instant the door closed behind them, Lindy found herself in Joshua’s arms again.

  “Hello.” One simple word, spoken in that bedroom voice, and her stomach lunged.

  “Hullo.”

  The moment swelled between them. They were together. Alone. Joshua’s dark gaze caressed her as if he were ever so pleased to see her. She wanted to kiss him again, but forced herself to ask, “What’s been going on with Malcolm?”

  Leaning against the conference table, Joshua spread his legs and pulled her between them. Looping her arms around his neck, Lindy caressed the hair there, enjoying the luxury of touch that had never been properly theirs.

  “So?” Lindy prompted.

  “Your boss and I have been negotiating. I have something he wants. He has something I want.”

  “I already know what Malcolm wants from you. What do you want from him?”

  “A future.”

  Lindy stared into his face, at the amusement she saw there. She wanted to believe she’d impacted this man as much as he’d impacted her, that more was happening between them than a few hot nights and a tug-of-war. Lindy knew how she felt, but that was the problem with gentlemen bad guys—she couldn’t be entirely sure what they felt.

  “What sort of future?” she asked. “Last I heard you weren’t interested in being a snitch for MI6.”

  “I pitched your deal idea.”

  “Oh, and what did he say?”

  “He’s been…accommodating.”

  “I see.” Lindy steadied her voice, refused to let Joshua see how his admission affected her. “So you dish out what you have on Renouf and Malcolm erases your file. Is that it?”

  “Not quite.”

  “Joshua, stop toying with me. I’ve just spent my week sequestered, debriefed and interrogated. I am not in the mood for games. What did Malcolm say?”

  He idly thumbed her cheek, that almost-smile still playing around his mouth. “He told me how you tracked me to Paris.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Everything.” His thumb trailed along her jaw, as if memorizing her features. “Malcolm told me how you tracked the fake travel plans I made to lead Henri back to the States while I led you to Venice. He told me how you tracked your way to a nursing home in Michigan—”

  “I already know how I tracked you down. What difference does it make?”

  “You’re so clever.”

  “You already knew that.”

  He smiled.

  She scowled, growing more impatient.

  “What difference, Lindy? It made all the difference. Not only did Malcolm get a chance to see how clever I am, but he got to see how well we complement each other.”

  “So, and—”

  “And it means you uncovered my real identity.”

  “Not rocket science, Joshua. Once I discovered your planted trail, I knew you were trying to divert Renouf. He backstopped your cover by making phone calls to a nursing home. I thought that was odd, so I called the place and talked to a nurse. Turns out that a very elderly man lives there who has no family except for a grandson named Tom Davis who funds his care. Even though this grandson doesn’t often visit, he sends his grandfather religious minutiae from all over the world and keeps a candle lit for him every week.”

  “So you assumed I was Tom Davis.”

  “I did follow you into a New York cathedral and watch you light a candle.” Lindy rolled her eyes. “Okay, and I admit to pilfering your camera in Monte Carlo while you were asleep. I saw the photos you took at the chancellery. I guessed what you wanted the property survey for, but I couldn’t figure out why you’d care about all those stained-glass windows.”

  “So two plus two equaled four.” He brushed the hair from her temple, light strokes that made her shiver. “You uncovered my real identity. You know all about where I came from and what I’ve done to get where I am today.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Yet you’re still standing in my arms, demanding answers, getting impatient with me because all you really want to do is kiss me.”

  “Oh, you think so?”

  He nodded.

  Then Lindy understood. She hadn’t thought much about Joshua’s early life except that his tough origins could have explained some of the choices he’d made to land him on the wrong side of the law. But there was so much in his expression….

  Apparently Joshua had given it a lot of thought. He was such a proud man. Did he think his past and his choices would influence the way she felt about him?

  Lindy wasn’t sure what to say, so she rested her head on his shoulder. “Tell me about your grandfather.”

  He exhaled deeply and stroked her hair. She sensed it was difficult for him to talk about himself—his real self—so she burrowed her face against his shoulder and waited, savoring the feeling of his arms around her, a simple, right feeling that proved a welcome respite from the turmoil her life had become.

  “Not much to tell,” he finally said. “My grandfather is a religious man who didn’t approve of the way my mother chose to live. She wanted no part of him. But whenever she was down and out, she ran to him for help. He always came through. I only saw him a few times while I was growing up. He took me fishing on Mackinac Island once.”

  So Joshua ca
red for his grandfather now, took the time to send him things he’d enjoy from around the world.

  She remembered something else Joshua had said, in a barn in the Italian countryside. “Your grandfather doesn’t know about the work you do, does he?”

  Joshua shook his head.

  “So who owns the farm in Italy?”

  “A friend of his. They met during the Second World War. Opposing sides, of course, but they’ve stayed in touch.”

  Friendship where one least expected it, Lindy thought. Not so different from her and Joshua.

  “You still haven’t told me what happens next,” she said. “Is Malcolm going to erase your file in exchange for your cooperation about Renouf?”

  “Yes.”

  Closing her eyes, she told herself to be glad. She didn’t want to see Joshua driven underground. Yes, he’d made hard choices, done things he obviously wasn’t proud of, but did that mean he couldn’t fix things?

  That was, after all, what this man excelled at. And wasn’t that the argument she planned to use on Malcolm about herself?

  When it came right down to it, she wasn’t so different from Joshua. She’d been driven and ruthless and had bent the rules. She hadn’t cared about anything but achieving mission objective, and this time she couldn’t even claim the noble purpose of justice because she’d been more concerned with leverage.

  She’d been no less driven than Joshua. Their circumstances had simply been different.

  “Is Malcolm going to create a new identity for you?” She knew there’d be no other way.

  “Yes.”

  “After we apprehend Renouf?”

  “No.”

  Tipping her head back, she stared into his face. “Stop making me drag out every detail. Tell me what’s going on.”

  Joshua pressed a kiss to her brow, such a tender gesture that Lindy sighed despite her irritation.

  “As it turns out, your boss wants more than the information I have on Henri. If I help your people keep Henri under surveillance until they apprehend him, your boss has a job in mind for me.”

  “A snitch on the payroll?”

  Joshua snorted. “Not interested. Malcolm wants me to become part of a team. A task force.”

  “What sort of task force?”

  “A team with very specialized skills for deep-cover ops.”

  “What sort of ops?”

  “Retrieval. Black ops stuff that Malcolm doesn’t want readily connected to the agency. He said there were fugitives that need to be hunted down, not to mention all the stolen British artifacts that need to be recovered. Thought with my particular skill set this might be up my alley.”

  “Is it?”

  Joshua nodded.

  She eyed him narrowly. “You said he wants you to be part of a team. Who’s going to be on this team with you?”

  “He didn’t authorize me to say.”

  “A bloody little agent you are, hmm?”

  Joshua shrugged. “Maybe you should ask your boss. I don’t want to run afoul of the man just yet.”

  Scowling, Lindy disentangled herself from his arms and headed for the comm unit on the wall. Depressing a button, she said, “Blythe, I want Malcolm.”

  “Do I get Man U tickets like Deckard?” Blythe shot back.

  “One-time offer. You missed it.”

  “What makes you think I’ll help you?”

  “Because you know I’m in a foul mood and not above running to Malcolm with sordid tales of the last time we hit the underground clubs—”

  “Bitch.” The connection crackled and suddenly Malcolm said, “So you’re out on good behavior.”

  “Is that what’s happening? You’ll have to tell me because no one else is talking around here. Oh, except for someone I thought was a target, but who’s suddenly strolling around like he owns the place.”

  “Didn’t he tell you about the deal we worked out? I think it’s a damn clever use of his talents.”

  “Bloody brilliant. I’m happy for him. Really I am. But what about me? Do I still have a job?”

  “You can take point on this new task force if you want. Action. Adventure. Sounds like your thing. You’ll get to run your own ops and train our new employee however you want.”

  Lindy stared at Joshua, who met her gaze evenly. “Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?”

  “Aside from not losing my best field agent? You were willing to sacrifice your career for this man, Lindy. What should I make of that? If you saw something of value, I thought I should at least take a look.”

  “You’re going to make me cry.”

  “Before you break down in floods, tell me whether or not you want the job. Or do you need time to think about it?”

  Lindy’s finger froze over the comm button. Her eyes fluttered shut as she managed a crazy feeling of…something. Relief. Profound relief. But along with it came the first niggling grains of excitement.

  It wasn’t a promotion in the conventional sense, rather another lateral move suited to her skills. But how could she complain? She’d be running her own ops, enjoying the challenges she so adored in the field. And working with Joshua would mean plenty of time and opportunity to pay attention to him.

  When she opened her eyes again, she found Joshua watching her with a tight expression on his handsome face.

  Did he really think she wouldn’t jump all over this?

  Depressing the comm button, she fought a smile that suddenly felt all over her face. “Training a partner and running my own ops? I’ll want a raise.”

  Malcolm gave a short laugh. “Go home and sleep. Come back in a few days and we’ll hammer out the details. Okay?”

  “You got it, boss.” She held Joshua’s gaze steadily, feeling that crazy swooping feeling inside as his dark eyes caressed her, that same insane feeling she always got around him. “And, Malcolm? Thanks.”

  With a static crack, the connection severed, but Lindy could practically feel Malcolm’s smile. Before she got a chance to mull over this unexpected turn of events, to register that her future was about to change, her new partner was suddenly on her. He caught her in his arms and pulled her close.

  Threading his fingers into her hair, he tipped her head back, stared into her face with a possessive gaze. “You won’t be sorry, Lindy.”

  “I know.”

  And that seemed to be exactly what he needed to hear because suddenly he rested his brow against hers and exhaled heavily, as if shrugging off the weight of the world.

  “What do you think about going legitimate?”

  “It’s time.” He stroked her cheek, a gentle touch, a promise. “We’ll need new aliases.”

  Twining her fingers through his silky hair, Lindy savored the knowledge that she could touch him now freely, and without reservation or shame. “No problem. I don’t know if I could get used to calling you Tom, and I was a bit knackered of Lindy.”

  “How about something sexy like Angel or Mona?”

  “Those are horrible.”

  He just laughed softly, and everything about him sounded pleased.

  “So you’re officially on the payroll, Joshua. Does this mean you’re admitting you love me?”

  “Will you believe me if I tell you I do?”

  With her fingers in his hair, Lindy dragged him close, breathing a word against his mouth, the one word that mattered.

  “Yes.”

  The White Star Continuity

  Book 4

  INTO TEMPTATION

  by

  Jeanie London

  The legend continues… MI6 agent Lindy Gardner is determined to capture bad-guy fixer Joshua Benedict—and the stolen amulet in his possession. The man is leading her on a sensual cat-and-mouse game across two continents that will only make his surrender oh, so satisfying.

  ANGELS AND OUTLAWS by Lori Wilde,

  available January, Book 1

  HIDDEN GEMS by Carrie Alexander,

  available February, Book 2

  CAUGHT by Kristin Ha
rdy,

  available March, Book 3

  INTO TEMPTATION by Jeanie London,

  available April, Book 4

  FULL CIRCLE by Shannon Hollis,

  available May, Book 5

  DESTINY’S HAND by Lori Wilde,

  available June, Book 6

  ISBN 978-1-55254-430-3

  INTO TEMPTATION

  Copyright © 2006 by Jeanie LeGendre.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.eHarlequin.com

  About the Author

  Jeanie has always loved to read and write. School years were spent sneaking romance novels into school when she should have been learning algebra and biology. College years were spent taking electives such as journalism and creative writing classes when she should have been taking algebra and biology.

  Nowadays, she's still reading and writing. She writes romances because she believes in happily-ever-afters. Not the "love conquers all" kind, but the "two people love each other, so they can conquer anything" kind. The commitment and monogamy of romance are strong values she's passing along to her daughters, who'll search for their own heroes someday. Jeanie's own romance hero is a very supportive guy, who reads fantasy and watches football and doesn't mind eating the same meal three nights in a row while she's writing.