by Rebecca York
She nodded, glad that he was sharing information with her.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I put you in danger tonight.”
“I think it was my idea.”
“I didn’t expect anyone to come after us. Did you?”
She considered her answer. “I wouldn’t have suggested going over there tonight if I thought we’d get hunted through the Morgan offices.”
He shifted on the table. “There’s something we shouldn’t discount. Do you think they’re after you, too? Or do you think it’s because you were with me?”
“I don’t know,” she managed to say. “And I hate to think I’ve turned into a target.”
“What do you want to think about?” he asked. The quality of his voice had changed.
Her gaze moved upward from the spot on his leg that she was massaging to his shorts, and she saw that he was aroused.
Chapter Fifteen
Sara raised her gaze farther, meeting Jack’s eyes, an unspoken question hanging between them.
She grabbed the bolster and threw it onto the floor.
He reached up and pulled her down so that she was sprawled across him.
She clung to him, almost sobbing with relief. She’d thought he was trying to distance himself from her. Now he’d changed his mind.
She lifted her head so that her lips could meet his for a kiss that quickly turned frantic.
“Sara,” he breathed.
Wanting to shut out the world, she closed her eyes so that she could focus on the man who held her in his arms.
She began to move her lips against his with a desperation that shocked her.
He gathered her close, and she clung to him, wanting him to be the only part of her reality that mattered. At least for now.
Threats still hung over them, but they had faded into the background.
She lay sprawled across him, burrowing into his warmth, loving the feel of his broad chest under her breasts.
All the while, he kept kissing her, his tongue playing with her lips, then her teeth and beyond, sending currents of sensation through her.
He was so familiar to her. So dear. So necessary to her existence. She had been forced to learn how to live without him once. It might kill her if she had to do it again.
With slow deliberation, she raised her hand, tracing a path along his cheek, loving the way the scratchy stubble contrasted with the softness of his lips moving over hers.
When her fingers trailed to the side of his neck, she could feel his pulse pounding there.
Her hands found the bottom of his shirt and tugged it upward.
He eased far enough up to help her remove the shirt, then reached for hers, pulling it over her head and unhooking her bra.
She tossed them both aside, crying out as she came back to him, moving her breasts against the roughened hair of his chest, sending shivers of heat like small lightning strikes against her flesh.
She wanted this to last because every intimate moment with him was a joy to her.
Her breath caught as he rolled her to her back, looking down at her before bending to take one of her nipples into his mouth, drawing on her as he used his thumb and finger on the other crest.
“Jack. Oh, Jack,” she cried out.
They were both still half-dressed. By mutual agreement, they rolled away from each other long enough to shed the rest of their clothing, then came back into each other’s arms, rocking together on the padded table.
He slid one hand down her body, into her hot, moist core. She had never needed a man more. This man. The love of her life.
What did he feel for her after knowing her only a few days?
She couldn’t ask. She could only cling to him, touching him, kissing him, tasting him, trying to show him her feelings in every way she could.
Did he see the deep emotions on her face? Was that why his expression was so tender as he stroked her most intimate places?
“Jack, I need you now,” she whispered, unable to hold back any longer.
He moved over her, then parted her legs with his knee.
His eyes locked with hers as he entered her, and she felt her inner muscles contract around him.
“Jack.” She was too overcome with emotion to say more as he began to move inside her.
She matched his rhythm, grasping his shoulders as she climbed toward orgasm with him. She knew he was holding back, waiting for her to reach the peak of her pleasure. When her body started to contract around him, he let go, shouting in satisfaction as they spun out of control together.
As the storm passed, he looked down at her, his expression so sweet that she wanted to weep.
No, she wanted to tell him what she felt. “Jack, I love you.”
When he looked shocked, she stroked his shoulder. “I’m not expecting you to say the same thing. That just slipped out.”
“You haven’t known me very long.”
“I know, but long enough to feel like I know you very well.”
He eased down beside her, cradling her in his arms, stroking her back and shoulders.
When she shivered, he raised his head. “We should get in bed.”
“It’s a long way away.”
He laughed. “We can hold each other up.”
They climbed off the table, arms wrapped around each other as they started upstairs. She knew where his bedroom was, but she let him lead the way.
“There’s a bathroom in the hall that you can use.” He gave her a long look. “And I’ll get out one of my T-shirts for you to sleep in.”
“Appreciate it.”
She used the bathroom, then washed. He’d hung the T-shirt on the doorknob, and she put it on before entering his bedroom. He was still in the bathroom, and she slipped under the covers, waiting for him. When he joined her, they reached for each other and began making love all over again. Much later, they both fell into an exhausted sleep.
Jack woke early, his eyes blinking open as he absorbed the unfamiliar sensation of finding a woman in his bed.
Not just any woman. Sara.
Everything from the day before came back to him. His talk with his parents. Her reaction to his telling her about it. Dinner. The trip to Morgan Enterprises, where they’d almost been killed. The bugs in his house.
And then making love with Sara with a kind of desperation he’d never felt before.
She’d said she loved him. Could that be true? He might have said that they barely knew each other, but maybe it didn’t take months to fall in love when you met the right person.
What had his life meant before he’d met her? He’d been drifting along, and she’d anchored him to a part of himself that he’d thought he lost. His zest for life.
Yet at the same time, he couldn’t completely trust her. Too many weird things had happened since they’d met—starting with the attack by the gunman on the street in Ellicott City.
He certainly couldn’t blame that on her. Or the well. Or the people following them. Or the bugs in his house. Or the gunman at Morgan Enterprises. But they’d all started right after he’d met her. Well, maybe not the bugs. Or being followed. He couldn’t be sure of that. But she was the one who’d made him aware of the tail.
He sensed that she’d been braced for trouble right from the start. Because a fortune-teller had warned her? Or because she knew something she couldn’t admit? He hated to think the latter was the case, but he couldn’t discount it.
Sara woke next to Jack but didn’t immediately open her eyes. She wanted to stay here for a while longer and just enjoy being warm and close with him. But he spoke, and she knew he was awake.
“I need to go over to the office as soon as I can get ready, but I’ll make some coffee first.”
“In your fancy machine,” she agreed.
“How do you know about my coffee machine?”
“I peeked into the kitchen and saw it,” she answered. Another lie. She remembered his coffee obsession from last year. Quickly she said, “I’ll take a s
hower.”
“What kind of coffee would you like?”
“Surprise me.”
She shivered in the cool air as she climbed out of bed and went into the living room to fetch the overnight bag she’d left there. Then she collected her clothing from the basement and went into the hall bathroom.
By the time she came out, the smell of coffee had permeated the house. Vermont Maple Pecan, she thought. One of Jack’s favorites.
He was dressed in slacks and a blue dress shirt and standing at the counter with a mug in his hand.
“Any suggestions for how to play my return to the building?” he asked.
“Play dumb. You weren’t there. We weren’t there.”
“Yeah. And I’ll watch for reactions.”
Despite what had happened, she knew he still wasn’t comfortable thinking that someone in his family or in Morgan Enterprises wanted to kill him. Of course, she didn’t blame him. Who would want to believe it?
“I’d feel better if you stay here,” he said.
“Okay.”
She walked toward him, holding out her arms, and he came into them. She closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. Every time she held him, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking it might be the last time.
“I wish I could go with you.”
“It might look suspicious.”
She wanted to protest that she could be inspecting the current offices to see how they were decorated, but that sounded like a pretty thin excuse. And probably her presence would get in the way of Jack’s questions. Her being there would change the whole dynamic.
“Be careful,” she said.
“Of course.”
“I mean, don’t let anyone know you’re suspicious that something bigger might be going on.”
He eased away and gave her a confident smile. Then he was gone, leaving her standing in the kitchen with her pulse pounding.
It started pounding harder when the phone rang. When she walked over and looked at the caller ID, she saw it was Ted Morgan. Maybe calling to tell Jack about the break-in. Well, he was already on his way to the office, and nobody was supposed to know she was there.
Instead of answering, Sara waited for the ringing to stop.
Jack had an answering system from the phone company, which meant she couldn’t hear the message. If Ted left one.
* * *
JACK WAS ABOUT HALFWAY to Morgan Enterprises when his phone rang. He looked at the ID, saw it was his brother and directed the call through his radio speakers.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“I tried to call you at home, but nobody answered.”
Good that Sara hadn’t picked up.
“I’m on my way in now.”
“There’s been a development.”
Jack waited for his brother to elaborate.
“Somebody broke in last night.”
“You’re kidding, right?” he asked, doing a decent job of sounding surprised.
“I wish I were. The cops are here now. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.” Ted waited a beat before asking, “Do you have any thoughts about who did it?”
“No. Do you?”
“No.”
“Did Dad make any enemies recently? Or could it be someone holding a grudge?”
“Maybe we’ll find out.”
Jack rang off, wondering why his brother had called. Did he really want to warn Jack? Or was he hoping for a reaction?
* * *
THE CALL FROM TED HAD SET Sara’s nerves on edge. She had just convinced herself not to call Jack when her own cell phone rang. It was an unavailable number.
Who would that be?
She thought about not answering, then reconsidered, since it might be one of her clients trying to get in touch with her.
“Hello?” she said as she pressed the Answer button.
“Ms. Carter?”
“Yes?”
“This is Officer Robards.”
She gripped the phone. Robards? The cop who had arrived after the attempted robbery in Ellicott City. What did he want now?
“I’m at your warehouse. Your car is here, but when I rang the bell, nobody answered.”
“I’m not home.”
“Where are you?”
“What is this about?”
“I’d like to speak to you in person.”
“About what?”
“Can we speak in person?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m at Jack Morgan’s house.”
At least he was polite enough not to ask why she wasn’t sleeping in her own bed.
“I’d like to meet you there.”
Feeling that she had no choice, she answered, “Okay.”
“I’ll be right over.”
Sara’s heart was pounding as she hung up and looked around. Was there anything obvious that would point to what they’d been doing last night? Before they got back to Jack’s, that is. Not as far as she could see.
The officer arrived so quickly that Sara thought he must have exceeded the speed limit.
Before he could ring the bell, she opened the door.
“I’m glad I caught you,” he said.
“Come in.”
“I’d like to take you over to Morgan Enterprises.”
Probably he saw the shocked look on her face.
“What’s this about?” she managed to ask.
“I’d prefer to wait until we get there.”
Feeling numb, she nodded. Had the police figured out that she and Jack had been there last night? Obviously she couldn’t ask.
“Let me get my purse.” She retrieved her pocketbook, then hesitated.
“Is something wrong?” Robards asked.
“I don’t have a key. I should lock the door, but I won’t be able to get back in.”
“Mr. Morgan is over at Morgan Enterprises. He can bring you back here when we’re finished.”
“Okay. Yes.”
With her heart still pounding, she climbed into the passenger seat of the cop car and buckled her seat belt.
Robards headed out of the parking area.
“Ever been to Morgan Enterprises before?” he asked.
“I was at the new building. Not this one,” she answered, not volunteering anything else.
They rode in silence for a few more minutes before he said, “How long have you known Mr. Morgan?”
“We met the day of the robbery. I thought you knew that.”
“I guess that didn’t register.”
What was he thinking now? That she was spending the night with a man she’d known less than a week?
He didn’t ask any more questions, and she was grateful for the silence—and anxious to talk to Jack.
What had he already said about last night? Were they going to have a situation where he said one thing and her story didn’t match? They’d agreed to pretend that they hadn’t been in the building last night. But that might not apply if they were being questioned by the police and not just his family.
* * *
WHEN JACK DROVE into the Morgan Enterprises lot, he found a couple of squad cars parked near the front entrance. After cutting the engine, he took a deep breath, then climbed out of his car and rushed into the building, acting like he was surprised and shocked.
Barbara was in the lobby, talking to his father.
“Ted said there was a break-in last night,” he said in a breathless voice.
His father nodded. “Someone got in here and tried to access the computer system. And it looks like there was more than one person. Apparently there were some shots fired.”
“Shots?” Jack asked. “And no one heard it?”
“The office park is vacant at night.”
“Was anything stolen?” Jack asked.
“We’re trying to determine that now,” his father said. “Maybe a tablecloth, of all things.”
“Who discovered that someone had been in here?”
“I did,” Barbara answered. “I came into your father’s
office and noticed that the door to the balcony was open.”
Jack pursed his lips. “Why would someone do that?”
“We presume they used it as an escape route.”
A man and woman Jack didn’t know walked past.
“Who are they?”
“Crime-scene technicians,” his father explained. “They’re collecting evidence.”
The front door opened behind him, and he saw Dick MacDonald, the family financial adviser, stride in, looking unsettled. “I came as soon as I got your message,” he said to Jack’s father.
Jack took that in. The building had been burglarized, and Dad had called his broker? Was he here in some official capacity? Or had Dad summoned him for moral support because they were old friends?
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Bill asked.
“Of course.”
The two men walked a few yards away, and Jack saw them speaking in low voices.
When they returned, both of them were looking calmer.
A man in a rumpled sports jacket approached them. “I’d like to have a word with you,” he said, addressing the group in general.
His father introduced the man. “Jack, Dick, this is Detective Montgomery. He’s in charge of the investigation.”
“Can we use the conference room?” Montgomery asked.
“Of course,” Bill Morgan said.
Dick MacDonald spoke up quickly, looking like he wished he’d picked another time to come over. “I just stopped by to see if Bill was all right. Do you need me?”
Detective Montgomery turned to him. “Do you work here?”
“No.”
“Then I guess we don’t need you.” The detective cleared his throat. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Of course,” Bill Morgan answered.
As they walked toward the elevator, Jack drifted back so that he was beside his father.
“What were you and MacDonald talking about?”
His father gave him an annoyed look. “If I’d wanted you to know, we would have had the conversation in front of you.”
“You don’t feel that I’m entitled to know about your business dealings?”
“Entitled? I wouldn’t put it that way.”
“Am I part of Morgan Enterprises or not?”
“It was a private financial conversation,” his father snapped. When he saw the detective looking at them, he said, “This isn’t a good time.”
