“It’s not the same.” Reed sighed. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. Can you take her home?” Reed turned to Ryder.
Olivia pointed a long finger at him. “This isn’t over.”
“I figured that.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Olivia grabbed her things and stopped at the uneaten lasagna.
“What a waste,” she said as she wrapped it up.
“We were busy.” Reed locked eyes with her. The passion from earlier ignited her veins. “See you later.”
Her core fluttered at the thought. “Yeah,” she said breathlessly.
Chapter Nine
Reed woke with a start. Someone was moving around downstairs. It had been late when he had come home. He’d barely stripped out of his jean and shirt to put on shorts before his head hit the pillow, despite the unknown woman sleeping beside him.
He jumped out of bed as the fog of sleep started to lift and stilled when a male voice cut through the house. His heart raced when he noticed Olivia was already out of bed.
Without thinking, he raced down to the kitchen.
Cage, Meg and Olivia sat at the table sipping coffee. Reed relaxed once he spotted her.
“What the hell is going on here?” he barked.
“We’re just having coffee,” Olivia said. “Would you like a cup?”
He looked down to see her smiling face. It was something he could get used to. He nodded for the coffee.
After pulling out a cup from the cupboard, she walked around like she had been doing it for ages.
When she sat very close, he jumped at her nearness. Her fingers lightly grazed the larger bruise on his side. It was already feeling much better than yesterday but still tender to the touch. He moved slightly out of reach until she pinned him with a hard stare.
“Hold still,” she said and went back to the gentle poking.
Reed looked up when he heard Cage and Meg snicker. He glared at them. This was so unlike him. No one told him what to do. It was usually his place to give the orders, and when he did, they were followed. This woman pushed him to the absolute limit on just about anything.
Her breath skimmed the skin of his stomach, and he had to start doing multiplication in his head, so he wouldn’t think about how close she was to other parts of his body. Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea to sit down with nothing but a pair of shorts on.
He cleared his throat when she leaned back and smiled at him. The beauty of her simple charm knocked him hard. A lump formed in the back of his throat. He knew that this was moving into something he really didn’t care to define.
“It’s looking much better,” she said. “Do you want pancakes?”
He watched mesmerized as she walked over to the griddle and batter. Her hips swayed with the same relaxed feel as yesterday. Reed had to bite back a groan as he remembered yesterday and the way she felt.
He reminded himself the woman was trouble. Well maybe she wasn’t trouble, but her family certainly was. Not to mention that she was the only real line he had to getting the damn documents.
Reed stood quickly.
“I’ll just go get changed,” he said.
He spared one last glance at Olivia, who was smiling sweetly, as she poured more batter on the griddle. Yes, today was going to be hell on his hormones if just looking at her while cooking made him want to bend her over and have his way.
Reed grinned. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
***
It had been a long morning for Olivia. She was more than a little disappointed Reed hadn’t bothered to wake her up when he came home. Not that she was sure where they were going, but she wouldn’t have minded continuing where they left off yesterday. It had been a long time since she had been with a man, and she certainly never had been with a man like Reed.
Olivia blushed as she thought of them in the office. It had been hot. Explosive. None of her previous partners had ever been even close to that. Maybe it was because she tended to pick men who were bland. She had never felt there was anything wrong with this, but maybe she’d been missing out. Or maybe it was just Reed.
She shook her head and tried not to read too much into it. Things had been good, but that didn’t mean they were in a relationship. Of course, that also didn’t mean they couldn’t start one. Especially now that she knew Ben was safe.
A sigh slipped out again as she flipped the pancakes. He was safe. The worry had been eating at her since she watched him flee from the gunfire. Things could have ended so badly, and she wouldn’t have ever known.
The spatula bit into her hand as she thought about his stupidity. All this crap because he wanted more money. Just what the hell did he think she’d been working toward? Working out her anger, she slapped the pancakes onto the plate.
“Hey,” Cage said, breaking her quiet anger. “No pancake abuse over there.”
Olivia chuckled. It was nice having Cage and Meg around. Although she seemed to have made peace with Ryder, he was still a man of few words. She was certain that it all had to do with the woman Neil mentioned, Niki, but nothing was really clear. Only thing she knew for certain was that both men were left scared emotionally and drained of life. It was just sad.
It had been very early when she woke. Warm and cozy. Slowly her mind adjusted and noted the rather large body wrapped around her own. She had turned to study his sleeping face. Reed wasn’t the typical handsome man. His features were far more rugged and commanded the attention of anyone near.
A finger traced the fine lines of his face. There were still a few bruises from their run-in with the Russians. She gently brushed them. When her finger reached his lips, she chewed on her own in contemplation. Despite the unfortunate way they met, she was more than a little interested in him. The physical attraction was something neither of them could deny. But aside from that, they shared the same haunted soul. It was like they had called out and the other soul answered.
She had shivered at the thought and pulled back her hand. Last thing she wanted was to be caught ogling him while he was sleeping. She easily slipped out of his embrace and made her way downstairs. It had just been luck that Cage and Meg showed up shortly after.
“Want any more?” Olivia held up the plate of pancakes.
Cage rubbed his stomach. “Couldn’t eat another bite. My brother doesn’t snatch you up, you come over to my house.”
Her heart fluttered a little when he winked. Cage certainly wasn’t Reed, but he was a handsome man and she wasn’t unaffected.
“That won’t be happening.” Reed stalked in the room and took the plate from her hand.
He placed his massive hand at the small of her back and guided her to the table. When she sat, she looked to Meg who was staring open-mouthed at the two of them.
Reed sat next to her, his thigh rubbing up against her from time to time.
“These are some fantastic pancakes,” he said between mouthfuls.
She watched as some syrup lined his lips and ached to trace them with her tongue. When Reed looked up from his plate to her, he licked his lips with slow deliberation. Fire burning in the depths of his eyes.
Cage cleared his throat loudly.
Still caught on his mouth, Olivia pulled her eyes away. When she looked back up Reed was back to business, wiping the last bits of syrup off his mouth and pushing the empty plate back.
“So tell me what we know,” Reed said to Cage and Meg.
Olivia perked up in her seat. This was what she’d wanted to know.
“Neil is off the grid,” Cage said grimly. “No word as to where he could be hiding, but this clearly isn’t over. He’s just waiting for the right moment.”
Reed nodded.
“What about the senator?” Reed turned his attention to Meg.
Senator, Olivia thought. This went much deeper than the petty stuff she’d seen her mother or her loser boyfriends pull.
“Senator Carson isn’t giving us much, but I thought he’s crap himself when I mentioned the Russia
ns.” Meg smirked. “Now he’s just making threatening noise about the whole thing, but shut it when I mentioned going to the cops.”
“If knows how dangerous it is the Russians are in the game, then he knows more than he’s telling us.” Reed leaned back in his seat. “I don’t like it.”
“Um,” Olivia said. All eyes turned to her. “Senator Ted Carson?”
“Shit,” Cage mumbled.
She watched as Reed scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Yes, that Ted Carson,” he said. She could see the inner debate playing out on his face.
“I need to know what my brother is risking his life for,” she said. “What I’m risking my life for. After all I’ve been through, and having all my secrets exposed to you, I deserve to know.”
Reed sighed. “You’re right,” he said. “The senator came to us about a month ago. Said someone had stolen some files from his computer and was trying to blackmail him.”
“Ben?” she said. It certainly didn’t seem like her brother, but then she didn’t really know him well recently.
Meg shook her head. “Yes and no, Neil.”
Well that made sense, she thought.
“Carson had been doing some gambling with Neil and stupidly kept his transactions logged,” Reed continued.
“That doesn’t seem like a very good idea,” Olivia said.
“It wasn’t, but with the amount of money he was using, he had to keep track somehow.” Reed poured more coffee into his cup and stirred absently. “Ben was Neil’s lackey. Best we can figure is that Ben stole the file with Neil behind the whole thing. Ben must have known how valuable something like that would be and refused to hand it to Neil. Told him they would sell it to the highest bidder and split the profit.”
Olivia rubbed her temples. How her brother could be so stupid was just beyond her.
“And I’m sure Neil was thrilled,” she said.
“That’s where we come in. Carson hired us to track the document down. We were to be the buyer. Simple, no mess.” Reed looked over to her. She could feel the color leaving her face as he spoke. “Of course, we didn’t know this whole thing was playing out. Neil must have been working with the Russians. Hell, they might even be involved with the senator for all we know. He’s not exactly being upfront with information.”
Breathing in slowly, Olivia tried to steady her nerves. This was far more involved than she ever suspected, and she’d bet that Ben didn’t know how deep this all went.
“We’re still waiting to hear from Ryder,” Cage continued. “Liam has a meeting with Finn later today.”
“Good.” Reed stood. “We should know more after our meeting with Ben this evening.”
Cage and Meg also stood and gathered their things.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Cage said. “Don’t forget my offer.”
Olivia laughed at his playful nature. She was caught off guard when Reed slipped an arm around her and pulled her to his side, an unmistaken claim laid.
If she hadn’t been so surprised, she might have found the whole thing comical. She’d never been the girl men fought over or even got possessive over.
Cage raised his hands in the air in mock surrender and shot her another wink. The thumb at her waist did lazy circles that went straight to her clit.
Meg leaned in. “Call me if you need to. I put my number in your phone.”
And just like that the two were gone.
A part of her fell when Reed dropped his hand. She wasn’t expecting a full confession, but it would have been nice to have something.
“I’m going to get in a run and then shower. I’ve got to get into the office at some point today.” Reed turned to face her. She tried to hide her disappointment. “You just stay here. I’ll send Ryder by later to keep an eye on the place.”
Olivia gave a weak smile.
“Okay,” she said.
She turned to collect the dished but was stopped by a large hand on her arm. Reed spun her back around in time for his mouth to come crashing down on her.
He pushed his tongue into her mouth, mingling with her own. The sweet syrupy breakfast only heightened the feel. One of his hands pulled her by the back of the neck, closer, positioning her mouth exactly where he wanted it. The other hand moved smoothly over the silken pajama shorts. She gasped when she he grabbed and pulled her hips forward, grinding himself against her.
Reed groaned.
He relaxed his hands on her, and the kissing went from the fevered pace to gentle caresses. Slowly he leaned back, still holding her.
“Hi,” she whispered shyly.
“Morning,” he said, more like a rumble. “Wanted to do that since I woke up.”
Olivia let out a shaky breath and leaned her forehead against his chin.
“Me too.”
They stood comfortably, wrapped in the secure embrace of the other.
“I really need to get in that run,” Reed groaned.
Olivia felt like groaning herself. There were better activities she could think of than running.
She stepped back and smoothed her hands along his chest.
“Okay,” she said.
Reed stopped moving and pulled her chin up to look at him.
“I like you,” he said. The hunger from before still burned in the green depth of his eyes, but there was more. Reed was absolutely sincere about his feeling for her. “I know it’s shit timing, but meeting you has been not what I expected at all.”
Olivia smiled.
“Let’s take this slow and see what happens.”
She nodded. His searching eyes probed her until he seems satisfied with what he found.
He placed a quick peck on her lips.
“Lock the door while I’m gone.”
She nodded again and watched as he disappeared down the street.
Chapter Ten
The house had been eerily quiet since Reed had left for work. A part of her wished he had invited her into the shower with him when he came back, sweat sliding down his chest. She had quivered when a few droplets made their way through the fine smattering of hair on his pecks and vanished onto his shorts. But it was good he hadn’t invited her to shower with him.
She chewed her finger, still uncertain about this. Taking things slow at this point just seemed unrealistic. Especially considering she wanted nothing more than to rip off his clothes and lick him all over.
Olivia worked to push the image out of mind and concentrated on the house she hadn’t had much time to look at until now. It surprised her how much she liked the place. Being set outside of town slightly and off the main road, there was little traffic. The back was off a steep slope but had a fantastic view of a little valley.
The log cabin feel outside was carried into the main house. Large exposed beams lined the ceiling. On the whole, the place was very homey and lived in. She wondered how much time he actually spent in the place.
She laughed when she came to the living room. It might have a log cabin feel, but it certainly wasn’t a cabin. Reed liked his electronics. The largest TV she had ever seen hung from the wall. A number of game consoles lined the wall as well as DVDs.
Olivia plopped down on the plush couch meant to offer seating to twelve. When she clicked the remote, she found herself baffled by how to work it. Nothing seemed to work and, at the moment, she was stuck watching sports.
When her cell chimed, she nearly jumped off the couch. She stared at the display, but the unknown number baffled her.
“Hello?” she said uncertainty.
“Save this number, woman. This club is amazing! I can’t wait until it’s filled up tonight.”
Olivia sighed at the sound of her friend’s voice. “Hey, Jess. So is this the club number?”
“Yup. All set up and ready to go. You ready to get your funk on?” Jessica laughed lightly on the phone. Always ready for the next big party.
“Shit,” Olivia mumbled.
“Oh no you don’t,” her friend started in. “You are not pulli
ng this shit. This is the big opening, and I need all the support I can get. You know what a big deal this is for me.”
She did know what a big deal this was. In fact, it had been the only thing her friend had talked about for weeks. As her first big marketing event on her own, this was like winning the Super Bowl for Jess.
“I guess you haven’t talked to Irene,” she said quietly.
“Not since last week. She’ll be by later with the cake and other goodies.”
“Damn,” Olivia collected her thoughts. “Well, things have gotten crazy.”
“Oh man kind of crazy or just crazy crazy?”
“Both?” Olivia should have known it would be like this with Jess. “It’s Ben really.”
This line went silent for a moment. “What happened?”
Olivia slogged through the last few days with her. It was strange thinking of all the things that had happened leading up to the weekend.
“So what are you going to do?” Jess asked.
“Well, tonight we’ll meet Ben and figure things out more.” Olivia shrugged, despite her friend being unable to see her. “Not much else I can do.”
“I guess that means tonight will be too much.”
Olivia twisted the material from her shorts in her hand. It was likely Reed wouldn’t be thrilled about her going, but she had to at least make the effort to be there. She stared off into the distance contemplating her options. Meg. If she could get ahold of her, they could join forces against Reed and attend the event.
“I’ll be there. Might need to add a few people to the guest list.”
“You got it. My boss might be able to help out with this. He’s some big shot around town and seems to know a lot of people.” She paused. “People with interesting backgrounds.”
“Oh my God! Are you working for the mob?” Not the Russians, surely.
“Well.” Jess floundered for a moment. “Not exactly. These guys are Irish, not Italian, but I guess it’s the same idea.”
At least it wasn’t the Russians.
“I don’t know.” Her insides twisted at the idea she would have to meet with those sorts of people.
Reed (Allen Securities) Page 8
