Traitor Games

by Sidney Bristol

  “I see.”

  “This is you.” Jeff stopped outside an ornate set of double doors, the surface carved with flowers and flourishes. “I’m not participating in whatever you’re doing, merely facilitating. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  Jeff opened one door. Muttered conversation from inside died off and she could feel the gazes of every person focused on that entry.

  Here went nothing.

  Lillian took one step, then another. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor. About a foot inside the room, a thick carpet muted her stride. She stopped and gazed around the room, taking in the powerful men in attendance. Somehow she had to get them all on her side and working as a team.

  At least there was one friendly face. Shemar Donovan sat in a cluster with two other people in the corner of the room.

  The door shut softly behind her.

  Once more, the windows were covered and she couldn’t see out of this space. There was a certain quality to the ambient sound, similar to her basement. Had Jeff managed to make this room soundproof, too?

  They were waiting on her to speak.

  Lillian cleared her throat and walked to a small writing desk with a clear enough surface for her to lay the binder down.

  She met the gaze of each man looking at her. It was easy to pick out the heads of agencies from the private sector. The suits versus the jeans. They were two divided forces, and she had to bring them together.

  Noah was right. She was Lillian-fucking-Matthews, and she could do this. She’d been fixing situations for people since the day she understood that the Matthews Corp was her birthright. Every move she’d made in life was devoted to giving her the skills to do this. Camilla might be the public face of the company, but she only succeeded because Lillian and the others were good at what they did.

  She could do this.

  “Good evening. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Thank you all for agreeing to this meeting. I hope—”

  “Who the fuck are you?” A man in jeans, a leather coat, and sporting an American Southern accent stared at her.

  “My name is Lillian Matthews. I’m here to help fix this.”

  Chapter Ten

  Thursday. Security Summit Safe House, United Kingdom.

  Noah couldn’t decide if he was impressed or alarmed by the location. By his best guess, they were somewhere north and east of London. A storm had rolled in on their heels and now rain beat against the roof and rattled the windows.

  He wanted clearer lines of sight, a look at the grounds, some idea of the number of people on the property and what they were packing. Jeff wasn’t letting Noah in on any of it, the prick. The moment Noah had ventured outside of the house he’d had an armed escort assigned to him. He couldn’t properly assess things with babysitters, so he’d returned to the house. Just like they wanted him to.

  There was a lot of ground to cover inside, and many more people than he’d expected. It appeared that each attendee had several support staff on hand. For what purpose?

  Noah paused to note down a few more things on the paper map he’d drafted. Everyone here could be an enemy. That was the rule they had to live by now.

  He’d walked the upper floors, marking important entry points or possible escapes on the map he intended to give to Lillian. The suites there had been divided in such a way as to spread everyone around as far as possible. Everything on the lower two floors was guarded by their host and was more or less off-limits to Noah.

  He’d figure out a way to have a look later.

  He pocketed the map and kept strolling the first floor. He rounded the corner and stopped in the middle of the hall.

  The doors to the room where Jeff had taken Lillian earlier stood open.

  Noah crept toward the entry, but there was no one inside. The lights were off and all evidence of the meeting swept away.

  “She’s upstairs.”

  A chill went down Noah’s spine.

  He hadn’t heard the man approach.

  “Yeah? Which wing?” Noah glanced over his shoulder at Jeff.

  “Fourth floor.”

  “Servant’s quarters, huh?”

  “We’re almost at capacity.”

  “And where do you have me?” Noah pivoted to face the guy.

  “Next door to her. You’re her security, correct?” Jeff clasped his hands in front of him.

  Jeff was easily in his early thirties. This wasn’t the kind of work someone went into on their own. It was the type of thing a guy like Jeff landed into, either by luck or other means. He was slick, pleasant, and generally faded into the background.

  He wasn’t the boss. There was someone running him.

  Someone pulled Jeff’s strings while allowing Jeff to appear as the one in charge.

  Andy likely knew whom they were truly working with. Noah would be surprised if the paranoid bastard missed something like this, so whoever the person behind the curtain was, he was on their side.

  “Good night, Jeff. Try to not get us killed, huh?”

  Noah pivoted and strode down the main hall toward the front stair. Jeff didn’t follow.

  There were more guards out in the hall now. They stared at Noah as he climbed to the third then fourth floor. Unlike below where things were quiet, the fourth floor was more boisterous. Doors were open and people chatted back and forth. The only two doors not open were at the very top of the stairs. Light shone from under the one on the right.

  He knocked and leaned in.

  “Lily, open up.”

  He felt the vibrations of her footsteps more than he heard them.

  The lock clicked and the door opened, granting him a peek inside. Lillian leaned around, her hair hanging down in damp locks.

  The invisible fist that had tightened around his throat eased.

  There she was. The most beautiful woman in the world.

  “Where have you been?” Her voice was strained, eyes round.

  “How’d it go?” Noah stepped in and she slammed the door shut behind him.

  “It felt like a disaster, but Donovan said it went well.” She strode across the room, towel drying her hair.

  Noah didn’t recognize the yoga pants and T-shirt, but then again, he hadn’t inspected the clothing Carol provided her. She draped the towel over one of the bed’s four posters then faced him, hands on her hips.

  “It went a lot like meetings with clients still stuck in denial.” She blew out a breath and he could almost see her shake off the negativity. She was amazing. “Tomorrow will go better. If I can give them facts, show them the reality of the situation, I should be able to get through to them.”

  He leaned against the ancient dresser. “Sounds like you’ve got it all under control.”

  “I’m used to working in the background, not being out front. I just need to handle them like ornery clients.” She peered at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He didn’t care for the shutters that seemed to go up. “How about you? What were you up to?”

  “Having a look around. This place is pretty big.” He kept his tone easy. She’d had a tough go of it and he wouldn’t push her. Maybe what she needed was space and time to herself?

  “Yeah, I had no idea until Jeff showed me the room.”

  “Security is tight. It should be safe enough while this is going on. I wonder how much we can trust Jeff. We need to start making a plan for our next move.” He had no bolt holes, nothing prepared beyond his bags.

  “Yeah. Okay.” She nodded and looked around the room.

  “Lily? What’s wrong?” He rocked forward onto the balls of his feet, everything in him wanting to go to her.

  “Nothing. I just… I was going stir crazy up here by myself.” Her voice softened. “But now you’re here.”

  “I see.” He was focused on her. Hooked. This was why he avoided personal connections.

  “Being alone makes me anxious now. Awesome, huh?” She pushed her hair back behind her ears and closed her eyes. “Sleep will help, right?”
/>   “Yeah.”

  If she could sleep. He wasn’t going to.

  Noah needed distance. He recognized his unhealthy attachment to her. It was right there from the moment he couldn’t kill her to this odd desire to make her feel more at ease. It was growing worse. The attraction, the kisses, every casual touch, they were eroding his carefully erected barriers.

  Lillian needed support. Someone to encourage her, calm her fears.

  In his world, these were two needs that could not coexist. So whose won out?

  Hers.

  Without a doubt, Lillian came first.

  “I’d prefer if we had adjoining rooms.” He was going to hell for this. “I’d sleep better if I could keep my eyes on you.”

  “Do you want to do what we did on our road trip?” She chuckled, a weak attempt to hide the hope shining in her eyes. “Bunk together?”

  Noah was fucked.

  “Sure. I’ll get my things,” he said.

  Lillian’s smile chased him from the room.

  People went up and down the hall, most in pajama pants, carrying on like it was some kind of co-ed fraternity house.

  He was dangerously close to the line with her. She affected him in a way he wasn’t prepared to deal with. Remain professional, focused on the job at hand. Any deviation from that opened them up to mistakes, which could get them killed. That was why he couldn’t have feelings for her. Feelings made him weak.

  Noah grabbed his bags from the darkened room next door and returned to Lillian. She sat curled up on a hideous, green brocade armchair that had seen better days, the binder open on her lap.

  She smiled. “It sounds like a party out there.”

  Her shoulders didn’t hunch this time and that worry wrinkle between her brows was gone. Because he’d agreed to a sleepover? Or because something in the binder put her at ease?

  “Thanks for staying in here. I didn’t want to admit that I am scared to be alone right now.” Her gaze dropped to the ground and she toyed with the corner of the book.

  Him staying with her, then.

  “Everything is going to be okay.” He set his bags down next to the dresser, his mind warring with the urge to cross the room and pull her into his arms. That just wasn’t like him.

  “You think?” she asked.

  “Well, yeah. I’m here.”

  Lillian rolled her eyes, but at least he got a chuckle out of her. That was something.

  A smile, a bit of a laugh, a sigh of contentment, these were things that shouldn’t matter to him. And yet, they did.

  Noah had been attracted to pretty women, but Lillian was different. The thing that drew him to her wasn’t her body, that magnificent hair, or how she dressed. Sure, she was a knockout with those curves, and maybe that was what had fooled him into complacency with this magnetic pull between them. He was the frog in the pot, only now realizing things weren’t what he’s expected. He still didn’t know what set her apart, why her, and maybe that didn’t matter as much as the way she changed him.

  He wanted to forget the world, steal her away somewhere safe and just be with her. They couldn’t. She would never allow such an idea, but it was always in the back of his mind. That alone was dangerous for the both of them. A guy like him couldn’t have personal ties. Look at Rand. Instead of participating in this, he was in hiding trying to protect his baby. Carol slowed Andy down, no matter how much she did. And yet, none of that mattered when Noah looked at Lillian.

  What did it all mean? What was he supposed to do with this? Was this why he hadn’t acted on Hector’s orders? Because of this thing between them? Or was it all him?

  “What?” She closed the binder. “What is it?”

  “We need to talk.” There had to be ground rules. He couldn’t keep going like this.

  Her eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all. What’s wrong?”

  “Toronto. In the bathroom?” He grabbed the bedpost and stared at her, unable to say any more.

  “Oh.” She set the binder on the windowsill beside her then placed her hands on her knees, her gaze on the ground. When she spoke her tone was flat. Emotionless. “I was emotional. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  She might have been the one to make the first move, but he’d responded to her. He’d wanted that kiss.

  The silence stretched on, neither speaking.

  “Liar,” he whispered.

  “What?” She opened and closed her mouth, her cheeks growing pink. “Why do you think I kissed you then?”

  “You run when you’re stressed.” He’d studied her. Both before and after meeting her then again when Hector gave him the job. Noah knew her.

  “How do you know that?”

  “It’s my job.” He crossed the room.

  Yeah, he was going to hell.

  He stopped in front of the chair and held out his hand.

  She put her hand in his. No hesitation.

  He pulled her to her feet, their bodies so close they might as well be embracing.

  “Tell me the truth,” he whispered.

  Her gaze flicked down to his mouth then back up to his eyes. “No.”

  Lillian’s body betrayed her. Her hands slid up to his shoulders and he wasn’t even certain she realized what she was doing.

  “Want me to go first then?” He brushed her wet hair off her face. “I wanted to kiss you. I might have if you hadn’t kissed me first.”

  “O-oh.”

  He grasped her wrist and kissed her palm. Her fingers stroked over his cheek while her eyes studied him. She had an uncanny way of looking at him, as though she could see beyond the skin.

  Lillian tipped her chin up, her eyes on his mouth. He could practically feel her touch again, the way she’d held onto him and wanted.

  “I’m not a good person,” he whispered.

  “I never asked you to be.”

  He squeezed her hip.

  When had he reached for her?

  Lillian lifted up on her tiptoes. She still wasn’t tall enough. He had an opportunity to stop this. And yet, he bent his head. Not much, but it was enough.

  Her lips slid over his, seducing him.

  Noah slid his hand around the back of her neck, tangling in the short strands of her hair. He pulled her to him and let himself sink into the kiss. The taste of her. All of it. There wasn’t any of the frantic quality to the way she held onto him. No, this was a woman reaching for what she wanted, not what was closest.

  He spun her until she was trapped between him and the bedpost. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding on tight, and opened her mouth. This wasn’t a simple kiss, this was hunger. He could taste the desire mirroring his own.

  Her leg hooked around the back of his calf. He flexed his hips, grinding against her soft body. She groaned into the kiss and dug her nails into his shoulders, pulling at his shirt.

  Noah tightened his hold on her waist and picked her up, just enough to set her on the thick rail of the footboard. She spread her knees and he stepped into the V of her thighs, their lips never once parting. Her limbs wrapped around him, holding on tight. There was no going back from this. He wouldn’t forget these moments. They would be burned into his mind for eternity. Every time he looked at her he’d think of the way she groaned into his mouth, the feel of her nails, how even her legs held onto him.

  Lillian grabbed his hand and pushed it up under her shirt until he palmed her breast.

  Fuck any good intentions.

  He slid his fingers into the satin cup, meeting flesh. He caressed her stiff nipple and she shuddered, arching her back.

  “I want to see you,” he murmured against her mouth.

  Lillian didn’t hesitate. She let go of him, grasped her shirt and pulled it over her head. He stared at his fingers buried in her bra and the white silky material cradling her. She reached around back and unclasped the bra, letting it fall down her arms, and tossed it on the floor.

  His mouth dried up and all he could do was stare at
her. Goddamn, she was perfect.

  Lillian grasped the front of his jeans and tabbed them open. Whatever was driving her to act wasn’t going to allow her to stop. She slid her hand inside and grasped his cock, her fingers sliding along his length.

  “Fuck,” he choked out.

  “I know, I’m forward, but—whatever, right?”

  “I like forward.”

  “Oh. Good.”

  “I’m developing plans for these breasts.” He squeezed one mound and her eyelids drooped.

  “I want you now.” Her hand squeezed him and it took every bit of his control to not groan.

  “That’s not forward, that’s direct. Where do you want me?” He caressed her other breast. “Here?”

  “Against the bed?” One side of her mouth hitched up.

  “Is that what you want?” He toyed with her nipples, enjoying the way pleasure rippled across her features.

  “I want you inside of me,” she said.

  “Here then?” He cupped her mound, pressing his fingers against her center.

  “Yes,” she hissed.

  The blood rushed past his ears so hard and fast he could barely think.

  Noah took a step back and pulled Lillian to her feet. He went to a knee, hooking his fingers in her pants and underwear, yanking them down, too. When they’d fled D.C., he’d wondered if they would be able to stand each other. He hadn’t anticipated the burning desire that had taken root.

  He kissed her mound, her thigh. Lillian twined her fingers through his hair and pulled him up to his feet. He grasped her upper thighs, just below her ass and lifted, taking her with him, wrapping her around him. He took a step toward the bed. His foot caught on something and he stumbled, dropping Lillian into the same green chair she’d sat in before.

  She sputtered a laugh, not the least bit bothered, and grabbed handfuls of his shirt, pulling it up over his head. He knelt on the floor in front of her and kissed her breasts and down to her stomach.

  “Noah…” She tugged on his hair, but he ignored it.

  This was worth doing right.

  He thrust his fingers into her pussy and they both groaned. He shifted lower, kissing her mound and the neatly trimmed patch of hair there.