Now he was back in this inconspicuous strip mall in a generic suburban neighborhood outside of Los Angeles. Waiting for Olivia.
At first it was hard to believe that Lyle Guero’s hand-picked, highly rated private investigator worked in such an unglamorous location. But the second he’d set eyes on Olivia, it all made sense. Her bland office space was like a costume that she used as a disguise. She didn’t want people paying attention to her vibrant beauty. She wanted to focus on the work.
The front door opened, and a man on crutches swung his way into the office. Jake jumped up to hold the door for him, but the newcomer waved him off. “I got it.”
Skillfully, he maneuvered around the door and pushed it shut. He’d clearly done this before. He was a fit guy, Jake saw, with a powerful build.
“If you’re waiting for Olivia James,” Jake said, “she might be a while. I’ve been here about half an hour already.”
“Really. Did you piss her off?”
The new arrival reminded Jake of someone, with his dark eyes and close-cropped hair.
“Probably.” Jake grinned. “But not intentionally.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t take much. Does she even know you’re here?”
“I texted her when I got here, and she told me to take a seat and grab a magazine. Of course there are no magazines.”
The man chuckled. “She doesn’t want to encourage people to linger.” He crutched toward the utilitarian desk that filled about half the waiting room.
“Is that why this is the most uncomfortable chair I’ve ever sat on?” Jake shifted on the aluminum folding chair. “Does she know that padded folding chairs are a thing? I’ll bring a catalogue next time.”
The man leaned across the desk and pressed a button on the phone. Jake watched curiously—he sure seemed comfortable in Olivia’s office.
“Did you hear that, Olivia? He said ‘next time.’ Seems like he intends to come back.”
He kept the button pressed down long enough for both of them to hear her muffled response. Jake only caught two words of it—“my” and “ass.”
Olivia had a great ass, but that probably wasn’t what she was talking about. He let out a sigh and settled farther into the diabolically uncomfortable chair. “Commencing more lingering.”
“Sis, would you get your butt out here? I’ve got a mortgage to pay. We could use a few more paying customers.”
Sis? Jake took another look at the man. Of course—he should have realized he and Olivia were related, with their dark coloring. The difference was that Olivia had those incredible eyes of deepest, darkest indigo—so beautiful they were practically hypnotic. “You’re Olivia’s brother?”
The man rested on one crutch and stuck out his hand. “Ethan James. Brother and partner. We work together here at James Investigations.”
Jake shook his hand. “Jake Rockwell. I didn’t know Olivia had a partner.”
“I’m strictly behind the scenes these days. But I’ll be back in the field soon.”
Jake knew better than to pry into the reason for the crutches. “One James on a case is good, two is even better.”
Ethan liked that, judging by his quick smile. “So how do you know my sister? Have we done work for you? Your name isn’t familiar.”
“She never mentioned me, huh?”
“And why would I, exactly?” Olivia swept into the room through a door that opened into a back office. The effect was like a fresh wind airing out the space. Jake got to his feet, relieved to get his ass off that chair.
“I helped Jake out with a very simple locate,” she explained to her brother. “Which he managed to make much more complicated due to…” She waved her hand at Jake. “Due to him being one of your kind.”
“My kind? You mean smart, brave, and honorable?” Ethan smirked.
“I mean, a man.” Olivia leaned against the steel desk and folded her arms across her chest. She wore jeans, a boat-neck white t-shirt, and a black blazer, exactly what she’d worn the last time he’d seen her. A uniform. “You guys don’t know how to leave your egos at the door.”
“Here we go.” Ethan lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I never win this argument, so I’m going back to work. Jake, you’re on your own. May the force of masculinity be with you.”
He disappeared through the door that Olivia had come through, leaving Jake alone with her. Their eyes met—and all that instant chemistry came sizzling back to life.
Olivia was a beauty, with those eyes, that dark hair cut short, Audrey-Hepburn style, and that rare, magnetic smile. But mostly what drew Jake’s attention was her independent spirit. She didn’t put up with crap. He admired that in a person, man or woman.
“I thought we were done,” she said. “I paid off my debt to Lyle.”
“I know you did. This is something else.”
“I’m booked. This is a busy time of year.”
Jake looked around the quiet office. “Yeah, things really pick up during tumbleweed season.”
“You do realize that my work doesn’t usually take place in this office, right? I go out into the world. I investigate. I interview people. I take pictures. I find facts.”
“Which is exactly what I need.” Jake slid his hands into his pockets. “I’m not looking for another favor. I want to hire you this time.”
“Oh really? Are you finally admitting that you, an amateur, need help from me, a professional?”
“Look, I’m sorry I offended you last time. Yes, you’re a pro. And no, I’m not. I’m a pro at some things, but not this.”
She cupped her ear, as if she wanted to hear that again, louder.
He laughed. “Would you like a signed promise never to mansplain anything to you again? No problem. I’m here because I know how good you are, and I know that you’re my best chance at getting answers.”
She narrowed her eyes, scanning him up and down. He suppressed the quiet thrill her scrutiny gave him. It felt good to have her eyes on him. Too good. This was supposed to be business, not fun.
“A no-mansplain vow? That would definitely be a first.”
“Sure, but in my defense, I wasn’t really mansplaining. I was just filling you in on a few things. Mansplaining is when—” Her eyes flared with a blaze of deep blue. He laughed. “I’m kidding. I swear I’m not trying to mansplain mansplaining to you. I don’t have a death wish.”
“Are you sure about that?” But she relented and laughed. The way her eyes warmed with humor made his blood sizzle. “I’ll give you points for the courage to come back here after I ripped you a new one last time.”
“I’ll take all the points I can get. Look, I don’t mind getting called out if I’m being an ass. I grew up with a twin sister. I can take it.”
She blinked at him. “Good Lord, there are two of you?”
“Yes, and she’s as good with a scalpel as you are with…everything you’re good at,” he finished diplomatically. He’d almost said, “with an insult,” but then again, she might consider that an insult.
“You know I’m not the only PI in this town, right?”
“I know. There are at least five hundred licensed private investigators in the greater Los Angeles area. I only want one. You.”
His intensity seemed to take her aback. “Why me? The last job I did for you was quite minor.”
“Yes, and it was a test run. I wanted to see how you worked before I brought you all the way on board.”
“A test?” Her eyebrows drew together in a straight line. “I don’t care to be tested. Find someone else.”
“No. I want you. I’ll pay double your rate.”
“Big spender.”
“It’s worth it to me. It’s about my mother’s death, mostly, but there’s also arson and a movie star. I think you’ll want to be involved.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because of her.” He reached into his back pocket and dug out the photo of Laine Thibodeau that he’d printed out. He handed it to Olivia, who st
ared at it silently.
“You’ve worked with Laine, haven’t you?”
“How did you know that?” she asked softly.
“I may be an amateur, but I do my research.”
She nodded slowly. “Laine was the first person ever to hire me. She wanted a woman, and someone new to the business. But I never actually met her. She’s very private.”
“You should have just rung her doorbell.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. My sister Gracie has met her, that’s all. I’ll fill you in if you take the case.”
“So this involves Laine Thibodeau?”
“It’s complicated, but yes. It seems to. Are you in?”
She handed the photo back to him. “I’ll have to consult with my partner.”
The intercom buzzed. Jake reached over and pressed the button.
“We’re in,” came Ethan’s voice.
Jake grinned. “The intercom has spoken.”
Olivia gave the intercom a quick glare. “Okay, we’ll take it. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
She pushed his hand away from the phone. “Don’t you dare push my button again.”
He held up his hand in a Boy Scout vow. “No button-pushing. That’s a promise.”
Was it his fault that he immediately thought of all the other buttons it might be fun to push?
* * *
The Rockwell Legacy continues with THE ROCK.
* * *
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You can find all the Rockwell Legacy novels here.
About the Author
Jennifer Bernard is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called “an irresistible reading experience” full of “quick wit and sizzling love scenes.” A graduate of Harvard and former news promo producer, she left big city life in Los Angeles for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She still hasn’t adjusted to the cold, so most often she can be found cuddling with her laptop and a cup of tea. No stranger to book success, she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name that she’s happy to share with the curious. You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at JenniferBernard.net. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter for new releases, fresh exclusive content, sales alerts and giveaways.
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Also by Jennifer Bernard
The Rockwell Legacy
The Rebel ~ Book 1
The Rogue ~ Book 2
The Renegade ~ Book 3
Jupiter Point ~ The Hotshots
Set the Night on Fire ~ Book 1
Burn So Bright ~ Book 2
Into the Flames ~ Book 3
Setting Off Sparks ~ Book 4
* * *
Jupiter Point ~ The Knight Brothers
Hot Pursuit ~ Book 5
Coming In Hot ~ Book 6
Hot and Bothered ~ Book 7
Too Hot to Handle ~ Book 8
One Hot Night ~ Book 9
* * *
Seeing Stars ~ Series Prequel
The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel
The Fireman Who Loved Me
Hot for Fireman
Sex and the Single Fireman
How to Tame a Wild Fireman
Four Weddings and a Fireman
The Night Belongs to Fireman
Novellas
One Fine Fireman
Desperately Seeking Fireman
It’s a Wonderful Fireman
Love Between the Bases
All of Me
Caught By You
Getting Wound Up (crossover with Sapphire Falls)
Drive You Wild
Crushing It
Double Play
* * *
Novellas
Finding Chris Evans
Forgetting Jack Cooper
Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Bernard
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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