Troy and Vegas were on the rain-swept street with the majority of the Pinion staff on duty. Edison was inside with a few other men, starting the backup generator and making sure Pinion wasn’t the target. Sirens whined, red and blue lights flashing in the dark as more police and firefighters arrived.
“A vehicle hit the electrical pole,” said Vegas. “They’re guessing a faulty wire, or the impact could have cracked the insulation on the transformer. Went up like a torch.”
“The driver took off?” Troy asked.
As he spoke, his gaze caught a flash of orange leggings and a glittering top. His first thought was Kassidy had arrived home. But then he saw it was Mila. She was soaking wet, talking to a man in the crowd.
“Probably drunk,” said Vegas. “Cops only heard from witnesses that it was a black SUV. Our security cameras might show more.”
Mila handed something to the man. With a sinking feeling, Troy realized it was probably a Pinion business card. She was representing Pinion Security looking like that. Fantastic.
“Anyone gunning for us right now?” He wasn’t particularly paranoid, but Pinion did gather its share of enemies.
“Nothing particular comes to mind,” said Vegas. “Most of the messy stuff is offshore.”
“That’s what I thought.” Troy watched Mila approach another man. He assumed she was introducing herself as a Pinion employee. “Good grief,” he muttered.
“What?” Vegas glanced around.
“I’ll be back.”
Troy strode through the puddles, rain falling on his face, the lingering fire from atop the power pole flickering against the wet ground. The strobes of the police cars put Mila into light and then shadow, light and then shadow.
Her hair was soaked. Her shoulders were bare. And her boots, still saturated from the obstacle course and shower, were unlaced and flopping around her ankles.
He shrugged out of his jacket as he approached, wrapping it around her shoulders as he spoke into her ear.
“I thought I told you to stay inside.”
“Thank you,” she said to the man, handing him a card. “If you remember anything else, please give me a call.”
“I’m investigating,” she told Troy as the man walked away.
“It was a hit-and-run. Both the police and station fifty-one are here investigating.”
“But who hit and who ran?”
“Put your arms in the sleeves.” He latched the bottom of the zipper.
She quickly stepped back. “Don’t treat me like a child.”
“We have a dress code.” He eyeballed her up and down. “You look ridiculous.”
She closed his jacket around herself. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“You had the choice to stay put upstairs.”
“This could have something to do with Kassidy.”
He paused for a moment, thinking his way through the incident. He wasn’t seeing it, but Mila had his curiosity going. “How?”
“Whoever hit the pole was distracted.”
“Or drunk.”
“Maybe. But it’s a Wednesday night, and there aren’t a lot of bars in the neighborhood. Someone might have been checking out the Pinion building to look for Kassidy, missed seeing the pole, set off the explosion then took off to protect his identity.”
“You’re reaching.” It was a common mistake, particularly among rookies—looking at evidence in a way to fit a pet theory.
“It’s a theory,” she said. “I’m not married to it. But I’m not discounting it, either.”
“You have evidence?”
“Two witnesses say it was a man. They describe him as a businessman.”
Troy waited. “That’s it?”
“There was a guy at the last gig. He was in a blazer. Something about him looked out of place.”
“And you’re thinking businessmen wear blazers.”
“Exactly.”
It was the first time Troy had been disappointed in her reasoning. He hadn’t always agreed with her, but he’d taken her for logical and intelligent.
“There are a lot of blazers in DC,” he said.
“And somebody’s stalking Kassidy.”
“Maybe.” As far as he was concerned, they hadn’t even established that much. Nothing had happened so far that couldn’t be explained by an exuberant fan base.
Mila set her jaw. “I’m going to ask some more questions.”
Troy scanned the small crowd of onlookers. Nobody set off his radar. Nobody looked suspicious. He was inclined to believe this was just a random accident that had nothing to do with either Pinion or Kassidy. There was little good, but little harm Mila could do by continuing to question bystanders.
“Zip up the jacket,” he told her. “And next time, wear appropriate clothing.”
“That wasn’t my—” She seemed to check herself. She swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
His passion rolled back in a rush. She looked sexy and sweet and vulnerable standing in the rain in his oversize jacket, determined as all get-out to do a good job. What was he going to do with her? How the hell was he going to keep his perspective?
He checked out the crowd one more time.
He didn’t see any danger.
He turned away, crossing the street to where Vegas was on his cell phone.
Vegas tucked away the phone. “What was that all about?”
“She was handing out our business cards, looking like a rock star.”
“Why does she look like a rock star?”
“Kassidy’s clothes.”
Vegas looked him up and down, clearly suspicious.
“No,” said Troy. “She showered, and we ate some pizza.”
“Uh-huh,” Vegas said, still looking skeptical.
“I’m not lying.”
“You just tried to zip her up nice and cozy in your jacket.”
“So she wouldn’t embarrass Pinion.”
“I don’t care if you lie to me. But don’t lie to yourself.”
“She’s hot,” said Troy. “She’s sizzling. If she offers, I won’t say no.” He set his jaw, letting his expression serve as a challenge to Vegas.
“I couldn’t care less about your personal life,” said Vegas. “Just don’t make stupid decisions when it comes to Pinion.”
“You think she’d sue?” Troy’s gaze moved back to Mila. He couldn’t imagine her claiming sexual harassment.
“I’m not talking about a lawsuit.” Vegas sounded disgusted. “I’m talking about you rejecting a good employee because you can’t see past your own lust.”
“She’s a woman,” said Troy.
His decision had nothing to do with her being attractive or not. Though she was intensely and incredibly beautiful. He watched the play of light on her face as she spoke. Her skin was creamy smooth, her eyes a deep green that seemed to go on forever, and her lips were plump, ripe and kissable.
He should have kissed her when he had the chance. If he’d kissed her hard enough, maybe they wouldn’t even have seen the explosion.
“Troy?” came Kassidy’s questioning voice, approaching them.
Drake was in her arms in a yellow raincoat. They’d obviously just arrived home.
“What happened?” she asked, looking around.
Troy couldn’t help but smile at his nephew. The hood was askew, and Drake was chewing on the plastic sleeve. His cheeks were plump and pink, and his eyes took in the chaotic scene of flashing lights and bustling bodies.
“Blown transformer,” said Troy. “It was quite spectacular.”
Though he wasn’t buying into Mila’s theory, he couldn’t help glancing around. He’d be more comfortable if Kassidy and Drake were inside.
“The generator’s running,” he told her. “You should take him in and warm him up.”
Mila appeared. “Have you got a minute?” she asked Kassidy.
“No, she doesn’t,” said Troy. The last thing he needed was Mila frightening or upsetting his sister. “Drake needs to get to bed.”
Both women looked at him in obvious surprise.
“What? I can’t know his routine?”
“It’ll just take a minute,” Mila said to Kassidy.
“She doesn’t have a minute,” said Troy. “And I need to talk to you. Vegas, can you take Kassidy and Drake upstairs?”
Kassidy’s surprised glance went to Vegas. She looked decidedly uncomfortable. Troy guessed she knew Vegas wasn’t her biggest fan. Too bad. Not everybody could adore her. Troy needed some time alone with Mila.
“Sure,” said Vegas.
“I can take her upstairs,” said Mila.
“I need you here,” said Troy; his look told her to keep quiet and agree.
She opened her mouth, but he didn’t let her get in another word. He grasped her by the arm and turned her away, walking her across the street.
“Don’t forget I’m your boss,” he said close to her ear.
“So, I’m hired?” Her retort was sharp and saucy.
“Temporarily.” He let go of her arm, weaving between two police cars to the perimeter of the hubbub.
She kept pace. “You’re overbearing, you know that?”
“I don’t need you upsetting Kassidy.”
“I’m not going to upset her.”
“She doesn’t need to hear your theory.”
They made it past the emergency lights and into the shadows of the dark buildings.
He halted and turned to face her, slammed immediately by a wall of desire. His hormones might have gone dormant there for a while, but they were now waking up to the moments before the explosion.
“I was only going to ask her some questions,” said Mila. “Jeez, Troy, give me a little credit. My theory is my theory. I’m pursuing it. But I’m not going to freak Kassidy out for no reason.”
Troy knew she was talking. Her gorgeous lips were moving. But his brain had stopped making out the words.
She paused. “Troy?”
“We need to talk about this.” It was getting worse. He could barely focus around her.
“We are talking about this.”
“Not that. The other.”
She seemed to regroup. “You mean sex?”
“I mean us. You and me, and how we’re reacting to each other.”
“We need to ignore that.”
“You think that’s the answer?” It sure wasn’t his answer. He’d been trying to ignore it for days. Ignoring it only made it worse.
“I do,” she said.
“It’s not working.”
“So we make it work. We’re rational adults.”
He wasn’t so sure about the rational part. He took a step closer to her. “We were ready to tear each other’s clothes off.”
“But we didn’t.”
“Only because something blew up.”
“I take that as a sign.”
“You don’t believe in signs.”
She flexed the slightest smile. “True. But we were lucky. Another couple of minutes...”
Another couple of minutes, and Troy would have felt extremely lucky.
“We can’t give in,” she said. “It would be bad for you, and it would be really bad for me.”
He started to argue, but she kept on talking.
“I need you to have confidence in me, to see me as a fellow professional, one of the guys.”
“I’m never going to see you as one of the guys.”
“Not if you see me naked.”
A vision flashed through Troy’s brain, Mila naked on his bed. “Too late.”
She drew back in obvious surprise.
“In my imagination,” he clarified. “I’ve seen you in my imagination.”
“Well, stop.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Then it’s a good thing you have self-control.”
“You’re saying no.” He didn’t like it, but he had to accept it.
“Yes. No. I’m saying no.”
“But you weren’t back there.” For some reason, he needed to hear it. “I saw your expression. That was a yes in my apartment.”
Silence stretched between them. The shouts of the firefighters and the lights of the accident scene seemed to fade.
When she finally spoke, her voice was low. Standing in the drizzling rain, she looked more vulnerable and desirable than ever. “Back there. Yes, it was a yes.”
Troy wanted to drag her into his arms. He wanted to hold her tight then carry her back to his room, where he’d strip off her clothes and kiss every inch of her delectable body.
There was no way on earth he was ever going to think of her as one of the guys.
“I don’t know where we go from here,” he said.
She squared her shoulders. “We go back to work.”
“And pretend it never happened?”
“It’s the only thing that will work.”
“That’s not going to work, Mila.”
It was never going to work.
* * *
Zoey hung her big shoulder bag on the back of the maple dining chair Sunday morning, plunking down across the table from Mila.
She glanced around the upscale family restaurant. “What are we doing here?”
“A muffin isn’t going to cut it today,” said Mila, closing her menu, having decided on a Southwestern omelet and wheat toast.
“You need comfort food? Pancakes? What happened? What’s going on?”
Mila briefly considered the merits of pancakes. Carb loading wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
“I’m having a do-over on the obstacle course today.”
“Oh.” Zoey drew out the word in a dire tone. Then she leaned forward. “I thought you might want to talk about the hunky boss.”
“I don’t.”
“Will he be there?”
“He was last time,” said Mila. “But I asked Vegas if he could supervise.”
“What’s going on with that?”
“Vegas?” Nothing was going on with Vegas. He was a decent guy, loyal to Troy, sure. But he didn’t seem to have the same chauvinistic tendencies.
“Not Vegas. The boss.”
“I’ve been staying out of his way since Wednesday night.”
Zoey said she understood Mila’s hesitation but, like Troy, she had wondered aloud about the practicality of bottling up their desire.
“How’s that working?” Zoey asked. “Have your feelings changed at all?”
Mila wished she could say they had. But they were intensifying. Even seeing Troy from a distance made her heart beat faster, her knees go weak and her lips tingle with anticipation.
“I’ll get over it.”
Her sister gave a shake of her head and a disbelieving smile. “That’s not the way it works.”
“It will be this time.”
Zoey gave a roll of her eyes. “Are you coming to Mom and Dad’s next weekend?”
Mila cringed. She’d forgotten about the upcoming family dinner. Her brother Rand had arranged a video conference from the ship, so it was a mandatory invitation. She’d have to find the time.
“I thought I’d bring Dustin along,” said Zoey.
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Rand will help calm Mom down. We know Dad’ll be no help in that.”
“Are you actually serious?”
“I want to get it over with. The subterfuge is killing me.”
“You don’t like lying.”
“I’m not exactly lying. But I’m leaving out volumes of information. And, yes, I hate it. I want to be honest and up front with myself and everyone else. Dustin’s a fantastic guy, and I refuse to treat him like some shameful secret.”
“He knows what’s going to happen?”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Yes, baby sister, he has met our mother.”
Mila coughed out a laugh. “He must really like you.”
Her sister’s expression sobered. “He says he does. He sure acts like he does.”
“If he’s willing to brave Judge Stern, he must have it bad.”
“I know I have it bad.”
Mila considered Zoey’s admission. She couldn’t help wonder how it would feel to truly fall for someone.
She thought of Troy. But that was just lust. Aside from his good looks, intellect, work ethic and all-around sexiness, he was really quite annoying. She was under no illusion that her feelings for him were anything more noble than physical desire.
That being true, perhaps it was something she could get out of her system. Maybe sleeping with him wasn’t the worst idea in the world. Perhaps he’d be a mediocre lover, and with that attraction off the table, he’d be just another guy to her. Maybe if she slept with him, she’d be able to focus on her work.
She realized Zoey was watching her with curiosity.
“Is this a happily-ever-after thing?” she asked, putting herself back on topic.
“I don’t know.” Zoey smiled. “I’m not ruling anything out.”
“Wow. Maybe don’t tell that to Mom up front.”
Zoey laughed as the waitress arrived to pour coffee and take their order.
Mila decided to add a couple of pancakes, while Zoey stuck with a grainy muffin and coffee. The young woman walked away.
“Mom can’t throw Dustin in jail or anything, can she?” asked Mila.
Zoey tore open a packet of artificial sweetener. “I like to think our judicial system has checks and balances against that.”
“You like to think? You’re a lawyer. Shouldn’t you be certain?”
“I’m pretty certain. But, you know, well, there’s always a chance of an unexpected verdict.”
Mila tried to decide if her sister was joking because she wasn’t concerned, or if she was covering up her worry with humor. It could go either way.
“What time do you do the obstacle course?” Zoey asked.
“Eleven. I’m going straight there from here.”
“Think you’ll make it this time?”
“I don’t know. It’s really tough, but I have a plan. And I know where I went wrong last time.”
“If you finish, will he hire you?”
“I wish. It’s more like if I don’t, he definitely won’t hire me. If I finish, I take away one of his reasons to turn me down.”
“You know his other reasons?”
“Main one is that he doesn’t like women.” Mila realized how that sounded. “I mean, he likes women. But he seems to think they’re more decorative than functional.”
Zoey canted her head to one side, wrinkling her nose. “I wonder what he sees in you.”
Mila tried not to be insulted. “Thanks a ton.”
“We both know you’re far more functional than decorative. And I’ve checked the man out on social media. His dates are all glam bombshells.”
“My abs are better than theirs.” Even as she spoke, Mila didn’t know why she was arguing. She had no desire to be decorative.
“If you like a six-pack on a woman.”
“I don’t have a six-pack. They’re healthy, that’s all. I’m in shape.” She lifted her coffee cup. “Maybe I’m his walk on the wild side.”
“It doesn’t fit the pattern.”
“There doesn’t have to be a pattern.”
“There’s always a pattern.”
“Then what’s your theory?” Mila challenged. “Why is he propositioning ugly little me?”
“Stop pretending to be insulted. If you wanted to be a bombshell, you’d wear makeup, buy some nice clothes, put on some heels. You know you could do it if you wanted to.”
“I don’t want to.” Mila assured herself it was true. The last thing she wanted was for Troy to think she was pretty.
“I’ll help. Anytime you want a makeover, just holler.”
“I don’t—”
“Hey, that’d be fun. Glam you up, throw him off balance, send the guy for a loop.”
“I’d feel like a fraud. It would run counter to everything I’m trying to accomplish.”
“I didn’t say it would be smart. I said it would be fun. How about this? If you get to a point where you are absolutely positive there is no way on earth he’s ever going to hire you, we do it.”
“No.”
“Give me a yes, sister.”
“What would be the point?”
“Satisfaction.”
“Wouldn’t it just reinforce his belief that women are different after all?”
“You’re not listening. It’s a parting shot, justice, revenge—call it whatever you like. It’ll keep him awake at night.”
“You’re really not a nice person.”
“And for all your tough-girl act, you can be a real doormat.”
“Excuse me?”
“Have a plan, baby sister. If it all goes bad, have a final move in your hip pocket that will give you some measure of satisfaction.”
“Is that what you do?”
“Yes.”
“And if Mom won’t accept Dustin?”
“I’m not there yet. I’m nowhere near there yet. She will.” Zoey paused, uncertainty clouding her eyes. “Eventually.”
Mila was hit with a wave of guilt. “I’m sorry. That was a thoughtless comparison. What I meant is that I’m not there with Pinion Security, either. I’m a long, long way from giving up.”
This wasn’t about Troy. It was about a job, her career, her professional success. Troy was simply the manifestation of her current challenge. She’d rise to it. A Stern always did.
* * *
Troy didn’t feel a single scrap of satisfaction seeing Mila fail a second time on the obstacle course. Watching through the security monitor, via the cameras positioned around the course, he shouldn’t have been pulling for her, but he was. Intellectually, he knew she’d have used her success as another argument in her quest for a permanent job. And he didn’t want that.
But emotionally, he’d been with her on the run, through the mud, along the balance beam and over the wall. She’d made it farther this time, but she was still a long way from completion.
He assumed she’d come upstairs to shower, so he waited in the apartment. Kassidy was in her room, taking her own nap while Drake took his. He and Mila wouldn’t be completely alone, but he would take what he could get. She’d been avoiding him for days now, as if she needed to put an exclamation point on her refusal to take their physical relationship any further.
He got it.
She was off-limits.
That didn’t mean they couldn’t have a conversation. For a woman who claimed to want a permanent job, she had a funny was of relating to the boss.
He parked himself in the living room, where he’d hear her knock. He surfed through some news channels, then picked up a technology magazine. He checked his watch, wondering what was taking her so long.
Finally, he called the control room to see if she was on her way.
The staff member on duty reported that Mila had returned from the obstacle course with Vegas. They’d gone into the locker room and hadn’t yet come out.
Troy checked his watch again. More than half an hour had gone by. Why were they still in the locker room?
And then it hit him. Perhaps she’d been hurt. Maybe Vegas was administering first aid. She could have cut herself on the barbed wire in the mud crawl. Maybe she’d injured an ankle jumping off the rope wall. She could have dislocated a finger or gashed her arm. He’d seen all of those things and more happen on the obstacle course.
He was out the door and down the hall in a flash. He didn’t have the patience to wait for the elevator. Instead, he bounded down the stairs, coming out on the main floor on the back side of the building. From there, it was a short trot to the locker room.
One of the security agents was coming through the door.
“Female inside,” he warned Troy.
“She okay?” asked Troy.
“In the shower.” The man grinned and waggled his brows.
Troy nearly slammed him into the wall.
But that would take time, and he wanted to find out what was going on.
He breezed through the door. A second staff member was washing his hands.
“Where is she?” Troy barked.
The man jammed his thumb toward the back of the facility.
As he walked, Troy could hear the shower running.
She was in the shower. She might be fully dressed, but he had a terrible feeling she wasn’t. She was making a statement. She wanted to be one of the guys. No more showering in the boss’s bathroom—she was going all out.
He rounded the corner and nearly plowed straight into Vegas.
Vegas stood, arms over his chest, feet planted apart in front of the shower room doorway.
“That’s as far as you go,” he said to Troy.
“Don’t tell me she’s—”
“Naked? Yeah, she’s naked.”
Troy took a step forward, ready to give Mila a piece of his mind.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” said Vegas.
Troy stopped himself. “Has she lost her mind?”
“The guys aren’t going to bother her,” said Vegas. “But just in case anyone’s tempted, I thought I’d stick around.”
“She could have come upstairs. She knows she should have come upstairs.”
“You saw?” asked Vegas.
Troy hesitated over his answer, not wild about Vegas knowing he’d monitored her attempt. “I saw.”
“She’s disappointed.”
“I know.”
The security cameras monitored from a distance, but when the buzzer rang, her body language was pretty telling.
“I doubt she wants to talk to you.”
“She wants to talk to you?” Troy knew he sounded jealous, but he didn’t particularly care.
“I’m not talking to her,” Vegas offered easily.
“Were you? Did you? What did she say?”
“She wants to try again.”
Troy felt some of the tension leave his body.
She wasn’t hurt. She wasn’t demoralized. She was just as feisty as ever.
“There’s no point,” he said.
“Maybe not,” said Vegas. “But she won’t get any static from me.”
Troy stood up a little taller. “You think I’m giving her static?”
“You do spend a lot of time telling her what she can’t do.”
“Well, she can’t do that. It’s not humanly possible.”
“Hey!” came Mila’s voice over the shower spray. “I can hear you talking.”
Troy winced, and he did an immediate recap of the conversation. Had he been insulting?
Vegas smirked.
“Shut up,” said Troy in an undertone.
“Go away,” said Mila.
“Come out here,” said Troy.
“I’m busy.”
“I need to talk to you about Kassidy.” It was partially true.
It took Mila a moment to answer. “Fine.”
The water shut off.
Troy looked to Vegas. “You can go guard the main door now. Don’t let anyone else in.”
“I don’t think so.”
“There’s nobody left but me.”
“You’re the guy I’m guarding her against.”
“Give me a break.” Troy raised his voice. “Mila? Okay if Vegas leaves?”
“Up to him.”
Vegas didn’t move.
“He thinks I might try something.”
“Not and live,” she called back.
Vegas grinned.
“She says she can take care of herself,” said Troy.
“I believe she can. Watch yourself.”
“I’m not going to try anything.”
“You’ll want to. I’m just sayin’ don’t do it.”
“Go away. As far as I’m concerned, she’s one of the guys.”
“Uh-huh.” Vegas’s voice dripped skepticism as he walked away.
Mila appeared in the doorway, her hair soaking wet, her bare shoulders covered in droplets, and a big towel covering her from chest to knees.
“What about Kassidy?” she asked.
Troy had to clear his throat.
“She’s okay, right?” asked Mila.
“She’s taking a nap.”
Mila smiled, her sparkling eyes and the glimpse of her white teeth turning him on. “That’s our girl.”
He forced himself to concentrate. “I need an update.”
“On?”
“On everything. Your investigation. The current security plan. Her upcoming performances. Anything you believe might be relevant.”
“No problem.” Mila crossed to a bench that held her wet clothes.
“How did those get out here?” He was trying to picture the logistics of her in the shower and Vegas in the doorway, and who knew who else coming and going.
“Vegas,” she said.
“He saw you naked?”
“What if he did?”
Troy was advancing on her before he had time to think it through. “Tell me he didn’t.”
She met his hard gaze. “He didn’t. He reached his hand around the doorway and I gave him my clothes.”
“Are you sure he didn’t peek?” Troy couldn’t help but think, for himself, it would have taken ethics of steel to keep his eyes averted.
“Is this junior high? Of course he didn’t peek. And the world wouldn’t have come tumbling down if he had.”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“That’s a mind your own business, Troy Keiser.”
The color was high in her cheeks, and he was suddenly, blindingly reminded that she was naked under the towel.
Vegas had been right. Troy wanted to try something. He desperately and absolutely wanted to try something.
He curled his hands into fists and forced himself to take a step back.
“Get dressed,” he managed through the roaring in his ears. “Meet me upstairs.”