On Sunday morning, Lance drove with half his brain focused on the road and the other half remembering last night’s sex. Hell in a bed, smoking-hot sex, which he could’ve predicted. From the moment Lance had seen Arianna Rose on the six o’clock news, he’d known she’d be a heck of a lover, but never guessed she’d be his lover.
Damn, this complicated things. He’d dropped Ari off at Valerie’s apartment and borrowed her car to drive downtown to his office. It might be a weekend, but his boss didn’t believe in weekends. He hadn’t checked in for a few days, and if he wanted to be back with POTUS soon, he needed to stay on the radar. Doing the dirty horizontal with the daughter of the FBI’s most wanted man was not going to gain him many points.
How the hell had he dropped into this mess? His orders had been to lay low, get the kinks out of his bum leg, not to lie in a hot girl’s bed and get kinky. But what was done was done, and he wouldn’t trade last night for anything. It had been the greatest sex of his life. Not only had it been a mind-blowing orgasm, he’d had fun.
Ari was fun in bed and out of it. He was in deep shit, because this girl could blindside him if he ever dared fully trust her. She could be lying to him about knowing her dad’s location, or she might see Lance as her sugar daddy if she ever learned who his parents were. How she missed the news coverage about him after he’d taken the bullet for the president, he didn’t know, but he’d take a boon where he could get it.
He turned the Mini into the guard gate and handed over his identification to the guard. After a few moments, he was waved through and went to find a parking spot.
“Brown.” A weekend skeleton crew of a few agents and desk jockeys nodded and greeted him as he walked through the hall to his supervisor’s desk. He acknowledged their greetings, but did not stop to chat. He didn’t feel like rehashing heroic bullet catching, and a deeper, more mysterious part of him was anxious to get back to Arianna.
He knew she’d be safe with Valerie in the apartment with a doorman, but still he’d feel better if he could see her, smell her, kiss her. Jesus, he had it bad. He needed to shake it off and put on his best game face to meet with Sullivan, his director.
He turned through a few corridors before greeting Sullivan’s administrative assistant, a dour woman in the ugliest suit he’d seen in a long time. She pointed him toward the open door and got on her little intercom to announce his presence.
“Lance,” Sullivan said as he entered the office and found a chair. “You look good, rested. Maybe I should take some time off.” His solid body was framed by a large glass window with a view of the Potomac.
Lance doubted he ever would. Take time off. Rumor had it Sullivan had a foldaway cot and full set of clothing stashed in the building. His two ex-wives would agree he was married to the job.
“I feel good. Ready to get back to 1600.”
Sullivan chuckled. “I know the feeling.”
Lance leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his knees. “So, when can I get back to work?”
“Word on the street is you’re already back at work.” Sullivan paused to bark some orders into the phone handset. Lance’s stomach churned while he waited for his boss to explain the cryptic remark.
“How do you mean, sir?”
“Got a call last night from a friend at the Bureau. Said you were spotted with a Ms. Arianna Rose, daughter of Stanley Rose.”
Lance said nothing and maintained his stoic silence. Who he slept with was none of the Service’s business. Yeah, and he could keep deluding himself.
“Is it true? Are you shacking up with Ms. Rose?”
He debated for a moment how much to reveal, knowing there were few secrets in his world. “I’m helping out a friend. One of Stanley Rose’s victims decided to take his revenge by targeting his daughter. I’m playing bodyguard.”
Sullivan snorted. “From the look of things last night, you were guarding her body pretty damn closely. One might even say from the inside out.”
Lance shot out of his chair and placed his hands on the edge of the desk separating him from his boss. “How the hell do you know that? Who was watching us?” Fury reared up like an ancient dragon attacked by a knight.
“Easy, son. Sit down.” Sullivan remained stoic and silent until Lance backed off the desk and returned to his chair. “You knew the feds were following her.”
He gave a cursory nod.
“And you forgot to close the curtains.” Sullivan folded his arms across his chest as if daring Lance to argue with him.
“She lives in a second-floor loft. She has no curtains. I’ll put some up tonight,” he said, the last bit to himself. He inwardly cursed. Tonight he was returning home and letting paid professionals take over.
“Now that we have that out of the way, what can I do for you, son?”
“I told you before, I’m checking in and letting you know my leg is nearly back to one hundred percent. I’m ready to come back to work,” Lance said. He didn’t like the look on Sullivan’s face. It had “no” written all over it.
“Lance, I hear where you’re coming from, and believe me, I feel for you. I haven’t had a vacation in years, wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I didn’t have work.”
Yeah, the man’s ex-wives could attest to that.
“Right now, you’re needed where you’re at, with Ms. Rose.”
Lance started to protest, shocked that he might get to stay with Ari, but his boss stopped him.
“Ms. Rose has a hotshot lawyer protecting her, and she’s given nothing away yet,” Sullivan said.
“Maybe because she has nothing to give,” Lance said angrily. From what he’d seen, Arianna’s life’s blood was in the gallery and had nothing to do with her father’s financial business. Although that was now. He couldn’t verify her actions from a year ago. She’d have to be one hell of an actress, though, because the flighty, sexy, artistic woman he’d slept with last night didn’t seem to have a clue of how to run a financial scam the size of the Rose debacle.
Sullivan held out a hand. “We’re not saying she had anything to do with the actual crime, but Stanley is her father. She must have some idea where he’d hide. A condo in Dubai, an old girlfriend in Topeka…something to give a clue. It’s like he fell off the face of the earth with enough liquid cash to live the good life for the rest of his days. The president wants him back in the States for a trial and jail time.”
Lance sat back, mulling the idea over in his mind. The FBI agents had hinted at a role for him last night, and it would give him an excuse to stay close to Arianna, but he shuddered to envision her rage if she ever found out his deception. It didn’t feel right to sleep with her while spying on her for government agencies. “What exactly do you need me to do?”
“Same thing you’ve been doing.”
Lance raised a brow, and Sullivan actually blushed a little and amended his words.
“Well, we couldn’t ask that of you. This isn’t Langley. But stay with her. Gain her trust; see if you can get her to share any ideas about where her dad is.”
“I’ve already asked. You know I’d never have …um, you know…if I thought she was harboring her father.”
“We know you don’t sleep with the enemy. Play on her sense of justice. A lot of innocent people were hurt by Rose’s crime. Make her see that if he gets his day in court, there could be some restitution for the victims.”
Lance nodded. He could do that, but first he needed some promises. “I’ll stay with her. For a little longer, but then I want back in. Cut my medical leave in half and put me back in rotation.”
Sullivan fell silent for a long moment. “Deal.”
Lance stood to exit as Sullivan came around the desk to shake his hand. “Help us get Stanley Rose, Lance. It could go a long way in furthering your career, even more than the bullet you took for POTUS.”
“Will do. See you in three weeks.”
“You slept with him?”
Ari nodded as Valerie gaped at her. They’d already covered her gallery news; sharing the sex news was inevitable.
“How was it? Details, please.” Valerie’s eyes shone and she leaned closer, ready to hear the dirty deets about Ari’s sex life, a usual occurrence when they got together. Although Valerie had limited sexual experience when she’d married Jason, she loved hearing about Ari’s men and never judged. Ari usually had no problem sharing, but for some reason today she was closemouthed.
Last night was too fresh, too intense, and too…special to share like they were back in high school. She shook her head in silence, unwilling to relegate Lance to the minions who’d gone before. She shouldn’t have even mentioned she’d seen Lance naked.
“Whoa,” Valerie crowed. “He got to you. You can’t even talk about it.”
“Of course I can. I’m being discreet since Lance is Jason’s good friend. You’ve never had to have dinner with one of my lovers,” she said.
“Sure I have. We’ve gone on lots of double dates.”
“Yes, while I was dating the guy, but never after we’d broken up, and you’d have to do that with Lance, since he’s yours and Jason’s friend.” Valerie needed to drop the subject. Ari slipped a look at her cell phone clock. Why had she let Lance borrow her car? Now she was stuck until he showed up.
“That’s a good point, but what makes you think you’re going to break up? Maybe he’s the one,” Valerie said.
Oh, Val the optimist. God love her.
Ari rolled her eyes. “You know how I feel about ‘the one.’ It’s a myth, a Hallmark, Disney Channel, Harlequin novel invention. There are lots of ones in real life.”
Valerie hugged her knees. Ari barely noticed the burn scars on them anymore, but she still took a silent second to thank Jason for getting Val comfortable enough to reveal her legs. “Not true. For me, Jason is the one.”
“Yeah, well, you got lucky.” Until he leaves you for another woman, she finished in her head. She believed Jason was one of the good guys, but she’d thought that about her father and look where that got her: two stepmothers and an FBI escort. There was no such thing as a perfect man, and to prove it… “Fine, you want details about last night?”
Valerie nodded, but then held up her hand. “No body descriptions, please. You’re right about the dinner party thing. I don’t want to be imagining what’s in his tighty-whities.”
“Nothing. He’s a boxers man.”
Her friend laughed. “Thanks for the image. Sexy boxers or silly ones with animal prints and cartoon characters?”
“Um, plain gray or black.” Why did she feel like she was being disloyal to Lance by sharing? Valerie was her longtime best friend, not him. She took a deep breath. “He likes dirty talk.”
A blush infused Valerie’s cheeks. “Dirty talk? What do you mean?”
“Garbage, toilet, mud, banana peels,” she said sarcastically. “What do you think I mean by dirty talk? ‘Squeeze my cock, tight pussy,’ stuff like that.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she resolved to shut the heck up about last night. It was none of Val’s business. Her mind left Valerie’s den for a few lovely moments as she relived last night’s highlight reel.
It was the one time the after was as spectacular as the during. They’d snuggled in bed, her back pressing against his front until they’d fallen asleep intertwined. Usually she invented any excuse to get her lovers dressed and out the door. Lance was the first man invited to spend the night.
She’d even enjoyed this morning, waking up in his arms and doing the whole morning ritual interrupted with little kisses and intimate caresses. Lance had made a Starbucks run while she got dressed. Perfect. Speaking of Mr. Perfect, where was he? It was nearly lunchtime and she had phone calls to make.
“But was it good?” Valerie asked, interrupting her reverie.
Ari thought a long moment about that. Good seemed too banal a word to describe the sex. Amazing, spectacular, terrific, even, but she needed to remember Val was married to Jason, Lance’s friend. Anything she shared could potentially get back to Lance. No need to puff up his already healthy ego or make him think she was gaga for him. “Yes, it was good,” she said and hopped off the couch. “I’m going to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. Do you want one?”
Valerie’s head jerked up, then down to look at her lap with a secret smile. “No thanks, but I would love a glass of OJ, if you don’t mind.”
“Uh, sure,” she said slowly. Holy moly, was she imagining things or had Valerie rubbed a protective hand across her lower belly? Was she pregnant? For some reason the thought of Valerie having a baby made her feel lonely. Her best friend’s marriage she could ignore most of the time, but a baby was the real deal. It meant she and Jason were a family. No fair—Valerie was her family, the only one she had had since her birth family fell short on the job requirements.
She knew she was being a selfish bitch, but it was allowed for a minute or two, especially since she’d probably never know the joys of being a wife or parent. A sudden image of Lance holding a redheaded toddler froze her in place, but she shook it off quickly.
Yeah, right, her and Lance married with kids. Hah. Even if she wanted it, Mr. Secret Service would never open himself to the kind of exposure having Arianna Rose as his wife would mean. She could picture the wedding: her in Vera Wang; ivory, of course. White was too harsh for her coloring. Lance in a single-breasted tux with traditional bow tie, or maybe his uniform. Did Secret Service agents have uniforms like those great military ones? She didn’t know. And her father in an orange jumpsuit and a metal ankle bracelet. If they ever found him.
For the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to consider her missing father. Ari carried two drinks back out to Valerie, lost in thought, concentrating hard on where he might be. She’d been repeating the story that she had no clue where he would’ve run, and that was the truth…mostly. Despite all the heartache and disappointment her father had heaped on her growing up, at the end of the day, he was still her father. She’d never aid him in escaping justice, but she didn’t want to be responsible for his capture, either.
Once again, Lance’s image reared its not-so-ugly head. Mr. Law-lover would probably turn in his nana for unpaid parking tickets. She could only imagine the lengths he’d go to in the name of justice for Stanley Rose. Guilt niggled at her. Maybe he had a point. Dad had hurt a lot of people, but…no. He was her father and she owed him some degree of loyalty. If he ever contacted her, she’d call the FBI, but until then she was living life as normal, running the gallery, and having hot sex with Lance. Okay, that last part wasn’t normal, but she’d take it while she could get it.
“Here’s your juice.” She handed the cup over to Valerie.
“Thanks. What time is Lance picking you up?”
Ari glanced down at her watch. “Not sure. Soon, I think. He had to meet with his boss. He wants to get back to work as soon as possible. He mentioned he’s getting stir-crazy, and do you think he’s worried about his salary? He probably gets disability payments or something, right?”
Valerie turned to her with a grin. “Lance worried about money? Hah.”
“Why is that funny?” Arianna floundered. It seemed like most people in the world worried about money. Losing a paycheck or two had to be scary, right? “He lives in a tiny apartment, and he doesn’t have a car, and—”
“Ari,” Val said, then paused, looking worried. “Has Lance mentioned his family?”
“I met his nana. She’s great.” She smiled, pleased that she could offer this proof of a strong relationship with him. Oy vey, she was in trouble when this little affair ended.
“Yeah, she is, but I meant his parents, or his sister?”
Had he mentioned a sister? She thought back. “Um, no. He hasn’t mentioned any other family.”
Valerie bit her lip. “Maybe I shouldn’t either, then. It’s not my place to tell.”
Ari set her wineglass down with a snap. “Oh, come on. You’re my friend. Spill it.”
“Okay, but you have to swear not to tell him you know and act surprised if he ever tells you.”
Oh, my goodness, this sounded juicy. What kind of secret was Lance harboring? “Wait, let me guess…He’s Warren Buffett’s secret grandchild, and is a millionaire.”
Valerie’s eyes widened. “Yes, except switch Warren Buffett for the Brown family, and you guessed correctly.”
Now her eyes widened. “I was joking. You’re telling me I actually guessed right and Lance’s family is wealthy?”
“Have you ever heard of MarketFresh?”
“The supermarket chain? Sure, who hasn’t?” She’d been in there once or twice. What did that have to do with Lance?
“It’s his—well, not his,” Valerie amended. “His family’s. His grandfather started it and his sister runs it now.”
Color her stunned. MarketFresh was a nationwide chain, and if his family owned it…well, whew. Talk about mega-money. His family probably made her family look like beggars. Ari slumped back in the couch processing this newsflash, and then she got angry. How dare Lance call her a spoiled brat? He’d probably grown up with a house in the Hamptons and live-in maids. But it did beg the question of why he lived in his tiny old apartment now if he had that much wealth.
“Unbelievable.” She shook her head slowly.
“Right? He’s down to earth; you’d never know his family is in Fortune’s top four hundred list. Lance is sensitive about it. Please don’t say anything.”
“I won’t,” she said, but inside she struggled. How could she not say something? She’d stuck her foot in her mouth a lot. He’d probably laughed his ass off internally at her ignorance.
She had loads of questions for Valerie, but before she could get a single one out, the buzzer sounded for the front door. Valerie rose to buzz Lance in and stared at her deeply to impress upon her the need to say nothing about what she’d learned.
She swallowed her annoyance. Fine, she’d keep quiet, but she wondered if she could gain Lance’s trust enough to get him to spill the beans.
“Hey, Valerie. Arianna.” Lance greeted Valerie first with a warm smile, but lost it as he turned to nod at Ari. Trying to keep their relationship a secret, huh? Did he never watch chick flicks? Because he should’ve known the first thing Ari did when she arrived here was to tell her best friend about her latest sexual escapade. Duh. They were girls and best friends. It didn’t take a mathematical genius to run the numbers on that one.
“Hi, sweetie.” Ari swayed up to Lance and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she went in for a lip lock.
Lance’s hands grasped her hips, keeping her in place, and he turned his head slightly to avoid touching lips, but then, like a jolt flowed through him, he tugged her closer, turned back, and deepened the kiss. She’d kissed him to prove a point, but as always when she got in Lance’s breathing space, she lost all sense of decorum and wanted to do the naked shimmy with him, no matter the audience.
Valerie’s shrill whistle brought them back to reality. “Heellloo, you two. Get a room, preferably not in my humble abode.” She grinned evilly at Ari. “See you. Stay safe.”
Ari clung to Lance’s biceps as she spun to say good-bye to Valerie. “Bye, hon. I’ll call you later.”
She let Lance drive since he seemed to prefer it, and she tended to get lost in the backwoods of Virginia, never mind that Valerie and Jason lived over the Potomac in McLean. To her, Virginia was one long confusing road with six different names.
Lance drove like he did most things, with quiet confidence and subtle dominance.
“This car actually has some zip.” He took his hand off the wheel to rub her thigh.
She tried to ignore the tingles that skated down her skin at his touch and stared at him, looking for any hint of his wealth. Aha. A gunmetal gray watch with a glossy navy face wrapped around his wrist.
“Nice watch. A Breitling, right?” Now maybe he would own up to his family name? It was hard to explain away a four-thousand-dollar watch without admitting you were rich.
He took his hand back to the wheel. “Um, yeah, it is.”
“Pretty fancy watch. The Secret Service must pay well.” Was it her imagination, or were his cheeks a little flushed?
He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “We do okay.”
“You must, to be able to afford a watch like that.” Her subtle interrogation was getting to him if his driving was any indication. He’d shifted lanes and sped up without the fluidity of his earlier maneuvers.
“It was a gift.”
Ari hid her grin. She was getting to him, all right. He kept shifting in his seat like there was a burr under his ass. “A gift from…your parents?”
A long silence fell as she waited for him to answer.
“My sister,” he said tersely.
“Oh. What does she do?” Lance turned the car into the alley behind her gallery. She only had a few more minutes to annoy him before she had to go back to work.
His short answer came quickly. “She’s CEO of a big company.”
“Oh?” Now he would tell her. He had to.
“Yeah.” He slid the car with ease into her spot and switched off the ignition. “We’re here. Back to work.”
Damn him and his poker face. He clearly didn’t fully trust her yet despite their sexual intimacy. Did it matter, though? The Lance she was getting to know was smart, strong, and sexy whether he was a bazillionaire or operating paycheck to paycheck. She decided to leave the subject of Lance’s family wealth alone. He’d tell her, or he wouldn’t, and it didn’t affect her feelings toward him one way or another. Though it stung a little that he didn’t trust her fully.
Shit, he’d nearly confessed about his family in the car, but he’d managed to arrive home before Ari could ask him more. He knew he should’ve returned the birthday watch; it could’ve paid a few months’ rent.
But when his sister smiled at him, he couldn’t resist and didn’t want to risk hurting her feelings, so he’d buckled the damn thing on his wrist and left it. It was a pretty nice watch; even the president had commented on it. Unfortunately, now it meant dodging Ari’s probing questions.
He couldn’t exactly say why he didn’t want her to know about his family’s wealth, but his gut instinct said not to tell. Experience told him that women tended to change and act differently around him once they knew about his family, although Arianna’s family had money, too. Stolen money, but nevertheless, she’d grown up with great wealth like him, and he didn’t have any claim to the wealth anymore. He’d made his decision, and most days he felt free from the familial burdens heaped on him from childhood.
Every so often he cursed his pittance of a salary that didn’t allow for season box seats at the Wizards or a ski vacation, but most days he loved his life without the superficial trappings that came with millions of dollars.
“Did you have fun with Valerie?” he asked to fill the empty silence as they entered her gallery.
She looked up from her close examination of an abstract painting. “Hmm, oh yeah, it’s always nice to spend time with Val.” She moved on to the next painting, then headed to her office and returned with a notepad and scribbled something onto a sheet. “I think she’s pregnant.”
Lance looked up from his inspection of Ari’s rear, totally shocked. “Who’s pregnant? Valerie?”
Ari swung around to look at him. “No. Jason’s pregnant. Who do you think, dummy? Of course Valerie.”
Surprise coursed through him at the revelation. Jason wouldn’t be the first of his friends to be a father, but the news still stunned him. He thought Val and Jason had a few more years of couplehood and hanging out with him at bars before they resigned themselves to five o’clock dinnertimes and eight o’clock bedtimes.
“You look shocked.” Ari laughed.
He shook it off. “No…no. I was a little surprised, I feel like they just got married.”
“Right?” Ari interrupted with a note of excitable agreement. “They’re too young to be parents.”
He raised a brow at her. “Jason’s only a little younger than me. Thirty.”
“Exactly. Too young.”
He laughed. “Maybe by Beltway standards, but in the rest of the world they’d be planning for college tuition already. Are you sure it’s their age that has you concerned and not the fact that Val will have someone else to mother now?”
Ari stood up straight and stepped toward him. “What the hell does that mean? Val doesn’t mother me.”
“Oh, really?” He was digging a deep shithole now, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “I noticed who showed up with wood, hammer, and a vacuum cleaner when you needed help.”
“Jason’s handy.” The ire in her voice could ignite a camp bonfire.
“Well, who supported me as your bodyguard despite your wishes, and you caved to her request?”
Ari slammed her notebook on the ground. “Valerie is not my mother.” She stalked off into her office, banging the door closed behind her.
Lance stared at the closed door. What the hell had got into him? Why had he picked a fight with her? To get back at her for inadvertently digging into your family past, a little voice in his head whispered. Or was it something else? Had he started the fight to distance himself from a woman he was into?
Visiting his office today had reminded him of his world and the rules that went with it. Even with his boss’s blessing to stick close to Arianna, he knew it couldn’t ever go further than a flirtation. Picture going to the agency holiday party with her on his arm. He squelched the image of her in a revealing cocktail dress, maybe with her hair piled high, revealing her pale, lickable neck, and focused on the reactions of his colleagues when he introduced them to Stanley Rose’s daughter. “Sure, the man’s living off his stolen wealth, but would you like to dance with his daughter?” Yeah, that’d go over well. Nevertheless, he had to apologize to Ari. His words had been mean.
He made it to the closed office door, but as he reached to turn the knob, it opened, revealing a teary-eyed Ari.
He winced at the guilt and shame that he’d made her cry, but didn’t have time to apologize before words spilled out of her.
“You’re right,” she sniffed.
He was?
“I’m a terrible friend. I am totally and completely jealous of that baby and of Valerie and Jason’s marriage.”
She was?
She stood sniveling, looking bereft. He had to scoop her up and hold her close. He found her desk chair and sat with her on his lap, wiping her tears away.
“You’re not a bad friend. I’m an ass for saying those things.”
“But they were the truth. How did you see that after only a few days?” She pressed her face into his chest and let the tears roll.
He pulled her tighter against him, feeling like Captain Hook, who’d pulled the wings off Tinkerbell. “I didn’t know. I was in a foul mood and took it out on you. Stop crying, baby. I’m sorry.”
She sat up. “Why were you in a bad mood? Was it your boss? Is he going to let you go back to work soon?”
He nodded in silence, amazed at her capacity to care about his day when he’d totally stomped all over hers. “I can go back in three weeks.” He swallowed down any guilt he had about agreeing to spy on her and tried to tell himself he wasn’t spying on her, but rather looking for her criminal father.
She smiled a watery smile. “That’s great. Though, I’m surprised to admit this, but I’m going to miss you when you go back to work.”
He gripped her more tightly, wondering at her quickness to assume that his going back to work signaled the end of their relationship. Already she was propelling to the top of the list of people he cared about, even though he knew a long-term relationship with her was impossible, especially if she ever discovered he was here at his boss’s goodwill. He took a deep breath and an even deeper chance. “What if it didn’t have to be good-bye? What if we keep seeing each other, see where this thing goes?”
“You mean dating?”
He chuckled at the way she said “dating,” like it was some sort of contagious rash. “Yeah. I like you, Ari. A lot.” He held his breath and waited for her reaction.
“Good.” She smiled and snuggled back into his chest. “I like you, too.”
He relaxed slightly. “Ari, I’m sorry for saying you let Valerie mother you.”
“Don’t be. It’s the truth, and it’s only one of the reasons I’m crying.”
He pulled back to look at her face. “Only one reason? What are the others?”
She patted the damp spot on his pale blue dress shirt before answering. “I’ve always let Val mother me, because it was nice to know what that felt like. My own mother never had the time or inclination and neither did any of my stepmothers. From day one, Val and her family unofficially adopted me, and I loved it.”
“That’s understandable.” He’d let his nana do the same thing when his relationship with his parents became too strained. “Why else are you crying?”
She took a deep breath. “Well, because this whole thing with my dad is finally getting to me. I’ve ignored it as much as I could, but now with him gone, it’s weird…It’s like his absence made his presence stronger. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah. It kind of does.” All his muscles tensed as she spoke openly about her dad for the first time. Damn, he was not well trained for subtle interrogation, and he was walking a fine line here comforting her and getting her to open up about Stanley Rose.
He wanted his job back, but at what price? Was he willing to betray the woman he was sleeping with? To whom did he owe his loyalty? He didn’t have to decide now, right? He could listen; if she said something revealing he could determine what to do with the information later.
“I wasn’t always close with my dad. He was often working or traveling with one of his wives, but he found time to call or bring me a present from his trips. He wasn’t the kind of dad who showed up at my teacher conferences. It wasn’t a normal father-daughter relationship, but he’s still my father. You know what I mean?”
Did he ever. It had been eight years since his parents cut him off for joining the Secret Service instead of the family business, but the obligations and relationship between father and son couldn’t be cut off easily. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her the truth, but a grain of self-preservation swallowed it back. He’d only known Ari a matter of days. Could he trust her with that information? He said instead, “I know what you mean. It’s hard to shake the bonds of family.”
She totally missed his slightly bitter tone. “Why would you want to? You’re lucky to have such a loving and supportive family.”
“What makes you think my family is loving and supportive?”
“Well, I met your nana, and your sister gave you that watch. I bet your parents are equally great, right? I mean, you seem together. Do you ever have crazy fits of hysteria like I’m having at the moment?”
“All the time.” He grinned.
She laughed and it was the best sound in the world. “Liar.”
“Yeah, but I do understand about your dad. More than you could possibly know.” He quickly redirected the conversation back to her. He didn’t want her to question his cryptic comment. “Tell me more about your dad.” His hand rubbed big comforting circles around her back, dipping lower to her round buttocks.
Arianna sat thoughtfully for a long time. He feared she would clam up, but then she answered. “Well, you know I’m his only child.”
He nodded.
“And he spoiled me. Ridiculously. All that stuff you said about me being a spoiled brat is right. He’d fly me to Paris to shop or hire an Olympic skater to teach me to ice skate.”
“You can be spoiled without being a brat.”
“True, but I was both. It’s only in this last year that I…” She paused, seeming unsure of how to describe the impact of her father’s criminal act on her nature.
“That you came back to earth with the rest of us mortals?” he guessed.
She nodded. “That’s a good way of putting it. I overheard Jason telling Val that I got hoisted on my own petard.” She giggled. “If I didn’t like him, I’d kick his ass for that comment.”
“Wouldn’t you say it was your father who learned a lesson?” He needed to keep this about her dad, and maybe she’d give him a clue as to where he would’ve run.
Ari’s brow furrowed and her lips pinched into an adorable, kissable pout. “One would think, but my dad always had this sort of…king-of-the-world, entitled attitude. If he stole the money, maybe he thought he deserved it?”
“He was that much of an asshole?”
“Hey.” She lightly punched his left biceps. “That’s my dad you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, your internationally renowned criminal-on-the-lam father.”
Lance panicked when Ari hunched into a ball, blocking her face from view, and started to shake a bit. Oh, shit, had he made her cry again? He physically turned her around to peer into her eyes. Thank God, just laughter, albeit hysterics, but still better than tears. Better keep her laughing with distraction. “Where would you go?”
Her shoulder shakes slowed as his question registered. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“Where would you go if you had millions in stolen money? Me, I’d head to Namibia, someplace where the U.S. can’t get to you.”
“Given it much thought, have you?” she asked dryly.
He shrugged. “It’s my field, it’s only natural I’d think about it from the opposite end, too.”
She bit her lip thoughtfully and sat back against him. “I’d go to…London, even with the extradition treaty in place. I adore London, and it could be easy to get lost there.”
“London is cool, but the Brits do love their security cameras. You’d have to change your looks. Dye your hair, maybe.” He swept up her mass of red hair and curled it around his hand. “This is pretty distinctive.” He dropped the hair and ran a finger across the tops of her full breasts dipping into her cleavage. “And these…what would you do about these?”
“They’re breasts. Isn’t one pair interchangeable with another?”
Lance squeezed one breast carefully and pretended to stare at them like a scientist observing something under a microscope. “Hell, no. These breasts are unforgettable. Never seen a pair like them before. One flash of this cleavage and Interpol would be banging down your door.”
She laughed a breathless chuckle. “Well, then, I’d simply flash them a whole lot more than simple cleavage and run away while they drooled.”
“Good plan. Show me.” He used his best authoritative Secret Service voice. How the hell had they run so far off topic from her father? Although now that they’d arrived at her amazing breasts, he wasn’t heading back on course any time soon.
Ari hopped off his lap and onto her desk facing him. Both her hands cupped the undersides of her breasts, pushing them up and displaying them for him. His tongue had to be hanging down into his lap. He felt like one of those cartoon characters when a Betty Boop figure strutted by, and Ari was a heck of a lot hotter than any two-dimensional pencil drawing.
She oozed sensuality even when not trying, and when she pulled some moves, like now…look out. It was a five-alarm fire, and he swore flames licked at his skin. As she revealed more of her breasts by unbuttoning her blouse, his groin tightened to the degree of pain. It was like he couldn’t get enough of this woman and couldn’t foresee a time when he would.
“Holy…” he said and exhaled deeply as she revealed a black, lacy bra that barely covered her nipples. How had he missed her fastening that on this morning? Maybe because he hadn’t been looking. To make the meeting with Sullivan, they’d had to focus on getting up, dressed, and out of the apartment. He’d dutifully averted his eyes when Ari did her ridiculous yet sexy morning dress ritual. But, oh man, had he missed an eyeful. Did the panties match?
“Wondering what’s covering down below?” Ari asked in a sultry voice when his gaze fell to her hips.
His stare rose back to her breasts as he nodded in silence. Hell, yes, he wanted to know what was covering her smoking-hot ass.
“Nada.” She held his absolute attention as she stood up and began to slowly unfasten pale pink capri pants.
“Nada?” He’d taken Latin, not Spanish, in high school, but he was pretty sure nada meant “nothing.” Could that be right? He hoped so.
“These pants are tight enough they show panty lines even with a thong, so it’s better if I go with nothing.”
“Of course,” he choked out, finally giving in to the urge to adjust his hard-on before it broke. “You’ve been waltzing around all day with no underwear on?” He shook his head and tried to slow his heart rate down before he ruined a perfectly good afternoon tryst by hyperventilating and keeling over. It wouldn’t be a total loss; Ari could do mouth-to-mouth on him.
She shucked her clothes completely and stood naked but for the excuse of a bra. “I wouldn’t call it ‘waltzing.’ Prancing or skipping, maybe, but definitely not waltzing. Why? Do you like knowing that there was only one layer of cotton between you and my…” She stopped, seeming unsure of what to call it.
He raised a brow at her sudden shyness. “Your what? Say it,” he dared.
She sat back on the desk and shook her head. “There’s no good name for it. At least nothing that sounds mature and sexy at the same time. Vagina sounds clinical. What do you call it?”
Lance lowered his body to kneel on the floor, putting his head at eye level with her so-called unnameable part. “Whatever fits in the moment, usually pussy. Maybe cunt.”
She shuddered. “No, not that.”
“Maybe snatch.” He tested the last one out. “Slide forward; let me take a look at your pretty, wet snatch.”
Her laugh was more of a snort, but she obliged and slid forward, resting her feet on the abandoned desk chair. “I feel like I’m at the gynecologist’s.”
“Your gynecologist better never do this.” He leaned forward to slide a tongue through her curls, eliciting a gasp, then a moan, as his fingers joined his tongue.
“No, she never does this,” Ari said, spreading her legs wider. “Oh, God, this is decadent. I’m supposed to be working. You’re a bad influence on me, Lance.”
“I try.” He concentrated at his task and used one hand to undo his pants. Why had he worn a belt today of all days? Finally, he sprung his erection free, massaged himself with one hand, and used his other hand and mouth to pleasure Ari. She grew damper and softer at his touch and her breath came in gasps.
The heat and taste of her scalded his tongue, and he craved more. Everything about this woman was Sexy with a capital S, from her luscious body to the little moans and cries emitting from her full lips. Reminded of those lips, he needed to kiss them the way he needed to breathe, and he pulled back to hover over her on the desk.
“Tease,” she said, pulling at his hair and tugging him down for a passionate kiss. “I was close.”
He didn’t answer because his mouth was on her, nibbling and sucking at her tongue. She kissed him back with equal ferocity. His mouth moved down her body, pausing to give excruciatingly detailed attention to all his favorite parts of her body, and he was quickly gaining a lot of favorites. Her nipples, the color of her last name, filled his mouth, sending heat through both their bodies
“Lance,” Ari begged. The plea was an aphrodisiac to his already desperate body. It’d be easy to shift positions and bury his cock deep in her wet, waiting body, but he didn’t succumb. It was payback time. From the moment he’d met Arianna, he’d been one heartbeat away from hard-core arousal at every second. And the damn woman seemed oblivious to his struggle. She’d flirted with him in her carefree style, unconcerned that she left a path of drooling men in her wake, and he was the drooliest. He’d had nearly three days of living with an ever-ready erection. It was sheer bliss to turn the tables on her and get her close to his state.
He tongued her faster, urging her toward climax, and knew she was getting close when her hands tugged his hair, pulling him closer to her core.
“I’m close.”
“Me, too,” he grunted, then moved his mouth back into play, flicking at her clit.
“Huh? How are you close? My hands are up here.” She lifted up on one elbow to take a peek down at his hand fisting his cock furiously as his tongue moved in rhythm on her.
“Oh. Oh, God.” As usual, Ari did the unexpected. Instead of continuing their lovemaking, she remained on her elbows watching him fist himself. They stared into each other’s eyes. The only movement in the room was his hand moving back and forth on his stiff dick.
“You like watching me?” It wasn’t a question, because he knew the answer. The heat in her eyes told him. “Tell me, Ari. Say it. Don’t make me guess.”
Her lips parted but it took a second before sound exited. “I like watching you.”
“More,” he challenged, rising on his knees and squeezing the base of his shaft. “Tell me more or I finish this alone and leave you wet and aching for it.”
The shocked look on her face should’ve made him laugh if the situation hadn’t been desperate. The world might truly end if they didn’t take this interlude to its climax.
A keening sound from the back of Arianna’s throat told him she was as desperate. A flood of words flowed from her mouth, every syllable bringing him closer to the edge.
“Your body is so strong, especially your cock. And seeing it in your hand…heaven. I remember how it felt in me last night. So full. Like you were made to fit inside me.”
Shit. Game. Over. His legs buckled, bringing his mouth back to her wet pussy. She fell back against the papers on the desk as she tightened in little flurries around his tongue. His balls tightened against his body, and he leaned in to taste more of her juices. She was a honey-and-spice cocktail mixed purely for his pleasure.
Her release spurred his, and come shot onto his hand as he slowed his movement on them both. He knelt at her feet, resting his forehead on the desk edge while his breathing slowed to non-heart-attack rate.
“How do you do that?” she asked.
He pretended to misunderstand, though with Arianna, he often wasn’t pretending. She kept him on his toes with her quick wit and sharp sense of humor. “It’s a little technique I like to call paying attention. First I start with my tongue, and when your moans get all high-pitched and fast, I add a finger,” he said with a grin.
She swiped the side of his head with a not-so-gentle foot. “Idiot.”
He lifted his head to smile at her. “Seriously, how do I do what?”
“Make me forget. One minute we were talking about my dad…not a sexy topic, and the next you had me naked and writhing on my desk.”
“What can I say? It’s a talent.” When she lifted a foot to knock him again, he caught her by the ankle and yanked her down to his lap, cushioning her fall. He kissed the top of her head, berating himself for getting sidetracked. She’d been getting chatty about her dad, and even though he wouldn’t purposely sleep with her for information, if she happened to drop clues about her father’s whereabouts during pillow talk, he would share it with his superiors. He’d totally distracted her with his dick and now he was leaving, since the security company he’d called was arriving any minute to take over. It had been a great long weekend with Arianna, but now it was over.
At least the living together part was finished. He’d meant what he’d said to Ari about continuing to see each other. True, his boss wanted him here spying for the feds, but mostly he wanted to see her because he genuinely liked her. Discounting the hottest sex he’d had in his life, Arianna made him laugh more than he could remember in a long time. She made him want to play again. For too long, his life had been work and family obligations. Even dating hadn’t been fun. It was clear now, he’d been finding the wrong women. He knew now his type was a petite, curvy redhead with an overly developed sense of fashion.
He stood and smiled at the sight of her sprawled naked on her desk. She seemed to sense his sadness and sat. “Are you leaving now?” she asked quietly.
A wry grin formed as he looked down at his exposed body. “Mind if I shower first?”
“Sure.”
He stared at her for a minute, then bent to kiss her lips. “Hey, no looking sad. I’m leaving for the night, not forever. You’re going to see me again. Remember, we’re dating now.” He ignored his discomfort that she’d be seeing him again under his boss’s orders to stay close.
“Promise?” she asked softly.
“Promise. This is not good-bye.”