Finn stared down at the ground below from atop the Ferris wheel. This was the fourth time they’d ridden it. When leaving the studio he hadn’t had time to grab his coat so the air felt a little chilly. But he wasn’t complaining.
He glanced at Macy, sitting beside him, studied the peacefulness on her face. She was smiling, the wind blowing at her ponytail beneath the ball cap. He would be willing to bet she would stay on this thing all day if she could. Up here she must feel safe, protected. Normal, is what she had said for her reason for coming to the pier.
Is that what she wanted? To be normal? What exactly did that mean?
Earlier she’d looked as if she were having a panic attack. But he hadn’t been about to rush her, or press her to tell him what had gotten her so worked up. She’d needed her space and he’d given it to her. Although, sooner or later she would have to start trusting him and opening up. In the meantime he would wait until she was ready to talk.
“Thanks for buying me lunch,” she said, still facing straight ahead. It was the first words she’d spoken in more than fifteen minutes.
“What, that hotdog? Yeah, that almost bankrupted me.” He smirked. Big spender he was. But, hey, it was what she’d asked for.
“And the fries.”
He was the one who had ordered the fries to go with his two chilidogs, although she had eaten most of them. They’d sat at a small table for two in the food court and watched the people go by. She was right. No one seemed to recognize her. Dressed like she was she looked like anyone else.
She turned to face him. Her cheeks were pink from the cold wind. “Don’t you just love it up here?”
He glanced over the side again as they began their descent. “It’s pretty cool. You obviously love it.”
“I do. I can forget about all my troubles and just be free. At least for a little while.” The wind picked up, blowing a strand of hair in her face.
Finn reached out to brush it off her cheek and realized he shouldn’t have touched her. Those amazing blue eyes held him captive. And those red lips were probably the sexiest thing about her. Well, besides her naked body. One he remembered all too well from six months ago. Those full breasts and luscious curves.
Neither said a word and then the car shook and swayed with the wind, knocking her into him. She was only an inch away from his face now. “Oh, sorry.” She placed a palm against his chest and used it to push off, but she didn’t get far. Finn chose that moment to swoop in and catch her bottom lip between his teeth. A tiny gasp escaped from her throat before he seized her entire mouth and pulled her toward him.
He forced her mouth open with his thrusting tongue. Blood pounded in his brain as he tasted her, consumed her. Finally, her tongue joined his, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to his cock.
He was about to pull back when her hand traced a path over his chest, his abdomen. Her fingers teetered at the waistband of his jeans. Lingering. He couldn’t stand it. Finn took her hand in his and placed it on his crotch. “See what you do to me?”
She opened her eyes, locked them with his and breathed against his mouth. “Mmmm.”
He was lost now and kissed her again, more deeply this time as her hand explored the length of him. God how he wanted her. He’d been on edge for the past twenty-four hours since he’d first seen her after all those months.
The Ferris wheel stopped and he quickly pulled away from her mouth, took her hand away from his cock. “Fuck,” he moaned, praying his hard-on would quickly dissipate.
The attendant helped them off the ride and then there they were, staring at each other as if they had no clue what had just happened. She looked totally confused. Only Finn knew that if they hadn’t been on that damn amusement ride he would have had her on her back and naked by now.
It was Macy who spoke first. “Finn?” She blew out a ragged breath. “I don’t think we should do that anymore.”
Oh, for Chrissakes. While he didn’t agree with her, he managed to nod his head. She was right. He was supposed to be protecting her. He couldn’t do that unless his head was clear. He had no business kissing her. For more than one reason.
She was still married, although she was separated from her husband. So it wasn’t like he had been kissing a married woman. Right? He swore silently, reminding himself she was certainly married the night they were in her hotel room together. So now what?
“Can we go home?” she asked, breaking into his tormented thoughts and feelings.
“Sure.” He must have looked a little too eager because she shook her head at him.
“I’m not going to sleep with you again. I don’t know what happened to make me do it the last time but . . .”
“You couldn’t resist my charm, or my dick. It’s not your fault, baby.” He found joking about it helped him get through the fact that he was never going to be inside her. And that pissed him off big time.
“What would it take to deflate that ego of yours?” she asked as they walked along, heading toward the exit gate.
“Seeing you fucking another man would do it.”
“Seriously?” She jerked her head and glared at him.
“Yep. That would do it alright.” He couldn’t stand the thought of another man touching her, kissing her, let alone fucking her.
“Are you always so . . . descriptive with your choice of words?”
“Always.”
“Well, I don’t like it.”
“I think you do. I think it turns you on. I think it gets you wet between your legs. And I was lying when I agreed we shouldn’t kiss anymore. That would be crazy. Because all I can think about is you lying naked beneath me.”
“Okay, stop!” She came to a halt and punched him in the arm. “I know you must think I’m a slut, because of that night, but I’m not.”
“I don’t think that.” Not anymore. “So it was just me? I was the only one you fucked while you were still with your husband?”
Nodding, she averted her gaze then started walking again, a little faster this time.
“Okay, slow down.” He snagged her by the wrist and tugged at her until she had no choice but to stop. “Macy, I’m just going to say it. I want you.”
She blinked at him, ignoring the people around them. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?”
“The show.”
“Fuck the show!”
She shook her head and looked around at the crowds. “If anyone found out . . .”
“No one will find out.”
“I trust that you wouldn’t say anything to anyone. I mean, you didn’t the last time. But people notice things and they talk. It could hurt a lot of people. My fans. People who trust me, believe in me. Can you understand that?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Because he was a selfish prick. That’s why. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about that damn television show. All he wanted was Macy.
“Well, you’re going to have to try to understand and deal with it. Because I am not going to have sex with you again. You got that?”
“Got it.”
“There’s Eddie,” she said, pointing to the town car as she started walking again. “Let’s go.”
Finn sulked on the ride to Macy’s apartment. He felt like a wounded teenager. But the woman had said no. He needed to accept that and move on. Just because he wanted her, and he knew damn well she wanted him—no matter what she said—didn’t mean he could just have whatever he wanted. Get over it, asshole.
But he couldn’t get over it. He’d had a raging hard-on while on the Ferris wheel with her hand caressing his cock. And every time he thought about that as they rode along his manhood came to life again. The feeling was insufferable, not to mention embarrassing. Had Macy noticed his condition? Maybe. Maybe not.
Soon they were in front of her apartment building. As he was helping Macy out of the car, the driver turned around and asked, “What time should I pick you up for the airport, Ms. Winthrop?”
“Does four o’clock work for you, Eddie?”
“That’ll be just fine. I’ll see you then.”
Macy gave Eddie a wave and slammed the door shut.
“What was all that about going to the airport?”
“I’m leaving for the Bahamas later today.”
“Like hell you are.”
Ignoring him, she headed for the glass doors to her building, lifted the key fob so they would open. She strolled through the lobby, nodded at the man behind the desk in the lobby and headed for the elevator.
“Macy, did you hear me?”
“I heard you.”
“You’re not going anywhere. I need to find the guy who his harassing you and you need to stay put until then.”
She didn’t answer. When the elevator car arrived she stepped inside and pushed the button for her floor. Finn hopped on just as the doors were about to close.
“Macy, look at me.”
She continued to ignore him.
Finn sighed with frustration. The woman was so damn stubborn. “Macy, if you want my protection then you need to listen to me.”
“Maybe I don’t want your protection anymore.”
“Jeezus.”
The bell dinged, announcing their floor, and she pushed through the doors before they were even open all the way. Her apartment was at the end of the hall and she half-ran half-walked toward it.
“Would you wait up?” When it was clear to him she wasn’t planning on doing so, he sprinted forward to catch up to her. There was no way he was going to let her lock him out in the hall, which he suspected she just might do.
He reached the door just as she stuck her key inside the lock. Giving her a look to show her who was in charge, he pushed the door open and held it for her.
Once inside she toed off her sneakers and headed down the hall.
“Macy?” He managed to step around in front of her to block her path. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
This time she sighed. “Nothing. I had made plans to go to the Bahamas during the show’s hiatus. And I’m going.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? I’m in the middle of investigating this situation. How am I supposed to do that from the Bahamas?”
Her eyes widened. “You don’t need to go.”
“What the fuck! Stop acting like a spoiled child. You hired me and until you fire me I intend to stick to you like glue.”
“Fine. You’re fired.” She tried to move past him but he wouldn’t allow it.
“Is this because we kissed?”
She refused to meet his gaze. “No.”
“Because if it is, I promise I won’t lay a hand on you ever again. I’d rather have you safe than in my bed.”
She looked up at him then with trusting eyes. “You swear?”
“Scout’s honor.” He held up two fingers and curled his thumb and the other two fingers into his palm.”
She swatted his hand. “You were never a boy scout.”
She was right. “What gave me away?”
“I think you’re supposed to use three fingers.”
“Oh, right.” He added another finger and folded his pinky into his palm. He got an eye roll from her.
But at least she’d relaxed some. She moved around him and headed for her bedroom. Finn followed behind. She set her tote on the dresser, went to her closet, pulled out a roller bag and brought it to the bed. Apparently her mind was made up and she was going to the Bahamas.
“What’s so important that you have to take off today?”
She opened a dresser drawer and pulled out several pairs of panties and a few lacy bras. Nude, black, red and pale pink. They were sexy as hell. Finn tried not to stare at them or worse, picture her wearing them.
“I need to get as far away from here as possible.” She headed back to the dresser, pulled open another drawer.
“Will you at least tell me why?”
She spun around to face him. “Because he’s here. In Chicago. He was at the studio today.”
“What?” A pain stabbed at his throat. “Who? The pervert? Did you see him? Tell me what happened.” Is that why she’d had that panic attack earlier?
She dug into her tote bag and pulled out a piece of paper. She held it out to him and he took it.
Macy, he can’t protect you from me.
After reading it, Finn swore aloud. “Where did you get this, and why the hell didn’t you tell me about it before now?”
“It was in with my emails that Stephanie had printed for me. On the bottom of the stack, actually. I don’t know who put it there. It could have been anyone. He could have been in my dressing room or he could have been in Stephanie’s office with the mail she planned to deliver to me.” She shook her head slightly. “I really don’t know.”
He blew out a breath, feeling totally impotent. This was not his line of work. But he would be damned if he was going to walk away now.
“And where were you all morning?” she accused.
“I was talking to the staff, the crew. The ones that weren’t in the taping session with you.”
“Why were you talking to them? The people I work with had nothing to do with this.”
“And you know that because . . . ?”
“Because I know everyone there. They’re good people. They would never do anything to harm me.”
“Why don’t you let me worry about that? This is exactly the reason we can’t leave right now. I need to go talk to the others.”
“Good luck with that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Weren’t you listening? The show is on hiatus for the next two weeks. Everyone likes to disappear for a little while. Go someplace warm.”
Was she fucking kidding? He stared at her long and hard. No, of course she wasn’t kidding. “Fuck.”
“So, that’s why I planned to go to the Bahamas. I have a place on a small island there. A villa. Nothing fancy, but it’s private.”
He didn’t want to go to the Bahamas. “I don’t have any clothes to wear in the tropics.”
“You can buy some things when we land.”
“Macy,” he started to argue.
“Come on. It’ll be fun. White sand, turquoise water, palm trees. We can go zip lining, race around in dune buggies, go parasailing, jet skiing, whatever you want. Usually I go alone, and just keep to myself. Caroline went with me last year and we had a blast.” She became slightly animated as her eyes grew wide with excitement. “Please say yes.”
He opened his mouth to protest. But the word yes came out instead.
She smiled brightly. “Thank you. We need to get a move on. I’m going to pack and then jump in the shower.”
Finn backed out of her room and went down the hall to his own. He headed to the bathroom. He could stand a shower as well. He didn’t need to pack because he hadn’t yet unpacked his duffle bag.
After showering and putting on fresh clothes he dug his cell from his pocket and called Ryder.
“How’s it going?”
“Okay.”
“What did you find out?”
“Nothing much yet. I have Luke Remington working on some leads for me and I talked to the staff and some of the crew today. But no likely suspects yet. Of course, they think I’m Macy’s cousin so it’s not like I can interrogate them or anything.”
“Why would they think you’re her cousin?”
“Long story.”
“Hey, I met with a guy this morning that might make a good fit with our organization. But I’d like for you to meet him too.”
“I trust you. If you think he’d fit in, hire him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. His name is Dev Talwar. I think you’ll be impressed. I’ll send you his bio.”
Finn heard Macy coming down the hall. She stopped outside his room.
“Come on,” she said. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Where are you headed now?” Ryder asked. Apparently he had heard Macy’s voice.
“Uh, we’re going to the Bahamas. Some private island. Macy has a house there or something.”
“The Bahamas? What the fuck! You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on her in Chicago.”
“Hey, what can I say? The lady says jump and I jump. For what she’s paying us I can hardly say no.”
“And why is she paying us? I thought you were there to help as a friend.”
We? There was no we. It was just him. “Hey, you want me to turn down ten grand a day? Fine.”
“Ten grand? Are you out of your mind?”
“Finn?” Macy called out. “Are you coming?”
“I’ll be right there,” he yelled. Then to Ryder, “I got to go. I’ll call you in a few days.”
“A few days?” Ryder screamed into the phone, but Finn ended the call without responding. He probably shouldn’t have mentioned the fee he’d demanded from Macy. There were a few other things he shouldn’t mention to Ryder as well. Like that kiss this afternoon. Definitely not that.