Stolen Seduction

  Shane didn’t follow her end of the conversation because his brain took that opportunity to jolt back into gear. As he watched her, all calm and collected as if the last few minutes hadn’t completely thrown her for a loop like it had him, he realized she wasn’t just any feel-good drug to him. She was the worst kind. Like meth. Overpowering. Blocking everything that mattered. One hit and he was a goner.

  His heart rate kicked up. And he knew, right then, why he’d really come down here after all. It hadn’t been just to protect her or to prove to himself that he could. He’d been talking himself up one side and down the other about being noble and doing the right thing, but that wasn’t what this was about. This was about her. And him. And what he’d wanted to do to her from the first second he’d laid eyes on her.

  “Okay, Billy, thanks.” Hailey clicked off the phone and turned his way. “He’s got news for me about Nicole’s bronze. We’re going to meet him in Miami in a couple of hours. I need to call Steve and have him fly down and pick us up. It’ll be faster than driving.” Her brow wrinkled as she looked at him. “What?”

  He stared at her. Swallowed hard. Tried like hell to get his heart to stop hammering in his chest, but nothing worked. “Who was the guy in the swamp yesterday?”

  “What?”

  “Who was it?”

  She pursed her lips. He could see she was contemplating not telling him. And damn if that didn’t piss him off. “I’m not sure.”

  “But you have an idea.”

  She hesitated. Finally nodded. Let out a long breath. “I think it might have been Paul McIntosh. But I can’t be sure.”

  “The guy with your father’s company?”

  She nodded.

  Good God, this family was like the Mansons and the Hiltons and the Rockefellers all rolled into one. He ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, here’s the deal. I wasn’t ticked last night because I got a hard-on from being pinned beneath you. I was pissed because I knew you were holding out on me. If we’re going to work together on this, you have to be honest with me. Even if you’re not sure how I’m going to react.”

  “Maxwell, I—”

  It irked him that even now she wouldn’t use his first name when she used Billy’s so damn easily. “Let’s get one thing clear here. I do want you. I’ve wanted you since we met, and that doesn’t piss me off, it jacks me up. But trust me when I say, all that’s gonna do is cause problems between us, especially when you can’t tell me the truth. So be careful what you ask and how you answer right now.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is that a threat?”

  Was it? Yeah, he realized, it was. There was only so much of her he could take before he broke. Then took her down with him. And sexy power struggle aside, he knew she didn’t want him like that.

  “That’s up to you.” He refocused on what was really important. “If that guy is the same one from the elevator, it means he wasn’t working for your cousin like you thought he was.”

  She bit her lip. Stared at him. Then finally said, “No. I already thought of that.”

  “Which means—”

  “He wanted me out of the picture even before Bryan was killed.” She hesitated, then added, “The woman was Lucy Walthers. She’s a secretary at RR, the one who was with Bryan the night he was killed.”

  The one he’d interviewed. “So she set your cousin up.”

  “Possibly. But Paul isn’t a family member, so even if he found the sixth statue on his own, the company wouldn’t be awarded to him.”

  “Unless he’s working for someone else.”

  “Yeah,” she said quietly.

  At her frown, he added, “The only way to figure out who that is, is to find the next bronze.”

  She stared at him. And the look of frustration in her cobalt eyes made his chest tingle. “I should go take that shower so we can leave.”

  He nodded slowly, even as a frisson of guilt he didn’t want slithered in. “Hailey?”

  She turned to look back from the bathroom doorway. “What?”

  “Just so we’re clear on one more thing. I’m hotheaded sometimes. It gets me into trouble. And I’m not always good about apologizing when I’ve been a real ass, so—”

  “If you even try to apologize for what happened in the bathroom, Maxwell, I promise I’ll go back to the Everglades and find your gun so I can shoot you with it myself.”

  The mischief sparkling in her eyes eased the pressure in his chest. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Watch me.”

  He did. With eyes he couldn’t tear from her if he tried. She disappeared into the bathroom with all the grace and regality of the heiress she was, head lifted high, blonde hair flying behind her, but the only thing he saw was that red lace now branded into his brain, peeking out from beneath the hem of her oversize tee, calling to him like a drug to an addict for one more hit.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Nicole took her seat next to Billy in the grandstand of the Calder Race Course and fingered the ticket in her hand. “Why are we here again?” she asked, looking around the sparsely populated stands as she pulled her jacket tighter to her shoulders.

  “Because it’s fun. And because I’m pretty damn sure this is the one place no one will recognize you.” He tugged the Miami Heat bucket cap lower to shield her face more, then looked down to the track with eyes that lit up like fireworks. “Here they come.”

  He rose and clapped like an idiot with the other few desperate souls braving the crappy January weather for the chance to win a couple measly bucks. Even stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Frowning, Nicole rose, too, so she’d blend in, then wished she hadn’t passed up his offer for popcorn when they’d walked through the building. She was starving. And she didn’t even like popcorn.

  She breathed out a sigh. Glanced at her watch. Looked up and around. No sign of her sister. No sign she’d be out of here anytime soon.

  “They’re getting ready,” Billy said with a grin at her side. “Which horse did you pick?”

  She had no idea. Working up a good scowl, she lifted the paper and held it out to him with a flick of her fingers. “Sun-bolt.”

  “Sundown,“ he corrected, leveling her with a look. “Babe, you gotta know your horse.”

  She stared at him. Then nearly laughed. She’d never seen a guy get so worked up over something as silly as betting on an animal that could break its leg and have to be put down in the first ten feet.

  A horse whinnied below. The gates snapped shut. Just before the bell sounded, he leaned over and put his mouth on hers.

  “For luck,” he said as he pulled back. Then his attention was off her and focused solely on the massive animals tearing up the track far below them as if the moment had never happened.

  Warmth slid through her veins, and before she could stop it, her chest bumped.

  Okay, stupid to get worked up over one little kiss, especially when they’d screwed each other senseless the whole night and day before and when neither obviously trusted the other, but she felt butterflies in her stomach just the same. She chanced a look sideways at him, standing there, cheering like a loon for a horse he had no attachment to aside from the fact he’d slapped a twenty on it to win, and found herself grinning right along with him.

  Billy Sullivan wasn’t like any guy she’d met before. Immature, cocky, a real James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause-in-the-twenty-first-century kind of guy. But smart. Way more fun than any of the stuffy and arrogant playboys she’d dated before. And, oh, yeah, sexy as hell with those hazel eyes and all that thick light brown hair. Maybe that last part was why she’d done what she had with him, but even before the thought hit she knew it was a lie.

  True, she’d gone to bed with him because she’d been attracted to him. Even knowing what he was really after. But mostly she’d slept with him because there was something about him that appealed to her on a much more basic level. Something a little bit lost, a tiny bit wild, and a whole lot misunderstood. Something…a lot l
ike her.

  She pushed that thought out of her head and turned back to watch the race. Then grinned all over again when Billy started jumping up and down, grabbing her arm and yanking her with him as the horses sped down the stretch and GoldenEye, his pick, came in first.

  He lifted her up and twirled her around. Then planted a big sloppy kiss on her lips before pulling back and grinning down at her. “You are my new good-luck charm.”

  “Sunburst didn’t win.”

  “Sundown came in second.”

  She did her best to glare at him, though she knew she did a half-assed job. “Whatever. Does that mean we can leave now?”

  His smile widened. “No way.” He grabbed the race schedule from his back pocket and flipped it open. “Let’s double down.”

  She groaned for effect, then felt those butterflies take flight when he slanted a cheesy smile her way and sat to fill out his race form.

  Oh, trouble. This guy could end up being a serious problem if her sister didn’t show up soon.

  Footsteps echoed from somewhere above. And as if summoned from the cauldron of hell, a pair of cheap sandals stopped on the opposite side of Billy’s chair, next to the end aisle where they sat. “Don’t tell me you’re betting.”

  Billy looked up to the left, and a slow smile spread across his tanned face. Without tipping her head up so her face was still shielded, Nicole’s gaze followed until she was staring right at her sister.

  “Not just betting. Winning.” He rose and gave Hailey a quick hug, then frowned when he eased back. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “What the hell hasn’t happened to me?” Hailey said with what could have been humor but sounded more like whining to Nicole.

  “Let’s not attract attention.” The man standing at Hailey’s back grasped her hand and pulled her into the row directly behind Nicole and Billy’s seats.

  Though Nicole hadn’t gotten a good look, her thoughts echoed Billy’s sentiments. Hailey’s face was bruised, her eyes looked tired, her hair was covered by a Florida Marlins cap and she was wearing some plain-Jane capris and a shapeless T-shirt under a very boring Windbreaker Nicole would never be caught dead in. But the guy she was with? Okay, now he was interesting.

  Nicole shifted slightly to get a better view. Though he was sitting kitty-corner behind her and she had to really look, she wouldn’t be a woman if she didn’t notice those midnight eyes, that brown hair so dark it seemed black, and at least two days’ worth of stubble on his square jaw that gave him the whole dark-and-mysterious look. Of course, he had a real don’t-mess-with-me air about him, but that toned body flexing beneath his sweatshirt? Um, yeah. Okay. That was interesting, too.

  Who the heck was he? And what was he doing with her sister, now, when Hailey was obviously in so much trouble?

  It was clear Billy and the mystery guy knew each other. No real introductions were made as he and Hailey sat. And for some reason, Nicole got the impression neither liked each other all that much. Another interesting piece of info.

  “Who’s your friend?” the guy asked Billy.

  Billy turned to face her, hooked one arm over the back of his seat and shrugged. And Nicole knew she was on her own.

  Slowly, she turned and lifted her face so the brim of her stupid bucket cap was out of her eyes. Then she smiled. “Hello, Sis.”

  To Hailey’s credit, she didn’t show any surprise. Unless of course you noticed the little tic above her left eye. The one that only came out when she was really peeved. “What are you doing here?”

  “Racing. Wait, betting.” When Billy coughed, she glanced his way. “What? Is that wrong?”

  “Billy?” Hailey said from between what Nicole knew were clenched teeth. “I suddenly feel the need to place a bet. I think I need your help.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a—”

  “Back off, Maxwell.” Hailey stood before her hunky dark bodyguard could stop her.

  On a long sigh, Billy handed Nicole his race schedule. “Hold on to this for me.” Then he was gone. He and Hailey moved to the top of the grandstand where they couldn’t be overheard, away from the few stragglers who’d stuck around to watch the track below being groomed for the next race. And though Nicole couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could only imagine the conversation.

  She chuckled to herself and looked back at her unexpected companion. “So…Maxwell. Is that your first name, last name or some kinky nickname my sister gave you?”

  “Last.”

  “You got a first name, sexy?”

  He didn’t seem interested in having a conversation, was too busy twisting in his seat to look up where Hailey was reading Billy the riot act. Nicole knew Billy could handle himself, but it irked her beyond words that this guy’s eyes had skipped right over her like she wasn’t even there. To focus on Hailey, who looked like she’d just gone ten rounds and picked up a new wardrobe at K-Mart on the way here just for shits and giggles. Nicole decided to try another tactic.

  She moved up one row and sat next to him. He obviously hadn’t heard her move, because when she touched his arm with her fingers, his eyes shot to hers and he looked at her like she’d shocked him with a cattle prod.

  “Sorry,” she said with a grin, then a quick nibble on her bottom lip she’d perfected over the past few years to draw attention to her mouth, which she knew was one of her best assets. “My neck was getting sore there. You don’t mind, do you? They’ll probably be a while.”

  He looked down at her hand, still resting on his arm, then back up to her eyes. “Do you really think this is a smart move on your part?”

  Her smile faded, but she didn’t move her hand. Dark and mysterious just became dark and irritating. “Who are you?”

  “A friend.”

  “Hailey doesn’t have any friends.”

  “How would you know?”

  “Because you have to have a heart to have a friend, and she clearly doesn’t.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “Don’t believe me?” she asked, pointing up the grandstand to where Hailey and Billy were still arguing. “That’s how she treats her friends. And anyone who doesn’t do what she wants.”

  He leaned close to her, so close she barely heard his words. “If that’s true, then why do you care?”

  “Because she owes me.”

  “For what?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “From here on out, girlie, anything that has to do with her is my business. Don’t mess with me.”

  “Nicole.”

  Billy was striding toward her, looking righteously ticked off and sexier than she’d ever seen him. Oh, yeah. Serious trouble. Her blood warmed all over again. “Come on, we’re going.”

  She rose slowly when he reached for her arm and caught a glimpse of Hailey, three steps up at his back, looking pretty ticked herself. Oh, now wasn’t this just fun? Good times. Just like the old days. “Where are we headed?”

  “Someplace a little more private.” Billy’s fiery eyes shot between her and Hailey’s mystery man, and judging from the flash Nicole saw there, it was clear he’d witnessed at least part of her conversation.

  Well, that was a good thing, right? About time she stopped having fantasies of lovebirds and put this guy in his place. Besides, as fun as he was, that’s not why she was really here.

  Of course, why that thought suddenly left a hole the size of a grapefruit in her chest was a mystery she didn’t want to go examining now.

  She followed Billy up the steps and tugged her hat lower as she neared her sister. When she reached the same step, she stopped briefly and leaned in close. “I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you. In the meantime, though, a bit of advice.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and added a shot of sass she knew would hit its mark. “Find a mall.”

  By the time they reached the parking lot, Hailey was fuming. Billy and Nicole must have parked on the opposite side of the building because they were nowhere to be seen.

  ?
??Hold up, Roarke. My leg’s still sore from being yesterday’s snack.”

  She slowed as she reached the first tier of parking spaces and turned toward Shane, hobbling behind her. “Sorry. I’m just…”

  “Pissed. Yeah, I got it. If you decide to turn that temper on me, all I ask is you give me fair warning. I’m not up for having my ass handed to me today.”

  She glared at him. And like water rushing through her veins, all that anger slid away. She had to look to her left to keep from chuckling. If there was one thing she could say for Shane, when he wasn’t being a moody SOB, he had a way of reminding her things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

  Yeah, right.

  She heaved out a sigh. “I could seriously kill her.”

  “Shh.” He moved closer with a half grin that did strange things to her insides. “I wouldn’t let anyone hear you say that if I were you. We’re still trying to prove you didn’t do that the last time someone ticked you off.”

  “You’re a real comedian.” She frowned. “The difference here is this time I mean it.”

  He tipped his dark head. “I’m getting the impression you and Paris Hilton in there aren’t close.”

  “What was your first clue? The sparks flying or the fact the entire track was about to spontaneously combust?”

  “What’s she doing here?”

  “Beats me. She doesn’t care a single thing about RR. She couldn’t even bother to be present at the will reading. But she’s not stupid. She’s obviously figured out the will’s solid. And now she’s worried about making sure she keeps her meal ticket.”

  “So she recruited Sullivan?”

  “Probably. He’s only human, and she’s…well…” She waved her hand. “You saw her. She’s every guy’s fantasy.”