Banning's Woman

  Chapter 10

  “Juana?” Bren held the phone to her ear while balancing on one foot and slipping the other into a shoe. “I’m running late. Would you phone my committee members and ask if they could convene their meeting in our offices? That way I ought to be able to make it in time. Thanks.”

  She dropped the phone and leaned on the dresser top to slip on the other shoe. When she looked up, she could see her reflection in the mirror, and behind her, Chris as he walked up and closed his arms around her waist, his thumbs resting just beneath the fullness of her breasts.

  “Do you have any idea how incredibly sexy you are, Congresswoman Lassiter?”

  She gave a throaty laugh. “No. Why don’t you tell me?”

  He pressed his mouth to her cheek. “I love seeing you all buttoned up in a proper business suit.” He burned a trail of kisses to the corner of her mouth. “It really turns me on to hear you talking to your assistant about committee meetings.”

  She brought her hands over his. “Then you ought to see me signing documents.”

  “Be still my heart.” He pressed a kiss to the hair at her temple.

  “Or maybe you’d care to hear me present my views on the disposal of industrial waste to the House chairman next week.”

  “I wouldn’t be able to restrain myself. I’d have to ravage you in the House chambers.”

  “There are laws against that, Captain Banning.”

  “I’d throw myself on the mercy of the court. Any man seeing you would understand my lack of control. In fact, I believe I feel a lack of control coming on right now.” He turned her and pressed her back against the dresser as he gave her a lazy, heart-stopping kiss.

  “Oh, Chris.” She sighed, then pushed free. “Do you have any idea what time it is? I have a meeting to chair.”

  As she started to pick up her purse, he hauled her into his arms again and kissed her until she could feel the room start to spin. When he lifted his head she experienced a moment of complete disorientation. She could swear the room was still moving.

  He was grinning at the look on her face. “Come on. You’ll be late.”

  “For what? Oh yeah. I remember. Work. Committee meetings. Congress.”

  He handed her the purse that had fallen to the floor, then caught her hand and led her to the door. “Just remind me where we left off when we get back here tonight.”

  She held back. “I thought I’d be going back to my apartment after work.”

  “You will.” He set his security alarm, then closed and locked the door. Dropping an arm around her shoulders he walked with her to the elevator. “But first we’ll stop by here so I can pick up a few things.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.” He stepped into the elevator and punched the button, before drawing her close. “You don’t think I’m going to leave you alone in your apartment, do you?”

  She felt the warmth of his words wrapping around her heart. In truth, she’d been uneasy about returning alone to her own place.

  Seeing the flicker of emotion in her eyes, he cleared his throat. “I need to say this, Bren. For years now I’ve been living just for the day. The moment. But right now, if I could give you security and peace of mind and the promise that you’d be safe tomorrow, I’d give it, no matter what the cost.”

  “Thank you, Chris.”

  He caught her roughly by the shoulders. “For now, all I can give you is my promise that I’ll do everything in my power to stay by your side and see you through this.”

  She sighed and touched a hand to his cheek in a gesture so achingly sweet, he wanted to devour her. “How could I ask anything else of you, Chris? Just knowing you’re beside me is all the comfort I need.”

  As the door opened, they stepped apart and made their way to his car in the parking ga rage. When they arrived at the Congressional Building, Bren was surprised to see Chris step out of his car and fall into step beside her.

  “You don’t need to go inside with me.”

  He merely smiled and took her arm. “I guess you weren’t listening, Bren. I’m seeing you to your door.”

  At the door to her office she paused. “All right. You’ve done your duty, Captain.”

  He opened the door and followed her inside.

  Juana Sanchez looked up from her littered desktop. “Good morning, Congresswoman.” She looked beyond her to the handsome man in the police uniform.

  Seeing her arch look Bren said, “Juana Sanchez, this is Captain Chris Banning.”

  “Captain. It’s nice to meet you.”

  He crossed to her desk and offered a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Sanchez.”

  He turned to Bren. “I’d appreciate it if you’d stay inside until I come back to pick you up.”

  “Stay here? All day?”

  He nodded.

  Knowing Juana was listening, she frowned. “I’m not sure I can promise that. Things come up. And when they do, I can’t just lock myself away in my office.”

  “Yes, you can. Do it, Bren. Just this once.”

  She sighed. “I suppose…”

  “Good girl.” He squeezed her arm. “I’ll be here to pick you up by five o’clock.”

  “But I…”

  With a smile at Juana, he breezed out of the office.

  When the door closed, Juana picked up a sheaf of papers and pretended to fan herself. “That is one hot-looking man. Isn’t he the one who appeared with you on Meet the Media?”

  “Yeah. The same.” Bren motioned toward her office door. “Is the committee meeting here?”

  Juana nodded. “They’ll be here at eleven. Stop trying to change the subject. How did your police captain happen to be here with you? And why are you, the most punctual person in this building, arriving more than an hour late? What have the two of you been up to?”

  “I have work to do.” Bren turned away and headed toward her inner office, leaving Juana staring after her with a knowing smile.

  “Captain Banning’s here to see you,” Juana announced.

  Bren looked up from the papers on her desk, astounded that the day had passed in a blur of work.

  When Chris ambled into her inner office, she was stuffing documents into her briefcase.

  “Good evening, Congresswoman.” He closed the door firmly and leaned against it while crossing his arms over his chest. “How did your day go?”

  “The better question would be where did it go. I can’t believe it’s after five.”

  “Is it that late?” He dragged her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

  She pushed against him. “Chris. Someone could come in and see us.”

  “Sorry. This can’t wait.” He kissed her again, lingering over her mouth. “I told you I love the way you look all prim and buttoned up. Of course, I loved the way you looked last night, too, wearing nothing but a smile.”

  “You’re terrible.” She was laughing as she said it.

  “And you’re gorgeous.” He took the heavy briefcase from her hand and held the door.

  In the outer office Juana was busy on the telephone when Bren and Chris called goodbye. She waved and continued talking as their footsteps receded along the hallway.

  At the door to the parking garage Bren stopped to chat a moment with the security guard before following Chris to his car.

  When they arrived at his apartment building, Chris turned off the ignition. “I’ll only be a couple of minutes. Then if you’d like, we can stop for dinner on the way to your place.”

  She nodded. “I’d better go up with you and make sure I packed everything. I was a little…preoccupied this morning.”

  “Yeah.” He held her door and dropped an arm around her shoulders. “I like seeing you…preoccupied.” He led the way inside the elevator and punched in his floor. “Maybe we’ll try that again tonight.”

  “What makes you think I’ll let you?”

  He tugged on a lock of her hair. “You’re easy, Lassiter.”

  They were still laughing as th
ey stepped off the elevator and walked to his door. He turned the key and opened the door, then punched in his security code and led the way inside.

  Bren walked to the bedroom and began checking her overnight bag. She looked up to see Chris standing in the doorway scowling.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My security’s been breached.”

  She was shaking her head. “I saw you turn off the alarm.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. He was clever enough to reset it before leaving. But someone’s been here.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “We’ll talk when we leave here.” He picked up her bag and took her arm.

  Once more he set the alarm and turned the lock before striding toward the elevator. Minutes later they were roaring down the highway.

  Bren could feel tension vibrating through him. “Tell me how you know someone was in your apartment.”

  “I’m a cop, Bren. I never take my security for granted. Especially right now. So I set a couple of traps, hoping to catch our rat. I didn’t catch him, but he did manage to set one off.” He turned to glance at her. “Now I need to take you someplace where he can’t find you. Tell me how to get to your mother’s place.”

  Bren was already shaking her head. “I can’t go there. Mom will have a fit when she finds out what’s been happening. And Pop. Can you imagine how mad he’ll be if he hears about a second attack? Chris, they’re still reeling from the first time. I can’t do this to them again.”

  “You’ve got no choice. Now do you tell me how to get there, or do I phone a friend at City Hall?”

  Bren huffed out a breath. “You play dirty, Banning.”

  “So does our rat. He’s left me no choice but to play by his rules. Tell me where to turn.”

  She gave a wry smile. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t tell you where to get off.”

  He closed a hand over hers. “Think of me as your mother, reminding you that this is for your own good.”

  She shot him a sideways glance. “Funny. You don’t look like my mother.”

  At Bren’s directions, Chris turned into the driveway of a stately older house in Chevy Chase. He noted that several cars were already parked ahead of his. Judging by the frown on Bren’s face, she’d seen them, too, and wasn’t happy about it.

  “Family?” He rounded the car and opened her door.

  “Yeah. That one belongs to my brother Micah. That one is Donovan’s. And that lovely little sporty model belongs to Cam. Looks like the only one not here yet is my mother.”

  Just as she said that, a bright-red convertible pulled in behind them, and a woman stepped out who looked like Bren’s twin.

  “Mary Brendan.” The woman raced up the driveway and caught Bren in a hug. “Oh, what a lovely surprise.”

  “For me, too, Mom.” Bren turned. “Kate Lassiter, this is Chris Banning.”

  Kate accepted his handshake. “I saw you on Meet the Media. You handled your end of the debate very well, Captain.”

  “Thank you. I was so dazzled by your daughter, I wasn’t sure just what I was saying. And now that I’ve met her mother, I see where she got her looks.”

  Kate beamed as she led the way up the steps. Before she could open the door it was yanked open and a handsome, white-haired man stepped out to catch Bren in a bear hug.

  “Well, lass, it’s about time you came home. Your timing couldn’t be better. Now the whole family is here.”

  When she’d kissed his weathered cheek, Bren took a step back. “Pop, this is Chris Banning. Chris, my grandfather, Kieran Lassiter.”

  “Banning, is it?” The old man gave him a measuring glance as he offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Captain.”

  “It’s Chris, Mr. Lassiter.”

  Kieran laughed. “And I’m called Pop. Or Kieran. Mr. Lassiter was my father.”

  “Right, sir.” Chris looked up to a sea of faces crowding around the front door. The three men were as tall as Kieran, with those same deep-blue eyes and dark, Irish good looks. After introductions, he began to sort them out.

  The oldest, Micah, had his arm around the shoulders of his wife, Pru. Donovan was holding a little girl named Taylor in his arms. His wife, Andi, stood beside a boy of perhaps eight, named Cory. Cameron, the youngest of the Lassiter men, was being teased about his latest girlfriend—a joke he wasn’t taking with much grace. It was, apparently, a sore spot for him.

  “Come in,” Kieran urged, holding the door. “No sense standing out here all night. I have a fine pot roast cooking, along with all the trimmings.”

  Kate had her arm around her daughter’s waist, and the two women led the others through the great room, past the dining room, to what Chris assumed was the heart of the house—the kitchen. There, while he stood and watched in wonder, everyone seemed to have a chore.

  Micah was opening a bottle of red wine, to celebrate the arrival of his sister, though Chris assumed they would have found something to celebrate even without Bren’s presence here.

  Kieran was stirring something on the stove. Pru stood beside the old man, chatting easily. Donovan handed his little girl a basket of rolls, while his son was assigned the chore of pouring milk from a pitcher into two tall glasses, before carrying them to the dining room.

  Bren left her mother to cross the room. “Feeling a little lost?”

  He nodded. “How can this many people work in one room without stepping on each other’s toes?”

  “Oh, a few toes do get stepped on from time to time. But the Lassiters always manage to get over it.”

  Micah offered his sister a glass of wine, then handed one to Chris. “So. You’re a D.C. cop.”

  Chris nodded.

  “So was our dad.”

  “So I’ve heard. His name is still a legend in the department.”

  That had Kate touching a hand to Kieran’s arm. The two shared a look before returning to their chores.

  Kieran sliced the roast beef and arranged it on a platter. “You’re young to be a captain.”

  Chris grinned at Bren. “I worked hard.”

  “I’ll bet you did. But you had to have more than hard work going for you. Awards?”

  Chris shrugged. “A few.”

  “More than a few, I’d wager.” Kieran picked up the platter. “Come on. Dinner’s ready.” He looked over at Kate. “And for the first time in weeks all our chicks have come home to roost at one time.”

  Chapter 11

  Chris watched as the Lassiter family gathered around the table and joined hands. When Bren’s hand found his, he gave her a look that practically devoured her, causing heat to flood her cheeks.

  “Bless this food.” Kieran intoned. “And this family. Not only those of us gathered here, but those who are here in spirit, especially Riordan, who watches over us all.”

  At the intensity of the old man’s words, Chris felt a shiver along his spine. What must it be like to be so beloved as to become immortal? That’s what had happened in this fam ily. It occurred to Chris that this old man, and his beautiful daughter-in-law, had seen to it that Riordan Lassiter lived on in the minds of his entire family, decades after his death.

  He accepted a platter of beef from Bren and helped himself before passing it on to little Taylor. When she had trouble holding it, Chris gave her a gentle smile. “Here. I’ll hold it while you take what you want.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered shyly.

  “Have you sorted us all out yet?” Across the table Cameron was busy passing the potatoes.

  “I’m trying.” Chris took a roll and handed the basket to Bren.

  “Micah’s the oldest. He was in Secret Service. Now he has his own private security company. Why Pru was crazy enough to marry him is anybody’s guess.” For that remark Cam got a playful smack on the arm from his sister-in-law.

  He pointed with his fork. “Donovan won’t talk about his government service, which is fine with us because it was probably pretty boring, anyway.” That brought a round of laughter. “Now that he
’s an old married man, he and Andi and the kids live in the hills of Maryland while he finishes a book about international criminals.”

  “Really?” Chris arched a brow. “Sounds fascinating.”

  Cameron shook his head. “Even without the uniform, we’d know you’re a cop. Only another cop would be interested in the criminal mind.”

  That had everyone laughing louder.

  “What about you, Cameron?” Chris glanced at Bren’s youngest brother. “You don’t look like a cop to me.”

  “Lawyer,” Cam said matter-of-factly. “I work at Stern, Hayes, Wheatley.”

  Chris looked suitably impressed. “Good firm. Probably the best in D.C. You must be good.”

  Bren laughed. “You shouldn’t have stroked his ego. Now he’ll never get that head through the doorway.”

  That had the entire family roaring.

  “Especially,” Micah added, “since Cam uses that pickup line on all the women he wants to impress at Flannery’s.”

  “You have to admit that it works.” Cam helped himself to more salad. “I’ll have you know that the girl being ogled by the entire saloon last night left on my arm.”

  “Probably because she was too drunk to stand by herself.”

  That remark from Donovan had them laughing and hooting.

  “See the abuse I take?” Cam sipped his tea and winked at Taylor, who was laughing along with the adults.

  Bren touched a napkin to her mouth. “I guess I’ll have to do the bragging about Mom, since she’s too humble to talk about herself. She went back to law school after Dad passed away and is now a family advocate.”

  “Pretty impressive,” Chris said.

  “And then there’s Pop, who cooked and cleaned, washed and ironed, and kept us all together when we were falling apart.”

  The old man smiled at his granddaughter. “That went both ways, Mary Brendan. The lot of you kept this old man going when his world crashed and burned.”

  Cory drained his glass of milk. “Now that our adoption is final, I’m a Lassiter, too. And Dad says I’m going to be the strongest Lassiter of all.”

  Chris turned to study the little boy. “Re ally? That’s pretty special. I was adopted, too.”