She raised her chin, refusing to fall victim. “What plot? All I expected out of this meeting was to learn what the new CEO needs from me.”
He stepped right in front of her, so close she had to stand. If she’d remained sitting, he would have loomed over her, giving him the psychological advantage of forcing her to look up at him. She wasn’t about to allow that.
Even though she barely reached the middle of his chest, she stood her ground. Tension sizzled around them, making it hard for her to breathe.
He seemed amused as he stared down at her. “You want to know what your new duties are, Miss Parker?”
“I want to know if you’re planning to fire me or not. If so, you should know I fully intend to sue you.”
Resentment boiled right under her surface, a volcanic rage that he’d twisted something meaningful and beautiful into a mercenary, ugly act. Anger threatened to erupt. They could have handled this like grown-ups. It shouldn’t have been difficult. They were two consenting adults, but he acted as if she’d done him some great wrong.
His mouth tugged up in a little smirk. “Oh, you’re going to sue me? That should be an interesting hearing. Well, I haven’t fired you yet. You know how it goes with new management. We need to come in and figure out where everyone’s talents lie. What are yours, Everly?”
Her blood burned even more. Yes, it was anger. Being close enough to feel the heat of his body couldn’t possibly be revving her up, not after the way he’d treated her. “I’m one of the best computer security experts in the business. It’s why Maddox hired me.”
“Yes, I believe you played up your nerd roots. It was clever. Unusual. I have to admit I found that aspect of you deeply intriguing. But I know a thing or two about business, and you don’t fit anyone’s idea of an executive. I was wondering why my dear friend Mad had hired someone so young.”
“Because I’m very good at what I do.”
“Computer security.” Definite doubt resounded in his tone.
She wasn’t going down without a fight, no matter who he was. She’d almost resigned herself to the idea that she would be laid off, but now she was going to fight like hell. No way would she be dismissed and escorted out of the building with her tail between her legs. “Yes. I’ve been instrumental in bringing this corporation into the twenty-first century. The last head of security’s firewalls were crap even a second grader could hack through. I know what you’re implying, Mr. Bond, but I was hired because I know my business. So you can handle me one of two ways. You can sit back in that chair you inherited—like everything else in your life—and we can go over my role with the company or you can stand over me like a misogynist who’s enjoying his intimidation shtick. You pick.”
His eyes flared with heat. He stepped closer. “There’s another option.”
“What’s that?” No matter how much he crowded her personal space, she would not back down. She couldn’t show him how much his presence disrupted her concentration or that she’d done nothing but think about him since leaving The Plaza.
“I can do this.” He gripped her face in his hands and slanted his mouth over hers before she could stop him.
With a sweep of his tongue, Gabriel reminded her of the pleasure he had to offer a woman. A shock of hot desire jolted through her. Everly knew she should push him away, and she raised her hands between them. But instead of shoving him, she gripped the lapels of his suit coat and pulled him closer.
There was no hint of smooth lover in this kiss. He took control as his lips forced hers open wider and he surged deep. He slid his fingers into her hair, dictating the angle and depth of his penetration. His body crowded hers, dominated. He pressed close, letting her know that his urbane suit merely masked his primal nature.
“Eve, I know I shouldn’t do this. I can’t stop.” His hands slid down her back to cup the globes of her ass. “It’s wrong and I can’t fucking walk away.”
She couldn’t seem to make him. Gabriel knew intuitively how to make her body ache for his touch.
He grabbed her skirt in his fist and yanked it up as he dropped his head into the crook of her neck, his lips at her throat. The heat of his palm slid up her leg. Somewhere in the back of her head, a faint voice warned Everly this was getting out of hand. But with Gabriel so near, touching her again, everything felt right.
“Tell me to stop,” he breathed against her lips before he captured them again.
Resisting him would be smart, sensible. But her body was having none of that. He’d primed her to expect nothing but pleasure from him and she’d ached the night before, wishing she could have his flesh pressed to hers. She’d longed for the connection she’d felt when he thrust deep inside her.
She drowned in his scent for an endless moment. “I know I should.”
Allowing him to touch her now was wrong. The nights they’d spent together, neither of them had known they would soon be boss and employee. Now they did. Crawford Industries didn’t have an anti-fraternization policy. She couldn’t think of a single reason they shouldn’t see each other, except that he’d made his contempt for her plain. He’d made it obvious that he’d used her while blaming her somehow.
Those thoughts gave her the willpower to push him away. “Stop, Gabriel. I’m not going to be your convenient lay.”
He stared down at her, his face savage, but he didn’t allow her out of the cage of his arms. “Convenient? There is nothing convenient about this, Eve . . . Everly. Fuck. I lied. I was going to call you. I was going to call you right up until the minute I realized you’d lied to me. I almost dialed your number a hundred times in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday morning, I wanted to ask you to come home with me because I felt good with you. I wanted to forget about every awful fucking thing happening in my world and lose myself in you again.”
She knew they shouldn’t, but his words struck a chord of sympathy in her. Losing and burying his best friend of over two decades had surely wrought grief. And seeing her walk through the door this morning had, no doubt, been a shock.
Her heart softened. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you.”
“Don’t talk. I don’t want to fucking talk.” He crushed her mouth under his again.
He kissed her as if his life depended on it, and Everly couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him. This was the Gabriel she knew. Passionate. Giving. Seductive. She opened to him and gave back.
With a moan, he pulled her leg up and curled it above his muscled thigh. Everly fitted herself against his body. Her head fell back as tendrils of pleasure started to course through her. Normally, she was safe and cautious, but being anywhere close to this man blew away every ounce of self-preservation and logic she possessed until she craved his touch again.
Gabriel maneuvered them back to the desk, turning so he could set her on the surface. “You’re so responsive. Do you have any idea what that does for me?”
With her skirt bunched around her hips, he easily fitted his hand over her silky underwear, cupping her pussy. She braced her hands on the desk and spread her legs a bit wider as she fell further under his spell.
“It feels so good when you touch me.” No other man affected her the way Gabriel did. All he had to do was look at her and her body softened, preparing for him. Breathless for him.
He growled as he worked his fingers over her panties, right where she ached for him. “You’re already wet. Hot and soft for me. Is this why Mad was so crazy about you? I wish like hell I didn’t, but I understand why he dumped everything to have you.”
His words hit her like a bucket of ice water, jolting her from his spell. She gasped and shoved him away, jumping to her feet and tugging her skirt back in place with shaky hands.
He looked dazed for a moment, as though trying to process what had happened. “Eve, I didn’t . . . Damn it, I didn’t mean to say that.”
No, he’d meant to keep that sentiment to himself. Bastard. “My name is Everly. I would prefer Ms. Parker, especially if you think I slept with Maddox.” She t
ossed her head back, righteous anger fueling her. “If you want me gone, you’ll still have to fire me. I’m not going to let you intimidate or shame me into quitting a job I’m good at.”
She felt so stupid for giving him the opportunity to use her response against her. While she’d been feeling sorry for him, she’d almost overlooked his low opinion of her and allowed him to maneuver her flat on her back. He’d probably kissed her to see how much of herself she would let him take. To prove she was the office whore? In his book, her responsiveness would undoubtedly be one more strike against her.
He turned away, showing her his back as he took several long breaths. “I’m not going to fire you. Yet. Instead, I’ll apologize, Ms. Parker, for my primitive actions.”
God, he sounded so cold. His control infuriated her. “You mean for nearly raping me on the desk?”
He zipped back around to her, his eyes narrowing. “Are you serious?”
Damn it. Just because he’d been an ass, that didn’t mean she had to sound like a shrew.
Everly dragged in a breath. It would be easy to blame him but unfair. “No. I’m sorry. I was there with you. It was a mistake. It’s obvious neither one of us is the person the other thought. It would be best if we pretended last weekend never happened.”
A bitter laugh huffed from his throat. “Don’t you think I’d love to forget? I’ve been telling myself to do exactly that since the minute Hilary escorted you through my door. It’s not working. Do you know what I’m thinking about right this second, Everly?”
He drew out her name as though tasting it and savoring its flavor.
Her heart raced. Her body burned for more of him. But she shook her head. “No.”
Gabriel saw through her denial. “That if I’d kept my mouth shut, I could be inside you right now. I could have laid you out on that desk and spread you wide and thrust my cock deep. I wouldn’t have taken off my damn pants. I want you too much to wait for that. I could have just dropped my zipper and worked my way to that snug, wet place I’ve craved since the moment we met. I would have fucked you until you screamed out my name. Only then would I have let go. Every single time I look at you, I remember how beautiful you are when you come for me. So you tell me how I’m supposed to forget.”
His words shook her to her core because the feel of him, of their shared pleasure, haunted her, too. She didn’t know what to say or how to turn it off. Everly only knew it couldn’t continue.
“Gabriel . . .” Regret filled her voice. “We can’t.”
He scrubbed a hand across his tired face. “You’re right. Professional. Fine.” He steadied himself with a long breath. “Sit down, then. We have a few things to talk about.”
Finally, they were going to discuss the situation in a civilized manner. At least she hoped so. Everly was just about to sit when the door opened.
“Mr. Bond, I’m sorry.” Hilary gave the gentlemen who walked in, dressed in serviceable suits, a stern glare. “They insisted.”
The taller of the two flashed a badge. “Gabriel Bond?”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened, and he straightened his jacket. “Yes. Can we do this here?”
The police had come to see him, and he didn’t seem at all surprised. In fact, the resignation in his manner said that he’d been expecting this. She frowned.
Then the shorter detective pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Everly tried not to gasp as the detective slapped them against his thigh. “You can come down to the station willingly or we can formally arrest and charge you. The press would eat that up. But it’s your choice. Either way, I suggest you take this seriously. You’re our primary suspect in Maddox Crawford’s murder.”
“Murder?” Had she heard that right?
Maybe . . . the text and e-mail she’d received weren’t from some crackpot stirring up trouble. All the implications stole her breath. Unfortunately, she could think of a lot of people who’d wanted Maddox dead, but why would anyone think his best friend had murdered him?
Would the evidence she’d received damn or free Gabriel Bond? And how could she even know what she had or how accurate it was if she didn’t follow instructions and meet the man on Thursday?
Gabriel sent her a grin that held not an ounce of humor. “You say you’re good at your job. I hope you’re competent at all forms of security.”
Everly nodded. Her dad had been a cop. She’d grown up with a lot of his knowledge; she wasn’t merely a computer nerd. “You need protection.”
“It couldn’t hurt. Find Daxton Spencer. He’s somewhere in the building interviewing employees. Then track down Roman Calder and get them both to the precinct.” Gabe turned back to the detectives. “Gentlemen, can I take my car and meet you?”
“We have a car waiting. We wouldn’t want to inconvenience you or have you get lost along the way. We know how you rich boys sometimes mistake your private jet for the station house.”
“At least take him out the back.” Everly’s head was spinning. Above it all stood one fact: He was now the head of Crawford Industries, and since Mulford, the head of building security, was on vacation in Australia for two weeks, Everly was his stand-in. That meant she had to protect Gabriel. The company didn’t need more press right now. She didn’t know whether he had actually killed Maddox, but he was innocent until proven guilty. “Let me get an escort. I can call to the desk.”
The taller detective smirked her way. “No worries. We’ve got that handled.”
Gabriel looked back at her as they led him out. “Find Dax and call Roman ASAP.”
She nodded, staring as the detectives escorted him out of the office and headed for the elevator. The moment they’d gone, her head exploded with questions. What the hell was going on? And had she actually been sleeping with a killer?
SEVEN
Where is Gabriel Bond and is he under arrest?” Everly asked the female officer who ran the front desk at the 19th precinct for what seemed like the five hundredth time.
After Gabriel had been marched out of the office, Everly went into crisis-management mode. Despite shaking hands, she’d picked up the phone and asked Scott to find Dax Spencer while she’d used a number Hilary had for Roman Calder. She hadn’t been sure it would work. Most normal people didn’t have the White House chief of staff’s number in their contact list. She’d expected to be routed through rounds of assistants, but the man had answered on the first ring and promised to be down at the precinct as soon as possible. His no-nonsense voice said he hadn’t been shocked by her call—or the reason for it—at all.
Why hadn’t he or Gabriel seemed surprised that Gabe had practically been arrested for the murder of Maddox Crawford?
Everly braced herself against the nearby wall. What the hell did she really know about Gabriel Bond except that he was rich and very good in bed? After the nights they’d spent together, she would have sworn he wasn’t a violent soul. She also hadn’t expected him to accuse her of being Mad’s mistress or seducing him for her own gain, so clearly, she didn’t know anything about him.
She blew out a breath. Later. Her job had to come first. Gabriel needed her to come through. So did Crawford Industries.
“Ma’am, as I explained to you before, I’m not allowed to give out information to anyone but his lawyer. Are you his lawyer?” The very matter-of-fact woman stared a hole through her. She definitely wasn’t going out of her way to be helpful. And since she controlled the door between the entrance and the rest of the building, Everly had been sidelined here. But she wasn’t giving up without a fight.
“Yes. Yes, I am his lawyer.” If lying got her through, she would give it a try.
The guard rolled her eyes. “No, you’re not. When you first arrived, you told me you were his employee. Go back to the office and send his lawyer.”
“I’m—” Both, she started to say.
“She’s good,” a man said, approaching a wall of glass dividing the reception area from the inside of the station. He stared, and Everly wondered who he was and how he’d go
tten admitted to the station’s inner sanctum. “And it looks like Mr. Bond’s lawyer is here. I would love it if you could let him in.”
With a loud whoosh, the door behind her opened and a familiar man strode in, dressed in what had to be several thousand dollars’ worth of designer suit. He carried a leather briefcase, and as he stepped in from the street, flashbulbs burst everywhere and the rumble of shouts from outside filled the place.
“Damn.” The woman at the front desk shook her head and picked up the phone. “We’re going to need some crowd control at the front of the building, and tell Johnson and Klein that I’m going to kick their asses. Their stupidity for bringing Bond in so publicly is now my problem. They’re going to pay.”
The man in the suit stepped forward with confidence. “My name is—”
“I know your name, Mr. Calder.”
Roman smiled tightly. “Very good. I’m Gabriel Bond’s lawyer.”