Extreme Exposure (22 page)

How could that be? Why would inspectors from the state health department, whose job it was to protect public health, go to the trouble of double-checking Northrup’s math if the department had no intention of prosecuting the company for breaking the law? It made no sense.

She knew exactly who could answer this question. But he didn’t seem to want to speak with her. After warning her that she and the whistleblower might be in danger, he had suddenly gone quiet, refusing to return her phone calls. But Mr. Hammond had done those inspections. He had checked the math. He’d caught them falsifying their reports to the state. He would know why Northrup had never been prosecuted. It was time to quit waiting for him to call back and to try a different way of making contact.

Kara stretched, wiggled her toes in the water, and wondered absently if there was any way to put a gigantic, sunken bathtub in her tiny bathroom. Tonight was her last night at her mother’s house. The insurance check had come yesterday, and the three of them had spent last evening shopping—mattress, couch, TV, stereo, DVD player, and
Sponge Bob
galore. The furniture and television had been delivered today, and Kara had used her lunch hour to rush home and arrange things. Tomorrow, she and Connor would go to a slightly different but familiar home. They would refill the bird feeder, which was surely empty by now, eat spaghetti for dinner, and snuggle together with a stack of books. Life would go back to normal.

Or maybe it wouldn’t.

What was she going to do about Reece? All she had to do was think of him and her body started to glow. Senator Reece Sheridan was devastating in bed. That much was for certain. He was pretty damned wonderful out of it, too. But this was moving too fast. Kara was thinking of him constantly, wishing she were with him, wanting to talk with him, to hear his voice, to touch him, to feel his hands and lips on her skin. She was like an addict, and he was her fix.

It was one thing to like a man and to enjoy having sex with him. It was quite another to become enmeshed with him, to feel like her day wasn’t complete without him, to
need
him. And no way,
no way
was she going to let herself fall in love with him. Not if she could help it.

And what happens if you can’t help it, McMillan?

The very thought had her eyes flying open, her heart racing.

It was time for her to get her life on an even keel again, to put the Northrup story to bed and focus on raising her son. She couldn’t afford to get this lost in a man. Was she so pathetically horny that she couldn’t do without him for a while?

The door handle turned, and her mother stepped inside. “He’s sound asleep. What a wonderful boy he is, Kara! Such an old soul!”

Kara sat up, feeling awkward. She wasn’t body shy, particularly not around her mother, but she wasn’t used to lounging naked in the tub with an audience. “I’ll get out if you need to use the bathroom.”

Her mother waved off her offer and sat on the carpeted floor. “Hush! Just keep soaking. I thought we could chat. We rarely get time alone.”

Irritated that her privacy had just been obliterated, Kara leaned back and closed her eyes. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Reece.”

Kara felt a jolt rush through her, but she kept her eyes closed. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“Connor adores him, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“And I can tell he’s good for you.”

“Is my aura full of smiley faces or something?”

“You seem happier, more relaxed—probably because all that pent-up sexual energy has finally been released.”

Kara said nothing, knowing that any objection would be a lie.

“And when you’re with him, there’s something in your eyes I haven’t seen since before Connor was born.” Her mother never mentioned Galen by name. “I’m really happy for you, Kara, and I don’t want to see you screw this up.”

Kara sat up, eyes open. “You’re hardly the one to give advice on relationships, Mom.”

“If by that you mean I’ve slept with every guru, shaman, and warlock on this side of the Rockies and am still alone, you’re right. But you’d be wrong if you thought this is how I wanted my life to be.”

“You always said my father’s leaving was the best thing that ever happened to you.” Kara hadn’t heard her mother speak this seriously about anything in a long time.

“I only said that because I was hurt and angry. A man I thought loved me woke up one morning and decided he’d rather be someplace else. At first I was crushed. Then I was enraged, so furious that I wanted to tear his world apart.”

Kara knew that kind of rage. She’d felt it when she’d lain alone in a hospital room swamped with contractions, the pain tearing her body apart. She’d felt it when she’d had to turn her precious eight-week-old son over to day care and return to work. She’d felt it when she’d been up all night with a crying baby, only to head to work early in the morning. And she felt it every time Connor asked about his daddy.

“Trouble was I couldn’t hurt your father. He was gone. So I ended up tearing my own life apart. But you don’t have to do that, Kara. Don’t punish Reece for the sins of another man. Don’t let your fear of being hurt again turn you away from a man who truly loves you.”

As her mother rose and walked out of the bathroom, Kara was surprised to find tears streaming down her cheeks.

S
ESSION HAD
just adjourned for a lunch break when Reece saw her walking toward him. She was dressed for business, but she looked like sex—a tailored black suit that hugged the curves of her body, her slender legs in black hose, her long
hair hanging dark and sleek over her shoulders, her blouse buttoned one button too low. She walked straight toward him down the hallway, which was crowded with senators, aides, lobbyists, press, and assorted bottom-feeders.

He tossed his jacket over his shoulder and met her halfway. “Ms. McMillan. The
Denver Independent,
right?”

Her lips curved in a naughty smile. “Senator Sheridan. I was hoping you might have a few minutes. I have some questions.”

He glanced at his watch and pretended to consider it. “Session resumes in about an hour, so I’ve got a few minutes. Would my office work?”

The elevator ride and the walk down the hallway almost killed him. He wanted to touch her, but he didn’t dare. They made small talk, though Reese was hardly aware of a word they said. No sooner had he shut and locked his office door than they were on each other, kissing, their hands seeking the fastest way past clothing to skin. Reece opened a few buttons and found her breasts, while she yanked down his zipper and slipped her hand inside his boxers.

Her hand surrounded his erection, and she arched her breasts into his hands. “Now! Oh, God, now!”

He backed her against his desk, turned her so she faced away from him, lifted her skirt, and felt his lungs implode.

She was wearing stockings, garters, and
no panties.

“Jesus Christ, Kara!” He bent her over, ran his hands over the bare curve of her ass, and savored the view and the feel of her. Then he nudged her thighs apart and, spurred by her impatient pleading, nudged his cock into her, his hands gripping her hips.

She was already wet, and she closed around him like a fist. He fought to stay with her, to make sure she enjoyed it, too. But the sight of her bowed over his desk, her bare ass exposed, his cock pounding into her, brought him hurtling toward the edge.

Quickly, he reached around, sought between her slick folds for her pert little clitoris, and stroked it. In a matter of
moments, her breathing was ragged, each exhalation catching in her throat, threatening to become a full-fledged moan that could be heard in the hallway beyond. Her hands bunched into fists, crumpled paper, beat against the wood.

Faster, harder. She felt so damned good. Slick. Tight. Like heaven.

He felt the tension inside her peak and break. Her breath caught, and for a moment he was thought she was going to scream. But all that escaped was a long, shuddering sigh as her body shook with release. And then he was thrusting into her like a madman, lost in the hot rush of orgasm.

For a moment, they remained as they were, Reece still pulsing inside her, her body quivering around him. Then his phone rang, and he remembered exactly where they were. Slowly, reluctantly, he withdrew, turned her, and pulled her against him.

“Now, that’s what I call a lunch break.” He kissed her forehead and felt a surge of warmth when she rested her head against his chest and laughed.

“I can’t believe we just did this! What if someone had walked in?”

“It would have been Monica’s blue dress all over again. Speaking of which”—he reached for a box of tissues and handed her a few—“here.”

In a few minutes, their clothes were back on straight, the scent of sex in the air the only sign that what had transpired wasn’t an interview.

That and the stupid grin on your face, Sheridan.

Reece pulled her close, slipped a hand beneath her skirt, and cupped her bare buttocks. “Is this what you normally wear to the office? If it is, I’m going to have one hell of a time getting through the work day.”

Kara looked up at him from beneath absurdly feminine lashes. “I actually only stopped by to ask if you’d like to come by tonight—say nine-thirty? The garters were just supposed to be incentive.”

“That they were, sweetheart. If I’d have known what was
underneath your skirt, you’d have never made it out of the elevator, and the guys who staff the security cameras would have gotten a glimpse of the sweetest derriere on Earth.”

That made her blush. “I need to go.”

“I know.” He ducked his head, took her mouth in a long, deep kiss, and then released her. “Nine-thirty. And wear the garters.”

Not trusting himself to keep his hand off her, he waited until she’d gone to step out of his office. He found Galen Prentice threading toward him through the crowd. His tire-burning bill was up for second reading today. No doubt Prentice wanted to go over some of the objections that had arisen during first reading.

“Was that Kara McMillan who just walked out of your office?”

Instantly Reece was on guard. “She had some questions about one of my bills.”

“Yeah. I know her—if you take my meaning.” Prentice nodded, a self-satisfied smirk spreading across his face. “Watch out for her. She’s a hot piece of ass, for sure, but she’s not worth it. All she wants is to snag herself a successful husband. She tried trapping me a few years back. Got knocked up, then looked at me like I was supposed to marry her or some damned thing. I made it real clear I wasn’t going to fall for that old trick, and—”

“You’re the bastard who got her pregnant and left her!” Rage blazing white-hot in his gut, Reece grabbed the lapels of Prentice’s pricey double-breasted jacket and backed him against the wall. “You ought to be rotting in a jail cell!”

Prentice’s face turned red, and he tried to dislodge Reece with a shove. “Back off, Sheridan! Are you crazy?”

But blood hammered in Reece’s ears. “It’s against the law to desert your own child, Prentice!”

“It’s not mine! I never wanted it!”

“That’s not how the law works, and you know it!” Hearing Prentice refer to Connor as “it” did nothing to cool Reece’s temper. He leaned forward until he was shouting
into the man’s face. “Maybe you didn’t want a child, but you sure as hell were enthusiastic about fucking her, weren’t you? A pretty young woman right out of college looks good to a middle-aged lawyer. Did you enjoy her? Did you brag to your friends how clever you were when you abandoned her?”

Prentice was sweating now, oily beads of perspiration on his balding head and upper lip. “Get away from me, or I’m going to press assault charges!”

With a jolt, Reece realized a crowd had gathered around them. He let go of Prentice’s jacket but gave the man no room. “Watch what you say about her, Prentice. Think very hard before you open your mouth.”

“Or what, Senator? You’ll punch me?” Prentice slid sideways along the wall, his voice high pitched and panicky.

“She deserves better than you. They both do. Come to think of it, you did them both a favor.”

There was a murmur in the crowd, and Reece heard Alan, the sergeant-at-arms, asking people to step aside. “What’s going on, Senator? Is this man bothering you?”

“No, Alan, he was just leaving.”

Prentice’s nostrils flared, and his sweaty face turned red. “I have every right to be here! I wasn’t bothering you! You attacked me!”

“Stay away from me, Prentice.” Then Reece turned back toward his office, not noticing the reporter who stood nearby with her recorder, a look of excitement on her face.

K
ARA GLANCED
at her watch—5:04.

She’d spent an hour at the DMV doing a bit of research and now sat parked across the street from the most recent address on file for Mr. Scott Hammond. For two weeks now, he’d been ignoring her messages, screening his calls. But he couldn’t shake her off that easily. He had answers to some very important questions rattling around in that brain of his, and she needed to get at them.

She was watching for a 2001 silver Toyota Corolla with Colorado plates F1J-2390. By her estimates it was at least a twenty-minute commute from the state health department’s offices to Hammond’s home, a little ’70s ranch-style house with a carport. But if Hammond were like most government employees, he’d left work early. It was Friday, after all. As every reporter knew, you didn’t stand a prayer of reaching anyone in a government office after four-thirty on a Friday.

She sat back, her gaze on passing cars, her body still purring from her lunch tryst with Reece. She’d never done anything like that before. She’d gone to bed with her mother’s disturbing words in her mind, but she’d woken up with the rudiments of a silly plan. The idea had been to pay Reece a quick visit, lift her skirt, and show him what he wasn’t getting any of until later that night—if he was very lucky. She’d meant to turn him on, but walking around the office with the lace abrading her thighs, her privates bare, had made her blood burn. She’d been so turned on by the time she’d reached the Capitol that it had taken every ounce of self-control she possessed not to maul Reece in public. But the wait and the frustration had been worth it. When he’d bent her over his desk and pushed himself inside her, it had been absolute screaming heaven.