Nautier and Wilder (17 page)

This was what she missed when she focused too much on business and not enough on pleasure.
A man’s touch, the way it felt to be held, to feel his large hand at her hip and the
other massaging her scalp. He turned her around and placed her up against the sea
wall, moving in to press the length of his body along hers. She reached for his chest,
laid her hands on him, felt his heart beat a wild rhythm, the same as hers.

He tore his mouth from hers, his breathing staccato and heavy as he pulled back to
search her face. “I probably shouldn’t have started this out here. This is worse than
having a glass of wine. I don’t think I can drive now.”

She laughed. “I’m not going to say I’m sorry you did.”

He swept his thumb across her bottom lip. “Good. Let me take you home.”

“Okay.”

It was going to be a long ride home with a throbbing motorcycle between her legs.

FOUR

T
he cool air blowing on his face on the ride back to Elena’s house did nothing to bring
Jed’s temperature down. Not with her breasts mashed against his back, her hands pressing
in on his abs and her thighs nestled against him.

All he could think about was that kiss, about the way she tasted, the way her body
curled into his when he’d pulled her into his arms.

She’d asked him for sex. Goddamn. What the hell was he supposed to do about that—say
no? He was undercover, his assignment to get close to her. This would bring him close
to her, wouldn’t it? He’d just be completing the mission.

In a sort of unorthodox way.

He had to keep his head in the game. Unfortunately, the only head doing the thinking
right now was the head of his dick, and it was like a divining rod. It wanted sweet,
hot pussy, and knew it was right behind him. All the blood from his brain had rushed
south, and his dick was doing all the thinking.

The assignment could wait. He was going to have sex with Elena tonight. Tomorrow he’d
get back on task.

He rolled around the corner to the gallery, his eye instantly drawn to a dark flash
skirting around the edge of her building. He laid on the throttle and Elena’s body
tightened.

“Hold on,” he said to her as he kicked it into high gear, tore up the length of asphalt
and careened around the corner, sliding to a stop. He threw the kickstand down and
flew off the bike, tearing his helmet off.

The first thing he saw was the broken glass. He drew his gun, his gaze shooting to
a shocked Elena, who climbed off the bike.

“Shit,” she said, surveying the damage.

He lifted the gun and half turned to her. “Call the cops.”

She stepped over the glass. “My alarm has an autodial to the police.”

“They cut your alarm or it’d be going off right now.”

She looked at him and nodded. “You’re right. Of course.” She dug into her bag and
pulled out her phone, made the call, gave the police the information.

“Come with me. Stay right with me, right behind me. And don’t touch anything.”

“Okay.”

Normally he’d leave her outside while he went in to check everything out, but he wasn’t
taking a chance on leaving her vulnerable until he knew whether or not this had been
a simple breaking and entering, or something else.

He stepped through the wrenched open door and walked inside.

It was a mess. The glass case in front was broken. It had been a smash and run. They
hadn’t wanted to linger too long. Probably someone looking to make a quick score and
get out, but they knew enough to bypass her security system and bust in through the
front door. He inched in farther, looking through the shop toward the back rooms.
Nothing disturbed back there. By then he heard the sirens and moved back outside,
sliding the gun into his pants.

Elena was right on his heels.

“You have a gun,” she said.

“Yeah. I’m in the security business, remember? And I’m licensed to carry.”

She nodded. “Right. Of course.” She pulled her hair back with both hands. “I’m not
thinking clearly right now.”

Jed gave a long look to the broken glass and then to the street before turning his
attention back to her. “They’re long gone, probably took off as soon as they saw my
bike.”

“Goddammit. I’ve never had a break-in before.”

The police arrived, and Jed stayed out of the way while they did their job and took
Elena’s statement. Jed told them what he knew, that he’d seen only a shadow of movement
as they turned the corner, but nothing else. It took a few hours for them to fingerprint
the place. Jed made arrangements for boards to go up to cover up the broken glass,
and he got a replacement lock and put that in on the front door.

When the police and fingerprints unit left, he turned to Elena. Purplish circles shadowed
her eyes.

“You look wiped out. I should let you get some rest.”

“Wait.”

He stopped.

“Would you mind coming upstairs with me? I know they cleared everything including
the upstairs, and I know I’m being a big baby about this, but this whole break-in
freaked me out.”

“Come on. I’ll go up with you.”

Her shoulders slumped in relief. “Thanks. It’s silly, I know.”

He put his arm around her and walked toward the back of the shop. “It’s not silly.
It’s scary for you to know someone broke in down here. And now you have a nonworking
alarm, so I’m sure you feel vulnerable.”

She turned to face him as they were halfway up the stairs. “Thanks for understanding.”

He stepped in front of her. “Let me go in first and clear the area.”

He opened the door and stepped inside her apartment, switched on the light. He knew
the cops had been up here already checking things out, but she didn’t feel safe.

She needed to feel safe in her own home. And right now she was hovering at the landing,
still on the stairs, afraid to step foot inside.

Not good. It was a small place—kitchen with living area right off it, and one bedroom
and one bath. He had everything checked out within a minute and came back to her with
his hand held out.

“Come on.”

She slid her hand in his and allowed him to pull her the rest of the way inside. Then
he led her around each room, opening closet doors, checking in the shower and the
pantry.

“No one’s here. They were never here. They never even made it to the back of your
shop.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “This really freaks me out. Normally I’m fearless.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Tonight you have a right to be scared. Tomorrow
you can be fearless again.”

She sighed. “You’re right. And I will be.”

Then she raised her gaze to his. “I had such great plans for us tonight. Dammit.”

He swept his knuckles across her cheek. “I think you need some sleep.”

“I think you’re right. God, I’ll never sleep now.”

“Yes, you will. You’re exhausted. Come here.”

He took her hand and led her to the south window. “See the condos there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s where I’m staying. I’m on the third floor. I can see your place from my place,
so I’ll keep watch over you tonight. And if you hear any bumps in the night—what’s
left of the night—call me and I’ll come over.” He took her phone and punched in his
number.

Her lips lifted. “That helps. But I’m a big girl and I can handle it. Now you go home
and get some sleep, too.”

She led him down the back way and to the door. “Thanks for being here.”

“Thanks for coming to dinner with me.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her,
reminding her of what they were about to do when some asshole had broken in.

When he pulled away, her face wasn’t pale anymore.

“Good night, Elena.”

She licked her lips. “Night, Jed.”

He walked away and climbed on his bike, figuring he’d done way more than just make
contact on his first night.

Probably way more than he should have, but as far as the mission, he was in.

FIVE

E
lena had to close the shop for the day, which sucked for business but was a necessity.
She had to clean up, inventory what had been stolen, call the insurance company, get
the glass and door replaced and do a hundred other things that had nothing to do with
sales.

Her mind was running in a million directions.

She’d called Marco and told him about the break-in. He’d rushed in to help with the
cleanup, horrified by what had happened, but also eager to hear all the details.

“You’re lucky only a few pieces were taken,” Marco said as they finished up the inventory.

She nodded. “Obviously someone busted in to make a quick swipe.”

“Probably wanted jewelry to pawn for drugs.”

“That’s what the police said. I have to take photos of the stolen inventory to them
and they’ll alert the pawn shops. If any of the pieces show up, the shops will notify
the cops.”

Marco took care of running over the photographs and descriptions of the stolen jewelry,
while she met with the insurance adjuster there at the shop. He had just left, as
had the glass company, when a van pulled up on the side street.

Jed got out, grabbing a bunch of equipment. She went out to greet him.

“Where’s your bike?”

He smiled at her. “The bike is for play. This is for work.”

He dragged the equipment inside her shop.

Uh . . . what the hell? She pivoted, went inside and locked the door and found him
at the back of the shop.

“What are you doing?”

“Installing a new security system. Your old system sucked.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t recall ordering one.”

“You didn’t. This one’s on the house.”

“Jed, really, I can replace the alarm system myself. That was going to be my next
call, as a matter of fact.”

He didn’t look up from the pile of gizmos and wires. “Now you don’t have to.”

“Jed.”

“Busy here, Elena.”

The doorbell rang. “Dammit. Stop what you’re doing. I’ll be right back.”

It was a customer—one of her regulars—and she had to spend some time telling her about
the burglary and letting her client know everything was all right. By the time she
got back to Jed, he had the alarm system mounted on the wall.

“Remove that system.”

He finally stopped and gave her an exasperated look. “Why would I do that when it’s
already installed? I’m testing the connections now.”

“Jed. I don’t want your charity.”

He laughed. “This isn’t charity, Elena. It’s advertising.”

“What?”

“You just had a break-in. I’m installing my security system. See? Great advertising.”
He sidestepped her, bent down and connected a few wires. “All set. Let me walk you
through it.”

Elena had been bulldozed and she obviously wasn’t going to win this argument. And
she did need an alarm system. Why not take the gift that was offered? It was a win-win
for both of them, right?

He showed her how to use the system, then asked her to enter a code. Once she did,
they locked everything up from the outside, and she opened the door without entering
the code. In fifteen seconds an earsplitting alarm blared, much louder than the one
she had previously. Her cell phone rang within a few seconds.

Jed took her phone and completed the testing with the alarm company, then handed her
phone back to her.

“You’re set. This one won’t fail. It has two backup systems, so if someone manages
to cut through the main lines, the backup will kick in and automatically trip the
alarm. Sirens will go off, alarm company will be dialed. You don’t verify that it
was an accidental trip of the alarm, the police will be on their way within two minutes.”

“Wow. Awesome. I’ll take it.”

His grin was like a little boy with a new toy. “Thought you might like it.”

“You’re very good at this.”

“Thanks.” He put away his tools. “When are you reopening?”

“Tomorrow.”

“I talked to the police. There’ve been a rash of burglaries for the past few weeks.
Fast smash and runs. They’ve had to beef up security in the area, but with the rally
in town, they’re short staffed.”

“That’s bad for business owners, but should be good for your business. I’ll be sure
to pass your name around. I’m sure there are several who need to beef up their alarm
systems.”

“You don’t have to do that, but thanks.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “Actually, our local business owners association meeting
is tonight. You should come as my guest. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“That’d be great. Sure you don’t mind leaving your place unattended?”

“I have to admit it worries me, but it’s a good opportunity to test out your new security
system, isn’t it?”

“Thanks for the show of faith. I guarantee you it’ll work. Plus, unless they’re morons,
burglars don’t tend to hit the same place twice in a row. I think you’re safe.”

“Good to know. Cocktail hour is at six-thirty, so I’ll pick you up this time, say
around six?”

“I’ll be out front waiting. I’ll even take a shower,” he said, wiping the sweat from
his brow.

“Ha ha. Everyone will appreciate that, I’m sure.”

He packed up his tools and took off, and sweaty or not, she couldn’t help appreciating
how mighty fine he filled out a pair of jeans.

This guy was too good to be true. She wished her mom was around to meet him. Flighty
she might be, but she could read people and was always a good judge of someone’s character.
She knew when a guy was full of shit and who had a hidden agenda. Elena had lost a
lot of prospective boyfriends that way, but her mother was usually dead on in her
assessments. She might not remember what day of the week it was, or forget that she
and Elena had a lunch date, but she knew people.

She grabbed her cell phone and dialed her mother’s number. It rang a few times and
went to voice mail.

“Hey, Mom, it’s Elena again. Just wondering where you are. The bike rally is this
week so I thought maybe you’d be around for that. Call me. Or stop by.” She hesitated
before adding, “I love you.”

She and her mom weren’t exactly close. Her mother frustrated her more often than not.
She could always count on her showing up, usually when she didn’t want her to.

But she always showed up.

She was starting to get worried.

* * *

Jed took a shower, then threw on a pair of shorts and checked on Elena’s shop and
house via the monitors he’d set up when Elena hadn’t been looking. It hadn’t been
hard to sneak up to her place and get everything installed. Breaking and entering
was his specialty, and now that he had his own alarm system on her property, even
easier.

Everything was locked up tight, nobody skulking around. He felt better about having
his eyes on her shop and her house.

He grabbed his cell and contacted Grange, who answered on the first ring. He told
Grange about the break-in.

“Suspicious?” Grange asked.

“I don’t know. It looked like a regular break-in. Some jewelry stolen. Police reported
an increase in burglaries in the area over the past few weeks, so I don’t think it
has anything to do with someone targeting Elena, but I’m sticking close to her. I
have a camera set up in her store and in her apartment, too. Also, I’m escorting her
to a business dinner tonight.”

“Good enough. Glue yourself to her if you have to, but don’t let her out of your sight.”

“You got it, boss. Anything on Carla yet?”

“No. Tracking her cell phone. It’s still on, and shows her in the Daytona area, right
on the pier. I went to that location but she’s not there, and phone shows no movement.
I didn’t find her phone, either. Her credit card has shown no activity in the past
month, so there’s nothing to track. And since she’s always on the go with no permanent
address, it’s hard to narrow down her last location. It’s a lot of footwork, but I’m
going to hit up an old friend in the area for some help. I’ll keep you posted.”

“I’ll do the same.”

He clicked off and grabbed some clothes to get dressed. A business dinner meant no
blue jeans. Instead he chose black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt, then took
along a sport coat just in case he needed to be a little more dressed up.

He was outside waiting when Elena pulled up in her car, surprising the hell out of
him.

He expected her to drive an economy car. Something with four cylinders, or maybe even
a hybrid. Not a smoking hot black ’66 Chevelle SS. Just the sound of the engine purring
made him want to climb into the driver’s seat and see what she could do.

Instead, he had to get into the passenger seat.

“Are you kidding me?”

She looked over at him. “What?”

“This car.”

Her lips curved. “I like muscle cars. It’s my only nod to my mother’s crazy lifestyle.
She used to date a guy who was into restoring old cars. I fell madly in love with
Chevys, and the love affair has continued throughout my life.”

He arched a brow. “Now
that
I want to hear about.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you, but we don’t want to be late for dinner.” The engine rocketed
them forward when she pressed on the gas and drove off. Jed leaned back and watched
her as she maneuvered the beast through the heavy traffic.

The steering wheel was oversized, the car a monster. But Elena manhandled it like
she knew what she was doing, didn’t abuse the Chevelle’s awesome power.

Oh, man, he really wanted to drive this car.

“You ever take it out and really run it down the highway?”

She flicked her gaze to his. “Sometimes, when I need to let off steam.”

He laid his arm over the back of the smooth vinyl seat, watching her as she concentrated
on her driving. She wore a short-sleeved black dress, snug at the top, loose at the
bottom. It hit just above her knee. Conservative enough for a business dinner, but
she still looked sexy as hell wearing it.

She pulled into a hotel and parked. He came around to her side of the car and opened
the door for her. When she stepped out, he got a good look at her outfit. She grabbed
a short-sleeved jacket that she pulled on over the dress.

“Thanks.”

“You look nice tonight.”

She stepped closer to him, laying her hand on his upper arm. “So do you. The other
women of the association will want to drag you away from me.”

He grinned. “Not a chance. I’m all yours tonight.”