Revenge for Hire (The Get Even Agency) (17 page)

If he believed her an
adultress
,
could he really let her stay the rest of the night?

But he couldn’t wrap his mind
aound
her being married. It just didn’t fit. Or was that wishful thinking on his
part?

“Something smells good in here,” the object of his thoughts
said, entering the kitchen with her arms wrapped around her chest.

“I thought you were going to rest?” His question sounded stupid.
It was stupid. No more so than the way he wanted to pull her in his arms and
demand she tell him she was a free woman.

What other explanation could there be? Thousands. Every bit as
many as there were possibilities she was married. More.

“I got lonely.” She lifted a shoulder in a soft shrug. The
Braves never looked so good on him.

Jude flipped the second omelet into a plate, turned off the
stove eye, and eyed the still sizzling bacon.

“I’ll always be here for you, Angel” he promised, knowing it
was true, regardless of whatever fate threw at them. “You don’t ever have to be
lonely. Not ever again.”

Her hand went to her mouth, covering a small whimpering sound
that made his insides raw. She was lonely. Whoever else might be in her life,
he filled a need within her she wasn’t having met elsewhere.

He couldn’t turn her away, not even if he tried.

Their eyes met, held, and hers watered. He hadn’t meant to
leave the food, but he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Not a sexual
hug, although that was always there between them, but a hug full of emotion and
support and promises of better times ahead.

He kissed the top of her head. “Always.”

Perhaps as insane a vow as the one he’d made in regards to
Marcus’ nonexistent sex life, but one he intended to keep just the same.

“You shouldn’t say such things,” she whispered against his
chest.

“Why?” He wanted her to answer with the truth, with a real
answer, instead she just shook her head.

“Because you don’t mean it.”

“Have I ever given you reason to believe I’m not a man of my
word?”

“No.” She shook her head. “But I’ve only known you for four
days.”

“Love isn’t measured by time.”

“Don’t say that word.”

“Why?” He pinned her beneath his gaze. “For the first time in
my life, my chest is bursting with emotion.”

“It’s impossible.”

“What? That I care for you?”

She nodded, but the stiffness in her body said there was more. More
than just the impossibility of his feelings standing between them.

“Whenever you’re ready to share your life with me, Angel, I’m
here. Until then, we’ll take my feelings as fact since I’m not the one living a
lie.”

She jerked back from him. Her eyes blazed with green fire. “What
did you say?”

“That I’m here for you.”

“Not that. The other.” Her tone was accusing and he wondered if
he’d pushed too far.

He sighed, cupped her jaw. “I’m not a fool. There’s more going
on than meets the eye. Fine. I can live with that until you’re ready to open up
to me, but don’t dismiss my feelings for you so easily, because that I won’t
put up with.”

She stared at him, awe in her eyes. Not once did she look as if
she considered telling him what was really going on, but what he saw reassured
him.

Angela loved him and eventually all would be right between
them.

Chapter Fourteen

BigBen
didn’t sign on to Day of Reckoning until almost midnight. Randi had spent the
last couple of hours trying to break into his system or to at least pull up
some type of identifying information. To no avail.

Which presented her with an entirely new kind of challenge. It
had been a long time since she’d wanted in and not been able to hack her way
into a system.

Like since she was a snotty-nosed kid herself.

Avery was wrong. This wasn’t some genius kid she was dealing
with.
BigBen
was a man. She knew it deep within her
gut.

Why would a gamer need such a security system?

Of course, her security system was just as impenetrable. Which
was her point entirely. No ordinary Joe Blow needed the firewalls this guy had
in place. Who was he?

The way his player teased hers, the things he implied juiced her
fruit and assured he was a man. She got the impression he enjoyed their online
battles as much as she did.

She’d created her cartoon-
ish
character semi in her image and programmed the image directly into the game, an
option available to all players and one
BigBen
had
also taken.

She liked the way he looked and odds were since most people
tended to choose hunkier versions of
them selves
, he
resembled the ruggedly handsome character. Bulky build, dark hair and eyes. Skin
tones were dark tan. Tall, dark, and dangerous. Just how she liked a man.

Well, add naked and devoted to her and she’d be a happy woman.

KissThis
:
What took you so long?

BigBen
:
Work.

KissThis
:
What kind of work?

BigBen
:
None
ya
.

Randi scowled. Of all the nerve.

Not that they’d ever had a conversation of personal nature before,
but tonight she wanted some clue as to who he was. She was willing to break
outside their normal routine of flirting amongst kicking each other’s ass to
find out.

KissThis
:
Ready to get your ass kicked?

BigBen
:
By who?

Ooooh
.

KissThis
:
You know who.

BigBen
:
I give you an “A” for effort, but we both know I’m better.

Better? Like hell he was.

An hour later, Randi found her player’s back against a corner,
with
BigBen
breathing down her throat. He was at full
strength. She was running low on time and energy.

She readied her player and ran through her gaming options. Her
only escape was through him, and he was too good a player to let that happen.

Damn. He was going to beat her. Again.

She hated to lose. Hated it with a passion.

Only instead of taking his victory, his player did something
impossible within the realms of the game.

He grabbed her player and kissed her.

Randi’s eyes widened, her mouth dropped, her nipples puckered
and she almost came on the spot.

He’d broken into Day of Reckoning and rewrote code. Rewrote the
program to allow him to kiss her player.

Damn,
he was good
.

But better?

Randi grinned and kneed
BigBen
in the
groin, then slit his throat. Ah, apparently, he hadn’t thought of everything
when he’d rewritten the program. Like that he should have disarmed the maiden
he chose to smooch upon before slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Not better, but damn he made her hot and bothered.

Particularly since she’d just won.

* * *

Avery curled into the corner of the sofa and watched Jude
finish off his eggs. Like everything else he did, her omelet had been perfect. Light,
fluffy, and melt in your mouth good.

Jude must have been even hungrier than her because he’d
devoured a huge plateful of bacon, eggs, and cinnamon toast. He sat his empty
plate onto the coffee table, then grinned.

“Like what you see?”

What woman wouldn’t? Jude was a
hottie
by any scale, but she suspected her attraction to him went much deeper than his
ripped abdomen and baby blues. She shrugged. “Would I be here if I didn’t?”

“You tell me.” His eyes blazed, challenging her to take up the
dare in his words.

Once again she got the impression he knew more about her than
she thought. Was it possible Mandy said something to make him suspicious? Not
that Mandy knew a thing about who Avery was, but Jude was a smart man. If Mandy
mentioned hiring a revenge for hire service, Jude might have put two and two
together and came up with one new temp.

“No.” She didn’t elaborate, just drew her knees to her,
enjoying how his eyes followed the way her shirt bunched at her hips. His shirt.

“You’ll stay the night?”

Avery’s eyes met his. Hadn’t they already discussed this? Well,
not specifically. Her head told her to run while she could, but a stronger
force demanded she savor every second she had with Jude. Tomorrow everything
would change. Everything. “Do you want me to?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “I want to wake up with
you in my bed.”

She didn’t smile, but her insides erupted with pleasure. Silly
because he just wanted her for sex, despite what he said. Which was fine. That’s
all she wanted him for, too. “Then I’ll stay.”

“Tomorrow night?”

Saliva pooled in her mouth but she refused to tell-tale swallow.
Refused to dwell on the fact that tomorrow night she’d be in Nashville, not
Manhattan.

“I don’t make plans, Jude.”

He looked intrigued. “No?”

“No.”

“Funny.” A low laugh sounded from his throat. “I had you pegged
as someone who would plan every detail.” Which hit way too close to home. “Why
not?”

What could she say? Not the truth, that tomorrow his world
would fall apart and she’d move on to the next mark. “There’s something to be
said for living life day to day.”

He laughed and she wondered what he’d seen on her face. “Something
good or bad?”

“Both,” she admitted. “But I meant good.” She rubbed her hands
over her legs, not liking the amused light in his eyes. Like he saw right
through her and knew he made her insides quiver, made her long for things she
shouldn’t want. Time to regain control.

She held a steady expression and met his gaze. “I’ve been
upfront. I’m not looking for a relationship, and we have no future. I’m here
for the sex and nothing more. If that doesn’t work for you, I should leave.”

“Let me get this straight,” he scratched his head, “you’re
using me for sex?”

Finally he understood. “Precisely.”

He looked thoughtful. “Probably not the first time I’ve been
used for sex, but the first someone’s told me so.”

“Do you tell women you’re using them for sex?”

He shrugged. “Not in so many words, but I don’t give them
reason to believe I want more than sex.”

She shot him a dubious look.

“Except for you.” His eyes bore into her. “I want more than sex
from you, Angel.”

“I thought we decided not to go back to that.”

A brown brow rose. “Did we?”

“Yes.”

He watched her from the other end of the sofa, making her feel
as if she were under investigation. “Why does it make you so nervous that I
care for you?”

She snorted. “Because you are full of hot air, and I don’t want
to get caught up in such nonsense.”

He laughed, ran his fingers through his tuft of dirty blond hair.
“I can’t believe I’m sitting here trying to convince a woman I care about her.”

She didn’t speak.

“I want to see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be at the office.”

“Outside of work,” he clarified. “I want to spend tomorrow
night with you. The whole weekend.”

He wanted to spend the weekend with her? She’d be gone. Tomorrow.

“Just for the sex,” he added, grinning impishly.

She shook her head, refusing to be tempted by the lure of his
devilishly tempting dimples. “Impossible.”

“Why?”

She bit the inside of her lip. She’d almost said because she
was leaving town. Telling Jude the truth would be insane. Not that she really
believed he’d try to find her, but taking a risk like that bordered on insane.

“I already have plans.” She stared at the framed snapshot photo
of Jude’s parents. What kind of playboy kept a photo of his mom and dad in his
living room?

“Break them.”

“Not all plans are easily broken.” Which was so true her heart
ached with the gravity of it.

“Whatever your plans are, surely they can be put off?”

She shook her head. TGEA was her life. Her family. Had been
since college. She wouldn’t betray her friends. Not for a man. Not for
anything.

He looked disappointed. “I won’t see you all weekend?”

“It’s unlikely, but we’ll see.” Better to go for vague in hopes
he’d drop the subject.

He waggled his brows. “As in, we’ll see each other?”

She rolled her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. “You never
give up, do you?”

 
“When it’s something I
want as much as I want you?” His grin turned lethal. “Never.”

* * *

Avery woke to the sound of Jude whispering in her ear.

“Time to wake up, gorgeous,” his baritone stroked her senses, teasing
Avery from a dreamy land where she was wrapped in the warmth of Jude’s embrace,
“or we won’t have time for breakfast.”

Under normal circumstances, she enjoyed mornings. Having had
sex with Jude repeatedly during the night did not leave this morning falling
into the category of normal circumstances. Despite her vigorous exercise
regimen, muscles ached she hadn’t known she had.

Would she even be able to walk?

She opened an eye and found him grinning down at her.

“Not a morning person, I take it?”

She didn’t bother to explain. Somehow she doubted he’d believe
her. At the moment being a morning person was the last thing to appeal. Perhaps
waking in bed with a wonderfully sexy man was the cure for being a morning
person, because she wanted nothing more than to snuggle next to him all day.

“You want to shower first?” He dropped a kiss onto her nose. “I
could go out and rustle us up some coffee and bagels.”

Go out? Today was Friday. Jude couldn’t go out. Not yet. He
might see what she didn’t want him to see until he had to because once he did
he wouldn’t be smiling. Sure, it was her job to make sure he did see, eventually,
but not first thing this morning. No harm would come by enjoying each other’s
company a little bit longer before his life fell apart.

She bit into her lower lip, then forced a smile. “No. Don’t go.
We’ll stop for something after we pick up some clean clothes for me.”

Jude traced his finger over the curve of her neck, her
collarbone. “You sure? I don’t mind making a run for food.”

Avery stretched, easing some of the soreness from her limbs. She
rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around Jude’s neck. “If you left, I’d
mind very much.”

“Oh?”

She definitely had his attention. Proof was pressing into her
belly.

“I thought perhaps we could share that shower you mentioned. You
know, you wash my back, I’ll wash yours.” She kissed him. “Do our part to save
water.”

“A conservation gal? I like that,” he murmured, taking their
kiss deeper. Deeper still. “We better get up, or we’ll have to forego the
shared shower.”

Avery stared at him, knowing she wore a goofy, hazy look. “Why?”

“There’s only one condom left.”

Her eyes opened wide. Only one? She counted back in her mind. Only
one.

Of course, five minutes ago she’d been too sore to even
consider sex. Now her brain reminded that if she ever wanted to have Jude
inside her again, it was now or never. She wanted. Badly.

Enough that she didn’t care if she walked funny for the rest of
the week. She needed. Badly.

She threw back the covers, laced her hand with his, and
shivered.

Jude’s gaze darkened, lowered to her puckered nipples that
reacted to the loss of the warm cocoon within the blanket.

She didn’t speak, just tugged. He stood and followed her to the
bathroom. She got the feeling he’d follow her anywhere at the moment. It was a
heady sensation.