Seduced by the Night (8 page)

The minute she said it, she knew it was a mistake. Instantly, his eyes narrowed. "And how, exactly, did Mr. Adams come to be here at this particular time, anyway? Awfully convenient if you ask me."

"No one asked you," Dirk answered abruptly, walking into the room.

"You just
happened
to be in the neighborhood?"

"No, I made it a point to be in the neighborhood. You see, I had some concerns about what you thought would be adequate security."

Miles's
chin rose in indignation. "I'll have you know that I hired the finest agency in town."

"Then you should get your money back. And don't bother hiring someone else. From now on, I'll protect Beth."

Beth
? It sounded like a pet name and
Bethany
didn't know if Dirk had used it without thinking—or if he'd done it on purpose to annoy Miles. Either way, Miles was irritated.

"/ will see to
Bethany
's
protection, t
hank
you."

"How? They've broken into both your lab and her home. The bodyguard you hired couldn't fight them off. So tell me, exactly, how do
you
plan to protect her?"

"I will hire an army of bodyguards to be with her around the clock and I'll increase the security at the lab. When she's not at work, she'll stay with me. I live in a well-guarded penthouse suite and my place is close to the lab, so she won't have far to commute."

The announcement caught
Bethany
off guard and she stared at Miles in surprise. She was not ready to move in with him and was wondering how to break the news to him when Dirk beat her to it.

"First of all,
Beth
should stay as far from the lab as she can until this is over. Second, these terrorists are highly skilled and dangerous. Your high security penthouse suite will be nothing more than a minor obstacle to them."

"Really?" Miles asked sardonically.

"We've already seen the quality of protection you hire," Dirk continued. "Hiring new guards will only get more people killed—possibly even Beth. I won't allow that."

"When it comes to
Bethany
, you have no say in anything that concerns her."

"I do now. She's coming with me to Admiral Winslow's estate. We have plenty of room and it's the last place anyone will look for her."

Miles gasped. "Are you suggesting that
my
fiancee
move in with
you
! I refuse."

A dark gleam came into Dirk's eyes as he moved closer to Miles, causing the older man to instinctively step back. "You misunderstand—I'm not asking permission. I'm telling you how it's going to be. She's coming with me because I
can
protect her. You had your chance and fucked it up."

Bethany
watched
Miles's
face grow so red with anger that she worried he might have a stroke. The two men were standing toe to toe and
Bethany
wanted to bash then-heads together. As they continued to glare at each other, she took advantage of their silence.

"First of all, both of you can stop acting like I'm not here. I don't appreciate it. Second, nobody tells me what I will and will not do, understood?" She raised her chin defiantly as two sets of eyes, one blue and one brown, turned to her.

"Miles, you're right. I need to keep working on the project and I fully intend to do so. And your place
is
closer to the lab." She ignored the look of triumph that spread across his face and put a hand up to stop Dirk when he opened his mouth to protest. "But it's not safe, so I'm going to move into the admiral's place until this is over."

"
Bethany
, there's no need for this," Miles hurriedly protested. "I'll hire a dozen bodyguards. Hell, I'll hire two dozen, but you will not live with this man, do you understand me?"

She shook her head. "No, Miles. I don't need two dozen bodyguards—I only need Dirk." Her cheeks began to burn the second she realized what she'd said. Hurrying on, she tried to explain to Miles what she meant. "You may not realize it, but Dirk has been acting as my bodyguard for the last several days. Haven't you?" She pinned him with a look. "I didn't realize it at the time, but there have been other attempts. Last night in the parking garage, for instance. And how many others?"

Dirk clenched his jaw shut and refused to answer.

"That's okay. I know there were other attempts." She turned back to Miles. "In trying to respect your wishes, he only stepped in when Mr.
Yarbro
failed to do his job, which was happening a lot." She took a step closer to Miles and laid her hand on his chest. "I know you only want what's best for me and if that means living at the admiral's, then that's what I should do."

She counted on
Miles's
intelligence to see past his jealousy to the bigger picture. She wasn't wrong. "Very well,
Bethany
. If that's what you want." His petulant tone let her know how much he didn't like the idea.

"It's not about what I
want
, Miles. It's about doing the smart thing." She smiled up at him and placed a kiss on his cheek, which seemed to make him feel better. When she glanced at Dirk and saw his scowl, she couldn't help but wonder what, exactly, she was getting herself into.

"Pack enough to stay for several days," he told her. "If you need something from the other room, I'll get it for you."

Hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake, she packed  the clothes she'd laid out and turned back to the dresser. Practical in every other aspect of her life,
Bethany
had a penchant for lacy, barely there matching bras and panties. Stuck wearing a unisex lab coat all day, they were the only things that allowed her to feel feminine.

Having a set for almost every outfit, she riffled through her collection of undergarments to find the ones that went with the outfits she was taking and tossed them on the bed. Down to selecting the final set, she pulled her brand-new deep purple see-through
demi
-bra and panties from the drawer. With them dangling from her hand, she turned to the suitcase and stopped. Heat suffused her cheeks when she saw both Miles and Dirk staring at her.

Miles looked outraged that she would dare display her undergarments so publicly, especially with another man in the room. The intensity of his gaze, however, was nothing compared to that of Dirk's. Sheer raw, animal hunger burned there, sending a thrill of excitement racing through her, leaving her feeling terribly confused because she wasn't the kind of woman to feel strong passions; it was a flaw in her genetic makeup.

Frowning at both men, she shoved the clothing into her suitcase and closed it. Grabbing a second, smaller case, she packed her toiletries.

"Ms.
Stavinoski
," Detective
Boehler
said, walking into the room with Mac. "Where can I reach you?"

"She'll be staying with us," Dirk answered.

If the detective seemed surprised, he didn't show it. "Fine. I'll contact you there if I have any questions."

"Is that it?" Dirk asked, nodding to the two suitcases as he took a step toward them.

She looked around the room, giving it a final inspection. When her gaze fell on her little clown sitting on the bookcase, she grabbed it. The doll had been a gift from her grandmother many years ago and was a memento of happier times. She wasn't about to leave it behind. Refusing to meet either man's gaze, she placed the doll in her purse. "That's everything," she said, finally risking a glance at Dirk. Instead of the amusement she expected to see at her show of sentimentality, there was an unexpected flash of warmth and understanding. Then, gesturing with his head that she should precede him from the room, he picked up both of her suitcases and followed.

Thirty minutes later,
Bethany
sat in the front seat of
Miles's
car, staring at the taillights of the gold-tone
Humvee
Mac was driving, without really seeing them. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't at first notice
Miles's
silence or the glaring looks he shot her. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"As a matter of fact, I said quite a few things, until I realized you weren't listening."

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. "This evening was traumatic. I keep seeing Mr.
Yarbro's
body in my mind and wondering if I could have done something to save him."

Miles sighed, the anger draining from him as he reached across the seat and took her hand in his. "I'm an insensitive jerk. Of course you're upset about what happened this evening, but don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

His words were an eerie echo of Dirk's, but they left her feeling far less reassured. She knew he meant well, so she gave him a grateful smile and then turned to gaze out the window.

They were out in the country and the sun was beginning to rise.
Bethany
felt as if she were in a different world. She watched the open pasturelands pass by and was just beginning to wonder how far out in the country Admiral Winslow lived when the brakes of the
Humvee
lit up. It turned onto a drive partially hidden behind a line of trees edging the road.

The mansion, for that's truly what it was, loomed before them. Two rows of huge, ancient oaks trees graced the front drive, reminding Bethany of Oak Alley in
Louisiana
.

All three cars pulled to a stop in front and
Bethany
, feeling suddenly awkward, hesitated before getting out. Was she doing the right thing in staying with these people when she didn't even know them?

Miles came around and opened the door for her, helping her out. She held his hand, grateful to have him with her, and he seemed to like her show of attention, laying his other hand on top of hers before turning to face Mac and Dirk who joined them, each carrying one of Bethany's suitcases.

'This way," Mac said, walking to the front door. He opened it and, looking back once to make sure they followed, led the way inside.

As soon as
Bethany
stepped into the foyer, she was overwhelmed by the old-world charm that greeted her. Admiral Winslow and
Lanie
walked up to greet them, offering warm smiles and words of welcome. Mac set the suitcase he carried by the door and gave his wife a kiss.