Seduction in Session (31 page)

He stared at her outstretched hand. “Lara, we need to talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She stared at the paper on the table. He could take it or leave it. She no longer cared. She wondered how long it would be before she cared about anything again. “I’m going to call a cab. Our business is done.”

She started toward the door, but his hand shot out, gripping her wrist and whirling her around to face him.

“There is nothing businesslike about this and you’re not leaving. If you think for one second I’ll let you set foot outside without me, then you haven’t been paying attention the whole time we’ve known each other.”

The whole time. She’d known him less than a week and yet she had the feeling he would haunt her for the rest of her life. How had he gotten so close to her in such a short time?

Well, of course. That had been a setup, too. “There was no Niall.”

His face lost a bit of color. “No.”

Somehow that was the cruelest cut of all. Losing Niall had hurt. Not in the way losing Connor cut to the bone, but they’d bonded that night when he’d held her while she cried.

Over him.

“You’re a bastard.”

“Yes.”

“Let go of me.” She struggled in his grip.

“No.” He drew her close. “I can’t. If I let go, you’ll disappear and I can’t let that happen. I forgave you for lying to me last night. Don’t I deserve the same?”

The utter hypocrisy hit her like a slap upside the head. “Everything you’ve ever said to me is a lie.”

“Not everything.”

“Let me go. I’m not doing this with you, Sparks.” She wasn’t going to call him Connor again. Too intimate. He’d pretended to care about her, to love her. It had been nothing but a cleverly crafted ploy designed to make her open her doors and let him inside. “You’ve got what you want and now I’m leaving. And you know what? I don’t forgive you, not for any of it. I hope you rot in hell.”

“That’s not like you. You’re angry, but you don’t mean a word you’re saying. When you calm down, we can talk. But don’t think for a second that I’ve gotten what I want out of this. If I had what I wanted, you would be back in bed and neither one of us would be thinking about a thing except pleasing each other.”

“You must be really hard up to need sex from your mark. Next time, find a prostitute. At least she’ll get paid.”

“I won’t need a prostitute, princess. I’ll have a wife. I believe I did mention we’re getting married. Just because you’re not happy about how we met doesn’t change a damn thing.”

“Not happy about how we met? Are you crazy? You lied to me and used me and made me look like a fool.”

“I lied to you, yes. But I made love to you and I saved your life twice. You’re only a fool if you think you can brush me off now. I don’t know what Roman did, but I’ll fix it. I will handle it. You will go back and pick up that piece of paper. Then we’re going to your place to pick up Lincoln and some of your things and we’ll stay at my house until everything is sorted out. You and Everly can work on the Natalia situation.”

Of course. He knew Everly Parker because she was engaged to his very good friend Gabe Bond. “She lied to me, too. I’m not working
with her because I’m done with this investigation. And I’m done with you. Go to hell.”

“I’m already there.” He backed her up against the wall, looming over her like a really gorgeous grim reaper. “Did your dad tell you all about me? Did he tell you about growing up in a single-wide with a village bicycle for a mother? Did he tell you I attended one of the world’s best prep schools on a scholarship and I showed up in jeans that were two inches too short for me because dear old Mom spent her money on drugs instead of little things like clothes and food for her kid? Did he tell you I kill for a living? Am I not good enough for you now that you know who I really am?”

She pushed at his chest. “Are you actually trying to play on my sympathy? Screw you. I don’t care that you grew up poor. I care that you grew up to be such a massive asshole.”

He stopped, staring down at her, and then the bastard threw back his head and laughed.

She shoved at him again, but he wouldn’t move. “Stop laughing at me. Is that what you’ve been doing the whole time? Did you laugh at the idiot who thought she was fighting the good fight? Did you and your friends get together and marvel over how stupid one girl could be?”

He was a hunk of unmoving granite. His arms wound around her and he pulled her in. “You are not an idiot and you do fight the good fight. And if any of my friends laugh at you, it’s because you’re charming and funny and they’ll be better for knowing you, princess. I really did contact you because you had a link to Natalia. But I stayed for you.”

That didn’t even deserve a reply. She simply scoffed and pushed at him again.

“Look, I don’t know what Roman did, but I’m the one who gave him the power to do it so I’ll be the one to fix it. I admit I have been trying to manipulate you but you don’t fall for any of my tricks so I’ll just say it. I’m sorry. I might have come in with selfish intentions, but everything changed when I got to know the real you. I even had thoughts of trying to shut you down in the beginning, but I understand now and
I’ll fight for you. I’ll fight my friends for you. They’re the only family I have, but I’ll risk it for you and you alone.”

That soft spot in Lara’s heart wanted to believe him. But she wasn’t about to fall for the same tricks again. “Well, you tried to destroy my family so I don’t really care about yours. Just get out of my face and out of my life.”

“Lara, c’mon. This isn’t like you. I understand that I’ve put you in a corner and hurt your pride, and you can’t know how sorry I am for doing it. But the Lara I know cares about people and relationships too much to throw them away. Once you’ve had a chance to calm down and think this through, you’ll see that you belong with me.”

“I’ll see that you go to jail if you don’t let me out of here, Connor. I don’t care who your friends are. You can’t force me to stay in this room against my will.”

He paused. “Where are you going?”

“Home. Alone.”

“That’s exactly what the Russians would love to have happen. Then they can take you out easily.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t believe there are any Russians. You’ve lied about virtually everything. You probably set that up, too, in order to gain my trust.”

“The Russians are real and they’ll try again. I won’t let them hurt you and I won’t let you put yourself in danger. You’re coming with me. If you want to call the cops, feel free. I’ll explain the situation to them. I’ll show them my credentials and have you in protective custody before you can blink.”

“Your credentials?”

“CIA, princess. I’m a high-level operative and I assure you if I want you in custody, I’ll have you there. I would rather not piss you off more than I already have, so please be reasonable.”

She thought it was perfectly reasonable to not want to be in the same space with the lying asshole. It was dangerous. Despite the fact that he’d conned her from the minute they’d met, her body didn’t care.
He’d trained her to respond to him, and his nearness made her skin heat. She felt as if her body had a memory of each and every time he’d kissed her, brought her to pleasure. She remembered and wanted him with an ache that was hard to deny.

Hard, but she was going to do it.

“Lara, it doesn’t have to be this way. No matter how we started, what’s between us is real and I won’t let you throw it away. Then again, you might not be able to, or have you forgotten last night?”

She sagged against the wall, the true horror of her situation hitting her. She could be pregnant. An hour ago, she’d wanted to be. Now carrying the child of the man who had deceived her seemed like the worst kind of punishment.

Still, a vision of a baby with Connor’s eyes swamped her.

Lara shoved down her tears. “We don’t know anything, but if I am, you won’t have anything to do with either of us.”

His hands tightened then relaxed, and he took a deep breath, stepping back. “So you’d deprive your child of a father to spite me? I hope the real Lara comes back very soon.”

That stung. “Yeah, well, I have to say I don’t much like the real Connor.”

He shrugged. “Not a lot of people do, princess. Is there any way I can convince you to eat?”

Why did he care? “I’m not hungry.”

He hadn’t reacted at all the way she’d thought he would. She’d expected him to snicker at her or shrug and walk away, maybe even get angry. She’d pushed his buttons just so she could provoke him. She’d actually physically pushed him. He’d still just held her tight.

“Do you want the coffee?” He held it out to her, his eyes steady, and she couldn’t help but think about what it had meant for a poor kid from a trailer park to go to a prep school without the proper clothes. He stood there holding the stupid coffee like he was waiting for her acceptance, and she could see the little boy lurking under the man.

“Only because I’m addicted to caffeine.” She took the brew out of his hand and didn’t miss his grateful smile. “But I’m going to cut down on it. I’m going to kick the habit because it’s bad for me.”

“Not all addictions are bad for you.”

She would have to disagree. “I want to go home.”

“I can watch you better at my place.”

“Or you’re just bored because you’ve already stolen all my secrets, Mr. Spy.”

He picked up the paper and opened the door for her. “Well, then you can steal some of mine. Did you think of that?”

She lifted her chin. “I don’t steal things.”

“I can think of something you’ve stolen.”

Lara rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t say that. That is so corny if you were talking about your heart.”

He blushed a little. “I told you I was bad at the romance thing.” He stopped her before she could make it out the door. “I don’t want to lose you, Lara.”

“You already did.” She ducked under his arm and stood by the bike.

She drank her coffee in silence. He was furiously texting on his phone. She could only guess he was telling all his friends the game was over and they could go home soon. When she was done with her liquid caffeine, he took the cup and threw it away for her.

He settled the helmet on her head and started to secure the strap. She couldn’t help but notice the lines around his eyes and the careful way he cinched her in.

“Why don’t you take the helmet?”

His eyes met hers. “Because you’re more important. I know you don’t want to touch me, but you have to hold on. If you would rather, I can call a friend to come out and pick us up. It would take an hour or so, but he could bring a car.”

And they would be stuck in that motel room together. No, thanks. She didn’t trust her traitorous body parts to not jump him.

He got on the bike and held out a hand. She ignored it but she wouldn’t be reckless with her safety. She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his lean waist. He fired the engine up and took off.

And she finally let herself cry.

C
onnor held the elevator open and gestured for Lara to go through. Helpless. He felt completely and utterly helpless. She’d been crying and he wanted to hold her. At least while they’d been on the bike, she’d had to wrap her arms around him. Now that they’d arrived at her place, he felt the loss of her touch. She was always caressing him, putting her hand in his or leaning closer. She was normally a creature of affection. Now she’d totally shut down. He hadn’t realized how much he’d come to rely on her affection.

He could see the red stain to her eyes and it damn near killed him.

“Thank you.” She stepped out and frowned. “Oh, wow. It looks like your friends are here. I guess they all have keys, thanks to you. I suppose I’ll move now that the neighborhood’s gone to hell. Thank god Freddy bugged out or he’d have a heart attack.”

Connor peered down the hall and cursed under his breath. Two men in black suits stood sentry outside Lara’s door. He’d noticed a man outside the lobby, but there were always guys in dark suits in D.C. These two, however, meant one thing and one thing only.

Zack was here.

Damn, Elizabeth had worked fast. When he’d found out what Roman had done, he’d decided to play dirty. The fastest most expedient way to get Lara’s site back online wasn’t to argue with Roman because he only really listened to Zack. And Connor knew the way to reach Zack wasn’t through Roman. No, it was through pretty, blond Elizabeth, his press secretary. The lovely woman had been Zack’s friend for years, but in the last few months Connor had noticed Zack watched her like a hungry predator when she wasn’t looking. His stare followed her constantly, and the minute she asked him to do something, the most powerful man in the world tripped over his Prada loafers to get it done.

“I didn’t exactly invite anyone. Well, Dax. You’ll like Dax. He’s been . . .” Maybe he shouldn’t explain how Dax was involved.

Lara stopped, her sneaker tapping. “He’s been what?”

“He’s a great guy. My best friend.” Now that she was about to meet him, Connor was unaccountably nervous. What if she didn’t like his friends? They could be a lot to take, especially since Roman and Zack were on opposite sides of certain political issues from Lara.

“What has he been doing, Connor? Why is he in my apartment? I get why the president is in there. He’s here to completely ruin my life, so why is your bestie hanging out? Did you need a couple of witnesses to complete my humiliation?”

He kept his temper under a tight rein. He knew she wanted him to get violent or mean so she could walk away without a single regret. He wasn’t giving her that easy out. He wasn’t giving her any out at all. “There will be no humiliation. Roman and I will have a talk and the problem will go away. I’ll make him understand. You don’t have to be afraid of Zack. He’s a good man.”

“I don’t know about that. From where I’m sitting, he’s kind of a dick.” Her chin firmed and a stubborn look lit her eyes as she strode past him.

Shit. She was in protest mode. He’d seen that tilt to her chin
whenever she believed something unfair was going on in the world and only she could fix it.

She marched right up to the Secret Service agents. “Am I no longer allowed in my own apartment? I am a tax-paying citizen of the United States of America and you are keeping me from my rightful property. I want you to know that I firmly intend to both sue and protest you.”

The agent on the right’s lips fluttered up, and there was no way Connor missed how his eyes traced over her. He touched his earpiece. “Sir, I believe she’s here. You said she was a cute pain in the ass. There is definitely a cute pain in the ass out here right now. Of course. You sure I shouldn’t check her for weapons?”

“That would be an illegal search,” Lara countered.

Connor stepped in behind her. “If you give her a pat down, it’s the last time your hands will function.”

“I can defend myself,” Lara shot back.

The agent winked at her, then he opened the door and let them in. Connor memorized his face because he might have to kill the man. It would likely make him feel a whole lot better.

Lara entered her apartment with a judgmental finger pointing, just looking for a target. She immediately found one. Roman stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand. His supercool, nothing-ever-fazed-him eyes widened as Lara stalked closer. She was a good foot shorter and Roman had a hundred pounds of muscle on her, but he took a step back.

“You unholy ass. Get out of my house. Now. And put down that coffee. That coffee is fair trade coffee and you shouldn’t be allowed to drink it. You should drink evil coffee. How dare you think you can break into my house and blackmail my father, then drink my coffee? I’ll call the police and they will throw you out, and how is that going to look on the evening news? And who the hell are you?” She turned as Dax was walking out of her bedroom, Lincoln in his arms. The little dog perked up.

“I’m Dax.”

“You’re trespassing.”

Dax set Lincoln down and came back up grinning. “It’s so nice to actually meet you. Congratulations on your engagement.”

Connor shook his head, trying to give Dax the “Stop, go no further” sign.

Lara turned back to him. “You told them?”

“I was happy about it.”

She stopped and stared at him. “How could you tell them?”

He nodded. “They’re my best friends. I wanted them to know.”

She stood there for a moment, her mouth slightly open, and it was obvious he’d surprised her. Had she thought his proposal was some ruse? Had she thought he would leave when the job was over and not see her again?

She turned back to Dax. “Why are you in my apartment? I know what the douche bag in the bad suit is doing. He’s the Grinch come to make sure all my Christmas ornaments are crushed.”

Roman frowned. “This is a three-thousand-dollar suit.”

Lara whirled on Roman. “Do you know how many hungry children that suit could feed?”

Roman put a hand on his suit as though protecting the precious material from Lara. “Um, none. They would likely get very sick if they ate this suit. Children aren’t supposed to eat wool.”

Connor stepped in behind her. The better to catch her if she decided to launch herself physically at one of them. “You have to forgive him. He’s very literal. Hello, Gabe, Everly. Zack.”

She gave a little gasp and turned toward her living room. He was pretty sure her eyes hadn’t widened because of Gabe and Everly. Her stare fell straight to Zack. He stood in back of the room, a little smile on his face as if the whole thing amused him.

Everly moved across the living room and enveloped Lara in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re all right. God, I got so scared when I realized those Russians were after you last night. Of course realizing Connor was
there pretty much scared me, too. I still haven’t heard a reasonable explanation of how he knew to follow us.”

Connor watched as Lara froze, but Everly didn’t let up. She talked about how Gabe had screamed at her and how she hadn’t slept for worrying about Lara. And slowly, gradually, Lara’s arms wound around Everly.

“I was fine,” Lara said. “Just a little scared. I got what we needed. Well, what you need.”

Everly pulled back slightly. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I didn’t know you. All I knew was that you ran a tabloid and I hadn’t even read it. I’m afraid I walked into this prejudiced against you.”

Lara nodded. “I’m not that kind of tabloid.”

“I know that now. And I’m so sorry I only took out the one assassin.”

Lara gave her an encouraging smile and a pat on the arm. “Don’t be down on yourself. You were amazing. You totally shot one of them.”

Roman moved in next to him as Lara continued to praise her partner in crime. “I thought she was a pacifist.”

Just watching her gave him a warm feeling. “She is but she’s also a pathological cheerleader.”

Lara proved his point by holding Everly’s hand and continuing her praise. “Connor didn’t even manage to take one of them out and he’s supposedly some sort of superspy. Though he lies a lot. You’re way tougher than him.”

“I was busy protecting you,” he pointed out.

Lara ignored him. “Thanks for helping me, Everly. I really appreciate it. I wish you hadn’t lied, though.”

“The guys thought you wouldn’t cooperate if you knew who Connor was. I probably just would have bought you a drink and had a talk with you, but the guys are all about subterfuge. I think they missed something in their childhood. Too much prep school.”

“You’re a bad influence, Parker,” Connor scolded with a grin. Maybe Dax was right and letting the girls bond was a good thing. Lara was very loyal to her friends.

“She is not.” Lara took the bait, stepping in between them.

“Oh, she’s a terrible influence,” Gabe said with a grin. “But then I think you might be, too, Armstrong. I’m pretty sure this group doesn’t do calm, sweet women.”

“Lara’s sweet,” Connor corrected with a sly grin.

She blushed and shook her head, obviously flustered at the double entendre. He still had a chance with her if he could make her blush like that. He looked at her across the room and willed all the heat he felt into his eyes, hoping she could see his desire there.

Their gazes locked for a long, electric moment and then she broke away. Her arms crossed over her chest but it certainly wasn’t cold in the room. She never could hide her reaction to him, and he’d curse the day she figured out how to.

“Ms. Armstrong, I was hoping you would do me a very great favor,” Zack said, stepping up to the group for the first time. He was dressed casually for Zack. Designer slacks, Prada loafers, a cashmere sweater over a snowy white dress shirt and tie. The only time Zack didn’t wear a tie was when he was jogging.

Lara frowned at the president of the United States. “I don’t owe you any favors, Mr. President. I’ve done everything for you I possibly will. You should know that while I will honor our deal and stay out of politics, you can’t force me not to vote. It’s my legal right and my moral responsibility, and I have to say after today, I won’t be voting for you.”

Zack’s brows rose. “You see, Roman. You did this. You cost me a vote.”

“Will you please just tell her? This is the second time today I’ve had one of your women verbally beat the hell out of me. It was easier when everyone was single and all our arguments were settled with a couple of punches thrown and a round of beers. This whole new thing of setting the women on a man is bullshit,” Roman grumbled.

“If I’d known what you’d done, you would have had all three of us
on your ass,” Everly added, then she regarded Lara. “We women have to stick together. It’s the only way to survive this group.”

“Ms. Armstrong, may I call you Lara since it seems we’ll be family soon?” Zack asked in that oh-so-polite way of his.

“You can call me Lara because that’s my name. I’m not marrying Connor.”

“Yes, you are.” He would take a page from Roman’s playbook. Often when something negative came up about Zack, Roman just denied and denied and rewrote the story until everyone simply believed him because it was easier than arguing.

“No . . .” Lara took a deep breath and turned back to Zack. “What else do you want from me? Tell me so I can figure out what it will take for you, your friends, and your security team to leave.”

Zack turned on the charm. He reached for her hand and put it between both of his. His gaze focused on Lara and softened. There was a reason he’d gone into politics. “Would you please serve as an emissary from me to your father? I need to apologize to him for the actions of my chief of staff.”

“I can apologize myself,” Roman said in a grumpy tone.

“You’re horrible at apologizing. I’m quite good.” Zack’s stare never left Lara. “Roman thought he was protecting me. That’s his only excuse. Please let your father know that whatever information we have on him will never be used against him. We’ll destroy it immediately. The last thing I want is for a good man to leave the Senate. We have so few of them.”

“And the website?” Connor wanted to make sure Lara got everything she wanted. “She took Capitol Scandals down.”

“Lara is free to do as she pleases. No one in this room will reveal her identity or strongarm her into shutting down again, though, please, if you don’t mind, could you stop running the stories on the size of my . . .” He cleared his throat. “While flattering, I find it takes away from serious politics.”

Lara shook her head. “You would be surprised how many women those stories bring in. I actually have data that women who read stories about the size of your penis or your sexual prowess go on to read more substantial stories forty-five percent of the time, and they become regular commentators.”

Connor didn’t like the way she was looking at Zack. Her eyes had widened and her hand was still in his. She was looking up at him like he was some kind of rock star. Zack had movie-idol looks. He wasn’t covered in scars. Zack was suave and didn’t have any trouble being romantic. Would Lara forgive him if he was more like Zack? Would Lara prefer Zack?

He moved in and snatched her hand out of his. “She won’t think about your penis anymore.”