Deadly Intuition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 2) (8 page)

Stu’s dilapidated gray van was pulling away from Sophie’s house when Grady pulled up. Grady waved distractedly, killing his engine, ultimately pocketing his keys as he exited the truck.

Sophie’s car was parked in front of the house, with Finn’s SUV sitting idly a few feet behind it. The sight of their cars together was enough to push Grady over the edge – although he had no idea why. It was just so … cozy.

He stalked to the front door, banging on it loudly. Sophie opened it a few seconds later, her face registering surprise when she caught sight of him. “Oh. I thought you were Stu coming back because he forgot something.”

Grady pushed his way into the house, ignoring her mumbled protests, stalking through it until he found Finn sitting at the dining room table.

“Hey,” Finn greeted him, obviously not sensing his brother’s mood. “You finally showed up to work, huh?”

“I’m not technically working today,” Grady shot back.

“You always show up, though,” Finn replied. “I figured you’d want to see how the searches were progressing.”

The fact that Finn was focused on the computer and not him was only adding to Grady’s frustration. “Why are you here?”

“James wanted to make sure the house was secure,” Finn replied, his tone bland. “He told me to stay here until we had a plan of action.”

“We have a plan,” Grady replied, glancing over at Sophie. She was hovering in the hallway – wringing her hands nervously – watching him.

“What’s the plan?” Finn was still fixated on the computer. “Has James gotten anything from Maverick on the email backtrack?”

“Who is Maverick?” Sophie asked.

“He’s our computer guy,” Finn said. “He’s amazing.”

“His name is Maverick? Like from
Top Gun
?”

“It’s his hacker name,” Finn explained, smiling up at her. “That’s not his real name.”

For some reason, Grady wanted to wipe that smile right off his brother’s face. He was considering using his fists. “I think Maverick is still looking.”

Finn finally moved his gaze to Grady. “So, what’s the plan?”

“The plan is for you to go back to the office,” Grady said. “I’ll be finishing the day out here.”

Finn shrugged. “That’s not necessary. I’m already set up here. You can go do whatever it is you want to do. I’m happy here.”

“I said you can go.”

Finn’s eyes narrowed as he finally realized the depth of Grady’s bad mood. He glanced over at Sophie, who looked about as nervous as any one person could get. “What’s up?”

“I told you,” Grady said through gritted teeth. “I’m taking over security duty here. You can take the laptop back to the office and continue the searches there.”

“It’s Saturday,” Finn said.

“So?”

“So? So Mandy and James are going to be all smoochy and crap all day,” Finn said. “They’re cute, but they wear on me. I’ll be glad when she goes back to work. Then they’ll just smoochy at night – and I can avoid them at night.”

“I think they’re sweet,” Sophie said. “I like how comfortable they are with each other.”

“They’re definitely comfortable,” Finn agreed.

Grady stepped toward his brother. “Go to a coffee shop to work then. You can’t work here.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

Finn glanced between Grady and Sophie, realization dawning. “Oh.”

“Oh, what?” Sophie asked.

Finn shut the top of the laptop. “Sorry. I’ll get out of your way.”

“You don’t have to go,” Sophie said, shooting Grady a dark look. “I have no idea why your brother is being so rude. You’re welcome here.”

“Grady is right,” Finn hedged. “I have work to do. I’ll leave you to … whatever it is you have to do here.”

Sophie was clearly confused. “What are we doing here?”

Finn smiled. “I’ll um … catch up with you later, bro.”

“Bye.”

SOPHIE
turned on Grady as soon as Finn was gone. “What was all that about?”

Grady avoided her gaze. “He just had no business being here.”

“He was being nice.”

Grady couldn’t stop himself. He stalked toward her, his gaze predatory. “Maybe I don’t want him to be nice to you.”

Sophie took an involuntary step back. “What are you doing?”

Grady had closed the distance between them. “I’m finishing what we started last night.”

Sophie licked her lips nervously. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

That wasn’t a no.
“Shh.”

“Don’t shush me,” Sophie argued.

Grady ignored her as he backed her into the hallway wall, placing a hand on either side of her head, and pressing his body against hers. “Shh.”

Sophie’s eyes were filled with a bevy of emotions: Doubt. Need. Longing. “I don’t … .”

Grady lowered his mouth to hers, pressing their lips together. Last night’s kiss had been fraught with need. He wanted this kiss to be something else.

Sophie sank into the kiss, marveling at the taste of him as his tongue slipped into her mouth, probing. She sighed, giving in. Fighting him was harder than dealing with the consequences. It was just one time. She wanted that one time. She needed that one time.

Grady pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss. He flattened his body against hers, grinding so she could feel just how much he wanted this. Thoughts of tomorrow were tossed out of his mind. Thoughts of comfortable underwear were a distant notion. For now, he just wanted to see these underwear – and get them off of her as soon as possible.

Grady pulled away long enough to meet her gaze. “Where is your bedroom?”

Sophie’s breath was ragged. She couldn’t find words, so she pointed to the staircase. Grady gripped her hips and lifted her, letting her wrap her legs around him as he staggered to the steps.

It took some effort, but Grady finally managed to reach the top of the stairs. There were three different doors, but Grady was beyond caring which one was the right one. He pushed the first door open, relief washing over him when he caught sight of a bed.

“This is the guest bedroom,” Sophie rasped.

“It will do.”

Grady moved her to the bed, tipping her over so she was sitting on it. Then he dropped to his knees and pulled her tennis shoes off. He never moved his gaze from hers. He didn’t want to break the spell.

Grady ran his hands up her thighs, feeling them flex beneath his fingers. Sophie rubbed his arms, marveling at the muscles she felt coiling beneath his simple, cotton shirt. Grady reached up, tugging his T-shirt off, leaving his shoulder-length hair scattered in ten different directions.

Once his shirt was off, Sophie couldn’t help but suck in a breath. His skin was smooth, his chest bare. His muscles were well defined, like they were carved out of marble. She ran her hand over his chest, letting her fingers trail down his solid stomach and run over the six defined ridges poking out of his abdomen.

He moved in closer again, pressing his lips against hers. Sophie sighed, tugging him to her and letting her hands wander over his well-muscled back, climbing, until lodging into his hair.

The only sound in the room was their ragged breaths and the occasional moan – although it was impossible to tell which one of them was moaning at any given moment. Grady moved his fingers down to the snap on her jeans. She lifted herself so he could shimmy them down. Once they were off, he sucked in a breath at the sight of her simple, black thong. Fancy underwear. Not comfortable underwear. He was still safe.

Grady slipped off his boots before unbuttoning his own jeans, letting them drop to the floor and then kicking them out of the way as he kept his gaze focused on the panting brunette on the bed. He was wearing black, satin boxer shorts – but he left them on for the time being. If he took them off, he was worried he would lose all control. He wanted this to last.

Grady framed Sophie’s face with his hands, tipping her neck back so he could attack her mouth from a different angle. After a few minutes, he lowered his hands to the hem of her shirt, yanking it over her head with one tug and throwing it to the side.

Her bra was black and lacy, devoid of any padding. She didn’t need it. Her breasts were small – not too small – and they jiggled as he climbed on the mattress next to her. He laid her down, climbing on top of her so he could rub their bodies against one another.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her again.

Sophie sighed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Grady grinned. “I aim to please.”

“I’m still not sure this is a good idea.”

“Then don’t think about it.”

Grady captured her mouth with his, letting his hands roam over her breasts. He found the clasp in the front – thankfully – flipping the plastic button so the fabric could spring open and give him access to what he wanted to see.

Grady pulled the bra from her body, running a trail of small kisses down her neck and finally engulfing her small, pink nipple with his mouth. Sophie tangled her hands into his hair, relishing the soft strands as they brushed against her chest, arching upward and gasping at the tactile sensation.

Grady sucked and licked, grazing his teeth against the tender bud from time to time, all the while running his fingers over her other breast. After a few minutes, he moved his hand down to her panties, slipping it beneath the thin fabric and cupping her mound.

She ground her pelvis against his hand, her skin on fire from his touch. Grady kept his mouth secured onto her nipple as he rubbed her, enjoying the feeling of her wet opening. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Grady finally disengaged his mouth, drawing himself up to his knees. He slipped her panties down her thighs, his cock jumping in his boxer shorts when he caught sight of nirvana.

Sophie’s hands were at his waist now, tugging down his boxer shorts. He gave her a hand, kicking them off the bed haphazardly. Now they were both naked, laid bare for each other.

Sophie wrapped her hand around him, eliciting an appreciative groan from Grady. A thought occurred to him. “Please tell me you have protection.”

“In the bathroom,” she said, pointing back toward the hallway.

Grady slid off the bed, turning back to her briefly. “Don’t you dare move a muscle.”

It was too late to change her mind, Sophie realized. She wanted this. No. She needed this.

Grady was back in seconds, carrying the entire box of Trojans with him. Sophie couldn’t stifle her giggle. “Feeling pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“I just want to be prepared,” Grady said, grabbing one of the condoms from the box and ripping the wrapper off with his teeth. “We’ve got the whole day, after all. We’re going to need more than one.”

Once the condom was secure, Grady moved his hands under Sophie’s rounded behind and shifted her up on the bed until her head was resting against the pillows. He lowered himself to her slowly, trying to regain the fervent feeling from minutes before.

It wasn’t hard.

They were groaning and grinding against each other within seconds. Grady ran his hands up and down her thighs, forcing them wider. He positioned himself between her legs, pushing forward.

His size was impressive. His restraint was even more impressive, Sophie realized. He was going slow. Letting her get used to him. Letting her
feel
him. She cupped her hand around his neck, pulling his mouth back to hers. He entered her at the same time their tongues met, both of them moaning when he managed to slide all the way home.

Their movements were slight at first, jerky. They found their rhythm quickly, though, and Grady slid in and out of her at a medium pace. Sophie’s hands clutched at Grady’s back as he surged, tingles boiling in her belly.

Grady held on until he was sure she was coming, her fingers digging into his shoulders and her ardent cries of relief serving as the only hint he needed that she’d cruised over the edge. Then he joined her in the abyss.

They laid together after that, running their hands over each other in exploration, sharing a few soft and whispery kisses as their bodies melded. At a certain point, they did it again, more slowly this time. Then they did it again. And again. And, yes, then they did it again.

Morning light filtered in through the blue curtains, casting a shadowy pall over the room. Grady stirred, his body tired and sore – but in a good way. Next to him, Sophie was motionless.

He curled up behind her, running his hand over her naked back. He didn’t think he could muster the energy to go another round – but he was debating rising to the challenge, so to speak. They’d spent almost eighteen straight hours in bed – only taking a handful of breaks for nourishment.

Over the intervening hours – between rounds – they’d talked. Grady was even more infatuated with her now than he had been the previous day, if that was possible. She was funny, engaging, and oh-so sexy. She was also guarded, a stance he understood.

Sophie stirred next to him, stretching. She met his gaze with a sleepy one of her own. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s almost seven.”

Sophie shifted her hand over her mouth to hide a yawn. “I need to run to the office.”

That wasn’t what Grady wanted to hear. “Why?”

“I need to grab a few things,” she said. “I have a few more files there. It’s not a big deal.”

“I’ll go with you,” he offered.

“Why?”

“To make sure you’re safe.”

“I’m a big girl, Grady,” Sophie laughed, sitting up and sliding her legs over the edge of the bed. “I can run my own errands.”

Grady was confused. “I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just thought … .”

“What? That we would be joined at the hip now?”

Grady didn’t reply. Actually, he wasn’t sure how to reply.
Was that what he was expecting?

“You have a job to do,” Sophie reminded him. “So do I. We’re working together. You’re not my boss.”

“I didn’t say that,” Grady protested. Her attitude was starting to grate.

“This isn’t a relationship, Grady,” Sophie said. “It was … a nice time. A very nice time, don’t get me wrong. I’m not stupid, though. I know what this was for you. It’s a fling. I’m fine with that.  It is what it is.”

Grady frowned. She was being purposely cold. He’d done the same thing many an uncomfortable morning after over the course of the past few years. For some reason, her flippant response to eighteen of the best hours of his life was like a dagger to the heart. “Fine.”

Sophie stood, showing no embarrassment about her nudity. “I need to take a shower.”

“We should get breakfast,” Grady suggested, suddenly feeling desperate. “Before you run your errands, I mean.”

Sophie shrugged. “Okay. That sounds good. Those frozen dinners we ate last night didn’t really hit the spot.”

“You don’t have a lot of food around here.”

“I don’t eat here very often. I’m not really here all that often.”

The sterilized feel of the house was a testament to that fact. Still, she was giving him an out. Grady figured he’d better take it – if only to keep his pride intact. “Okay, let’s shower and get some breakfast.”

Sophie smiled. It was small and alluring, and Grady couldn’t help but return the gesture. “We should probably conserve water and do it together.”

“That would be best for the environment,” Grady agreed.

Sophie squealed as he chased her into the bathroom. This was perfect, Grady told himself. She didn’t want anything from him. She didn’t expect anything from him. No one was going to end up with a broken heart here.

This was for the best.

Then how come his heart didn’t quite believe that?

GRADY
strode into Hardy Brothers Security with a little added spring to his step. He pulled up short when he found James and Finn watching him.

“What?”

“Someone got lucky last night,” James teased.

“We haven’t seen him in twenty-four hours,” Finn said. “Someone got lucky all day yesterday, too.”

Grady shrugged. “So?”

James shook his head. “Nothing. You just look … rested.”

“I’m not falling for this game,” Grady said. “We had sex. It was good. It was really good.” Grady had no doubt that the grin washing over his face made him look silly. He was having trouble caring about how stupid he looked.

“And where is the comely Sophie now?” Finn asked.

Grady’s smile faded and was replaced with a scowl. “She said she had to go and pick something up from the newspaper.”

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

“She didn’t want me to,” Grady said. “She’s was all ‘I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself’. She said she could run her own errands.”

James barked out a laugh. “Annoying, isn’t it?”

“You have no idea.”

James turned back to his computer.

“Did you get anything on the names?” Grady asked.

“Not yet.”

“The problem is, we’ve got financials on a lot of them, but it’s a lot of paper to sort through,” Finn added.

“They’re not all guilty,” James said. “So we’re going to be running a lot of this and coming up empty. It’s a waiting game now. Busy work.”

“Well, let’s get busy,” Grady said. “We can order food and have a few beers while we’re working this afternoon. We’ll make a day of it.”

Grady was aware of what he was doing. He was keeping busy so his mind wouldn’t wander. Because, if it wandered, it was going to lead him right back to a certain bed – and that seemed like a mistake at this point.

MANDY
parked outside Hardy Brothers Security and glanced into the backseat of her car. She’d gone grocery shopping – since the apartment was practically barren and her appetite was back – but the thought of carrying everything upstairs by herself wasn’t exactly filling her with delight.

The sound of another car door closing caught her attention, causing her to glance over and find Sophie watching her. “Hi.”

“Hey. Do you need help getting that upstairs?”

“That obvious, huh? I was considering texting the boys and making them come out.”

Sophie glanced inside the car. “I think we can get that up there with only one trip. There’s no reason to bother them.” She shoved the files she was carrying into her purse and reached for several of the bags. “Load me up.”

Mandy led Sophie upstairs, both of them struggling with the heavy bags. Once inside the apartment, Mandy dropped her bags on the kitchen counter and then relieved Sophie of her load, giving her a chance to look around.

“This place is nice,” Sophie said. “I wouldn’t have expected it to be so … homey.”

“It is nice,” Mandy agreed. “It’s a little small, though.”

“You live here?”

“Not technically. I have an apartment in Clinton Township. I spend most of my nights here, though. It’s closer to work and just easier for James. We still spend the occasional night at my apartment, usually if we’re out shopping or having dinner in that area.”

Mandy pulled a pop out of the refrigerator and offered it to Sophie. She took it wordlessly.

“I just assumed you guys lived together,” Sophie said.

“I’m actually looking for a house,” Mandy replied. “I got an inheritance from my dad’s will a few weeks ago. I’m just starting the process. I haven’t even found a real-estate agent yet.”

“What happens then?” Sophie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Will James move into the house with you?”

Mandy shrugged. She’d be lying if she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “I guess we’ll just figure it out when it happens. It’s still down the line. It will be fine.”

Sophie popped the top on the soda, watching Mandy as she distributed the food items into various cupboards and the refrigerator. Once she was done, Mandy settled on a stool next to her and opened her own drink.

“So, tell me, what’s going on with you and Grady?”

Sophie stilled. “Nothing.”

“Oh, please,” Mandy scoffed. “You’ve obviously had sex.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You have
the look
,” Mandy said. “Plus, I knew what was on Grady’s mind when he left here yesterday. He was all flustered and mad. It was kind of funny.”

“You seem to know all of them pretty well.”

“Their sister was my best friend all through middle and high school,” Mandy said. “I spent a lot of time at their house.”

“But you didn’t date any of them back then?”

“I had a crush on James,” Mandy admitted. “He was too old for me then, though. When he graduated from high school, he went into the Marines and I just kind of let it go. You know, life moves on.”

“But you didn’t forget?”

Mandy giggled. “He’s hard to forget.”

“But, you’re happy, right?”

Mandy nodded. “I am.”

“And he is?”

“He acts like he is,” Mandy said, shrugging. “He’s hard to read sometimes. They all are. They’re typical men. Getting them to talk about their feelings is like pulling teeth. Why? Are you worried about Grady?”

Sophie shook her head. “No. It’s just a fling. It’s nothing.”

Mandy recognized the signs of denial when she saw them. She didn’t press Sophie on the issue. “You know what you need?”

“My head examined?”

Mandy laughed. “No. A girl’s night out.”

“You want to go out? It’s a Sunday.”

“We don’t have to tie one on,” Mandy said. “A few drinks at a bar would do us all some good. We can get away from the rampant testosterone.”

“Us all? Who do you have in mind?”

Mandy’s smile was wide. She had a few ideas – two, to be exact.