NINE
Like every other guy on the planet Tyler could think of a million other things he would rather do than sit around waiting while a woman went shopping for clothes. That she felt the need to parade each outfit in front of him wasn’t helping any, especially when it gave him an excuse to fill his mind with image after image of her body.
Leaning forwards on a velvet-covered chair, he rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the cream carpet while he crossed his jaw and mentally prepared for the next test of his self-control.
‘This neckline might be a little too low,’ her voice announced from beyond the curtain.
While he appreciated the warning he still felt the need to take a deep breath and blow it into his cheeks before exhaling. If she started modelling lingerie he would have to take a cold shower. The sound of curtain rings drawing across a rail lifted his gaze for a furtive glimpse of what was headed his way.
A
little
too low, she’d said?
The damn thing was practically at her navel.
All but painted onto her body, the black floor-length sleeveless dress plunged downwards from two thick straps on her shoulders. The globes of her spectacular breasts were barely contained, leading his gaze over the valley of her cleavage to the minuscule black band beneath and the tempting strip of skin beyond that.
She placed her hands on her hips and struck a come-and-get-me pose. ‘What do you think?’
It was a bit difficult to think anything when all the blood had rushed from his brain to a point in his body that was so painfully hard he had to stifle a groan.
Silently clearing his throat, he forced a response through tight lips. ‘It’s nice.’
She arched a brow.
‘Nice?’
Tyler frowned as he raised his chin and looked into her eyes. ‘What do you want me to say?’
‘Anything other than nice, fine or not bad would make a pleasant change.’ She took a deep breath that pushed her breasts forwards and loosened Tyler’s grip on his sanity. Then she bent forwards, lowered her gaze and wriggled her shoulders from side to side. ‘I’m a bit worried I might pop out of it.’
He sat up and ran his palms over his face. ‘How much longer do we have to do this?’
Raising her hands Miranda cupped her breasts as she straightened. By the time she looked at him Tyler had his hands in his lap to hide the evidence of what she was doing to him.
‘As long as it takes to get what I want...’ A decadent smile formed on her lips as she dropped her hands to her sides. She shrugged. ‘There’s a reason this is the last appointment on the schedule today. They’ll stay open late for me if I need them to. They’re awfully good about that and I do love to shop.’ Turning, she looked over her shoulder and asked, ‘How does it look from the back?’
Like endless miles of flawlessly tanned skin he wanted to touch to discover if it was as soft as it looked. He’d start with his hands, then his mouth, would retrace the path they took with his tongue and blow gently on the wet surface to raise goose-bumps while he raised her skirt and...
‘I was worried about lines so I thought it was best not to wear anything underneath it.’
Tyler swore viciously inside his head. Gritting his teeth together hard enough to crack the enamel, he managed to bite, ‘Where exactly are you planning on wearing that?’
‘You think it’s too much for something public?’ She stepped over to the mirrors lining one wall so he was treated to a front and back view at the same time. ‘You’re probably right. Somewhere more intimate would be better. Given the right smoky atmosphere and some sultry music...’ She closed her eyes and swayed her hips. ‘Mmm...’ Her palms followed the curve of her sides from waist to hip. Then she stilled and popped open her eyes. ‘I might get this one.’
When she went back into the dressing room Tyler looked at the ceiling and silently asked what he’d done to deserve her. Didn’t he have enough to deal with already? He might have miraculously managed to temporarily put his problems to the back of his mind, but it didn’t mean they’d gone away. He supposed he should be thankful she hadn’t made another escape attempt. But while she was making him suffer for not telling her what had happened outside the school he didn’t consider it much of a silver lining.
The door to his left opened and the personal shopper who’d already rolled a rack of clothes into the changing area appeared with another one.
‘How is she getting on?’ she enquired with a smile as she wheeled it in.
‘Slowly.’
His response earned a chuckle of laughter. ‘You can’t become a fashion icon in this city without putting in long hours of preparation.’
Since he didn’t know anything about fashion Tyler would have to take her word for that.
‘Is that Janice with the next rack?’ a voice called from behind the curtain.
‘Yes, I have it here,’ Janice replied. ‘Is it safe to come in?’
‘Absolutely. If you hadn’t come back I was going to have to ask Tyler to zip me up.’
While they chatted behind the curtain he pushed to his feet and began pacing the room. After the third lap—and with no new outfit to send him over the edge—he reached into his pocket for his cell phone and called his partner.
‘I’m officially in hell,’ he said in a low voice.
‘The mayor’s little girl proving too much of a handful for you?’
‘She’s
shopping.
’
‘I feel your pain, brother.’
‘Could you feel it without sounding so amused?’ He walked to the other side of the room and glanced at the curtain. ‘Give me some good news about the case and I won’t hit you the next time I see you.’
While his partner brought him up to speed he made the mistake of turning his back to the changing room. It was only when he ended the call he realized it had gone quiet.
Immediately crossing the room, he threw caution to the wind and yanked back the curtain.
‘Son-of-a—’
TEN
‘How pissed do you think he’ll be when he tracks you down?’
Miranda shrugged as they relaxed in comfortable chairs in the elegant surroundings of the iconic Waldorf Astoria. ‘Don’t care. He deserves it.’
She didn’t mention she’d never met anyone who could irritate the life out of her one minute and make her so hot it felt as if she had a fever in the next. She’d never behaved so provocatively before, purposefully pushing the boundaries of his control to discover how much he could take. It was a perilous game—one she’d thought she had the sense not to play with a man who oozed danger the way Tyler did—but had that stopped her?
Oh, no.
‘You don’t feel the least little bit guilty he might get in trouble for losing you?’
‘I didn’t until you mentioned it so thanks for that—I owe you one.’
Crystal lifted one of the porcelain teacups sitting on the round table between them. ‘That conscience of yours has always been a problem. We still need to work on that.’
‘You wouldn’t have got me this far if I didn’t have a natural aptitude for courting trouble.’
‘I did say I saw potential in you for greatness when we met.’
‘Give me a couple of months to shake off my shackles and I promise to spread my wings and soar,’ Miranda vowed.
She heard the clink of the teacup touching a saucer as Crystal took a long breath. ‘Nothing to tie you down...no one to get in your way...’ She hummed as she exhaled. ‘Put all that freedom together with the absence of a guilty conscience and I might have to abdicate my notoriety throne in favour of a worthy successor.’
Drumming her fingers on the arms of her chair, Miranda gently swayed her crossed leg while she tried to convince herself she wasn’t watching the foyer for Tyler’s arrival. If the stupid man could make up his mind what he wanted it would make things a lot easier.
The way he had looked at her set her body alight, her pulse hammering and her breasts aching for attention. If she had any sense she would have toned it down a little. But the more of a reaction she got from him, the hotter he made her feel, and the desire to push him to breaking point grew. She hadn’t been able to stop.
She’d
wanted
him to snap.
If the first time she’d encouraged him with a smile had felt like playing with fire, using her sexuality to get to him was about to turn her into a pyromaniac.
She still didn’t like him. She was still mad at him for making her feel like a fool because she’d looked for something that obviously wasn’t there. But apparently the thought of angry sex with him did it for her,
big time.
‘You still confident in your fifty-dollar bet on him finding you inside a couple of hours?’ Crystal asked.
‘If he was as smart as he likes to think he is he would have found me already.’
‘If he was as smart as you
say
he thinks he is he would have found Jimmy Hoffa by now.’
She turned her head and smiled ruefully at her best friend. ‘So much for my great plan... It doesn’t take away from the victory of escaping when he was so determined it wasn’t possible. But slinking back to the mansion to find him waiting for me like another disgruntled parent takes the shine off it a little.’
Crystal’s gaze moved. ‘Well you better dig out your sunglasses because if that’s who I think it is headed our way the day just got a whole lot brighter.’
Miranda’s gaze immediately shifted to the foyer. The sight of him did its usual snatch and grab with her breath. When his gaze sliced through the air and slammed into hers a heady frisson of excitement travelled through her body. He wasn’t just mad. He looked as if he was ready to explode.
‘Wow.’
Crystal sighed dreamily. ‘I want to be in as much trouble as you are right now. Do you think he’ll spank you? He looks like he’s gonna spank you
good.
’
Her reaction to the suggestion shocked Miranda.
She really was a
very
bad girl.
Exhaling the breath she’d been holding, she smiled sweetly as he marched straight up to them. ‘I don’t believe you’ve been formally introduced. Detective Brannigan, meet Crystal—Crystal, meet Tyler.’
‘Well,
hello, Tyler.
Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to meet me?’
A low burst of laughter bubbled up from Miranda’s chest when he pressed his mouth into a thin line. ‘He doesn’t have a sense of humour but I thought it was funny.’
‘Awesome,’ Crystal replied.
His dark gaze remained firmly fixed on the cause of his anger. ‘You’re leaving now.’
‘Excellent timing. I’ve just finished my tea. If you hadn’t got here I would have had to hail another cab.’ She lifted her brows. ‘Did you park nearby? I can wait for you to bring the car around front.’
Rage rolled off his large body in waves. ‘I’ll carry you out of here if I have to.’
‘How about we save that for next time?’ She reached to the side for her bag and unfolded her legs.
As she got to her feet Crystal held up a set of neatly folded bills. ‘The fifty dollars I owe you.’
Miranda turned towards her and flashed a grin, ‘Why,
thank you.
It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.’
‘Any time. Don’t forget about that thing at the place we talked about. It should be a blast.’
‘I’ll see you there.’
‘No, she won’t,’ a deep voice said firmly.
Miranda waved a dismissive hand in his direction. ‘Don’t listen to him. I never do. Love you.’
‘Love you, too.’
Taking the lead, she walked across the foyer with her head held high. When they got to the revolving doors she stopped and angled her chin. ‘Oh, dear, this is a bit of a dilemma.’ She looked up at him. ‘Do you gamble on me going first or risk turning your back on me again? It must be a little like playing roulette for you.’
‘Having fun?’ he asked through gritted teeth as he captured her elbow in a potentially bruising grasp and bundled them both into a narrow compartment.
‘I was till you got here.’ But actually, while crushed so tightly against him, she still kinda was.
Wriggling experimentally, she smiled when he tensed.
‘You’re a piece of work.’
She tugged her elbow free when they hit the sidewalk and he’d pushed her in the right direction. ‘You’re just upset I slipped through your iron curtain of security. Through a velvet one, no less.’
‘Did it ever occur to you if you can find a way out someone can use the same way to get to you?’
‘Why would anyone want to get to me?’
‘Famous brings out the crazy. I don’t even care that you’re famous and right this minute
I
want to kill you.’
‘How did you find me?’ she enquired as they walked to wherever they were going. She hoped it was far away. She was having entirely too much fun to stop now.
‘Your friend Crystal needs to turn off the location option on her Facebook page. And while we’re on the subject of the internet any Twittering you do about the places you’re going should be done
after
you’ve been there.’
‘They’re called Tweets.’
‘They’re a waving flag that says “come get me, I’m over here.”’ As they stopped at a crossing he flicked a glare at her. ‘Every whack job in the five boroughs could have been waiting for you outside that school.’
‘Is that what spooked you?’
‘I wasn’t
spooked.
’ His reaction to the word was so vicious the second time around it gave Miranda the distinct impression she’d hit a nerve. He took a long breath and frowned at how long it was taking for the light to change. ‘Someone in the crowd was off.’
Miranda’s eyes narrowed. ‘Define
“off.”
’
‘Acting odd—hinky—out of place—obsessively watching your every move.’ He captured her elbow again and pushed her across the street.
‘You spend all day watching my every move.’
‘I’m paid to do it and, believe me, it wasn’t my idea.’
‘Whose idea was it?’ She tugged her elbow. ‘You can let go of me now.’
‘Not a chance.’ He navigated their way through the human traffic on the sidewalk. ‘Your head of security used to be my captain’s partner back in the day. When he mentioned he needed an injection of new blood it was my misfortune to be volunteered as the wild card.’
Ah-h-h, so
that
was what he meant when he said he’d been trying to get out of it for a week. Considering it was the longest conversation they’d ever had, Miranda thought she should make him angry more often. ‘You must have done the close-protection course.’
‘Stop changing the subject.’
She sighed heavily as they rounded a corner. ‘I think you’re overreacting a tad to my having tea at the Waldorf, don’t you? Was I dancing on a table when you got there?’
Tyler stopped so suddenly he had to yank her back into place when she got a couple of steps ahead.
‘Whoopsies.’
Miranda giggled when she almost tripped over, tipsy on the headiness of her success.
He let go of her elbow when she was steady on her feet. ‘You don’t get it, do you?’
‘That this is strike two?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I heard you. One more strike and—’
His body loomed over her, the tip of his nose barely an inch away from hers as his voice rumbled, ‘Get in the damn car.’
Miranda hadn’t even noticed it was there and, frankly, with his mouth in kissing distance, she couldn’t care less. She angled her head in a move that suggested she was about to fit their lips together and lifted her chin, reducing the gap to millimetres. Then she looked deep into cobalt-blue eyes and whispered, ‘Make. Me.’
The gaze glittering with promise of the danger she so desperately craved wandered lazily over her face. His warm breath mingled with hers while her heart thundered so loudly she could hear it in her ears. It didn’t matter that they were standing in the middle of a street in Manhattan. It didn’t matter that there were people everywhere and dozens of cars driving by and that pretty much everyone in the universe had a camera on their phone. All that mattered was how badly she wanted to be kissed.
There was nothing beyond burning need and him.
When her heavy-lidded gaze lowered to his mouth she saw a corner of it tug upwards.
‘You don’t want to do that,’ he said in a low, husky, unbelievably sexy voice before moving his head so he could whisper in her ear. ‘I’m more trouble than you can handle.’
It was as if he’d placed all of her fantasies within her grasp. Endless possibilities spun around and around in her head in ever decreasing circles with Tyler as the focal point. Miranda blinked at him while he leaned away from her and reached for the door. She turned towards the vehicle and blindly took a step forwards when a thought finally made it through her dizziness. They were just two small words but the weight of their importance felt immense.
‘We’ll see...’
The voice that said them wasn’t hers; it was the sultry voice of the siren she’d always suspected lived somewhere deep inside but had been afraid to seek out. Now she realized the temptress had been with her each time she stepped out of the changing room, had fed on his reaction and was gaining the strength she needed to break free.
As Miranda got into the SUV and he slammed the door shut she experienced the crippling fear that stemmed from the threat of its imminent release.
She didn’t know what scared her more: having the siren’s call answered by someone she would drag to disaster or having it ignored and remaining isolated and alone, endlessly calling out to someone who would sail through her life without stopping to take a second look.