She bucked hard and he continued tormenting the sweet spot inside her until she came not once, but twice in succession. Her body clenched around his fingers, easing his work with ample cream.
Finally, he withdrew his hand, and kissed her in earnest. Willow clung to him, her body trembling on jellied knees. Kane held her tight.
Hearing Austyn come shortly after almost confused him, but he chuckled and winked at her.
“Can you give us a minute?” he asked Austyn.
“Sure.” Austyn quickly washed her hands and left them.
Kane tucked Willow closer to his chest. “You’re amazing.”
“I can’t believe you let her watch.”
“I was imagining it was Bruce. He should have been here for that.”
Her smile twisted oddly, but she nodded.
The word relationship loomed in his mind like a nasty specter. Apparently, it did the same for her. At least, he hoped it was the reason she’d gone pale. There was no way in hell he wanted to be the only one thinking it. Dodging it. Referencing Bruce and acknowledging that they’d both wanted him there, definitely hinted at relationship.
Kane thought he should test the waters. “Bruce and you have a thing.”
“It’s open. He can leave any time he wants.”
“He told me. You told me. I don’t believe it.”
“Says the man who sexed me up in a public restroom.”
“I think you both want something more permanent, but you’re both too afraid to say it,” he countered.
Willow finally seemed to get her feet. Kane released her to wash his hands. Willow disappeared into a stall.
“Bruce doesn’t do permanence.”
Willow came out and washed her hands too. Kane leaned against the sink top. “Because he’s a faery?”
She froze, her reflected gaze wide.
“He told me. Better, he showed me his wings. Then he told me about you and your siblings.”
Willow frowned. “He had no right.”
“Probably not, but it clears up a lot of the strange recorded conversation on the wire.”
“Shouldn’t we be seeing to Austyn right now?” she evaded.
The air sparkled. Where Willow had been standing, a gnarled, twisted, walking cane swung from the edge of the sink. It took him a minute to adjust. Kane blinked through it and started laughing.
“You may not have control over your gift, but it always seems to reflect what you’re thinking. I think you just gave me walking papers.”
He turned off the running water. “I’m going to assume you can still hear me. Turning into the latest wooden tchotchke isn’t going to scare me away, or change the fact. Just for a minute, I want you to ask yourself if Bruce has been with anyone else since he met you. Then tell me he doesn’t care.” He opened the bathroom door. “I’ll see you outside.”
Chapter Nine
Kane had left Willow with a head full of thoughts. They crowded her mind through the rest of the day, and continued to distract her as she arrived at Austyn’s house for the secret showing. It was almost enough to distract her from running the opposite direction when Austyn’s little canine beast started sniffing Willow’s ankles for a watering spot. Almost.
“Go. Away,” she snarled.
The insolent Chihuahua cocked his head and whined.
“Beat it, Peanut.”
“Aw, c’mon. He likes you,” Austyn explained.
“A little too much. Just keep him away from me. I hate dogs.”
Austyn swept the four legged terror into her arms. “She doesn’t mean it,” she baby-talked to the dog.
Willow scrubbed its tiny head. “Yes, I did.” She looked brightly at Austyn. “So, what’s the big secret?”
Austyn held a finger to her lips. “I’ll show you, but you can’t tell anyone.”
“And
you
don’t tell anyone about K—Rick.”
Austyn crossed her heart. “Are you going to tell Bruce what happened?”
Austyn led the way up the steps and through a long corridor. They broke through an upper deck, passed along the balcony to an attached building.
“No.”
“You think it’ll make him mad? Even though the three of you already did it?” Austyn opened the door for her and Willow stepped inside. She was relieved to see the dog stay on the outside.
“He might. Wouldn’t you?” Willow asked.
“If my guy had a cock like Rick’s and he was sharing it with other women? Yes!”
Willow laughed. She followed her hostess through another series of rooms. When they got to one, Austyn pulled a key from around her neck, slipped it in the key hole, and unlocked the door.
“After you,” she said mysteriously.
Willow walked in. Her ears started ringing. Shelf after shelf of a tiny library was filled with palm-sized artifacts.
“Wow, what’s all this?” God, Willow really hoped she didn’t already know the answer.
“It’s my private collection. Even Daddy doesn’t know I have this stuff.”
Willow felt the blood drain from her face. “But how?”
“When I go with him to the dig sites, there’s always a moment in there where I can either dig, or where something isn’t being watched closely enough. I figure it won’t be missed, and no one appreciates them as much as I do.”
“But it’s stealing.” Already, Willow recognized several missing pieces from the photos Kane had given her. She reached in her pocket, feeling the USB flashdrive disguised camera.
“Only if I get caught. You’re the first person I’ve showed this to.”
If only she were wearing the wire now. But she wasn’t. She’d stupidly taken it off after her encounter with Kane. She’d been worried that Austyn would see it when she and Kane had sex in the bathroom. She hadn’t because of the way it had been hidden on her side, away from Austyn.
Now, she’d give anything to have the FBI barge in there without her breaking Austyn’s confidence. Although, a wire was kind of the same thing, actually having to tell someone made her feel lousy.
“The first?” she asked, hoping Austyn planned on telling others.
“Well, the only. You’re in Ancient History with me, so you know the importance of all this. I figured you’d appreciate seeing it up close.”
She did. The carvings were exquisite and Willow dared to pick one up. It was a tiny stone totem of a squatting Incan man, with an erect penis the size of the man. She cradled the object, put it back and picked up another one, of an eagle in flight. Every piece was perfect.
“You and I are the only ones to have ever touched that one since it was buried over two thousand years ago,” Austyn whispered.
“Austyn, they’re beautiful. If you got caught…”
“Yeah, I know. I think Daddy would pull strings, but this would definitely be grounds for cutting me out of the will.” She tried to laugh it off, but Willow still saw the concern on her face.
Willow wanted to urge her to return them. It was too late, though. No amount of returning them would get her off the hook. Austyn was going to go down for this, and it killed Willow to have to be the one to make it happen. Yet, she’d been hired for this.
The client, the insurance agency who backed these trinkets and who had a vested part of each dig, had hired them to find the missing pieces. That’s one thing Austyn had been wrong about. At least thirty percent of these artifacts
were
missed. They’d been documented before she’d swiped them.
The FBI, who’d commandeered the Harper Security investigation, would also press charges. They might have to take it up with the insurance group once it all got out, but that was their problem. All she’d been asked to do was find out where they were. The who was a bonus.
Willow felt sick.
“Thank you for showing me,” she said, knowing her voice didn’t convey the enthusiasm Austyn probably expected.
“You don’t sound happy to see it.”
“Only because I know what this would cost you.” She glanced at Austyn, then around the room. The camera was in her palm, but she couldn’t bring herself to use it. She couldn’t bring her friend down like that. What she had to do was bad enough.
Austyn hugged her. “You’re worth it.”
So this is what Sage had meant when he warned her not to get attached to the mark. Well, she didn’t know how to investigate any other way. Especially when she was in Austyn’s presence, getting to know her, spending time with her. She wasn’t so great at separating her personal feelings from the job.
With sickening realization she knew that trait carried over into other aspects of her life. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she led with her heart. She could cover it up and argue against the sanity of investing herself, but the truth was Willow threw herself into everything.
“I don’t feel so good,” Willow said tightly.
Austyn looked disappointed. “Do you need to go?”
“Yeah, I think I should.” Willow clutched her stomach for effect. “Can I come back and see these later?”
Austyn beamed warmly. “Of course you can. Anytime you want.”
“Thanks.” Willow stumbled through the maze of rooms and hallways, dodged the dog and got to her car. She barely cleared the security fence when she asked the chauffer to pull over. A couple of minutes later, she wiped her mouth and headed for Harper Security.
Willow pushed Kane’s speed dial number. “Hey,” she said when he picked up. “I found them.”
* * * *
Bruce stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders, as all of the Harper Security office listened to the FBI sting in progress. She stared at the small walkie Sage had placed on his desk. The FBI got onto the property without a hitch, but getting to the back room, Austyn screaming and pleading with her father in the background, was almost more than she could bear.
Willow closed her eyes as the tears fell.
Austyn refused to unlock the door and the sickening crunch of wood splintering made Willow wince.
“She told you! She told you! Tell Willow Harley she can go to fucking hell! I
hate
her,” Austyn screamed.
Willow put a hand over her mouth. It didn’t stifle the sob. As Dill rose up to turn off the walkie, Willow stopped him with a shake of her head.
“I need to know,” she sniffled.
Her sisters sat on either side of her.
“You did the right thing,” Fauna said.
“I know it sucks,” Flora echoed. “But Fauna’s right. You had to.”
As the activity on the walkie slowed, Sage switched it off. “You did a good job, Will. I think maybe this job was too hard on you. Why don’t you take some time off?”
“With Bruce,” Dill added. “Both of you, take time off.”
The office emptied. Willow stood and Bruce wrapped his arms around her. Sage remained the only other person there by virtue of it being his office.
He brushed the hair off her forehead. “You, Bruce, and Kane have some talking to do. Work through this case together and work through the other stuff.”
He dropped a kiss on her cheek.
“Don’t come back until you’ve done that, baby sister.”
“I’m afraid to ask you to clarify that,” Willow joked through sloppy tears.
“Well, let’s just say that Mom is sending a care package of sex toys.”
Chapter Ten
Bruce drove her home in silence. She took the key out and let them in her house. He followed her back to the small sunny kitchen, and she handed him a glass.
“Water?” she asked.
“How about conversation?”
She pulled out the chilled water from the fridge and poured some into each glass. She took several long swallows.
“Willow.”
“I just feel like a shit for turning her in.”
“Because you liked her.”
“Yeah,” she said tapping a finger on the glass and staring at the ripples. “I did.”
“Maybe they’ll let her off lightly because she doesn’t have priors.”
“International crime has different consequences,” she reminded him.
She looked up, searching for comfort in his solemn black gaze. There were other reasons she was upset, and as she looked at Bruce’s concerned face, she knew their relationship would come to an end now.
“Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?” he asked.
How did she tell him that the rules had changed for her? He’d been assigned to work with her because of his ability to keep her from shifting when he was near. Out of necessity, they’d spent countless hours together. His faery sexuality and her interest had naturally brought them together physically, too.
That’s all it was meant to be. Just physical. Just work. Just—comfort. Just for a time, and that time had finally come. Those had been the rules. They could have any other partner they wanted at any time. She’d chosen not to, until Kane entered the picture. She’d also chosen not to ask Bruce about the other women he’d been with since they’d hooked up.