Jordan Summers (8 page)

“Control? Interesting choice of words.” He looked at her knowingly. “Now why does that not surprise me?”

Again he didn’t wait for an answer, but simply walked to his vehicle.

“Get in,” he said, unlocking the car and opening the door for her.

She complied. Delaney knew this was her chance to get access to his Paradise Valley home. She ignored the voice reminding her that wasn’t the reason she wanted to leave with Jack Gordon.

By any means necessary
…McMillan’s words filtered through her mind.

She fastened her seat belt as Jack drove across the parking lot and stopped. “Is there a problem?” she asked, hoping he didn’t hear the disappointment in her voice.

“You said you liked to be in control.” He nodded to something outside the window.

Delaney glanced to her right and realized he’d stopped in front of her car. She laughed.

Jack grinned. “I don’t have a problem with a woman who likes to keep on top of things. Sometimes giving up control can be fun.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“You should try it sometime.”
Like tonight
was left unsaid. “You might enjoy it.”

She opened the door and stepped out, before he could come around the car to do it for her.

“I’ll drive slow,” he called after her as she strolled to her car.

“Don’t do it for my sake,” she called to him, relishing the banter, even though she knew she was flirting with danger.

“I’ll take that as a challenge.” He hit a button and his tinted window closed with a soft hiss.

Delaney couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. It was as if another woman possessed her. One who knew just what to say, how to act, what to do. She was spending way too much time around Barbie and Jeremy. They were rubbing off. She refused to consider that it might be Jack who brought out her wanton side.

She’d rather believe she was simply playing the part of an experienced undercover agent, but Delaney knew there was more going on between her and Jack Gordon.

She followed him west through Paradise Valley. He didn’t speed, but he hadn’t slowed down for her, either. Delaney smiled to herself. Jack was a man of his word. That thought bothered her more than it should. So far she hadn’t been able to catch him in a single lie. Everything he’d told her about where he went to school had been correct, according to his file. He’d been evasive about his profession, but he hadn’t out-and-out lied.

Was he telling the truth about being retired?

Their cars continued to wind through the area. She should’ve known he’d live on the other side of Camelback Mountain. How many times had she hiked past his home? His drive twisted, snaking back and forth until they reached a contemporary house that blended in with the sand-colored boulders surrounding it.

Delaney parked in the circular drive and stepped out of her car. Lights from Phoenix and Paradise Valley blanketed the desert floor sparkling like fireflies in the darkness. The warm dry air brought the fragrance of wildflowers to her nose. Somewhere nearby Delaney heard the tinkling sounds of water as it spilled out of a fountain.

Jack pulled in to a garage and came out the front door a moment later.

“Great view,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Could she really do this?

“Delaney, if you’re not comfortable being here, we can go somewhere else for dinner. I don’t mind.”

She turned away from the city view to look at him. “You really don’t mind, do you?” Most men would not be pleased, but as far as she could tell, Jack wasn’t like most men.

The corners of his mouth kicked up. “I’ll admit that I’d be a little disappointed, but mind…? No. I want you to be comfortable. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

The problem was she wanted to do everything with this man. Delaney glanced into his eyes. There was no guile in his blue depths, only truth. A wave of guilt swept through her as she thought about Elaine and how she’d never get to feel these sorts of things. Delaney told herself to make her excuses and leave. Break away before someone got the wrong idea…
like her.

“Are you okay?” He took a step forward and grasped her elbow as if he thought she would collapse or run away.

She tried to smile, but her lips refused to cooperate. This assignment was starting to leave a bitter taste in her mouth. “I’m fine. Just light-headed from the lack of food,” she lied smoothly.

“Let’s get you inside, so I can whip something together for dinner. The only thing I want making you light-headed is me.”

W
HO KNEW
J
ACK
would turn out to be a pretty terrific cook? She’d been impressed while he skillfully chopped and diced vegetables and carried on a good conversation. Delaney was beginning to think he was a man of many talents.

She watched him covertly, while sipping her Merlot. His movements were fluid like water, not a waste of energy expelled. It captivated her. Jack held a grace she’d never possess. Which is why it surprised her, when he flipped a red pepper into the air and caught it with his mouth.

“You seem to have a flair for cooking,” she said. “All your movements are so precise.”

Jack ducked his head. “My mom insisted that all her sons know how to cook, dance and do laundry. And not necessarily in that order. She signed my brothers and I up for dance class by the time we were five. We took a lot of ribbing, but the girls seemed to like it. Mom let me quit dance class when I hit high school and made the varsity baseball team.” He shrugged. “I guess some of the moves stuck with me.”

Delaney’s heart melted a little, despite her resolve to stay cold.

He tossed another pepper into the air and caught it.

“Do you want to give it a try?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I probably shouldn’t.”

“Oh, come on,” he urged. “Worried you won’t be able to catch one?”

“No.”

Delany giggled as the third piece of chopped pepper Jack had tossed landed on the floor. She tried to recall the last time she’d relaxed in the company of a man long enough to play. No one came to mind. How had Jack managed to bring out that hidden side of her so effortlessly?

“I tried to warn you,” she said, attempting to catch another pepper. Who knew a date could be this fun?
Try never.
It’s not a date. It’s not a date. It’s not a date. She hated having to remind herself.

“Are you even trying?” Jack asked, lobbing the pepper higher into the air.

The extra lift gave Delaney enough time to get under it. The tiny morsel dropped into her mouth in a taste explosion and she raised her arms in victory.

Jack clapped and they resumed a comfortable silence while he continued to cook.

The house seemed big from the outside, but now that she was inside, Delaney noted that it was enormous. Yet, the rooms exuded cozy warmth that belied their size. Everything was neat and in its proper place. He’d taken great care with the details, something she’d never managed to do. This was not only a house, this was a home.

A home that could pass for a museum, and considering the art she’d caught glimpses of when they’d first walked inside, Jack could open his home and charge admission.

Dealing arms paid very well indeed. Cold quickly enveloped her as she stared around the room at the priceless objects of art. How many lives had this collection cost?

“Is the wine all right?”

Delaney jumped at his question, interrupting her thoughts. “Yes, why do you ask?”

He grinned. “Because you aren’t drinking it and you’re scowling.”

“Sorry.” She grimaced. “Honestly, it’s wonderful. Just like the dinner you’re preparing. Thank you, again.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, wiping his hands on a dish towel before slipping onto a bar stool beside her. Jack reached for his own glass of wine and took a sip. “Not bad if I do say so myself.”

“You have a lovely home,” Jack smiled. “Tell me more about yourself. What did you do before you became a flight attendant?” He raised the glass to his lips and took another drink.

“I worked in an office, gathering intel on…other companies.”

Something sparked in his eyes at her words. “Sounds exciting.”

“Sometimes it was, but most of the time it was fairly mundane. Definitely not what I expected, when I joined…was hired, I mean.”

“Is that why you left?” he asked casually.

“They didn’t give me much choice. It was either do the job they asked or get out.” Delaney fingered the crystal stem of the glass. It wasn’t too far from the truth. They hadn’t asked her to do the job or leave. Instead, McMillan held her promotion above a chasm, threatening to drop it.

“That explains your uncertainty on the airplane.”

“Flying takes some getting used to.”

Jack rested his elbow on the breakfast bar. “Then why do it?”

Delaney shrugged. “To prove to everyone that I’m not afraid. And that I’m able to get the job done.”

He placed his glass on the countertop. “I understand, but why pick flying? There must be other ways that you can prove yourself.”
Safer
ways was left unspoken, but she heard it all the same.

Delaney opened her mouth to respond, but was distracted by Jack’s collarbone. Something about the way the V of his shirt dipped, exposing tanned flesh and a hint of shadow had her longing to explore. She followed the line up to his jawline and onto his lips as he licked away a stray bead of wine. Her breath rushed from her lungs.

Positively lethal.

Heat infused Delaney, sending desire coursing through her body, leaving a trail of moisture behind. She tore her gaze away from his mouth and forced herself to focus.

“I’m sorry. What was the question?”

Amusement lit his face. “I asked you to tell me about yourself.”

Delaney blinked. Caught ogling again. “Oh, me. I’m boring,” She insisted. “I’d rather hear about you.”

“You don’t seem boring to me. In fact, you’re a bit of a mystery. It’s like I’ve been given pieces of Delaney Carson, but I can’t quite see the picture.” He sat back and studied her for several seconds. “Have I mentioned that I love to solve puzzles?”

She shook her head. This was one puzzle Jack wouldn’t crack. “I work a lot. I don’t really have time to do much else.”

“I always thought flight attendants led such…” He waved his hand into the air as he searched for the right words. “High-flying lives.”

Delaney thought about her typical Friday nights and nearly choked on her wine. She wondered what Jack would think about her idea of excitement. Would he be turned off by the fact that she grabbed take-out, then went home and lay on the couch in her sweats, watching old movies? Jack didn’t seem like a movie-and-sweats kind of guy, she thought, glancing around his custom-designed kitchen.

“Define
exciting,
” she said.

“You know.” He lifted his glass to his mouth once more. “Different city every night. A guy in every port. Coffee, tea or me?”

“Yeah, it’s that exciting all the time.” Delaney snorted, causing her eyes to water as her wine nearly shot out of her nose. “You’ve been watching too many old ‘made for television’ movies about the golden age of flying.”

Undeterred, Jack cocked his head. “Do you have men in every city?” He made the question sound casual, although Delaney got the distinct impression it was anything but.

“Not hardly. I haven’t dated anyone seriously in years. Who has time with the schedule that I keep?” She almost told him how hard it was to date while working and going to school at the same time, but she stopped herself short. The comfort she felt with this man made it far too easy to slip and tell the truth. Delaney had to be more vigilant.

She tried to recall what her reasons were again, as the fragrance of his cologne mixed with warm man filled her senses.

“I find that hard to believe. A beautiful woman such as yourself, dateless? No way.”

She sighed. “It’s the truth, and for the record I’m not beautiful.”

Elaine was the beautiful one. She’d proven that fact time and again by being crowned queen of various social events around Boston, while Delaney waited in the wings to blossom. In the end, she’d grown in her own way, but never managed to bloom. It had been a disappointment to her family that she hadn’t followed in her sister’s footsteps, but they’d recovered.

Delaney knew her parents loved her. They just had very traditional beliefs when it came to the roles of women in the workplace.

The only time Delaney thought about these things was when someone mentioned beauty, as Jack just had, which fortunately didn’t occur often. Normally, it didn’t bother her, but tonight was different.

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but she held up her hand to still his words.

“I’m not saying I go around scaring dogs and small children with my appearance. I know how to make the best of what I’ve been given. All I’m saying is that they aren’t going to ask me to enter a beauty contest anytime soon. And no, I’m not fishing for a compliment.”

“I know it’s rude to disagree with a lady, but let’s agree to disagree on the matter. Okay?” He glanced out at the city lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up one wall of the kitchen.

“Do you see your family often?” she asked, deciding it was best not to argue.

“I get back to Missouri about once or twice a year. The folks still live on the farm I grew up on and my three brothers live nearby in town. My parents probably wouldn’t be able to handle me visiting more often. It gets pretty raucous with all of us under one roof.”

“Are any of your brothers married?”

“Only the oldest one, but my folks are still holding out hope for me and the twins.” He grinned.

“Sounds like you all are close.”

Jack nodded. “We are and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Delaney wasn’t sure why she was surprised. Maybe part of her expected Jack to be estranged from his family due to his job…like she was.
Whose fault is that?
The same voice taunted. Delaney had felt so helpless after her sister was injured that she hadn’t known what to do. That changed one career day on campus. It also changed her relationship with her parents—she hadn’t had a real conversation with them since she’d walked into the house and told that that she was going into federal law enforcement.

“What about you?” he asked.

Silence stretched between them. Delaney didn’t want to discuss her family, but she couldn’t exactly ignore his question or he was bound to start getting suspicious. “My parents still live in Boston, along with my sister.”

“Only one sibling?”

“Yes.”

He stirred the vegetables. “Are you close?”

Delaney’s throat tightened. “We used to be, but not so much anymore.” She missed visiting with Elaine. They used to confide in each other, sharing secrets and laughter, along with their hopes and dreams. That ended with the gunshot. Her parents had become so over-protective that they pushed everyone away, including Delaney.

“It must be nice to be able to fly for free. You can get back to Boston for a visit anytime you like.”

“Yeah, nice,” she said absently.

“Your parents must be proud that you earned your wings.”

Delaney tilted her head to look at him. “I wouldn’t exactly say
proud
is the right word. They don’t approve of my job.” That wasn’t exactly true. Her parents were proud of her, but they worried. Deep down Delaney knew they’d wanted her to pick something safer, something like Elaine would’ve picked before the accident.

They didn’t understand that working in an office for a charitable organization would’ve driven her mad. She needed a job that melded with all the restless energy pulsing through her. The ATF had been a good fit physically. Too bad it wreaked havoc on her social life. Not many men outside of law enforcement wanted a girlfriend or a wife who carried a badge and a gun.

Jack frowned. “That’s a shame. Maybe they’ll change their minds after you’ve been flying for a while longer.”

Delaney snorted. “I’m not holding my breath. What’s with all the questions about flying, anyway?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, Jack changed the subject. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve never guessed that you were an east coast girl. You have no accent.”

She’d taken diction classes before joining the ATF to get rid of it, but Delaney couldn’t say that. “I wanted to be an actress for a while. It’s tough for people with thick accents not to be typecast.” She mentally kicked herself for revealing one of her long-held dreams.

Why don’t you tell him that you hate the color yellow, your birth sign is Gemini, you’re an undercover agent with the ATF and that you want to jump his bones while you’re at it?

She had wanted to be an actress while she was in high school. Her father had nixed that idea, dismissing it as frivolous, along with dancing, singing and painting. That was probably one of the reasons she enjoyed undercover work so much. It gave her a chance to allow the frustrated actress inside her the opportunity to play.

Her old man was from a different era. One where the roles of men and women were clearly defined. He thought he knew what was best for everyone, so he didn’t bother with asking for an outside opinion. Delaney respected his feelings and tried to act like a proper young lady whenever she went home for a visit. She just wished that he appreciated her effort, instead of constantly finding fault with her and the choices that she’d made with her life.

So why didn’t she feel like acting around Jack? Delaney didn’t like the answer she received. She genuinely enjoyed his company. The man was utterly adorable in a ‘can’t have just one potato chip’ kind of way. How many women had caved after gazing upon that smile?
Too many
was her guess. She wouldn’t be joining their ranks.

They ate dinner and the conversation flowed naturally between them. Despite her reluctance, Delaney was drawn to his warmth and abundant charm. He laughed infectiously and was quick to smile. It was difficult to focus on the job with Jack regaling her with stories from his childhood. She found herself joining in, adding an anecdote here and there from her early years.

Finishing the meal, she pushed her plate aside. “That was delicious.”

“Would you like some dessert or to take a tour of the house?” he asked, pushing his plate back. He didn’t bother to hide the heat behind his gaze.

This was it. The chance to locate Jack’s office. But from the look in his eyes, he had a lot more than a house tour in mind. How committed was she to breaking this case? Committed enough to go all the way? A physical relationship wasn’t what her boss had in mind when he told her to get close to Jack. Delaney knew it and didn’t bother to try to convince herself otherwise.