Long After Midnight (26 page)

Or she could stay here and enjoy the moment.

She took a step closer and her arms slid around him. “I’m nudging.”

She was the same, Ishmaru thought with relief. At the cemetery he had feared she’d changed, but it had only been a momentary slip. She had challenged him. She wanted the battle as much as he did.

But it could not take place here where she was surrounded by people who could help her. She didn’t embrace the concept of coup, so the advantage would be on her side. She didn’t have to get close. No, he had to draw her to him at the appointed place. But first he had to hurt her. He had to cause her the anguish he faced every night.

The boy? He would certainly be the most logical choice.

He picked up the phone and called Blount.

“Good God, do you have to get me up in the middle of the night?”

“Yes. You said you were working on another lead to get Kate Denby. Have you got it?”

“Ogden wouldn’t want me to give you any more information.”

“Screw Ogden.”

Blount laughed. “My sentiments exactly. He’s been more obnoxious than usual since the woman went public with RU2.”

“That’s your problem. I killed Smith.”

“Which did us little good since he’d already designated an heir. We’ve had to pump up the pressure on the Washington sector, and that asshole Longworth is demanding more money.”

Why did Blount think he was interested? “Do you have a way for me to get Kate Denby or not?”

There was silence at the other end of the line. “Yes, but you’ll have to follow up on it. It’s only a thread.”

A thread strong enough could be used to garrote the most powerful warrior. “Give it to me.”

“Not quite yet. I’ll have to set it up.” Blount paused. “And I’ll want something from you in exchange.”

THIRTEEN

S
eth wasn’t in bed when Kate stirred the next morning.

“Coffee.” He came into the room, balancing two cups and a carafe. He was barefoot and without a shirt. His hair was rumpled, a stubble darkened his cheeks. He looked sexy as hell when he should have looked like a slob, Kate thought. Women were never that lucky. He sat down on the side of the bed. “I’ve ordered breakfast but told them to wait for an hour. I thought you’d need time to pull yourself together.”

“Thank you.” She needed the time. She felt suddenly shy and uneasy. Why did daylight make such a difference? This was the same man to whom she had made love three times last night. Heat tingled through her at the memory. God, she had acted like a nymphomaniac. She hadn’t been able to get enough of him. Even now, looking at him, she felt—

She pulled the sheet up higher and took the cup from him. “How long have you been up?”

“Since six.”

She glanced at the clock. It was almost ten. “What have you been doing?”

“Thinking.” He pulled the sheet down and kissed her breast. “Waiting.”

Her heart was beating hard, fast. “What were you thinking about?”

“That you’d probably wake up regretting this.” He sucked delicately on her nipple. “And wondering how I could get you to let me stay in your bed.”

She tried to keep her voice even. “It could interfere.”

“You liked it.”

“Of course I liked it. You’re very . . . talented.”

“So are you. God, are you talented. I had a hunch you were a very sexy lady, but you still surprised me.”

“It had been a long time for me.”

“Let’s see how you are when it’s only been a few hours.” He took the cup from her and set it on the nightstand. “Purely as an experiment, you understand.”

“I haven’t finished my coffee.”

“It’s getting in the way.”

“We should talk. . . .”

“We can talk while we’re occupied.” He unzipped his jeans and climbed into bed. “You’re more pliable when I’m in you.”

He was in her now, moving slowly, tantalizingly. He whispered, “The way I look at it, I’m an asset to you. I’ll keep you relaxed.”

Relaxed? Her nails dug into his back.

“Everything will be just as it was.” He punctuated each word with a thrust. “No strings. We just go to bed together and do this. What’s wrong with that?”

She couldn’t answer. She couldn’t think. She could feel the rough denim of his jeans rubbing her thighs and Seth inside her. She bit her lip as the rhythm escalated.

“Come on,” he whispered. “If I sleep with you, I’ll be better able to protect you.”

She laughed desperately. “That’s pretty lame.”

“Well, I just thought I’d throw that in for good measure.”

“You have a very good measure as it is.” She rolled over on top and smiled down at him. “And I’m enjoying every inch of it.”

“The coffee’s probably cold,” Kate said as she lazily reached over him to get her cup on the nightstand.

“I hoped it would be. That’s why I brought the carafe.” He sat up and scooted off the bed. “I’ll pour you a fresh cup.”

“You’re being very obliging.”

He smiled. “I want to keep on your good side.” He topped off her coffee and set down the carafe. “How am I doing?”

Too damn well, she thought. At the moment she wasn’t sure if he was Peter Pan or Casanova. “You’re very good indeed.”

His smile faded. “I didn’t set out to seduce you last night.”

“It just happened?”

He sat down on the bed again. “I would have backed down if you’d said you didn’t want it.” He grimaced. “You mad at me?”

She felt too languid and contented to be angry at anyone. She wondered if his efforts in the past hour had been aimed at that goal. Possibly. It appeared Peter Pan had a touch of Machiavelli. “No, I’m not angry.” She took a sip of coffee, then met his gaze. “And you didn’t seduce me. I wouldn’t let anyone seduce me. That implies loss of choice and it was definitely my choice. You offered me something I wanted, and I took it.”

He heaved a mock sigh. “Oh dear, I feel so used.”

She smothered a smile. The rascal was impossible. She finished her coffee and gave him the cup. “I need to shower. How much time before we have to leave to meet with Migellin?”

“Two hours. But breakfast should be here any minute.” He watched her get out of bed and head toward the bathroom. “Lord, you have a fantastic bottom.”

“Thank you.” Any uneasiness was gone, she realized. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this comfortable with a man before. It was as if they’d been lovers for years. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Kate.”

She looked back at him. He was leaning on one elbow and smiling at her. A lock of dark hair had fallen over his forehead, and he somehow managed to look mischievous and sexy at the same time. “How about it?” he asked coaxingly. “Wanna play house with me for a little while?”

“Maybe.” She returned his smile. She couldn’t help it. “You definitely have entertainment value.”

He gave a whoop and slapped the bed. “I’ve got you.”

She shook her head in exasperation and closed the bathroom door. What had she gotten herself into? She had never intended this to happen.

But why not take the only pleasant thing that could be garnered from this hellish situation? Seth himself had said that they would be lovers for just a little while. Last night she had been frightened, haunted by that monster, and he had made it go away. Today she felt stronger, almost normal again, able to cope.

And Seth had given her that gift.

She would keep it and hold on tight until this nightmare was over.

“What do you think?” Senator Migellin asked Kate in an undertone. “Did I do good?”

“Great.” Kate’s gaze was on the gazebo across the lawn, where Seth was surrounded by the five people the senator had invited. Seth seemed to be holding forth. She wondered what he was talking about. Whatever it was, it must be amusing. “We couldn’t ask for anything more. You’ve gathered almost every health special interest group in Washington. Your Gray Panther, Frank Cooper; Celia Delabo, president of the Cancer Society; Justin Zwatnos of Gay Men’s Health Crisis; Pete Randall from the Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis. You’ve even got Bill Mandel of the FDA. I’m impressed.”

“They were impressed by you.” The senator poured her a glass of iced tea. “You were very convincing.”

“I just told them the truth.”

“But with passion. There’s no substitute for passion.”

“But is it enough? Will they support us?”

“I hope so.”

“If they don’t, will you still try to block Longworth?”

“It could be political suicide.”

“Will you?”

He smiled. “That passion can be quite ruthless, can’t it?”

“I don’t want you to be hurt.”

“But you’d rather I be hurt than RU2 be put on hold.”

“I guess I would.” She shook her head. “It’s very important, Senator.”

“At least you’re honest.” He looked down at his drink. “There’s not much time. Longworth is pushing this bill more strongly than I’ve ever seen him push anything. He has a lot of people in Congress who owe him favors. He’s been around a long time. I’ve only been in office for eight years.”

“But it means lives.”

“Did you know that the Capitol switchboards have been flooded with calls about the bill for the past two days?”

“In our favor?”

He shook his head. “Longworth’s.”

“Dammit.” Her hand clenched on the glass. “Why won’t they understand? We’re trying to
help
them.”

“People parrot what they hear and they’re hearing plenty from Ogden and the other pharmaceutical giants. What you must understand is that between Longworth’s arm-twisting and the calls from constituents, it’s going to be a very tough fight for us.”

“Us?” Her gaze flew to his face.

He shrugged. “How can I resist? I’ve always wanted to go up against that bag of wind.”

“Thank God.”

“Tomorrow I’ll go to work trying to get the bill separated from the welfare package. At least then we’ll have a shot. You’d better expect to attend a lot more of these meetings. I’ll need all the help I can get.” He leaned back in the lawn chair. “So I’d better rest now. I may not get another chance for a while. Do you like my place?”

Her gaze wandered over the English Tudor house, the flagstone terrace that led down to rolling green lawns, the large gazebo on the hill veiled with climbing roses. “It’s lovely. So peaceful.”

“That’s what I wanted. Peace. I grew up in a tenement in New York and had to fight from the time I was a kid. No one appreciates peace like the man who’s never had it.” He smiled. “And then you come along and throw me into the melee again.”

“Don’t blame me. I think you would have backed us even if I hadn’t tried to persuade you.”

“Maybe.” His gaze went to the gazebo. “That young man is rather extraordinary. Do you know he talked me into arranging FBI protection for your public appearances while you’re in Washington?”

“No, I didn’t. But it doesn’t surprise me.”

“Before I came to see you, I made sure I had reports on both of you, and nothing in his hinted at this.”

“What?”

“He’s very charismatic.”

“Oh, yes.”

“He has those executives in the palm of his hand, and they’re not easy.” He added thoughtfully, “We had a little talk earlier and he came across as hard as nails, but then I saw this side of him. A combination like that is quite unique. He could be a very dangerous man.”

“Not to us.”

“I admit I had apprehensions regarding having Drakin in charge of RU2.” He turned to Kate. “I suppose you did too?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re satisfied with his stability?”

Seth was about as stable as a monsoon. “I’m satisfied about his commitment to RU2.”

He chuckled. “Nice dodge. I guess that’s all we can ask for.”

She nodded. “That’s all that concerns us.”

“What were you talking to them about in the gazebo?” she asked as they were driven home in the senator’s limousine.

He shrugged. “This and that. I’d tell them a story about my deep, dark past and then throw in something about RU2 that they could identify with. It kept them off guard and interested.” He paused. “I suppose I should confess that I wasn’t only planning your seduction this morning while you were sleeping. I called Kendow and he did some checking. Emily Santos was one of Ishmaru’s early victims. She’s been dead for over twelve years. She was blond and small and she didn’t die easy. She took a butcher knife to the bastard. He has a scar on his neck to prove it.”

“How did Kendow find out? This Jimenez?”

“No, he’d already gathered the files when I was looking for Ishmaru.” He paused. “Jimenez was found dead recently.”

She didn’t have to ask him how he died. Ishmaru again. “Then he thinks I’m some kind of reincarnation of this Emily Santos?”

“So it would seem.”

She stored away the information because she didn’t want to think of anything connected with Ishmaru right now. They’d had success today and she had no desire to dissipate her feeling of confidence. She changed the subject. “The senator said you were extraordinary.”

“Damn straight. Did you doubt it?”

“No, I just wondered where you learned to handle people so well.”

“Twelve foster homes. It took a little while for me to get it right. But the last time I got to stay four years.”

“You were an orphan?”

“Not exactly. My father abandoned my mother and me when I was born, but my mother stuck around for another two years.”

“She left you?”

“A state agency took me away from her after the welfare worker found out she’d left me alone for almost three days.”

“That’s terrible,” she whispered.

“Yeah, maybe. Shit happens.”

“It shouldn’t happen to children.”

“But it does.”

Twelve foster homes. What must it have been like for a child to be bounced from place to place, to face rejection time and time again? No wonder he had trouble settling down.

He smiled. “Don’t look so horrified. I was probably better off in the foster homes. I got enough to eat.”

“And you learned to handle people.”

“Sometimes you handle them. Sometimes you walk away. Sometimes you just get rid of them.”

“Were you ‘handling’ me this morning?”

“Doing my damnedest.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “But you’re not easy. You’ll only let me go so far and then you back away.” He licked her palm. “I’m having to work at it.”

“You don’t
have
to do anything.”

“True. My choice.” He laced his fingers with hers. “But I’ve never minded working for what I want. It makes it more fun.”

“Tell me, is ‘handling’ the same as manipulating?”

His smile disappeared. “No way. Not in this case. Even if you let me, I wouldn’t manipulate you. Haven’t I been honest?”

He had been honest. He had seduced, coaxed, persuaded, while being perfectly honest about what he was doing. It was difficult to resent anything he did when he was so open about it. “Yes, you’ve been honest.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about. You’re smart enough to see right through me if you put your mind to it.”

Instead of her hormones, she thought ruefully. She found she was having difficulty separating the physical from the mental. “The senator was right, you’re a dangerous man.”

“Yep, but you like that about me too. Same as those people back at the gazebo. It excites you to get close to the dark.” He grinned mischievously. “Want to get
really
close?”

She looked at him warily.

“Ever done it in the backseat of a limousine?”

Her eyes widened in shock. “No, and I don’t intend to do it now.”

He sighed. “I didn’t think you were ready for that yet. Oh well, maybe the senator will lend us his car later. We’ll be working pretty closely with him.”

It was strange how quickly you could become accustomed to lying naked in a man’s arms, Kate thought lazily as she listened to the steady beat of Seth’s heart beneath her ear. Sometimes it was exquisitely arousing; at other times, like the present, it was just comforting and nice.