Mine Until Dawn (4 page)

She let out a breathy laugh. “Does that often work?” she asked.

“What?”

“Flipping scripts. I ask you a question, and since you don’t want to answer it, you ask one of your own instead.” She grinned and tapped her chest. “It won’t work with me. You want information from me? You’ve got to give me some. Besides, I never mentioned men. I said
person.
Are you expecting trouble? Is that why you’re being so vigilant?”

Trouble always followed him. Most of which he could handle. Somebody should have warned him about her. “Someone was tailing me.”

Her eyes widened. “Who?”

“I don’t know. I felt a presence when I picked up the statue from the dealer, but spotted him by the time I reached the hotel. The man is anything but a pro. Now about the two
persons,
” he prompted.

“Do you think he’s after the real statue?”

He’d reached that conclusion, but there was no need to tell her that. The least she knew about his investigation the better. “I don’t think so, but I’m sure he works for Cohen. I still owe the man some money.” The elevator door opened and they stepped out. Vince pointed to their right. “This way. Can we talk about the two men now?”

Jade nodded. “Two days ago, a young man approached me in the faculty parking lot and asked if I could tell him where my mother was. He told me his name was, uh, Hudson, but he refused to explain why he was looking for her. My mother is on the board of several local charity organizations and is always being targeted for donations. I assumed Hudson was after some money.”

“What did you tell him?”

“To contact Fitz-Valdes and leave a message with Joel, my mother’s assistant.”

Vince nodded. “What about the third person?”

“A Frenchman. He said he had an invitation for some cultural bash at their Embassy. He didn’t give me the details either.”

“Can you describe him?”

“Tall, older, receding hairline, walking ad for everything designer. Why?”

“My aunt said one of the guests spoke with a French accent. She hasn’t been able to contact him or….” A prickling feeling on the back of his neck prompted him to grip her arm and stop.

She frowned. “What is it?”

He placed a finger on her lips and her eyes went wide. His gaze swung back to his door. Muffled sounds came from inside his room.

“Stay here.” He pushed the duffel bag with the statue into her arms and guided her behind him.

Convinced she would obey, Vince moved toward his door, every muscle in his body primed for action. The prickling feeling grew stronger. He turned his head and threw Jade a glance. She hadn’t moved. Her arms clenched her purse and the duffel bag against her chest, a crease between her arched eyebrows, a defenseless expression on her face.

He gesture toward the elevator and indicated she leave.

Jade scowled and shook her head.

Pig-headed woman.
“Don’t move,” he mouthed.

He placed his palm against the door and pushed a few inches. Seconds ticked as he took a quick inventory. The trash can was overturned and unused Styrofoam coffee cups littered the floor. The bathroom door was wide open when he’d left it closed. Drawers spilled with his clothe, his underwear and socks competing for space with his shirts on the floor. A thump came from the direction of the bed. He pushed the door wider and slid inside the room.

A man bent over Vince’s personal belongings scattered all over the bed. Vince slammed the door shut for maximum effect. The man looked up and smothered a curse, his eyes narrowing.

Vince assessed the intruder—ruddy complexion, average height, but muscular. Nondescript gray sweat pants and shirt, and a matching woolen hat. It was the same man who’d tailed him earlier. “Who do you work for?”

“Who’s asking?” The man straightened up and started forward.
 

Cocky bastard. We’ll see how long that lasts.
“You followed me earlier. Tell me who sent you and I won’t hurt you.”

The man laughed as a figure rush out of the bathroom. Vince spun around just in time and swept his leg behind in a back, high kick. He caught the burglar in the chest, heard the surprised grunt as the man crashed backward into the door. Vince darted sideways and avoided a jabbing blow to his temple from the first man. He grabbed the man’s arm, twisted it and landed a knuckle punch to his ribs. The man grunted and doubled over. Vince danced out of the way so he was no longer in between the two men.

Vince didn’t indulge in brawls anymore but knew how a pro would respond in a situation like this. The moves he perfected over the years were wasted on these two morons. He smiled as the two men recovered and faced him, their eyes flashing with rage.

Good. Anger often led to carelessness. “Tell me who sent you and I’ll let you leave in one piece,” he taunted them.

“Let’s take him out,” the one near the door snarled, punctuating his words with four-letter curse words.

“Yeah,” the one closer to Vince responded and charged at him.

 
Vince whipped to the right to avoid a jab to his jaw just as the door flew open and Jade stumbled in, swinging the duffel bag like a lance. What the…? Was the woman nuts?

“What are you doing?” he yelled, blocking a hooked strike and delivering an open-hand chop on his opponent’s neck.

“Helping,” Jade yelled and swung the bag at the other man’s head.

The man tried to duck, but wasn’t fast enough. The thud of the statue connecting with flesh followed by curses filled the room. Her aim might suck, but she was strong. The bastard was going to have one nasty shoulder wound. From the corner of his eye, Vince saw the man’s teeth bare in a snarl as he reached for her. An uppercut blow on his jaw drew his attention back to his opponent.

Vince stepped back, swept his arm down and blocked another blow aimed at his head. He grabbed his attacker’s jabbing wrist, yanked upward and rammed his fist on the man’s solar plexus. The man doubled and stumbled backward. A thud and a smothered cry resounded in the room. Vince whipped around turned to see Jade crumble on the floor.

 
“Let’s go,” the man near the door yelled, grabbed the duffel bag from the floor and bolted out the open door. His partner raced after him.

Vince didn’t bother to chase them. The statue was a fake anyway. He hurried to Jade’s side, his heart pounding, adrenaline coursing through his veins. She was half-sitting, half-lying on the floor. Her hair was in disarray and covered her face. Her dress had hitched up, her stockings rolled down to reveal lace-covered creamy thighs and the straps of her dress dangled on her arms, making her look wanton. Somehow, he’d known she would prefer stockings to pantyhose.

Desire, fast and furious pulsed along his nerves. He was always horny after combat. Having Jade Fitzgerald’s delectable body on display shot it to another level. He ignored the heaviness in his groin and squatted beside her. A sigh of relief escaped him when he pushed the curly mass from her face and saw that she was conscious.

“Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding?” He waved a finger in front of her eyes.

She swatted his hand out of the way. “Quit with that. No, I’m not okay. My head hurts.” A moan escaped her as she sat up. “Hudson was right in front of me. How could I have missed him?”

“The same Hudson—?”

“Yeah. The slime ball I failed to bludgeon with your fake statue is the same man who was asking for my mother.”

Vince catalogued the information for later. “You didn’t. Fail to hit him, that is. You got a solid hit on his shoulder,” he tried to reassure her, his gaze caressing her exposed thighs. Fine-grained. Velvet smooth. He wondered how they’d feel, taste. His crotch grew heavier. Jade shifted. “Don’t stand up yet. You hit your head pretty hard.”

She grimaced. “My head has nothing to do with it and you know it. You’re busy enjoying the view.” She tugged at her dress.

His neck heated. He hated that he was embarrassed. “The dress is designed to draw men’s attention.”

“Didn’t seem to have an effect on you earlier.” She touched the back of her head and winced.

He shifted so he could part her hair and check her head. The injury on her head was already swelling. “I’m not like other men,” he mumbled.

“Oh? Thanks for letting me know.”

He ignored her sassy response. “You need to put ice on this.” He started to massage the swelling. “There must be an ice-machine somewhere on this floor. I can get—”

She grabbed his shirt. “Don’t move. That feels good.” A purr escaped her lips. “Don’t stop.”

This wasn’t good. She sounded as though she was having an orgasm. Vince clenched his fist and dropped his hand to his side.

“Hey.” She grabbed it and placed it back on her head. “You were making it better. You have a gentle touch, Vince.”

Gentle touch? He stiffened, pulled his hand away and got to his feet. Not caring that she would notice the bulge in his pants, he stood before her and glowered. Her gaze found his mindless and engorged member. As if it were possible, it grew tauter.

When her head lifted and their eyes locked, anger rushed through him. He was pissed at himself for the fantasies he’d been weaving since he met this woman. His years of discipline meant nothing when he was around her.

“What were you thinking rushing in here like that? I told you to stay outside,” Vince snapped, scowling down at her.

She raised her eyebrows. “A lecture is the thanks I’m getting for coming to your aid.”

“I don’t recall asking.”

“No, you didn’t. You ordered me to stay put.” A quick smile crossed her lips. “A year ago, I would have obeyed you. The new me doesn’t take orders from anyone.” She stuck out her hand. “Quit glowering and help me up.”

He didn’t move. What did she mean by ‘the new me’? Why should he care?

“Please,” she added.

He grabbed her hand and hauled her up. Perhaps he’d pulled too hard in his anger or she wanted to yank his chain on purpose. Either case, she lost her balance and landed smack against him. He had no choice but to steady her. His arm snaked around her waist.

Her breath caught, but she didn’t make an effort to step away from him. His gaze grazed the expanse of her shoulder. All that lovely soft skin a breath away. It wouldn’t take much to drop his head and nibble on her skin. His gaze shifted upward. Big mistake. Her lush lips parted, begging to be claimed. The urge to taste her became overwhelming. His hand tightened around her waist.

 
“You should have heard the grunts and the noises coming from in here,” she whispered. “I thought you were being mauled by a lion.”

“They were amateurs.”

“That explains it.” Her eyes were wide as she studied his face.

“Explains what?”

“Why you don’t have a mark on your face.” Her hand moved up and rested on his throbbing jaw. “Not even a scratch.”

The soft, cool feel of her fingers against his heated skin was soothing and arousing. His mind told him to release her and spring back. Create some distance between them. Run. But for the life of him, he couldn’t move.

“He landed one blow.” What an idiotic thing to say. He’d never bragged about his skills until now.

“Left jaw, right?”

A jolt rocked his body when she leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his jaw. It took sheer will not to turn his head and claim her lips. He disengaged his arm from her waist and step back.

“What was that for?” His voice sounded harsh even to his ears.

She shrugged. “It was just a peck, Vince. Lighten up. If I didn’t distract you, Hudson’s partner wouldn’t have clipped you.” She flashed a grin. “I thought it was quite a brilliant idea to use the statue as a weapon. Hudson must be nursing quite a nasty bruise.”

“So are you.” He put some distance between them, walked to his bed and started rummaging through his suitcase.

“You don’t have to sound so cheerful about it,” she said.

“If you had listened to me—”

“Yeah, yeah. Heard it already. Blame it on my heroine complex. I had this idiotic thought that you needed me.”

In his bed, yes. Not fighting his battles. This had to stop. Having thoughts about her and sex was downright stupid. She was Estelle Fitzgerald’s daughter, and Estelle was still a suspect in his investigation. He threw down his suitcase. The photographs weren’t where he’d left them. He started picking up the clothes and shoving them back in the suitcase.

“I should have known better,” Jade continued. “A self-contained, law-unto-himself type like you doesn’t need anyone.”

What was that supposed to mean? He shot her quick look. She was sifting through her wavy hair with her fingers while looking around with a perplexed expression. Women baffled him. He’d never figured out some of the crazy crap they said. The logical thing to do would be to escort Jade downstairs, see her to her car and never contact her again. A simple routine. Then why did the idea bother him?

She eyed him when he cursed, her expression wary. “What is it?”

What would she say if he asked her to spend the night with him? He’d make sure she left his bed completely satiated. He studied her, wondering why she was eying him with a frown. Vince forced his mind to drift from lusty thoughts to the question she’d asked.