Sleeping With the Enemy (9 page)

She came in a rush, startling in its intensity, yet not long enough to ease the ache inside of her. Frantically,
she stripped her panties off her legs as Jay deftly unzipped his trousers and rolled a condom over his erection. He maneuvered her hips back over top of him and slid home with heavy sigh. Eyes closed, Jay remained motionless a moment as Bridgett stretched to accommodate him. His fingers dug into her hips as he slowly moved beneath her. It was too slow for Bridgett. She tried to rise up on her knees
but Jay held her fast, a lazy
smile forming on his lips as he opened his eyes. The intensity and possessiveness shining in those blue eyes startled her. “This is real,” he said as he moved her over him. “
This
is who we are.”

Bridgett didn’t have time to contemplate his words because he began to move faster beneath her, and it was all she could do to hold on as her body met his stride for stride.
His mouth found her breast and the sensation of his tongue pleasuring her through the silk of her blouse and her bra made her wild. Suddenly his thumb found her sweet spot and her breath seized in her lungs. She threw her head back to scream from the pure pleasure of her climax, but no sound came. Jay stilled beneath her, his face drawn as he watched her come back to earth. Brushing her hair
back off her face, he gently touched his lips to hers. Then, with a single thrust, his eyes slammed shut and he breathed her name ferociously as his own release overtook him.

•   •   •

Jay rubbed his hands along Bridgett’s back. He was still deep inside her with her body draped over his. The soft, contented breaths she was releasing were making him hard again, but he would die before moving
her an inch. The faint scent of pumpkin from her hair mingled with the musky smell of sex that permeated the plane’s cabin and he couldn’t help but grin smugly. She was his and always would be. While he’d never give her the power to hurt him again, he would possess her, sharing a life with her. They could carve out a relationship that left their hearts intact. They’d have to, because Jay wasn’t
letting her go again.

His phone buzzed from deep within the pocket of his suit jacket, which was hanging on the seat across from them. Jay ignored it, groaning as Bridgett stirred. She turned her face toward his, her eyes dazed as she began to come to her senses. But Jay didn’t want her thinking. A coherent Bridgett was too risky. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning in
to kiss her back into delirium in hopes of a second round before they landed.

Jay swore against her mouth as Bridgett’s phone began ringing seconds after Jay’s quieted. She pulled out of the kiss, inhaling a deep breath as she glanced around the cabin. “That’ll be Stuart,” she said matter-of-factly. “I told him I’d call him at eight.”

Bridgett started to climb off him, but Jay didn’t want
the distance between them to return. “Ignore it,” he demanded. Her eyes homed in on his lips and he twitched inside of her, forcing a startled gasp from deep in her throat. Unfortunately, it didn’t do the trick because she jumped off him and hightailed it to the lavatory without a second glance his way.

By the time she emerged, all tucked in and buttoned up, Jay had righted his own clothes
and was sipping black coffee from a travel cup. She dug into the bowels of the ugly red bag she carried everywhere and pulled out her cell phone. Taking the seat across from him, she checked the screen.

“Stuart is sending our investigator out to San Francisco to check for any potential hot spots that could still be lingering from your sexual discrimination suits,” she said without lifting
her eyes.

Jay had anticipated such a move, which was why he’d insisted Linc get the files together. “I told you that you can have whatever files I have.”

She looked up at him then, worry flashing in her eyes before her cool mask slipped into place. “Scott won’t find anything, then?”

He knew what she was asking, but her secret was safe from her firm’s investigator. If his suspicions
were correct, it would be used to blackmail him instead. Jay didn’t bother sharing that tidbit with her, though.

“I’m pretty sure that just before your initiation into the mile-high club I reminded you that I had already given you my word about that. Nothing has changed.”

Bridgett fidgeted in her seat, her cheeks a delicious pink as she swiped a finger over the screen of her phone. “I’ll
put this on speaker so we can both talk to Stuart.”

Jay didn’t want to talk to her boss. He wanted to unwrap
her from the brittle shield she’d cloaked herself in and have his way with her for the rest of the flight. Unfortunately, Stuart answered on the second ring.

By the time they’d begun their descent, Stuart and Bridgett had mapped out a plan of attack for the day. While Bridgett dealt
with her sister this morning, Stuart would be meeting with Mimi Something-or-Other and setting up a prevent defense in case Alesha Warren—or whoever was behind the lawsuit—leaked damaging information to the press or, more specifically, the person hiding behind that damn blog. Jay texted Linc to make the sexual harassment files available to the media specialist since Bridgett would be delayed
this morning.

After taxiing the plane up to the small terminal adjacent to Logan Airport, Ron emerged from the cockpit and opened up the outer door. “I’ll go check on the car,” he said as he hurried down the steps.

Bridgett stood and gathered her things while Jay lounged in his seat, finishing his coffee.

“Is there a taxi stand here or do I have to go to the main terminal?” she asked.

Jay couldn’t decide if he was insulted or amused by her demeanor. “The car he’s getting is for you.”

“Oh.” Seeming embarrassed, she shoved her giant bag on her shoulder, clutching her raincoat with the other hand. “Of course. You’ll want to head right back. I’ll get out of your way, then.”

She turned to leave but Jay was quicker. Rising to his feet, he blocked her exit. She took a small
step back to avoid coming into contact with his chest, not that Jay would have minded.

“Ron is staying put. He’ll fly you back whenever you’re ready.”

“You’re just going to sit around waiting for me?”

“Ron is. I’m not. I’m catching a flight out to Napa in an hour.” He reached out and fingered a strand of hair that had attached itself to her cheek.

“To get ahead of Scott?”

“No,” he said, easing his body closer to hers. “I told you not to worry about that. It seems, though, that we’re both destined to have to rescue our sisters today.”

“Is Charlie all right?” Her voice was breathless now as he moved to within an inch of her.

Jay gave a frustrated laugh. “She won’t be when I get through with her.” He brushed her cheek with his finger, then reached around to
pull her in for a kiss, but she quickly pulled away, taking giant step back.

“No,” she said, her voice breathless. “No more. We had our walk down memory lane, but that’s all it was. We were both tired and overwrought and we lost our heads.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “I have never been nor will I ever be ‘overwrought.’”

Bridgett’s eyes narrowed and she released an exasperated huff.
“No, but you are insufferable. You wore me down once, but it won’t happen again. You are a client. Nothing else can or will happen.” She jerked her chin up in the air, defying him to argue with her.

Jay felt a grin break out—not to mention a very nice hard-on begin to develop—at her belligerent stance. “That would have sounded a lot tougher if I didn’t have your panties in my pocket.”

Her eyes went wide and wild as she tried to stomp past him, muttering words that sounded both dangerous and sexy. She didn’t get far, though. Jay wrapped his fingers around her arm and maneuvered her back against the wall of the plane, just out of the sight line for the door. She opened her mouth to protest but Jay silenced her words with his own lips. He feasted on her mouth, tasting tea and mint
and a well-satisfied woman. She could have resisted him, likely doing serious damage with those weapons that doubled as shoes, but after a token slap on the chest, her fingers curled into his suit jacket and she was putty in his hands. Jay worked his thigh between her legs and she made a sweet sound at the back of her throat that had him agonizingly hard.

Voices on the tarmac brought him back
to his senses. As much as they both seemed to want each other, they’d have
to wait. The idea of having her naked in a bed soon would have to sustain him through the crazy day he had ahead of him. Breaking their kiss, he ran his lips along her neck as she blew out gasping breaths.

Jay tugged at her ear with his teeth. “We’re not done, Bridgett. Not even close. I’m beginning to think we never
were. Go. Take care of your family while I go take care of mine. But this
is
going to happen again. Count on it.”

He pulled back abruptly and wrapped his fingers around her elbow, guiding her to the metal steps leading off the plane to the tarmac. Ron was waiting to intercept her at the bottom. Jay watched as his pilot led her to the waiting town car. Bridgett walked purposefully toward the
car without looking back. Jay bit back a smile, confident that he’d won that round.

“I should have just done what you did and given up on marriage altogether,” Gwen said as she stretched out on the chaise in Bridgett’s living room. “I could use a cozy little condo like this to lounge around in and sip wine all day.”

Bridgett bit back the ugly retort that bubbled up on her lips, cutting her sister some slack for being bitchy. Gwen did have an excuse.
This time
.

The town car had dropped Bridgett off at her condo an hour ago, long enough for her to shower and change into her business-casual work clothes of wool slacks and a cashmere sweater from Talbots. Gwen had descended on her doorstep just as the teakettle began whistling.

“Unfortunately this ‘cozy little condo’ costs a fortune and I have to work long hours to maintain it. I don’t get much time
to ‘lounge around and sip wine.’”

“Are you saying I’m afraid of a little work?” Gwen’s eyes grew damp and her lip began to tremble.

Apparently, everything Bridgett said was going to be
taken out of context this morning. She took another sip of tea and reached for a tissue for her sister. “Will you stop putting words in my mouth, Gwen? You know that’s not what I meant. Just keep in mind
that the grass isn’t always greener.”

Gwen went into mother bear mode at Bridgett’s words. “Oh, honey. Do you want to talk about it?” She jumped off the chaise and stood beside the bar stool Bridgett was perched on, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. While distracting Gwen might be the only way to survive the morning, Bridgett knew better than to let her sister in on her secrets.

“I’ve
just had a stressful week, that’s all.”

“I can imagine. Being stranded in a tropical storm with that hunky Jay McManus had to be traumatic.”

Bridgett’s head whipped around toward her sister. “How did you know who I was with?”

“That nice lawyer, Adam, mentioned it when he came by with the separation papers this morning.”

Lovely.
The way her life was going, both the Boston office
and the Baltimore staff were gossiping about her trip.

“Don’t worry.” Gwen gave her shoulder a pat. “I didn’t tell him that you don’t like men.”

“Arghh!” Bridgett shrugged off her sister’s arm and trudged over to the sink to rinse out her teacup. Clearly her sister was manic. Because there was no doubt that Bridgett did like men. Especially one man in particular. Grateful that her back
was to Gwen, she fanned her flushed face with a dish towel. This morning’s little tryst at thirty thousand feet had been amazing. The connection that sizzled between their bodies was stronger than ever. She’d been with men since Jay. But none had ever brought her body to such an intense climax as the Antichrist.
Damn him.

“We’re not done, Bridgett. Not even close,”
the arrogant bastard had
the nerve to declare.
“This is going to happen again. Count on it.”
She desperately wanted to prove him wrong. Except her panties were already wet just thinking about it.

With a frustrated sigh, she tossed the dish towel onto the
counter and turned to find her sister scrutinizing her carefully.

“Oh, Bridgett,” Gwen finally said. “Who did this to you? Who hurt you so badly that you don’t
feel worthy of love anymore?”

Bridgett reached for the counter before she could lose her balance and collapse on the floor. Her breath was sawing in and out of her lungs at her sister’s startling questions. She tried to formulate a coherent response but words failed her.

Gwen walked over and cupped her hands on Bridgett’s face to steady her. “Oh, sweetie. Did you think I didn’t know?”
She did that tsking thing that always annoyed Bridgett, but right now had her hypnotized. “You came back from your internship in Italy a different person. A woman jaded. With a lot harder shell. I know I say things to annoy you sometimes.” A squeak escaped Bridgett’s throat. “Okay, most of the time. But it’s only because I wanted you to open up. To tell me about your broken heart. You’re so self-sufficient
sometimes it makes me so damn jealous.” Tears were streaming down Gwen’s face now. “Yes, I want what you have, Bridge. But not the
things
. I want the resolve that you possess. If I’d had one-tenth of it, I’d have left Skip years ago.” She gave Bridgett a little shake. “Please tell me I can do this? Please show me how to survive divorce, because I don’t think I’ll make it otherwise.”

Bridgett
pulled her sister in for a tight hug. “Of course you’re going to survive,” she told Gwen. “You have two beautiful children and a family that loves you. Surviving is the only option. Putting the thumbscrews to Skip will be the icing on the cake.”

Gwen laughed through her tears. “There’s another thing I admire about you, little sister. You’re bloodthirsty.”

They spent the rest of the morning
crafting the separation agreement that Adam would present to Skip later that evening, and then Bridgett accompanied Gwen to lunch with their parents, where they broke the news of the divorce. Neither parent was surprised, a fact that made Gwen cry yet
again. Thankfully, their mother stepped in and took over hand-holding duties for the remainder of the day.

“What was Alesha Warren’s reaction
when you spoke with her this morning?” Stuart asked later that afternoon. Bridgett was seated at her bistro table, basking in the sun streaming in the French doors as they discussed the case by phone.

“Pretty much as expected. She sounded resigned to the fact that she’d have to play her next hand. I’m starting to agree with the conspiracy theory that Donovan has going. It does look more and
more like someone is putting her up to this.”

Stuart sighed. “Yeah. I think our client is holding something back here, too. This should be an open-and-shut class action case; one that languishes in the court for years and annoys the team because of the slight tarnish on their image and the never-ending court costs. But I get the feeling there’s something more going on here. There’s a reason
she’s going after Jay personally. I just don’t know what it is.”

A trickle of unease ran up Bridgett’s spine. Jay had hinted that whoever’s behind this case may be serving a personal vendetta, but she’d hoped that he was just being cautious, if not a little paranoid. Except he’d warned her about their secrets getting out. Who had he angered with his secret files in the past? A Google search
had revealed that Lloyd Davis had a lot of enemies. Could Jay have carried on the same business practices? Having Stuart raising suspicions made her nervous, because her boss was like a dog with a bone when he thought there was something out of order. She just didn’t want him digging so deeply that he unearthed her secret.

“Do we know if Donovan has located Jennifer Knowles yet?” Stuart asked.

“I assumed you’d hear from Jay when they’ve found her.”

Stuart laughed. “You’re forgetting, Buffy, that the man is very clear that you’re the lead attorney on this case. He doesn’t even take my phone calls half the time. Definitely follow up with him this afternoon. I’d also like for the two
of you to meet with Mimi first thing tomorrow. Hopefully nothing will hit the fan—or the web—before
then.”

“That might be difficult.”

“I thought his pilot was prepared to bring you back?”

“Yeah, me.” She glanced out the window at the sun reflected in the harbor. “Jay left for Napa after we landed here this morning. Something to do with his sister.”

“That or a little blackmail recon,” Stuart said. “The Blaze play San Francisco on Sunday. I imagine he’ll just stay out there. Which
means we’ll have to take the mountain to Muhammad. Can you leave your sister in the capable hands of Adam and head west? I’ll send Mimi out, too, and the three of you can strategize.”

“But what about my other case?”

“Don’t worry about the chicken farmers. Dan can handle an easy tax case.”

“But, Stuart—”

“No buts, Buffy. Trust me, I know neither one of you is happy about how these
cases were assigned, but this is what the client wants. And
I
want Jay McManus’s business.”

Bridgett debated telling her boss just exactly what Jay McManus wanted; it would definitely get her reassigned. But since she’d been more than a complicit partner earlier this morning, she kept her mouth shut. Besides, sticking close to Jay gave her some reassurance that he’d keep their secrets safe.
She just needed to figure out how to keep from sticking too close to her client’s body.

•   •   •

Jay stood on the balcony off the master bedroom that overlooked his portion of Napa Valley. Bright red flowers bloomed in the boxes lining the iron railing, but as always, Jay’s eyes were drawn to the grapes; rows and rows of them in neat lines from the end of the circular driveway to the
Napa River below. Behind the canopy of grapes were the foothills surrounding the valley. Above them, white fluffy clouds floated against the perfect blue sky.

Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and bare feet, he breathed in
the aroma of the ongoing harvest. Most of the chardonnay grapes had been picked and crushed in August, but workers were now busy harvesting the cabernet grapes as well as the
pinot noir. The weather was mild and Jay relaxed as the breeze blew through his damp hair. Bridgett had been right last night: Wine was his passion. A case could be made that it was in his blood.

His father, Jack McManus, had been a vintner from New Zealand who’d come to the United States to study viticulture and bioengineering at Cornell. It was there that he’d met Jay’s mother, a bioengineering
student herself. They’d married and continued on to pursue graduate degrees at U.C. Berkeley. Jay’s father had died of melanoma the day before his son’s third birthday. Two summers spent with his grandfather in New Zealand had solidified Jay’s passion for all things wine, from growing the grapes to bottling. Unfortunately, the elder John McManus had been a poor businessman. The vineyards were
sold at auction upon his death to cover outstanding debts. Through no small feat of his own, Jay had carried on the family tradition. He hoped the two men would have been proud, but, truth be told, Jay had done it for himself. He’d never really known his father or his grandfather that well. Jay’s dream was to have something concrete to pass down to his own child someday.

A flash of pink caught
his eye, and Jay watched as Charlie spread a towel over one of the lounge chairs beside the pool before pulling off her wrap and laying her bikini-clad body in the sun. She’d been avoiding him since he’d arrived a few hours earlier, but Jay had been only too happy to give his sister her space. He needed time to regroup after the past thirty-six hours and his mad scramble to locate her after she
left Baltimore with no word. This was the second time in a week that she’d holed up in one of Jay’s homes as opposed to the seven left to her by her late father. Even more telling, she’d come to California alone.

Deciding he’d put their confrontation off long enough, he made his way downstairs and toward the pool area. The
pool was built to look like a tropical lagoon with rocks lining one
end of the sea-green water, while a wood pergola hung over its other end. Tall Italian cypress trees shielded the spot from the eyes of the many workers gathering the grapes a few hundred yards away. Grabbing some necessary armor—in the form of a cold beer from the poolside kitchen—Jay stretched out on the lounge chair next to Charlie. Closing his eyes against the afternoon sun, he took a long sip
from his beer.

“No wonder you have that awful farmer’s tan,” his sister said. “Ever think of putting on a bathing suit?”

“You would be the expert in tan lines. According to the tabloids, you’ve been skinny-dipping in Thailand.”

“Don’t believe everything you read.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you communicated with me.”

“I’m communicating with you now.”

Jay took another fortifying
swig of his beer. Charlie was baiting him, angling for a fight, probably thinking it was her best defense to get him to leave her alone. She was wrong.

“What are you doing here, Charlie?”

“What are
you
doing here, Jay?”

Jay swore ruthlessly under his breath. “Charlotte Elizabeth, answer the damn question!”

She flinched beside him. “I’m growing my baby. I’d hoped to do it in private,
but since you arrived with your entourage, it seems that won’t be the case.”

He blew out a frustrated sigh. “If you wanted to be alone, you would have picked one of your own houses. You knew the Blaze are playing here this weekend. I’ve invited a houseful of people for Saturday night.”

“Who says I’m staying until Saturday?”

Jay risked a glance at her then. His sister’s face was drawn
tight and her eyes were red rimmed and swollen. She looked nothing like a woman aglow with pregnancy. Clearly, she wasn’t handling her condition as well as he’d thought she was. Reaching a hand across to her, Jay took her fingers in his. “I had hoped you would stay. These parties are no fun.”

“So you want me to share in your torture?” A weak smile appeared on her face. “Why do you even play
host if you enjoy them so little?”

“I have an image to maintain.”

They both chuckled but neither of them withdrew their hand. Instead, they sat there in companionable silence for a few moments before Linc ambled out from Jay’s office.

“Did you have to bring your puppy dog?” Charlie asked, yanking her hand away.

Jay bit back a grin. There wasn’t a woman alive who Linc couldn’t charm,
and Jay suspected his sister liked his affable young assistant more than she let on. Jay tucked that observation away in case he needed it in the future. “Kennels are so expensive these days.”

“He’s annoying,” she said loud enough for Linc to hear as he approached.

“Hmm. He says the same thing about you.”

Linc ignored Charlie’s barb, instead greeting her with his most mesmerizing smile,
turning up the wattage until his sister was forced to look away. “I’ve arranged for a car to pick up Ms. Janik. They left Boston an hour ago, so she should be arriving here at the vineyard sometime after eight our time.”

“More people are coming tonight?” Charlie huffed beside him, sounding a lot like she had when she was eleven.