It was as if she took all her fear, anger and frustration and poured it into that kiss. This wasn’t romantic. Heck, it was barely even sexual. But she apparently needed that kiss because when Nick tried to break away so he could ask if she was all right, Kelly held on for dear life.
Nick held on, as well. Because he needed her, needed this contact as much as she obviously did.
The kiss became deep and hot. Nick responded in the most basic male way. He stopped thinking if this was the right or wrong thing to do, and just went with what was happening.
Kelly plastered herself against him, and she coiled her arms around him. Nick did some arm wrapping himself, and even though they couldn’t get much closer, he tried. Because getting closer suddenly seemed more important to him than his next breath.
She said his name. It was a thick, breathy whisper. And she slid her hand between them so she could touch his erection. It was like striking a match. The flames soared. And Nick knew despite the consequences, they were already at the point of no return.
He turned and pushed her back against the wall. He wasn’t gentle. Neither was she. It wasn’t the time for that. The need was too demanding. The emotions too high. They both just wanted release, and they wanted it now.
Nick scooped her up, and she automatically adjusted herself so that her legs were on each side of his hips. She wore a slim green dress, which Nick was thankful for.
Her legs were bare, and he could feel the soft skin of her inner thighs. He didn’t take the time to savor it. He didn’t take the time to savor anything. They fought to rid her of her panties and lower his zipper.
Now, now, now—
that was the only word in his head, and it pounded in cadence with their heartbeats.
He entered her the moment she freed him from his boxer briefs. He slid in hot and deep. They paused for only a moment. One too-short moment so that he could force himself to be gentle.
But Kelly didn’t want gentle.
She moved against him. Hard. Fast. Nick didn’t even try to reset the pace or resist this avalanche of need. He just went with it. He thrust himself into her, again and again, until everything pinpointed into a demand for release. That was it. Nothing else mattered, only release.
“Now,” he said.
But Kelly was already going there. She moved her hips against him one last time. It was a hard, frantic motion that racked her entire body.
He felt her climax, and he followed suit. One last thrust into that warm, wet heat, and he knew he couldn’t make this last. He buried his face against her neck and let himself go.
Kelly’s breath was coming out in rough gusts, and her heart rate had to be off the scale. Still, she forced herself to come back to earth.
And the impact of what she’d just done hit her full force.
“Oh, hell,” Nick mumbled.
He, too, had obviously realized that having sex against the closet wall wasn’t the smartest thing they could have done. Yet neither of them had been able to do anything to stop it.
Kelly wiggled out of his grip and put her feet back on the floor. She quickly located her panties, put them on and fixed her dress so that it wasn’t around her waist. Nick adjusted his clothes, too, and then looked behind him to check the monitor. Nothing had changed. The babies were still asleep. They were safe.
No thanks to him.
They’d been having sex while they should have been standing guard.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” Kelly mumbled.
He made a sound to indicate he agreed. “It was an adrenaline reaction.” It was as good an excuse as any, especially since he wasn’t eager to discuss it.
Kelly wanted to know what it all meant. If anything. But this wasn’t the time or the place for a conversation about how this would change their relationship.
He retrieved his gun and pressed in some keys on the monitor. He scanned through his office—it was empty. Next he viewed the kitchen, where the cook was looking out the window. And finally he switched to the exterior cameras. She saw the sheriff and his deputies. They were searching the ground for something. Spent shell casings maybe. The sheriff was also talking on his cell phone.
Nick scanned more of the grounds before he switched back to the nursery. There still wasn’t much activity going on there, and that meant there wasn’t much to focus on. The silence and the tension soon became thick.
“I’m sorry,” Nick said.
“For what?”
He stared at her a moment. “For having sex with you.” His eyes widened. “Unprotected sex.”
Kelly was sure her eyes widened, as well, but she fought through the feeling of panic and forced herself to do the math. “It’s the wrong time of the month,” she let him know. “And as for STDs, I’m clear there, too. It’ll be okay.”
But Nick’s expression said otherwise.
Mercy, what had they done?
They’d just started to feel comfortable with each other. They’d just started to develop trust. Now this was going to create more issues between them.
“We can pretend it didn’t happen,” she suggested.
“Is that what you want?” he retorted.
Kelly didn’t know what she wanted when it came to Nick, and she didn’t have a chance to talk about that with him.
Nick’s phone rang, the sound shooting through the otherwise silent room. He snatched it from his pocket.
“It’s the sheriff,” he said glancing down at the caller ID on the screen. “Did you find the gunman?” Nick demanded when he answered the call.
The answer was obviously no because Nick’s scowl deepened. He clicked off the phone. “The sheriff’s coming back to the house.”
That was her cue to double-check to make sure her clothes were straight and that she didn’t look as if she’d just had sex with Nick. The first was doable, but she doubted the second was. She only hoped the sheriff didn’t notice.
Nick opened the door that led into the nursery, and Kelly had just enough time to check her hair and face in the mirror before Sheriff Cross came in.
“Well?” Nick asked.
“There’s no sign of the gunman. But you were right. He or she was in a tree just on the other side of the fence. This doesn’t look like the work of an amateur. The area was clean. Too clean. Someone didn’t want to leave behind any incriminating evidence.”
That caused her stomach to knot. A professional gunman had just tried to kill her and the babies. But then, she hadn’t expected anything less from Eric. He wouldn’t have hired anyone but a pro to do this job.
“I got the phone numbers for Paula Barker and Todd Burgess and called them while I was outside,” the sheriff explained. “They said they left your place alone and in separate vehicles. Miss Barker was in a white two-door. Mr. Burgess in a light-gray sedan. Any reason to suspect that one of them might have doubled back and taken shots at the house?”
That knot in Kelly’s stomach got worse.
“I don’t think so,” Nick answered. What he didn’t mention was that Paula and Todd were federal agents. That would have to come out sooner or later. Once Sheriff Cross knew who the duo was, he probably wouldn’t suspect them of a crime.
“My deputies are questioning the ranch hands,” Sheriff Cross continued. “One of them claims to have seen a light-colored car on that dirt road on the back of your property. It was hidden behind some trees, so the ranch hand didn’t get a good look at it.”
“Why didn’t he report this to me before the shooting?” Nick snarled.
“He said he thought it was no big deal, that since that acreage is for sale, it might’ve been a possible buyer looking at the land.” The sheriff paused. “Since Ms. Barker and Mr. Burgess were driving light-colored cars, I wondered if it could be one of them.”
“I don’t know any reason why they’d be back there.” Nick shook his head and shoved his hand through his hair. “I’m not sure who to trust. Cooper, my security manager, is nowhere to be found, and this is the second attempt on our lives in the past two days.”
The sheriff bobbed his head. “Yeah, it’s obvious that someone wants to hurt you, and even if your brother’s behind these attacks, it’s my guess that he’s not the shooter.”
“No,” Nick mumbled.
Kelly agreed. She didn’t know Eric, but he probably wouldn’t want to dirty his own hands unless it was absolutely necessary.
“I’ll make this investigation a top priority,” the sheriff said. “My advice—disappear for a while. Or if you stay here, hire some extra security.”
The sheriff headed out. Kelly and Nick stood there, silently, but Nick didn’t need to say anything for her to know what he was thinking.
“The shootings will continue until we stop Eric,” Nick said under his breath.
“Yes.”
Now the question was—how did they stop him? And how did they figure out if he had some outside help? Like Rosalinda McMillan, Eric’s former secretary perhaps? Or Cooper, Nick’s own security manager?
Or heaven forbid, her friend Denny.
“What about Paula and Todd?” she asked. “Is there a reason why they would have taken those shots?”
He opened his mouth, and it seemed as if he were about to say no, but he stopped. “I guess it’s possible that Eric could have gotten to one of them.”
That realization went through her entire body, and Kelly felt her legs go weak. “God. You’re right. But Eric could have gotten to anyone, even Cooper or Denny.”
“You know what I have to do,” Nick said. He turned, looked at her.
She nodded. “I know.”
“I’ll get some extra guards out here as the sheriff suggested. But once I’m sure the place is secure, I’ll set up the party and call Eric. If I can get him to take the bait, all of this could all be over by tomorrow night.”
But Kelly knew that was being overly optimistic. By tomorrow night Nick could be facing the most dangerous situation of his life, and there was nothing she could do to protect him.
T
HE PLANS
for the party were well underway. The cook had already arranged for a caterer. Extra staff and security guards were being brought in. Nick had even worked out the situation with Kelly. Greta, she and the babies would be in the bulletproof panic room, with not one but two security guards stationed outside. Kelly would be armed, and she would have emergency communication equipment. The only thing left to do was call Eric and try to talk him into coming.
But first Nick had to take a deep breath.
He wasn’t immune to the dangerous situation this party could create, and even though Nick was taking every precaution possible, nothing was a hundred percent. Kelly and the babies could still get hurt. That’s why he’d considered asking the Justice Department to provide a safe house for them. But after a lengthy conversation with Kelly, Nick had opted for the panic room instead because they agreed that in the long run it would be safer. At least they would be closer to him in case he was needed.
Nick prayed it wasn’t a huge mistake.
He also hoped that having sex with Kelly hadn’t been an equally bad mistake. He’d been wrong to take her that way. She’d been scared and vulnerable, and he’d ignored that and had sex with her anyway. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done, even though he sure as hell didn’t know how he could have stopped it.
Or how he could make himself not want her again.
Once he had the situation with Eric under control, he really needed to sit down with Kelly so they could work out some things.
Nick reached for the phone again, just as there was a soft knock at his door. “It’s me,” Kelly said peeking around the corner of the door.
“Come in,” he offered.
Actually, she was a welcome sight and a reprieve from the phone call he had to make. She’d changed her clothes since the incident in the closet and now wore jeans and a lemon-yellow pullover sweater. The color made her whole face glow. Or maybe the sex had had something to do with that.
Was that wishful thinking on his part?
Nick didn’t know how to feel about what they’d done, but he figured it would come back to bite him in the butt. Lapses in judgment usually did. It wasn’t that he regretted sex with her per se, but he did regret the distraction.
And sex with Kelly had been the ultimate distraction.
“How are the babies?” he asked.
“Fine. Greta and I just finished giving them lunch. They ate well. William loves peas.”
She smiled. Nick smiled, too, because it was obvious that she was enjoying the whole process of getting to know her son. He would enjoy it, too, once he had some other things in order—namely their safety.
“Joseph prefers fruit,” she volunteered. “Pears especially, but if it’s yellow and gooey, then he won’t put up a fuss about eating it.”
“Pears,” Nick repeated. He’d make sure they were on the baby menu tonight. In fact, he wanted to do a lot of things to make tonight special.
The calm before the storm of the party.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. You?”
“I’m okay.” Both knew they’d just told huge white lies. “I was about to call Eric to see if he’d accept the invitation to the party.”
She nodded and moistened her lips. Her shoulders went back as if she were bracing herself. Nick mentally prepared himself, as well.
He pressed in the numbers to Eric’s private line. It wasn’t the first time Nick had called it. There’d been a flurry of calls after William’s birth. But those calls had been to assure his brother that there was no risk to his precious inheritance. Other times, the calls had been threats. Mainly from Nick to Eric.
The threats obviously hadn’t worked.
He hoped this party invitation had better results.
“Nick,” Eric greeted. He’d obviously checked his caller ID. “Did you call to apologize for ordering me off your beloved ranch?”
“Not a chance.” Nick wasn’t sure if this was the correct way to play this, but he went with his gut feel. Eric would get suspicious if he groveled or apologized.
Eric stayed quiet for several moments. “What do you want, then?” he finally asked. “Because as you well know, we have nothing to say to each other.”
“Agreed. But this isn’t about me. I’m calling to invite you to a party to celebrate Marcus Durham’s engagement. Trust me, it wasn’t my idea. Marcus wants you there.”
“Why?” And Eric didn’t waste any time asking it, either.
“Well, it could be because you two were once old friends, but knowing Marcus, there’s probably another reason. He’s engaged to one of your former lovers, and I figure Marcus wants to use the occasion to rub it in your face that he got the woman that you couldn’t keep.”
“He got my leftovers,” Eric snarled. “If I’d wanted to keep Cecelia, I would have.”
So, his brother hadn’t needed a clarification of which lover, but then, Marcus had been keeping company with Eric’s old flames for several years now.
“Let me get this straight,” Eric continued. “This is an impromptu party, and Marcus wants me there. You know I’m suspicious, right?”
“That goes without saying,” Nick confirmed. “I’m suspicious, too, and I’ve warned Marcus that he’d better not use this occasion to start anything with you. I don’t want violence in my home.”
“Violence, huh? Now that’s an interesting possibility. I’ve heard rumors that Marcus might not have my best interests at heart. I’ve been wanting to discuss that with him.”
“This party won’t be the place to do that,” Nick lied. Was his brother actually going to agree to come? If so, it was time to announce the major ground rule. “If you come, you come alone, without your so-called bodyguards.”
“What about Marcus? Will he be without his
bodyguards,
as well?”
“Of course.”
“Of course,” Eric repeated. “Well, this invitation sounds tempting and all, but I don’t want to go where I’m not welcome by the host.”
“If you’re waiting for me to welcome you with open arms, it’s not going to happen. It’s Marcus that wants you here, but since he’s a friend, I told him that I thought we were both man enough to tolerate each other for an hour or two.”
Nick left it at that. He didn’t dare push more to get his brother to come, or Eric would almost certainly become more suspicious.
“I’ll give it some thought,” Eric finally said. “And I’ll get back to you.”
Nick hung up the phone, and he met Kelly’s gaze. “He’ll let me know.”
Her shoulders dropped. “What if he says no?”
“Then we come up with a different plan. We’ll stop him, Kelly.” And Nick had to believe that was true. Because there was no other alternative.
Kelly stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her snug jeans. The little maneuver tightened her sweater over her breasts, which reminded him that he’d yet to see her breasts. That speed-sex session hadn’t left any time for foreplay.
He frowned and mumbled some profanity under his breath. Now wasn’t the time to think about such things.