Chapter 9
Snagging her glass and putting it on the table next to him, he tumbled her into his lap, his arms like steel bands around her waist.
“I would like a proper greeting.”
She struggled a little, but that was token because seeing him brought back all the conflicting feelings. Seeing him reminded her that she had been yearning for the past two days.
A ragged sigh escaped her as he found her mouth. Instead of the punch of power, he surprised her by gentling the kiss and had her sinking into him. But it was not long before the passion exploded and had his hands roaming over her back and pushing off her jacket.
But even that was not enough. He wanted to feel her skin on his. Dragging her sweater up, he felt himself hardening even more at the touch of her flesh.
This time, it was she who became the aggressor. Everything else faded away, but just the two of them. She would think about how far she was compromising her position after, but right now, she had to feel him inside her or she was going to die.
Tearing her mouth from his, she grappled with his sweater, snarling when his arms became tangled.
“Baby, wait.” He winced as her fingers dug into his shoulders.
“I can’t. I want you.” She was on fire, the heat spiraling through her body. “Now. Now.” They rolled on the sofa and fought to get rid of their clothing.
A low growl escaped him when she dragged him up so she could straddle him. Sensations rocketed through his body and had him gripping her hips with brutal fingers.
His heart was racing so fast, he wondered dazedly if he was about to have a heart attack. When he started moving, she took over and rode him hard and fast, her body bowed, her head thrown back.
Rearing up, he seized her nipple and suckled hungrily. The touch of his mouth on her rigid flesh sent the orgasm punching through her with a violence that staggered both of them.
He had to hold onto her to keep her anchored to him.
Lifting his mouth from her nipple, he fisted his hands into her hair and dragged her mouth to his. “More.” He whispered harshly.
“Damn you.” Her body was still vibrating. “I can’t.”
“Take more.”
She cried out when he reached between them and rubbed the swollen flesh. The shocked look on her face as she went under again, snapped every bit of control and had him going under with her.
She collapsed against him, her face buried in his throat, her eyes squeezed shut.
As soon as he stopped shuddering and he could command his weakened limbs to move, he shifted so that he was lying down and cradling her on top of him. For several minutes, they did not move or speak.
She felt the soothing movements of his hands roaming up and down her back and wanted to weep. She had entered this assignment with her eyes wide open, with the intention of standing for the victims and that was still the plan.
But it had changed. She wanted him to be innocent. The thought of him being involved with killing people for profit was something she could not bear.
And being with him for the past few days, instinct told her that he would never be involved with anything like that. But she needed proof. She also had to put away the troubling thought of what his reaction would be when he found out what she had done. She could not bear thinking about it.
The assignment had become distasteful to her, and she wanted it over and down with.
She wished she could tell him what was going on.
But she could do the next best thing. She could free him from all suspicions. And hope that he did not hate her too much when the truth was revealed.
With that in mind, she lifted her head to look at him and felt the familiar ache starting inside her heart. His hair was delightfully mussed, and his eyes had a luminous quality that changed the color to a fascinating kind of smoky gray.
“What?”
“You look so pleased with yourself.”
“Shouldn’t I be?” He was still buried deep inside her and planned to stay that way for a while.
“We’re going to end up killing each other.”
“What a way to go.” One hand came up to cup the back of her neck. “I would like you to meet my family.” He grinned wryly when she jolted. “Just dinner, this Sunday.”
“No.”
“Baby, listen to me.” He gripped her neck to prevent her from moving away. “I’m not pressuring you into anything. It’s just dinner…”
“With your family.” She pointed out.
“Yes.” He agreed. “I want you to meet them.”
“Why?”
He gave her a frustrated look. “You already know the answer to that.”
She moved restlessly and the thought came to her that this was an opportunity to get an opinion on his family, especially the nephew in whom she was interested.
Jason Pendergast had skirted the law since he was in his teens and was worth more than a second look. He was also a drug user, something the family, especially his father had tried to cover up.
“Okay, fine.” She grumbled, making it appear that she was agreeing under extreme duress. “But that does not mean we are in a relationship. And no talk about where this is going.”
He gave her a cool look that had her lifting her brows.
“Anything else?”
“If I think of something else, you will be the first to know. Oh, stop looking at me like that.”
“It seems as if you’re just doing me a favor.”
“It so happens, I am,” she sighed as he started to glower, “I’m not going to apologize for being honest.”
He felt her shiver slightly and immediately reached for the throw and pulled it over them.
“Better?”
She nodded. “Tell me about this place.”
“My office?”
“Your company, I read somewhere that it was started by your great grandfather and was simply an apothecary shop where he sold medicinal herbs and healing balms.”
He chuckled, feeling his irritation lifting.
She had the uncanny ability to fill him with pleasure one minute and frustrate him the next.
“It was a little more than that.” He settled her on his shoulder and turned so that he was facing her. “Ira Pendergast cared about people and was a born healer. He also had a way with herbs and would study their healing properties and what could be done to give them the necessary boost.
What herbs could be combined to get rid of the malady and so on. People came to him from near and far for something as simple as a rash on the skin to migraines and heart conditions.
He would combine holistic medicine with the proper diet. Before long, he had become very popular and his home where he saw people was no longer able to accommodate them. So, he opened the store.”
She was fascinated by the story and found herself drawn into it.
“He did it with no formal education?”
“It wasn’t until he had come back from serving in the war that he got some training and expanded the store.”
“It wasn’t called Medtech before, was it?”
He shook his head. “It had the unfortunate name of ‘Pen-Med’,” he grinned and shook his head. “It wasn’t until my grandfather inherited the business that it changed to Medtech.”
“Your grandfather was a doctor.”
“Yes. He trained as one – a GP.”
“And your dad as well.”
“A neurosurgeon.”
“Neither you nor your brother followed in their footsteps.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to concentrate on the business aspect of things, so I went to law school.”
“I keep forgetting that you have a law degree,” she murmured.
“And a business one as well. Maurice has an associate degree in business.”
And is constantly in your shadow, she thought. Another thread to tug on.
“You built the company and took it into the twenty-first century. It was mainly a pharmaceutical company before, but now it has holdings all over the world.”
He moved his shoulders restlessly. “Diversification is a way of spreading the profits around.”
“Your company manufactures drugs with little to no side effects. From what I see and have read, that’s a little iffy, isn’t it? To my way of thinking, ‘Big Pharma’ is all about the bottom line and that’s making a profit.”
He was silent for a while and had her wondering if she had gone too far.
“The mission of the company is ‘Finding a cure at a cost’. That has been the way of it since my great grandfather founded it and we have tried to maintain the quality.” His expression became sober.
“We are not a perfect corporation and there have been some hiccups over the years, but we are determined to make it more about caring for people and trying to do our part in healing the sick. Making more people comfortable. Giving the best we can.”
“Medtech has been a sponsor of various cancer research over the years.”
He nodded. “Unfortunately, we are still trying to come up with a cure for several illnesses.”
She trailed a finger over the hairs on his chest and felt her skin quivering when his muscles flinched in reaction.
“And the rumors about illegal drugs being funneled through the company?” She asked casually, watching his face closely.
And saw his jaw tightened.
“Just rumors and ones I am not going to talk about.”
“I’m sorry…”
“No,” he blew out a breath and forced a smile. “I’ve worked too damn hard to see the company dragged through the mud.” His expression softened as he stared at her. “Shall we talk about something else?”
“Like what?” She asked lightly, knowing she could not afford to stay on the topic.
“Like how much I would love you to come and live with me.”
Her head snapped up sharply as she stared at him in shock.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m beginning to think so.” He had not meant to jump right in. He had been thinking about it and thinking had turned into words that had just flown out of his mouth. “What do you say?”
“I say that you are certifiable.”
“Will you think about it?”
“No.” She started to move away when he flipped her onto her back and covered her body with his. “We only just met…”
“And I already know that I want you in my life.”
“This is crazy. You know that right?” She was trying to keep the panic from showing on her face but was afraid she had not quite succeeded.
“I know I am crazy about you.”
Panic and excitement vied for supremacy and had her closing her eyes and willing herself to be rational.
“It’s just sex,” she insisted.
He simply brushed his lips on hers and had her vibrating. “Is that what you’re telling yourself?”
“Look pal…,” the rest was swallowed as he seized her lips in a kiss that had her clinging to him.
She spent the night at his place and as soon as they had arrived, he fed her and then they went straight to bed.
She was going deeper and deeper into a place where if she was not careful, she would not be able to come back out of. She loved being with him. It was not just the sex, even though she did not quite know how to describe it.
She loved talking to him. For the first time in her life, she felt safe with a man. He takes care of her, and she was finding that it was becoming addictive.
Her gut was telling her that he was not in the wrong and she had always trusted her instinct. But she needed solid proof in order to cross him off. Her gut was also telling her that it had to be a member of his family and several key people in his R&D department.
It was the only reason she had agreed to a dinner she was not looking forward to attending.
Not only was she going under false pretense, but she was giving him hope that they were in an actual relationship.
Even after he had fallen asleep after making love to her for the third time, she was unable to fall asleep. He was curled up on her stomach, his hand wrapped around her, his leg trapping both of hers as if afraid she was going to sneak out.
She was in a quandary and that was too mild a word for it. She was a cop involved with the man she was investigating. And was going to have to tell him eventually, but she had to keep it to herself for now. And what was worse was that she had feelings for him. Complicated feelings, but feelings, nonetheless.
To her shocked surprise, she felt tears burning the back of her eyes.
Even if she was free to be with him, it wouldn’t work. They were from two different worlds. As far apart as two people can ever be.
A cop and a multi-billionaire. Shaking her head, she sighed raggedly. She was going to have to say goodbye to him eventually, but God forgive her, she was going to take advantage of just being with him at this moment.
*****
“Will I see you tonight?” He asked it casually, but she could tell that her answer was important to him.
She had told him she had to make an early start because she had some things to take care and he had not argued, because he had to be in early as well.
“Aren’t you afraid we’ll get tired of each other?” He had made coffee, and she was enjoying her second cup.
“I’m sure you will let me know when that happens.” He came around the counter and turned her to face him. They had taken a shower together and that had turned into something much more. The man had a stamina that did not cease to amaze her.
“I’m sure I will. You know I’m only coming back for the excellent coffee and the sex of course.”
“I feel so used.” Tilting her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers. “You’re in my blood stream.” He whispered. “And I’ll never get tired of looking at you.”
“You say that now.”
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. He had seen the bullet mark on her left shoulder as well as the knife cut on her abdomen and asked her about them. She had a lie in place and had told him she had been mugged.
“Twice?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Nothing. I don’t like the idea of you being hurt.”
She had almost said it goes with the territory, and it scared her that she wanted to tell him who she really was and be done with the lies. She was sick to her stomach that she was deceiving him. But it couldn’t be helped. She had started it and had to finish it.
“Well?” He broke into her reverie and stared at her quizzically.
“Yes.”
Her heart veered crazily at the look of absolute pleasure on his face. “Good. What would you like to eat? I will instruct the housekeeper on what to prepare.”
“Anything is fine with me.”
“How about grilled lobster? We could eat by the fire in the living room.” He tucked a tendril of her hair away. “I was thinking we could also go a round or two in the ring.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Is that the usual activity for a date?”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss on her lips again. “You happen to be an unusual woman. Finish your coffee.”
*****
She was early. And that was very good. The squad room was quiet for a change as the shift change had not already taken place. She went swiftly to her office and closed the door behind her. Merrick had poured her a go cup of coffee and she went to get a cup to pour some in and went behind her desk.
Propping her feet up, she wrapped her fingers around the cup and inhaled the wonderful scent of superb caffeine and studied her board.
She would go through the evidence again, this time with a fine-tooth comb. They were missing something. A key -piece of evidence.
Or missing someone. She had listened keenly to Merrick last night as he spoke about his company and knew without a doubt that he would never be involved with any illegal drugs. He had been too passionate about maintaining the integrity of the company and she believed him.
It was not her emotions talking, she was practical, or usually was, and very good at nosing out these things. But someone close to him was involved and she had the feeling that it was his nephew Jason. It could be his brother too.
She had dug up some info on Maurice Pendergast. Not only was he the lesser of the two, but he had been given a glorified position. The man did not have the initiative and drive to make anything happen and that had to sting.
Merrick was the big shot. He had taken the company from millions to billions. He was brilliant and innovative and was not just a figurehead. The man worked like a fiend.
She had seen the photos of him – with the president, sitting in on a global meeting. Ones with him walking through a third world country and setting up clinics.
He was a humanitarian as well. It had broken her heart a little to realize that he had set up scholarships in the names of his unborn son and his fiancée. The woman was pretty in a soft and ethereal kind of way, with her sable brown hair and large green eyes.
Margo had spent time studying Laura Wilkin’s photo and felt the faint twisting of her heart. Was he still in love with her? Of course he was. How could he not be?
Shaking her head, she went back to studying her board. She was frowning at a group photo from one of the clubs when the door was pushed open.
“That’s not cop coffee.”
“Good morning to you, too.”
“You’re early!” Brad came into the room and sat on the edge of the desk. Snagging the cup from her, he took a sip and closed his eyes in ecstasy. “Where the hell did you get this?”
“It shall remain a secret.” She snagged it back and shoving from the desk, moved closer to the board.
What do you see?”
“A bunch of idle rich kids.” He moved closer to stand next to her. “Why?”
“Him.” She jabbed a long finger on the glossy photo. “He looks familiar, and I have seen him in several of the photos.” She walked over to rest of the photos and stared intently. “Jesus Christ! How did we miss this?”
“Miss what?”
“That’s fricking Jason Pendergast.”
He moved closer, a frown touching his brow. “Are you sure?”
“See for yourself.” Taking up her pointer, she aimed it at the photos, one at a time.
“The common denominator.” He murmured as he continued to study the photos. Without thinking, he took her coffee cup and finished it in one gulp. Fortunately for him, she was too preoccupied to care.
“What does this mean?”
“It means we are going to dig into this little sucker’s life.”
“Discreetly.”
She flashed him a look. “I know how to do my damn job.” Turning away from the board, she sat on the edge of the desk. “I’ve been invited over for dinner.”
“Come again?”
Avoiding his shocked gaze, she went to sit behind her desk and booted up her computer.
“It’s just dinner!” She rushed to say. “I want to get a close up look at the family and make my own impressions. Especially of Jason.”
Brad had to tamp down the anger rising up inside his throat.
“Come again?”
Leaning back in the chair, she gave him an annoyed glare. “I want to get close to the family…”
“He invited you to dinner to meet his family? Why?”
She fiddled with the pen on her desk and refused to meet his gaze.
“Oh Christ! You didn’t. You would not be so frigging stupid. You slept with him?”
“Stop yelling.”
Spinning around, he slammed the door shut hard and turned to stare at her. “Are you out of your goddamned mind? You are sleeping with the guy? With a suspect? Does your badge mean so little to you? Because believe me, honey, that is now on the line.”