Chapter Eight
CHAPTER EIGHT
A painfully familiar figure filled Haisley’s vision. She couldn’t breathe.
Nash.
Oh, shit .
Her heart rattled in her chest as she took in his rugged features, all chiseled angles and battle-hardened edges. He looked just like he had the night of their heated kiss—powerfully built beneath the snug black tee that hugged the sculpted contours of his physique and gripped his tatted biceps. A black leather cuff encircled his thick left wrist. His inscrutable onyx stare landed on her, scorching her from across the room.
She licked her suddenly parched lips, assailed by visions of their kiss at Highrise, of Nash’s body pressing her into the unforgiving wall, of the slick heat of his mouth trailing a searing path down her throat, of the steel bands of his arms engulfing her in his embrace while he drank her in like a man dying of thirst.
Haisley swallowed hard against the sudden, visceral rush of bone-deep attraction.
Recognition sparked in Nash’s gaze. A flicker of something deeper Haisley couldn’t decipher crossed his face. His brow furrowed with a primal dare that raised the fine hairs along Haisley’s nape. Then his expression shuttered closed.
Mr. Benedict stared between them, frowning as if trying to grasp the sudden undercurrent. “Are you Nash Scott? This is Haisley Rowe, our new social media director. Haisley, Nash is one of the operatives who will be leading EM Security Management’s investigation into the…situation at the mall.”
Several beats of charged silence stretched between them, thin and taut.
Suddenly, Mila appeared, her giggle slicing through the tension. “Looks like you two have already met.”
Nash turned a scorching gaze on the boss’s wife. Mila’s playfulness vanished.
Haisley gave herself a mental shake and forced a smile. She was not about to clue in her new boss—or his nosy wife—about her old flame. “Nice to make your acquaintance once again, Mr. Scott. I look forward to assisting your team in any way I can.”
Another heavy pause hung between them, rife with all the things they couldn’t say. Not here. Not with witnesses present. Not with their tangled history. And definitely not with the secrets she was keeping.
Then Nash’s jaw took on a stubborn set, his expression an impassive slab of granite. “I’m sure you do, Ms. Rowe. I look forward to working very closely with you.”
His words rang like a vow—equal parts unspoken promise and veiled threat. Despite the perspiration prickling along her hairline, a reckless thrill jetted through Haisley’s veins. A matching excitement pooled between her legs.
The man did that to her every damn time she saw him.
Nash’s burning expression launched a thousand memories of him kissing her, of him peeling off her clothes, of him with his head buried between her legs as she pleaded for release, of him fucking her relentlessly until she saw stars.
She felt herself blushing and tried to look away, but his intent stare wouldn’t let her escape.
Mr. Benedict cleared his throat, shaking off the awkward air that had settled over them. “Yes, well, you two can become…reacquainted after we’ve addressed a few critical matters.” He turned to Nash and lifted his jaw in a gesture of brisk authority. “As soon as you’re able, I want a status update on the investigation into the missing women. Have you started your preliminary look into this? Made any headway yet?”
“I’m still gathering information, sir. My associate, Mr. Garrison, is interviewing potential witnesses today. I’ll be reviewing the information you passed on and combine it with whatever Ethan finds. We’ll pursue every available lead—official channels, underworld sources, whatever it takes. I’m even extending some online feelers into the more…unconventional spheres. And I’ll factor in anything Ms. Rowe passes my way.”
Nash slanted her a hooded stare, causing the fine hairs along her nape to prickle again. A frisson of tension slid through her, adding to the lingering thrill of his proximity.
When she hadn’t heard from him all weekend, part of her had hoped that kiss was the booze and the festivities talking and that he’d keep distance between them. His expression told her the chance of that happening was zero, especially now that they’d been tossed together by her boss and dangerous circumstances.
Nash planned to pursue her again; it was all over his face.
What the hell was she supposed to do?
“Leave no stone unturned,” Mr. Benedict demanded, his voice low. “I didn’t spend all this time and money to bring your outfit here on a lark. I need results before this situation spirals out of control. Another incident like that poor girl on Christmas Eve, and I’m concerned I won’t be able to hold back the press. They’ll have a field day, never mind the liability…”
“Of course. You have my word. EM Security will do everything possible. Whoever is behind these abductions won’t be able to fart without us knowing.”
“I expect you to keep that promise. And work closely with Ms. Rowe.” Mr. Benedict sighed—a weary, bone-deep exhalation—before he turned toward her once more. “And you, Ms. Rowe, I trust you’ll cooperate with Mr. Scott, whatever he needs?”
His words fed treacherous impulses—of her stripping for him, kneeling for him, spreading her legs for him—like she’d done at least a hundred times in the past. Haisley stamped out the visions before the sparks ignited into a blaze. “I’ll do everything I can to aid in damage control and information flow on the public relations front pertaining to this case, yes.” She risked a glimpse at Nash through her lashes. “In that regard, I’m at your operative’s disposal.”
She chose her words carefully, but if the sharp tic in his jaw was any indication, he got the message. Since they’d been thrown together, she intended to keep their interaction purely professional.
“I’ll devote myself to making this partnership with Ms. Rowe work. That’s a promise.”
Haisley tried not to panic at Nash’s innuendo. He was a shiver-inducing magnetic force of nature—distracting enough from afar. But to have to work with him day in and day out, when the temptation to give in to him would be so strong?
She. Was. Screwed.
No. Innocent lives and her employer’s reputation hung precariously in the balance. She couldn’t allow Nash to be more than a working partner—no matter how deliciously her body burned to rekindle their connection.
The past would haunt them. The truth would only destroy them. Next time he tempted her—and he would—she needed to keep all that in mind.
Haisley’s boss retreated to his office down the hall, finally leaving them alone—if Nash didn’t count her curious coworkers unabashedly staring.
He turned his gaze to her. “Well, Ms. Rowe. What a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
But he’d hoped. And he was damn glad his hunch had been right, especially after he’d worked up the courage to stop by her place and knock on her door last night. She hadn’t been home. Or she simply hadn’t answered. And he must be a perverse SOB because, despite everything, having her this close again, yet so far away, made him want her more than ever.
She stiffened, her pulse visibly jackhammering. Nash felt a primal sense of satisfaction that he could still rattle her.
“Let’s get coffee.” She grabbed his arm and all but dragged him into the cubby on the other end of the floor, away from everyone else. Her hands trembled as she poured herself a cup from the pot. “For the record, I didn’t expect you here, either.”
“Well, you’re stuck with me.”
“We need to set some ground rules. This will be a strictly professional relationship.”
Nash stepped into her space, reaching past her to grab a Styrofoam cup and deliberately brushing against her. He watched her swallow hard. “You think? I distinctly remember our relationship being anything but.”
Her pupils blew wide. God, he’d missed seeing desire war with restraint on her beautiful face…usually before she gave in to him.
“Those days are over,” she insisted, though she sounded breathless. “I told you on New Year’s Eve that I can’t do this again. We’re not repeating ancient history, understood?”
It was hard to take her seriously when her nipples hardened and poked the front of her blouse.
He grinned, loving that she was still so responsive to him, to the molten chemistry simmering between them, no matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise. “Trying to convince me there’s no fire between us is futile.”
“Whatever you think is between us is in the past—and it’s staying there. So we’ll divide and conquer on this case. You pursue leads and see if you can figure out who’s behind these abductions and how to stop them. Keep me posted on whatever you find. I’ll handle research and everything PR-related. Anything I come across that I think might be helpful to your investigation, I’ll email you. Thanks for the chat.” With that dismissive quip and an accompanying pat on the shoulder, she abandoned her cup of coffee and broke for her desk.
Nash wrapped his fingers around her arm and dragged her back flush against his chest. “We’ll try it your way, but I know you, Haisley. So let me be clear. Though we’re a team, you will not poke your nose into anything that could potentially turn ugly. You don’t put yourself in danger. I’ll handle all that. Step a toe out of line, and I’ll spank you.”
She whirled, her eyes flaring with anger. “Like hell you will! You’re not touching me, and you’re not treating me like some wilting damsel. I can handle myself.”
Unable to resist pushing her buttons further, Nash bent closer until his lips were a scorching whisper from her ear. He could feel the blistering heat radiating from her, could smell her arousal as her breathing turned shallow.
“Maybe so, but I’m not taking any chances when it comes to your safety. End of discussion.”
No matter how capable she was, he wouldn’t allow her to put herself in harm’s way. An image of her falling into the hands of whoever was abducting these young women, of them brutalizing her body, flashed through his mind. He clenched his jaw and shoved away the vision.
“Ugh.” She tossed her hands in the air. “This is exactly why we shouldn’t be partners. You make me insane.”
“Can’t handle the tension between us?”
“I can handle anything you can dish out, but you’re already trying to dictate terms. I’m not putting up with it, and I’m not risking my professional future.”
Nash dropped his voice to a gravelly murmur, knowing she could feel his words like a physical caress. “You not taking risks? We both know you’re a divining rod for pushing limits. Why fight it now?”
Her face tightened. “Can you at least pretend to respect my boundaries?”
“Sure. When you stop pretending there’s nothing between us.”
“Who says I’m pretending?”
“You forget how well I know you, baby.”
When she opened her mouth to protest, Nash silenced her by trailing a scorching fingertip down the side of her exposed neck. The shudder that rolled through her revealed her body’s blatant betrayal. She didn’t want to admit that she still wanted him, but on a primal level, she did.
He leaned even closer to savor her intoxicating scent, wishing he could kiss her. Even the thought sent heat straight to his cock.
Haisley’s shallow breaths mingled with his own in the charged atmosphere. He could practically taste the tension pinging between them. Part of him knew he should stop this cat- and-mouse game, guard himself and not give her a chance to shatter his heart again.
But her eyes still burned with that same reckless spark that had drawn him in all those years ago. The same spark that made rational thought fly out the window whenever he was around her, consequences be damned.
“You’re playing with fire,” she whispered, but her tone carried more breathless excitement than warning.
She was right. Last time they got close, this heated friction ended in a scorched trail of wreckage. It might end that way again.
Right now, Nash didn’t care.
“I can stand the heat. How about you?” He watched her resolve waver as he closed the infinitesimal gap between their bodies and settled his mouth against the delicate shell of her ear. “Admit it. You’ve missed the friction between us.”
“No.”
“Liar.” He grazed the sensitive skin below her ear with his lips, watching a shiver wrack her and her eyes slide shut as she seemed to lose herself in sensation. “What are you afraid of?”
Nash wished like hell he knew the answer. For two years, he wondered what had driven her away. He’d combed through their final few nights together. Had she really been horrified by what they did in bed? She’d never given him any indication of that…until she’d ended things. Why hadn’t she just talked to him? Haisley had never been shy about speaking her mind.
“I’m not afraid of anything, especially you.” She placed a firm hand on his chest and shoved him back. “We’ve been back here too long, and people are going to talk. It’s my first day, so could you please not screw this job up for me with your caveman crap? Whatever you think this was, it’s over. We’re here to solve a case, not rekindle our old flame.”
“Is that what you really want, to walk away from this heat between us again? Without talking this out or seeing what could be? Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t feel this same desire to fuck your little rules and see what’s left.”
Haisley’s chest heaved. She opened her mouth, no doubt to issue another bullshit denial, but the words seemed to stick in her throat. They both knew she felt something for him. The exhilarating, forbidden pull glowed in her blue eyes.
What the fuck was holding her back?
The tension between them thickened. Nash could practically taste her inner turmoil. Would one more well-placed touch have her throwing caution to the wind—and herself into his arms? Or would it drive her away for good?
“It’s over, Nash.”
It wasn’t. Every part of her body—from her beseeching stare, to the way she licked her lips, and ending with her shallow breaths—told him that.
The only question was, what should he do about it?
Pushing her now wasn’t the answer. He couldn’t risk ruining whatever chance he had with her. Besides, they both had jobs to do, and like him, she took hers seriously. He had to find the willpower to resist stepping over the line and change tactics. Since he wanted to win her back, he needed to find his goddamn patience and play a long game.
“We’ll see.” He set his cup down and stepped away with a raised brow full of challenge. “For now, I’m going to confer with Ethan and start interviewing the existing security staff at the mall, look at their cameras and the rest of their tech setup, and see what I can find. You dig up the architectural plans for the structure and any outbuildings. I want permits, schematics—anything you can give me. I’ll let you know what I find.”
His chest constricting as he forced himself to leave her, Nash turned away—only to be stopped short when her fingers wrapped around his forearm in a desperate grip.
“Wait.”
The urgent note in her trembling voice stopped him. He turned back, his gaze locking onto her beautiful face as he fought the urge to take her in his arms and soothe her. “Yeah?”
“Be careful. These people are clearly dangerous. Depraved, even.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m hardly their usual target.”
“I’m serious. I…I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Haisley confessed in a hoarse whisper.
A wave of tenderness crashed through Nash. Despite her protestations and anger, she still cared. If he’d truly been too rough or kinky or whatever fill-in-the-blank excuse she’d had for breaking things off, she wouldn’t be staring at him like her whole world would fracture if these twisted monsters took him down.
Of their own accord, his feet carried him back to her. Nash nudged her into the cubby again, out of her coworkers’ sight. Cupping her face, he drank in every delicate angle and curve. He gently stroked the silken skin of her cheeks with his calloused thumbs as her worried eyes searched his.
“Don’t worry, baby,” he rasped in a voice thick with emotion. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”