Chapter 2
A ll Nick could think about was how disappointed his mother would be that he’d just assaulted a lady. Sure, a badass lady, but a lady nonetheless.
And the widow of a Marine.
He pressed the bag of frozen vegetables against the already growing lump on the back of her head, scowling.
Her body was sprawled on the sofa in a small house not far from Ramos’ mansion.
The house was owned by a young couple who raced cars and were currently out of town for the next month at various racetracks.
The Aegis Network had secured the house for Nick’s use for three weeks.
Thus far, he’d spent three days there, following Ramos, studying the layout of the area, and working out an exit strategy for Leandra.
Now that he had her, he wasn’t hell-bent on returning her to daddy dearest. No. He wanted to find out what this chick was up to and why she was hanging around a scumbag like Ramos.
Nick sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa, keeping the cold compress on her head, staring at her angelic face.
He’d long gotten over the feeling like he was betraying his wife every time he had sex with a woman.
It was just sex. He didn’t mean that to sound crass, but relationships were out of the question.
He just wasn’t capable.
Joanne had been the love of his life. The only woman for him, and he’d lost her and their child to a boating accident that could have been avoided had the other driver only been paying attention.
The hardest part of that day had been holding his wife as she took her last breath, saying the words “I love you” and smiling when she did so.
He blinked. He needed to remind himself he’d never find that kind of love again, nor did he want the pain that went with it.
His mother always told him he’d been one of the lucky ones, having found the kind of connection he’d had with Joanne.
When she’d been alive, he had known it to be true.
He’d been the luckiest man in the world. But now that she was gone?
He clutched his chest.
Love sucked, and no way would he ever allow himself to feel so deeply for another woman again, even if she made his heart beat a little faster and made his mind wander to places he’d shut down years ago.
Leandra groaned as she shifted on the sofa, reaching for the back of her head. He continued to press the cold bag to her head, even when she tried to bat him away.
Then her eyelids fluttered. A sweet, soft moan escaped her lips as she arched her back. As soon as he saw the dark-chocolate color of her eyes, she bolted to an upright position.
“What the fuck!?” she yelled. “Who the hell are you? You’re ruining everything…” She winced, pushing his hand away and flinging the cold bag of vegetables across the room. “I need to get back before they know I’m missing,” she said, her voice fading off as she rubbed the back of her head.
“What are you doing with the likes of Ramos? Are you working for him?” Nick didn’t believe she’d crossed the line, but he needed a distraction from the feelings she stirred inside him.
Physically, she was perfect for him with her soft skin and round curves, not to mention her height.
His six-foot-one-inch frame probably only had two inches on her, and that was a turn on all by itself.
When he’d lifted her over his shoulder, the excitement of feeling her body against his consumed him.
He told himself it had been too long without physical contact with a woman.
The rest of his thoughts he couldn’t explain and didn’t want to explore.
Besides, she was a widow of only two years. He was well past ten, and he still hadn’t been able to consider anything but sex, and even that took much contemplation on his part .
“Yes and no.” She maneuvered herself to a sitting position. “Now tell me who you are, besides military.”
“What makes you think I’m military?”
“My husband’s a Marine.”
He frowned. He couldn’t remember how long it had taken him to refer to his wife in the past tense.
“Was a Marine,” she whispered.
He nodded, staring into her eyes, trying to suck in all her pain. She deserved the ability to move on with her life and live it to the fullest.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Standard response, but so was thank you for your service. However, he appreciated the words every time someone said them. “The name’s Nick. I work for The Aegis Network—”
“The what network?” She rubbed the back of her head.
He winced as her face scrunched in pain. Hitting her hadn’t been the highlight of the evening.
“A group of ex-military men and women hired for special jobs. This op is all about bringing you home to your father.”
“I told you I don’t have a father,” she said as her gaze darted around the room. Her wide-eyed expression searched for a way out.
“Cut the bullshit, Leandra.” He inched closer and cracked a slight smile when she didn’t lean away. As a matter-of-fact, she puffed out her chest, holding her ground.
Feisty and strong.
And still in love with her dead husband .
Mentally, he laughed at his thought. He’d never stop loving Joanne.
“I know everything there is to know about you.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed into tiny little slits. “I doubt that.”
“Your father gave me quite a lot of information. But I was also in your apartment a few days ago. I know you have a small table in the entryway where you have a seashell dish, which I assume you dump your keys in. Your kitchen isn’t much, but it’s obvious you like to cook by the expensive pots and pans you own.
Not to mention you have a ton of cookbooks.
I also know you only seem to have thong underwear.
Your bra size is a 38D, your jeans are a size 12, and—”
“You’re a fucking pervert.” She stood, kicking the coffee table as she shoved it aside, standing over him with her hands on those goddamned voluptuous hips.
Seriously, the moment he had five minutes free, he’d have to find himself a one-night stand.
Slowly, he stood, exerting his powerful body over hers, only she wasn’t someone most people would want to mess with.
He rubbed his side where she’d nailed him twice, knowing a bruise had formed.
“I’m no such thing, though I will admit to having a veracious appetite for sex, but searching your apartment was all part of doing my job. ”
“Checking out my panties isn’t doing your job.”
He smiled. “You just confirmed that you are indeed, Leandra Wakefield.”
“Fine. You got me.” She shifted her weight, her breasts bouncing slightly. “Now you’re going to say goodbye.”
“Nope.” He waved to the sofa, and thankfully she sat down. “I’m Nick Sarich.” He shoved out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Not,” she muttered, letting his hand hang in the air. “So, my father hired you because I didn’t call him for a couple of weeks.”
“No. He hired me because you never showed up for a blind date.”
“Crap,” she muttered. “I forgot about that. How the hell did he know where I was?”
“He didn’t.” Nick snagged the cold bag and sat down next to her as he pressed it against the lump he’d made on the back of her head. “I found you.”
“Well, un-find me, because I’ve got a job to do, and my father knows I’m a big girl and can handle myself.” She shrugged his hand away after taking the bag.
Had Nick been an ordinary man, she could have easily overpowered him in the bathroom, taking control of the situation, but Nick wasn’t average.
Then again, neither was she.
“You’ve been missing for a week,” he said. “Not a single phone call and when you missed your date, your father got worried.”
“I’m sure my mother was more concerned about the fact I ditched a friend’s son, but I have a job to do, and I intend to see it through,” she said in a stern voice. One that he suspected made many a man quake in his shoes.
But not Nick .
No. She had an entirely different effect on him.
“What’s the job?” He wanted to slap himself for asking, partly because he knew the basics of the case.
“I thought you knew everything about me?” She cocked her head, her full lips pursed together like a lipstick commercial where she was about to kiss something, leaving behind a lipstick impression.
All he could think about was kissing her mouth with enough force that it would make her lips swell. “I know you wax yourself.” That was an asinine thing to say. He cringed, waiting to be smacked, but all she did was stare at him.
“Do you know if I wax it all off, or leave a little behind?” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on him, but her slight grin sent his mind tumbling to a place where he’d yank her pants to her ankles to find out.
“I’m guessing all of it. Or maybe hoping.”
She turned, tucking one leg under her voluptuous ass. “And I bet you manscape, enjoying the hot wax on your body before ripping it off with exquisite pain.”
He became fully aware that she wore nothing but her pajamas, and the thought of her being totally bare tightened his groin.
She leaned forward, pressing her arms against her sides, the movement bringing her breasts together and thrusting them further out of her top. “I bet you’re the kind of man who likes to have his control stripped.” Her moist breath tickled his skin as she kissed his neck.
The sofa shifted and before she could stand up and make a run for it, because he knew she was playing him, using her body…one he couldn’t ignore…he snagged a fist full of her hair.
Her eyes went wide.
“Hon, I wouldn’t play this game if I were you,” he said.
“Who said I’m playing anything?” She smiled as she gently placed her hand on his thigh, dangerously close to his growing erection. “You’ve got me all hot and bothered.” Her nervous smile showed a vulnerability he couldn’t handle.
He blinked a few times, forcing himself to break the intense gaze. “As much as I’d like to flip you over on your back and toss your legs over my shoulders, I’ve got a job to do.”