Over The Edge
Jeanie London

www.millsandboon.co.uk

JEANIE LONDON has always loved to read and write. School years were spent sneaking romance novels into school when she should have been learning algebra and biology. College years were spent taking electives such as journalism and creative writing classes when she should have been taking algebra and biology.

Nowadays, she’s still reading and writing. She writes romances because she believes in happily-ever-afters. Not the “love conquers all” kind, but the “two people love each other, so they can conquer anything” kind. The commitment and monogamy of romance are strong values she’s passing along to her daughters, who’ll search for their own heroes someday.

For my very dear friend Judith Pich. This one is significant. It’s number six, which means I’m—gasp!—real.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Copyright

Special thanks to Cyber-Aunt Karen, DianaP, Andee, Queen April, Cheryl the Angel, Marcy, Nammy, Esjai, Krazkim55, MeriG, Latesha, Jerry, Riza, Aurelene, JenO, Audrey, Dee and all the visitors to my message board at millsandboon.co.uk. Your professional expertise, creative input and love of happily-ever-after inspired the Princess of Paperback while she wrote this story.

Prologue

The kiss—ten years ago

THE WOMAN moved as if she were making love, slim curves gathering and unfolding in a sinuous display as she descended a rope using nothing more than the strength of her upper body to lower her, long sleek legs to anchor her. She wore all black, from the top of her ski-mask-covered head to the tips of her soft-soled boots.

Jake Trinity stopped short in the doorway leading from the offices to the warehouse, the two sides of his brain colliding at the impossibility of the sight. One side absorbed her smooth descent as she shimmied down and dropped to her feet without a sound, her body absorbing the impact with an effortless motion that brought to mind a cat landing on all fours.

This had to be the testosterone-filled half of his brain. The more rational half observed that she’d landed neatly out of reach of the infrared sensor beams zigzagging across the opening of the warehouse doors.

No one should have been in the building.

The night watchman who’d let him in earlier must have gone to sleep on the job because Innovative Engineering had a state-of-the-art security system, barbed-wire fences and steel-reinforced doors and windows to avoid exactly this occurrence.

Jake knew this for certain. For the past two years he’d been conducting his internship with Innovative, the largest electrical engineering firm on the eastern seaboard. He’d made it his business to learn everything about the company he was establishing a career with while earning his degrees.

He’d only stopped by this late on a Saturday night to retrieve some account data so he could continue work on a project for his newest boss, the company president.

He remembered his father’s parting words as he’d left home earlier. College students should spend their weekends dating, playing golf and watching football games, in that order.

Had Jake put any stock in his father’s opinion, he wouldn’t be standing inside a building watching a burglary in progress.

Not that this particular thief would present much of a problem. She wouldn’t, but Jake didn’t believe for one second that this woman was alone. No way.

He stood shadowed in the doorway as she raised her hand to punch numbers onto a keypad, presumably to disable the beam sensor. He searched for any identifying features to report to the police—if he survived the meeting with her accomplices.

Five feet four inches, maybe five-five, most of which comprised long, long legs…

A body that was all slim lines and sleek curves…

Liquid movements that reminded him of…sex.

Something about her, and Jake wasn’t sure what, struck him as young. Around his age maybe. Not quite twenty. With effort, he shrugged off the thought as plain stupid. Why would any young woman be breaking into a commercial warehouse that stored millions of dollars of electrical equipment, not to mention a high-security vault that housed several invaluable prototypes?

Jake didn’t have a chance to consider the possible answers because the mystery woman suddenly spun and looked directly at him. She could have only sensed his presence. Her back had been to him and he hadn’t moved, had barely breathed.

The black mask covered her face and neck. He couldn’t make out her eyes but got the impression they were light, that she must be Caucasian, although he couldn’t see even a sliver of skin to support the impression. Something about her suggested she was as surprised to find him as he’d been to come across her. Something about the way she squared her shoulders and raised her chin…

He stepped into the foyer that connected the offices with the warehouse, expecting her to run. He’d catch her and deal with her accomplices later.

But his mystery woman didn’t run. She only lifted a gloved finger to her mouth and gestured him to silence as she approached. She clearly wasn’t worried that he’d hurt her, and Jake thought that said a lot about her confidence in her abilities. Though she couldn’t know he’d wrestled through high school and still made time for the sport in college, he was a full head taller and outweighed her by at least eighty pounds.

But her hands were free. If she was armed, she hadn’t gone for a weapon.

He stopped and waited, the more impulsive side of his brain noticing how she even walked as if she were making love, all toned muscle and sleek grace. There was no panic about her, or violence. He had the feeling she was challenging him. As if she dared him to play a dangerous game.

So what was his next move?

Jake wasn’t sure about anything except there were other burglars around somewhere, and he wanted very much to see what this woman’s next move would be.

The eye slits in the ski mask were wider than he’d realized, but she’d blackened the skin below, like a television cat burglar. He could see two pale-green eyes, so clear a green they seemed to laser through the darkness.

She didn’t utter a sound, though he half expected her to say something. The occasion seemed to warrant a verbal exchange, but she only assessed him with a challenge in those eyes.

Jake assessed her as carefully, calculated that she stood just out of his reach. A few inches closer and he could’ve taken her down with a leg drop that she wouldn’t have seen coming. He still could, but he’d have to spring on her to cover those extra few inches.

Holding her gaze, he tensed for action….

In one sleek burst of motion, she pounced, covering the distance between them while dragging up the edge of her mask. A glimpse of clear ivory skin, a daintily pointed chin and a kissable red mouth stopped him short.

He could see enough of her face to shoot sparks through him even as the rational half of his brain recognized that she hadn’t revealed enough for him to identify her to the police.

That was his last thought before she slipped leather-clad fingers around his neck, raised up on tiptoes…

And kissed him.

Her moist mouth slanted across his and parted enough so their breaths literally collided.

Jake gasped, but she only laughed, a sultry sound that gusted against his lips, a sound that annihilated reason beneath a blast of testosterone that made his bones melt and his glasses fog.

He should take her down and restrain her for the police.

But that thought dissolved the instant she swept her warm silk tongue into his mouth, prowling inside boldly, engaging him in a kiss so hot that she shut down the rational half of his brain as if it had never existed.

Her fingers anchored his face close. She thrust her body against his, a sleek motion that caught him in all the right spots…firm breasts against his chest, her stomach cradling a hard-on that shouldn’t be happening given their situation. Everything about her was daring him to take what she offered.

Jake practically vibrated with his reaction, a hunger unlike anything he’d ever felt. Instinctively, he lifted his hands, slipped his fingers along the ski mask and forced her to tilt her face back so he could drive his tongue into her mouth.

The hot taste of passion chased away any worries, any reasonable thoughts…including all awareness of the surveillance camera that was angled at them, recording every second of that incredible kiss.

1

MALLORY HUNT wanted a piece of Jake Trinity’s ass.

Literally.

The way she saw it, the man owed her for some very good reasons. For one, he’d sent her dad on a four-year stint in prison. For another, he’d sent her on a six-month stint in foster care. And forced her dad’s burglary crew into retirement.

All because of one lousy kiss.

Well, the kiss hadn’t exactly been lousy. If it had been, she might have forgotten it after ten years. She hadn’t.

Of course she wouldn’t admit that to her dad, so she simply said, “You heard right. Jake Trinity contacted me about a job.”

An understatement if ever there was one. The man had blasted back into her life with the force of a gunshot, insisting she drop everything to consult with him.

And Mallory intended to consult…oh, yeah, she intended to do a lot more, too, but she wouldn’t tell her dad that, either. She didn’t want to invite any questions when she knew for a fact that her dad didn’t know Jake Trinity had been the informant who’d gotten him busted on the Innovative Engineering job all those years ago.

As far as Mallory was concerned, if her dad had survived the past decade in the dark, dredging up memories of that painful time in their lives would serve no good purpose.

She’d handle Jake Trinity herself. And she had some very specific plans to pay the man back for his interference in their lives. Very specific. She’d make him regret the day he’d taken the moral high road by triggering the silent alarm that had changed the lives of everyone she cared about forever.

She’d make him pay for being the reason that her dad had lied to her for the first and only time in her life.

Yes, Mallory had it all under control…but she didn’t want her dad around to interfere with her plans, or to get any wrong ideas. He’d been dropping way too many hints about her finding a husband lately. He wanted her to settle down in a house with a white picket fence, and the last thing she needed was for him to decide Jake Trinity might make an acceptable candidate to share her happily ever after.

No, her dad didn’t need to know this job was anything more than a normal troubleshooting gig.

Which meant she wasn’t answering any more questions.

As a diversionary tactic she glanced to where he was perched precariously on the wall beside her, and asked, “Are you doing okay? How are you holding up? This is a long climb.”

Her dad peered down the sixty feet of man-made rockclimbing wall separating them from their belay partners below. “I’m going all the way today, babe. How about you?”

“If there’s no challenge, I don’t see the point.”

Today’s rock-climbing challenge had limits. She and her dad both were harnessed and roped with their belay partners clinging to their lines, ready to control the descent if either one fell. As she barely tipped the scales at one hundred and ten, a fall wouldn’t be much of a challenge for her belay partner, either.

Following her dad’s gaze down to the high-tech foam floor far below, she experienced a rush of vertigo that made her tighten her grip on the handholds and suck in a tight breath to chase the thrill that coursed through her.

She smiled.

While indoor rock climbing might not be the greatest of challenges, it was a great workout.

“That’s my girl,” her dad said. “No guts, no glory.”

“No risk, no reward,” she agreed.

“No pain, no gain.”

That comment made Mallory slant her gaze his way again. Her dad winked, alleviating any cause for worry with one charming glance.

Although Duke Hunt had been scaling man-made walls with her three times a week ever since the Vertical Playground rock-climbing gym had opened in their hometown of Atlanta, the fact still remained that he was a man on approach to his sixtieth birthday. Like her dad, she wasn’t one to dwell on impending maturity, but Mallory did have to face the occasional reminder that he was getting older. With a lifestyle as active as theirs, it would have been impossible to ignore the fact.

Though her dad was just as healthy and attractive as he’d always been—a man who women routinely went to pieces over—the passage of time had marked him physically. Distinguished silver shot his black hair at the temples. Laugh lines around his mouth and eyes scored his olive skin more deeply than ever.

But despite this evidence of age, Mallory only saw her dad, a timeless, larger-than-life man who laughed easily, lived life on the edge and loved her more than anything else in his world.

“No risk of failure, no fun.” She contributed a new addition to their collection of motivational sayings.

Lifting her gaze to the remaining thirty feet of wall shooting above her head, she reached for her next handhold.

Each time she planted a booted foot on a hold, she shifted her weight and thrust her body upward. Her muscles strained, and she forced herself to concentrate so she didn’t misstep.

As a sport, rock climbing was half technique and half muscle. Though she was barely of average height, the muscle part of the equation wasn’t an issue. The more Mallory practiced her technique, the more strength she built.

Which didn’t mean squat at seventy feet.

The muscles in her thighs had rebelled a good while ago. Of course, she’d arrived at the Vertical Playground earlier than her dad to warm up by bouldering—challenging climbs that she made without the benefit of protection or aids. She relied solely on her technique and strength to get her to the top and down again.

The top in that instance had only been twelve feet, but the activity had contributed to the sweat now soaking through her shorts and ribbed T-shirt.

“Well, tell me what Trinity said.” Her dad steered the conversation right back around to the one subject she didn’t want to discuss.

“I haven’t talked to him yet. We’re consulting after I’m done in the gym.” She didn’t sound much less winded than her dad, each word coming out as sort of a breathy grunt.

“Did he detail what he’s looking for in his proposal?”

“He wants me to pinpoint the holes in the prototype of a new security system he’s designed.”

“How does his new system look? Anything interesting?”

Interesting meant cutting edge. Staying on top of the latest security developments was a crucial aspect not only of Mallory’s security consulting business, but of her dad’s.

They were two sides of the same coin. Both their business cards read Hunt Security Specialists. Both their business cards had a phone number. Anything more would have been overkill since their reputations grew each year, a tribute to the power of client satisfaction and word-ofmouth referrals.

But that was where the similarities ended.

Mallory handled only legitimate jobs, so she didn’t have bars looming in her future. She consulted about security for commercial businesses and worked as a troubleshooter for the engineers who designed the systems. She’d also been working with several law-enforcement agencies recently, projecting how professional burglars might have entered various properties to carry out crimes.

Irony at its finest.

Her dad…well, for Duke Hunt, old habits died hard. Like Mallory, he consulted about security, but he consulted for professional burglars while they planned their heists.

On the fringes of the law, but not prosecutable. And there was no denying that her dad’s consulting business was a natural fit. Before his forced retirement, he’d spent his adult life working as a professional burglar, specializing in infiltrating commercial properties and cracking safes.

He’d trained Mallory at his knee from as far back as she could remember. By age thirteen, she’d taken her place as a member of his crew, starting off by scouting egress routes and disabling telephone lines. Eventually she’d graduated to disarming motion and heat sensors and had been training to monitor video stations when they’d been busted.

As Duke Hunt’s only child, she’d had an unconventional upbringing that she wouldn’t have traded away one second of—except for the four years her dad had spent in prison.

All because of her run-in with Jake Trinity.

“How’d Trinity hear about you?” her dad asked.

“From the work I did with Triple Safe.”

Duke shot her a smile that epitomized a pride in her abilities that far surpassed normal parental standards. “You were prime on that job, babe.”

She returned the smile. She had been prime on the Triple Safe job. The company had lucked into a chance to bid on a large account here in Atlanta. They’d contracted her to consult, and she’d blown meteor-sized craters in their proposal and helped them redesign their entire system. They’d won the account, established themselves in the industry and generously added to her portfolio and reputation in the process.

“Trinity’s prototype has a few new features. Of course I won’t have a bead on how new until I see the specs,” she said, hoping a minimum of information would satisfy his curiosity. “I did notice in his proposal that he was minimizing the risk of false alarms by using passive infrared and active microwave sensors together in the same units.”

“Sounds good. Nothing worse than a twitchy alarm.”

“You’re right about that.” Twitchy sensors could activate an alarm at the most inopportune times—a major inconvenience.

“Think you’ll accept the job?”

“Don’t know until I talk to the man.” The lie tumbled off her lips easily, considering she didn’t usually lie to her dad.

“Well, here’s hoping he offers you a challenge, then. No doubt you’d love the chance to blast holes in his new system.”

No doubt. And while Mallory appreciated her dad’s vote of confidence in her abilities, the simple truth was there was no such thing as a fail-safe security system. People designed the systems, and people weren’t fail-safe. Clever burglars—and accomplished security specialists like herself and her dad—could always find ways around new precautions.

Jake Trinity, CEO and founder of Trinity Security Services, known throughout the industry as TSS, might be Atlanta’s golden boy in the security industry, but he wasn’t any more fail-safe than his systems.

Mallory intended to prove just how fail-safe he wasn’t.

“Did Lance ever make it home last night?” she asked to divert her dad from his interrogation.

“How’d you hear?”

“Polish Paul called me on my cell. He wanted to know if Lance had contacted me.”

“Had he?”

“No.”

Duke frowned, and Mallory knew he was worried about their friend’s seventeen-year-old son. Polish Paul had been part of her dad’s crew since long before Mallory had been born, and he’d crossed the line to become family-by-love somewhere along the way. He’d stuck by her dad’s side through thick and thin, through flush years and lean, and was still sticking around ten years after Duke had retired from burglary.

Mallory wished Lance had contacted her. Once upon a time, they’d been close, too. Or as close as a young boy could be to an older almost-sister. While they weren’t related, they had lived together for a few years after Polish Paul had sprung Mallory from foster care during her dad’s incarceration.

“Well, don’t worry, babe. Paul promised to call as soon as Lance shows up.” He exhaled heavily. “Damned kid is going to be the death of him yet.”

Mallory wished she had some reassurance to offer, but she didn’t. Lance had grown into an angry teen who was determined to buck his father at every turn. He’d shut out all the people who cared for him, all of Duke’s crew and her, too. Once upon a time, they’d all been one big happy family—the only family she and Lance had ever known. But time and circumstance seemed to be pulling them all in different directions.

“Just call me when he shows up, okay?” she said.

“And you let me know if you accept Trinity’s offer. Working with TSS will look good on your résumé.”

“You think?” She swallowed back a sigh. They were back here again. “I kind of thought my endorsement on Trinity’s new system would look good on his résumé.”

Her dad gave a hearty laugh, tossing his head back in a gesture that would have knocked most climbers off their center and sent them gliding toward the floor.

Her dad wasn’t most climbers.

“Opal was right. You’re getting cocky.”

“And that surprises you? I’m your daughter.” Mallory didn’t care for the word cocky, but she’d earned the right to be satisfied with her work, as both her dad and Opal knew.

“Watch out, babe. Arrogance has been the downfall of too many good men.”

“And women?”

“Job hazard,” he said, a little too seriously.

“Is that why you’ve sicced Opal on me? Are you worried I’m heading for a fall?”

Opal was another of her dad’s crew who’d been around for longer than time—although Mallory would never have dared to phrase it that way to Opal. On the down side of fifty-five, Opal liberally contributed to her plastic surgeon’s portfolio in an effort not to look older than forty.

So far she was succeeding admirably.

But even more importantly, Opal was the closest thing that Mallory had ever had to a mother. Not that she would have ever said that to Opal’s face, either. The term connoted an age difference that simply wasn’t part of Opal’s vocabulary.

Nevertheless, she’d graciously played the role through the years, stepping in whenever Mallory had needed some motherly advice that Duke’s never-ending, constantlychanging stream of girlfriends couldn’t provide.

Mallory’s own mother had abandoned her husband and infant daughter for an opportunity to perform in a Las Vegas show—her first stop on the road to stardom. Unfortunately, life hadn’t cooperated, and she’d wound up dead in a car accident before leaving Vegas for Hollywood.

“I’m not worried you’ll take a fall,” her dad said. “And I haven’t sicced Opal on you, as you so eloquently put it. She’s just helping you out with your administrative tasks.”

“And keeping you informed about the clients I take.”

“A job perk.”

He delivered that one so matter-of-factly Mallory rolled her eyes. Her dad had never been one to pull any punches.

“Are you telling me you don’t need the help? With all the work you’ve been juggling lately…from where I’m standing, it looks like you should open a real office and hire a staff.”

“I have a real office. Just because it’s in my house doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

“You have voice mail, a pager and a computer.”

“Okay, a small office. My space is much better put to use in the workshop.” She chanced a glance away from the wall to look at him, suddenly realizing what this conversation was really all about. “The police work is bothering you, isn’t it?”

He looked away from the wall, too, meeting her gaze with those inky-black eyes that shouldn’t have been able to look warm when he smiled, but did.

At the moment he wasn’t smiling.

“You’re worried,” she said.

“Let’s say I’m reserving judgment about your latest career move. You’ve been consulting for law enforcement.” He spoke the words as though they scraped over his tongue.

“I’m a consultant, Dad. I consult.”

He still eyed her stoically.

“I have no intention of turning down perfectly good money. Besides, I like the work. I feel like Nancy Drew solving mysteries.” She didn’t say that she also got a kick out of the police relying on her.

“You also enjoy being one of the ‘experts’ that prosecution calls on for testimony in court?”

She smiled, hoping to lighten the moment. “It makes me feel…expert.”

“I’d rather see you focus on normal jobs.”

She might have argued that consulting for Jake Trinity wouldn’t be anything resembling normal. She didn’t. Her dad didn’t need to know she’d been so preoccupied with the man that she could see him in memory without even closing her eyes.

Though, in all fairness to her, Jake Trinity had been a good-looking guy with tawny hair and a sculpted bone structure that would look handsome whether he was nineteen or ninety. Ten years ago he’d screamed clean-cut good breeding with his wire-rimmed eyeglasses and preppy name brands.

Mallory remembered thinking he’d been too good-looking to be allowed. Then again, she’d been sixteen at the time and impressionable. Had she not been so impressed with the gorgeous young man who’d popped up on the job unexpectedly, she might never been tempted to approach him.

Nope, time hadn’t dimmed that memory. She still recalled every detail of that night with perfect clarity.

The Commercial-Cam Monitoring Network Prototype.

Ten years ago this video surveillance system had been state of the art. One of Innovative’s major competitors had paid her dad big bucks to acquire the prototype before the system officially launched onto the market.

The job had been meticulously planned and about as fail-safe as any job could be—they were sort of like security systems and people, never one-hundred-percent perfect. But this particular job had been going off like clockwork, until a very handsome man who shouldn’t have been in the building showed up while she secured the egress route for her dad’s escape.

Mallory should have hightailed it back up the rope to her own egress route on the roof. She should have radioed Polish Paul and told him she’d been made, so they could have aborted the job. That had been the backup plan. They always had a backup plan. Getting out of a building was just as important as getting in, Polish Paul always said.

But Mallory hadn’t done either of those things. She’d confronted that handsome young man instead, thinking she could stall him long enough to buy her dad the extra minute and a half he needed to complete the job. And she had. Almost.

But almost hadn’t been good enough. In this instance, almost meant that Jake Trinity had gotten to the silent alarm and changed their lives forever.

Almost everyone had gotten out of the building by the time the police had arrived.

Except for her dad.

He’d lied and said he’d tripped the alarm. She hadn’t believed him, of course. Neither had anyone else. Duke Hunt didn’t make those kinds of mundane mistakes. Mallory knew he simply hadn’t wanted her to feel guilty about ignoring the backup plan. He hadn’t wanted her to feel responsible for him going to prison or for the crew being forced into retirement. And his lie hurt almost as much as knowing she was responsible.

Almost as much as watching him handcuffed and thrown into the back of a police cruiser.

Almost as much as learning that the world she’d always believed perfectly normal wasn’t normal at all. To hear the police and the child welfare people tell it, her world was an illegal and morally ugly place.

That had confused Mallory at sixteen.

At twenty-six, it still did.

She was Duke Hunt’s beloved daughter, well-loved and cared for. She’d always thought being loved was a good thing whether she’d grown up on the fringes of the underworld or not.

With maturity, she’d come to understand that the real world wasn’t quite as black and white as the authorities painted it. The real world was an unpredictable place filled with good guys and bad guys. Not the classic depiction of white hats and black capes, either, but a place where the boundaries between right and wrong were often blurry and the bad guys could be more charming and gallant than the good guys.

No, her upbringing hadn’t been conventional, but burglary aside, it hadn’t been morally bankrupt either.

Which had led to another life-altering change.

During a visit to the prison where she’d gotten to see her dad through a four-inch-thick sheet of protective glass, she’d been informed that they were all retiring from the family business. The way her dad saw it, four years in prison wasn’t such a raw deal after an illustrious twenty-odd-year career. He’d made Mallory and all of his crew promise to turn their lives around and go legitimate.

Thanks to his business acumen and foresight, he’d provided the means for her and his crew to do exactly that. Nowadays, his crew was sitting pretty with legitimate businesses. Polish Paul owned a tattoo parlor; Eddie Gibb a pawn shop. Only Opal, who’d opted to spend her share of the nest egg on a nice house and expensive plastic surgeries, didn’t own a business. She worked as Eddie Gibb’s office manager instead, squeezing work for Mallory into her free time.

All in all, life was good.

Except for this love-hate thing she had for Jake Trinity.

She loved the fact that she and her friends had gone legit. Well, reasonably legit. She hated being responsible for making the decision that had changed all their lives.

Both occurrences began and ended with a very selfrighteous man she couldn’t seem to get out of her head no matter how much time passed. He’d had a dramatic impact on her life, and Mallory had never been able to decide whether to love him or hate him for his interference. Taking this job for TSS would give her the perfect opportunity to decide which it would be.

The way she saw it, Mr. Straight-and-Narrow would benefit from being knocked on his holier-than-thou ass. And if he wound up taking a hard look at his own morals to see if they held up under temptation, then she’d be honored to provide the temptation.

“Damn.” Her dad’s voice blasted away the image of Jake Trinity quicker than a bait pack exploding in a rigged safe.

Mallory smiled, released the last handhold and tagged the ceiling to end her climb. “Hunt Junior rules the day.”

She didn’t signal her belay partner, waited instead while her dad scaled the last few feet between them, muscles bunching in his powerful arms, sweat pearling at his salt-and-pepper temples, black eyes flashing.

“Great climb, babe.”

“You, too.”

She liked that about her dad. She’d kicked his butt fair and square, and he appreciated a job well done. Although, truthfully, his chances of winning today hadn’t been good. Not only did Mallory have the advantage of thirty-plus years on her side, but her adrenaline was pumping doubletime in anticipation of her upcoming consultation.

“You will give some thought to what I said about working for law enforcement.” He didn’t ask, just leveled a steely expression her way. “Don’t let them become your full-time job.”

She nodded.

His expression softened, and she knew he was satisfied. “Shall we?”

“Let’s do it.”

After signaling her belay partner, Mallory kicked off from the wall, stomach lurching at the rush of a ninetyfoot drop. The air whizzed past her ears, and she laughed, the excitement as thrilling as the prospect of seeing Jake Trinity again.

2

THE WAY Jake Trinity saw it, Mallory Hunt owed him one and the time had come to collect. Angling his sport utility vehicle into a parking spot along the street in front of her upscale brownstone, he glanced at the dashboard.

Ten fifty-seven.

Three minutes to get upstairs and he’d be right on time for their eleven o’clock appointment.

Grabbing his briefcase, he stepped out of his SUV into the bright morning sun just as a low-slung black convertible cruised past him, the driver’s ponytail whipping out on the wind behind her. He quickly pulled in his door so she didn’t take it off as she wheeled into the driveway and came to a sharp stop with a flash of red brake lights.

Mallory Hunt.

Jake knew her name. He knew a great deal about her, in fact, mostly from his preliminary research and references from industry associates who’d contracted her services. But he’d never seen her without a ski mask.

Even if he hadn’t known her address, he’d have known instinctively that this was the woman who’d boldly kissed him ten years ago. He wasn’t exactly sure how he knew, but he did. Even with a sidewalk and a neatly kept yard between them, he felt the same awareness he had on that long-ago night, that same chemistry, as if every nerve in his body had been wired to react to her just by being in the same vicinity.

It was crazy, really, but the moment slowed to a crawl, his every sense heightening as her door swung wide and his mystery woman emerged.

A slim booted foot touched the pavement, and Jake’s gaze traveled up the very shapely length of bare leg as she stepped from the car, the shorts she wore giving him a choice shot of sleek thighs.

She was as delicate as he remembered, but that was where memory ended—the black coveralls she’d worn ten years ago hadn’t molded her curves anywhere close to the way these khaki short-shorts and skin-tight T-shirt did now. The thin—wet?—cotton hugged a trim waist and full breasts in a way that made him drag his gaze over her appreciatively.

Her hair had been pulled back from her face in a thick black ponytail that fell halfway down her back. She swung the door shut, an efficient, graceful motion that brought the memory of the sensuous way she moved crashing back in vivid detail. Then she turned to him….

Jake stopped breathing.

A decade had passed since he’d crossed paths with this woman. She’d blown into his life for a few minutes and the fallout had left him stunned for years. And yes, resentful of her intrusion into his meticulously planned life.

But he’d never had more than an impression of the woman herself, a faceless memory of bold confidence, a lithe body and sensual movements….

And those eyes.

His breath burned tight in his chest by the time she gazed over the rim of her stylish black sunglasses and looked at him with those clear green eyes.

Eyes that had haunted him for a decade.

Eyes that reminded him of…the kiss.

Just the memory sucker punched him in the gut, made him look deep for some clue whether she knew who he was, whether she remembered, too. Something about the way she sized him up convinced him that she did.

After their accidental encounter on that night long ago, he’d made every effort to find out who she was, but he hadn’t known if she’d done the same. He couldn’t predict what a woman like Mallory Hunt would do in any given situation, because she was unlike anyone he’d ever met. He hadn’t made the acquaintance of any professional thieves at the private schools he’d attended, nor anywhere in his upper-middle-class upbringing. Mallory Hunt was an enigma to him. She had been ten years ago. She was today.

Forcing himself into action, he slammed the door shut, engaged the alarm and circled his SUV, fiercely containing his reaction to this woman. He’d been down this road before and the consequences had turned his life upside down.

He probably shouldn’t have contacted her, should have realized their past history would interfere with his agenda. But contacting her had been the only logical thing to do.

His latest security system had the potential to launch his company into the big leagues. Trinity Security Services employed a staff of top-notch engineers who could only test his system from the viewpoint of top-notch engineers. But meeting Mallory Hunt had taught Jake that security systems weren’t about securing a premise, but about keeping the bad guys out, which meant he needed a bad guy to test his system.

Or a bad girl.

He stared at one right now and couldn’t help feeling as though he’d come full circle. After all, Mallory Hunt had been the reason he’d become interested in the field of security and commercial protection in the first place.

Given their history, Jake supposed he shouldn’t be surprised to find himself so curious to see her up close. She was exquisite, with features as delicate as the rest of her and a face dominated by that lush mouth and those clear eyes.

Meeting him at the corner of her driveway, she extended a hand. “Well, you’ve certainly grown up, Jake Trinity.”

He’d never heard her speak, and her voice filtered through him, richer and more sensual than his imagination could have invented, a sexy voice that fit her to a T.

What was it about her that kept bringing to mind sex?

“So have you.” There, the situation was on the table. She recognized him. He recognized her. They were on level ground.

“Are you always so punctual?”

“Yes.” He glanced at his watch as he reached for her hand. A minute to spare. “Do you always cut your appointments so close?”

“I’m always right on time.”

He supposed perfect timing would be a necessary skill in her line of work, but he didn’t comment as she slipped tapered fingers against his, and the feel of her warm skin connected.

As an electrical engineer, Jake knew about conductivity, and Mallory Hunt’s touch flowed through him like a current. They’d only touched once before and sparks had flown then, too.

He thought he saw a flicker of surprise in those thickly fringed eyes, but her expression never changed. He wanted to feel detached, professional. He didn’t. The urge to lift her hand to his lips and press a kiss to her soft skin was strong, even though such an absurdly romantic gesture had no place in a business meeting.

Especially this meeting.

If she noticed how he seemed to be drinking her in, she didn’t react, simply withdrew her hand and said, “I shouldn’t get too close. I smell like a goat.”

He laughed. Even in a sweaty T-shirt and wrinkled shorts, there was nothing goat-like about this woman. “A workout?”

“Of sorts. Come on in.”

Jingling her keys, she trod lightly up the stone steps to her front door, and try though Jake might not to focus on her gently rounded bottom and the toned muscle playing along her thighs, he found himself staring.

And wondering what she’d done to work up that sweat.

He might no longer be a testosterone-filled teen who’d gotten a hard-on from kissing a sexy thief, but his reaction to Mallory Hunt was as extreme as ever. Apparently his reaction wasn’t about being caught up in the excitement of a dangerous situation. His reaction had to do with the woman herself.

Hmm. Looked like a reassessment of his position was in order. Especially since he meant to stick very close to her while she worked to troubleshoot his system.

If she accepted the job after she heard his unusual terms.

He’d convince her to accept.

She owed him.

When she retrieved a wireless remote from her purse to disable what he imagined was a top-of-the-line homesecurity unit, she distracted him with purely professional interest. What sort of system did a security specialist with Mallory Hunt’s credentials use to protect her inner sanctum?

He presumed a woman who knew all the industry tricks would secure her place tighter than Fort Knox. Especially a home she obviously took great pride in. And one glance inside her spacious town house revealed that she lived in the same classy style she drove. Jake didn’t know much about interior design, but he did know style and upscale elegance when he saw it. It stared him full in the face right now.

Mallory Hunt struck him as the epitome of a contemporary woman, a woman who boldly managed life on her own terms. While the luxury of her home didn’t surprise him, the coziness did. With its tall windows, sunny yellow walls and sleek marble floor, Mallory Hunt’s inner sanctum possessed a charming, welcoming feel that struck him as almost…homey.

Moving past her into the foyer, he glanced at the books lying open on a coffee table in front of the sofa, more on the end table. Sheet music covered the music desk of the white baby grand piano positioned between two floor-toceiling windows in the room’s far corner. A latte mug with a red lipstick circle rested on the mantel of a hall tree, as though she’d gulped down a last swallow of coffee before running out the door.

Jake wasn’t exactly sure what he’d expected from a former thief gone legit, but homey wasn’t it.

After locking her front door, she tossed her keys down and shrugged off her purse with a move that drew his gaze to the way filmy white cotton stretched across firm breasts. Hanging her purse over the banister, she turned to him and narrowed her gaze.

“Listen, Jake Trinity. I’ve got someplace to be right after we’re through here. Do you mind if I get ready while we talk?”

He shook his head, not surprised she didn’t conduct business in any ordinary manner. In his limited dealings with Mallory Hunt, he hadn’t found anything ordinary about her. And he really didn’t care how they conducted business as long as he got what he wanted.

“Hang on a second. Let me grab your proposal….” Her voice trailed off as she headed through the living room and disappeared from sight. “I’ve written down some questions I want to ask you.”

“I think we can come up with an arrangement that will be advantageous to us both.”

“I think so, too,” she said, reappearing in the living room, carrying a glossy folder with his company’s logo.

She smiled. But this wasn’t an impersonal smile of welcome. This was a full-fledged dazzling smile that nearly blinded him.

The effect was nothing short of devastating. The muscles gathered low in his gut in a purely physical response that was absurd in its intensity. He’d come today prepared to talk business, to convince this woman that she owed him so she’d agree to the unconventional terms of his job.

He hadn’t come prepared for a full-scale sensual assault.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of a damned thing to say that might reassert his control over the moment, so he simply followed her when she motioned him upstairs and led him into…“Your bedroom?”

She only nodded before pausing to flip open the folder casually and glance inside.

Okay. A business meeting in the bedroom. He’d come to this meeting today expecting the unexpected. No problem.

Her bedroom was certainly roomy enough to host a meeting. The second floor of her home boasted windows as large as those downstairs, only these windows weren’t covered with sheer draperies. Through the lattice of magnolia trees outside, Jake could see the wide expanse of green city park across the street.

The furnishings were as upscale contemporary as downstairs, elegant and minimal, yet still creating a very comfortable feel. And her bed…

He skimmed his gaze over the neatly made pewterframe bed, not at all amused by how the sight of the silk comforter and plush pillows knocked loose a few more of his brain cells.

“You brought the specs for your system, didn’t you?” she asked, not bothering to glance at him as she moved to an open doorway and flipped on a light.

“Yes.” He could always spread out the prints on the bed.

But no sooner had he formed the thought than Mallory disappeared inside an adjoining room.

A bathroom?

Jake glanced inside, watched her set the folder down on the vanity and tug the band from her ponytail. Shaking her head, she loosed a sheet of straight black hair that fell nearly to her waist, glinting like glass beneath the track lighting.

His breath caught hard. He was beginning to get an idea of her definition of “getting ready.” And he knew right then she was testing his mettle, maybe even trying to shock him. He wanted to know why.

“You want to have our business meeting in the bathroom?”

She glanced back over her shoulder, lips pursed thoughtfully. “Can you handle it?”

Ten years ago, he should have restrained this woman and sounded the alarm. For a long time he’d regretted not doing that. He’d resented that meeting her—however unintentionally on both their parts—had screwed with his whole life.

But as he met her gaze now, recognized the challenge there, he found himself responding exactly as he had back then.

He wanted to see how far she would go.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

She smiled, silently acknowledging that he’d picked up the gauntlet. Then she disappeared from sight.

Jake drew a deep breath, mentally warned his body to behave and followed.

Her bathroom was as tastefully decorated as the rest of her home, with a double vanity and a corner shower with wall jets.

He almost asked if she expected them to talk while she showered, but as she was removing fresh towels from the linen closet, he figured he had his answer.

Setting his briefcase on the floor, he leaned back against the vanity, steeling himself for her next move.

It would be a good one, no doubt.

He only hoped he could think clearly beneath an assault of this magnitude. He was barely hanging on already.

No twenty-six-year-old woman of his acquaintance had ever oozed confidence like this one. He’d recognized her boldness ten years ago and he saw it again now. Understanding the unusual circumstances of her life explained a little, but Jake didn’t think circumstances had everything to do with Mallory Hunt.

Then she dropped the towels onto the toilet lid and raised her arms to pull the T-shirt over her head and he didn’t think again. He was reduced to folding his arms across his chest and trying to look completely unfazed by the sight of pale breasts swelling above a white cotton bra.

“I read your proposal, Jake,” she said calmly, as though stripping in front of a man she’d only met once before—under very dubious circumstances—was a commonplace event. “It was pretty straightforward. You want me to troubleshoot your newest system. The…what was it called?”

“The Sentex 2000.”

Her wadded-up T-shirt sailed inches past his face to land on the nearby hamper before she propped a foot onto the toilet lid to untie her boot.

“Right. The Sentex 2000. You’re testing your prototype locally?”

“I have several in place with different clients of mine. I’m exposing it to a variety of scenarios.”

“Good idea.”

He was glad she thought so because he wasn’t convinced that standing here while she stripped qualified as one of his better ideas. Not with her breasts jiggling as she toed off a boot then stripped her sock away to reveal a slim white foot with neatly polished red toenails.

Then she lifted the other and began the process all over again.

“I assume you know how I operate, Jake.”

By stripping for potential clients until they’re horny idiots who’ll agree to anything?

“You try to infiltrate the system,” he said, managing to sound reasonably composed as she unbuttoned her fly and started rocking back and forth while pushing the khaki shorts over her hips. Down, down, down….

“There’s no try.”

“Excuse me?”

Bending over to drag the shorts away, she slanted him a glance from beneath her hair. “There’s no try to it. I infiltrate your system. Then I tell you where the holes are.”

“Always?”

She straightened, giving him a view of her in profile, and no matter how much he wanted to keep his gaze on her face, there was simply no way he could resist glancing down at the sleek expanse of her pale curves. Firm breasts were clad in white cotton, her trim waist playing peekaboo with all that shiny hair, her smooth stomach and gently rounded hips barely holding up a teeny white thong.

He swallowed hard.

He was getting hard.

No matter how deeply he breathed to dispel the tightness in his chest. No matter how much he reminded himself that he’d acquired restraint in the years since their last encounter. His reminders were nothing more than desperate, self-delusional bullshit while he stood staring at the tight curve of her bottom and those long, long legs.

“Do you believe in a fail-safe system, Jake?”

Her tone made it sound as if a fail-safe system was something out of a fairy tale. “As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

“Good. I hate to disappoint my clients.”

“I don’t see much chance of that if you conduct all your consultations in your bathroom, Ms. Hunt. In fact, it would explain your impeccable references. You have a lot of happy former clients out there.”

“Call me Mallory, please.” She chuckled, a low, silky sound that purred through their close quarters as if it were alive. “That’s because I’m good at what I do.”

Damned straight. This was a strip show of the highest caliber.

She gifted him with a full shot of her back, the fall of shiny hair, her heart-shaped bottom with that silky little strap disappearing between her cheeks. Leaning into the shower to turn on the water, she bent just enough to taunt him with a glimpse of exactly where that little strap was hiding.

Unfolding his arms, Jake braced his hands on the vanity, every drop of blood in his body rushing south so fast he actually felt dizzy.

For a man who hadn’t had sex in…he dredged his memory for the last time he’d been involved. Damn, had it been that long? No wonder he was crumbling under this assault.

Although he didn’t think anything could have prepared him for Mallory Hunt. No doubt she’d planned it that way.

Which led back to his original question…why?

“Shall we talk details?” She straightened and turned to him, dipping her head in a sexy motion, flinging her hair over her shoulder as she reached around her back….

Her bra sprang open and full breasts spilled out, pale, perfect, the deep-rose nipples aiming at him and proving that he wasn’t the only one affected by her well-aimed assault.

Jake supposed he should have felt some consolation. He didn’t. He found himself gripping the vanity instead, when she arched back to slide the straps down her arms.

The bra went whizzing by his face toward the hamper. It landed on the T-shirt and hung for a suspended moment before falling to the floor.

“I have some conditions that will have to be met before we can come to an agreement,” he said, amazed that he actually got the words out. “But please, ladies first.”

She inclined her head graciously and then fired the next volley…she bent over again.

This time she leaned forward as she slipped off her thong. She pushed the scrap of fabric down her thighs, along shapely calves. Her breasts plumped forward and her hair swept in front of her in a heavy fall of black silk, shielding his view for a tantalizing instant…until she retrieved her panties and stood up, unselfconsciously and quite breathtakingly naked.

Jake sucked in a breath of humid air.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help. Not when Mallory Hunt was a vision from a fantasy with the steam curling around her, airbrushing her slender curves with mist.

His heart pounded. His blood thundered in his ears so loudly that he almost missed hearing her when she said, “I’ll talk loudly so you can hear me above the water.”

No problem, as long as she did the talking. His voice was trapped somewhere below the breath that had solidified in his throat. It had been way too long since he’d had sex, and Jake made a note to pencil in a reminder on his schedule.

Find a date.

He’d been a fool to ignore his needs for so long that he could barely breathe when faced with a naked beauty who was bent on taunting him. While this wasn’t the first time he’d been forced to admit that he ignored his needs too often, it was the first time he’d ever found his control so seriously threatened.

He considered challenging her to see if there was an offer beneath her boldness. But Mallory Hunt clearly had an agenda and he wasn’t taking one step in her direction until he understood what it was.

This woman was fire, and he’d been burned before.

“Okay, Jake. Here’s the deal in a nutshell. You pick what you think is your most secure property. I’ll research your system, determine where the weaknesses are, prove my position by infiltrating your system and then submit a summary so you can address the problems.”

She slid the shower door open as he realized exactly what it was about her tone that he found so very intriguing.

There was no doubt in her voice. None. Mallory was completely confident in her abilities, just as she’d been while confronting him that dark night long ago.

He waited until she stepped inside and closed the sliding glass door before he played his hand. “I’ll pick my most secure property, you get inside and take me with you to show me how you do it.”

He saw her pause and experienced a surge of satisfaction that he’d surprised her. A definite first in their limited acquaintance.

She recovered quickly, though, and he heard her bubbling laughter over the running water as she stepped into the spray, tipping her head to wet that magnificent hair.

Until she responded, Jake had absolutely nothing to counter or debate, so he stood there and enjoyed the show.

Steam billowed around her, misted the glass and showcased her beautiful curves. The beige tile cast her pale body and dark hair in soft relief, drawing his attention to the graceful way she lifted her arms, reached for a bottle from a shelf.

He’d tried to anticipate every eventuality for today’s meeting. But of all the unexpected things he’d expected, playing spectator while this slim beauty showered hadn’t even made the list.

“I operate alone, Jake,” she finally said.

“You didn’t ten years ago.”

“True, but I’m in a different line of work now.”

Their encounter that night had sent both their lives spiraling off into entirely new directions. It had taken him a long time to make peace with the changes to his career plan. How had she felt about her own?

He didn’t ask, just said, “I insist.”

“Really.” No question mark.

“Really.”

“Why?”

A simple question, but one that surprised him. “I don’t trust you.”

He thought he heard her chuckle over the running water.

“But you contacted me, Jake Trinity.”

“Yes, I did. I researched your references and looked into your business dealings. I understand you operate a legitimate business now and your services come highly recommended. But I also discovered that most of your clients don’t realize how you honed your skills.”

“I’ve never kept my background a secret.”

He didn’t doubt her. This woman impressed him as someone skilled in turning disadvantage to advantage. She was manipulating the situation to her advantage right now and he didn’t know why. But she had a reason for putting on this show, for lathering her long hair with slow, sinuous motions, arms raised, body displayed through sheets of water and steamy mist.

She definitely had a reason for challenging him to combine business with the pleasure of watching her. His body was on red alert, and the conversation was the only thing helping him maintain control, forcing his focus on something other than the tumble of dark hair and lather playing over her sleek skin.

“Mallory, I’ll be hiring you to infiltrate a prototype of the Sentex 2000 that’s in place on one of my client’s properties. They’ll be allowing you to break in at my request. My reputation is on the line here. You must understand my need for caution.”

“I do. But I’m guessing you don’t have a clear idea of what it takes to infiltrate a security system. Trust me when I say it requires a skill that doesn’t lend itself to spectators.”

Here it was, and Jake went for it. “I don’t want to be a spectator. I want to assist. Show me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“You want a course in thievery 101.” Still no question mark.

“Yes.”

She only reached for a bath sponge and started a whole new show by working lather over her neck and shoulders. Jake followed her motions, the continued level of excitement wearing at his restraint. He found it increasingly difficult to concentrate when the memory of how she’d felt pressed up against him collided with the sight of all that bare skin. He struggled to stay sharp, because staying sharp was crucial to dealing with this woman.

“If I agree to your conditions, what exactly do you think you’ll gain?”

“A couple of things,” he said, shifting his position to ease up the seam that was biting into his crotch. “First is that I’ll be with you when you infiltrate my client’s property. I can offer them my personal assurance that their interests will be protected because I’ll be overseeing you personally.”

“And?”

“I want to see how you operate. You offer a unique perspective on security. I want to benefit from your experience and bring that knowledge with me when I design my systems.”

The soapy bath sponge continued a leisurely path down her arms, graceful swirls of motion that drew his gaze to the way her back arched slightly, thrusting those incredible breasts forward, the rosebud nipples spearing through the lather.

He shifted position again, trying to ease the pressure of a tight seam.

“Are you willing to pay my fee?”

“I am—even though you quoted me a number that starts forty percent above what you charged my competitors.”

She turned to face him, aiming another salvo with a fullfrontal shot of all that soapy skin, that smooth stomach and the barely-there dark curls peeking out between her thighs. “Inflation.”

Right. Even if he hadn’t heard the amusement in her voice, Jake knew better. Unfortunately, he was still no closer to understanding her agenda. With the dramatic decrease in both his willpower and IQ beneath her sexy assault, he wouldn’t be satisfying his curiosity any time soon.

“Does this mean you’ll take the job?” he asked out of sheer desperation to distract himself as that bath sponge wound a path between her thighs.

“Why should I? You’ve already told me you don’t trust me. Think about all the extra work training you will mean for me.”

He’d thought about it—long and hard, in fact. Her extra work meant his, too. He also thought about just telling her outright that she owed him, tipping his hand and letting the cards fall where they may.

But Mallory Hunt couldn’t know that she’d cost him his job on that long-ago night. Jake should have tripped the silent alarm. He hadn’t. He’d been too bowled over by her kiss. He’d been stumped as to why such a sexy young woman—and the instant their lips had met he’d known she was young—would participate in a burglary. Any logical explanation had been so far beyond the comprehension of his upper-middle-class value system that he’d been shellshocked into indecision.

The rational side of his brain had insisted he report the break-in. The more impulsive side hadn’t been able to get past the fact that sounding the alarm would have meant such a sexy young woman would likely end up in prison.

While the two sides of his brain had warred, fate had intervened and made the decision for him. Someone, he assumed the security guard, had sounded the alarm and the police had shown up and arrested one of the burglars—not her, he’d found out later.

The company president hadn’t wanted explanations. He’d wanted an employee who would put the company’s best interests first. Jake didn’t blame him.

As a result of meeting Mallory Hunt, he’d lost his job, his internship, his scholarship, a decent reference and any hope of a future with Innovative Engineering.

As his father had been golfing buddies with the company president, the real reason for his dismissal hadn’t become part of his permanent record. Mallory Hunt couldn’t know the details, and now didn’t seem like the best time to tip his hand. Erection aside, the rational half of his brain had brought him here today. He needed this woman’s expertise, felt she owed him a favor, but he didn’t want to show a soft underbelly by letting her think he held a grudge.

“You should take my job because working together will be mutually beneficial. TSS will be a strong reference. My business is well respected in the industry.”

She exhaled a laugh that was more exasperation than amusement. “What is it with you men?”

Jake didn’t know what other man she was referring to and he didn’t care. He wasn’t finished yet. “I was going to say that your endorsement of my new security system will be good for the Sentex 2000. See, mutually beneficial.”

Not the strongest of arguments, but the most logical to his way of thinking. Jake braced himself to counter her objections, mentally sifted through rebuttals that might establish his case.

What he didn’t expect was Mallory to say, “Okay. It’s a deal. You pay my exorbitant fee and I’ll infiltrate the system of your choice and take you with me as my assistant.”

She slid open the shower door, heedless of the drizzle spraying out from the wall jets as she extended her hand. Jake had the wild thought that the last thing in the world he needed to do right now was touch this woman, but reason wasn’t priority here—sealing the deal was.

Pushing away from the vanity, he swallowed hard when the seam of his slacks bit hard into his crotch. He schooled his expression and closed the distance between them.

But Jake knew before his fingers slid around hers that this was nothing more than a ploy. Mallory was testing his limits again, pushing him. To see if she could shock him? Or to get him close enough to…what?

He didn’t know. He only knew that with her hair slicked back he could see her features more clearly than ever before. He stared down into her face, the perfect forehead, the elegant slash of her brows, the creamy skin, the high cheekbones, and knew a hunger for this woman more intense than anything he’d ever known before.

Then she lifted her gaze to his. Despite the water droplets clinging to her lashes and the lush landscape of moist skin between them, the challenge in those clear green eyes was so reminiscent of ten years ago…

Only this time he kissed her.

3

JAKE TRINITY had known how to kiss ten years ago, but the past decade had honed his skill to the point where Mallory forgot to breathe. His mouth possessed hers with a serious deliberation that made her knees grow weak, made an eager tenderness fill her breasts and draw her nipples into peaks.

She’d intended to taunt the man until he’d lost control and couldn’t keep his hands off her. Well, his hands were on her now, but there was nothing about the fingers he angled beneath her jaw that suggested a loss of anything.

Jake Trinity’s kiss was all about hunger, all about resolve, all about taking what he wanted. Deliberate. Thorough. As though he’d spent ten long years deciding how he might kiss her if the opportunity had presented itself. As though he’d meant to make the most of the moment if it did.

Mission accomplished.

He’d scattered her thoughts so completely that it took him driving his tongue into her mouth for Mallory finally to pull her thoughts together enough to react.

The best she could come up with was a sigh, one of those lips-parting-in-abandon, open-mouthed numbers that always made her laugh when she saw them portrayed in movies.

She hadn’t believed women really felt that way.

Well, women like her, anyway. Confident, assertive women who didn’t have a problem taking what they wanted from life.

Or from a man.

But she felt that way right now. Boy, oh boy, did she.

She remembered exactly why she’d kissed Jake Trinity ten years ago instead of following the egress plan. Yes, she’d wanted to buy her dad time, but she couldn’t deny that she’d also noticed how gorgeous her unexpected intruder had been, which had inspired her particular method of stalling.

He’d reminded her of a lion with his dark-blond hair, tanned skin and brawny body. He’d been tall—but not too tall, about six feet she’d guessed—but that sense of power about his strong shoulders and wide chest had made him seem…solid. Yet he’d moved easily, gracefully, as though he had his size thoroughly under control.

Jake Trinity all grown up wasn’t what Mallory had been expecting. Nor was her reaction to him.

Water dripped from her face to flavor their kiss, bathing their tongues in liquid warmth that tasted of their mouths combined. A taste that had lingered in her memory barely remembered—until now when she tasted it again and realized just how firmly embedded he’d been in her consciousness.

Pressing her hands against his chest, she slipped her fingers beneath his jacket. She explored the feel of hard muscle through his shirt and traced the sculpted hollows as though she wanted to learn him by heart, uncaring that her wet hands and the shower spray were trashing his pristine dry-cleaning job.

And when she came across his tie, an accessory she’d thought conservative at first glance, she recognized the anchor it offered. Slipping her fingers around the expensive silk, she drew it down, down…forcing him to lean forward and his mouth to slant across hers even harder.

He explored the curve of her jaw with strong fingers, trailed them down her throat, and for a heart-stopping instant she thought he would continue moving downward, touch her aching breasts to feed this growing need inside her.

But ever the gentleman, he explored the pulse beating at the base of her throat, the sensitive hollow where neck met shoulder while awareness coursed through her with an intensity that made her burn.

No, Jake Trinity wasn’t what she’d expected at all.

He didn’t seem to mind that she held him trapped with his tie and met his tongue, stroke for devouring stroke, breath for clashing breath.

Her reaction to him wasn’t what she’d expected, either.

Mallory had a plan to bring this man to his knees. She’d get him out of her system then leave him before he even knew what had hit him. But right now, with the water crashing on her back, the steam caressing her body until she felt every inch of her naked skin so achy beneath his strong fingers, her plan seemed less about satisfying vengeance than desire.

“Join me.” She whispered the words against his open mouth, surprised by the husky intensity of her voice. Running her tongue over his lower lip, she chased the words with a bold stroke that reestablished some of her control.

But Jake didn’t break their kiss, either. He nibbled his way along her upper lip, his hot velvet mouth nipping greedily, sending the most exquisite tingles shooting through her, and making a total lie out of her control.

“I thought you had some place to be shortly.”

“I lied.”

To her surprise, he chuckled, a burst of warm sound against her mouth. He broke their kiss and she eased up on his tie, letting him lift his head. But she didn’t relinquish her grip entirely. She liked knowing she could drag his mouth back down to hers when she chose.

“Why?”

“So I could get naked in front of you.”

She wanted to put a dent in his composure, but he only inclined his tawny head in acknowledgment and slipped his wire-rimmed glasses from his nose. She watched as he snapped the arms into place and dropped them into his jacket pocket, seemingly unconcerned with the condition of his clothes, which showed the effects of her exploration in a big way.

Then he met her gaze, and she was surprised to find that staring into his brown eyes without the shield of clear plastic lenses and wire frames was an entirely different experience.

He had warm steady eyes, the rich brown shade an extension of his tawny hair and tanned skin, a color that added to her impression that he glowed golden from the inside out.

He eyed her, as though carefully considering her offer. His calm deliberation threw her. He shouldn’t be so in control after the hot kiss they’d shared. He should be a little raw around the edges right now.

Like she was.

Mallory had no doubt he wanted her. One glimpse at the erection spoiling the tailored line of his slacks proved that beyond question, but he was far too in control of himself for her liking.

“You’re testing me,” he said.

She felt foolishly fluttery beneath his gaze. And standing here naked before his fully clothed self, she felt very much like an errant child who’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Does that bother you, Jake?” she injected a level of calm she wasn’t feeling into her voice. “I want to see what you’re made of.”

“You want to see how far you can push me.”

“Are you hoping to call my bluff?”

He shook his head, sending thick tawny hair across his brow. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t think you’re bluffing.”

Before she realized what he was about, his hand surrounded her breast, lightly abrading her skin with callused fingertips. Her nipple puckered and her breath hitched, an audible gasp that echoed above the running water and made him smile.

Pressing his advantage, he squeezed her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. A ribbon of heat shot straight to that sensitive place between her thighs. She sucked in another gulp of air that made his smile grow even wider.

“I’m not the only one here discovering my limits, am I?” he asked, his voice as sultry and sure as deep silk.

She didn’t answer, was too busy breathing through that grasping pulse between her thighs. But she found that she liked the way he wasn’t mowed down by her invitation. She might be standing here naked, and he might want her, but Jake Trinity was still thinking on his feet, questioning her motives, not willing to jump in until he satisfied his curiosity.

She found that rather…stimulating.

“Am I, Mallory?”

He pinched her nipple again, making her grow wet in a way that had nothing to do with the eight shower jets behind her.

“No.” She sounded just the tiniest bit resentful and that seemed to amuse him, too.

“Do you always mix business with pleasure?”

“No,” she replied honestly. “Only when it suits me.”

“And I suit you?”

She laughed, an attempt to regain her equilibrium. “I’m surprised you have to ask me that question. I kissed you ten years ago, remember?”

“I thought you were trying to stall me, or distract me.”

“I was.” She took another deep breath against the way he was thumbing her nipple, raising her body temperature with each idle stroke. “But I’d never have come up with the idea if I hadn’t found you attractive.”

“So which was it, stall or distract?”

Each lazy stroke made that need sizzle low in her belly and her knees grow a little weaker. “Both.”

“You succeeded.”

She also liked that he admitted it openly. No pretenses. No delicate male ego needing to be propped up with lies. “Am I distracting you now?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Am I stalling you?” he asked.

“Yes, but I don’t understand why. You want me.”

He inclined his head in a gesture she found almost regal in its certainty. “I do.”

“Then why resist?”

“I’m not. I just haven’t decided to take you up on your offer yet. I want to understand what you hope to accomplish.”

With her fingers wrapped around his tie, she forced him to lower his head until she could whisper in his ear. “Orgasm.”

The effect of that word was visible. His expensive suit didn’t conceal the way his chest rose and fell with a ragged breath, didn’t hide the shudder that rocked his body and brought to mind an image of a big cat purring.

She wanted to press against him, feel the contrast of fine silk and hard muscle against her naked skin. She wanted to feel the vibration when his breath rumbled deep in his chest. She wanted to become intimately acquainted with the erection that kept drawing her gaze, fascinating her with its sheer proportions.

She wanted this man a little too much.

Loosening her grip on his tie, she let him retreat, put some much-needed distance between them.

“How about following your impulse, Jake? Let’s finish what we started ten years ago.”

“Do you think you can combine business with pleasure and not sacrifice one for the other?”

“There’s no think about it.”

He arched a tawny brow and those warm eyes regarded her steadily. “You don’t expect me to be much of a challenge.”

“Why should you be? We’re attracted to each other. We have chemistry. Unlike the last time we met, we’re both of consenting ages and uninvolved. Do you have something against having fun? I think we’ll be good together.”

“You know for a fact I’m uninvolved?”

He was still trying to gauge her, and she saw no reason to withhold what he wanted. He’d been equally forthcoming. “It’s standard procedure for me to research potential clients.”

“Do you usually find out about their personal lives?”

“Not usually. I wanted to know about you. I was surprised when you contacted me. I wanted to figure out if you knew I was the woman inside the warehouse that night.”

“The thief inside the warehouse, you mean.”

She conceded with a nod. “The thief.”

Mallory recognized his pleasure in the way he schooled his expression to conceal it, in the way he steeled those wide shoulders as if defending himself from the effect she had on him. He liked that she didn’t shy from the truth, and that she’d made the effort to learn about him, whether he admitted it aloud or not.

“Do you know what I found out about you, Jake?” When he didn’t reply, she continued. “I found out that you’re on the fast track to a heart attack.”

“You think so?”

“I do.”

She’d also learned that he’d dated quite a number of very beautiful and eligible women, but none of his relationships ever lasted long. “I want to know if all work and no play makes Jake a dull boy.”

Jake frowned and Mallory would have bet the top-end fee she’d quoted him that he’d heard this accusation before.

And hadn’t liked it one bit.

She pressed her advantage. “I also found out you vote in every election, even the primaries, and volunteer at the polls. You always buy from the neighborhood kids to support their school fund-raisers, and TSS sponsors an impressive roster of Little League teams. You’re a perfectly upstanding moral citizen.”

Self-righteous was more like it, as Mallory had learned firsthand ten years ago, but she kept that thought to herself. She didn’t want even to hint that she might hold a grudge and interject that sort of baggage into their relationship.

“Climbing into the shower with a woman of my moral fiber will be a whole new experience for you. An adventure.”

To her surprise his frown faded and he laughed, a sound of such genuine amusement that she frowned. “Why do you need me to prove myself? Is it because you’re trying to convince yourself I’m worthy?”

He squeezed her nipple again. Her sex clenched in response and she trembled.

“Why does it bother you that you want me, Mallory?”

There was no denying his assertion. Her breasts had grown heavy and tight. Her nipples speared toward his hand, begging for attention. Her knees were so weak she’d be swaying like a drunk if not for his hand on her, a point of contact every nerve in her body seemed wired to.

But how could he know about her conflict? Did he sense it? Or was she not nearly so composed as she’d hoped to be?

“I kissed you, remember?” She sounded defensive but hadn’t meant to, which argued strongly that she was revealing a good bit more than she’d intended. This man was blowing all her intentions straight to hell. Not good.

“I’ve been remembering your kiss for ten years.”

His admission was a whole lot more than a taunting declaration. There was substance to those words, an emotional context that seemed to come easily to him, but made her question exactly what he meant.

When had he remembered? In the light of day, when he could feel smug for catching a thief? Or at night in the dark, where they’d first encountered each other and kissed? Or did he think about her at any odd hour, as she often thought about him?

Stepping back, Mallory removed herself from his line of fire, her breast sliding from his grasp. Uncomfortable with the direction her thoughts were taking, she needed to figure out why she was getting contemplative. She needed to regroup.

Leaning into the spray, she shut off the water and considered how to refocus and regain control of this seduction. She didn’t want to be distracted by her conflicting feelings for him right now. She wanted to savor the sensations he coaxed from her body, wanted to carry out her sexy revenge and work this man out of her system once and for all.

But the thought had no sooner crossed her mind than he grabbed her, his big powerful arms lashing around her as he dragged her out of the shower before she had a chance to react.

Suddenly he swung her up into his arms, anchoring her against his chest, heedless of the water sluicing all over him.

“I’ll take you up on your offer.”

Mallory didn’t have a chance to respond before they were in motion. She slipped her arms around his neck to steady herself as he maneuvered her out of the bathroom.

The man knew exactly where he was heading. Without another word he strode across her suite, deposited her in a wet bundle in the middle of her bed. But he didn’t join her. He stood there, staring down at her with those serious eyes.

“Got condoms?” he asked.

Mallory rolled to the opposite side of the bed, not caring that her hair dripped all over the silk comforter. She pulled open the night table drawer to reveal the variety of condoms she’d stored there with the specific intention of inviting him to visit. Not that she’d admit that aloud. Let him think she needed to keep a bulk supply handy, which seemed particularly significant since he apparently didn’t have one on him.

“A buffet of protection.” She’d heard the line in a movie once and it seemed to satisfy him. He nodded and shrugged off his jacket with a casual roll of those broad shoulders.

Grabbing a few of the foil packets, she tossed them onto her pillows before scooting back down on the bed. His gaze never left her, and Mallory found herself feeling very naked, a physical sensation that made every inch of her bare skin tingle in the air, made each drip from her wet hair glide down her back in slow motion.

“Let me help.” She preferred participation to playing the spectator.

Some flicker in his gaze made her guess that her request pleased him. He took a step toward the bed, occupying himself with the buttons on his cuffs, while she tackled his tie.

She rose to her knees, and they were suddenly so close she could feel the heat radiating from his skin, even through his shirt. A hint of some sexy aftershave mingled with the scent that was all him—masculine, scrumptious male—an ambrosia that penetrated her senses and added to the experience of this man.

Even kneeling on the bed, the top of her head only reached his chin and she had to tip her head back to look into his face. He had a striking face, all strong planes and angles, a face saved from true ruggedness by the sculpted lines of his mouth and those soulful brown eyes.

His body, however, wasn’t spared the same fate. After his shirt and tie had been relegated to a heap on the floor, Mallory was treated to the sight of that chest in all its glory as he dragged the undershirt over his head, a breathtaking display of shifting muscle and masculine brawn.

There was nothing small about this man. Not his broad, broad shoulders. Not his powerful arms. Not even his hands, which were long and square-fingered and strong.

He was rugged in a way that was all grace, as if all his coarse edges had been buffed away. Or maybe it was simply that his golden skin and hair made him seem that way.

But something about the sight of his naked chest made her feel her own nakedness more keenly than ever. Perhaps it was anticipation that heightened her senses. She wanted to feel that hot tanned skin close, the crisp blond hairs brushing her nipples, that lean waist beneath her curious fingers.

Her hands trembled as she reached for his belt.

He assisted by unfastening his button and zipper and then he was shoving his slacks down. His hands tangled with hers as they maneuvered his erection from its soft cotton prison, both of them stunned into a speechlessness so silent it was reverent.

Ten years of waiting had been long enough to build the expectation to the breaking point. And she certainly felt close to the edge as he dragged his underwear and socks away, treating her to an up close and personal view of the whole package.

Wow. Her heart did this crazy sort of flip-flopping thing, missing a beat entirely. Jake Trinity was almost too gorgeous to be real and suddenly the impressive roster of women he’d dated made sense. Women would be attracted to this man. Just as she’d been. He was nearly too gorgeous, too masculine, too larger-than-life, but his calm, almost serious demeanor made him seem unaware of his looks and the effect they had on the opposite sex in a way that was just too appealing.

When he shed his glasses, his clothes and his professional persona, the real man emerged, a man who’d been blessed with a body that had been designed for sex. She paused with her hands hovering over his chest, his body heat spanning the distance to sink into her skin like a laser.

“May I?” she asked, although she didn’t expect him to deny her. But there was something polite, necessary even, about the formality of gaining his permission before she went on a research expedition of his body.

He inclined his head, a studied motion that suggested he’d been waiting ten years for her to ask.

She’d been waiting, too. For ten years she’d wondered who this man really was, who he was growing up to be, had been alternately fascinated and repelled by him, and by herself because she’d so badly wanted to know.

Now finally, finally…

Threading her fingertips through the dark-gold hairs on his chest, she explored the terrain of muscle beneath warm skin. She splayed her hands upward over hard pecs, along the expanse of broad shoulders, down sculpted, powerful arms. The simple act of touching was an unusually potent experience given the years behind the need, given the sheer beauty of the man she touched.

Silky hairs trickled to a V beneath his belly button, a golden arrow pointing downward to the breathtaking region below his waist…lean hips, muscular thighs, incredible erection.

He was so…solid. Not just his equipment, but the whole deal. He was a man who could protect a woman from the world with his powerful body.

If a woman wanted to be protected.

Mallory wasn’t the need-to-be-protected kind, but rather the live-for-the-moment, savor-his-gorgeous-body variety. She was a woman with a healthy sexual appetite and she hadn’t made time for a lover in quite a while.

Jake Trinity was a feast.

Her own breathing grew shallow, echoing in the quiet as she smoothed her hands down his waist, then ventured around to explore the feel of his muscular, perfectly shaped butt.

She almost wished he would say something to drown out the sounds of their excited breaths. But he only stood before her, legs braced apart, tolerantly allowing her to indulge her curiosity, which made her wonder what he would want in return for his patience.

Brushing her fingers down his thighs, she circled around to the front of him, lightly grazing the underside of his scrotum, then stroking the hard length of an erection that was no less impressive than the rest of him.

A huge shiver made him sway before her and his erection jumped in her hand, but he demonstrated an imposing willpower because he still didn’t say a word or try to touch her.

The moment stretched with promise, a breathless moment where anything might be possible, where thoughts of sex and surrender and satisfaction all jumbled together in an almost visceral way.

Her heartbeat fluttered wildly again at the thought of him wedging that hard body between her thighs, at this magnificent length pressing deep inside her, filling emptiness with heat.

Her nipples beaded and her sex grew creamy wet. She wanted to lean forward and press herself against all this hot male bounty, feel her curves mesh with his, feel that erection brand the moist skin between her thighs.

She wanted to look into his face, to see if he was similarly affected, but she resisted, unwilling to let him glimpse the raw need she wasn’t quite sure she successfully hid.

Sweeping the mass of wet hair behind her shoulder, she leaned forward to press an open-mouthed kiss to the pulse beating low in his throat instead.

The contact of her mouth against his skin was the fuse that detonated his restraint. All of a sudden he seemed to explode. His strong arms lashed around her like whipcords. He scooped her beneath him with a violence of motion that took her off guard.

By the time she realized what was happening, she was lying on her back with his knee across her thighs, his heavy leg anchoring her to the mattress.

He’d done it again—totally taken her by surprise with that scoop-her-up-when-she-least-expected-it thing. A function of their disparate sizes, she supposed. A unique sensation and one she found stimulating. There was something so unfamiliar, so tantalizing about his power to assume control.

He brushed his palm across her nipples, a slow, very sensual motion, as if he wanted to draw out the moment, to savor every second of the way they speared toward his touch.

Then Mallory got her wish. With her cheek pressed to his chest, she could hear the rumble start deep inside, a purring that nearly drowned out the steady thud of his heart. She couldn’t resist tipping her head back to look into his face, see if his expression mirrored that rumbling sound of contentment.

And the look on Jake Trinity’s face, the reckless hunger, the yearning, just might have gone a long way toward satisfying her need for vengeance—if she hadn’t been feeling a similar reckless hunger and yearning for him.

4

JAKE STILL didn’t have a clue about Mallory’s agenda but he’d reached his limit for her teasing. Denying her, and himself, wasn’t going to yield anything more than frustration. He’d play her game and fight fire with fire to see if he couldn’t shake loose the truth that way.

Orgasm. Her breathy whisper resonated in his memory. Had she meant it? He intended to find out.

Stretching out on her bed, Jake hauled her toward him, appreciating her size that gave him the advantage of maneuverability. He liked hearing her gasp in surprise as every inch of her slick wet skin unfolded against him. Her breasts pressed against his side. Her thighs parted around his hip, cradling him in lush warmth and acquainting him with her most private places.

She arched her hips, a movement so slight Jake thought he might have imagined it—until silky hairs abraded his skin. Until her moist folds separated to brand him with her heat.

Until she sighed aloud.

He chased that velvet sound with his thumb, traced her full bottom lip. Dazzling white teeth suddenly appeared between her kiss-swollen lips, and she caught his thumb soundly and nipped hard, a challenge flashing in her clear green eyes.

“So here we are, Jake Trinity. In bed. Naked.”

She exhaled the word, a sound that whispered through him alive with promise. So here they were. Skimming a hand along the curve of her shoulder, down the sweep of her arm, he tested the reality of her, explored her shape, her texture.

“Definitely naked.”

She fluttered a pale hand over his chest as though she meant to explore, too. He inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh scent of her damp hair, aware of her on so many levels that he experienced a strange sense of unreality to be lying in this woman’s bed, with her draped naked around him.

Ten years was a long time to fantasize about what lay hidden beneath a ski mask.

This woman had been worth every second of the wait.

She stretched out before him, a lush terrain of creamy skin and slim curves, her red mouth pursed for his kisses, her rosy nipples pouting for his touch.

The sunlight from the huge windows slanted across their bodies, reflected by the long framed mirror behind the bed, a trick of light that highlighted the swaying of Mallory’s sleek body, the way she rode his thigh with the slightest motion, warmed his skin with her heat.

Her hand continued a path over his stomach and Jake smiled at the way his muscles quavered at her light touches.

“Mmm, who do we have here?”

Her fingers zeroed right in on his erection, which jumped toward her hand, eager to make her acquaintance. A smile curved her lips and she brushed her palm along his shaft, a delicate touch that made his chest heave to release a trapped breath, a ragged sound that echoed in the sun-soaked quiet.

“Does he have a name?”

“No,” Jake ground out.

“But he deserves one, I think.” She circled a fingertip around the head and blood surged so hard that his erection visibly swelled beneath her attention.

“A big pretty boy like this deserves a good name. A really good name.”

Her voice was a husky sound in the quiet, a sound that filtered through his senses and mocked his every reaction. She swirled her fingertips down his length to brush his balls, eliciting another pendulous swing that made her smile widen.

“How about Goliath?”

Jake wouldn’t even dignify that with a response. Not that he could’ve managed a reply anyway with his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

Before he realized what she was about, Mallory sat up, one sinuous cat-like motion that sent her wet hair swinging forward to blanket her pale body as she arched above him, an inky black cocoon that sequestered her with his aching erection.

Sure enough…her hot velvet tongue dragged along his balls, ripping another groan past his constricted throat.

Jake had the vague thought that Mallory had assumed the control again in a big way, but he couldn’t reason well enough to figure out what he wanted to do about it. Nothing. At least for the moment. Her breath burst softly against that wet spot, and her hands were skimming between his thighs, examining every inch of him with a thoroughness that made him quake.

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