Accounting for Lust (20 page)

“What bug? A listening devise or a virus? Sounds awfully much like they want to infect him with some form of
contagious disease
.”

Lea’s laughter rang through the room and for a moment Cassie thought Jake
had
entered unseen. Since she found out they were siblings, she stood amazed at the similarities between the two. They both had an arrogance born from competence, tempered only by their compassion for others. Cassie’s heart ached with longing for Jake’s company. She vowed she would never depend on another human being again and now . . . now she needed Jake like she needed to breathe.

“Earth to Cassie.” Joshua waved a hand in front of her face.

“Huh?”

Joshua fixed a hard stare on her. “When was the last time you had a decent night’s sleep? You look worn out.”

Cassie feigned indignation. “I beg your pardon. Are you telling me I look like a rag? Don’t you know you never tell a woman she doesn’t look good?”

“Nice try, but you need to rest. You will be no help to anyone if you fall apart on your feet.”

“I’m fine. As soon as this ordeal is over, I will take a week off. I promise.”

Joshua regarded her in silence for a while. She knew he didn’t believe a word she said.
Except for that one week in Mauritius, Cassie hadn’t taken a holiday since she started working. She never felt the need to
let herself go
and the one time she did, the object of her wild night walked into her life mere months later.

“I’ll make you keep your promise.”

She nodded and changed the subject to the pending meeting. They discussed a few points to raise until it was time to re-enter the conference centre. The rest of the afternoon sped by and it was after eight when Cassie and Lea closed the door of her apartment behind them.

Lea’s presence didn’t feel like an intrusion on her privacy. She’d expected a repeat of the previous night, but found she liked the way Lea combined her upbeat banter with doing her job. They’d just finished preparing a chicken salad when a knock sounded at the door.

Before Cassie could react, Lea had her weapon drawn and took position next to the lock. She waved at Cassie to attend to the door. Jake quietly identified himself and Cassie opened the door a crack. She would have opened it fully if it wasn’t for Lea’s foot blocking the way. Only when Lea satisfied herself that it was indeed Jake, did she remove her foot and let Jake inside.

“Hey, I thought you needed to keep a low profile
.
”
She nodded in Cassie’s direction.

He
sent Lea a withering look and
earned himself a grin
. She holstered her weapon and
slumped against
the sofa, the salad temporarily forgotten.
“So big brother,
you
had to see her
. I presume you don’t need my services for the night?”

He ignored his sister and gathered Cassie to him in a bear hug. The all male smell of him assaulted her senses, stirring erotic memories and tightening her nipples. When he lifted her chin with his finger and captured her lips in a
gentle
kiss, she didn’t protest. Emotion and sensation warred through her body and
need
pooled between her legs.
Feeling bereft when he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, Cassie
hugged
his waist
and rested her head against his chest
.

“How you’re doing, sweetheart?”

The rumble of his voice resonated through her body and she swallowed at the sudden lump forming in her throat. It felt like coming home. She would miss him terribly when this was over. She loved him.

Clearing her throat, she attempted a reply and hugged him fiercely
.
“I’m good. Did you manage to find out more about our man?”

Cassie walked to the kitchen to disguise the pain lancing through her at the thought of never seeing him again. Her reaction to his presence emphasized how dependent she’d become of him. And she hated depending on anyone.

Jake followed close behind and his presence tingled through her veins, ticking her senses into overdrive and making it very difficult not to push him against the cabinets and tear his clothes off. She concentrated on taking plates from the cupboard and pulled three wine glasses from the shelf
, holding them up in a silent question
.

Both Jake and Lea declined the offer with a shake of their heads. The similarity between the two hit her again. She didn’t know how she could have missed it at first.
Cassie retrieved the salad from the fridge and carried it to the table. Jake quickly set the table while Lea poured some fruit juice into tall glasses. The silence between them stretched until all sat staring at the food on their plates. Cassie cleared her throat from the lump clogging her airway. The scene was just too domesticated to be comfortable to any of them.

"So, you haven't answered my question yet. What did you manage to find out about Marvin? That is his name?"

Jake nodded. "Yes, we do believe that Marvin is the one terrorizing you and robbing the company. He l
eads
a double life with the one being in a trailer park and the other in a mansion registered to a trust. He came to the office today to request Matt to find his father."

Cassie frowned. "Why would he come to your office when he knows you are the ones protecting me?"

"Remember he thinks we left your employment. From what he saw on his cameras, we are no longer in your service."

"Right. But what does his father have to do with anything?"

Jake swallowed a mouthful of salad before answering. "We don't know. Yet.
According to Matt he never knew his father and needed to find his identity. His mother told him a wealthy man was his father, but he wanted us to make sure. It might have something to do with the reason he is pissed at you, but it might also be unrelated. We're still investigating." Jake turned to Lea. "How did your day go?"

Lea shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing exciting. Cassie had a too friendly visitor, but I think he got the message to keep his hands off. He's too old for her in any case."

Cassie choked on her juice. "Joshua is married." Her indignation must have shone through because her companions burst out laughing. "You're riling me," she accused.

Lea nodded. "Yep. It's getting way too serious." She pointed a fork at Jake. "He gives you indigestion if you let him carry on about his work." She ducked when Jake playfully took a swing at her.

The rest of the meal passed in companionable spirit and Cassie looked at her plate in surprise. She didn't realise she finished off
everything on her
plate.
S
he enjoyed the easy banter between the siblings.
And how Jake managed to heat her blood by just breathing in her vicinity. She would like nothing better than to climb onto his lap and grind her throbbing pussy against him. Her breath hitched at the image and she quickly abandoned the train of thought, praying her body received the message to quit reacting to fantasy.

She concentrated on the conversation.
Her
own
brother was never one for idle conversation. Maybe the need to keep his affinity for decorating rooms and his love of style hidden from her parents turned him into the silent, brooding type.
At least he enjoyed the freedom being
away
from home and doing what he loved. People clamoured to have their homes and offices decorated by him and he had a waiting list a mile long.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Jake’s voice intruded on her thoughts and she stared blankly at him before heat sufficed her face.

“Sorry, I was thinking of my brother.” She didn’t explain further and rose from the table. “I think it’s time I turned in. Tomorrow’s going to be another long one.”

Both Lea and Jake helped doing the dishes before Lea retired to the room Jake occupied before. Cassie
handed him a couple of blankets
. “The sofa’s quite comfortable.”
The clicking of the
bedroom
door echoed through the silence in the apartment.

Cassie
perched
on the bed. She slipped her jacket from her shoulders and kicked off her shoes. Her ears strained for sounds from the adjoining lounge, but only silence greeted her. Sighing, she rose from the bed and walked towards the b
athroom
. This
was
going to be harder than she anticipated. Jake being so close put her body into overdrive with images of what could have happened were they alone. Now, with Lea in the apartment and Jake probably leaving sometime during the night, she had the feeling of being close
,
but much too far apart.

Absentmindedly she plug
ged the drain
and turned on the taps. Steam filled the bathroom and she walked to the bedroom to retrieve her nightgown, only to walk smack into Jake. He silenced her hiss of fright with his lips
before closing the taps
.
Their gazes met
.
Electricity crackled through the air.

Jake’s eyes darkened as he stepped closer. Heat from his body scorched her senses.
Their eyes remained locked.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
His hoarse words
scraped over her twitching nerve-endings.

“No we shouldn’t.”

Endless seconds passed, still he stared at her. A flame ignited in his eyes. Cassie stood motionless as lifted his hand and
circled
her nape
with his palm
. His thumb stroked the pulse beating at the base of her neck. Her breath hitched.

As if he waited for a sign, Jake
pulled her
against him. He tilted her head up and brushed her lips with his.
Firm and soft at the same time. She wanted more. She needed more. But Jake only nibbled at her lips.

He slid his palms
over
her shoulders and along her arms, raising
the
delicate hairs beneath her blouse and tightening her nipples to impossible tension. His thumbs brushed the sides of her breasts and Cassie inhaled sharply, allowing the sensation to wash over her. Jake teased her lips with his tongue and she opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the kiss. He didn’t comply
.

“Easy, we have all night,” he whispered against her mouth before he captured her lips in a tender kiss again. The muscles of his shoulders rippled beneath her fingers as she clung to him to support her weakened knees.

Jake fumbled with the buttons on her blouse and Cassie lifted her hands to help. His almost
imperceptible
shake of his head arrested her fingers mid-air and she dropped her hands to her sides. His mouth left hers and she moaned at the deprivation before his lips found the sensitive spot under her ear where her pulse beat wildly.
S
he craned her ne
c
k to allow him access and
anticipation
rippled through her as he took the lobe of her ear into his mouth
to gently
suckle.

The first button sprang loose and a whiff of air caressed her skin where his fingers warmed it before.
He moved his mouth to the hollow at the base of her neck, flicking his tongue in and out of the cavity and mimicking the throb
bing
  between her legs. The next button on her blouse
opened
and his tongue moved lower, finding the
newly
exposed
skin
.
Need turned h
er b
lood into molten lava
and she slid her hand over the hard ridge of his erection.

When she fumbled with the buckle of his belt, he removed her hands and placed them on his shoulders. His fingers returned to their task of unbuttoning her blouse, brushing against the top of her bra
that strained
to contain her heavy breasts.
He traced the outline of the lacy garment from the sides of her breasts to the deep valley between them. Moving his hands upwards
,
he slipped the blouse over her shoulders, exposing her to his gaze.

“My God, you are beautiful.” His whisper took the strength out of her legs and she sagged aga
inst him. He held her
from him, his eyes dark pools of lust. “No, I need to see you.”

His hands caressed the top of her shoulders, the sensitive flesh of her upper
-
arms, sliding over the gentle curve of her waist before he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her skirt, following the band to where he slowly
opened
the zipper. The skirt joined the blouse on the floor and she stood before him wearing only a bra and lace panties.

Cassie closed her eyes as his gaze ignit
ed
fires as though he’d touched her. He lifted her chin with his forefinger
before he captured her mouth in a ravishing kiss, plundering her mouth, demanding and delivering simultaneously. His control slipped an inch and Jake picked her up and
laid
her on the bed.