Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1) (14 page)

Once Chad was gone, Mandy turned on James. “What was that?”

James feigned innocence. “What do you mean?”

“You two were acting like dogs and I was your favorite chew toy.”

James let a lazy smile spread across his face. “You’re my chew toy,” he replied. “I don’t like to share.”

Mandy sighed. “Trust me; I don’t want anything to do with Chad Cooper. That doesn’t mean you can treat me like a possession.”

James frowned, his lips going pouty – an expression that managed to weaken Mandy’s resolve. “I’m sorry.” He tightened his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “I acted … .”

“Like an ass?”

“I was going to say rashly,” James countered. “But I’ll settle for ass if you stop being mad at me.”

Mandy shook her head, biting her lip to keep from smiling. She didn’t want to encourage his behavior. Her eyes fell on the bag he was carrying. “You bought something?”

James remembered the wind chimes. “I might have.”

“What did you buy?”

James handed her the bag. “Something for you.”

“Really?”

Mandy glanced at the bag, pulling the tissue paper to the side so she could see the gift. Her heart clogged in her throat when she saw a pink, stained-glass butterfly poking out. “James,” she breathed. “This is too much.”

James shifted under the weight of her gaze, especially when he saw the sudden tears swimming in her eyes. “It’s nothing,” he muttered. “I saw you looking at them. I just wanted you to have them.”

“They’re too expensive.”

James smiled. “Nothing is too expensive for my favorite chew toy,” he said, pressing his lips to her forehead.

Mandy relaxed, letting him pull her into his arms. “I don’t want to be the kind of woman that can be bought off with wind chimes,” she admitted.

James cupped the back of her head and pressed his lips to hers, pulling away after a few seconds. “Good,” he said. “I plan to buy you off with an elephant ear.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

James was still in bed, the covers pulled over his head, as he listened to Mandy rage from the hallway. “I don’t think I stuttered.”

They’d spent half a day in bed after the art fair the previous day. And, although Mondays were his least favorite day of the week, this one didn’t feel so bad. He pulled the covers off his face and met Mandy’s angry countenance head on. Maybe he thought too soon – this Monday might not be as great as he initially envisioned.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Mandy said, trying to get a handle on what James had just told her. “You can’t sit in court and watch me all day.”

“Don’t think of it as me watching you in court,” James countered. “Think about it as me checking out everyone else in the courthouse while you just happen to be there.”

“How is that different?”

James could barely move, his body tired from hours upon hours of sex. She looked so cute when she was angry. He might be able to muster the energy to … . One look at her face told him that wasn’t going to happen – at least not until later. He propped himself up on his elbow and regarded her seriously. “I just want to be able to watch the people in the courthouse.”

“I still don’t understand why,” Mandy protested, her hands on her hips, her naked breasts jiggling.

James dragged his eyes away from her chest reluctantly. “I might see something you don’t.”

“Because you’re a big, strong man?”

“Because it’s my job to notice things other people don’t,” James countered.

“Judge MacIntosh isn’t going to like this.”

“Then let me talk to him.”

Mandy huffed, muttering something underneath her breath that he couldn’t quite make out as she swung around and stormed into the bathroom. James relaxed back against the pillow, listening until he heard the water start and the shower curtain sliding across the rod. He was going to give her a few minutes to calm down, but the idea of her rubbing soap all over her naked body had him on his feet.

Despite her anger, she didn’t yell at him when she felt his arms tighten around her from behind. He was exasperating but, for some reason, she just couldn’t get enough of him.

An hour and a half later James bought Mandy breakfast at the stand in front of the courthouse. She still wasn’t talking to him, despite the fact that he’d pleaded his case – on his knees in the shower, and then again against the shower wall – and tried to butter her up during their car ride.

“So, you’re not going to talk to me all day?”

“Nope.”

James loved the obstinate tilt of her head and pronounced pout on her face. He was even starting to like all of her linen pants and matching tops, fantasies of ripping them off her later in the night dancing through his head. “Well, that’s good,” he said. “If you talk to me, people will think we’re a couple. I don’t want anyone to know who I am.”

Mandy rolled up the wrapper from her breakfast sandwich and then turned on her heel, stalking toward the courthouse. She dropped the wrapper in the trash receptacle and continued up the steps to the building. She didn’t have to turn around to know that James was following her. She was keenly aware of his presence.

She hurried through the security line, hoping she could make it to the sixth floor before James and warn Judge MacIntosh in regards to what he had in mind. James was right behind her when the elevator slid shut. Thankfully, there were two lawyers and two prosecutors in the elevator with them, because Mandy was worried she was going to explode at any moment.

She jumped when she felt James’ hand rub across her rear end, glancing around to make sure no one witnessed his transgression. His sly smile was almost too much for her, but she bit her tongue to keep quiet. They were at the back of the elevator, so he hadn’t run the risk of anyone seeing. She was still pissed off.

James followed Mandy to her office, waiting patiently as she unlocked the door. He sat down in one of the open chairs and glanced around her office. “This is nicer than I thought it would be.”

Mandy continued to ignore him.

James was better at the game than she was. “I’m thinking that desk is the perfect height for us to have some fun later. If you’re so inclined, I mean.”

Mandy shot him a death glare as she started sifting through the files on her desk. “I won’t be.”

“Never say never.”

Heidi poked her head in the door, stilling when she saw James. “Oh, um, are you busy?”

“Just ignore him,” Mandy said. “He’s not there.”

Heidi glanced at James doubtfully. “He looks like he’s there to me.”

“Well, you’re imagining things,” Mandy said, finally fixing her attention on Heidi. “So, what’s up?”

Heidi shrugged. She couldn’t figure out what was going on with her friend and the hot guy sitting in the chair, but she had other things on her mind. “I’m going to ask Chad out.”

Mandy shuffled uncomfortably. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You don’t think he’s attracted to me?” Heidi looked worried.

“I think he’s an ass,” Mandy countered. “I think you deserve a lot better.”

“Are we talking about Chad Cooper?” James asked.

Heidi turned to him excitedly. “Yeah, do you know him? Do you think I have a shot?”

“I think Mandy is right,” James said. “That guy is an ass.”

“How come I’m suddenly right now?” Mandy muttered.

“Did you say something, dear?” James asked.

He was enjoying himself, Mandy realized. He liked making her angry. “No.”

“Good, focus on your work and let me talk to your friend.”

Mandy’s mouth dropped open when he winked at her. James patted the seat next to him and Heidi obediently sat down. “Now, I don’t know a lot about you,” James said. “I do know that Mandy likes you, though, and that’s good enough for me.”

Heidi smiled widely.

“Chad Cooper is a total dick,” James continued. “You deserve better.”

“Who is a total dick?” Judge MacIntosh poked his head in the doorway.

“Chad Cooper,” Heidi replied.

James got to his feet, extending his hand. “Good to see you again, sir.”

“Mr. Hardy,” Judge MacIntosh shook James’ hand warmly. “Twice in two days. This is becoming a habit.”

“Tell him to go,” Mandy said darkly.

The judge looked surprised at the vehemence in her voice. “Why do you want him to go? Did he do something to you?”

Mandy opened her mouth, a lie on the tip of her tongue. One look at James’ serious face, and she snapped her trap shut. “He’s just bugging me.”

“Why are you bugging her?” Judge MacIntosh turned to James questioningly.

James wasn’t deterred by the judge’s serious expression. “I want to sit in court all day today,” James replied. “She’s not happy with it.”

“Why do you want to sit in court?” The judge asked. “To watch her? Does this have something to do with what happened the other night? She said it was nothing.”

James arched an eyebrow in Mandy’s direction, which she promptly ignored as she studiously flipped through her files. “It’s definitely something,” he said. “This isn’t the first time someone made an attempt on her life.”

Judge MacIntosh didn’t even try to hide his surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Someone tried to attack her in the parking lot last week,” James said, ignoring the dark vibes rolling off Mandy’s shoulders. “This was aside from the attempt a few days ago. Someone broke into her apartment, too.”

The judge was flabbergasted. He moved to Mandy’s side. “Why didn’t you tell me about any of this? I would’ve helped.”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” she admitted.

“If someone threatens your safety, young lady, it is a big deal,” Judge MacIntosh said, tugging his suit jacket down as he straightened and turned back to James. “What do you hope to uncover by sitting in court all day?”

James shrugged. “Maybe nothing,” he said. “I just want to see how people interact with her. She might not notice if someone is showing her attention that they shouldn’t be. I don’t want to be overt. I just want to sit in the courtroom. I won’t be a problem. I promise.”

The judge nodded. “I have no problem with it,” he said. “I’m glad someone is looking out for her, especially if she won’t look out for herself.”

The judge left a few minutes later, leaving Mandy, James, and Heidi in the office.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this was going on,” Heidi said, pushing her lower lip out. “We’re supposed to be friends.”

Mandy shot an angry look in James’ direction. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“No, that’s not it,” Heidi shook her head. “You didn’t trust me.”

James felt guilty. He knew why Mandy hadn’t told Heidi what was going on. She was a private person and, as funny as Heidi was, she had a really big mouth. He barely knew her, but he could ascertain that all on his own.

“We need this to remain between us,” James cautioned. “If someone finds out why I’m here, it will mess everything up.”

Heidi stood, nodding as she did. “This is like an undercover operation, right?”

“Right.”

“You can trust me.”

“Good,” James said. “Because there’s nothing more I want in this world than to make sure she’s safe.”

Heidi smiled, patting James on the head as she moved past him. “I’m glad you ended her dry spell,” she said. “I was starting to get worried.”

James smirked. “Her dry spell?”

“It was tragic,” Heidi said. “If I looked like her, I would be sleeping with every guy that asked me out. She refused, though.”

James fixed his eyes on Mandy. “You refused?”

“I think she was waiting for you,” Heidi said. “Maybe she was always waiting for you.” Heidi shook off her serious thought and walked into the hallway. “I’ll be quiet.”

Once she was gone, it was just the three of them: James, Mandy, and her anger. James got to his feet, shutting the door so the outside world couldn’t intrude, and then sat on the edge of Mandy’s desk.

Mandy refused to meet his gaze.

He reached over, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “Is that true?”

Mandy tried to hide the shiver coursing through her. “Is what true?”

James leaned down so his lips were dangerously close to her ear. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Heidi is prone to hyperbole,” Mandy replied. “She watches a lot of soap operas.”

James smiled. “If it’s any consolation, I think I was waiting for you, too.”

Mandy froze as his lips brushed her ear. Suddenly, his earlier suggestion regarding her desk didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Mandy lifted her blue eyes until they were level with his brown. “I’m still mad at you.”

James cupped the back of her head and pulled her forward until her lips were on his. He kissed her gently, pulling away a few seconds later. “I can live with that. I just need you to live with that and understand why I’m doing this.”

Mandy blew out a sigh. “I understand.”

James kissed her again. “Good.”

He got to his feet and moved away from the desk, adjusting the uncomfortable erection in his pants as he did. He opened the door again and sat back in his chair.

Mandy’s gaze was still fixed on him.

“Do your work,” he prodded. “We’re not staying here one second more than we have to tonight. I have other plans for you.”

Mandy couldn’t hide the foolish grin from her face as she turned back to her files.
How had he turned her life upside down so quickly?