Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1) (8 page)

Grady and Finn sucked in worried breaths as they waited for Mandy’s response. Mandy was too angry to focus on them, or form words. It seemed one thing was certain: James Hardy still regarded her as a child. Some things never changed.

“I heard what happened to you last night.” Heidi greeted Mandy mere seconds after her butt hit her desk chair.

Mandy sighed. She knew that everyone would’ve heard about her adventure the previous night, she just didn’t expect to be ambushed so early. She was still busy fuming about James Hardy treating her like a child. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“I heard your hot new friend was there,” Heidi said, her eyes sparkling. “Someone said he tackled you and saved you. That’s so romantic.”

“Hitting the pavement with a hundred and eighty pounds of stupid on top of you is not romantic,” Mandy grumbled.

Heidi fixed a knowing look on her friend. “Oh, it’s hot. Come on.”

Okay, it was hot.
It was the morning-after condescension that left something to be desired. “It was nothing. The cops think it was just an accident.”

“What does James think?”

“James thinks he’s somehow smarter than everyone in the free world.”

Heidi held up her hands in mock surrender. “I’m taking your overt hostility as a hint that James did not end your dry spell.”

Mandy’s gaze was dark when it landed on Heidi. She bit her tongue to keep something ugly from escaping her mouth.
It wasn’t Heidi’s fault that James was an idiot.

Heidi pretended she didn’t notice the look. “He’s not gay is he? Because that would be a real waste. Someone that hot should not be gay.”

“He’s not gay,” Mandy replied, focusing her attention on organizing the files on her desk. “He’s just a friend. I don’t think of him that way.”

Heidi didn’t look convinced. “How can you not think of him that way? If he was around me, the only thing I would be worried about is making sure I had a jumbo pack of condoms hidden in my nightstand.”

Mandy tuned Heidi out. She just couldn’t think about James Hardy another minute without going insane. He’d always had this effect on her – it was even worse now that she could do something about it.

By the end of the day, Mandy was fully convinced she gone round the bend and crossed into Crazy Town without even realizing the destination was within walking distance. The entire day had been an exercise in concentration. When her mind wandered (which was often), it almost always landed on the memory of a shirtless James on her couch.

Once the courtroom was clear, Judge MacIntosh stopped by her small desk and laid a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I heard what happened last night,” he said. “You really didn’t need to come into work today. That’s going above and beyond.”

Mandy cringed. He’d obviously noticed how distracted she was.
If he wanted to believe it was because of the car incident, who was she to stop him?
“Sorry. I just didn’t sleep very well last night. I know I was off my game today.”

“I think I was the only one who noticed,” Judge MacIntosh said, patting her shoulder. “You’ll feel better tomorrow. I’m sure.”

“Definitely.”

After packing up for the day, Mandy locked her office and headed down to the lobby. The only thing she could think about was crawling back into bed and pretending this whole day hadn’t happened.

“Hey, Mandy.” Clint was waiting for her when the elevator doors slid open on the main floor.

Mandy took an involuntary step back. She believed everything she’d said regarding Clint this morning. She really did. James’ words were clouding her brain. She collected herself quickly. “Hey, Clint.”

“I heard what happened to you in the parking lot last night. That’s terrible.”

“It was a little scary,” Mandy admitted, sliding around Clint so she could make her way to the front of the building. She didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now.

“I should have walked you out to your car.” Clint was following her.
Great.

“I don’t think that would’ve made much of a difference,” Mandy replied, slowing her pace so she wouldn’t appear rude.

“I doubt someone would’ve tried to run you down with me outside,” Clint replied, puffing his chest out.

Mandy didn’t feel like arguing. She’d reached her limit when it came to pointing out the stupidity of men for the day. “You’re probably right.”

“Do you want me to walk you out to your car? You know, just to make sure?”

Mandy considered his offer, almost immediately brushing it off. “It’s still light out and there are a lot of people going to their cars. I think I’ll be safe.”

“You’ll definitely be safe.” A new voice interrupted their conversation.

Mandy felt James move in beside her even though she hadn’t physically laid eyes on him yet. He had a certain “presence.” If someone could separate it from him bodily and bottle it they would make a fortune. She lifted her eyes to his. “What are you doing here?”

“Making sure you get home safe.”

“I think I can handle that myself.”

James ignored her. He had no idea why she was being so petulant but, for some reason, it was turning him on. Of course, to be fair, everything she did was turning him on these days so he shouldn’t have been surprised. Instead of focusing on her, though, he kept his eyes trained on Clint. “You’re name is Clint, right?”

Clint was surprised James remembered him. “That’s right. I’m one of the security guards here.”

James couldn’t figure out why Clint seemed proud of that distinction. “You didn’t see anything out of the ordinary last night, did you?”

Clint shook his head. “The building was quiet. I didn’t even know anything had happened until I saw all the police lights outside.”

James cocked his head to the side. “I don’t remember seeing you out there.”

“I didn’t go out there.”

James found that suspicious. A normal person would want to investigate when five cop cars, lights flashing, flooded a municipal parking lot after dark. “Why wouldn’t you want to check it out?”

Clint shrugged. “I didn’t think it was any of my business.”

“What if someone was hurt?”

“The cops would be better equipped to handle that than me, wouldn’t they?”

James narrowed his eyes. There was something “off” about this guy – and it wasn’t just the way he followed Mandy around like a lost puppy. “Where were you right before the cops showed up?”

Mandy knew what James was getting at – and she didn’t like it. “James,” she warned.

“I was walking the building,” Clint replied.

“And you never check the outside of the building?”

Clint finally grasped what James was saying. “Are you accusing me of trying to run Mandy down? Why would I do that?”

“I’m just trying to get a feel for what happened last night,” James said. “You were here, so I’d like to know what you were doing.”

“Well, what were you doing?” Clint shot back.

“I was rushing in front of a car to push her out of the way,” James countered. “I can account for my whereabouts. You, on the other hand, seem to be trying to avoid the question.”

Clint’s face was suddenly red. “I was inside.”

“Doing what?”

“If you must know, I was watching the Pistons game on the television in the security office,” Clint hissed.

Mandy let out a breath when she realized that Clint wasn’t hiding nefarious actions. He was just lazy. She could live with lazy. “Are you happy?” Mandy asked James.

“Not yet,” James replied. “Who were the Pistons playing?”

“The Cavaliers.”

“Who won?”

“The Cavaliers.”

“What was the score?”

“I don’t remember.”

Mandy was done. She grabbed James by the arm and started dragging him toward the front door. “Will you leave him alone?”

“I wasn’t done questioning him,” James argued, but he let Mandy pull him away from Clint. He liked the feeling of her hand on his arm – even if she was pissed off at him. Actually, he liked that even more.
Man, I’m sick. She’s made me sick.

“You’re done,” Mandy countered. “Was he wrong about the Pistons?”

“I have no idea,” James said. “I don’t follow the Pistons. They suck.”

Mandy rolled her eyes, but continued to tug on James to make sure he didn’t turn around and start hounding Clint again. “You’re unbelievable.”

Once they were outside, Mandy let go of James’ arm reluctantly. She was mad at him. She didn’t care how good his body felt next to hers. She was mad.
She was still mad, right?
Mandy took a deep breath to calm herself. “Thank you for checking up on me, but it’s really not necessary. I’m going to drive straight home and I’ll be safe there for the rest of the night.”

“I’m driving you home.”

“I can drive myself.”

“I’m sure you can,” James said. “That doesn’t mean you’re doing it.”

“And I suppose you think you can stop me?” Mandy challenged him, her blue eyes flashing.

James placed his hands on his hips and planted his feet on the sidewalk.
She was adorable when she was angry.
“I suppose you think you can stop me from stopping you.”

“I’m an adult.”

“I noticed,” James deadpanned. He realized that was the problem.

“Which means I can drive myself home,” Mandy said. “And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

James watched her stalk down the sidewalk, enjoying the haughty sway to her hips as she moved. He let her get about twenty feet away from him before he pulled out his trump card. “You don’t have a car here.”

Mandy froze. “What do you mean? My car was here last night. You drove me home. That means my car should still be here.”

“I had Grady move it to your apartment this afternoon,” James replied, enjoying the game they were presently mired in.

Mandy swung around, her face angry. “How did Grady get a key to my car?”

James shrugged. “We have our ways.”

“Well, fine,” she sputtered. “I guess I’ll call a cab.”

“Or you could just shut up and let me drive you home.”

Mandy pulled her phone out of her purse stubbornly. “I’ll call a cab.”

James started moving toward her. “I’m taking you home.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

James swallowed hard as he got closer to her. He knew exactly where he wanted to be the boss of her, and that urge was getting harder and harder to fight. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

“That still doesn’t mean you’re the boss of me.”

James pursed his lips and decided on a different tactic. “May I please drive you home?”

Mandy screwed her face up into what she hoped was a hateful scowl. James found the expression enticing – even though he had no intention of telling her that. “Fine.”

“Good.”

The fifteen-minute ride to her apartment was completed in silence. Once she was in his Explorer, as hard as she tried to keep her anger pushed to the forefront, she couldn’t help but feel it dwindling as the ride progressed.

James parked in front of her building and waited. He had planned on spending another night on her couch – just to make sure she was safe – but he was honestly unsure if that was a good idea. There was no way that flimsy bedroom door would be able to keep him out tonight.

“Thanks for the ride,” Mandy said, opening the passenger door and jumping down to the pavement. She didn’t wait for him to answer. Instead, she slammed the door shut and moved toward the building without a backwards glance.

James watched her go for a second.
Once she was safely inside of the building, she would be fine.
She would be totally fine.
He didn’t even realize he was following her until he’d already killed the engine and pocketed his keys.

Mandy jumped when she saw him standing next to her in front of the door. “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking out the apartment.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re in danger.” James said the words, but he didn’t believe them in the slightest. He was going into that apartment, but it wasn’t to make sure she was safe. He couldn’t think of anything else. He was too far gone.

Mandy opened the door and pushed it open.
Fine.
If he wanted to search the apartment and then go, she would just have to live with it. His overbearing pride obviously couldn’t handle the thought that he wasn’t right every single minute of every single day. “Men,” she grumbled under her breath.

James bodily pushed Mandy into the apartment ahead of him, slamming the door shut behind him once they were inside.

Mandy turned in surprise. “What the hell?”

She didn’t know what she expected to find when she met his gaze, but his dark eyes had turned almost black and it wasn’t anger that was fueling him right now. It was something else.

“What are you doing?” Mandy asked, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

James moved toward her, backing her into the closet door next to the bathroom. He pressed his body against hers, making sure there was nothing but clothes separating the two of them – and those would be gone soon, he had no doubt.