Job Hunt (35 page)

Jack wasn’t wearing a suit. He had traded black denim for equally figure-hugging black leather and had changed into a fitted deep green shirt with gently twinkling cut stones for buttons. He’d left the top buttons undone, and the strip of leather showed against the hollow of his throat. Confidence and determination infused his every movement and for once, Jack Horwood actually looked his age.

He owned the boardroom from the moment he walked in, tablet in hand. He took a few heartbeats to take in the tableau—Julian at the head of the table, Gareth, Aidan, and Alex next to one another at the foot, the wide expanse of polished cherrywood between them and the nonexecutive directors—before his gaze flashed to Gareth, and he gave the tiniest of nods.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Jack Horwood. I’m an IT security specialist.” Jack Horwood was a lot more than that, and his stance and his cocky smirk both said so. “Nancarrow Mining hired me to ensure our confidential information stays that way. In view of recent events”—he nodded toward the empty chair—“I would like to inform you that your private lives are now no longer private.”

Shocked stares met total silence until Aidan Conrad huffed a laugh. “Why don’t you tell it like it is, kid?” he asked. “Straight up.”

Jack did just that. He outlined the betrayal and the investigation. He described how he had traced the leaked data and how the information had been hidden. He explained how they had found that Tim Gorish had been the source of the leak. And he showed, in vibrant color, how tracing the leaked data had led them directly to Donovan Nancarrow.

Jack’s words and demeanor struck just the right balance between professional dedication and quiet menace. Gareth watched Jack brace himself, shoulders square and legs slightly spread, as he explained how they would now examine bank balances and transaction details to determine if anyone else had accepted payments from Donovan Nancarrow in exchange for confidential information until Cecily Nancarrow was white as a sheet and tried to hide her trembling hands under the boardroom table. She certainly wasn’t cut out for intrigue.

“Surely that’s illegal?”

The querulous tone and high pitch of her voice grated on Gareth’s nerves. Anything the woman did or said grated on his nerves. She tittered. She demanded favors. She expected to be treated with kid gloves just because of her family name. If she’d had a brain to go with the attitude, Gareth could have borne it better.

The question didn’t affect Jack in any way. He didn’t even shrug. “So is theft, Ms. Nancarrow. And fraud,” he said. “Tim Gorish’s action could have wrecked Nancarrow Mining. Imagine how many people would be out of a job had he succeeded.” Jack focused all of his attention on Cecily Nancarrow, and Gareth knew how devastating Jack could be when he focused.

“I don’t condone theft, Ms. Nancarrow, and I’ve been trained to fight fire with fire. Yes, I will break the law to do my job if it is necessary. But I am perfectly prepared to suffer the consequences.”

The unspoken
Are you?
hung in the boardroom. Gareth kept an eye on Graham Halston. The man would make a decent poker player. He’d taken all Jack’s detailed explanations in stride, but Jack’s threat to examine bank accounts had rattled him. So much so that he now seemed to contemplate a quick dash out the door.

He would be given exactly one more chance to remain on the board of Nancarrow Mining—Julian was a great believer in second chances—but Gareth had a close eye on the man now. As did Jack, who stood like an avenging angel before the wayward members of Julian’s board.

“Stop drooling.” A fist clipped Gareth around the back of his head, and he grinned up at Aidan, unrepentant. The army had taught him to take his pleasures where and when he found them. If that was in the middle of an emergency board meeting, so be it. And if Aidan had an issue with that he could just—

“In case you were wondering, Ms. Nancarrow,” Aidan drawled with an enticing edge of threat to his voice. “Once we had evidence of fraud, we obtained a warrant to cover our investigation. We are—legally, you understand—examining everyone’s accounts.”

Gareth watched more color leave the woman’s face at Aidan’s announcement and hoped that she had her fill of family intrigue. She was irritating enough to deal with on a good day. If Julian hadn’t explained months ago that she was the best of a bad lot, Gareth wouldn’t have understood why the man put up with her antics.

Jack’s presentation prompted only a handful of questions from members of the board who genuinely supported the way Julian ran the company. Jack dealt easily with each, and Julian closed the meeting with a quiet word of thanks.

In the shuffle of everyone leaving, Jack Horwood stayed behind. He leaned against the wall beside the door, cataloguing and observing. Gareth wondered what he saw to intrigue him and made a mental note to ask. Not right now. Not even today, since the hardest part of Jack’s day was still in front of him.

“We’re off home now to get Jack ready,” he said so quietly that only Aidan and Alex could hear. “If you need anything, talk to Frazer, okay?”

Alex gave him a sympathetic smile, Aidan told him to stop fussing, and Jack, who couldn’t have heard any of that exchange, surprised him. Again. He stayed motionless beside the door while board member after board member filed out of the room. Once Cecily had sidled past him, eyeing him as if Jack was a predator that might pounce if she took her eyes off him, he straightened and pushed away from the wall. A few long strides took him across the conference room to Aidan Conrad’s side. His gaze slid from Gareth to the bulky lawyer and the petite woman beside him.

“Next time, just fucking ask,” he demanded gruffly, before he spun on his heel and walked out.

C
HAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
P
LANS
AND
P
REPARATIONS

“I
HAD
no idea you kept leather trousers at work.” Gareth lay stretched out on Jack’s bed, watching him select his gear for the fetish night. Jack’s turning up to the board meeting in figure-hugging leather had been the kind of surprise Gareth appreciated.

“I keep a lot of stuff at work you don’t know about.”

The little shit bent over an open drawer as he said that, showing off that leather-clad ass just because he could. And while that was a truly beautiful sight, Gareth swallowed the next comment that made it to the tip of his tongue. Jack’s mood was edgy verging on brittle and had been so ever since he’d stalked out of the boardroom.

“Wanna tell me what’s got you rattled?”

“No.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Jack rested his hands on his hips and glared. “I hate when people dig around in my past,” he snapped. “There. Now tell me I’m a hypocrite.”

“I won’t tell you anything of the sort.” Gareth sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “In case it matters to you, I found out after the fact,” he said. “But the way Aidan tells it, Alex just digs enough so she’s able to help when you need it.” He watched Jack’s shoulders relax a tiny fraction and pushed his advantage. “I understand if you have trouble believing that. After working where you did, I would too. But I’ve watched Alex for over a year now, and she looks out for people.”

The minute shift in Jack’s expression showed he disagreed. He didn’t argue, though. He crossed the room, pushed Gareth back onto the bed and joined him on the covers. Gareth was okay with that. He wrapped Jack up in a hug and willed him to relax.

Relaxation wasn’t on Jack’s mind. He had his eyes closed, but he played with the buttons on Gareth’s shirt until he’d undone every single one of them. His fingertips rubbed tiny circles over Gareth’s chest and around the small golden hoop in Gareth’s nipple before sliding down to his abs to trace the dips and grooves.

Jack’s body lay tense against Gareth’s, and as time passed, he grew more and more restless. His lips skimmed Gareth’s neck, his teeth scraped Gareth’s collarbones, and finally Jack slid lower on the bed until his cheek rested on Gareth’s hip. His fingers traced the edge of skin along the top of Gareth’s trousers, and Gareth relaxed into the touch, let his breathing grow ragged, and enjoyed the attention.

“Something you need there, brat?” he inquired when Jack shifted and slowly rubbed his cheek against Gareth’s cloth-covered erection like a contented, overgrown cat.

“Gods, yes!” Jack didn’t open his eyes, but the plea was so heartfelt that Gareth’s body surged in response. He slid his fingers into Jack’s dark hair and tugged.

“Get up here, then.”

Jack was pressed up alongside Gareth in an instant. When Gareth leaned to meld their lips together, the kiss grew heated and hungry immediately. Desperation wasn’t a good look on Jack, so Gareth curbed his inclination to tease and draw things out. “Tell me what you need,” he demanded.

“You. Fucking me through the mattress. Now.”

“Happy to oblige, hot stuff.”

“I’m more than hot.” Jack ground the evidence of his arousal against Gareth’s hip. His breath was coming fast and uneven.

“Then strip. Now.”

Jack almost fell off the bed in his haste to scramble out of his clothes. Gareth had seldom seen anything so sexy, and it got better when Jack draped himself across the deep green quilt and watched Gareth shed his shirt and trousers with a look made from naked want.

Gareth leaned down for another kiss, and the sultry purr coming from Jack’s throat poured fire into his blood. He snatched the lube from under the pillow and slid backward off the bed, pulling Jack with him and arranging him at the edge of the mattress. His hands caressed Jack’s hips and legs, thumbs digging into the soft, sensitive skin of Jack’s inner thighs. The marks he’d left a week ago had faded.

“They were a good reminder,” Jack said suddenly as if he knew where Gareth’s thoughts had taken him. His eyes were wide and dark, but his gaze was clear. This wasn’t something said in the heat of passion.

Gareth nuzzled the soft skin until he heard Jack’s breath hitch. “Maybe you need reminding some more,” he suggested and used lips and teeth to suck bruises into Jack’s skin while slipping lubed fingers inside.

Jack’s breathing stutter-stepped, grew ragged and out of control, yet he remained silent. Jack had his lower lip between his teeth, stopping every sound. It looked six shades of hot, but it was far from what Gareth wanted.

He pulled his fingers free and made quick work of the condom and lube. Then he hooked Jack’s calves over his shoulders and braced his hands on either side of Jack’s head.

“Look at me,” Gareth demanded. He held himself totally still until Jack’s lids fluttered, and his lashes rose. The green eyes were black now and blazing with heat.

“No hiding,” Gareth ordered. He thumbed Jack’s lower lip out from between his teeth and leaned to suck the abused piece of flesh between his lips, stroking gently with his tongue before he pulled back. “I want you here with me.”

“I’m here,” Jack breathed, and it sounded like a promise.

As Gareth started to move, and Jack lost himself in pleasure, he kept his eyes wide open. Moans, not curses, spilled from his throat at each hard thrust and there wasn’t an ounce of fight in his frame. Gareth kept to his slow rhythm, his gaze riveted to Jack’s, until Jack reached up and pulled Gareth’s head down for a kiss that melded them together until they both came in a shuddering rush.

“W
HY
ARE
you mad?”

Sprawled across Jack’s bed in a sweaty heap, working to regain breath and steady heartbeat, it had taken Gareth a while to notice. Now it was difficult not to. Gareth knew what loose and relaxed looked like on Jack. Right now Jack’s body was hard and tense, and he breathed through clenched teeth. Gareth rolled to his elbow and looked down at Jack’s face. “Talk to me.”

Jack shook his head, the jerky movement telegraphing frustration, not refusal. While Jack struggled to articulate what riled him, Gareth breathed. He had the patience of mountains when it was necessary. When it came to Jack, he needed it.

“I’m not sure why I’m letting myself….” Jack trailed off and said nothing else for the longest time.

“Lean? Ask for what you need?”

“That’s just it. I’ve never been… needed… things. People. Especially not people. There was a time I would have killed anyone who touched my computer. Now I’d just get a new one. I travel light. Always have. I don’t need… stuff. But you….”

“That’s a bad thing?” The look in the green eyes made Gareth’s chest hurt. Made him wish for something he’d never considered before. Something longer than a few weeks. The thought didn’t even feel scary. “Is it a bad thing?”

“It’s a new thing. I… don’t know what to do with it.”

“See where it leads?”

“What if I screw this up? What if you get hurt?” Jack’s voice rose in agitation. “I’m telling you, I’ve never had this. I don’t know if—”

“Jack,” Gareth cut across the tirade, voice close to a whisper. “None of that matters. If you want to see where this goes, we’ll sort it out. Question is: do you?”

If Gareth had tried to hold his breath waiting for Jack’s answer he’d have expired right there. Jack lay back on the pillows and eyed the ceiling, brows drawn tight and the tattoo marching like an angry slash along his temple. For the first time ever, Jack looked older than his years. Much older. The perfect facade had worn thin, and just the fact that Jack allowed the cracks to show told Gareth how far they’d come.

Not that it made waiting for Jack’s answer any easier.

“Gareth?”

The gravel in Jack’s voice went right to Gareth’s gut. “Hm?”

“I’ve no idea what I’m doing, but I want….” Deep breath. “I want to see what this is. Why it feels so different.”

The level of frustration in Jack’s tone made sense. Gareth didn’t understand how they’d met again after seven years apart and seamlessly slipped into something that had never existed before except in heated fantasies. If it confused him, then Jack, who had to analyze everything to death before dissecting the rotting corpse for further clues, had to be driven mad by his inability to rationalize what was happening and predict where this train was headed.