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Authors: Elle Kennedy

Tags: #Contemporary, #Fiction, #Romance, #Suspense

Millionaire's Last Stand (7 page)

BOOK: Millionaire's Last Stand
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“I am proud,” he admitted. “It was tough, starting out. I had to beg for bank loans and I did it all on my own. Those first dozen buildings I put up, that was my sweat, blood and tears.”

“You worked on the crew?”

“Oh yeah. I couldn’t demand those kinds of deadlines from my guys and not join in to meet them.”

“Do you still do it now?”

“Not so much anymore, someone needs to run the business, after all. But I did build the house we’re sitting in.”

She smiled, and something shifted in his chest. For some reason, he liked making this woman smile. Liked seeing that little twinkle of pleasure in her eyes.

“It’s a great house.” Then she shook her head. “But I still can’t believe you gave away your inheritance. I bet your mother wasn’t happy with that decision.”

“She was too drunk to notice.” The confession popped out before he could stop it.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jamie said quietly.

He gave a small shrug. “She’s sober now, has been ever since my father died. Once he was gone, Mom had no reason to drink herself into oblivion.”

“Your father was that bad, huh?”

“Worse,” he said grimly. “He wasn’t abusive, physically anyway, but he was a tyrant. He wanted a trophy wife and a child who was seen and not heard. He treated us like business associates. If I’m being honest, I don’t think he felt a drop of emotion for either one of us. It was all business for him, all the time.”

There was no bitterness in his voice—he’d stopped being bitter a long time ago. But it surprised him that he was sharing his life story with her. He didn’t talk about his childhood with anyone. Not even Teresa. But there was just something about Jamie’s perceptive lavender eyes and soothing aura that made him want to confide in her.

He fell silent, listening to the howl of the wind and the loud shuddering of the roof as the relentless rain battered against it. The large bay window overlooking the front yard revealed nothing but black, with the occasional burst of silver each time another bolt of lightning exploded from the sky. He didn’t worry about the roof collapsing, though. He’d built this house with his own two hands and knew it could withstand anything Mother Nature threw at it.

Turning away from the window, he glanced back at Jamie and asked, “What about you? Bad parents, or good ones?”

“Parent, singular,” she corrected. “And good, for the most part. My dad ran out on us before I was born, and my mom struggled to make ends meet.” She flashed him a self-deprecating smile. “No wealthy upbringing for me.”

“Wealth is overrated.”

“Yeah, you really don’t seem concerned with it. I mean, you live in this gorgeous house, but other than that, I get the feeling you’re down-to-earth, unbothered by material things.”

“You don’t seem bothered by those either.”

“I’m not.” She tilted her head in a thoughtful pose. “I guess when you grow up in a trailer park, you learn not to take things for granted.”

Somehow he couldn’t picture this beautiful, refined woman hailing from a trailer park.

She must have seen the doubt in his eyes, because she let out a laugh. “Seriously, trailer park. My mom had the big, bleached-blond hair and everything. She only went back to her natural color when I graduated from the academy.”

“Are you two close?”

“More or less. I don’t think she understands why I chose the Bureau as my career, but she’s proud of me, in her own way. She even sent me flowers after I got my first suspect to conf—” Her head jerked to the side. “Did you hear that?”

Cole went quiet, listening to the sound of the storm wreaking havoc outside. “All I hear is wind and rain.”

Jamie bounded to her feet and headed for the window. “I swear I heard howling.”

“The wind,” he reiterated, fighting a smile.

“No, it’s…” She pressed her face to the glass and peered out. “When I was driving in I saw something run into the yard—I figured it was a squirrel, but—” She gasped. “Oh no!”

“What—”

But she was already flying out of the room.

Panic thrummed inside him, propelling him into action. He hurried after her, but she’d managed to open the front door and was running out into the elements. Had she gone absolutely insane? His pulse was thrown off course when he reached the doorway and watched as a gust of wind and rain nearly knocked Jamie off her feet. She stumbled, recovered, and kept going, the T-shirt he’d given her clinging to her wet body.

Bloody hell.

Ignoring the frantic thumping of his heart, he took off after her, yelling at her only to have his voice carried away by the wind. Jamie had made it to the trees at the edge of the driveway, where the tin roof that used to be on his shed now lay in a crumbled heap of metal. He pushed forward, fighting the gusts that kept slamming him backward. Lightning whipped over his head, causing the dark sky to illuminate for one brief second before it went pitch-black again.

“Get in the house, Jamie!” he shouted fruitlessly.

He reached her just as she lifted up the metal roof lying on the grass, then swooped something into her arms. Raindrops assaulted his face, making it impossible to see what she was holding. It looked furry and wet and was letting out terrified howls.

Curling his fingers over her bare wet arm, he shoved her to his side. “We need to get inside, damn it!”

Another bolt of lightning, and then he heard a sizzling noise and pushed Jamie forward just as a branch crashed down behind them. Christ, the weatherman hadn’t been kidding this time. The hurricane currently terrorizing the coast had found its way inland, manifesting as a tropical storm that seemed unbelievably out of place in the interior of the state.

They moved with the wind now, letting it propel them toward the house. By the time they staggered into the dry front hall, every inch of Cole’s body was dripping wet.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he roared, his tone rivaling the furious storm outside.

“I… You didn’t have to come after me,” she stammered, spitting strands of soaked hair from her mouth.

“What is wrong with you?” His voice caught in his throat, an uncharacteristic vise of helplessness constricting his chest. “You could have been killed!”

“I saw—”

“I don’t give a damn what you saw.” He grasped both of her shoulders with his hands, vaguely aware of the squirming bundle in her arms. “That was stupid, risking your life like that.”

As adrenaline and lingering panic pumped through his blood, he looked into her eyes and saw the fearful glimmer in them. Realizing he was holding onto her shoulders far too tight, he loosened his grip and let out a ragged breath. “Damn it, Jamie, you scared the crap out of me.”

“I didn’t mean—”

He didn’t let her finish. Instead, he crushed his mouth over hers and kissed her.

Chapter 5

J
amie gasped against Cole’s lips, stunned by this sudden turn of events. His lips were cold, but his tongue was warm as it prodded against the seam of her lips and demanded entry. Just as she’d been helpless to stop herself from rushing outside, she was helpless to stop this kiss. It was a desperate mashing of mouths, a complete domination as Cole’s tongue thrust deep and tangled with her own.

He cupped the back of her head with one wet hand, angling for better access, kissing her so hard, so mercilessly that she sagged against him, their soaked shirts sticking together.

Something was happening inside of her. She was no longer cold, but scorching hot, flames of desire licking at her wet clothing, sizzling her skin and settling in her core. Her nipples hardened, so painfully stiff that she rubbed them against his chest to ease the dull ache.

His tongue swirled over hers and she moaned softly. Was this how kissing was supposed to make you feel? Out of control, paralyzed with pleasure? Never in her life had she experienced the burning bolts of arousal whipping through her body.

The unfamiliar sensations succeeded in bringing a jolt of panic. She pulled back at the same time Cole did, noticing that his dark gaze was focused on her hip. The hem of her shirt had ridden up, revealing the butt of the Glock tucked into her waistband.

“You’re armed,” he said in a flat tone.

She faltered. “Of course. I’m a federal agent.”

His expression darkened, as if the reminder had sucked the passion from his body and replaced it with cold clarity. “And you’re in the same house as a suspected killer.” His voice went gruff. “Yeah, I get it.”

Jamie felt the uncharacteristic urge to apologize, but didn’t get a chance as a sharp squeak sounded from the crook of her arm. She looked down at the squirming bundle she’d rescued from the storm. It was a small terrier, with brown fur matted to his little body and liquid amber eyes gazing up at Jamie in total misery. When she’d seen those big eyes peering out from under that piece of metal outside, her heart had almost stopped.

“I had to get him,” she said softly. “He was trapped. I couldn’t leave him out there.”

“Aw, shit,” Cole muttered. “That’s Elmer.”

Jamie held the dog against her chest and rubbed his damp head in a soothing motion. “Elmer?”

“He belongs to Agatha Tanner, she lives up the road.” Cole sighed. “I always told her she shouldn’t let him out without standing outside to supervise. There are too many wild animals running around this area. It’s not safe for a dog this small to be alone.”

“Oh, you poor little guy,” Jamie said to the trembling animal. She patted him again, then glanced at Cole. “Do you have anything for him to eat?”

Cole lifted his shoulders in mystification. “Got some salami in the fridge, which will probably go bad if the power doesn’t come back on soon. Will that do?”

“Are you hungry, Elmer?” she asked the dog. He gave a tiny whimper, which she decided to take as a yes.

In the kitchen, Jamie grabbed two small bowls from one of the cupboards, poured water into one and tossed a couple of slices of salami into the other. The wet dog immediately shoved his nose into the meat bowl and greedily devoured the salami while Jamie laughed. She looked over at Cole to see if he shared her amusement, but the expression on his face stole the breath from her lungs. Lingering heat combined with dark wariness.

The tension that had hung over them in the hallway returned, the same tension she’d been hoping would go away if she distracted them both with the cute dog.

Evidently there was no avoiding it.

Leaning an elbow against the counter, Jamie swallowed. “Listen, I always carry my weapon—”

“I get it,” he cut in. “You’re a cop. You carry a gun.”

He didn’t sound upset by it, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the look on his face when he’d seen her gun. She knew she had no reason to apologize, but
I’m sorry
tickled the tip of her tongue.

Cole spoke before she could voice the words. “I don’t know why I was so surprised,” he said roughly. “I guess…we were having coffee in the living room and I forgot about why you came to town…rather stupid of me, huh?”

“I forgot too,” she confessed.

And what a thing to forget. Cole was a suspect in his ex-wife’s murder. Jamie was supposed to be investigating him. How could those little facts slip her mind? How could she have let him
kiss
her?

“The kiss…” She took a breath. “I can’t get involved with you, Cole. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

His gaze dropped to her waist, to the bulge beneath her shirt. “You’re right,” he said with a tense look.

“Your ex-wife was murdered,” she added. “Whether you’re cleared of the crime or not, you’re still a part of this case.”

She wondered if he heard the wobble in her voice. Hopefully the torrential downpour outside covered it up. She meant every word she said, though. She
couldn’t
get involved with this man. It went against every professional ethic she possessed.

“You don’t have to say anything else,” Cole answered, his deep voice pulling her from her thoughts. “I don’t want to get involved either.”

She couldn’t stop a prickle of offense. “You don’t?”

“My marriage just fell apart like a damn game of Jenga.” His chest rose as he inhaled an unsteady breath. “I’m attracted to you, but the last thing I want right now is to jump into anything new.”

He was attracted to her. An unwanted thrill which only made her head spin shot up her spine at the confession. Joy and disappointment and relief mingled in her belly, forming a cocktail of confusion. She’d just said she couldn’t be with him and he’d agreed with her, so what was there to be disappointed about?

And why had her pulse kicked up several notches when he admitted his attraction?

“Yeah,” she finally said. “Neither of us is in the place to start something up. My job, your marriage…not a great combination.”

“Right,” he said with a nod of concurrence.

“So it’s settled then.”

“Settled.”

“That kiss was a dumb idea.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “Terrible idea,” he agreed.

Their gazes held, and she attempted to keep her expression as blank as the one he displayed at her. God, she hated games. There was no doubt in her mind that he’d been just as blown away by that kiss as she had. But maybe it was best to pretend it hadn’t shattered either of their worlds.

And it was certainly best to ignore the appealing picture he painted at the moment, with his wet shirt emphasizing every sinewy muscle on broad chest, the razor stubble gracing his strong jaw, the way his dark hair gleamed in the candlelight.

She hastily turned to look at Elmer, who’d finished eating and was now staring up at her with curious eyes. “Uh, I guess I’ll turn in. Is there a bedroom I can sleep in?”

“It’s eight o’clock,” Cole said with the amused twitch of his jaw. “Maybe you should have some dinner first.”

Dinner? With him? Sitting at the same table, fighting each little spark of desire that ignited her belly from his mere proximity?

Then her stomach gave a little growl, and she realized it was probably a good idea to eat something. She hadn’t had a single bite since the morning and she couldn’t sleep on an empty stomach.

BOOK: Millionaire's Last Stand
4.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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