One Night Stand (2 page)

Amanda spun to look at the man behind her and came face-to-face with his pecs.

Oh. Wow.

Her gaze roamed upward. He was well over six feet tall. Over six feet of powerful male. His black T-shirt strained against the pressure of containing all those muscles. Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward to take in his scent. Her head spun as the dizzying combination of leather and sandalwood drifted through her. She turned away before he noticed the heat that flooded her cheeks.

“It’s under control, Joe,” Jake snapped.

Joe pointed at the two drunkards. “You have one minute to get your shit and get out of my bar.” He gently, cautiously, touched her arm. “Are you okay, slugger?” His mouth was so close to her ear she could feel his breath on her neck. His husky voice reverberated down her spine. The heady combination caused a reflexive shiver to run through her body.

His eyes narrowed dangerously on Clete. Clearly mistaking her reaction for fear, he growled, “Make that thirty seconds.” He eased protectively in front of her.

Clete swore an oath as he pushed to his feet and stumbled toward the door. His friend followed close behind. Joe led her back to the stool she’d just vacated. “Here … sit.” His large hands engulfed her shoulders as he bent to look into her eyes. “Slugger?”

Amanda got her first good look at him. Her mind went blank. A strong jaw that narrowed slightly at the tip of his chin sported a dark five o’clock shadow. His lips were red and full and entirely too inviting. Jet-black hair fell in disarray around his face, thick locks waving across his forehead. And he had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Eyes that were narrowed in concern for her.

She cleared her throat. “Amanda,” she rasped. Okay, so she
could
talk. Sort of. “I’m Amanda.”

“Amanda.”

Good Lord!
Her name on his lips was like a caress that went all the way to her core. She went instantly wet. She clenched her legs together and took a deep breath.

“You okay, Amanda?” he prodded.

“Yes, I’m fine.”
Aroused
. “Just pissed off.” She shot a glare at Jake. “And where the hell were you?”

Jake’s jaw clenched. “What do you mean—”

“Shut the hell up, Jake. What you need to do is thank your lucky stars you’re my brother or I’d be kicking your ass all over this county, get me?”

Amanda couldn’t hold in her surprise. “Wait. You”—she took advantage of the opportunity to peruse his delicious male body from head to booted toe—“are related to him?” She nodded toward Jake.

“Look Amanda, I’m sorry,” Jake said. “No excuses. I should have thrown them out the minute they approached you. I don’t know what got into them tonight. Normally they’re harmless.”

Her anger immediately deflated. “It’s not your fault, Jake. I should have just walked away.” She sighed. “I know better.” She looked back to Joe. God, he took her breath away. Jake was cute, sure, in that boyish I-wanna-make-out-with-you-in-the-back-of-a-Chevy way. But this man, with his long legs encased in tight, faded jeans that seemed to bulge in all the appropriate places, was a work of art. Carved by the gods to bring women to their knees. And speaking of knees, the package he was sporting certainly made her want to get on hers.

Focus, Amanda.

He gave her a half smile and extended his hand. “I’m Joe. Owner of this bar and”—he waved his hand at his brother—“the better looking of the two.”

Jake snorted something that sounded a lot like “You wish,” as he brought around a towel full of ice for her hand.

She reached to return the greeting, remembering too late the punch she’d thrown. Joe seemed well aware of her discomfort, gently cupping her hand in both of his. “Vicious right hook you got there, Mandy.”

“I have brothers,” she said. As though that explained everything. At some point she’d regain her brain function. As soon as he stopped looking at her. And touching her.

Oh God, please don’t stop touching me.

“Brothers who taught their sister how to fight?” His eyes danced with amusement.

“Overbearing, overprotective, and over-in-my-face brothers who wanted to make sure I’d never be taken advantage of.” She smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

Joe drew back in surprise. “I’m not entirely sure what happened before I came in, but I’m fairly certain it wasn’t your fault.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Wanna tell me what happened?” He took the ice pack from Jake and placed it delicately across the back of her hand.

She hissed as the rough towel scraped her sensitive knuckles. “It’s no big deal. Couple of drunks getting handsy. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It happened so fast. I overreacted.”

“I’m sure you didn’t overreact.” Joe’s voice turned hard again. “Those two are a pain in my ass.” He shared a knowing look with Jake. “And they’ve just had their last beer here.”

“They were almost a pain in my ass, too,” she joked. “But I’m good. Won’t be the first time I’ve nursed sore knuckles.”

“You fight a lot then, slugger?”

She laughed at that. “Did I mention that I’ve got
three
brothers?”

He gave her a smile that had her nipples aching and pushing through her T-shirt. She squirmed in her seat, which only served to rub the seam of her jeans harder against her pulsating clit. She bit back a moan.
So this is what it feels like to be aroused to near pain.
She was close to throwing herself at him, audience be damned. Anything to relieve the tension building in her panties.

Joe noticed her distress. She watched as he slowly took stock of her. She knew the minute he saw the pearled buds of her chest, protruding shamelessly for his inspection. His jaw clenched and his back stiffened. She dared a quick glance at his lap. She hoped his back wasn’t the only thing that had turned rigid. His eyes narrowed; his nostrils flared as if he could smell her arousal.

She watched in fascination as his gaze turned dark, smoky.

What would it be like to spend the night in the arms of a man like him? What kind of lover would he be? The thought caused her insides to turn to jelly. There was only one way to find out.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Mandy?” His voice was hoarse. His fingers were stroking her palm as he continued to hold her injured hand. She desperately wanted him to be stroking her somewhere else.

It’s now or never.

“That depends.” Amanda gave him a seductive smile. “You wanna get out of here?”

Joe shook his head, his expression filled with genuine confusion. “Excuse me?”

Amanda felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. This man was a walking god and here she was, Miss Plain-and-Ordinary, propositioning him. What was she thinking?

She stood a little too quickly, causing her bar stool to wobble before righting itself again. “Never mind. Sorry.” She threw two twenty-dollar bills on the bar. “This should cover it.” She hollered thanks to Jake as she made her way to the door.

“Mandy, wait.”

Chapter 2

“Where is she?” Caleb Martin slammed the door and glared across the desk at Samantha.

“Jesus, Caleb.” Her hand flew to her heart as she leaned back in her chair. “Knock much? You scared the hell out of me.” She took a deep breath. “We really need to work on your people skills.”

Caleb placed his knuckles on the desk and slowly leaned in. “Where. Is. She?”

Sam took her time smoothing her dark auburn hair away from her face. “I can see this is going to be a one-track conversation, so let me make this easy for you. Get out.”

He walked around to her side of the desk and perched himself on the corner. He crossed his arms over his chest and settled in. “Nope.”

Sam glared at him as she hit the Intercom button on her phone. “Caroline? Call Security.”

She heard her assistant chuckle. “Ah, sure thing, Miss Quinn.”

“I
am
your security,” the annoying male on her desk replied drily.

“Good, that’ll save us some time. Escort yourself out.” She waved her hand to shoo him off.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me where my sister is.”

Sam narrowed her eyes at the man sitting on her desk. Tall, blond, and commanding, with eyes the color of emeralds when he was pissed. And yep, two shining emeralds were fixated on her.

He’d never made any bones about the fact that he didn’t like her. For years they’d argued and fought, needled and picked.

Now he barges in here without so much as a word, clearly showing how little respect he has for me.

God, she didn’t think there was a man on the planet that drove her crazier than this one, so she felt perfectly justified in giving a little of that crazy back to him.

And she knew just what buttons to push.

Tossing her hair off her shoulder, she revealed her cleavage. “Nope.”

Caleb’s gaze cast to the skin she revealed. “I’m not leaving.”

Pig.
“Suit yourself, but you may be more comfortable in a chair.” She gave him an irritated stare. “There are plenty in the conference room down the hall.”

She could see the muscles in his jaw working overtime as he reined in his temper. “She’s been missing for three days.”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “Not missing, you dolt. Away. There is a difference.”

“Away where?”

“Nice try, horseman. But my lips are sealed. She’s in a ‘no-man’ zone.” She hesitated a moment and laughed wickedly. “Well, a ‘no-brother’ zone, anyway.”

“What does that even mean?” Caleb made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. “What did you do?”

“Me? Why on earth would you think I did anything?” She blinked innocently.

Amusement flashed in his eyes a second before he got in her face. “Need I remind you of the time you got Amanda arrested for attempting to bribe an officer?”

“Charges wouldn’t stick. We were framed.”

“How about the citation for indecent exposure?”

“Case of mistaken identity.”

“The bar fight?”

Her shoulders slumped a little. “Okay, that was—”

Caleb threw his hands in the air as he surged to his feet. “For the love of God, you’re a lawyer!”

“Damn good thing for us that I am, too.”

“Tell me where she is.”

“No.”

“Samantha.”

She lowered her voice to mimic him. “Caleb.”

“Jesus.” He shoved his hands through his thick, blond locks. “You’re the most annoying—”

“Be careful how you finish that sentence, horseman. Remember, I have what you want.” She wagged her eyebrows suggestively.

“Stop calling me that,” he snapped. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not the harbinger of chaos.”

Sam barked out a laugh. “
That
is debatable. But I’m still not telling you where she is.” She sighed at the stern look he threw her. “In case you’ve forgotten, Amanda is a grown woman. Perfectly capable of making her own decisions without your approval or, hey, even your input.” She returned to the papers on her desk, dismissing him. “Time to cut the cord, big guy.”

“Why didn’t she tell us where she was going?”

Sam rolled her eyes again. “Seriously? One guess.” She threw her hand up to stop him from answering. “No, wait, I’ll go ahead and tell you because you’re sure to get it wrong. She needs time alone. She needs space.”

“Space? Space from what?”

She screamed in frustration. “You’re unbelievable! Just leave her be, Caleb. She’s fine. She isn’t in any danger, and she’ll be back before you know it. Stop being the controlling older brother for one second and let her do her thing.”

She reached up to rub her temples. Yet again, her dealings with Caleb Martin caused her head to throb. Today was definitely one of those days she regretted relocating her private law practice into the offices of Martin Tactical and Security. She cursed Amanda for talking her into it after her old office had been broken into and vandalized. What good was cheap rent, secure or not, when she had to work from home? Pressing the Intercom button again, she said, “Caroline, please forward my calls to my cell. I’m working from home this afternoon.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Caleb barked.

“You deaf?” She slammed a file closed. “Home. To work. Since it’s obvious I won’t get anything done here today.” She stuffed a handful of files into her briefcase and slung it over her shoulder.

“Dammit, Samantha, I’m done playing with you.” Caleb looked dangerously close to losing his temper. He pressed forward until they were nose to nose. “I want to know where my sister is, and I want to know right now.”

Not cowed in the least, Sam smiled at him. “If she wanted you to know where she was, she would have told you. You think I’d betray her trust?” She blinked teasingly.

Caleb sneered. “I think you’d betray your own grandmother if it suited your purpose.”

Ouch.

Sam felt the sting as if he’d slapped her. “Fuck you, Caleb,” she said as she shoved past him, “and the
horse
you rode in on.”

*

I’m such an ass
.

Caleb watched Samantha stalk away. He hadn’t meant what he’d said. Hell, he didn’t mean most of what he said when he talked to her, but he wouldn’t apologize for it either. That woman pushed his buttons something fierce, and she knew it. So, no. He wouldn’t apologize. Not to Samantha. His sister had taken off to parts unknown, and he wanted to know why. If it had anything to do with that idiot she’d been dating, well, then he and the boys were about to have a little fun. He was responsible for her. For all of them. He wouldn’t let them down again.

Their parents had been killed twelve years ago, leaving a deployed Caleb in charge of his three grieving siblings. Amanda had been the worst. He’d returned home to find her livid at him for being away, unwilling to even give him the time of day. Not one word.

For a whole year.

He’d struggled to regain her trust, and he wasn’t about to let her pull away again. Period. He was the head of this family and if there was something going on, he should know about it. And he definitely knew there was something going on. Just as he knew Samantha was at the heart of it. Another one of her harebrained ideas, no doubt.

He, Brandon, and Alec had all been calling Amanda’s cell for the last three days. Oh, she’d called back all right. She left a voice mail on the receptionist’s phone over the weekend when she knew no one would be there to answer. Said some shit about getting away and that she’d be okay. Caleb knew he was overreacting, but he somehow couldn’t stop himself.
Good God, I’m a controlling bastard, aren’t I?