Sea of Suspicion (3 page)

“Oh yes, I am.” He had plans for Susie Cooper.

He climbed to his feet as Ewan rolled his eyes. Nick placed the empty pint glasses on the bar, passed close enough to Professor Jake Sizemore to smell the fear.

He nodded to Susie, giving her just the hint of a smile. He knew the nuances of body language and recognized the reluctant attraction in her gaze. She tilted her head slightly, watched him from under her lashes. He was careful not to touch Sizemore as he moved through the crowd, but his fingers brushed Susie’s elbow and the connection exploded through his body like a blast of gunfire.

Tracy Good walked along the seafront and looked up at the Gatty’s brightly illuminated windows. Just a few hours ago that lovely new Brazilian student had gone down on her in the library where anyone could have barged in.

Oh, my.
Her eyes crossed at the memory.

The waves crashed on the beach, rolling backward with the pull of the tide. She shivered. She liked him. Liked the way his eyes sparkled as he’d watched her from his knees. Liked the way he’d given her an orgasm but hadn’t wanted anything in return. Even now her body hummed with delicious little zings of leftover pleasure.

Ditching her virginity at twenty-three had been an enlightening experience. She’d discovered being bad was a damn sight more satisfying than being good had ever been. A year later, the sex was better than ever.

A seagull gave a raucous cry from the rooftop and made her jump. It was only early evening, but the sun had gone down hours ago.

She stifled a yawn. Long days running samples and crunching data had left her low on sleep and lacking in energy. And so what if she was one of the few sad souls back in the lab on a Friday night? Not everyone could afford to go out drinking every weekend and she had experiments to do, a Ph.D. to submit. A job to find…

She bit her lip. Her money ran out in three months’ time and she didn’t have anything lined up yet.

She inserted her keycard into the electronic lock and shoved at the heavy glass door. With dragging feet she skirted the scattered chairs of the coffee room then made her way along the corridor, up the stairs, to the tiny space she called an office.

There, she dug into her pocket for her keys.

“Tracy.” Her supervisor, Professor Jake Sizemore, called out behind her. Startled, she jumped. She’d seen him leave for the pub at 5 p.m. and hadn’t expected him back on a Friday night. He held up a finger. “I need a word.”

“Yes, sir.” She opened her door and threw her bag beside her laptop, some of the contents spilling onto the counter.

Jake followed her in and shut the door behind him. He grabbed her shoulders, his thumbs digging into the hollows of her collarbones as his tongue dove hard into her mouth. No hours of sweet-talk or half bottle of gin required. Not anymore. She clamped a hand hard to his ass, the other slipping around the nape of his neck to force him deeper into her mouth. He tasted of warm beer and peanuts.

He’d taught her all about sex. Taught her the power of passion. Jake-the-snake might not be prime, but he had what she wanted and was extremely knowledgeable around the female body. His hands dragged up her skirt, exposing the black lace thong she’d changed into when she’d gone home for supper. Her other underwear had been wet.

Jake was fully aroused against her. She smiled, enjoying what she did to her supervisor. And men in general. But today she needed something else.

“Let me get the condom.” His voice and hands were shaking.

“Not yet.” Tracy had a plan. She rubbed her palm over his erection and slowly slid down his zipper. His penis sprang out, happy to see her. She wrapped her fingers around him and squeezed. Jake’s eyes rolled back in his head.

She dropped to her knees, grinning as Jake flung out a hand to steady himself and then asked rather desperately, “Is the door locked?”

She giggled as Jake fell back against the door. Blocking entrance for anyone unfortunate enough to cross their paths tonight. She ran her tongue slowly over his cock the way he’d shown her. Except now she was the one in control.

“Oh Jesus. Oh God, yes.” He dug his fingers into her hair, forcing her to take him deeper. She could feel the tension growing in his balls and his body as she built the rhythm. He started to moan and she pulled away. No way was he getting off until she got what she wanted.

She stood and he pushed her roughly against the door, his lips wet and ravenous on hers, his tongue touching the roof of her mouth. She tore herself from his grasp and slipped out of her jacket and tossed it on the side. A pencil fell to the floor, the only sound in the room except for the harsh bellow of their breathing. Jake kicked off his pants, unbuttoned his shirt, his eyes burning with an absolute focus on sex.

“What do you want, Jake?” She scraped a long fingernail over his dick.

“Jesus, Jesus! Ow!” He flinched, cupping himself.

She knew he liked a little pain. Loved it. She slowly—very slowly—unbuttoned her blouse, and he went stone still. Her breasts were her most impressive asset and Rafael hadn’t even seen them yet. The thought made her hot. Really, really hot. It wasn’t Jake-the-snake she visualized when she slipped out of her plain white blouse, revealing a black lacy bra that offered up her breasts like an erotic fantasy.

Jake reached over and pinned her upper arm, holding her still when she would have removed her lingerie. “You have the most amazing tits.” And then he lowered his lips to one nipple, laving it through the scratchy lace, which felt more incredible than she’d imagined. She moaned, not having to pretend to enjoy it, but knowing he’d never leave his wife no matter how fantastic the sex.

“Tell me what you want, Jake,” she purred. She kept her thighs clamped together, making him work for it.

Jake’s fingers dug so hard into her hips it hurt. “I want
you
, Tracy. I want to have you every way I know and then I want to fuck you all over again.”

Tracy held his gaze, her lips slightly open in sultry invitation. “And what will you give me if I let you?” After a lifetime of poverty she had finally figured out how to climb out of the gutter. She kissed him, deep and long, her hand stroking over him just enough to keep him on the edge, but not enough to make him come.

“Anything.” Jake’s voice was ragged, his breath hot against her ear. “A job, references, a vacation, whatever the hell you want.”

“A job first.” She pushed him away. Unbuttoned her skirt and let it drop. Why waste the full effect of fabulous lingerie? She hopped up on the narrow bench and swung her legs playfully. Watching him, she spread her thighs and sweat broke out on his brow. He couldn’t take his eyes off the dark lace triangle nestled between her legs. She wriggled out of her panties, found the condom, ripped open the foil packet silently with her teeth and crooked her finger. He groaned as she rolled the cold rubber over his hot length. “And the best fucking reference you’ve ever written.”

He forced her thighs wide apart and she sucked in a breath as he thrust deep inside. It hurt for a moment, but she didn’t complain. She’d pushed him as far as she dared and got exactly what she’d hoped for. He hooked her knees over his shoulders and drove even deeper. The pain morphed into dark pleasure and she squirmed against him, urging him on, panting, begging, fighting to take more of him.

“I’m gonna fuck you, Tracy girl. I’m gonna fuck you good,” he growled quietly against her throat.

Yes.

The coil of ecstasy unraveled inside her and a scream escaped as she started to come. Jake smothered her mouth with his hand. She couldn’t breathe, but the pleasure intensified and she didn’t give a damn. And then Jake let go of her mouth, using both hands to raise her hips off the bench as he pounded into her, her head and shoulders banging painfully off the walls. And finally he came with a vicious growl that tore from his throat.

Still pulsing deep inside her, he rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll give you the best fucking reference in the world.” And then he started laughing.

She tucked a sweaty lock of hair behind her ear and then started laughing too. Because she’d got exactly what she wanted. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her little voice-activated digital recorder sitting on the countertop, and the light that said it was recording glowed ruby red.

It was Saturday morning and Susie was on her hands and knees in her office, unpacking boxes. She swiped the back of her hand over her forehead. Why the hell had she brought so much junk with her?

A hand touched her shoulder and she whirled around. “Oh my god, Jake! You scared me.”

Her boss laughed. “Sorry, I saw your light on when I came in.” He nodded across the concrete steps that led to the main entrance just outside her window. “I thought I’d stop by and see how my newest member of staff was settling in.”

“I’m doing great, thanks.” She smiled up at him and climbed to her feet. “Just making sure I have all my lecture notes for next week.”

“Of course.” He cleared his throat and averted his eyes. “I don’t want to bother you with rumor or gossip—” she braced herself for some comment about her mother, “—but a couple of faculty members have objected to your light lecture load for the first two years.”

Her eyes widened and she blinked at him. She hated conflict of any kind and went out of her way to be nice to others. She sighed. It wasn’t her best quality. “You said the university was getting a good deal. Particularly when I agreed to start teaching immediately—”

“Don’t worry, Susie.” He wrapped a beefy arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. She squirmed, uncomfortable with the intimacy, but he gave her a dazzlingly white smile. “I made it quite clear to them that you are a first-class researcher who’ll be a huge asset to this department. Especially now.”

She’d have to be deaf and blind to miss the subtext in that statement. Damn. She pulled away, unease swirling in her belly.

“Anyway, I dealt with the matter and it’s all sorted now.” A slight frown dented his brow.

She rubbed her arms and pressed her lips together. She was allowing personal feelings to affect her professionalism. “Thank you, Jake.”

“Oh, and I’ve got something else to show you.” A fleetingly handsome expression touched his features. “Follow me.”

She hurried after him, their footsteps echoing through the empty building. He headed through the old Victorian part of the marine lab, down the stairs into the deserted basement. Jake paused opposite the ladies’ room and smiled at her expectantly.

“What is it?” she asked when the silence stretched and nothing happened.

He gave her a conspirator’s wink. “Don’t ask me how many strings I pulled to organize this so quickly, but—” he put his hand on a big metal door opposite and swung it open, “—I got you allocated a Constant Temperature room all to yourself.”

A thrill of excitement shot through her as she stepped inside the enclosed space. The air smelled cold and stale as a crypt but she inhaled gratefully. The room was stacked full to bursting with old aquaria, broken PVC pipes and moldy tubing. Jake stepped in behind her and she squeezed through the junk to make more room.

“There’s seawater and freshwater outlets.” He pointed to the taps.

“This is fantastic, Jake.” This was exactly what she needed to start breeding octopi and build her research program. She picked up a PVC joint she might be able to salvage. Tossed it into a relatively sound fiberglass tank. Whoever had claimed this room previously hadn’t used it for anything except growing penicillin. It was going to take a lot of scrubbing and hard work to get this space up to standard, but no one said the life of a marine biology professor was easy or glamorous. “Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome.”

She turned to face him and felt a flash of apprehension because he was standing close and she was squeezed tight into a corner. A shudder of revulsion passed through her as his stare dropped hungrily to her breasts. No wonder his wife had looked at her with such jaded resignation when they’d been introduced last week.

Jake’s cell phone rang, breaking the awkward moment and he excused himself. Susie raised her eyes to the heavens. Why couldn’t life be simple for a change?

Eight hours later, she was washing lettuce in her friend Leanne’s kitchen. Leanne also worked at St. Andrews University and had married a lecturer in the computing department. They’d been best buddies since post-grad days at the University of Miami, where Leanne majored in psychology, Susie in marine biology. They’d hooked up in the sub-aqua club. It was Leanne who’d told Susie about the job vacancy here.

Susie’s eyes misted and she grabbed her friend in a tight embrace. “I can’t believe I’m here, with you. That we live in the same country, let alone the same continent.”

“I love you too, Blondie.” Leanne hugged her back using only her elbows, a baton of garlic bread in each hand. “Now get back to work.”

After the awful period following Dela’s death in Australia, life was finally beginning to feel good again. And tomorrow Susie promised herself a day off. She’d explore the coastal path, absorb the scent of the sea and the pale blush of the endless sandy beaches. Leanne put the loaves on the side and began grating cheese in time to U2’s “Beautiful Day.” Her short dark hair gave her the appearance of a manic imp.

“So who’s coming to dinner?” Susie asked.

“Just a couple of friends.” From beneath inky lashes Leanne flicked a glance that Susie didn’t quite trust.

“You’re not trying to set me up again, are you?”

Leanne affected a nonchalant shrug and Susie scrunched up her nose in exasperation.

“I invited Gray,” Leanne began quickly. “You met him at the wedding. A girlfriend from Psychology, and Dougie’s best friend, who does happen to be single, but—”

“Leanne!”

“You don’t have to make out with him, just chat over a fabulous dinner of boiled lobster—”

Susie raised her chin and sniffed. “My octopi eat lobster.”

Leanne tucked in her chin and made her mouth into a tiny
o
. “Too good for lobster now, are you?” she teased with her Midwest drawl. “How about triple chocolate mousse? Your octopi eat that too?”

Susie laughed and shook her head. “Not if I get there first.”

They shared an addict’s grin before Leanne grew serious. “I see Washington is hitting the headlines again.” Washington. D.C. Darcy Cooper. Their codename for her power-crazed mother.

Susie’s smile vanished. She shook the lettuce forcefully to remove the worst of the water and dried it off as best she could with a paper towel. “Don’t you have a salad spinner? I thought people only got married to get salad spinners.”

Leanne’s eyes turned soft. “Susie, it’s me. You don’t have to pretend.”

Susie licked bone-dry lips. “I know, but for one night I’d like to pretend my mother doesn’t want to conquer the world.” They exchanged a look, knowledge and friendship tangible.

The kitchen door flew open, the wind smacking it against the inside wall with a crash. Susie dropped the colander in the sink, shock stealing the moisture from her mouth. There, filling the portal, having to dip his head beneath the lintel, was Lily’s boyfriend, the same guy who’d stared at her in the bar last night.

If the devil was blond, he was standing ten feet away in Leanne’s kitchen.

“Nick! I haven’t seen you in ages.” Leanne bounced toward the tall, sharp-featured man and threw her arms around him and gave him a noisy lip-smack. Susie’s stomach bottomed out.

“Get your hands off my wife.” Dougie ducked through the door and shoved a case of beer into the guy’s side before grabbing Leanne and bending her over his arm for a passionate kiss.

Susie averted her gaze and inadvertently caught Nick’s.

It wasn’t just the packaging that made him attractive. It was the sharp features and intelligent eyes that emanated risk like the Big Bad Wolf checking out Little Red Riding Hood on that wooded trail.

But no matter how tempting he looked, Susie did not want to get gobbled up.

Heat rose in her cheeks as his eyes swept her bare feet, her tight jeans and the big Mickey Mouse transfer plastered to her T-shirt. She crossed her arms.

Amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes as he noted her response.

“If you two lovebirds have finished, I’m waiting for an introduction to your guest.” His eyes pierced her. She’d thought nothing could be more unsettling than that soul-hunting gaze, but his voice…He wasn’t Scottish. English perhaps, some northern city with a regional accent she couldn’t place, but his
voice
. It was deep and smooth and strong, with the power of wind shaping granite and as warm as the summer sun sinking deep inside her like some magical spell that spun music into gold.

“I bumped into Nick in the offy, gave him a ride out.” Dougie, six-foot-four of adorable dark-eyed male, crossed over to Susie and gave her a squeeze. “How’s my favorite bridesmaid?”

She snorted. “Your only bridesmaid. What’s an
offy
?” She tensed as Nick came toward her, wondering how best to deal with the man. The guy was Lily’s boyfriend, but he made her intensely aware of every part of her body and every possible escape route.

“What you’d call a liquor store.” Nick pushed aside the garlic bread, slid the box of beer and wine onto the counter next to Susie. Their shoulders brushed, but she didn’t flinch. She forced herself to remain still even though he was invading her personal space. He gifted her with a half smile when she didn’t flee.

Dangerous and pushy.

Leanne’s eyes sparkled. “Dr. Susie Cooper, meet Detective Inspector Nick Archer. Susie and I go way back. She just got a lectureship at the Gatty.”

“You’re a
cop?
” Susie knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t believe Nick Archer was anything peaceable or law-abiding.

His quick smile told her she’d made a common mistake. People must often figure him for a bad boy, a renegade, whereas apparently the opposite was true—he was a twenty-first century knight. Still, he emitted hazard like a pheromone, and instinct told her Nick Archer would be ruthless at getting what he wanted. Poor Lily.

Yeah, right. Lily ate policemen for breakfast.

He inclined his head. “At your service, Dr. Cooper.” His eyes drifted over Mickey Mouse’s ears, letting her know exactly the sort of service he had in mind.

“How’s Lily?” she asked pointedly, conscious of the effort it took to hold his gaze. She wasn’t falling for the charm or pretending she didn’t know he already had a girlfriend.

The kitchen suddenly felt as though it had been dropped into liquid nitrogen. Every particle of oxygen was sucked out of her lungs by the rapid chill.

Leanne slapped herself on the forehead, at the same time rescuing the cheese sauce she’d made for the lobster thermidor. “I forgot you two had a connection.” Leanne wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention to dynamics; she was now looking for a corkscrew. “You’re getting a taxi home, by the way, unless you want a sleepover.” She waved vaguely over at Susie, or it could have been Nick, or both.

“A connection?” Susie frowned.

“Lily is Nick’s sister-in-law, or I should say…” Leanne paused, looking uncomfortable, a rare thing for the self-confident girl who’d grown up dirt-poor and desperate. “
Former
sister-in-law?”

Rays of light cut oblique angles through the old farmhouse window and highlighted tense skin around Nick’s mouth. When he spoke, there was an odd glint in his eyes that was more complex than sorrow. “Lily was the flower girl at our wedding.”

“You’re divorced?”

“My wife is dead.”

Oh, crap
. Susie blinded herself with the sunset rather than look at him. “I’m sorry.” Discovering Nick Archer was a widower shifted her perspective like a handbrake on black ice. She’d just assumed he and Lily were lovers. Jeez.

He picked up two beers from the box, tossed one to Dougie before opening his and taking a deep swallow. When he came up for air, he said, “It happened a long time ago.” Then shrugged, each movement carefully staged to look as if he didn’t give a damn, but the tendons in the back of his hand jutted through the skin and his smile was scalpel sharp.

Leanne looked up from where she had the wine bottle braced between her knees and the silence screamed with tension.

“So who won the football?” Nick asked Dougie, spinning the beer-cap into the recycling bin before striding into the den followed by a miserable-looking Dougie.

Susie pulled a face at Leanne, then rescued the salad, dumping it into a waiting bowl. “Sorry.”

“How were you supposed to know?” Leanne popped the cork on the bottle and put the wine on the counter beside the glasses.

“Dougie told me what happened when we first met.” Leanne kept her voice low so the men wouldn’t hear them gossiping. “Lily’s sister, I don’t even know her name, was one of Jake Sizemore’s Ph.D. students. She got killed by sharks doing fieldwork off the coast of South Africa when Dougie and Nick were both postgrads.”

That explained the sense of seething hostility she’d felt aimed toward her boss in the bar yesterday.

“It must have been awful. Can you imagine?” Moisture gathered in the corner of Leanne’s eye.

Susie was mortified by how badly she’d misjudged Nick Archer, and how badly she’d wanted to misjudge him.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Dougie.” A tear ran down Leanne’s cheek, but she scrubbed it away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so emotional these days.” There was a pause. “You don’t think I’m pregnant, do you?”

Envy made Susie’s insides twist, but she pushed away the ugly emotion and peered at Leanne’s ultra-skinny frame.

“You’d know better than me. Have you had unprotected sex in the last six months?” She wiggled her brows as Leanne mentally tallied the probability of being pregnant.

“Oh,
yeah
. As often as possible!” Leanne pushed the wine to the back of the counter, wet tears spiking her lashes. “Looks like we’re on the wagon until I know for sure.”

“Not me. Hey, give me that!” Susie grabbed a glass, poured herself a healthy dose of red wine and took a fortifying gulp. If she couldn’t be pregnant she could at least enjoy the benefits of being not pregnant. And numb the grief.

Leanne faked annoyance, the skin between her eyebrows crinkling even as her eyes shone. “How can you not support me during my
maybe
pregnancy?”