And a smile that melted his heart. Unable to withstand any longer, he lowered himself on the bed and claimed her lips. This time her response was instant, her tongue melding with his. Her hands were everywhere, as if she couldn’t get enough of touching him. That only fueled his need for her.

  He traced a path down her neck to her breasts. Drawing a nipple into his mouth, he circled it with his tongue, causing her back to arch. Turned on by her uninhibited response, he moved lower, aching to taste her.

  “Yes,” she whispered when he ran his tongue over her sweet center. Her hips raised, inviting him in. He didn’t hesitate to taste all of her.

  Her hands kneaded his shoulders, nails digging into his flesh. He gripped her hips, hearing her breath come in pants as she neared climax. Sliding a finger inside her wet heat he urged her to the edge. Her body convulsed, a stifled cry escaping her lips as she clenched around his hand. After tasting every last drop of her he climbed over her.

  Breathing still labored, she clutched his shoulders, drawing him closer. He was so hard he could barely move. Never had he wanted a woman this badly. Felt like he would die if he wasn’t inside her soon.

  “Condom,” she panted, rubbing against him.

  Shit. He’d been so caught up in her he’d forgotten to put one on. What kind of spell had this woman put on him?

  Forcing himself off her, he tore through his wallet, grabbed a condom and rolled it on. Then he was inside her, surging deep, letting out a feral growl when she took him in. For a second he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. She felt…right. Like coming home.

  Her hips moved, urging him on. Unable to hold back any longer, he thrust, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hips. She buried her head in his shoulder to hide her moans as she rose to orgasm.

  His own orgasm came in a wave of heat, so strong he clutched the headboard to hold on. He stifled the shout of pure ecstasy as he came. She moved with him, clutching around him, milking him until there was nothing left.

  Brendan collapsed on top of her, bracing his weight on elbows that shook. As he stared down into her soft brown eyes he felt himself falling. And knew he’d never done anything as dangerous as making love to this woman.

  ****

  Mia let out a contented sigh and stretched, her eyes tracking Brendan as he took care of the condom. Making love to him had been everything she expected and so much more. She’d never come twice like that. And never with a man. Ray had been a good lover, but he had nothing on Brendan. He made her feel things she’d been afraid to feel. Made her feelings for him grow stronger than she’d imagined possible.

  Her body felt thoroughly and utterly sated. Her mind at ease. Could she stay here forever?

  When Brendan returned to the bed and pulled her into his chest she fought her emotions. Honestly, she’d expected him to leave her and go back to his own room. He didn’t seem the staying type.

  Happier than she’d ever been, she ran her fingers over the three parallel scars on his chest. She’d noticed them when they made love, but had been too distracted to mention them.

  “How did you get these?” she asked softly.

  For a moment she didn’t think he was going to answer, but then he spoke in a low voice. “Tiger. Swiped me with her claws.”

  “Oh my God. How did you get that close to a tiger?”

  She sensed his hesitation, but urged him on by kissing his chest.

  “I was kidnapped a little over a year ago. By a man who wanted my sister to pay for betraying him. She’d been undercover as his mistress until he discovered who she really was. He…”

  He trailed off, swallowing hard. Mia’s heart ached for him. She didn’t want to dredge up the past, but did she want to know? She tightened her arms around him.

  “Santiago, that’s the drug lord Attie went undercover for, built a maze of deadly games my sister had to survive in order to find me. Bastard used me as bait. Knew my weakness and I played right into his hand.”

  “What weakness?”

  “Women. I used them to satiate my needs after a mission. Or, for whatever. And it almost got my sister killed.”

  A stab of jealousy shot through her but she forced it down. “How did he use women against you?”

  “He sent a stacked blonde to the airport bar where I was waiting for a connecting flight home. She said all the right things—I went back to her hotel. Before I could get there she’d stuck a needle in my neck. I woke up tied to a chair in the middle of a nightmare.”

  The bitterness in his voice made her lift up on an elbow to look at him. “You couldn’t have known what she was up to. You can’t blame yourself.”

  “The hell I can’t. I was a bastard who used women for my own needs. And almost lost my family because of it.”

  “But you didn’t, right? Attie is okay now?”

  Ghosts filled his eyes. “Yeah, she’s doing much better now.”

  “Then you have to let go of the past. What’s done is done, you can’t change it. Don’t let this ruin you. Believe me, I know what guilt can do to you.”

  His arm tightened around her, letting her know he understood. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart. “Forgiving others is easy. Forgiving yourself, not so much. I forgave Ray for all the crap he’d done to me and for not being a father to Jason. It’s harder to forgive myself for letting my son grow up without a father.”

  “You’ve done a great job with him.”

  “Thanks. Doesn’t feel like it most days.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Trust me, you’re a good mom.”

  She nipped his shoulder. “How about we stop talking and make use of the last few hours of nighttime?”

  Brendan rolled her beneath him in one smooth move, making her laugh. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. Sex with this man was fun. Exciting. Unpredictable. Yep, she was in trouble.

  In her ear he whispered, “I like that idea.”

  Chapter Nine

  Brendan wrapped a vase in newspaper and put it in a box along with a few other things he’d packed for Mia. He’d slipped back to the guest room at daybreak, in time to change and meet Jason in the kitchen for their daily workout. If the kid suspected anything he didn’t show it. He’d had to cover Mia’s mouth more than once to quiet her. Little vixen had liked it.

  For a schoolteacher she’d been more fun and adventurous in the sack than he’d expected. Every time he looked at her his thoughts flew south. Picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom seemed to be the only thing he really wanted to do today. A dangerous thought. He’d never spent the night with a woman. Always had his fun and left. Staying the night meant commitment. Something he didn’t do. So why in the hell had he stayed with Mia? And why didn’t it bother him as much as it should?

  An outraged gasp came from the kitchen. Dropping the candle he’d just picked up, Brendan sprinted into the kitchen. Mia sat at the table, laptop open in front of her, face pale. She looked up when he entered.

  “What’s wrong?” He scanned the room for signs of Ray, only to find it empty.

  A tear trickled down her cheek. “It’s gone. All of it. Gone.”

  He frowned and walked over to her. “What’s gone?”

  She turned the laptop toward him. Her bank account sat open on the screen. With a zero balance.

  “Did you call the bank?”

  “Yes. They’re looking into it for me. Seems my money was transferred out of my account this morning.”

  “Transferred by who?”

  Mia wiped away her tears. “By me.”

  “Do they have the account number of the bank it was transferred to?”

  “They’re looking into it. That’s all they would tell me.”

  Pieces were already falling into place in his mind. Ray’s odd behavior yesterday. His comment about getting what he’d come for. If Ray had connections at all he’d have no trouble finding a hacker to do the transfer. Happened all the time, sadly.

  “Let me call my team. We have resources to find out things the banks can’t.”

  Mia looked up at him, hope in her eyes. “You can help me?”

  He would anything for her. Denying it would only make him a fool. He’d fallen for this woman and her son and nothing could change that. Not the past, not his mistakes.

  “I’ll make a call.” He pulled out his cell phone.

  He passed Jason on his way into the living room so he could speak privately. As he punched in Noah’s number he heard Mia explaining to Jason what had happened. He knew she wouldn’t blame Ray until they knew for sure. That’s who she was. Fair, forgiving.

  His brother-in-law picked up on the second ring. “You’re supposed to be on vacation.”

  Brendan grinned at the gruff note in Noah’s voice. “I’m still in Hawaii. I need Rogan’s help.”

  “What happened?”

  Brendan explained Mia and her son, the ex, and the missing inheritance. Noah listened patiently until he’d finished.

  “I’ll have St. Klare in the air within the hour.”

  “Thanks. How’s that sister and niece of mine?”

  “Attie is as stubborn as ever and our daughter is taking after her.”

  Brendan laughed. “Sounds about right.”

  “Let me know if you need anything else. More backup?”

  “Won’t be necessary. Ray is no threat.”

  “Let’s keep it that way. Attie would kill me if anything happened to you.”

  His sister loved fiercely. God help anyone who hurt one of her loved ones. “Tell her everything is fine. I’ll keep in touch.”

  They disconnected and he turned to see Jason standing there, looking upset. “Is it true? Did someone really steal all the money my aunt left us?”

  “I don’t have much information yet, but it looks like it.”

  The kid cursed under his breath. “Who would do that?”

  Brendan decided to keep his suspicions to himself. “Someone without morals. I have a friend coming over to help figure all this out.”

  “That’s who you were talking to just now?”

  “That was a member of the organization I work for. And a friend. But, he’s not coming. Another operative is.”

  “Operative. This is the group you told me about? ATCOM?”

  “Yes.” They had talked about the military and ATCOM during their run this morning. Jason had seemed genuinely interested in both.

  “I’m glad you’re here to help my mom,” Jason said quietly.

  “I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.”

  “You think my dad did this?”

  Brendan met the kid’s troubled gaze. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  ****

  Rogan St. Klare was not what Mia expected when he arrived a couple hours later. Not as tall as Brendan, but still at least six-foot, with a deep tan, shaggy, surfer dark blond hair, bold Hawaiian print shirt, board shorts and flip-flops. In truth, probably the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Brendan had told her ATCOM resided in Montana. This guy looked like he’d just stepped off the beach. Instead of a surfboard, he carried a high-tech looking laptop and some other equipment.

  Brendan grinned when he let Rogan in, clapping him on the back. “Thanks for coming, man.”

  “Anything for you, Indiana.”

  Mia stepped closer. “Indiana?”

  Rogan turned a pair of ocean blue eyes on her. Good Lord, the man was too gorgeous for his own good. But, he did nothing for her. He didn’t get her blood racing like Brendan did. “Well, hello, there. You must be Mia.” He extended a hand and she accepted. Nope, no zing of energy like when Brendan touched her. “Indiana is just a nickname we gave Devayne here.”

  “Really? Why?”

  Rogan grinned. “Because he gets himself into sticky situations like Indiana Jones. Not to mention his daredevil antics.”

  Unease snaked down her spine. Daredevil. Indiana Jones. She’d watched every one of Harrison Ford’s movies, and of all of them she found Temple of Doom and Raiders the hardest to watch. Too many daredevil stunts and dangerous situations. Reminded her too much of the kind of life Ray led.

  “Let go of her hand, St. Klare,” Brendan warned half-heartedly.

  Rogan turned her hand over and kissed her palm before letting go. Oh, this man was a player. Too bad her heart had already been stolen by his coworker.

  A coworker that lived a life of danger and apparently liked it. She couldn’t do that again. Couldn’t go through the long nights wondering where he was and what he was doing.

  “You can set up in the living room,” she said. “There’s a desk and internet access in there.”

  They went to get started and she went to make a pot of coffee. Something to occupy her hands because she sure as heck couldn’t occupy her thoughts with anything except the fact Brendan resembled her ex in all the wrong ways. He may not be a criminal, but he lived the life of a thrill-seeker and that was enough.

  Confused, disappointed, saddened, she poured water into the pot. She’d done it again. Fallen for the wrong man. Only this time it hurt. Like never before. Losing Ray had hurt after the bitterness wore away, but not like this. This time her heart tore in half. She wasn’t sure she’d recover from this one.

  “Mom? You okay?”

  Pulled out of her thoughts she looked at her son, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge.

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “You look upset. Is it the money?”

  She wished. Somehow the loss of her inheritance hurt less than finding out Brendan was the kind of man she’d vowed to steer clear of. “I’m sure it will work out.”

  “Brendan and his friend seem confident.”

  “Yes.”

  Jason took a swig of water. “You think Dad did this?”

  Some of the fight went out of her. “I don’t know. It’s kind of odd that he showed up at the same time my money disappeared.”

  “Can I tell you something?”

  “Of course. You can always be honest with me, you know that.”

  Jason shifted uneasily. “That day you came home from the grocery store to find Dad here.”

  He paused and she moved to his side, put a hand on his arm. “What did he do?”

  “He asked me to brew a pot of coffee so I did. I thought he would wait in the living room, but when I came out…”

  “It’s all right. Nothing you say will make me upset with you.”

  Jason averted his eyes. “I found him going through your laptop.”

  Mia squeezed his arm. “What did he say when you caught him?”

  “Just that he was leaving you a note.”

  “You believed him?”

  Jason nodded.

  She hugged him. “Honey, you didn’t do anything wrong. This is on your father.”

  Jason hugged her back and her heart soared.

  “He really is a bad man, isn’t he?”

  She’d never wanted him to think that of his father, but Ray’s actions made it impossible to see him as anything else. Damn him for using her son to get her account information. “I’m sorry, Jason. All that is on your father and me. You’ve done nothing wrong. I love you and that will never change.”

  His head bobbed against her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mom. I blamed you for taking away my father. Now, I realize why you did.”

  She’d never wanted him to see the true Ray. Not fully. It would only hurt him and she’d do anything to prevent that.

  “Don’t hate him. He just made some bad choices.”

  “I don’t want to see him if we find out he stole the inheritance.”

  She leaned back. “You don’t have to. It’s completely your decision and I will stand by you, whatever you decide.”

  “Mia? We found something.”

  Brendan’s voice ended the mother/son bonding. Jason looked at her then led the way into the living room where Brendan and Rogan were hunched over Rogan’s computer screen.

  “What is it?” Jason asked.

  “Rogan tracked the bank transfer to an account in the Cayman Islands. Looks like your ex is using an alias. Ever heard of Joey Lane?”

  Her stomach clenched. Joey Lane. The name of the bar Ray had taken her to on their third date. Said a friend of his owned it. Now, she wondered if the bar had been a front for Ray and his cohorts’ illegal activities.

  “Mia? Does that sound familiar?”

  “Yes. It’s the name of a bar Ray and his friends hung in.”

  Brendan studied her so intensely she wanted to bristle. He already knew all of her secrets. Even the one that could drive her son away forever.

  “So this proves it? My dad stole the money?” Jason asked.

  “Too many coincidences to think otherwise,” Brendan answered.

  Jason dropped down on the sofa, looking stunned. Mia went to him and sat beside him, putting her arm around his shoulders. To Brendan, she asked, “What do we do?”

  “We’ve already contacted the police. No doubt it’ll go Federal. We have enough evidence to prove it was Ray.”

  Some of the color drained from her face, she felt it go. If Ray got convicted of this, he would go back to prison. And probably never make it out. As much as she knew he deserved it and had done this himself, didn’t make it any easier to accept. Her son truly would grow up and live the rest of his life without a father.

  “The hacker he hired was sloppy,” Rogan said, tapping keys on his laptop. “Didn’t cover their tracks good enough. Pretty damn nice try though.”

  Mia didn’t hear the rest of what they said. The cops showed up, invading her home, the same as they had ten years ago. Déjà vu hit her like a wrecking ball. Except this time Jason was a teenager and not an innocent six-year-old. He stayed by her side as things swirled around her. People coming at her with questions, then at Jason. Brendan by her side, fielding the attacks. Rogan printing page after page of proof, sealing her ex-husband’s fate forever.

  Finally, when the whirlwind settled, she wrapped her arms around her middle and shuddered. Jason had disappeared into his room to process in his own way. Rogan packed up his equipment, preparing to leave. He’d done what he’d come for. Found enough evidence for the Feds to convict Ray.

 

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