Deadly Desire (Carrington-Hill Investigations Book 2) (8 page)

“It’s obvious you can’t keep your hands off him
, and it’s affecting your performance. I mean, look how easy it was for me to walk up on both of you, catching you unaware. What if I’d been the killer?”

“Maureen, lower your voice
,” Collin said, in a threatening tone, as he looked around at the nearby tables. What was he worried someone might overhear?

Her gaze was unrelenting and seemingly unforgiving. “What! It’s true.”

“We aren’t discussing this here.”

  A sudden icy contempt flashed in Maureen’s eyes. “Fine, we’ll do this on the patio. Because make no mistake
…” She gave Sara a disgusted look. “… we
are
discussing this.” The blonde stomped off, her heels clicking as she marched toward the double doors that led outside.

Collin gently squeezed Sara’s elbow. “
You’ll have to forgive her. She isn’t normally like this.”

Sara grinned. “I tend to bring out the best in everyone.”

“I’ll be right back.”

She stopped him with the touch of her hand
, not liking the possibilities of what could happen to him out in the open, unprotected, and with a woman with so much fire and venom she was ripe to strike. What if this chick was the stalker? Would she attempt to take him out in such a public forum, or would she wait until they were alone? Would the stalker even care one way or the other? “This isn’t a good idea.”

Running his palms up and down her arm, he pressed a light kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be just outside the door.” He glanced over his shoulder before meeting Sara’s eyes. “You’ll be able to see me from the table
. Besides, I’m sure you’re a great shot.”

She
watched him amble toward the doors where Maureen was impatiently waiting and tapping her foot.

“I see you’ve met, Maureen
,” Sanchez said from behind her with his hand on the back of Sara’s chair.

Sara tried to ignore the man, but something told her that he wasn’t going away.

“Bet you didn’t know they were an item before she signed him on as a client.” Sanchez shrugged. “Rumor has it she’s still in love with him and, from the looks of it, she isn’t too fond of you.”

“Huh.” Sara mulled that information around in her brain
, letting the new information simmer like a pot on the stove. “I don’t care if she likes me. What I want to know is why she wasn’t in your exposé.”

Sanchez leaned down
, close enough that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Where do you think I got the list of names from? You’re playing with fire, honey, and I’d hate to see a pretty little thing like you get burned. You might want to consider cutting your losses while you still can.”

The blogger left without saying another word
. He’d done enough damage just by planting a seed of doubt in her mind. A ping of jealousy settled in her gut. Stalkers, a pissed off publicist and now her own jealousies….the bachelor seemed to bring out the best in every woman around him. Oh no, no, no…this wasn’t good. She pushed the useless feeling away. Sara’s eyes never strayed from where Collin stood just outside the glass doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest even as Maureen spoke, emphasizing her words with wild hand gestures. The discussion was heated. Maureen paused and placed her fists on her hips. Collin reached for her, placing a palm on her arm, but she just as quickly shrugged it off. She pointed toward where Sara was sitting and Sara watched as Maureen’s face turned an unnatural shade of red before she spun on her heel and stomped off, leaving Collin standing there alone. Collin ran his hand over his neck as he stood there shaking his head, still looking in the direction Maureen had departed.  

He returned
to their table moments later.

“
She’s a special kind of crazy with a shot of espresso, isn’t she?”

He slid into the seat next to her. “
She’s a bit intense and worried. That’s the only way she knows how to be.”

Intense, crazy, jealous, maybe even crazy jealous. T
he classic definition of a stalker flashed in Sara’s mind.  She noted the worried look in his eye as he continued to stare at the door where they’d had their argument. “Want to talk about it?”

“She doesn’t approve.”

Sara leaned back in her chair and studied Collin’s profile. The fine lines on his face deepened. His shoulders sagged. “Clearly. She’s right, you know. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I lost focus, and that isn’t a good thing in my line of work, especially without backup.”

He turned at Sara’s
admission. The lines on his face softened. “You didn’t kiss me, Sara. I kissed you, and you didn’t have a choice.”

Collin’s words were spoken with confidence and held a hint of truth. She believed he meant what he said, regardless if it meant that her kissing him back could have put him in danger.
“It would be good for you to remember that I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do.”

The
orchestra started playing a slow melody, and Sara watched as people around them strolled to the dance floor. Her gaze still scanned their surroundings, searching for any sign of an impending attack or any other jealous women with fangs and claws.

Collin stood and held out his hand
. “You’ll have a better view from the dance floor.”

She placed her fingers in his
, and they moved to the center of the dance floor. His arms circled her waist and pulled her close, and he started swaying to the music. Sara tried to digest and compartmentalize everything Sanchez had implied with what she’d seen with her own eyes. The clean scent of Collin’s aftershave drifted to her nose. The hard planes of his chest pressed lightly against her breasts. Every nerve ending was standing at attention. It was obvious there was things he wasn’t telling her. Things that even the blogger knew about. She needed to press Collin and find out what other bits of information he might be withholding, but she wouldn’t do it here. She needed a secure private location so she could grill him. The music ended, and the swaying stopped, but he didn’t release her. She glanced up.

“Can we go? Have you fulfilled your obligations?”

“Not yet. I still need to do a photo shoot with some of the guests.”

She nodded. The rest of the night she followed dutifully along, trying her best to keep an eye on the crowd and Collin. She glanced over to where Sanchez was standing. A cocky smile tilted on his lips as he raised a drink in mock salute to her. They’d made a banner
, with the charity logo printed on it, for Collin to stand in front of to have his pictures taken with various fans. The women that slid up next to him were obvious about their intentions. Sara took a seat at a table next to the prop. She watched as woman after woman kissed his cheek, some even being bold enough to hand him little slips of paper. Every man around him respected him, and woman were enamored by his easy good looks and charming appeal. He took his sexuality to a whole new level she’d never witnessed by anyone before. This man was a charmer, a seducer, and already a pain in her ass.

Sara was
so mesmerized watching Collin work the crowd that she didn’t pay attention to the heavy-set gentleman that sat beside her at the table until she heard him order an Absolute Stress from a passing waiter. She’d only ever known one other person that liked that mix of alcohol.

She turned
and her mouth parted, but no words came out. Senator Boyles flipped open a copy of the newspaper where she’d made the front page in her god-awful plaid schoolgirl miniskirt. He leaned in closer to her. “Ms. Johnson, I believe you have something I want.”

This couldn’t be happening, not while she was on assignment. Sara cleared her throat and pasted a smile on her lips. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to
, Senator, unless you’re talking about my vote.” She leaned farther into him. “It will be a cold day in hell before you ever get that.”

The waiter returned with the alcohol concoction
and handed it to him. Sara glanced over her shoulder and noticed two men in black, just like the ones who had been following the congressmen the other day. The security guards moved closer, now standing behind them; both of their faces were expressionless.

“Ms. Johnson, don’t play games with me
,” the senator sneered in her ear.

Sara leaned back in her chair. “Senator, I assure you this isn’t a game
, and if it was, I believe I’ve got the better hand. Can you say the same thing?”

Collin appeared on the other side of the table and held out his hand to her. “Are you ready to go?”

If Collin noticed the tension at the table, he didn’t say anything. She slipped her hand in his. “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I think our business here is done.”

She sashayed to the elevators without a backward glance
. They stepped in, and Collin waited for the doors to close before pulling her into his arms. “Who was that?”

“Senator Boyles. Let’s just say, my last mission sent me to take some compromising p
hotos of him.”

His hold on her tightened. “And I take it you succeeded.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure how the senator found out. It’s not like he was paying attention that night.”

“
I’ll bet he wasn’t. I’m sorry it wasn’t as interesting with me. I’m sure you were bored tonight after the kind of cases you cover.”

Sara gave a light push on his chest and stepped out of his embrace. “I have to admit, it was quit
e an eye opener watching you spin your magic, not to mention meeting Sanchez, but the topping on the cake was watching Maureen throw her tantrum.”

His brows furrowed when she moved to the other side of the elevator. The space was too small, not allowing her to put more distance between them. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Depends.”

Chapter 9

Her shoulders were tense when they arrived back at
her adjoining hotel room. She was intent on asking him some pretty invasive questions, and she wasn’t sure she actually wanted to know the answers.  While he shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair and loosened his tie, she sent a quick text to Marco about the situation with the senator and mentioned the newspaper article. By the time she was done, she turned to find Collin resting against the headboard, with his fingers laced behind his head.

“So
, what’s on your mind?”

Sara kicked off her shoes and moved toward the only mirror in the room. She started pulling out the
hidden bobby pins holding her hair in place. As casually as she could manage, she said, “Tell me about Maureen.”

She glanced at his reflection in the mirror; he was frowning as he met her gaze. “What do you want to know?”

She went back to the task of pulling pins. “How come you didn’t tell me you two were an item once?” She turned to him. “Didn’t you think it might be important?”

He rose from the bed and stepped over to her. He slid his fingers through her strands
, simultaneously massaging her head while searching for a stray pin she might have missed. He pulled one out and held it up. “Why, are you jealous?”

Sara rolled her eyes as she side
-stepped him and moved back to her suitcase to put the bobby pins away. “Hardly. The woman is a loon, but seriously, she could be another victim or worse…” Sara turned and crossed her arms over her chest. “A cold blooded killer.”

“Who told you?”
he asked with curiosity.

She shrugged. “Does it matter? The problem here isn’t who told me, but why you didn’t. I can’t keep you safe if you’re going to withhold information.”

He stalked toward her and placed a palm on her cheek. “This was exactly why I didn’t tell you. You’re barking up the wrong tree. No one knows about Maureen, so she isn’t in any danger, and she damn sure isn’t the stalker.”

His vehement refusal to acknowledge the truth momentarily angered her.
Slapping him upside the back of the head came to mind. Locking him up and away from the woman population was another alternative that ran through her thoughts. She bit back her retort and tried another angle. Sara covered the back of his hand. Sensitive, she reminded herself. Collin was a good guy, and just because he was a little naïve when it came to women didn’t mean he deserved her lecture.

“
She’s a piranha.” Well, there went her idea of sensitive. “I’ve seen woman who will go to any lengths to win back a man. Even if Maureen isn’t the stalker, she still wants you, and you’re putting her in danger. I can name at least one person who knows about the history you have with her and I’m pretty pissed that it wasn’t me. ”

“
I was going to tell you, but I know deep down that it isn’t her. She’s stubborn. She won’t go into hiding, and she understands what is going on. That’s why she was yelling at me. She wants me to get more security.” He leaned down, and his lips hovered in front of hers. “Can we talk about something else?” He grinned. “Or maybe even not talk at all?”

He crushed his lips to hers and slid his palm around to the nape of her neck.  A delightful shiver of want coursed through her body, touching places left
dormant way too long. His body pressed up against hers, chest to chest. His bulge strained against his dress pants and pressed against her belly. His tongue tangled with hers. This kiss was slow, it was sensual, and she wanted it. A pulsing knot of need within her demanded she take more, and yet she wasn’t about to let it get that far. He must have thought the kiss would end the argument; he’d thought wrong. She leaned back.

“Sara…”

“You’ve got to stop doing that.”

“
You’ve got to stop fighting it. What happened to the woman who wanted to know boxers or briefs? Where did she go?”

She stepped back. “
She grew a brain. I’m here to do a job, nothing more.”

He reached for her
, stopping her retreat. “Can’t you do both? This thing between us isn’t going to go away. It’s just going to grow and fester until it explodes. Why are you denying us the chance?”

Sara stood unable to move. His words touched a place in her heart that she
’d thought was long dead. Should she? Shouldn’t she? She wanted too; damn did she want pretend there was no killer. That he was actually interested in her and not just because she knew how to shoot a gun. Damn it. She placed her hand on his smooth face and held his gaze before she spoke the words she didn’t want to say, something to make him understand, something to put the much-needed distance back between them, the way it should be.

“Collin, you’re my assignment
, and I think it’s best if we keep it that way.” 

Annoyance and determination flashed in his eyes. The unwelcome tension stretched even tighter between them, almost to the point
that it would smother them both. He quickly masked the determined look with one of annoyance. He wasn’t going to drop it; she could read it on his face. This man was determined if nothing else, and she knew it was just a matter of time before she would succumb to his charms. The chemistry between them was too powerful. Tangible like a ball of rubber bands, each strand holding the others back. If one restraint were to break, the rest would explode into a whirlwind of energy, supplying them both with a sexual desire she wouldn’t be able to avoid. No, she couldn’t take the risk of letting herself succumb to his easy charm and sexy-as-hell looks. Her heart wouldn’t withstand the trampling she knew would follow, and it was inevitable that he would eventually move on. If he could keep secrets from her, she wouldn’t, and couldn’t, risk the chance of having more of an emotional tie with him.

He grabbed his jacke
t and slung it over his shoulder. “I see. Well then, I guess this is good night.”

His words were strained. Her stomach churned with anxiety
. Her nerves loaded with frustration. But there was one more thing left she needed to do. She walked across the room to the other adjoining door, flicked the lock, and pulled the door open. “Sorry, Romeo, but you’re sleeping in this room.”

Hitching his thumb over his shoulder, he asked. “Not in my room and not
yours? Now you want me to switch rooms? We aren’t even registered for that room.”

Bypassing him
, she moved into the empty room. “You’re not registered for this room, but Marco reserved it and paid for it in his name as a backup. It’s better this way, just an extra security measure.”

Collin leaned his head back and briefly squeezed his ey
es close. “Where are you sleeping?”

“I’ll be going back and forth between your old room and mine and making plenty of noise so people will assume you’re in there. Maybe
I’ll even leave the television cranked up a notch or two.

He moved back through her room into his old one and shov
ed things into his suitcase, and then he wheeled it back through her room on his way to the new one. “Don’t you think it would be safer if you stayed in the other room with me?”

“Safer from stalkers
, yes, but not from you…I think I’ll take my chances with the stalker.”

He splayed a sexy grin on his face and covered his heart with his palm as if she’d stabbed him in the chest. “I’m crushed.” He winked. “I
can
behave myself.”

“Cut the theatrics and don’t open that front door for anyone, understood?”

She noticed the moment of resignation when he realized he wouldn’t be getting his way. His smile fell as he gave a slight nod. “As you wish.”

His gaze caressed her face. His brows drew
down in contention before he shook his head and walked into the new room she’d assigned him. He left her alone for the time being. Because really whom was she kidding? He wasn’t anywhere done trying to seduce her. She’d only issued a mandatory breather and she’d fight the attraction and hold out as long as she could. She gave herself a mental slap on the back for not jumping him the minute they’d walked through the door.

She closed the door between them, grabbed her toiletries and
pajamas, and walked into Collin’s old room and into the bathroom. She still had to make it appear as though someone was in his room. The walls were thin. She could hear the television coming from the next room. It was muffled by the wall, sounding like a low murmur, and she was unable to make out the words. She turned on the shower and adjusted the water before fumbling with the zipper on her dress, reaching in an awkward position to grab the darn clasp. She tugged until it was loose enough for her to shimmy out of the long gown. She stepped into the shower, enjoying the hot water as it caressed her body. She washed and conditioned her hair and scrubbed the makeup from her face. Her body heated, remembering the desire in Collin’s eyes, his teasing touches, and the scorching kiss. She adjusted the water temperature cooler to douse the fire that threated her sanity. Her relief was short-lived.

“I know you still want me as much as I want you
,” A woman’s voice said from the other side of the shower curtain.

Sara
felt her face flush, even though she stood under freezing water. She turned the shower off, deciding how to handle the piranha. The determined woman hadn’t been in the room when Sara first entered. Crap, Crap Crap. She cursed herself for not having her gun in reach. She’d left the damn thing in the other room, like a complete rookie. Sara drew the curtain back, making sure that her body was still slightly covered. Maureen’s face flushed with embarrassment before she let out a gasp and quickly tried to cover her naked body with her hands. Her lingerie was splayed on the bathroom tiles. They both stood in uncomfortable silence as Sara reached for a towel and pulled it back behind the curtain.

“
Collin’s not here. Did you need me for something?” Sara tried to make her voice sound understanding, but it came out laced with pity.

Maureen scuttled around in the bathroom and slammed the door as Sara
stepped out of the tub and threw on her nightclothes. She pulled the door open to find Maureen already dressed again. Her demeanor had moved well beyond embarrassed straight to pissed-off. She placed her hands on her hips and stared down her nose at Sara. “I knew you were a hussy the first time I laid eyes on you. I don’t know why he can’t see that you’re just using him for his money.”

Sara chuckled. It probably wasn’t the right thing to do, but she couldn’t help herself. “Honey, if I was using him, it wouldn’t be for his money. Have you checked out his body? I bet he knows exactly how to make a woman scream from pleasure with just one touch.”

Okay, so maybe baiting Maureen was wrong, but damn, it was overdue after how rude the publicist had been. Sara tried her best for a straight face and cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t know, but from what I understand, you have first-hand knowledge. Care to give me some pointers?”

Sara moved across the room to the adjoining door and leaned against it. She wouldn’t let herself get into a situation with no way to escape. Maureen smirked as she turned in place
, following Sara’s movement. “Who told you?”

Shrugging, Sara replied
, “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is why you sold off the list of names to Sanchez.” Sara stepped closer, unable to control the anger bubbling inside on what that list of names presented. Each one a potential life to snuff out by the deranged lunatic and this stupid bitch didn’t have a clue. “You do realize your old relationship with him either makes you a suspect or a target in my eyes. So tell me, Maureen, do you want him back so bad that you’d kill for him?” Sara crossed her arms over her chest; afraid she might hit the woman, and tilted her head. “Did he leave you so scorned that you’re looking for revenge?”

Maureen turned her back to Sara. “You don’t know what you’re talking about
,” she said with a slight edge to her voice. “If you think I had anything to do with those murders, then he’s in worse hands than I thought.”

“No worse than yours
. At least I know how to shoot a gun and from the looks of it, I outsmarted you…the person who is supposed to know him best.”

“You bitch.” Maureen spun around in a huff. H
er eyelid twitched before she lunged at Sara. She saw it coming: she recognized the balled fists and hatred flaring from the woman’s eyes. Sara stopped the punch directed at her face in midair, cupping Maureen’s fist. She used the momentum and swung Maureen’s arm behind her back and pinned her face against the wall. Sara tugged the arm higher up Maureen’s back, making the woman shriek in pain.

“Maureen, I want you to listen to me and listen
well. If you ever, ever come at me again like that, I’ll break your fucking arm and then press charges on your sorry ass. And I’ll make it my mission in life to destroy you and your reputation.”

A tear of anger or pain slid down Maureen’s face
. Sara didn’t care which, as long as the bitch got the message. Sara gave her an extra slight shove into the wall before releasing her. Sara stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Now, I know love can make women do stupid things, so we’re going to chalk this up to a misunderstanding. I suggest you stay out of my way and let me do my damn job.”