SocialPreyAllRomance (3 page)

Scott snickered as he watched Kiley carry her still full plate to the sink and begin
to scrape the food into the garbage disposal. “I’m very careful. I always use a condom
and get checked regularly.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, her eyebrow raised adorably. “Really? I’m impressed.”

“I’ll always use a condom. I’m saving my skin to pussy virginity until I can convince
the right girl she’s meant to be mine, you know when I’m old and gray and can no longer
play with the big boys.”

Kiley giggled and shook her head. “Good luck with that.”

She set the plate down and turned to lean the small of her back against the counter.
She reached down and gripped the edge of the granite countertop as she stared across
the room at him with amusement, but there was a glint of something else in her eyes
that made Scott’s pulse race.

“Don’t think I could convince her?” he asked.

“What I think is that this is a conversation better left for one of your male cronies.
Right now, I need to get in the shower and get to bed.”

Scott grinned. “Want some company?”

Kiley walked past him and pushed at his forehead with her index finger, forcing his
head back slightly. “You wish,” she mumbled.

Scott did wish. But he also knew wishing was all it could be. Kiley was off limits.
He would never ruin the friendship they had over a night of sex, despite how incredible
he knew it would be.

Kiley’s hands shook as she stared at Scott. It was one of the reasons she’d grabbed
hold of the counter. She didn’t want him to see what kind of effect he had on her,
especially when he was making sexual comments she really didn’t think he meant.

He looked so handsome, so incredibly sexy with that devilish twinkle in his eye. He
always had that look when he was teasing her, even when they were kids. She placed
trembling fingers on his head as she walked past, letting the short hair rub against
her fingers as she ran her hand across them.

“You know the way out,” she said.

Her hand dropped from his head but Scott grabbed it. His fingers felt warm around
hers, and she resisted the urge to pull her hand away. Instead, she turned to face
him.

He stared up at her with concern and a hint of understanding. “Paula’s going to be
okay, Kiley.

They’ll get her out.”

She nodded. “I know. Still doesn’t stop me from worrying.”

Scott brought her hand to his mouth. His lips were moist and soft as they touched
the back of her fingers. Every inch of her arm tingled as he held her fingers against
his lips for several seconds. He lifted his eyelids and met her gaze. Kiley swallowed,
hoping the feelings she had for Scott didn’t show in her eyes.

She’d loved him since she was a teenager, but she’d never told anyone, although Paula
had guessed. It’s why she’d never dated anyone seriously. It’s why her sexual encounters
were just one night stands. It was because no one would ever measure up to Scott.
No one would ever hold her heart the way Scott did.

Scott removed his lips from her hand and stood. Kiley’s heart raced as he leaned forward
and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. It wasn’t the first time he’d ever kissed
her like that. He’d done it numerous times. He’d even kissed her chastely on the mouth,
so she shouldn’t be surprised he would do it now, especially if he thought she was
worried or upset. Unfortunately, when he was this close to her the butterflies in
her stomach always went insane.

“I’ll see you at the office in the morning at eight?”

Kiley licked her lips. “Make it eight-thirty.”

Scott’s lips twitched slightly. “Deal.”

He started walking away, and she breathed a sigh of relief she hadn’t jumped him.
Again. “And bring some coffee from the shop that’s on the corner.”

“Don’t like the office coffee?” he asked, although Kiley had no doubt he already knew
the answer.

“Keith’s gone. Office coffee always sucks when Keith’s gone.”

Scott nodded and continued toward the front door. “Ain’t that the truth?”

Kiley stood in the kitchen for several minutes after the front door closed. Part of
her wanted to run after him; call him back. Scott always made her feel better. Now
that he was gone, that his tall, muscular presence was no longer filling her kitchen,
the space felt overly big and lonely.

Sighing, she glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was only seven-thirty. Too
early for bed.

Especially when it was an empty bed. She decided to hit the computers again and get
that program running to track those women that James had friended on Facebook. She
needed to keep an eye on them and hopefully be able to follow them if they left the
country.

* * * *

He grinned to himself as he headed down the hall to Kiley’s office carefully balancing
the three coffees he carried in his hands. He could still remember the argument she
and Keith had over that car. Keith hated it. He thought she drove too crazy for a
convertible, that she’d get herself killed. Keith had always been an overprotective
brother, but after the death of their parents, he’d become even more so.

Scott chalked it up to fear of losing the only family he had left. Scott could understand
that. He could also understand Kiley’s frustration with it. She was an adult, and
Keith should treat her as such. Unfortunately, Keith never listened to reason when
it came to Kiley.

As Scott made his way down the hall, he stuck his head into Keith’s office and nodded
at his assistant, Miranda. “Mornin’, doll. Kiley in her office?”

Miranda smiled slightly and turned her attention back to the computer in front of
her. “Where else? That girl’s going to work herself into an early grave alongside
her brother. See what you can do about that.”

Scott snorted and set one of the coffees he carried on her desk. “I’m tryin’.”

He heard Miranda mumble something under her breath that sounded like ‘yeah, I bet’,
but he chose to ignore it and headed on to Kiley’s office. Sometimes he wondered if
the forty-something, gorgeous brunette that took care of Keith’s office duties knew
about his feelings for Kiley. He’d tried to hide it as best he could but she’d still
caught him watching Kiley. Miranda would give him an amused grin, but never said anything.
At least loud enough that he could hear it.

He used his hip to push open Kiley’s door.

“Oh, thank God, you brought coffee,” she said as she held her hand out.

Scott stopped and raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to bring it to ya? You can’t get
up and come get it?”

“You’re at my disposal, remember?” she countered, still holding her hand out. She
wiggled her fingers, and he resisted the urge to laugh out loud.

Scott relented and placed the cup in her outstretched hand.

“Thank you,” she said, taking a big sip.

She winced and hunched her shoulders. “Crap,” she gasped and wiped at a drop of coffee
clinging to her lower lip.

Scott licked his own, wondering what it would be like to lick that coffee from her
lips himself.

“It’s hot,” he said.

“No kidding,” she murmured as she set the cup aside. “You made good time.”

“I came in the back way. Not as much traffic.”

Kiley nodded and returned her attention to the computer. She had her hair up today,
small pearl earrings dangled from her lobes. Kiley wore very little jewelry, but when
her hair was up, she always had in earrings. He flicked one of the pearls with the
tip of his finger as he leaned over her shoulder to see what had her attention.

“What are you working on?” he asked.

“I’m putting the final touches on a program that will alert me to someone buying an
airline ticket.”

“Do you have any idea how many laws you’re breaking?”

“Do you have any idea how many laws you break every time you take a job?” she replied.

“Touche’. Good thing we have friends in high places.” He looked closer at the screen.
“Who are we watching?”

“James is flirting with three other women. I’m watching for any of them to leave the
country.”

“Smart move.”

“Well, let’s hope it is.”

She spun her chair around before Scott realized her intent and had a chance to move.
Still bent over slightly, he found himself inches from her face. They both froze.
Scott stared into her beautiful eyes, and his pulse pounded loudly in his ears. Those
full lips, still moist from the coffee called to him, begged him to take them.

Kiley hadn’t moved either. She sat forward slightly, her hands on the arms of the
chair, her startled gaze glued to his. He needed to move. Why wasn’t he moving? Why
wasn’t she

moving?

He tried to read her emotions, tried to gauge what she was thinking. Whatever it might
be, she hid it well. She gave no indication she might want what he did. If he made
a move, and she didn’t feel the same, then it could eventually turn into a problem.
Not to mention what Keith would do to him.

Scott wasn’t afraid of Keith. He could certainly hold his own with her brother, but
he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship and he certainly didn’t
want to ruin what he had with Kiley. He would rather have her as a friend than to
not have her in his life at all.

He quickly pushed upright before he did something stupid like kiss her.

“Need any help with anything?” he asked.

Kiley shook her head and pushed herself out of the chair. Scott stepped back, allowing
her room to move around him.

“For now, we just wait,” she replied.

He lowered his stare to her ass as she walked across the room to grab a file from
the table a few feet away. Today, she wore tan slacks, a white sweater, and on her
feet were leopard print three inch heels. Scott grinned, but quickly forced the smile
away as she turned to face him.

She had the file open in her hands, silently studying what was inside. She looked
at him through her lashes, then frowned. “Why are you still here?”

“I told you. I’m at your disposal.” He leaned his hip against her desk and lifted
his cup to take a sip of coffee.

Kiley lowered the file and sighed. “Surely you have something else you could be doing.”

Scott raised an eyebrow in interest. Why was she so determined to see him leave? “You
got a guy coming over or something? Why do you want me out of here so bad?”

Her frown deepened. “Why do you want to stay here so bad?”

Lowering her gaze, she walked around him to sit behind her desk again.

“Maybe I like watching you,” he drawled in his most sexy voice, but Kiley didn’t seem
to notice.

She swatted at his hip with her file. “You’re on my paperwork. Move.”

He lifted his hip slightly, allowing her to pull the file from beneath him. She hid
it well, but he could see the grin she fought to keep at bay.

“Scott…I swear to God…”

“What?” he teased, unable to resist. She scowled at him as she opened the file she’d
retrieved.

“Have you looked into the women he’s flirting with?” he asked.

“You’re kidding, right?” she replied, without looking at him.

Scott should’ve known better. Nothing got past Kiley. That was probably one of the
first things she’d done.

“What did you find out?” he pried.

She replaced the file onto her desk with a sigh. She seemed to do that often whenever
he was around, but Scott had a feeling it had more to do with aggravation than anything
sexual. Kiley wasn’t used to him questioning her like this.

“Same as Paula. Single, no discernible family, educated, early thirties to late-forties.
My guess is they’re all lonely and very gullible.”

Scott nodded. “Probably—“His cell phone dinged, and he pulled it from the clip he
had attached to his jeans and read the text from her brother. “Keith and the guys
are in the air. They should be in Istanbul in a few hours.”

Scott quickly answered Keith’s question about Kiley before hitting send and placing
it back in his clip.

“Did you tell him I’m safely in the office, guard dog on high alert?” she asked with
just a hint of sarcasm.

“I’m not a guard dog,” Scott replied as though offended, then grinned wickedly. “I’m
a predator.”

“You’re delusional,” she countered.

“I may be, but I definitely like my delusions better than most people’s realities.”
He stood to leave. “In my mind, I’m a God. In reality, I’m just a mercenary.”

Kiley’s lips twitched as he turned to leave.

“I’ll be in my office. I have some emails I need to answer. Call out if you need me.”
He glanced over his shoulder and winked. “Or if you just want me.”

Kiley shook her head and smiled as Scott left her office. The room seemed bigger when
his presence wasn’t filling it. She resisted the urge to call out, to tell him that
she did want him—

that she did need him. More than he could or would ever know.

She would rather have him as a teasing big brother than not at all. Scott would never
go against her brother, and she would never ask him to.

Her smile faded as she stared at the computer screen. She really loved her job, but
in reality, she needed to get away from Scott. She needed to find someone else to
fall in love with. The longer she stayed around, the harder it would be to ever get
over him. And God help her if he found someone he wanted to marry. That would kill
her.

Yep, she definitely needed to get away from here and the sooner the better.

Maybe once her brother got back with Paula and they wrapped up this case, she would

seriously look into that C.I.A. job offer.

She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a business card. She stared at it for several
seconds, thinking, wondering. She tapped at the desk with the edge of the card as
indecision tugged at her chest. Would it hurt to hear him out? See what the C.I.A.
had to offer?