SocialPreyAllRomance (4 page)

She stopped tapping and reached for the phone.

Scott sat in his office only half paying attention to his computer screen. It was
the first time he’d ever been on the sidelines during an operation. He didn’t like
it, although he could understand Keith’s concern that Kiley might follow them. She
would want to be there for her friend, and Scott could understand that.

He wanted to be there for Keith, but he also knew Keith needed him here to keep an
eye on Kiley. She listened to him, and he could get through to her when no one else
could.

His door opened, and he spun his chair to see who entered his office. Kiley stuck
her head around the door and smiled. “Hey, I’m heading out to meet a friend for lunch.
I’ll be back shortly.”

“A date?” he asked, even though the very idea made him sick to his stomach. “Anybody
I know?”

She shook her head. “You really need to get some friends.”

“Hey, I have friends. They’re just all out taking care of your friend.”

She waved her hand at him in dismissal. “I’ll be back later.”

Scott frowned. She never answered his question. Kiley always told them who she was
meeting.

Why no names this time? It was probably nothing, but the little green-eyed monster
had taken up residence when it came to Kiley and other men.

He knew it was irrational, but whoever said the way you acted when you cared for someone
was rational?

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.” He squeezed his temple between his thumb and
forefinger. “It doesn’t matter.”

He heard the purr of her car’s engine, and his whole body tensed. Who was he kidding?
It did matter. He jumped up and headed to the parking lot. He could use this as surveillance
practice.

Or at least that’s what he told himself.

The real reason was he wanted to know.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Miranda asked as he jogged by her office.

“Lunch,” he called back.

“You’re not following Kiley, are you?”

Scott came to a stop and turned to face Miranda. She stepped into the hallway. All
of about five feet and not even a hundred pounds soaking wet, Miranda could stare
someone down almost as good as Keith could.

She was like a mother figure to all of them and the way she stood there now, staring
him down like a mother would a naughty child, Scott felt all of about fourteen.

“No,” he replied. He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “She didn’t by chance
tell you who she was going to lunch with, did she?”

Miranda’s lips lifted in an amused half smile. “No, but does it matter?”

Scott frowned. Yes, it mattered. They always told each other when they were leaving,
where they were going and who they were going with. It was a habit they’d gotten into.
They didn’t have the safest jobs, so Keith thought it would be a good idea if they
made a habit of checking in.

But this time Kiley didn’t say, which made Scott think she didn’t want him to know,
which bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Not because of the safety issue,
but because he didn’t want to think of her with another man.

“Aren’t you taking Keith’s keep-an-eye-on-Kiley thing a little too seriously? I don’t
think she’s going to go jump a plane and head to the Middle East today. She trusts
her brother to get Paula.

She’s also too wrapped up in the James surveillance to leave so I think you can ease
off her.”

Scott sighed and put his hands on his hips.

“Or is this something else?” she asked.

“I’m just keeping an eye on her, Miranda. That’s all.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen the way you keep your eyes on her.”

Scott leveled a startled gaze at Miranda.

She grinned wickedly. “It’s okay. I won’t say anything.”

Scott rubbed at his chin as he took a step toward Miranda. “Does Keith know?”

“That you lust after his sister?” She shook her head. “No. The tension that’s building
between the two of you is going to give you away though, if you don’t do something
about it.”

Scott scowled. “What tension?”

Now it was Miranda’s turn to send him a look of disbelief. “Playing stupid doesn’t
suit you.

Open your eyes, Scott.”

“Open my eyes to what? The fact that Kiley sees me as an annoying older brother? If
there’s tension, it’s because all I seem to do lately is piss her off.”

“The two of you really need to talk,” Miranda said before she turned to head back
to her office.

“Go get some lunch.”

“Lunch,” Scott grumbled; then he remembered Kiley. “Damn it, lunch.”

He rushed out the door and headed toward his truck, pushing Miranda’s lecture from
his mind.

He could use the GPS attached to Kiley’s phone to track her down. She’d kill him if
she knew he did that, but at the moment he didn’t care. He wanted to know who she
was meeting.

Scott parked his truck across the street from the restaurant Kiley entered. From this
vantage point, he had a clear view of the dining room of the expensive Italian restaurant.

He lifted his binoculars and focused in on Kiley. He watched her make her way across
the room; the soft sway of her ass in the slacks she wore, the way her pearl earrings
dangled from her ears. He wanted so bad to kiss that long, graceful neck.

He licked his lips, imagining what she might taste like. He knew how she smelled.
Lavender.

She always smelled of lavender. As she got close to her table, a smile lit up her
delicate features as she took the hand of her lunch date. Scott pulled back a little
with the binoculars so he could see her companion.

His lips thinned in anger as he recognized the older man. Kevin Becker, head of computer
intelligence with the C.I.A. Damn son of a bitch. What the hell was she doing talking
to him?

He lowered the binoculars. “What are you doing, Kiley?”

* * * *

After lunch, she’d headed to the mall. She’d needed to think. Kevin had made an impressive
offer; much better than the first two. It was a tough offer to pass up. But, did she
really want to leave the company she and her brother built? Did she really want to
leave Scott?

If she stayed with the company she would at least see Scott most every day. But then
wasn’t that part of the problem? Seeing a man she was in love with who didn’t return
those feelings?

Who only looked at her as a little sister?

“Where the hell have you been all day? It’s almost nine.”

Kiley screamed at the sound of Scott’s voice coming from her office door. She turned
to glare at him, her face heating with embarrassment and anger.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped. She placed a hand over her chest
to try to slow her racing heart. “You scared the hell out of me.”

Scott didn’t apologize. Matter of fact, he looked angry. She frowned and took a step
back.

“What’s your problem?”

“What were you doing eating lunch with Kevin Becker?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Were you following me?”

“No. It just so happens we went to the same restaurant.”

Kiley’s mouth tightened as her anger grew. “You don’t like that place, Scott, so I
know good and well you didn’t go there to eat. What were you doing following me?”

“I’m keeping an eye on you like Keith said.”

“I cannot believe you,” she snapped. Grabbing a pillow from the chair she threw it
at him, hitting him square in his broad, muscular chest. He caught it in his hand
and his eyes narrowed into hard slits of warning.

“Where the hell do you get off?” she yelled.

“You haven’t answered my question, Kiley.”

“He offered me a job…not that it’s any of your business.”

“A job?” Scott bellowed.

Kiley frowned, wondering what had him so riled. Why would he be so mad about this?

“Is that such a stretch?” Kiley asked.

Scott tossed the pillow back to the couch and started walking toward her. Kiley stepped
behind the chair, putting it between her and a very angry, very sexy looking Scott.

“You’re a hell of a hacker. I get why the C.I.A. wants you. What I don’t get is why
you want them. How can you leave the company you helped start? How can you leave Keith?”

“My God,” she said in shock. “You’re acting like I cheated on you or something.”

“You are cheating!” Scott yelled.

“I am not! It’s a company, not a marriage.”

“It’s about trust, Kiley. Have you even talked to your brother about this? Does he
have any idea the C.I.A. is courting you?”

Kiley licked her lower lip, suddenly feeling very guilty. She’d considered the offer
in order to get away from Scott. She hadn’t even once thought about Keith.

She sighed. “No.”

“Why are you even considering it?” Scott demanded.

She bristled and sent him her own narrowed stare of warning. “What I do with my life
is my business.”

Scott stepped forward and put his hands on the back of the chair. Leaning forward,
he brought his face very close to hers. She could feel every beat of her heart rush
the blood through her body. He locked his deep blue eyes with hers and Kiley wondered
how he could not see how much she loved him. How could he not see what working with
him every day was doing to her?

“Why are you considering it, Kiley?”

“Because of you, okay?” she shouted, then gasped in shock at what she’d revealed.

The anger left Scott’s face so fast he appeared to almost go pale. “What do you mean
‘because of me’?”

Kiley sighed and stepped back away from the chair, putting some distance between her
and Scott. “I didn’t mean that.”

“Yes, you did,” Scott countered.

He was right. She did. Now, how did she take it back?

Her iPad beeped and for a brief second she was thankful for the interruption—at least
until she saw it was her brother calling.

Scott picked up the iPad and opened the Skype program. “Hey, land safely?”

“Yeah.” There was a brief pause. “I thought I called Kiley’s Skype address.”

“You did. I’m at Kiley’s.”

“Oh. We landed safely and we’re setting up at the safe house now. We plan to head
straight to the prison in about an hour or so to check things out. How are things
there?”

Kiley shook her head, silently begging him not to say anything. Unfortunately, Scott
didn’t pay her any attention.

“Did you know the C.I.A. is courting your sister?”

“What?” Her brother asked in surprise, and Kiley sighed. “Where’s Kiley?”

Scott turned the iPad to face Kiley. She sent him a scathing look before glancing
at her brother on the screen. “Hey, Keith.”

“You gonna explain?” he asked. Keith never beat around the bush.

Kiley lifted one hand, then slapped at her thigh in agitation. “It’s nothing. I just
met with him at lunch. I’m not taking the job. I just wanted to hear what he had to
offer.” She glared at Scott.

“Your pal here is just making a big deal out of it.”

“I know he can’t match what you’re making now money wise. What’s going on, Kiley?
Why would you even consider it?”

“Can we talk about this when you get home?” She sent her brother a pleading look she
hoped he understood. “Please?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, okay. Scott, turn me back around.”

Scott turned the pad so it faced him. “How do things look over there?” he asked.

“John’s contact is going to get me into the prison so I can see her. I’m going in
as an attorney. I just hope they don’t look too closely at the forged credentials,
or my discomfort in a suit.”

Scott’s lips twitched. “You in a tie? Man, I miss all the good stuff.”

“I just hope I pass for a new, first day on the job Turkish lawyer. Half American
on my mother’s side. Kiley, do you have any messages for me to take to her?”

Kiley walked over and stood next to Scott. She could feel his heat, feel his dominating
presence, even smell his woodsy, masculine scent. God, she really needed to put some
distance between them, and soon, before she completely gave in to the lust she felt
for him.

“Just tell her I’m thinking about her. She’s going to recognize you, you know.”

“I know, but I’m hoping she’s smart enough not to say anything.”

She studied her brother’s lined brow and the bags beneath his eyes. Being back in
Turkey was affecting him more than he would admit.

“How are you?” she asked. “You look tired.”

“I tried to get some sleep on the plane, but we had so much crap to go over, I didn’t
get much.”

Kiley nodded. “Make sure you get some. It’s not good to go into a situation like this
if you’re tired.”

“I will. And will the two of you please stop fighting?”

Kiley’s eyes widened. “We’re not fighting,” they both replied at the same time.

Keith snorted. “The two of you have been bickering non-stop for weeks.” He eyed them
suspiciously before turning a firm gaze to Scott. “Lay off her about the C.I.A., Scott.”

“Fine,” Scott growled, then hit the end button, cutting off the connection.

“Hey,” she snapped. “I wasn’t finished talking to him.”

“And I’m not finished talking to you.”

Kiley grabbed the iPad and headed into her office. “Keith said to lay off me about
that.”

“That’s not what I want to talk to you about.”

She set the pad on her desk, but didn’t dare look up at him. He would want to know
what she meant by her comment. How was she going to get out of this? What was she
going to say?

“What have I done to make you want to leave?”

The softness of his voice caught her off guard. She jerked her head up and realized
her mistake instantly. She found herself held captive by his insistent, sexy, and
completely irresistible stare.

For a few seconds, she couldn’t speak.

“Well?” he asked as he leaned his palms on the desk.