It was the next step up the ladder and he’d worked his ass off for it. But working with Hunter? That’d make his career.
All he’d have to do was give up his shot at Tobias Black. The shot he’d just cemented.
Maybe he should fill Hunter in. He instantly decided against it, though. He wanted to make this bust himself. He wanted to prove he deserved the promotion he’d just been offered.
Why had he just been offered that promotion?
“I didn’t put in for a transfer. What’s the deal?” he asked.
“I have need of your talents.”
Simon was good. Damned good. But he had no illusions. Other than the fact that he had a photographic memory for numbers, there was nothing he could do that dozens of other agents couldn’t. Not as well, but that was beside the point.
“Why do I doubt you?”
“Because you’re an untrusting soul, Barton.”
True. Simon sighed, his mind racing as he stepped out the back door to the hotel’s deck. He glanced around, noted the stairs leading to the exit and headed that way. “I have personal time coming. I need to take it. I’ll report to you in the DC office a week from tomorrow.”
“Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?”
Making his way down the series of stairs to the parking garage, Simon thought of Hunter’s warning to step off the Black case. “Nope.”
Hunter’s sigh was silent. But Simon knew it was there. He grinned, pulling his keys from his pocket.
“I’ll be in touch.”
Simon’s grin dimmed a little. In touch could mean so many things. In Hunter’s case, it’d probably mean Simon would wake up tomorrow morning to the guy staring at him from the foot of his bed. But before he could protest, his new boss hung up.
Well, shit.
Sure, he had the perfect inside track to Tobias Black. A chance to guarantee his permanent position on Hunter’s team and send his career skyrocketing. And now, it seemed like Hunter didn’t trust him.
Crazy.
Except, Simon sighed as he slid into his car, he hadn’t proved very trustworthy tonight. Gaining entrée to a criminal circle was one thing. But locking lips with that entrée was bad form.
Still, he couldn’t regret that kiss.
Maya Black was delicious. Sweet. Freaking out-of-this-world amazing.
No matter how the rest of the case turned out, tonight was going down as a winner in his book.
THIS WAS A CRAZY PLAN. She should cancel. Maya’s fist clenched around the phone she’d taken to carrying around the house in preparation for calling Simon. She should cancel. That was the only smart thing to do.
Cancel their deal. Call Caleb with the excuse that she was sick and couldn’t make it. That’d give her time to figure out what to do next.
But if she waited, Lilah would have time to get a tighter hold on Dad. She’d sucker him into a wedding before Valentine’s. As hurt and disappointed as Maya was in her father, she didn’t think she could live with herself if she didn’t do whatever she could to save him from that.
So she had to go through with it.
She’d bring Simon home. She’d pretend he was her boyfriend.
And she’d keep her fingers, lips and tongue off him.
The memory of her body pressed against his sent a wave of desire pounding through her. Her heart raced, heat surging, damp and needy, between her thighs. Yeah, that last one would be the hardest.
She looked around her lovely little haven of a house and sighed, her heart heavy. Yes, she’d be coming back. But things wouldn’t be the same. No matter what happened in the next few days, she’d return a changed person.
A knock at the door prevented her from sinking too far into a pout strong enough to require chocolate fudge ice cream.
Maya hurried to the front, then, her hand on the doorknob, she stopped and took a deep breath. She wiped her suddenly damp palms down her jeans, tugged at the waist of her white angora sweater and fluffed her hair.
Pathetic, she chided herself with an eye roll. She was primping like a giddy virgin on her first date.
Squaring her shoulders, she grabbed the knob again and opened the door.
“Simon,” she greeted, infusing as much airy confidence as she could scrape together in her voice. “I’m not sure if I’m impressed or worried that you prepared so quickly for this little trip.”
“Hey, you made an investment,” he said, leaning against her door looking so hot and sexy she actually felt the need to fan herself. “All I had to do was throw some clothes in a bag when you did.”
“No job worries?”
“It’s easy to get time off during the holidays.” He gave a dismissive shrug. “Not too many people looking to invest money this time of year. As the last week proved. But hey, this works out to both our advantage. Ya gotta love win-win deals, right?”
“Right.” Maya shivered. There it was again. Something edgy under the amiable demeanor that had her both nervous and excited.
Forcing herself to stick with the plan, she stepped back and welcomed him in. Not that she was stupid enough to hope this wasn’t a mistake. She knew it was. Her father had taught her at a young age to take the big risks but mitigate the damages.
“I’m all packed and ready to go,” she said, waving a hand toward the modest stack of five suitcases, topped by a bright purple cat carrier. “You don’t mind that I drive, right? I know the way and am more comfortable in my car. Besides, it’s cold in the mountains and we’ll likely hit bad weather and I’m betting my Ridgeline will handle it better than whatever sporty trick you drive.”
“You keep a car in the city?” he asked, giving her a speculative look. But he didn’t deny that he drove a sporty trick, she noticed.
“Public transportation is all well and good, but I prefer being in control.”
He quirked a brow, but didn’t comment. Instead he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской
