Chance Encounter (16 page)

“True,” Brennan said. “But she’s got to know that if she were to release information from that file, she’d be incriminating herself in a murder.”

“Could be she’s not bright enough to get that.”

“Do you think your mother’s capable of murder?” Brennan asked.

“I don’t know. I’d like to think she isn’t. But she is a greedy person, and if there’s money to be had, who knows if she’d let a little thing like murder stop her?”

“Then she stays on the list,” Brennan said.
 

“So now what?”

“Even though she’s on the list, we need to consider that there might be someone else out there who knows your real name and either wants to blackmail you or ruin you.”

Kacie gave a small, husky laugh, but Brennan heard the stress beneath it. “So basically we have no clue. It could be anyone.”

As if realizing or regretting her earlier roughness, Riley gave her a sympathetic smile. “I think we can narrow it down a bit, with your help.”

“How?”

“We need a list of your employees, closest associates, and friends.”

“But I—” She shook her head. “No one close to me would do something like this. I trust all of my employees and associates implicitly.”

Brennan could understand and appreciate her defense. It was hard as hell to accept that the people you had given your total trust to had betrayed you. He knew that feeling well. And he also knew that betrayal happened every damn day.

“All too often it’s the one we never suspect,” Brennan said. “We don’t have a choice but to suspect everyone until we can eliminate them.”

Kacie took a long swallow of her now cold coffee. Hard to believe that only days ago she’d been sure of her path and the brightness of her future. Today, she felt as if a boulder was hanging just above her head. The likelihood of it falling and crushing her was becoming increasingly certain, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.

She took in Justin and Riley’s expressions. They had a job to do and had every intention of carrying it out. She couldn’t fault them for that. The fact that this was a difficult situation was understood, but that wouldn’t lessen their resolve to move forward.

Glancing at the man beside her, she saw that same resolve but something more, too. There was compassion, worry, even tenderness. How could he have become so important to her in such a short amount of time?
 

At that thought, Kacie gave herself a mental ass-kick. As astounding as this incredible knowledge was, now was not the time to be getting all starry-eyed over a man. Someone out there wanted to ruin her. That someone had killed to get information on her. And that information could destroy not only her career but also her sanity. She needed to get her ass in gear and help find out who it was before it was too late.

Standing, she said, “Even though I do trust my employees, I figured you’d want to check them out, too, so I’ve already made a list of everyone. I’ll get it for you.”

Aware that all eyes were on her, she exited the room with dignity. She’d been trained to keep her poise, maintain a smile even in extreme stress and physical discomfort. She told herself this was no different. But it was a lie.

Dr. Curtis had been murdered. A horrifying indication that whoever was behind this would go to great lengths to get what they wanted. If they had killed once, how easy would it be to kill again?

Chapter Sixteen

Sweat poured down her face, and though her legs were beginning to feel like overcooked pasta, she refused to quit. If she did, that meant she had to make a final decision, take that final, inevitable step.
 

After Riley and Justin left yesterday, she’d retreated from Brennan. Even though he’d been extraordinarily kind to her, she hadn’t wanted to hear his reassurances or advice. She had needed to think, and think hard.

She had stayed in her room most of the day and had come out only when he’d pounded on the door and insisted she eat something. She hadn’t been hungry, but neither was she looking to make herself sick by not eating. So she’d sat across the table from him and eaten what he’d put in front of her. The instant she could say that she’d made a decent dent in her meal, she’d thanked him, told him to leave the dishes in the sink and she would clean them later. Then she’d returned to her room.

Last night she’d alternated between pacing the floor and trying to get some sleep. She had been much more successful at the pacing. This morning, she’d walked out of her bedroom and headed straight to the small gym she’d set up in her spare bedroom. Physical exhaustion felt much more productive and healthier than mental fatigue.

“Dammit, if you don’t stop, you’re going to pass out.”

Brennan’s furious voice grabbed her and threw her back into a reality she’d been trying so hard to avoid. Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, he stood before her, beautifully male and thoroughly pissed. Those vivid green eyes fascinated her, as they seemed to change with every mood. When he was angry, they darkened to a brilliant emerald. And, oh man, were they jewel-hard now.

Before she could detect his intent, Brennan reached over and slammed the off button on the treadmill. Kacie came to an abrupt, stumbling halt. And then, because her legs were limp noodles, they collapsed.
 

Brennan caught her before she hit the floor. Holding her in his arms, he carried her to a chair. Instead of dropping her into it, he sat down with her, cradling her against him.

“Let me go. I’m all sweaty and wet. You’ll—”

“Just. Shut. Up.”

She knew she should protest his rudeness, but she was too tired and dispirited to even try. Besides, being held in his muscular arms, pressed up against his hard chest, with her head against his broad shoulder, was the best feeling in the world. When was the last time she’d felt this safe?

And so she lay there, saturated in perspiration and weak as a sick kitten, enjoying being in a man’s arms. Despite all the fear and angst over the last few days, plus the dread of what lay ahead for her future, Kacie allowed herself this small moment of joy and triumph. She was in Brennan’s arms, and she wasn’t scared or revolted. In fact, she was just the opposite. Imagine that. With a sigh that sounded like surrender, Kacie closed her eyes and reveled in this newfound feeling of safety.

Brennan told himself he shouldn’t be holding her. He’d come in to check on her and watched for almost half an hour while she’d pounded away on her treadmill. He’d known she was in shape—she was slender, but her body was taut and sleekly muscled. He hadn’t known just how physically fit she was. He’d timed her. A six-minute mile was damn impressive, especially since he knew she’d been running well before he walked into the room.

After a while, he realized that she wouldn’t stop until her body gave out. That’d pissed him off, though he probably could’ve figured out a way to stop her without scaring the shit out of her. Definitely could’ve simply supported her when she fell instead of holding her. And without a doubt, he should’ve deposited her into a chair and let her go. Instead, he was holding her in his arms and wasn’t quite sure when he’d be able to let her go.

She wasn’t fighting him. In fact, if the small smile curving her full lips was an indicator, she was enjoying being in his arms as much as he liked holding her.

They needed to talk, make some decisions. Yeah, he knew it wasn’t his business. He was here to keep her safe, not give her personal advice. But she’d had over twenty-four hours to ruminate. He might not know everything about her, but what he did know made him think she wasn’t one to bury her head in the sand and hope things got better. She would want to act.

Resisting the urge to taste the smile still curving her lips, he said quietly, “Ready to talk?”

She blinked up at him as if she’d been asleep, and Brennan wanted to laugh. He’d feared scaring her, but he’d put her to sleep instead.

“Yes.”

“Let’s get you hydrated first.” With great reluctance, Brennan stood and deposited her in the chair. He grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge across the room, twisted the cap off, and handed it to her.

She downed the entire bottle in one long drink, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen anything sexier. Watching her slender throat work as she swallowed, seeing the bliss of enjoyment on her face.
Hell.
He turned back to the fridge on the pretext of getting another bottle. If she saw the erection he was starting to sport, he’d lose her trust.
 

“I’m going to tell Edy. Who I am…what’s going on.”

He took a swallow of the ice-cold water and then turned back to her. The misery on her face demolished his desire, replacing it with the need to shield and protect.

“She’ll need to let Julian Montague know. If whoever is doing this leaks the truth, he’ll be caught unaware. That’s not right, and it could damage his company…definitely hurt sales. He’s planning to make the announcement about me in a few days. I need to inform him as soon as possible so he can select another model.

“Also, Edy’s put a lot of time into my career. She deserves to know the truth, too, in case she wants to dissolve our agreement.”

This was all so damned unfair. After finally getting her life back, and achieving her goal, someone wanted to take it away from her. If they could only understand this person’s motivation, it’d make it a lot easier to know how to proceed.

“You think Montague will renege on the deal?”

She lifted her slender shoulders in a weary
who knows?
shrug. “The reason he chose me is because of my wholesome, fresh-faced look. Being the drugged-out slut for a wealthy pervert doesn’t exactly say pure and untouched, does it?”

Fury zoomed through him, and Brennan didn’t think, he acted. Striding across the room, he pulled Kacie up by her upper arms and shook her, hard. “Stop that right now. You damn well will not take that attitude. You. Were. Raped. Not your fault, and anyone who sees it differently is a fucking idiot and not worth your time.”

Hell, she should have slapped him. He wasn’t exactly being the kindly counselor she probably needed. Instead, she gave him a sweet smile. “Thank you, Brennan. I needed to hear those words.”

He should’ve backed away, should’ve said he was glad she saw the light. Instead, he did something so incredibly stupid…so damn impulsive and very unlike him. Still holding her arms, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Slowly, gently, he savored the softness of her lips, the sweet taste of her mouth. Brennan groaned and deepened the kiss. Damn, she tasted good.

Kacie knew her heart would burst open any moment. Not only was she being kissed for the first time in years, he hadn’t given her any kind of warning. If he had, she would’ve backed away from him. And wouldn’t that have been a crying shame, because…
 

Oh my stars, the man kisses like a dream.

Tenderly ruthless, he ate at her lips with a gentle insistence that defeated every fear and replaced them with a need she’d never felt. Unable and unwilling to stop the invasion, Kacie opened her mouth, and Brennan accepted her invitation with a sexy growl. Delving into the depths of her mouth, his tongue swept across hers, tangling, tasting. He plunged deep, retreated, thrust again. It was as close to the sex act as she’d experienced since before Harrington, and while a sane part of her told her she needed to back away, she shushed that voice and went with what the rest of her wanted.

Since he held her just with his hands on her arms, and his mouth, Kacie was limited in where she could reach him. She didn’t give it too much thought, though. Her hands literally ached to touch him, feel him. She put them on his waist, and her first thought was that she’d never touched anyone so hard and unyielding. He was like a solid, brick wall without the slightest give. Why did that make her go even hotter?

Needing to feel naked skin, her fingers went beneath his T-shirt. His skin was a tactile delight for her senses—smooth, hot, hard, velvet roughness with a touch of silk.
 

Oh my
.

Abruptly, and much too soon, Brennan lifted his head. Kacie had to look at him, had to see if he was feeling even a small percentage of the wonder she was. There was definite heat, which matched her own. But the longer she looked at him, the more she saw something else—something she never wanted to see. Regret and remorse washed away the desire in his brilliant green eyes.

“I’m sorry, Kacie. I don’t know—”

Unable to withstand either his rejection or his apology, Kacie pressed her fingers to his mouth.
Oh…
No wonder his mouth had felt so glorious on hers. His lips were soft but with an underlying firmness that matched the rest of him.

“Please don’t… I—” She halted, embarrassed. How do you tell a guy that not only did you enjoy his kiss, but you really wanted him to do it again, plus a few more things?

If you’re Kacie Dane with zero confidence in your sexuality, you apparently stammer and say something incredibly stupid. “So…um…was that part of LCR’s new services?”

Like the flip of a light switch, his expression went blank, and his eyes went to an icy green. He dropped his hands and backed away. “Again, my apologies. It won’t happen again.”

She wanted to apologize, tell him it was the most delicious kiss she’d ever had. Anything to get that look off his face. Instead, like a tranquilized zombie, she watched him as he disappeared out the door. The minute it shut behind him, she wilted, dropping to the floor with a thud.