Crossing the Line: Without a Trace series, a contemporary erotic romance novel (4 page)

CHAPTER 4

PANTS ON FIRE

D
amn the sun.” My brother lumbers into the kitchen with his hands shading his eyes. “Can we shut the blinds?”

“Hung over, my good man, eh?” I fill my coffee mug, lace it with milk and sugar, and press it into his hand. “Go, sit. I’ll scare the big, bad yellow ball away for you.” He flops down on a chair at the table as I pull the blinds to shade him from the glare.

We must’ve roused Lux, who’s been passed out in the living room. “Do I smell coffee?”

“Only if you get off your ass and come out here, you lazy wench!” I call to her, watching with amusement as my brother holds his head.

“Jesus, could we skip the yelling part of the morning?”

“What on earth did you two get into last night?” They didn’t come home until well after four, so
my
secret tryst is safe. Who knew I’d turn into such a hypocrite?

Noah points to Lux, who’s now joined us, her usually elegant black curls in disarray around her pale face. Her makeup is smudged, but she still looks like a dark fairy ready to steal a man’s soul with her kiss.

“Don’t blame me. You were the one who wanted to chase down scotch with tequila shots.” She looks at me, shaking her head. “Where did you teach this boy to drink? I swear he doesn’t know when to slow down.”

“You’re asking me? You two were the ones setting the city ablaze in college. I stayed home and studied. I believe you referred to me as ‘Ella Egghead’ in those days.”

“With love, Ells,” Lux insists, pouring herself a mug of joe. “You were the one with the better grades, too.”

“Big shock there.” But there’s no sting in my words. Lux and Noah became friends in our freshman year, in large part because they had similar classes and a penchant for underage drinking. Given that I took a major with a focus in PR and marketing, rather than just a business degree, I was often working on different projects. Not that it would’ve mattered. Noah met his soulmate in crime when he met Lux. When we were younger, they were the crazy duo, out all night and sleeping most of the day whenever they could get away with it. If it hadn’t been for Elementary—and my lack of a social life—I’m not sure what Noah would’ve ended up doing. And Lux…well, she always knew her calling, even though she spent a few lost years in bank management.

Despite all of their antics, Lux and I have managed to become quite close. She’s a real person, despite her Dominatrix persona (she makes her clients call her Mistress Hathaway), and I don’t know what we’d do without her friendship.

“So any scores last night? Perhaps some wild and kinky sexploitations to relay?” My stomach leaps at my teasing, as though guilting me for not sharing my own sexy details.

“A big fat
nada
,” Noah says glumly. “I must be off my game.”

Lux snorts as she tucks herself in at the table. “I daresay you were drunk off your ass. Probably scared all the pretty young things away.”

“Where’s Evan?” I ask Lux.

She sips her black coffee, then offers a small smile. “He knew when to call it quits. Plus, the band had an early interview and some publicity stuff to do, so he went home around one this morning.” Evan manages bands and has an up-and-coming alternative band that takes up most of his time.

“How’d it go with the new client?” Noah’s bloodshot eyes meet mine.

I’ve never been a good liar. Even when we were kids, Noah always knew when I was fibbing. If I have any hope of not spilling the beans about last night—and being mercilessly teased about it—I have to stick as close to the truth as possible.

“Good. Really good.” I fight to keep my face neutral. “Great house—we’ll have more room than we know what to do with.”

“Upper East Side place? I would expect so. Any ideas on who else is going to be there? Anyone famous?”

“Famous? I don’t…”

Noah rolls his eyes. “Ian Crane? The guy’s one of the most well-connected attorneys in town. You didn’t recognize his name?”

“I’ve never heard of him.” My head starts to pound, the pressure tightening around my eyes. “Why didn’t you say something?” I feel like I’m falling over the edge into an abyss. What did I get myself into?

“That’s why I thought you were excited when he contacted us. I just assumed you knew. He dated that supermodel, Mia Tratori, along with a few others.”

Lux slaps the table, earning a grimace from Noah. “Wait—
that
Ian Crane? The guy that was just on the news about that corporate espionage case?”

That sinking feeling? Oh yes, that’s me, disappearing into the bowels of the earth.

“He’s gorgeous, too, if I remember correctly.” Lux eyes me with interest. “If you managed to keep your cool about you last night, I’m impressed. He’s one of the city’s most eligible bachelors, right up there with mega-star Mick Jeffries.”

Lux disappears into the other room, returning with my laptop in her hands. A few moments later, I’m staring at Ian’s stunning smile on one of those “top ten” lists. Sure enough, he and Mick Jeffries are side-by-side. Mick, his salt-and-pepper hair long and curling around his roguish face, is impossible to forget. He’s been in a string of action movies that have all been blockbusters.

“Ha! Check this out.” Lux moves the cursor over a sentence. “’Look out, ladies. Not only are these gorgeous hunks available, they’re also best friends, so who knows? Two for the price of one? Sounds like a night made in heaven to me!’”

Noah turns thoughtful. “Damn. I knew I’d seen him on the same page with Jeffries before, but I had no idea they were so close.” He turns to me, a faint light in his bloodshot eyes. “Maybe Mick Jeffries will show up at his party, Sis.”

I swallow hard, barely hearing their words. I can’t stop staring at the image of Ian. “Huh. Well, that just goes to prove I work too much. Never heard of him before.” A cold sweat starts in my hands and quickly spreads to the rest of my body. “Speaking of which, I just remembered that I forgot to call Misha. I need to make sure she’s got the dessert on the menu, and Ian mentioned that one of his guests is gluten intolerant, so I need to see if she can handle that.” I stand, heading to my desk.

“Won’t you need your computer?” Lux asks, peeking out of the kitchen.

“Yes. Yes I will.” I’m so shaken, I can barely think straight.

She places it on my desk. “Hey, you okay? You look really pale.”

“I’m fine. A little light-headed. I ate some leftover Chinese last night that might have been in the fridge too long.”

She’s not buying it, but Lux isn’t one to push. “If you need any help, just holler.”

Help? I’m way beyond that.

“Hey, sis,” Noah calls from the door. “You got a delivery.”

I’m still reworking a final total for a party request we just got on the internet, so any break from that is welcome. But when I meet Noah in the hall, I can’t even see his face over the wildflowers in every color you can imagine. The blooms are artfully displayed in an elegant glass vase.

“Who’s it from?” Noah inquires as I take the bouquet from him.

“Oh, who knows?” I turn my back so he can’t see my flushed cheeks, and I take them back to my desk. I don’t see a card, but I finally find it after maneuvering some of the flowers around. I snag the card and stuff it in my jeans, then return to the numbers I was crunching.

“You seriously don’t know who sent you one of the most gorgeous flower displays I’ve ever seen?” Noah leans against his desk, his deep blue eyes seeing right through me.

I heave a sigh, hoping for once my dramatic skills will work. “It’s from Ian Crane. He’s thrilled with the plans for his party, and he probably wants to show his appreciation.”

Noah narrows his eyes, his head cocked. “Really? So he sends a ridiculously expensive gift designed for a woman?”

My gaze is glued to my computer screen, as though these numbers are absorbing. “Who knows what he was thinking? Weren’t you and Lux just telling me earlier what a ladies’ man he is? Probably thinks I’ll give him a discount if he’s charming.”

When Noah doesn’t respond, I don’t dare look up. Noah’s many things, but he’s never quiet when he suspects something is amiss. I hear him move around the room, go to the kitchen, then return.

“So your meeting with Crane last night…you said he likes our plans and everything?”

“Mm-hmm,” I intone while trying to remember what I was adding together. Was it the cost of the dessert selection or the live band?

“What time did you leave his place?”

I swallow hard before turning to face him, forcing my guilt into an accusation. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He gives me his knowing stare, the one he pulls with women all the time. He may be my brother, but even I have to admit, he’s got all the right parts in all the right places. So when he turns on the wicked charm that gets him just about anything he wants in life, it’s impressive. “It means, sister darling, what time did you leave Crane’s house? I tried to call you last night, as we ran into Mark and Jamie.” Mark and Jamie were our housemates our junior year of college. “I thought you might like to come join us for a drink, but you didn’t answer. And I know you weren’t in bed. At least, not in your bed.”

Of course, he’s my brother, so I’m immune to his “tell me the truth” stare. Mostly. “I had my ringer turned off because I. Met. With. A. Client.” I punctuate each word as though he might miss the point. “I haven’t even checked my phone yet this morning. Believe me when I say Ian Crane clearly snags women because of his looks, because his personality is bland and uninteresting.” I bury my nose in my coffee mug so he can’t see the lie in my eyes. After a sip, I continue. “When I left Ian Crane’s, I was exhausted, so I came home and went to sleep. Given what time you got in this morning, which I know because you woke me up with your drunken stumbling, I don’t want to hear it.”

A small, shit-eating grin plays over his lips. “My sister is keeping secrets. I’d bet on it. And while I know an asshat like Ian Crane would never grab your attention, I think someone did. And you aren’t telling me about him for some reason. What might it be?”

Because I don’t want this topic to continue, I don’t ask him what makes Ian Crane an asshat, but I can’t help wondering when Noah finally lets up and sits behind his desk. After a few minutes, he turns back to me. “You’re keeping something from me, Ells. I know it. And I’m going to figure it out. But I sort of like this, though.”

Now it’s my turn to give him the stare designed to illicit confessions. “Why’s that? And you know I tell you everything.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire…

He sighs, then rolls his chair over to mine, taking my always-cold hands in his intensely warm ones. “Because you haven’t had any fun in a long time, Ells. I tease and give you a hard time about not going out, but don’t think I’ve forgotten why. And I know shit like that takes time to get over. But it’s been years, and it’s time. So if you’re keeping some hot guy a secret from me because…well, I don’t know why. Maybe you just want to have him to yourself for a while longer—I don’t care. I just want you to be happy.”

Damn him for being my awesome brother. My eyes mist up a bit, and I kiss his knuckles because he always knows what to say. “Thank you. And I promise, if I’m hiding anything, it’s only because I need to figure things out in my head before I share them with you. Not because I don’t trust you.”

“I know that. You don’t have to say it.” He releases my hands and glides over to his desk, but then he looks back. “But I’m going to figure it out. Just because it’s what we do—we figure out the culprit.” He lets out a maniacal laugh, proving he’s forever the actor in the family.

I shake my head and get back to work.

CHAPTER 5

KEEPING SECRETS

M
y brother would never be caught dead in the house on a Friday night. So when we don’t have a party scheduled on a Friday evening, he’s hitting the bars. What drives him to be such a social butterfly and somewhat conscientious womanizer? I’ve got my suspicions, but I swear I got the introversion trait, and he the extroversion. It’s never too late, too loud, or too crowded, and he thrives on the energy. As for the women…the only thing I can figure is that something broke in him when we were kids. Whether it was our grandparents, who were distant and strict, or the teasing we took as kids because he was into theater and I was a brainiac, I don’t know. He’s been that way for a long time. He’s always straightforward and honest with women, as far as I can tell. And he’s never been tied down by one for long.