Our Little Secret (20 page)

“No, it has nothing to do with Meg or Washington.”

There was a longer hesitation this time. “This isn’t about phone sex again, is it?” When she didn’t answer right away, she knew he’d made the leap to something
even more worrisome. “Lauren, please tell me there’s not some other technique you want to try.”

She rubbed the frown lines that crossed her forehead. “No, it’s not about phone sex. It’s about
us
. It’s about
me
. I didn’t realize I could feel a passionate attraction to someone else, Jeff. An attraction I don’t want to resist. But it turns out that I can, and that means something must be missing in our relationship.”

“Who is he, Lauren?” Jeff’s voice had gone flat with anger. Controlled anger. “That philandering son of Meg’s boss? Does he seem appealing to you and your new, liberated sexual ideas?”

“It doesn’t matter who. What matters is that I don’t feel that with you, and I want to feel it.”

“Are you talking about breaking up?” His voice rose with disbelief. “That’s absurd, we have plans. Do you know how much that will disappoint our families? My mother has already arranged for you to be invited to join the Luncheon Ladies at the club.”

“The what? Jeff, I’m not interested in that kind of stuff.”

“Why? Because you’re more interested in phone sex?”

“For God’s sake, forget the phone sex.” She sighed. “I’m not the right woman for you. Staying engaged, keeping you from someone else, would be selfish. You deserve to find someone who can be as”—
don’t say dry and colorless,
she cautioned herself—“as mature and controlled as you are.”

“I did find someone like that. Or at least, I thought I did.” His voice became bitter. “But I guess I was wrong. Do you really want to throw away three years of our lives?”

I already have
, she thought.
I just don’t want it to be more
.

“I’m sorry,” she said with honest regret. “This won’t work. I gave in to whatever you wanted for three years. I’m done.”

She’d expected that admission to hurt, but it felt surprisingly good.

Irritation crept into his voice. “What’s happened to you, Lauren? You’ve always been so levelheaded. I don’t know what’s gotten into you.” He used what he thought was his worst threat. “Do you want to turn into Meg?”

Did she? Did she want to follow her impulses instead of worrying about what was sensible and practical? Did she want to be like her sister and wear black stockings and thong underpants? Did she want to have a passionate affair with a man who was interested in her uninhibited, impractical side? Visions of Drew wearing nothing but her bedsheets and kissing her into that promised pool of wet desire scorched her mind.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”

“Fine.” It had only taken him a few seconds to adjust to it. “Then I guess it’s best that we break up because I don’t want to be married to a woman like Meg. I certainly couldn’t have a woman like that hosting dinner parties and taking tennis lessons at the club, so I guess I should thank you for admitting this to me before it’s too late.”

He made marriage to him sound like a death sentence, which was probably pretty accurate.

“You know, my mother warned me about you.”

She sighed, knowing what was coming.

“She said Meg was proof that you had bad genes,
and that you’d turn out to be like your sister. I should have listened.”

Lauren smiled. “Tell her I said thanks for the compliment.”

He made a disgusted
tsch
sound. “That’s just immature, Lauren. God, I should have seen this coming when you suggested that perverted phone sex.” His voice took on a dark edge. “This is a phase, you know. You’re going to get over it, and you’re going to realize what you’ve lost. But it’ll be too late to get me back.”

It was probably a good thing he couldn’t see her careless shrug. “Then I guess I’ll just have to live with that, won’t I?”

“You’re damn right you will, and I’m sorry to say this, but I hope you get everything you have coming to you.”

She actually had to bite her lip to keep from adding her eager agreement. If she got half of what Drew had promised, she figured she would come out ahead. In a voice tight from holding back a giggle, she said, “That’s fair. ’Bye, Jeff.”

The phone clicked on the other end, followed by a dial tone.

Sitting back in the chair, she did a quick assessment of her feelings. No sadness, no regret. Just the sense that a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

That was good, because there were more important things to worry about right now. Like what the half-drunk, disreputable Mr. Childers had been up to. By now, Gerald had probably figured it out.

“I don’t know how they did it, but it’s there. Fifty thousand dollars, deposited into the senator’s account
on Friday.” Gerald pointed to the computer screen.

“How did someone get his account number?” Drew asked.

Gerald shrugged. “Maybe someone has connections at the bank. Or enough power to bypass them.”

“We didn’t even meet Childers until Saturday night, though. The deposit was made Friday.” Drew looked at Lauren. “Someone wanted to make it look like my dad had accepted a bribe, and their plan was in motion before we even got there. Getting our picture with him was just a bonus.”

“But we still don’t know who’s doing this and why.” Frustrated, Lauren dropped into one of the leather wingback chairs facing Gerald’s desk. His office was small, but tidy and well-appointed. “In fact, we don’t know
anything
. We don’t know who wants to kidnap Meg, or why she has X-rated pictures of herself, or even why one of the president’s advisors hates her. We don’t even know if they’re really married.”

Gerald looked confused. “Why would you think they aren’t married?”

“Lauren thinks it’s significant that we can’t find their marriage license.”

“I didn’t know you were looking for it,” Gerald said. “I have it.”

Lauren mentally cuffed herself on the head. “Can I see it?”

He shrugged and opened a desk drawer, pulled out a file folder, and retrieved the document. He passed it to her, and Drew leaned over her shoulder while she fingered the official State of Maryland seal.

“Looks real enough to me,” Drew said.

It did to her, too, darn it. Megan Colleen Sutherland married Harlan Andrew Creighton III in a civil ceremony on the seventeenth day of.… Startled, she looked up. “Hey, according to this they were married two weeks ago!”

“Let me see.” Drew reached for it over her shoulder, surprising her as his hand brushed her breast. Her nipples tingled and tightened. Boy, was she a goner.

“You’re right. But Dad didn’t call me until four days ago, and I got here the next morning.”

“Me, too.” She looked at Gerald, who shifted uncomfortably.

“Hey, don’t blame me, it wasn’t my decision. I’m just his assistant.”

Gerald was too competent to ever be “just” an assistant. She lifted an eyebrow and stared him down.

He threw his hands up in the air. “I told them to call you guys, and the senator said they would as soon as they got back from their honeymoon. He didn’t tell Miranda, either. Still hasn’t, as far as I know.”

Apparently, Drew’s sister didn’t follow political gossip any more than he did if she still didn’t know about her father’s marriage.

“I would have told you if I thought it made a difference. I swear!” He raised his right hand as if taking a solemn oath. “But it doesn’t.” He looked at Drew. “Does it?”

“I don’t know,” he growled. “It’s just one more weird thing, and I don’t like it.”

“I agree,” Lauren said. “They waited ten days before telling us, we get here on day eleven, and they sneak out of town on day twelve without even seeing us.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Gerald raised his shoulders helplessly. “I know. Maybe they just wanted some time to themselves.”

Drew cocked his head suspiciously. “Really? Were they living together? ’Cause it didn’t look like it to us.”

Gerald put a hand to his chest and blinked innocently. “How would I know?”

Drew’s mouth twisted. “Am I supposed to believe that? Come on, you know everything.”

“Okay, okay.” Gerald gave up easily, assuming a haughty expression. “I pay attention to details, and sometimes I overhear things that maybe I’m not supposed to hear. It’s part of my naturally inquisitive nature.” He ignored Drew’s snort. “But I couldn’t find out anything about their living arrangements. They weren’t around much during those two weeks; I don’t think either of them slept here.”

Lauren looked from one to the other. “Why not? Where were they?”

“A hotel?” Gerald speculated.

Drew shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. They could have all the privacy they wanted here or at Meg’s apartment. All Dad had to do was tell you to take some vacation time.” When no one else offered an explanation, he slapped the marriage certificate onto the desk.”

“I know. But what can we do?” Gerald asked.

“Lauren says we need a plan, so we’ll put our heads together and come up with one. Go paint your kitchen with Steven. We’ll call if we hear anything.”

“Shoot. Okay,” Gerald agreed, dejected. “But you have to talk to the FBI and find out what they’re doing to catch those two guys. They said they’d send someone over.”

“The FBI? What are they doing in this?”

Gerald made a face. “It’s the appearance of bribery. Very serious stuff, and everyone wants a piece of the action.”

“Okay, don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Gerald seemed reluctant to entrust them with interviewing the FBI, but he left. It wasn’t until he was gone and silence descended on the house that Lauren realized her situation: She was alone with Drew.

She was still in the senator’s office when Drew returned from seeing Gerald out. She raised her eyes cautiously. He leaned on the doorjamb, arms folded, direct gaze seeming to take her measure. Warm pressure built between her thighs the second her eyes met his, and she felt her cheeks flush. Arousal seemed to have become a conditioned reaction.

The corner of his mouth quirked in response to her discomfort. “So, Lauren, what’s the plan?”

His eyebrow did a tiny, suggestive jump. Obviously, he wasn’t referring to a plan to find blackmailers, kidnappers, and missing persons. The smug bastard.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Drew. It has nothing to do with me ravishing your naked body.” What a lie.

“You, me, what’s the difference who does the ravishing, as long as we’re both naked.”

Her body tingled. “Degenerate.”

“Lucky you, just what you need.”

Lauren nibbled a fingernail. It was what she wanted, too. Desperately. And since she’d melted all over him like hot butter during that last kiss, he knew it, too.

He had a risky sort of appeal, the kind that sucked the air out of her lungs and shot tracers of liquid fire
through her body. If a kiss could cause that sort of spark and sizzle, making love with him would probably short-circuit her whole body. She’d never experienced that sort of electric jolt when she kissed Jeff. If she’d known it was possible, she wouldn’t have spent the last three years trying to convince herself that his sedate, steady influence was what she needed. She’d take a thrilling zing in her neurons over Jeff’s anesthetized version of life any day.

She and Jeff had been more committed to strict principals than to each other. It was a mistake she didn’t want to make again. She obviously needed to do some serious reflecting before venturing into a relationship again.

But a fling. That didn’t require common sense or commitments. Just infatuation and desire, qualities she had in abundance every time she got close to Drew. The man created itches deep inside her that urgently needed scratching.

She was weighing her desires against her common sense when the doorbell rang. Drew glanced toward the front door, back to her, then released a resigned sigh as he straightened. “Don’t lose your place,” he said, and went to answer the door. As if he’d been reading her mind.

The FBI agent was earnest, professional, and driving him crazy.

Drew had repeated all the information they’d given Detective Rasmussen, heard all the assurances about the FBI’s experience with missing persons investigations, and listened to the reasons they should sit tight and let the federal agents do their jobs. He didn’t even
bother to mention that it was all redundant with the Secret Service already on the case. Now if the man would just skip the hand-holding part and get the hell out, Drew was confident he could reignite that flame in Lauren. He couldn’t wait to kiss her again and remind them both of the incredible attraction that sizzled between them. He felt it every time they made eye contact, and from the slightly dizzy look in Lauren’s gray-green eyes, he knew she felt it, too.

What he couldn’t tell was whether she felt the same emotions he did, crackling beneath that current of desire. He wasn’t ready to examine it closely, but he felt it humming every time she defended her sister or smacked down his cocky remarks. She was spirited and loyal and willing to do whatever it took to find Meg. He was falling hard, and he didn’t care. Between his feelings and their chemistry, this promised to be the most explosive sex he’d ever had.

And Mr. Important Government Agent was getting in the way.

He had finally tapped into the instinctive, passionate Lauren who kissed like fire and responded to his touch like a wild inferno. Now the careful, sensible Lauren was probably wondering if she should put out the flames he’d ignited.

After nearly two hours of reviewing their case Drew was yawning with boredom, and even Lauren had excused herself to order a pizza. She’d come back, but stood near the door, looking like she might bolt any second. The fed was totally killing the mood.

“Well, I’m impressed,” he told the agent. “It looks like you’ve got it under control. Thanks for stopping by.”

The agent nodded, not taking the hint. Glancing around the living room, and into the adjoining study, he said, “Nice place Senator Creighton has here.”

“Yes, it is.” Drew stood, but the agent was either too obtuse or too intent on his job to follow Drew’s lead.