The Last Straw (2 page)

“A,” she said, opening the car door. With the sun gone, the temperature had dropped 10 degrees. She picked up her sweater. “This is not a date. B, who says I like him? I never said that.”

“Yes, you did, in so many ways.”

“I said just the opposite. He’s my worst nightmare. I want someone who will stick around. He’s a poster boy for a leaver. He proved it when he disappeared last time, remember?” She closed the car door and sank back into the seat.

“But now you have a chance to find out why,” Ralene said. “He wants to explain himself or he wouldn’t have asked you to dinner. So let him explain.”

She
was
curious.

“The attraction you had for him doesn’t come along every day,” Ralene continued.

“I’m not attracted to him.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Fortunately, Ralene was more tactful than her own inner voice. “You’re talking to
me.
Remember when I set you up with a nice solid guy?”

There was no stopping Ralene now. She could hang up. No, she couldn’t hang up on her friend.

“Don’t recall? Okay, I’ll remind you. Nice, attractive,
reliable.
Everything you say you want. But when Mr. Mysterious shows up, he’s the one you’re calling me to talk about in the middle of the night all hot and bothered I might add.”

Ralene was right. The guy Ralene had set her up with was what Ally said she wanted. Together, they could make strawberry-blond children and she’d never have to wonder whether her husband would come home after work. Only, she couldn’t quite imagine the details of making those children with
him
. With Mark Daily, AKA Darren Ray, on the other hand, she could think of nothing else.

“It’s not the middle of the night.”

Ralene laughed. “Okay, so I embellish. But that’s not the point. Now, get your fanny out of the car, march into the restaurant, and see what happens.”

“Not so fast. I need a more detailed plan.”

“No, you don’t. This isn’t something you can solve in a spreadsheet. Just listen to what he has to say. He invited you here to explain himself. You want an explanation. So, go for it.”

“It’s not like he owes me anything.”

“Sure he does.”

Yeah. He
did
owe her something. As a professional she needed an explanation. But as a person she
deserved
one. “Okay.” She pulled on her sweater and opened the car door.

“Good,” Ralene said.

She couldn’t smell the bay on the treeless street, just smog. Multiple car engines revved as the light at the intersection changed.

“Call me the second you leave the restaurant,” Ralene said.

“Sure.”

“That is, if you leave alone.”

“Of course I’m leaving alone!”

“I’m just
saying
.”

“Ralene.” But how could she defend herself? She may be celibate, but not when it came to Mark Daily, though Ralene didn’t know those details. Couldn’t see his muscular chest, feel his calloused hands on her breasts, smell his spicy manly scent. Great. Now her legs would barely carry her across the parking lot.

She stepped inside the dark interior of the Cuban restaurant and hesitated, waiting for her eyes to adjust. The hostess greeted her just as Ally found Mark seated at a booth by a window. Following Ally’s glance, the hostess said, “Lucky you.”

Yeah, right. Lucky me to get my heart trampled by Don Juan.
He spotted her and stood up, his muscular, purposeful manner making her belly do flips.

“I didn’t think you’d show,” he said when she reached him. His hands closed on her arms, sending currents of electricity through her nerves. His aftershave, hints of cinnamon and vanilla, filled her senses and his lips on her cheek stole her breath.

“I’m not having dinner with you,” she said.

“Please, sit.”

“I just came to tell you I plan to talk to the president of NST tomorrow about you. I’ve marked you red flag.”

“Fine.”

“And then you’ll be out of—”
Fine?

“Stewart asked me to come in on this, Ally.”

Odd, calling the CEO by his first name. “Fill me in on your role, please.” Something was going on at NST and she was out of the loop. She didn’t want to admit this to Mark, though. It didn’t look good for her to be left out of a security issue.

“Sit down and I’ll tell you.”

“Can you start by telling me your real name?”

“Sit. Then I will.” He nudged her toward the bench.

She perched on the edge of the seat. She’d stay for an explanation of his and Chapman’s relationship, much as she hated needing anything from him.

“My name is Jared Green,” he said.

Ally Green.
Much better than Ally Daily
. Stop that!
“Must be your middle name then.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I thought your last name was Mystery Man. But I guess it’s your middle name.”

He flashed his smile, the crooked eyetooth appearing as a coil of black hair dipped over his brow. The sudden absence of air crushed against her ribs.

“I’m sorry, Ally. Will you settle down for a minute, not look like you’re ready to bolt?”

Her arms were crossed over her chest. She left them there. “You’re the one who bolts. Not me.”

He frowned but didn’t deny it.

“So, Jared, I assume you’re FBI?”

He glanced around the room. “Keep your voice down.”

“No one can hear us.”

The waiter arrived. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Jared’s gaze cut to the waiter. “Something cold. Coke.”

“Diet Coke, please,” she added.

“So much for not being overheard.”

“He did seem to come out of nowhere. Sorry.”

Jared nodded and studied the waiter’s retreating back until the man was out of view, then looked back to her. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Ally. I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t owe me anything about the past. I don’t care. But now there’s obviously a huge security threat at NST and I need to know what’s going on.” She could have just asked Chapman. She hadn’t fooled herself into believing she really needed to meet Jared in person. But had she fooled Jared? His lips were curved in his mystery smile. No, she hadn’t fooled Jared either.

“Chapman suspects someone in the company is stealing their IP.”

Her stomach dropped. Companies in Silicon Valley lived or died by intellectual property. This was a lot more important than not seeming weak to Jared. “If he’s concerned, why wouldn’t he come to me?” Had the suspect been one of the employees she’d cleared? “And why the FBI?”

“Stew is a friend of mine and he thinks the information’s going to a foreign country.”

A friend? So that’s what brought him to her office. What were the chances? “Why didn’t he involve me?” Her voice pitched higher. “Am I a suspect?”

“No, of course not. We’re narrowing the possibilities. We know it’s not you, but we wanted to keep it quiet. And quite frankly I didn’t know the hired background-checker was
you
.”

She forced a tight smile. “Where are you from?” Might as well get back to the personal side of things since her professional life was not looking too good.

“New Jersey.”

“So, that’s the same.”

“Yes. I was undercover in New York as well.”

An image of his naked back under her covers flashed. This had been a bad idea. Being this close to him recalled far too many sensual memories. “I figured you were working undercover. Okay, I know all I need for now. The rest I’ll get from Chapman.” She stood.

“I’ve regretted leaving you every day.” There was an ache in his voice. His Adam’s apple worked and he glanced away. When his gaze returned to meet hers, his dark eyes were wide and honest. “Stay.”

Her heart leapt, but she clamped down on the false hope. “Good line. Does it ever work?”

“Give me another chance, Ally.” She pulled her hand away, but he caught it. “Even though I don’t deserve it.”

“Jared, if that’s even your name—”

“It is.”

“There’s no way I’m going out with you again. You must think I’m a fool if you think it’s even worth asking me.” She withdrew her hand.

“I have a lot of explaining to do,” Jared said. His eyes were still on her hand. Something about his hand, lying abandoned on the table, made her heart squeeze.

“Wouldn’t you like to hear the whole story?”

He’d hit another weak point. One didn’t get to be a PI without a lot of curiosity.

“Okay.”

“Sit.”

She sank back onto the bench and ran her palms over her skirt. Underneath her skirt, she wore a garter belt.

“Thank you,” Jared said. “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing.”

The waiter checked on them and Jared ordered appetizers. “Sound okay with you?”

She nodded.

“I was working undercover when we met,” Jared said, looking her straight in the eye. “A new assignment came up and I had to leave. Since you and I hadn’t made much progress, I figured I’d let it go. I’m sorry. Not just for you but for me. And that’s not a line.”

His words knifed her heart. “Hadn’t made much progress? Oh, never mind. Of course you’re right. Where did you go next?”

He frowned and shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like it sounded. I don’t have a way with words. Anyway, I went to Atlanta next.”

Her Coke was gone. She chewed some ice. Ice trailing over her naked breasts. Her face heated and the ice lodged in her wind pipe.

“You okay?”

She coughed again, nodded and waved. When she could breathe, she said, “And now you’re here. You thought my office was bugged?”

“A precaution.”

“I understand taking precautions. My whole business is built around them. That’s why I marked you a security risk.”

He chuckled. Good. She’d avoided the whole pathetic you-dumped-me thing.

“So, now it’s my turn,” Jared said. “You’ve moved your business to California. Why?”

Because of you.
“Better weather.”

“And?” He crossed his arms.

She hadn’t fooled him. “Needed a change.”

“Ally, I’m sorry if I had anything to do with your decision.”

“You give yourself too much credit.”

A grudging smile and nod. “Touché. Is there any way we can start over?”

A rush of warmth filled her heart. No, she couldn’t be falling for his charms again, she just couldn’t. “What for? So you can dump me again when your next assignment moves you on?”
So much for not sounding pathetic!

His brow crinkled. “I don’t know. I just want to see you.”

Her heart plummeted.
He didn’t know
. But what had she wanted? A proclamation of love?
Yes
. She sucked on some more ice. Where was the waiter when she needed him?

“You found me by chance,” she said. “And you just want another short-term fling. Well, thanks, but no thanks.”

Jared’s attention over her shoulder told her the waiter was coming back. In profile, when his eyes weren’t all soft and lovey-dovey for her benefit, he was a focused FBI agent. Hard jaw, alert gaze, body poised for fight or flight. It was so obvious he was in law enforcement. How had she missed the signs before?

Love goggles, that’s how. Was she destined to repeat her mother’s experience? Her pretty mom, the other half of a “good-looking couple,” cried every night after working all day to support them. Sure, Dad had paid alimony and child support, but a cloud of sadness hung over their household and it never cleared. Risking involvement with the exact same type of man as her dad wasn’t smart.

The waiter delivered the appetizers and their smell roiled her already upset stomach. Jared loaded her plate and slid it her way.

“No, thanks,” she said, shoving it back. “This was a mistake.”

Did he know what he was doing with those puppy-dog eyes?

“Ally, let me explain. I’d decided not to try and have a personal life during this phase of my career.”

“Sleeping with me wasn’t personal?”

“Yes, of course it was. I thought we could casually date. It turned into more. I thought you deserved a lot more than what I had to offer. I didn’t mean to have happen what… what happened.”

“That’s just great. So I was a mistake?”

He hesitated, then spoke in measured words. “You weren’t a mistake. I just didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You need to work on how you go about not hurting people.”

He frowned and nodded once, keeping his gaze on her. “I don’t want to do that again. I don’t want to be good at leaving.”

He’d said the right words. Her heart thudded against her ribs.
Don’t fall for it.
“What do you want from me? Forgiveness?”