Wickingham Way (A Harbour Falls Mystery #3) (3 page)

Adam caught me staring, mouth open, before I had a chance to avert my eyes.

“Maddy…” His tone was one of warning.

I turned my head away and put my hand up in a placating manner. “I know, I know,” I said. “Don’t ask, right?”

Adam started the Range Rover and pulled away from the curb. “You got it,” was his all-too-somber reply.

*

It was crazy, but as we drove the dark, winding road to Adam’s compound, I realized I found the idea of my guy packing heat immensely exciting. Maybe I was drawn to the danger of it all?

Pfft.
Of course I was.

And because of my excitement, I couldn’t keep my hands off of Adam. I ran my palm along his solid thigh, before squeezing gently, relishing the feel of his muscles bunching beneath the smooth fabric of his suit pants, especially when he pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

“Maddy, if you keep that up,” he warned, “we aren’t going to make it to the house.”

Despite his serious tone, Adam’s voice was playful, as well as tinged with lust—and promise—as we raced into the night.

“The cottage is coming up. We could always stop there,” I coyly suggested.

I was definitely up for a quickie; I was that turned on.

The cute Cotswold-styled cottage I’d stayed in following my arrival to the island back in September came into view as we rounded a bend.

“Are you sure?” Adam asked, shooting me a wicked grin that let me know he was most definitely “up” for the idea.

Feeling playful, I decided to check for sure.

I slid my hand way up Adam’s thigh. He sucked in a breath as I squeezed his arousal.

“Yes,” I breathed out, “I am definitely, definitely sure.”

A few short minutes later, we were inside the cottage. Adam kissed me furiously as he backed me toward the living room, and in the direction of the sofa. I loved that his kisses felt urgent and desperate. It made me want him all the more.

When I felt the cushion’s edge pressing at the backs of my knees, I broke away long enough to unzip and kick off my boots and heavy winter socks. Adam took the opportunity to remove his suit jacket. I reached out and ran my hands down his sides, my fingers brushing lightly over cold metal—the gun.

Adam’s dress shirt was already untucked from our fumbling, so I focused my attention on undoing the buttons. Meanwhile, Adam freed the gun from where it was lodged in his waistband. He set it down on the coffee table with care.

The cottage interior was dark and cool, with a closed-up feel. But none of those things mattered. Neither Adam nor I made any move to turn on any lights—the bit of moonlight streaming through the windows provided sufficient illumination for what we planned to do—and the temperature didn’t stay cool for long. We heated things up rapidly, breathing life into the cottage with our gasps and needy moans.

Adam reached down and cupped my jean-clad ass, rubbing and squeezing my flesh through the thin denim. Once I had Adam’s shirt undone, I placed my palms flat against his smooth chest.
So warm…so strong
. He always felt so good. His pectoral muscles flexed beneath my fingers as I slid my hand across his chest, then down over his tight washboard abs. When I slipped a finger under the waistband of his slacks, his breathing quickened.

Adam adeptly popped the button on my jeans while I worked his belt free and undid his zipper. Impatient and filled with longing to touch
all
of Adam, I slipped my hand into his boxer briefs and stroked his hard length. Adam released a groan and pumped into my hand a few times, but then he got back to focusing on me, urging me to lift my arms so he could remove the sweater I was wearing. In seconds, pants, jeans, undergarments, everything fell to a pile on the floor, until we stood facing one another, naked.

Shit.
The magnificence of Adam Ward’s unclothed body never failed to amaze me. Even near darkness couldn’t hide his trim and leanly muscled build—athletically toned legs, slim hips, muscular torso. I sighed and raised my eyes to his oh-so-handsome face. He didn’t meet my gaze immediately, however. He was too busy raking his eyes appreciatively over my bare body.

I quivered and quaked, certain Adam would take me quickly and roughly, as he’d once done in the Victorian rental, the night he discovered Stowe had been over for dinner. Adam had been insanely jealous…and I’d loved every second of being the recipient of his wrath. Even though no jealously or need for possession colored this encounter, hunger and need still hung in the air.

But to my surprise, Adam, when he touched me again, was gentle. He nudged my body back onto the sofa, lifted my limbs this way and that, tenderly, until he was positioned between my legs.

I felt more-than-ready for Adam, so I wiggled and arched until I was in line with what I wanted. He pushed at my core, his engorged head parting my folds. Still, he made no move to thrust into me as I’d anticipated.

“Maddy, look at me,” Adam urged when he saw me staring down to where I desperately wanted our bodies joined completely.

I glanced up, and Adam held my gaze as he smoothed unruly honey-brown strands of hair away from my face. “No matter what happens, you know I love you, right?”

Adam’s voice was but a whisper, and a lump caught in my throat.
I could really lose this man
, I sadly thought.

I nodded and tried to reply, but when he noticed I was choking up, he covered my mouth with his. Adam kissed me deeply and thoroughly, until I was gasping for air.

“I love you,” he told me again when he pulled back so I could breathe. “You’re everything to me, Madeleine.”

Adam kissed me before I could respond, his lips traveling down my neck and his mouth fastening to one of my breasts. Adam worked my nipple into his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue artfully around the hardening pebble. I moved beneath him, still intent on maneuvering him inside. But his weight kept me from getting my way. When it came to sex, we played by Adam’s rules.

His hands moved down to grasp and still my hips, while his mouth moved to my other breast. “Your tits are amazing,” Adam rasped as he nipped at my flesh. “I could play here all night.”

“So do,” I rasped.

Teeth caught at my tender skin and pulled, making me gasp, in pleasure and the smallest hint of discomfort.

“Maddy,” Adam chuckled, before he nipped his way down my stomach.

When he reached my core, his breaths, hot and heavy, rippled over my wetness. With adept fingers, Adam spread me. He touched my clit with his tongue, making me moan out a string of completely incoherent words.

“Is that good?” he asked smugly between lazy licks that set me further aflame.

I had no words; I was too caught up, too close. But surely the orgasm that wracked my body gave Adam the answer he sought. With waves of pleasure washing over me, Adam entered me. He moved slowly but plunged into me deeply. I loved how Adam moved when he was inside of me. So it was no surprise when I quickly fell over the precipice once again. Although this time, he came with me.

Afterward, as we lay exhausted and spent in each other’s arms, I thought about what had initially drawn me to Adam, why I had fallen so hard for him, and why I physically hungered for his body so much.

It all came down to one thing—danger.

Adam was dangerous; he had been from the start. He was a powerful and mysterious man with changeable moods. And danger surrounded him. I suspected this would always be the case. At least to some extent. And I liked things this way. Someday I knew I might feel differently. But for right now, I reveled in the danger of life with Adam Ward.

Not that I didn’t love him just for him. I loved Adam no matter what, danger or no. But it was like a bonus, this underlying excitement that existed in being with him. It drove me wild with lust. It consumed me at times, made me heady. My strong emotions had often led me to make rash decisions. Lord knows I had acted unwisely on more than one occasion.

For example, when I’d first arrived on the island, during the time I suspected Adam of wrongdoing in the disappearance of his fiancée, I didn’t care if he’d committed a crime.
I. Did. Not. Care.
I still chose to spend time with him, no matter how bad things looked at the time.

And more recently, when Ami contacted me from Willow Point and I ended up discovering that Adam had been involved in some capacity in the cover-up of a murder, it didn’t faze me. Not as it should have. Sure, I wasn’t thrilled with what I’d discovered, but my desire to remain with Adam never wavered. Despite the fact that—for the second time in just a few weeks—I thought him capable of murder.

Maybe he was capable of inflicting harm like that if push came to shove. After all, death certainly seemed to surround him. But now Adam Ward himself was the target. And here we were, preparing to hunker down on the island in an effort to keep him safe. Once again, being around Adam was apt to be dangerous. Only this time it was because he was in the crosshairs of an assassin.

I didn’t know what would happen.

Would Stowe really try to kill Adam? I wanted to believe Stowe had gotten to know me well enough that he wouldn’t extinguish the love of my life so callously. But I knew that was just wishful thinking. Stowe was a professional, with a job to do. Feelings meant nothing; they were just collateral damage.

I twisted in my position on top of Adam and caught sight of the gun. I glanced at Adam, felt a stir of excitement, but tamped it down quickly when I realized he was asleep.

The only time Adam ever seemed vulnerable was when he was sleeping. With care, I lovingly brushed back a lock of raven hair that had fallen across his forehead. He stirred slightly, and I froze, not wanting to wake him. He needed this tranquil time.

When his breathing regulated, I watched as he slept peacefully. Eventually I laid my head down on his chest and felt my eyes flutter closed.

As I drifted off, I concluded two things: One, I did indeed thrive on danger. And two, I would do everything in my power to protect Adam, including kill if necessary.

I supposed I was becoming a danger in my own right.

Chapter Two

T
he next morning Max Cleary, Adam’s personal security guy for when he spent time on Fade Island, met us out in front of Adam’s large stone and wood contemporary home.

Adam and I had spent the night at my cottage, but we’d made it back to his compound in time to shower and eat breakfast. And now, just like before Max’s arrival, a gloomy sky loomed above as the three of us walked along Adam’s winding driveway that cut through the surrounding forest.

Max pointed this way and that, up into the towering pines, explaining the security precautions he’d put in place to keep his boss safe. Like most of the island, the land around Adam’s compound was not only densely wooded but also crisscrossed with narrow dirt trails, many overgrown and impassable.

Shortly after my autumn arrival to the island, I’d embarked on an exploratory quest through these very same woods. Starting at my cottage, I’d followed a meandering trail that had led me northbound, high above the ocean, and directly to Adam’s driveway, close to where the three of us now lingered.

“Over here, up there”—Max gestured to various pieces of electronic equipment, hidden somewhere up in the trees, as he spoke—“and over there, as well.”

I looked up and squinted as Max chattered on. The small devices, even when pointed out, were barely visible. You’d have to know where they were to pick them out.

“Surveillance cameras as well as motion detectors?” Adam inquired, one eyebrow lifting as he turned to Max and awaited confirmation.

“Yes, sir,” the hulking man replied as he ran a hand over his closely shorn brown hair.

Max had once frightened me, especially after he’d discovered me spying on Adam on the day of my fateful hike. I’d been so frightened that when he’d covered my mouth with his big hand, stifling my scream, I had fainted in his arms. Since then, however, I’d grown to care for the big security guy. Max was a gentle giant…but lethal when he needed to be. That fact had been made clear on the night Jennifer Weston had held me captive at the lighthouse. Jennifer had had every intention of killing me, but Max had shot and killed her before she could execute her sinister plan.

I shuddered at the memory from not so very long ago.

Adam, taking notice, put his arm around me. “Cold?” he inquired.

“Not really,” I said. “Just a little freaked out with all this…” I raised my eyes and waved a hand at one of the electronic devices lodged up in a tree next to where we stood.

“I know, babe.” Adam sighed. “And hopefully this won’t go on for too long. As soon as we have more intel, we can apprehend whoever issued the directive.”

Yeah, the directive to kill Adam
, I thought.
Lovely.

My stomach twisted. I didn’t know what kind of “intel” Adam and the government needed exactly, but I prayed they’d find it quickly.

To end the uncomfortable conversation, I nodded and quietly murmured, “Okay.”

Adam refocused on Max, and I continued to follow along as we made our way farther down the long driveway, in the direction of the main road. I questioned silently why Adam had even asked me to tag along.

But then I knew why.

Adam wanted me close to him at all times so he could protect me if need be. After all, the island wasn’t fully secured just yet.

Max stopped at the next trail, this one hidden by a tangle of dried leaves left over from the fall season. I knew from the single time Adam had transported us in one of his speedboats—from the mainland to Fade Island—that this trail led down to a small, secluded dock, one for Adam’s use only.

“This is of particular concern,” Max began, nodding somberly to the trailhead. “The brush is so thick I’m afraid surveillance equipment allows us only a limited view of the dock area.”

“What do you suggest?” Adam asked, his brow creasing with concern.

“I can keep an eye on it personally for the time being, but I’m afraid I have to recommend closing this dock down indefinitely. It’s the safest option.”

Adam frowned, and Max added, “We could always put additional manpower in place around this area, if that’d be more acceptable.”

“I think that’d be wise,” Adam responded. “But even so, go ahead and close this area down. Just wait until later today. Agent Lenehan is due to arrive in”—Adam checked his expensive watch—“less than an hour. We’ll seal everything off after.”

“Very well,” Max replied.

I perked up, still focused on what Adam had just said. Agent Lenehan was coming to Fade Island? Great! I’d finally have the chance to meet the elusive Boston contact.

I wonder what he’ll be like
, I thought. I’d decided the agent was most definitely a man, so I wondered if he’d turn out to be a stuffy FBI bureaucrat. Or perhaps someone much more interesting, like a smooth James Bond secret agent type.

While I ran through the possibilities, Adam relayed to Max the details of the speedboat the agent was due to arrive in. “White, with a blue stripe down the side. The driver will be a male in his early twenties. Besides Agent Lenehan, there should be no other passengers.”

“Got it,” Max said. “Once they’re cleared and docked, I’ll escort them up to the house.”

“Uh, just bring Agent Lenehan up,” Adam said. “The driver is trained. Leave him to guard the boat. An extra set of eyes can’t hurt until we get this island completely secured.”

Adam then told Max he and I would be heading back to the house, where we’d wait in the study for the agent to arrive. Agent Lenehan was to be brought up to the house immediately following his arrival to meet with Adam…and apparently me. The two men spoke a moment more, before Adam and I started back toward the house.

Adam appeared preoccupied as we retraced our steps along the driveway, so we didn’t talk much. But I was thrilled that I’d be sitting in on this upcoming clandestine meeting with the contact. I had to say, Adam was certainly staying true to his promise to keep me apprised of as much as possible when it came to his secretive work dealings.

It was still early in the day, but when we stepped into Adam’s Old World-meets-modern-executive study, the usually cool and calm Mr. Ward walked straight over to the credenza under the large picture window with a view of the sea and poured himself two fingers of aged Scotch. I knew that meant Adam was stressing.

“Would you like one?” he asked, tilting his raised tumbler in my direction.

I shook my head. “No, thanks.”

I sank down on one of the plush leather chairs facing Adam’s ornately trimmed dark wooden desk. The expansive surface was as tidy as always. Adam wasn’t a fan of clutter, in business or in life.

He passed behind my chair and gave my shoulder a light squeeze. “You holding up okay?” he asked.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

Adam chuckled and took a sip of his scotch. “I suspect I’ll get through this unscathed, Madeleine. My concern lies more with you.”

“What do you mean?”

Adam tipped the tumbler back and polished off what was left. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you remain safe. However, there are some things you aren’t going to like. I need you to cooperate—”

“Of course,” I interrupted.

How could Adam think I’d be anything less than cooperative?
Then again…

“Madeleine,” Adam warned as he set his tumbler down gingerly on the desk, “let me finish.”

Adam’s blues were as stormy as the churning ocean off in the distance. I rarely saw him
this
intense, and it certainly was intimidating. “Okay,” I replied meekly.

Adam’s gaze softened. “I know it’s tough for you, Maddy, but you’re going to have to allow me to make most of the decisions until this is all over. Agent Lenehan will be working closely with us, making suggestions. Suggestions that will ultimately keep us both out of danger. I need for you not to be jealous.”

What?
Now I was perplexed.

“Why would I be jealous of him?” I wondered out loud.

I swear I saw Adam smirk before he cleared his throat and said, “Uh, there’s something I should mention about Agent Lenehan before—”

A loud knock on the study door interrupted Adam.

What had he been about to tell me about Agent Lenehan? Why would I be jealous of this person who’d be trying to keep us safe?

I couldn’t imagine, but when Max walked in with the agent close on his heels, everything was made clear.

What the hell?!

Agent Lenehan wasn’t anything close to a James Bond type and certainly not a stuffy bureaucrat. In fact, Agent Lenehan wasn’t even a man, as I’d assumed.

Nope. The agent who worked closely with Adam all the time was a woman—a very beautiful woman. She was so stunning she could pass for a model. This woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, was truly that pretty.

“Erin.” Adam stood to greet the long-legged agent.

I checked
Erin
out more intently while she shook hands with Adam. Wavy strawberry-blond hair, eyes the color of liquid chocolate, a great body. Ugh, I was doomed.

Does she always wear such short skirts and low-cut blouses around Adam?
I wondered.

I certainly hoped not. But then I remembered what Adam had just asked of me, so I tamped down the many pangs of jealousy hammering away at my self-confidence.

“You must be Maddy Fitch,” Ms. Stunning said as she turned to me. “It’s great to finally meet you.”

“Yep,” I muttered as I held out a shaky hand. “Maddy Fitch. That would be me.”

“Adam has told me so much about you,” Erin went on as she shook my hand firmly.

“Funny,” I retorted, “Adam hasn’t told me a single thing about y—”

Adam cleared his throat and shot me a chastising glare.

Oops.

I smiled sweetly at Adam, and he rolled his eyes at me. Agent Lenehan took no notice of our exchange, or else she pretended not to see. She smoothed out her cream-colored blouse and dark gray pencil skirt, then sat down gracefully in the chair next to mine.

I guess my smile had turned to a frown, for as I compared my far-shorter legs, clad in boring old denim, to the agent’s toned, silk stocking–wrapped limbs, I heard Adam clear his throat again…loudly.

I glanced up to find my man eyeing me warily. He appeared slightly aggravated—he knew me so well—but then he smiled resignedly.

I knew Adam loved me, but I couldn’t deny what I felt. This woman made me feel inferior. I hated to think in such petty terms, but I couldn’t help myself. Agent Erin Lenehan was the exact type of stunning beauty the powerful and successful Mr. Ward would have pursued in the past. Not to mention, Erin had the whole sexy secret agent thing going for her.

It nauseated me to picture her working closely with Adam, like they’d been doing for months. All hidden away down there in Boston, meeting in secrecy, the two of them rendezvousing in clandestine locations.

I knew I was overreacting, so I tried to push my disturbing thoughts away and focus on nothing in particular. It worked for the most part, as I was good at zoning out. Still, I caught bits and pieces of Adam and Erin’s conversation. And to my surprise, as the meeting commenced, my silly fears were somewhat alleviated.

Adam behaved in a purely professional manner with Erin. His interplay with the pretty agent was all business. The two spoke of things I knew nothing about, technical elements regarding the Wickingham Way project that went
way
over my head. It was all pretty dry and boring computer-speak crap.

When Erin placed her briefcase on the desk and leaned forward to pop it open, I was sure Adam would take notice of her substantial cleavage right in front of his face. But his eyes remained averted. He glanced out the window, then at me. He caught me red-handed, side-eyeing Erin…and scowling.

The corner of Adam’s mouth turned up in a grin, and even I had to snicker a little in recognition of my oh-so-obvious jealousy.

“Sorry,” I mouthed to Adam.

He just shook his head once, chuckled, and then focused back on the papers Agent Lenehan was pulling from her briefcase and spreading out on the desk.

“Nate has made some great progress here,” Erin said as she tapped at a sheet of paper filled with lines of complicated-looking computer syntax.

Adam picked up the page and peered at it closely. “Hmm, it looks like there’s only one more code left to break. Once that’s done, the final offshore account should be completely inaccessible to our enemy.” Adam set the page down. “I’ll work on it tonight.”

The agent smiled. “We have this organization running, Ward,” she said with confidence.

Adam smiled, smug himself. He had every right to be. It was largely his knowledge of how to hack into the most complicated computer systems that was crippling a previously untouchable organization. Damn, my man was good.

Suddenly, just as Adam was about to say something, a volley of shots rang out from the direction of the private dock.

“Maddy, get down,” Adam yelled as he stood and withdrew the formidable firearm he’d gotten from Nate, the .45 ACP.

I froze as I turned in my chair. Agent Lenehan was still next to me, standing now and brandishing a gun of her own. When I remained frozen, she shoved me off the chair and to the floor. “Stay down,” she hissed in my ear.

I knew she meant business, so I obeyed.

Silence descended, but only for about half a minute. As I pressed my cheek to the carpeting, more shots pierced the stillness. This time they came from closer, much closer, until suddenly the whole picture window above the credenza cracked and shattered into a million pieces. Shots peppered the spot where Adam had stood earlier, pouring Scotch. I raised my curled fist to my mouth and bit down hard to keep from screaming. But then another spray of bullets showered the study, the closest yet, and I did indeed scream, just as I covered my head with my arms.

A few quiet beats passed, before more gunfire erupted. This time, the reports came from inside the room. The sounds were so loud I covered my ears with my hands and squeezed my eyes closed. When I dared to look up and take a peek, the whole study was filled with smoke.