Hide & Seek. Samantha Hunter

he’d noticed her right away when he joined the team—she was a beautiful woman—he hadn’t been looking for a relationship. He was all about work, and it was clear she wasn’t interested in getting involved with anyone. Nevertheless from that moment on, seeing her standing there in the sun, Nathan hadn’t wanted another woman. Afterward, he’d started sending her flowers, and stopping by her desk just to tell her jokes to see her face light up with that smile. He wanted to make her smile almost more than he wanted to breathe.

      The mood shifted, and she looked up at him, open and vulnerable. Conflict suddenly twisted with passion in his gut—how could he see this through when he was keeping some major secrets? How could he make her trust him when he was investigating her, looking into her life to see if she was a criminal, a traitor to his friends?

      Because he didn’t believe it. He had good instincts, and there was no way he could feel this way about someone who was dirty. Ian and EJ were smart, thorough. They would never have taken her on if she was less than what they believed her to be. He was going to prove she was a victim here, innocent.

      The thought soothed his guilty conscience as she apparently was tired of waiting and lifted up, gently pressing her lips to his, her breasts caressing his chest while she explored his mouth in an intimate yet demanding response. She wanted him; he wanted her. At the moment, it was that simple.

      Lowering slowly, he lay back on the sofa, pulling her down on top, having her set the pace, control their loving—this time. She took him inside while their mouths still mated, easily and without hesitation, and his low rumble of excitement filled her as she sheathed him completely, rotating her hips slowly and encouraging him with her own moans as he gripped her backside tightly, helping her move.

      “Jennie, you’re so warm inside, so soft….”

      She gasped, holding on as he lunged beneath her. Not one to stay passive, he gripped her hips firmly, helping her ride him harder as she wove her hands into his hair, kissing him deeply as they both began shuddering with release. Gasping in ecstasy, he drove inside of her, losing every final bit of control, and loving every second.

      “WHAT DO YOU WANT for breakfast?”

      “You.”

      Jennie rolled over, and nipped his shoulder playfully. It had been one of the best nights of her life, and it was the weekend. She’d never awakened in bed with a man and just lounged, wondering what the day had to offer—if he would want to spend the day, and maybe another night—with her. No, the usual protocol was up, shower, a kiss in thanks and out. However, not this time; not with Nathan.

      She found herself suddenly a little wary—would he want to leave? Would it be too much if he knew how much she wanted him to stay? Too clingy? Too fast?

      Her hand caressed his chest. Working lower, she curled her fingers around his stiff cock and elicited a groan, a good sign he wasn’t in a hurry to leave.

      They’d made love several times throughout the night, and he’d always managed to make sure that she’d remained in control in one way or another.

      Or maybe he was just a guy who enjoyed a woman being in control; the notion surprised her. In fact, her mind started to race with all the delightful possibilities being the dominant sexual partner presented. Her imagination took flight as she continued stroking and caressing him. Surprisingly, he reached down, stilling her hand.

      “How about breakfast?” he asked again, smiling, his voice uneven—she’d obviously been having an effect. She pulled back, relenting.

      “You’re really hungry, huh? For food?”

      “You’ve given me quite a workout. Do you have anything here, or do you want to go out?”

      Flustered by his apparent rejection, she tried to play it cool and sat up, making sure he couldn’t see her face in the meantime, just in case her expression gave too much away.

      “I have some stuff in the kitchen.”

      As she started to get up, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, kissing her soundly.

      “I’ll go. You relax.”

      “But—”

      “I’ll cook. You save your strength. You’re going to need it.” His smile was promising, his erection still full. She warmed, hating how relieved she felt.

      “Maybe I’ll take a shower then.”

      “You go ahead. If I finish soon enough, I’ll join you.”

      Nathan winked and stood up, watching her with a smile. It would have been so easy to give in, but he really was hungry. And if truth be told, he needed a moment. The events of the night before had been powerful, socking a punch to his emotions that he’d never felt before, and he’d awoken knowing he was in a serious bind.

      Heading into the living room where his pants lay crumpled on the floor, he put them on, not bothering with his shirt. He bent over, picking up a withered blossom that had fallen from a vase of flowers, lifting it to his nose and still detecting the sweet scent. He thought about bringing flowers to bed, and rubbing that scent all over Jen’s skin. His cock twitched at the thought and he sighed—he was a goner.

      Memories from last night assaulted him, followed by a wave of disgust at what he knew he had to do—and this was the perfect opportunity. He heard the shower come on, and took a deep breath, his smile fading. It was too easy to forget about what he’d learned, too tempting to just set it aside and refuse to do the department’s dirty work. A twist of shame knotted in his chest—he cared about her, nevertheless he had a job to do. What a shitty wall to be backed up against.

      If what they said was true, then Jennie’s—Maria’s—existence could be a threat to all of their lives, no matter how impossible that seemed. And if by investigating her possible guilt he could prove she was innocent…that idea alone motivated him to move forward, his heart pounding.

      He whispered her real name, closing his eyes and feeling the sound of it cross his lips. He’d always liked her as Jennie, but last night, she’d been Maria—dark, exotic, stunning.

      He stood, peeking around the doorway to reassure himself that she was still in the shower, and walked to her dressers, lifting the tops of the small, decorative jewelry boxes, checking the bottom for hidden compartments and doing the same in her drawers and closet.

      Moving swiftly and efficiently, he made his way back out to her desk, checked the drawers, her desktop, under the blotter—and found her password scrawled on the back of a restaurant receipt, buried in a sentence reminding her to make reservations next time.

      It was clever—anyone else looking wouldn’t have any idea, thinking it was just a note on the back of a receipt, but Nathan spotted the acronym that formed with the first letter of each word, and added in the amount of the bill at the end—presto. He turned on her computer—the password worked, and he quickly shut it down. No time for that now.

      Poking around a bit more, he found nothing else. Had he really expected to? Jennie wasn’t stupid; she wouldn’t leave evidence lying around. A thorough search through her computer files might expose something more. Still, he couldn’t repress his relief that at least so far, he’d found absolutely nothing to substantiate the claims against her.

      He heard the water shut off and hurried into the kitchen, whipping open the refrigerator door and in the process nearly sending the items inside flying out.

      Luckily, he was swiftly able to throw an assortment of foods on the table—fruit, cheese, jam, some bagels and half of a grocery-store Danish she had left. He found the coffee on the counter, started a pot. He could hear Jennie shuffling around in the bedroom, drawers opening and closing. A few minutes later she walked into the kitchen, fresh in her white satin robe.

      “This looks wonderful—thank you.”

      “Let me get the coffee—it’s almost done. Black, right?”

      She looked up, her gaze curious. “How did you know that?”