She cast a quick look at Declan. He was leaning, one shoulder against the wall, ignoring the now steady rain, his legs crossed at the ankles.
Dave stepped through the door, eying up the two of them, although they were nowhere even close to each other. “We’re ready to go.”
“Good.” Her voice sounded firm. At least she thought it had, but Dave’s brows drew together.
“You okay? Do we have a problem?”
“No problem.”
Declan pushed himself away from the wall and faced the other man. “We were just ironing out the finer details of Jess’s role.”
“Really?”
Steve entered the alley behind Dave. “You found her then?”
“As you see.” Dave waved a hand in her direction, and she got the distinct impression he wasn’t happy. Maybe it was the tic in his cheek.
“Well, I’ll let you go then,” Declan said. “I’ll be at my office if you need me.”
“You’re not going anywhere yet,” Dave said. “We have another man on his way. He’ll be on duty with Steve until we get the roster organized. But until he gets here, you stay put.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to tell Dave to bugger off. Then he glanced at her and shrugged. “Okay.” He turned to Steve. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”
Steve nodded but didn’t speak.
As he passed her, Declan leaned in close. “You owe me, baby girl. And I’ll be collecting.”
Chapter Seven
She’d thought she’d gotten away with it. Dave said nothing as the taxi took them back to the office. But as the entered the building, he steered her into one of the small conference rooms they used for meeting clients.
“You have a hickey,” he said, his tone tinged with disgust. He shook his head. “How the fucking mighty have fallen. The ‘Ice Queen’ giving it out in an alley in broad daylight in the middle of London.”
“We were just…talking about old times. No big deal.” She sat herself down on one of the upright chairs around the table, rested her chin in her hand, and waited for Dave to get over it.
“No big deal? Really? Because I’m guessing Declan McCabe is the reason no one has won that pool we’ve got going in the office.”
She ignored the comment, but she wasn’t being totally fair. This was a dangerous business, and Dave had a right to know what was going on and to worry that she would compromise the job. She’d hardly behaved in a professional manner. But shit, surely everyone was allowed to have a bad day.
Though “bad” really didn’t describe it. Declan’s hands had felt so good. Why did her own never feel that way? For that matter, why did no other man’s? Was she doomed to find only him a turn-on? Maybe she’d been programmed too young. Now her body could only respond to one man. Crap.
“Earth to Jess.”
Dave waved a hand in front of her, and she snapped out of her daydream.
“Sorry,” she muttered, sitting up straight.
“So you should be. You left us with that asshole. I don’t like him. He’s got an agenda.”
“Rory McCabe?” No, she didn’t like him either. And yeah, he was up to something. But matchmaking? It hardly seemed likely. And certainly not between her and Declan.
“Why is he pushing this?” Dave asked. “Why us?”
“I don’t know. That’s the honest-to-God truth. I’m as much in the dark as you are.”
“But you still plan to take the job?” He stopped pacing and took the seat next to her, dragging it around so he could stare into her face. “Look, I’ve known you a long time. I’ve fought beside you. Christ, you’ve covered my back a dozen times. You’re the toughest woman I’ve ever come across, and I would have sworn nothing could get through that armor.”
“So?” She gave a casual shrug. “Nothing’s changed.”
He raked a hand through his hair, pressed his fingers to his forehead. “Like fuck it hasn’t. You’ve got a goddamned hickey. The pair of you were making out like a couple of randy fucking teenagers.” She looked away and he sighed. “All I’m saying is we can still walk away from this one.”
“We’ve agreed to do the job.”
“Then persuade me that we aren’t making a big mistake.”
She hated justifying herself, but Dave deserved this. “Do you believe the threat is real? Does Declan need protecting?”
Dave nodded. “Yeah. No doubt.”
“And can we provide that protection.”
“We can. I’m not so sure about you, and I don’t like the fact that he’s insisting you’re part of the team. And I like it even less that you’re caving in to that.”
“I’m hardly caving in. I’m just going along with it for my own reasons.”
“Will those reasons compromise the job?”
She tugged on her ponytail as she considered her answer. Declan, whether she liked it or not, had the ability to make her lose all sense of where she was, of everything except who she was with, and what he was making her feel. Not good for a bodyguard. She was hardly going to be able to protect him if she was underneath him or on top or… But although she was shaken by the strength of her feelings, she had to see this through. Or she would never be free of him. Maybe as he’d said they should sate themselves on each other, and once sated, she’d dump his sorry ass and never look back.
“Okay, so here’s the thing. We’ll work out a schedule and I’ll be on it, but not on it. We make sure I have back up at all times. Rory can pay.”
Had she made a mistake letting Declan back in her life?
The question refused to be banished as she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
But there was no reason why he should be a problem as long as she kept her wits about her.
He was strictly business. Well sort of.
Her hand went to her throat, and she stroked the mark he had left. What did he want from her? Protection against his dad’s matchmaking schemes? She just couldn’t buy into that one.
Sex?
More likely. Maybe like her, he felt they were unfinished business and if they shagged enough, they would eventually be finished and the craving would fade away.
Or did he want something else?
Maybe the next few days would clear things up.
Right now, she needed sleep, but she twitched and turned and if she closed her eyes, all she could see was Declan.