He was right. Her brief affair with Ryan had led to disaster. He was dead now, but she still wasn’t safe.
She gave Elliot a seductive smile. He was five years younger, but at forty-two, she was still a beautiful woman. And her ruthlessness appealed to him.
“If you bring me the drive,” she said, “take care of the girl, and don’t leave any loose ends, we’ll take a trip together. Go off somewhere for a couple of weeks where no one will find us.”
Five-star luxury appealed to both of them; the Bahamas, perhaps, or Turks and Caicos. Elliot would keep her satisfied. She would play to his sexual kinks, and he would stay firmly at the end of her leash.
“I’ll need to do some planning,” he said. “We can’t have any more mistakes.”
“Fine, but you need to finish this as soon as possible.”
Elliot’s hooded gaze slid over her, undressing her with his eyes. He expected a reward, and she was willing to give him one. She could trust Elliot to handle the problem, and things would get back to normal.
She just needed to get the flash drive and get rid of the girl.
HESHOULDN’THAVEdone it. Mindy worked for Chase. She was a valuable member of the crew, part of the family. She was a friend.
Scratch that. Jax had never been able to think of Mindy Stewart as just a friend, not from the first time he had seen her. Certainly not after he’d gotten to know her.
Definitely not after she had spent the night in his bed.
He didn’t want to be Mindy’s friend. As she lay sleeping curled against him, he asked himself whatdidhe want from Mindy?
The answer came swiftly. More of her sweet little body, no doubt of that. He was fairly sure they didn’t have any sexual compatibility issues.
But as he was getting to know her, he realized he wanted more than just physical gratification. From the start, he’d been attracted to Mindy’s sweet, feminine nature, had known she was smart. Now he knew she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him, knew she was strong in a way he respected and brave in a way he admired.
He liked everything about Mindy Stewart, believed she was someone special. He wanted to see where the relationship might go, see if the incredible attraction he felt for her, and what Mindy seemed to feel for him, could become something deeper.
Something he had been searching for but never allowed himself to actually consider. The odds of finding that special someone, the forever kind who made your life complete, were simply too great. Now he was beginning to believe there was a chance that special someone was right in front of him.
She stirred beside him, shoved heavy dark hair out of her face, looked up at him and smiled.
He reached over and looped a thick curl behind her ear. “Good morning.”
“Is it? Morning, I mean?”
“Almost.”
Her expression turned troubled, and her soft smile faded. “I have to go see my mom, and then I have to go home and clean up the mess in my apartment.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get everything done.”
“And we still have to figure out what’s going on.”
“Yeah, we do.” He’d been about to get up, let her sleep a little longer, but the sadness in her pretty eyes drew him.
He kissed her, felt her arms slide around his neck and her heightened breathing. He spent the next half hour distracting her with another round of mind-blowing sex, then left her drowsing while he went to make coffee.
Jax sighed. He was in deep with this sweet, beautiful girl. Deeper than he’d ever been with a woman before. For once, Jax didn’t care.
SHESHOULDN’THAVEdone it. As she showered and dressed for the day, Mindy had no doubt sleeping with Jaxon Ryker was a stupid, reckless thing to do. True, it had been wonderful, better than she’d ever imagined.
But it was a fantasy.
Jax wasn’t the kind of guy for her. He was too male, too rugged, his life too dangerous and unstable. She needed a guy who was nice and safe, with a good-paying job and a retirement account. The kind of guy who would give her kids and make a good father.
This morning, the notion held little appeal. What man could compete with Jax Ryker? None she had ever met.
