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Lily shook her head and laughed at herself, which released a heap of tension. Then, with a deep, steadying intake of breath, she walked along the corridor to the door of suite 16K
. The polished plaque mounted on the door read:
Adrian Walsh, large business accountancy.
She was in the right place. That was a good start. She glanced at her watch. Just a minute or so early, which gave her enough time for her final self-brief. She’d been through it a hundred times, and it did calm her.
They’d agreed on terms. If they didn’t click, they could go their separate ways. No big deal. If they did hit it off, they’d already broken through the barriers and a hot, fulfilling sexual relationship awaited, at the very least. Yes, and her body clamoured at the thought of it, her anticipation rising. She adjusted her hair, flicking it back over her shoulders, and then steeled herself and knocked on the door.
Too late to run away, you’ve done it now.
A cold draught from the open window at the end of the corridor blew over her, wrapping itself around her ankles an
d making her shiver. She pulled her coat closer, and then crossed her fingers, swallowing hard. “Please let the chemistry be there,” she whispered, staring at the door. “Please let him be,” she swallowed again, “okay.”
* * * *
Witness Protection Officer, Seth Jones, stood up as soon as he heard the knock on the door. Instinctively, he reached inside his jacket, resting his hand over the butt of his gun. “Were you expecting anyone?”
Adrian Walsh sat forward in his seat, eyes barely focused on the mid-distance. He shook his head, looking at the door to the corridor with a frown. “I don’t think so. Christ, so much has gone on these last two days.” He started pushing paperwork around on the desk. “I should have asked Cassandra before I told her to go, but I’m not thinking straight. Her diary is here somewhere.”
Seth nodded. This intrusion, whatever it was, might work to his advantage. If unexpected callers unnerved Adrian, he might agree to go into safe housing. “This is exactly why we need to take you into witness protection. Eric Carlisle is a powerful man. He could have one of his men come around here at any time.”
Walsh pursed his lips, still looking at his desk as if he didn’t want to acknowledge what Seth had just said. He’d been resisting the concept of going into hiding for the past hour, and he was still far from being convinced.
“Okay,” Walsh stated, “so Carlisle is a criminal, but I can’t believe he’d send someone after me.” He threw up his hands in a gesture somewhere between annoyance and despair. “I mean, how could he? He’s locked up now, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he’s in custody, but he’ll be highly motivated by the need to stay out of prison in the long term. He has contacts who might think they can persuade you not to give your evidence in court.”
Walsh shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t afford to go into hiding, my business, my life…”
It was often this way with witnesses who were outsiders to the crime; those who had no idea what the people they were dealing with were actually capable of. Adrian’s evidence relied solely on paperwork; figures related to illegal overseas exports that shouldn’t have crossed his desk in the first place. Luckily for the police, they had. Carlisle had been sloppy. It was vital information, and Carlisle’s associates might want Adrian Walsh out of the picture altogether. That was what Seth was here to prevent. Witness protection was his trade.
There was another knock at the door, and it was more insistent this time. Seth gestured into the adjacent office. “You go in there. Stay out of view. I’ll take care of it.”
Adrian nodded vaguely and wandered into the office next door. Seth waited until he was out of sight and then headed over to the external door, hand inside his jacket. Senses honed, he opened the door.
Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t an attractive woman looking up at him expectantly. She looked soft and somehow vulnerable, and his first response was the urge to stroke her. It was the serious expression in her brown eyes. She was staring at him as if her life depended on him opening the door. Dark hair scrolled over her shoulder, and she had full lips that made him think of sex. Just as he was about to ask if she were lost, her eyes flashed in recognition and that sexy mouth of hers moved into a big smile.
Had they met before? He didn’t recognise her, but he met a lot of people. Bemused, Seth lifted an eyebrow in query, resting one hand up against the doorframe and returning her smile.
“Well, hello,” she whispered. Sliding one hand inside her coat, she rested it on her hip, provocatively. “So, do you like what you see?”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.” He couldn’t resist, and as he surveyed the rest of the packaging he rued the fact he was on the job. Underneath the coat, she had on a low cut top that bared her midriff, and a short skirt. She had killer curves, a body made for sex. Glossy black heels and sheer stockings emphasised her shapely legs, and a scarf around her throat drew his attention back to the pale skin of her collarbone and cleavage.
She was also giving him a once-over appraisal with a breed of intimacy he wasn’t familiar with. Something about his face and his stature—and most probably his occupation—turned women into simpering ninnies around him, and he hated that.
She wasn’t waiting to be invited in. Closing the space between them, the soft kitten look had been replaced by something much more focused, and for some reason the situation reminded him of the time his friends had clubbed together for a stripper on his thirtieth birthday. Except this woman was classy, and she was a stunner.
“I’m beginning to wish I’d knocked on your door long before now.” Looking up, she flashed him a suggestive glance that hit him right below the belt. Resting one shoulder up against the doorframe, she leant in against him, right next to his chest.
They were barely three inches apart, and she smelled so good. Her dark eyes flashed with mischievous suggestion. His body responded, and his mind played along. He could just picture her on her back, naked, and with him over her. Something about the way she was looking at him set the thoughts loose in his head, as if she were thinking about it, too. She was an invitation on legs, and he was ready to party.
Even so, something about the setup struck him oddly, and whatever it was niggled at the back of his mind as he enjoyed the view. There’s a red-hot woman standing out here, giving you the come on? It’s odd.
She seemed intent on distracting him—she could be looking for someone else, or she could be covering for someone else. He had to stay sharp.
She reached up and slid one hand around his neck, pushing her fingers into his hair. Standing on tiptoe, she brushed her lips over his cheek, breathing him in appreciatively.
