Deadly Desire (24 page)

“Trust me, Jace. You don’t have to dangle anything.” Grabbing for the wine glass, Carrie took a huge gulp of the sweet liquid. She needed the alcohol to calm the nerves that had come right back again when she really remembered everything that Jace was. He was everything she worried about
and
a playboy. For some reason, she’d let herself forget that tonight. “Photos of you with other women are pretty much impossible to avoid.”

“Be that as it may, I thought it was important to fully divulge this information now that you are formally representing me.”

“Yeah, about that.” Carrie felt the flush of the wine reach her neck as she tipped back the rest and drank it down. “You could have gotten me fired today.”

“Nonsense. I’m a valuable client. They’d do whatever necessary to keep me happy.” He frowned as Carrie stood from the table. “What are you doing?”

“I’m realizing what a terrible idea this whole thing was.” She gestured at the sleek table, the half-eaten steak, the empty glass of wine. He may have put the words “business dinner” around the situation, but it’s not as if either of them were under any illusion that it wasn’t something else, something deeper and darker that crackled underneath the layers of pretend. “Next time you want to share case information with me, you’ll need to come into my office and discuss it like a normal client.”

“Carrie.” Jace stood, and his presence took up the entire loft. Being in such close proximity to him made her stupid. Carrie realized that now. “I was only trying to show you a good evening. You seem so tense. I thought it would be good for you to relax.”

“You say that like I’ve
ever
been able to relax around you.” Carrie took two steps backwards, her hands searching for the coat she’d left draped across the back of his couch.

A flicker of something resembling pain crossed Jace’s face, a small moment of vulnerability that disappeared just as quickly. “You can’t mean that.”

“Of course I do!” She almost shouted the words as she turned and stormed across the room to get away from him, almost stumbling in her heels. He appeared by her side before she could reach the door and grabbed her arm. The touch of his fingers on her wrist felt like fire, and she jerked away.

“I don’t understand where this is coming from,” he growled, eyes dark and charged.

“How could I relax around you?” she asked in a hush, blinking against the intensity of his stare. “It’s just too much. It’s like you consume the whole room, no matter where you are. I can barely stand to be around you without wanting to explode.”

The words just popped out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying.

Jace’s eye sparked as he tightened his grip on her wrists and pushed her against the wall. He twisted her arms and held them over her head, his mouth greedily taking hers. His lips were soft and hot, and a gasp escaped from her throat. Shivers coursed along her skin, and she melted into the kiss.

Her back arched as he moved his tongue to her throat, trailing hot kisses down her chest. Everything inside her screamed for more, and she bit her lip to stop herself from gasping his name. Her nipples went hard, begging for his touch, but he stopped just as he reached the lacy edges of her bra.

His mouth found hers again, and when he pressed against her body, she could feel the hardness of his cock on her thigh. Her body ached for him to be inside her, for him to consume every inch of her until she was full. She reached up and grabbed his hair, silky strands that she’d dreamed of too many lonely nights.

A new heat shuddered through her as his hands raced down her body, shoving her skirt up to her waist. She moaned, closing her eyes and giving into the familiar electric sensation of his fingers on her trembling thighs.

It had been so long since he’d touched her like this, since she’d felt so alive. Before their parents had gotten married, she’d had him all to herself every night. Her eyes flew open, and her mouth went dry. Shaking her head, she pushed at his chest, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Jace pulled away, confusion all over his perfect face. “What’s wrong?”

“Jace.” Her voice trembled as her heart broke all over again. “We can’t do this. I’m so sorry.”

She pushed down her skirt and ran out his door. She couldn’t bear to look behind her and see the look on his face. Because despite Jace’s cool and stony exterior, she knew she’d broken his heart just as much as she’d broken her own.

Carrie was going to be the death of Jace. He hadn’t felt this miserable since the last time she’d left him—three years before when she’d heard the news about their parents. His body felt achy and raw from where her curves had melted against him. He could remember every hitch of her breath, every tremble of her thighs, every taste of her skin. He’d been only moments away from carrying her to his bed, and then she’d turned cold. Out of nowhere.

He’d pushed her too fast. Too soon. He should have known when she launched herself away from the dinner table that it was best to take a step back rather than forward, but his eagerness for her body got the better of him. She’d shuddered under his touch, eager too. But not ready. And now, he may have pushed things too far to ever get them back to the way they used to be.

The next morning, his ringing phone shook through his thoughts as he sat at his office desk, too distracted to focus on his work. He answered the phone with a scowl, unable to keep the gruffness out of his voice. He’d been in the middle of a nice little fantasy about Carrie, and as it was the closest he was going to get to her for awhile, he wasn’t pleased with the interruption.

“Jace Holt,” he said.

“Sir,” his personal assistant, Franklin, said. “Detective Foster from the NYPD is calling. Should I put him through?”

Jace frowned and glanced out the window at the falling snow. “No, tell him I’m unavailable, but find out what he wants.”

“Yes sir.” Franklin clicked off the call, and Jace waited five minutes before buzzing Franklin back.

“Come on in here, Franklin,” Jace said in as a commanding tone as he could muster. A moment later, his assistant appeared in his doorway, suited up and standing tall, reminding Jace of himself from ten years before.

“Did you find out what he wanted?” Jace asked.

“Yes sir, but you’re not going to like it.” That was one thing Jace liked about Franklin. He didn’t bullshit his boss, even though he knew it was his job to make him happy. He got straight to the point. It was why Jace had hired him. “They want you to go down to the station for questioning.”

“Did they say when?” Jace asked. He’d told Franklin all about the unfortunate incident at his penthouse, of course, but not about the missing gun. He still hadn’t told Carrie about that either, and he wouldn’t. That was one secret he’d make sure stayed hidden.

“No sir,” Franklin said with a quick shake of his head. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

“I need you to accompany me to my law firm’s office.” Jace closed his laptop and stood. “Leave the office in Lana’s hands. If anyone calls, tell her to take a message, but to let me know if anything urgent about the Times Square building comes through.”

Half an hour later, Jace and Franklin entered the offices of Hanson, Allen, & Chase. He’d decided to bring his assistant along to prove to Carrie that he had her best interests in mind. If she were truly worried about her job, he’d keep their interactions about the case completely professional and grant her wishes to meet only at her office.

“Anna,” Jace said, giving the receptionist a smile when he and his assistant approached the front desk.

“Oh, hello Mr. Holt,” she said, glancing from Jace to Franklin and widening her eyes.

“This is my assistant,” he said, motioning to Franklin. “Franklin Snow.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Snow.” Anna blushed.

“Call me Franklin.” His assistant gave Anna a wink, and Jace bit back a smile. Franklin really was a younger version of himself, but one without a Carrie Simmons in his life. How boring that must be.

“Jace?” Carrie appeared by his side, her face pale and drawn. It looked like she hadn’t slept the night before, and it pained him to know it was probably his fault. “Can I help you with something?”

“Carrie, I’d like you to meet my assistant.” Jace gestured to the man by his side. “This is Franklin. He’ll be accompanying me during our meetings from here on out.”

Carrie winced but covered it quickly with a polite smile. “Lovely to meet you, Franklin. May I ask what this is about?”

“Can we speak privately?” Jace raised his eyebrows and looked around him. Paralegals and associates were coming and going, often casting furtive glances at the recognizable billionaire with question marks in their eyes.

“Is Conference Room B free, Anna?” Carrie asked the receptionist, her voice clipped. Jace wished he could read her expression, but she’d shut it down as soon as he’d introduced his assistant. He’d thought it would have the opposite effect.

“No one is scheduled to be there for another half hour.” Anna glanced at Franklin one last time before turning her attention back to her computer.

“That should be enough time, shouldn’t it, Jace?” Carrie motioned for the two men to follow as she twisted in her heels.

Jace frowned, but followed her stiff back as she led them down the hushed hallway and into the dim conference room. Outside, Jace could see the heavy snow falling from a gray sky before settling on the streets below. Carrie flicked on the lights and eased into one of the chairs, motioning for Franklin and Jace to join her.

“So, what can I do for you?” she asked. Her cold politeness hurt him more than her usual stormy anger ever had.

“We had a phone call today from the NYPD. Franklin can confirm.” Jace turned to his assistant who gave a nod. “They’ve asked me to go into the station and give a statement.”

Carrie’s face flashed with concern, and Jace held back his satisfaction. At least she still cared enough to be worried about his fate. “Did they say when?”

“Franklin took the call, so I didn’t speak to them directly, but they didn’t specify anything to him.”

“Okay.” Carrie nodded before standing and pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that were covered in a thin layer of frost. “Don’t go today. Wait until tomorrow. Let me go and talk to your alibi before you do anything.”

Jace frowned and found himself standing from the table. “You’re going to go speak with Madison.”

Carrie paused to stare out the window, keeping her tense back trained in his direction. “I think it’s best if I speak to her before the police do.”

“Well, then I’m coming with you,” Jace said, pressing his palms flat on the oak table.

“No, you need to go back to your office. Or to the hotel.” Carrie turned, crossing her arms. “Or are you worried what she’ll tell me?”

“I didn’t have sex with her, Carrie.” He glanced at Franklin but decided it didn’t matter what his assistant overheard.

“But you thought about it,” Carrie said in a whisper. “That’s the kind of man you are.”

“I thought about it until I realized she wasn’t you.” His voice was low, a growl.

Franklin cleared his throat. “Sir, if I may interrupt. I do agree with Miss Simmons on this one. You shouldn’t be seen visiting your alibi just before you go into questioning at the police station.”