The Trouble With Temptation (Second Service Book 3) (13 page)

But it wasn’t anyone else.

It was Morgan.

“If that’s what you believe, why bother making the safe cracker?” Ty asked. “Why not try to talk her out of going in there instead?”

Now it was Michael’s turn to laugh. “You obviously haven’t gone to the mat with Morgan yet. Once her mind is made up, there’s no turning back. Especially when she’s convinced she’s doing the right thing. She’d try breaking into that safe tomorrow morning with or without my help. This way, I’ve given her the edge.”

Ty nodded in understanding. After all, he was here at this warehouse for similar reasons. If he really believed that Morgan would back down, he’d be in his office filling out the paperwork to send her into witness protection.

But she wouldn’t. He knew it down to the marrow of his bones. And in a way, it was one of the reasons that he felt so strongly about her. He understood her reasons—family, loyalty, integrity. He couldn’t fault her for any of them.

Especially not her courage.

Ty knew she was scared. He saw it clearly in her eyes. She knew the risks but she offered to do it anyway. He couldn’t help but respect her for that decision.

If he was being honest with himself, he was beginning to suspect that his feelings went far beyond respect.

“The FBI thanks you for your help as well,” Ty said.

“My pleasure.” Michael gave a strained smile, probably one of the most awkward ones Ty had ever seen. Then he patted Ty hard on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back.”

Ty narrowed his eyes at the strangely familiar gesture. A moment ago, the guy thought he was going to get laid out and now they were best buddies?

Michael caught Ty’s stare and slowly pulled his hand away.

“Sorry,” he said in a low voice. “I’m told my people skills aren’t great. All I meant was good luck.”

“Of course.” Ty turned to leave. He paused as he reached the workspace opening. “I promise you, I’m going to do everything I can to keep Morgan safe.”

“I know,” Michael said with a nod. “We both will.”

Ty tried not to read too much into Michael’s words as he stepped into the hallway. The guy admitted that his people skills weren’t the best. What was important was that they were both on the same side.

Morgan’s side.

Apparently, she was a woman that inspired strong devotion. He’d seen how she had this whole place wrapped around her finger. Everyone here had bent over backwards to help her. There was something almost magical about her. Something that made you want to help.

Maybe it was the joy in her eyes. Maybe it was the honesty. The open acceptance.

Hell, it didn’t matter why. He could waste his time trying to figure out why Morgan was so different, why she had embedded so deeply in his heart, but it didn’t make any difference.

All that mattered was that she was there. And that he had every intention of keeping his promise. He would do anything to keep her safe.

Anything.

Even the one thing she’d hate him for.

It didn’t matter. It was time to end this game. Michael was right about one thing. Any risk was too high.

Tomorrow, instead of driving her to the club, he was taking her to his office. He’d carry her into protective custody kicking and screaming if he had to.

Because only she mattered. Only Morgan.

One day she’d understand. She’d have to. Once she knew what she meant to him.

So, he’d show her. It was as easy as that. If he couldn’t make her understand with words, he’d show her exactly how much he cherished her.

Ty opened the door to Michael’s makeshift apartment and found Morgan standing over the small table pushed into the corner—the only one that wasn’t covered with computer boards and wires—setting down paper plates piled with corn tortillas and shredded meat. She turned and smiled.

“I’ve got tacos,” she said. Her wide brown eyes glistened like amber in the overhead lights. “Looks pretty tasty, right?”

Sudden heat spread through Ty at the sight of her. He took a step toward her. And another.

“You have no idea.”

He wasn’t talking about dinner.

Morgan bit into her lower lip. Her fingers rose up to twirl in her bright hair.

“But the tacos—”

“Will wait.” Ty wrapped an arm around the deep curve of her waist and pulled her flush against his chest. “Now where were we before we were interrupted?”

“Building a robot,” she said with a sly smile.

“No, not that.” He wrapped his other hand around the nape of her neck. He tilted his head until his lips were a fraction of an inch away from hers. “That’s right. I was about to kiss you.”

“Like hell.” Her sweet breath washed over his mouth. “
I
was about to kiss
you
.”

She lifted up on tiptoes, closing the distance between them. Her mouth opened and caught his lower lip between hers.

And just like that, Ty didn’t care who remembered right.

Morgan wrapped her arms around his neck. Without breaking free, Ty turned her around and guided her to the bed in the center of the room. Her knees buckled as they pressed against the edge of the mattress, and he controlled her fall.

He glanced up just to make sure the blinds were closed. He might say that he didn’t care who knew how much he wanted Morgan, but that didn’t mean he wanted them pressed up against the windows watching.

Satisfied that they had as much privacy as they could expect in a warehouse, he joined her on the bed, pulling his shirt off as he went. Hers was the next to go. Then her shoes. Her pants. Her bra. Anything that got between her magnificent body and his touch.

She giggled as he slowly slid the panties from her hips. He silenced her with a finger over her lips.

“Shhh,” he whispered with a wicked smile. He slid his hand down the length of her body, over the tips of her nipples and the soft skin of her belly. “These walls are paper thin and there are a lot of people out there.”

Morgan playfully swatted him with her palm. “You expect me to be quiet when you’re doing
this
?”

“Consider it a challenge.”

He pressed his hand between her legs. His fingertips sunk into her wetness. He traced a lazy circle around her clit.

Her fingers curled into the covers. Her back arched and a surge of satisfaction swept through Ty just knowing that he was the one making her feel this way. Her mouth was open, her breathing hard, but she barely made a sound.

After a few more swirls, he slowed his hand. “Impressive.”

“Oh, yeah?” Morgan opened her eyes. The corner of her lips curled up. “Let’s see how you do.”

Her fingers flew to his fly. She undid the zipper and slid her hands beneath the thick denim, cupping her palm around his length.

Ty bit his lip hard as she began to stroke, slow at first, then faster. A small groan escaped as she lightly twirled the pad of her thumb over the head.

“Tsk, tsk,” she whispered with a laugh. “People could be listening, you know.”

It was all he could take. Ty stood and kicked off his jeans. “Then let’s give them something to listen to.”

He pulled protection out of his pocket and was back between her thighs in a heartbeat. He pressed forward, sinking deep into her heat. It took everything inside him not to moan in pleasure.

She was heaven. He’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. Even buried within her, he wanted more. It would never be enough, he realized. He would never have his fill.

Morgan wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his back. Her fingers bit into his shoulders, silently begging for more.

Ty complied, pulling back and sliding forward. Again and again, until her back arched and her legs began to shake. She tightened around him, the very core of her contracting.

He couldn’t ignore the pull. She carried him with her, wresting ecstasy from the deepest part of him.

Ty buried his face into the pillow at her side as he pulsed inside her, unable to control the sounds of passion rushing from his lips.

When he finally caught his breath and lifted his head, Morgan was looking at him with a satisfied cat-like sparkle in her eyes.

“I thought we were supposed to be quiet,” she said.

“I was,” he said, rolling over to his side. He pulled her close, cradling her body against his.

Morgan tilted her chin up to look him in the eye. “That was quiet?”

“Well, quiet-ish.”

“You’re right. I’m sure there was somebody three blocks away who didn’t hear you.” She laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. “So, tacos?”

“A little later,” Ty said, pulling her back down and wrapping his arms around her. “Right now, all I want is this.”

“Me too.” Morgan snuggled her head deep into the hollow of his shoulder.

Ty took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. He knew from a lifetime of experience that there was no such thing as a perfect moment, but he was pretty damn sure that this might be the closest he had ever come.

Chapter Fourteen

Ty couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so well. He’d dropped off the second his head had hit the pillow.

It was actually the third time his head had been there now that he thought about it.

He’d been there two other times before that evening, but he’d been too absorbed with exploring every inch of Morgan’s beautiful body to even think about sleep.

They’d finally risen twenty minutes after their first round of lovemaking to devour the tacos. They were good. Cold by that time, but still good.

He didn’t have any intention of taking her again after dinner, but the sight of her sitting at the table covered only by his leather jacket, her long bare legs crossed in front of her, her bright hair tousled from exertion, had been too much to resist.

The second she’d finished her last bite, he’d slid that jacket off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

After that, with Morgan’s soft, exhausted body tucked against his side, he’d been satisfied enough to drift off to sleep.

And it appeared stayed there for a while.

He cracked open one eye, just enough to see a trace of faint sunlight beginning to make its way into the warehouse.

Dawn.

Usually he was up before the sun, no matter how long he’d been up the night before. All those years of military training were hard to break, but it seemed that Morgan’s sleepy warmth was enough to persuade him to linger in bed.

Of course, he’d have to wake her up soon. Even though he was half-dreading the conversation they had to have, there was no use putting off the talk any longer. She might hate him for what he was going to do, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Nothing was more important than protecting her, not his months of work, not even her brother.

She was all that mattered.

Ty could only hope that, in time, she would see it that way.

He rolled over, hoping for a few more minutes of spooning against her lush curves before the inevitable fireworks, and his arm smacked against the empty mattress.

Ty shot up. His gaze darted around the room. The sheets on her side of the bed were neatly pulled up. Her crumpled clothes were no longer tossed on the floor. The device was missing too. So was his jacket and gun.

She was gone.

Ty cursed loudly as he sprung from the bed and rushed to pull on his jeans.

She’d gone, and there wasn’t any doubt in his mind to where.

***

Morgan pushed her key into the lock at the back door of Kincaid’s. She slowly turned it, only flinching a little as the deadbolt audibly slid back. She nervously looked around the alleyway behind her…again.

Sure, she’d checked a dozen times before she set foot inside—just like she had the taxi she’d caught outside of Michael’s warehouse drive around the block before dropping her off—but she had the feeling that right now there wasn’t such a thing as
too careful
.

So far, she hadn’t caught sight of Gregg’s Audi or any other black town cars with sketchy looking men waiting by the curb. It looked like the coast was clear.

Which shouldn’t be all that surprising. It was just past six in the morning. Most of the city was still asleep. The sun was just barely peeking up over the horizon. Morgan couldn’t remember the last time her brother had been awake at this hour of the day.

Not that the reminder was doing anything to calm her nerves. She was still jumpy as hell. And she had the feeling she would be until she was back safely in Ty’s arms.

With any luck she’d return before he even woke up. That way she could hand over the evidence and be done with the inevitable argument before it was time for breakfast.

And she had no doubt there would be an argument.

She’d seen his face last night, that protective look in his eyes as he pulled her close. Just like she’d spotted the guilt. Put together with the long, private conversation he’d had with Michael, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on in Ty’s head.

He wasn’t just having second thoughts about her plan. He was going to call it off.

The weird thing was Morgan understood. She knew she was in way over her head. Her life had been threatened twice in the last thirty-eight hours. This time yesterday a bullet had whizzed just inches from her head.

She also understood the connection that had formed between her and Ty over the last few days. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She didn’t fully
understand
it, but she did know it was real.

Maybe it was the intensity of their situation that had stitched them together so swiftly. Maybe it was the danger. Maybe they were simply meant to be.

Who knew?

All Morgan knew was that she cared about Ty, more than she’d cared about anyone in a long time. He made her smile. He made her feel safe. He ignited a fire inside her that burned brighter than any before it.

And she did the same for him. She could see in his eyes just how deep his emotions ran. She understood that he only had her best interests at heart, and she couldn’t blame him for wanting to keep her safe.

But she couldn’t go along with his plans for one simple reason.

Gregg.

Morgan got that Ty didn’t give a rat’s ass about her brother. He only saw him as another criminal.

Sure, Gregg was acting like an idiot teaming up with the damned Russian Mafia, but he was still her brother.

Even when Morgan tried to hate him for all the trouble he’d caused, all she could see was the little boy he used to be. She couldn’t shake the image of the brother she’d played with, grown up with. And, yes, she understood he was far from perfect, but he was still family, and she wasn’t about to leave him at the mercy of the
Bratva
. She would drag him kicking and screaming to safety if she had to.

Just like Ty was trying to do with her.

Morgan tried not to let the irony affect her too much as she swung open the alleyway door. The security lights cast an eerie glow against the walls. The long hallway that snaked around the back of the club had never seemed so empty.

But that was a good thing, wasn’t it?

The club was deserted. She was alone.

Maybe this was going to work out after all.

Morgan forced her legs into motion. She rushed down the hallway, and twisted the doorknob on Gregg’s office.

It didn’t budge. Not surprising.

She gripped the barrel of Ty’s gun and smashed the office window with the butt. She tucked her hand inside the sleeve of Ty’s leather jacket and swept away the remaining jagged shards with her elbow. Only then did she reach inside and open the door.

Thank goodness she was past subtlety. Compared with lock picking, breaking windows was a huge time saver.

Morgan tucked the gun back inside the jacket pocket as she stepped inside. She went straight for the wall and took down the bland black and white city skyline photo that covered the safe. Then she pulled Michael’s device out of her pocket. The magnets attached to the metal face with a satisfying click. She pressed the on button and the red light flashed to life.

Now all she had to do was go through the numbers.

One.

Two.

Three.

The green light flashed.

It was working. Thank God.

Three was the first number. Now all she needed was the other five.

Morgan leaned in concentration and restarted the sequence.

Three.

One.

Two.

“What the hell?”

Morgan jumped straight up at the sudden shout behind her. Adrenaline rushed through every vein. She spun around.

“Morgan?”

“Gregg,” Morgan said with a breathy sigh of relief.

“Morgan, what are you doing here?” he asked with wide eyes.

Morgan drew in a long calming breath. Sure, seeing her brother wasn’t the best-case scenario, but at least no one was behind him. And as long as Barinov and his friends didn’t show up, maybe she would have a chance to talk some sense into Gregg.

It didn’t look like it would take much. He stood frozen in the doorway. There were dark circles under his eyes. His hair was uncombed. His usually pristine clothes were rumpled.

Morgan guessed that Gregg hadn’t slept last night. Maybe the one before that as well. More importantly, he looked scared, almost as much as she was.

Had the
Bratva
gotten to him as well? Had they already decided that her brother was more trouble than he was worth?

Even though the idea made her stomach sick, Morgan halfway hoped that the shine had come off of Gregg’s relationship with Barinov. That would make what she was about to say to him a hell of a lot easier.

“Gregg, we have to talk. I know what you’ve been doing for the
Bratva
. It has to stop. And I’m here to help you stop it.”

“You can’t be here,” he said, his eyes widening even further, almost as if he didn’t truly believe that she was actually standing in front of him. “You can’t.”

“Of course, I can. This is my club, too.” Morgan half-expected a rehash of all their previous arguments, but Gregg just kept shaking his head.

“But Barinov said you were…” Gregg’s voice trailed off.

“Dead,” Morgan said, finishing the sentence for him.

Morgan’s heart sank. Suddenly she understood her brother’s expression. He wasn’t surprised to find her breaking into his safe. He was shocked to see she was still alive.

The shame Morgan saw in Gregg’s eyes was all the answer that she needed. But what she didn’t see there frightened her even more.

There wasn’t a speck of relief in his eyes. He wasn’t running up and hugging her. He wasn’t thanking God that she was here at all.

He was just denying it was true.

Morgan hoped she was reading too much into her brother’s reaction. She tried to push down the slow sinking feeling in her belly. Maybe he was just in shock. Maybe he couldn’t see past his fear.

Whatever selfish emotions were freezing her brother in place, she’d deal with them later…after Gregg was safely in Ty’s custody.

Morgan straightened her spine and pulled back her shoulders.

“I’m here for your books,” she said, deciding the direct approach was her only hope of getting through to him.

And it looked like she was right.

His confusion dissipated immediately. He went stock still, his eyes focusing on her sharply.

“What books?” he asked through tight lips.

Her poor brother. The man was a terrible liar. He knew exactly what she was talking about. And it was time for him to stop pretending otherwise.

“The secret ones you keep in your safe for the
Bratva
.”

“I don’t know—”

“Of course, you do,” Morgan cut him off with a shout. She was done playing these games. Didn’t he understand the danger he was in? Didn’t he see the danger he had put her in?

The hard look on his face told her the answer she didn’t want to hear. He did…and he didn’t care.

“I can’t let you take them, Morgan.” Gregg stepped toward her. His eyes were hard. Harder than she’d ever seen them before.

Morgan slid her hand into the jacket pocket and wrapped her fingers around Ty’s gun. There was no way she would ever use it, but for the first time she was glad she had brought it. Just in case Gregg refused to listen to reason. He would listen to force.

Deep down, Morgan was afraid it might be the only language he would listen to anymore.

“You don’t have a choice, Gregg,” she said. “The FBI knows all about them.”

Gregg froze mid-step. “What?”

For a fraction of a second, fear flickered across his face.

Good.

Maybe reason still had a chance of making it through his thick head after all.

“You didn’t think that I was the only one to figure out what was going on, did you? Of course, the FBI knows. And they’ve been watching you for a while now.”

Gregg shook his head, but she saw the doubt in his eyes. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” she said. “Why do you think that I’m here, putting my life on the line to get those books, Gregg? They’ve promised to cut you a deal if you bring in the evidence and agree to testify against Barinov.”

“Why would you do that?” Morgan jumped at the anger in his voice. “Why would you talk to the FBI without coming to me first?”

Well, she could get angry too.

“Maybe because your friends were shooting at me.”

Gregg’s mouth snapped shut. At least there was still shame hiding deep down inside of him. Morgan took it as a good sign. It proved there was still a part of the brother she knew and loved in there somewhere.