The Cop Page 14

  She’d just finished giving their order, when he muttered, “Shit.”

  “What?” J.C. started to turn toward him.

  “No. Keep your eyes straight ahead.” Then he turned and beamed a smile at the clerk behind the counter. “Cancel the drink order. We’ll take two of the chocolate biscotti.”

  “For here or to go?” the clerk asked.

  “To go.” Nik handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

  The moment he had the biscotti in hand, he nudged J.C. toward the sizeable group of customers waiting for their specialty drinks. After weaving their way through the small crowd, he steered her down a short hall and through a doorway marked Employees Only. The brief glimpse of the room that she got on their dash toward the back door told her it was empty.

  “You saw something,” she said as Nik poked his head through the exit and scanned the alley.

  “Call me paranoid, but a van just dropped off two men across the street, and they headed right for this place.”

  “Maybe they’re addicted to the coffee.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into the alley and broke into a run. When they’d nearly reached the street, he stopped short. “Keep your back against the wall while I check it out.”

  After inching his way to the end of the alley, he peered carefully around the corner of the building, then swore under his breath again. “The van just turned the corner. Get behind the Dumpster.”

  An instant later, J.C. found herself pressed face-first against a metal Dumpster. The scent of garbage was ripe. Nik was at her back, so close that she felt it when he pulled out his gun.

  Seconds ticked by. J.C. could feel the heat from Nik’s body, but in spite of it, she shivered. “He’s got an alibi. Why is he still after me?” she whispered.

  “Shhhh.” Nik squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t fall apart on me now. We’ll get through this. Could be the driver is just circling the block so that he can pick up the other two.”

  She heard the sudden rev of a motor as a vehicle turned slowly into the alley. So much for that idea. More seconds crawled by as the van drew closer, and J.C. prayed.

  NIK COULD HEAR the crunching sounds of the tires moving over the debris on the floor of the alley. Then the van stopped—right in front of the Dumpster. His mind raced. Had one of those goons he’d spotted seen him going through the Employees Only door? If so, several scenarios ran through his mind. There were three of them, and it wouldn’t be hard to block the exits to the alley. He and J.C. would be trapped and outnumbered.

  A door opened. Was it the one that he and J.C. had used to leave the coffee shop?

  The van moved forward a little and then stopped. If they started to search the alley, he’d have to create a disturbance so that J.C. could get away.

  “Get ready,” he whispered into her ear. “When I tell you to run, I want you to go as fast as you can to the end of the alley that the van just turned in from. Head back to the station and don’t look back.”

  Another door opened. It sounded like the van. “You got them?” a gruff voice asked.

  “No.” The man replying had a high-pitched voice.

  “You let them get away?”

  “They must have spotted us and slipped out this way,” the high-pitched voice replied. “Dickie had the front door covered.”

  “The boss is not going to be happy about this,” the gruff voice said. “You’re the shooting expert. You were supposed to take out the bodyguard and grab her as soon as they came out of the station.”

  “That damn reporter got in the way.” The high-pitched voice grew whiny. “What were Dickie and I supposed to do? Get ourselves caught on film?”

  “The boss doesn’t like excuses. He wants her taken care of.”

  “They can’t have gotten far. Maybe you’re the one who let them get away.”

  “Get in the van,” the gruff voice said. “We’ll swing around and pick up Dickie. Then we’ll find them and this time, you better not fail.”

  Listening to the van make its way toward the other end of the alley, Nik kept a tight rein on the emotions streaming through him. He was not going to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t paid attention to his damn thumbs. If Carla Mitchell hadn’t gotten in the way and the guy with the high-pitched voice had managed to shoot him, the three men would have J.C. right now. He could only imagine what she was feeling.

  When the van finally moved out of the alley, he turned her around to face him.

  “You were right,” she said. “He’s not going to stop. And that man would have killed you.”

  He tightened his grip on her. “We’re going to stop them. You got that?”

  He watched her gather herself in. “Yes. We’re going to get them.”

  Nik grabbed her hand and together they ran for the other end of the alley. He scanned the street and spotted just what he was looking for. A package delivery truck from a company that promised on-time next-day delivery, and the driver was unloading.

  Pointing to it, he said, “C’mon.”

  WITHIN MINUTES, J.C. found herself in the back of the truck wedged in between two columns of boxes. She was cold. In spite of the heat of the day, she’d begun to shiver, and there were goose bumps on her skin. But it was the icy ball of fear in her stomach that was numbing her.

  In her mind she could still hear the words of the gruff voiced man in the alley. You were supposed to take out the bodyguard. It wasn’t just the words, but the callous tone in which they were spoken that had her shivering again. He might have used the same tone to say, “You were supposed to bring the donuts.” J.C. lifted her hands and saw that they were shaking. She’d nearly lost Nik.

  And he was still standing in the street talking to the driver, his jacket pushed back so that his gun was visible, his thumbs tucked in the pockets of his jeans. He’d stood just that way in that little room in the church when he’d handcuffed her to the radiator. It was his intimidation pose.

  And it was the wrong time to use it. He was still in plain sight if those goons in the van drove by.

  “Slick,” she called out. “You want to speed this up.”

  He sent a frown her way, then turned back to the driver. She watched as he pulled out his wallet, extracted several bills and passed them over to the man. The driver, pacified, gestured Nik inside, then began to transfer the boxes on his dolly to his truck. Nik, instead of climbing in the truck, pulled out his cell and continued to stand there like some sentinel on guard duty.

  That was it. J.C. welcomed the anger because it melted the numbness. Scrambling to her feet, she moved to the back end of the truck. “Will you get in here? If those goons see you, you’re going to get shot.”

  He leapt onto the truck, then turned, using his body to shield her from view, and continued to talk into his cell. She couldn’t catch everything because of the traffic noises, but she heard him say “Cole.” As soon as he pocketed his phone, he whirled, grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back into the little space she’d been crammed into before.

  “I told you to stay put,” he said. “Dammit, you were shaking like a leaf. You still are.”

  “I would have stayed put if you hadn’t been standing out there in plain sight. Those men tried to shoot you. Because of me.”

  He gave her a shake. “And what do you think they had planned for you once they grabbed you.”

  “I nearly lost you.” They spoke the words in unison. Then Nik pulled her close and covered her mouth with his. She tasted his fear as well as her own and she felt him tremble. Wrapping her arms around him, she drew him closer and poured everything she felt into the kiss.

  WHEN NIK finally found the strength to draw back, they were on their knees facing each other in the cramped space. She wasn’t shivering anymore, and neither was he.

  With a sigh, J.C. snuggled her head against his shoulder. What had gone down in that alley had been a close call. And if Carla Mitchell hadn’t been her usual do
gged self, those men might have grabbed J.C. earlier.

  No, if he allowed himself to dwell on that, he wouldn’t be able to do his job. He heard the sounds of the doors at the back of the truck slamming shut. A moment later, he felt the driver climb in and the engine start. No, he wasn’t going to dwell on what might have happened, and neither was J.C. He had a much better idea of how they might spend their time.

  “Where are we going?” J.C. tightened her grip on him as the truck lurched into traffic.

  “The St. Regis.”

  She drew back then to stare at him. “Why?”

  “What if I said that I’ve asked Cole to get us a room so that we can make love all night long?”

  He watched her eyes darken with desire just before they narrowed. “That’s not the only reason, is it?”

  Nik grinned at her as he ran his hands down her back to her hips, then drew her just a little closer. “No. I am going to make love to you. But I also have another agenda.” He slipped his fingers beneath the waist of her jeans and felt the shiver move through her. “Just how good are you at multitasking?”

  She lifted her chin. “Women are wired for multitasking. And caterers are pros at it.”

  “Too bad.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “I was hoping we’d have to practice a bit.” He pulled open the snap of her jeans.

  “Nik?”

  Her eyes had darkened to a deep emerald green. “I can’t wait until we reach the hotel. I want you now.” He gripped her hips to shift her so that her thighs straddled his. They were halfway back in the truck, completely surrounded by stacked boxes and cozy as sardines.

  She pressed a hand against his chest. “You want to have sex in a delivery truck?”

  “I do.” He pulled her zipper down, and felt her skin tremble against the backs of his fingers. Then he slipped them deeper until he found her slick, wet heat. “I think you do, too. Don’t you?”

  J.C. FOUND SHE WANTED to more than anything. The icy cold that had gripped her moments ago was a dim memory, completely erased by the inferno of heat his touch was creating in her. “Do we have room?”

  “Always questioning.” He ran his mouth along the line of her jaw. “I love a challenge. Don’t you?”

  “Yes, I—” When he pushed two fingers into her, J.C. felt some of her brain cells begin to click off. “But…we were going to multitask.”

  “We are. But we should be able to go over my plan for the St. Regis while I’m inside of you.” He nipped at the lobe of her ear and whispered, “You do want me inside of you, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” She could feel herself already beginning to pulse around his fingers. Wrapping her arms around him, she dragged his mouth back to hers. “Time…do we have enough…?”

  “We’ll have to be fast.” The urgency in his tone had all the other questions and objections slipping from her mind. Suddenly desperate, she pulled at the snap of his jeans.

  “Not yet,” he whispered against her lips. “First you have to turn around.”

  It took some doing, but she managed to squirm into a position so that she was kneeling in front of him and facing one of the boxes the driver had loaded to block them in. In the process, she’d managed to recall that they were supposed to be multitasking. “What’s your plan once we get to the St. Regis?”

  “Step one, we check in. Cole has a suite reserved for us.” His hands gripped her jeans and dragged them down. Then his arms wrapped around her waist and she watched as he hooked his thumbs into the lacey elastic band of her briefs and lowered them to her knees. Just the sight of his hands moving on her skin had ripples of desire lashing through her. “And then?” she managed to ask.

  The truck took a turn and he held her tight as they both shifted into the pile of boxes to their left.

  “And then…” Once he’d steadied her again, his left hand moved slowly up the front of her thigh to the V between her legs. “I think I’ll try this.” She watched his middle finger slip into her fold and then press lightly against her clitoris. He wasn’t rubbing it, just pressing much too gently. “Nik…”

  “Do you want to know what we’re going to do next at the St. Regis?”

  “Yes.” That was fast becoming a lie.

  “Or do you want to know what I’m going to do to you next?”

  “Yes.” That was definitely a lie. She didn’t want him to tell her. She just wanted him to do it.

  For a moment, Nik didn’t speak. Even the muted sounds of the traffic outside the truck seemed to fade. The only things she could hear were the snap of his jeans, the rasp of his zipper and the rustle of the denim against his skin. The noises were incredibly erotic. The sound of him tearing the foil from a condom nearly sent her over the edge.

  When his finger traced her crack ever so lightly, the pulsing began deep inside of her, and she began to tremble.

  “Do you have any idea what your response does to me?”

  J.C. could only hope that it was half as devastating as what his touches and his words were doing to her. Gathering what brain cells she had left, she asked, “What’s next?”

  His arm tightened at her waist and he bent her over the box directly in front of her. “I think you know what I’m going to do to you next.” He kissed the nape of her neck. “Why don’t we just concentrate on that for a bit?”

  “And…at the St. Regis?”

  His laugh was a breath in her ear. “That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Focused to the last. We’re going to ask to see the ballroom. Any other questions?”

  Before she could answer, the truck lurched again, flattening them both against the top of the box he’d bent her over. Reaching behind, she gripped his buttock with her hand. “I want you inside of me now.”

  “That’s one order I don’t mind following.” He entered her, filling her, stretching her. She cried out at the huge wave of pleasure.

  The truck lurched again, and he thrust even deeper.

  “Sorry,” he murmured in her ear as he withdrew and thrust in again. “I intended to take you slowly. But my plans have changed. Hold on.”

  She did hold on—one hand gripping the edge of the box, the other holding fast to his buttock. “Fast would be…good.”

  Nik increased the pace. At the same time, he began to rub his finger against her clitoris. When he bit her shoulder, she felt her climax rip through her.

  “Last step,” Nik whispered hoarsely as he thrust one final time.

  15

  AS NIK DREW HER into the lobby of the St. Regis, J.C. was immediately aware that she was underdressed. The marble columns and floor didn’t go with her jeans and T-shirt. Neither did the crystal chandelier nor the huge vase of real flowers that graced the carved oak table in the center of the room.

  “I need some clothes.” Her gaze lingered on the displays in one of the exclusive shops that lined the lobby.

  “We’ll get to it,” Nik assured her. “First we’re going to check in. I had Cole make the reservations.” He paused right by the carved oak table and in plain sight of everyone, he kissed her hand and smiled at her. “Before we get on with this, tell me how you are.”

  “Fine,” she said.

  He lowered his voice. “Any bruises? That was a pretty rough ride.”

  She felt the heat stain her cheeks. “Any bruises would be worth it.”

  He grinned at her. “Yes, they would.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That was fun. We’ll have to try it again someday.”

  Much to her surprise, she found herself agreeing. In addition to being one of the most erotic experiences she’d ever had, making love with Nik in the back of a delivery truck had been fun. She narrowed her eyes.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You’re not what I first thought you’d be.”

  “I’m not?”

  J.C. shook her head as she recalled the first time she’d seen him, totally focused, totally serious and very dangerous-looking as he’d stood over the body in the sacristy. “I can’t quite
reconcile the man I first saw with the man I just had…”

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Down-and-dirty sex with in the back of a delivery truck?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if I told you that I’m having a little trouble adjusting to him, too?”

  “Really?”

  He raised her hand to his lips again. “Jude Catherine, that was a first for me.”

  You’re a first for me. Nik wasn’t quite comfortable with the thought as he drew her toward the registration desk, but for now he pushed the discomfort aside. They’d come here for information. “When we register, just play along with me.”

  “What exactly are we doing? You only gave me the vaguest outline of what your plan is.”

  “I want to see that ballroom where the charity ball took place. Perhaps it will give us an idea of how our Frankie boy managed to be in two places at once.” That was part one of his plan. For the other part—well they both needed a break. And he intended to give her what he hadn’t given her in the van.

  He squeezed her hand. “Just follow my lead. We’re about to have some more fun.”

  “Ah.” She grinned at him. “More multitasking?”

  “May I help you?” The woman whose name tag read Lara beamed a smile at them.

  “Arthur Varden,” Nik said.

  Lara tapped some keys, then her smile brightened. “Ah, yes, my manager said that you’re interested in planning a destination wedding.” She punched a number into a phone and said, “Mr. Varden is here,” then turned back to Nick. “The ballroom manager asked to be notified as soon as you arrived, Mr. Varden.” She tapped a few more keys. “Your personal assistant phoned just a short while ago. Your suite should be ready shortly. If you’d like, you could check your luggage with the bellman.”

  “We don’t have any,” Nik was surprised to hear J.C. say. “We made the plane in Philly. Our luggage didn’t. The airline has promised to deliver it tonight. But…” She spread her hands.