play
with.â€
And she wasn’t a toy. The implication was there, and he knew, son of a bitch, fury searing his guts, he knew what Nadine had done to her. How she
had asked Dayle to let her just “play†with Janey for a while.
The doctor’s report, Janey’s recol ection of it—it had al been in Chaya’s report to Timothy Cranston, the agent in charge of that
investigation last year.
Alex had read it. He had forced himself to read it. To look at the pictures the hospital had taken of the bite marks on her breasts. Janey wouldn’t tel
them if the bitch had touched her anywhere else. For months Alex had dreamed he had kil ed Nadine slowly, slow and painful y, rather than the quick death
he had given her.
“There’s many different kinds of play, Janey,†he told her softly. “There’s nothing vindictive or painful in what I want. You know that.â€
She turned away from him, one hand propped on her curvy hip, the other lifted. From where he stood he could see her chewing on her thumbnail, and
he almost smiled. That was a “Janey†trait. It wasn’t a good sign. She was trying to hold back, anger, pain—whatever emotions Janey
didn’t like to deal with.
He knew her. Sometimes he thought he knew her better than Natches did. Because there were times when he hadn’t been on assignment but had
watched Janey, wherever she was, instead.
From that day on the lake, six years before, when Janey had teased when she shouldn’t have teased. When she had awakened a hunger he
hadn’t known lived inside him, though she had always brought out a possessiveness he hadn’t known he had. And he had worried about her.
Worried to the extent that several times a year he had shadowed her, watched her, kept tabs on her when he wasn’t there. Until this past year. Shit
had gone to hel with the operation in Somerset, and he’d let himself get distracted. He’d pul ed the tail off her to gather intel on other subjects
instead. And this was what had happened.
Janey had nearly paid with her life.
She turned back to him.
“Leave.†Her mask was back. That cool, professional, I-don’t-feel-a-fucking-thing mask. She was protecting herself and her emotions, and no
one understood the need to do that more than Alex did.
Alex grimaced and nodded. “I can do that.â€
But his feet weren’t moving. He wasn’t turning and heading for the door. Because he couldn’t. Because he had waited too long, wanted for
too many years. Walking away now seemed impossible.
“So why aren’t you?†Her gaze flickered again.
She wasn’t nearly as cool as she wanted him to think. Emotions seethed inside Janey; he could see them, feel them. He wanted to taste the hunger
he had glimpsed in her eyes; he wanted to feel it burning him.
“I want that kiss, Janey.â€
Her green eyes seemed to darken, almost. Just a shade, maybe. And it wasn’t anger.
“What kiss?†Her breathing was heavier now, deeper. Her breasts lifted and fel , pressing against her white blouse with tempting promise. And
her nipples were hard. The sight of those tight little peaks held him entranced.
“That kiss you teased me with the day I pul ed you out of Nadine’s.†He moved toward her, stepped behind her.
Alex let the scent of her wash through his senses. An essential smel of feminine warmth, of sweet heat. The smel of a woman, mixed with the peachy
scent of soap and the delicate fragrance of shampoo. The scent of her shouldn’t have been as arousing as it was.
She had cut her hair. It was straight, tamed, framing her face like black silk ribbons, instead of long and fil ed with the riotous curls that tempted his
hands. This hair was tempting, too, though. So damned tame and restrained that it made him wonder exactly what she was trying so damned hard