Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lilly realized this was a massive mistake.

She knew all the arguments and knew them well. Jason was Greg's brother. The man who could challenge her for custody. The man who had in the past and could continue to make her life a living Hades.

But she no longer cared about arguments and such.

She took things from Jason that she hadn't even known she wanted. The strength from his embrace. The mind-blowing thrill of his kisses. And, mercy, he was a good kisser. The gentleness of his touch. The need. Most of all, the need. She could feel it all through him, and it only fed her own desire for him.

Lilly decided to take everything he was giving her since there was no chance she'd talk her body, or his, into slowing down. There was a frantic urgency in their kisses. It was a race, but against what she didn't know. All that mattered was that they had to have each other now.

He took her neck. She took his. And she touched. Really touched. Letting her palm slide down all those toned, firm pecs. And his rock-hard abs. She was guessing that he had a six-pack, and she shoved up his shirt to confirm that.

Yes, the man was built.

Jason touched, too. And he was decidedly better at it than she was. While he cupped her neck with one hand and kissed her blind, he let that other clever hand wander in the direction of her right breast. Somehow, even through the fabric of her silk dress and her bra, he managed to locate her nipple, and he pinched it lightly. Just enough pressure to make her want him to do it again and again and again.

"Yes." She let him know in case he'd missed the needy sounds she was making.

"Yes?" Jason questioned, meeting her gaze. But he obviously already knew the answer because he gave her another of those little pinches.

"Yes," she assured him.

Maybe because they now had eye contact, it occurred to her that she should suggest that they stop. But her body promptly disagreed with that. She was hot and aching for him to do more than merely pinch. Mercy, she wanted him.

He pulled her back to him and buried his face in her hair. His breath hit against her neck. It was warm. Quick. His pulse and heartbeat must have been pounding because she could feel it wherever they touched. And they seemed to be touching everywhere.

Except in the very place she wanted him to touch most.

Jason obviously guessed what she wanted because he looped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Lilly made adjustments. No easy feat with her legs still not functioning a hundred percent, but she somehow managed to put her knees on each side of his hips.

She moved forward. Saw stars. Really big stars. Then the vee of her panties struck right against the front of his jeans. Lilly could feel him. Every inch of him. That hard ridge straining against the denim.

His mouth was on her neck. Pressing. He slid his hand up her thigh to the front of her panties. Since she'd already moved past into the shameless zone, because every part of her was on fire, Lilly moved against his fingers. Intimately. But not gently. She didn't want gentle. She wanted to feel alive. She wanted to feel needed. She wanted to—

He hooked his fingers onto the elastic of her panties.

And he slipped his hand inside.

Every coherent or semicoherent thought she had flew right out of her head.

"Touch me," she heard herself whisper.

Jason cooperated. He touched her, and he didn't have any trouble finding the right place. Nor was he es pecially gentle. He made rough, almost frantic slippery strokes. While his mouth feasted on her cheek and neck. While his erection pressed against her thigh. Until she couldn't think. Until she couldn't breathe. Until she didn't care if she ever did either of those things again.

But even without the ability to think or breath, Lilly knew it was time to take this to the next level. She reached for his zipper. Jason took it up a notch, as well. He shoved her dress up to her waist.

Then he stopped.

And stared at her.

Lilly blinked, trying to focus. Trying to figure out what had happened to bring everything to an abrupt halt.

"I don't have a condom."

Oh, great. Somehow, even through her passion-hazed brain, she understood that. She also understood she didn't have an immediate solution. "Neither do I."

He cursed. It was a four-letter word for what they would be doing if they'd had a condom.

"I don't guess there's one in the house somewhere?" she asked. And she was hoping the answer was yes.

Jason shook his head. "I haven't had a woman here."

Because of Megan. Lilly understood that. Her body didn't like it, but she understood it.

Logic and normalcy slowly began to return, little by little, and with each passing second, she began to feel more and more self-conscious. The passion began to fade. So did the immediate, pressing need to have wild sex on the floor with Jason.

All right, she couldn't lie to herself. She still had that particular need for wild sex, but it was stupid to have pushed things this far without at least making a few rudimentary plans—like buying a condom.

Frustrated, she eased out of his lap and pulled her dress back into place so that she was covered. She hadn't minded her seminudity during the crazy foreplay, but it seemed awkward now.

"Please don't say you're sorry that happened," he whispered.

She dodged his gaze. "Sorry isn't the correct word. Embarrassed."

"Why? Because we acted on what we've been feeling for days?"

Lilly debated several answers but went with the truth. "This whole lack-of-condom thing reminds me a little of teenagers with their hormones out of control. Plus, I'm not sure sex would have been a smart idea."

"It wouldn't have been smart," Jason readily concurred. He paused, smiled. Dimples flashed. "But it would have been damn good."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. Lilly savored the light moment, but at the same time she knew it did nothing to cut the tension that was so thick she could taste it.

"Once we find out who's trying to kill us," he said, sounding as disappointed and as unfulfilled as Lilly felt, "we can concentrate on what's happening, or not happening, between us."

Yes, that was logical.

Maybe a little too logical, considering that he was still aroused. And that got Lilly thinking.

What had just happened?

She thought about keeping the question to herself. Maybe mulling it over for a while. But Jason was here, right in front of her, and before the kissing and touching, they'd had this whole honesty discussion going on between them.

"I have to know. All this kissing and touching—does it have anything to do with Megan?" Lilly asked.

That seemed to freeze him for several seconds. "Excuse me?"

After seeing his reaction, she instantly regretted her question. But there was no turning back now. Even if it hurt like the devil, she had to know the truth. "Is this your way of working out a custody arrangement?"

No freezing that time. Her question earned her a scalpel-sharp glare, and he had to unclench his teeth before he could speak. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

She caught his arm to stop him when he started to get up. "No, you're not. You're going to search your heart and tell me if that's what you're really feeling."

And judging from the arctic look on Jason's face, she wouldn't like his answer.

J ASON WANTED NOTHING more than to dismiss Lilly's question, but he couldn't.

Hell.

One minute, they were all wrapped up in each other's arms, sharing hot kisses and on the verge of having equally hot sex. Now, he felt as if he were facing a firing squad.

And facing a moment of truth.

Lilly had simply asked what had been on his mind for days, and it was time to deal with it.

"If a relationship of convenience is what it takes for us both to be with Megan, will you consider it?" he asked, hoping she didn't slap him.

But if she had intentions of slapping him, Lilly didn't follow through on them. That's because they heard the sound at the end of the hall. Little footsteps. A moment later, the owner of those little footsteps appeared, and Megan toddled toward them.

Lilly did a double check to make sure they were both decent. They were. And she smiled at Megan. The little girl returned the smile. A sleepy one. She had woken up a little too early from her nap.

Megan stopped when she was just a few inches away and gave each of them a considering look. Obviously she felt she had some sort of decision to make. It didn't take her long, though. She went to Jason, sank down next to him and rested her head against his arm.

It was one of those magic moments that he'd been lucky enough to share often with Megan. He treasured times like this. However, he knew these were no longer just Megan's and his moments. He picked up Megan, kissed her cheek and deposited her onto Lilly's lap.

Jason didn't know which of them was most surprised by that.

Megan look confused. Lilly, stunned. And he was sure he was both. Still, Megan didn't protest the new arrangement. She settled against Lilly and closed her eyes to finish her nap.

Lilly lifted her eyes to meet his. Thank you, she mouthed.

He braced himself for some feelings of jealousy, but those feelings thankfully didn't come. Progress, indeed.

"Well?" he prompted. "Would you consider a relationship of convenience?"

Lilly moistened her lips and looked down at Megan. "I'd consider almost anything for her sake. But we're already facing an obstacle or two in the convenience department. Sometimes the fire and heat burn out and leave a lot of bitterness. When that happens, it doesn't make anything convenient."

Jason didn't have to ask her to clarify. He knew. And unfortunately, he also knew she was probably right. But was there enough common ground between them to overcome anything? He didn't get a chance to pose that question to her because the phone in the living room rang. Since it could have something to do with security or the investigation, Jason quickly got up to answer it.

"Detective Lawrence, it's me, Corinne Davies," the caller said. "We met the other night at Lilly's office."

"I know who you are," he informed her. After the incident with the stolen car, both her name and voice were imprinted on his brain. What he couldn't figure out was what the heck she was doing calling him. "How can I help you?"

She didn't answer right away. "I hope I haven't made a mistake by contacting you, but I think I might have found some information you need."

That got his full attention. "I'm listening." And so that Lilly could do the same, he turned on the speaker function of the phone.

"I was going through some old files I had from when I worked for Lilly. I found some e-memos that Raymond Klein sent to Lilly's father." Her words were suddenly rushed, as if she was trying to hurry. "They seem to suggest that they were about to do something illegal. Something to do with paying off a city official so they could undercut other bids for a building project. One of those other bids appears to belong to your brother, Greg."

Jason met Lilly's gaze. She didn't appear surprised, but concerned. She pulled Megan protectively closer to her.

"I'll want to see these memos," Jason told Corinne.

"I thought you would. But there might be a problem. The files might have been tampered with." Corinne's voice dropped even lower. She was either very nervous and frightened about this call, or else she was putting on a good act. "I can't verify that this e-memo even came from Klein. I'm usually pretty good at unraveling the e-mail addresses and identities of the senders, but this one has been blocked. I can't be sure if this information in the memo is correct or if someone planted it to make it look as if something illegal was going on."

After hearing that, Jason had a dilemma of his own. Was Corinne up to something? He certainly didn't trust the woman, and that lack of trust cast some serious suspicion on what she was saying. However, he couldn't just dismiss potential evidence either, especially if that evidence could be used to convict Raymond Klein.

"Take what you have to police headquarters," Jason instructed Corinne. "I'll pick it up there."

"I can't do that."

"And why not?"

More hesitation. Jason could practically see the woman wringing her hands, or else pretending to wring them. "I think someone's watching me. Maybe it has something to do with what happened to Lilly. The shooting, I mean. I don't want to go walking into police headquarters because I believe someone will try to stop me from doing that."

Well, he could understand her concern. Jason could also understand his own concern. "You can fax or copy the files and e-mail them," he suggested.

"No, I can't. Some are handwritten, and the ink is very pale. I tried to copy a few, but they're barely even legible in places."

Oh, man. He didn't even want to know where this was leading.

"I want to meet with Lilly and you so I can give you the files in person," Corinne insisted.

Lilly made a frustrated sound and shook her head.

Jason agreed. "It wouldn't be safe for Lilly to be out in public."

"I can meet you someplace safe," Corinne insisted.

But Jason knew there were no real safe places. Especially not for a meeting with a suspect.

"You choose the location," Corinne continued. She no longer sounded just afraid. She sounded desperate. "You bring along extra cops. Guns, whatever. Do what you need to do to secure the place, and I'll give you what I found."

Jason quickly thought that through and came up with a solution. "All right. Let's meet in the parking lot of police headquarters, but Lilly won't be coming with me."

"She has to, or else I'll call the whole thing off. I don't really know you, Detective Lawrence, but I know Lilly, and I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt me. That's why I insist that she be there."

"Okay," he heard Lilly say.

Glaring at her hardly seemed enough to convey his displeasure for her okay. "Lilly won't be coming with me," Jason insisted.

"I'll be at the parking lot of the downtown police headquarters at 8:00 p.m.," Corinne said. "If Lilly's not there, I won't be, either."

And with that ultimatum, she hung up.

"We have to meet her. You know we don't have a choice about this," Lilly said immediately.

"Oh, but we do, and that choice is for you to stay put. I'll go to the meeting and get those memos and files from Corinne while you stay here under police guard."

Lilly's frown probably meant she didn't agree with his plan. "What if she means what she said? What if she won't meet with you if I'm not there?"

Jason considered that, and dismissed it. "What if she's up to something?"

"What if she's not?" Lilly argued.

He huffed. "How long are you going to keep countering a question with a question?"

She made a show of pretending to think about it. "Forever?"

That didn't improve his mood. "Smart-ass."

"So I've been told. But here's the deal, Jason. Corinne wants to meet in the parking lot of police head quarters. If she had murder on her mind, she wouldn't have chosen a place where she'd likely get arrested. Pardon the question, but would she?"

Maybe. Or maybe this was one smart ploy to get them to cooperate.

And a ploy to get them killed.

"I don't like this," Jason told her.

"Neither do I. That's why I'll stay in the car. In fact, we both will, and we'll let Corinne come to us."

Jason stared at her. And glared. He hoped it conveyed his displeasure. But what it probably also conveyed was that Lilly had a point. Corinne might have something they needed.

"You won't meet face-to-face with Corinne even if she insists?" Jason asked.

"I might have a smart mouth, but I'm not stupid." Lilly brushed a kiss on Megan's forehead. "Besides, I have a very important reason for staying alive, and I'm holding that reason right here in my arms."

Jason looked down at Megan. Before he ever switched on the speakerphone, he'd known that she'd fallen asleep. Megan seemed totally unaware of what was happening. Thank goodness. That was something at least. The stress and worry of their situation hadn't spilled over to her.

"Those memos that Corinne found could be the very thing we need to put an end to all of this," Lilly pointed out.

And she was right. Jason knew it. So did she.

That didn't make this easier, though.

"I'll get another officer to stay here with Megan," Jason finally said. "I'll also arrange for us to use an unmarked vehicle with bulletproof windows. You and I will drive to headquarters, but you won't be getting out of the car. Right?"

"Right," she promised.

That promise might keep her safe. Might. But Jason couldn't help but wonder if he was about to lead Lilly straight into a deadly trap.