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Inventing the Abbotts

Thorn rolled over and glanced at his alarm. Ten o’clock. He still had some time before he was supposed to be in the lobby to meet the persistent blonde, a date he was not looking forward to. He wished he’d never extended the invitation.

What was he going to talk with this woman about? Schematics? How to build a weapon out of paperclips and rubber bands? Not something most women found interesting. Ava rolled her beautiful blue eyes every time he brought up a subject even remotely close.

The thought of Ava brought the prior evening crashing back, a night where his emotions had run the gamut.

He’d watched Ava walk off with Grayson and knew the game was afoot, an event that only added to his anxiety. He’d never sweated so much in his life, and it hadn’t been caused by Louisiana’s hot and oppressive climate. He’d been worried about whether Ava would follow the game plan and play hard to get, or yet again do something foolish like leave with Grayson. Thorn knew if she had, things could have gotten dicey. Preparations for that scenario hadn’t been discussed. Thank God Ava had listened.

What really irked Thorn was that Grayson’s hand had moved from Ava’s back to her ass in record time. The guy had some balls, touching her intimately five minutes after introducing himself. No gentlemen for sure. Not that they hadn’t known that going in. Anyone who could kill so casually would have no qualms about feeling up a woman without her blessing.

Thorn smiled. He had been proud of the way Ava handled the situation. She’d immediately turned on Grayson, had even attempted to walk away until the guy stopped her.

As he watched, he’d wanted to punch the shit out of the jerk, but knew better. There was too much at stake. They had to get Grayson for Yancy. Their fellow agent deserved that much from his colleagues.

Thorn got out of bed and padded into the bathroom to take a shower.

Ava wouldn’t be up for hours so he had plenty of time to meet the blonde, lose her interest and make it back to the room before Ava even cracked an eye open.

He turned the water on in the shower, dropped his boxers and stepped inside, his mind on what his and Ava’s plans would be for later that day.

Grayson had gotten Ava’s room number before she’d said her goodbyes last night. Most of the day would be spent waiting to see if he’d call. Thorn had no doubt he would. Ava was just too tempting to forget. Hell, he wished he could get her out of his mind. The woman was in his blood, sent heat rushing through him whenever he thought of her.

Lust was only part of what he felt for Ava, though. The rest was what kept him up at night, dreaming of her being his and only his forever. Too bad she wasn’t the commitment type, and treated him like a brother, her Alex to his Mallory. But she wasn’t a sister figure to him, not even close. Just thinking about her made him hard.

Maybe he should proposition the blonde. Get lucky. His body became impossible to control when he thought of Ava’s silky legs, creamy, full breasts and delectable ass. The woman drove him to distraction.

He wanted her so bad he could almost feel her in his arms.

“Are you going to take forever?” Ava banged on the shower stall door.

Thorn jumped as if he’d been caught jacking off by his mother. What the hell was Ava doing up so early? She always slept in. How was he going to meet the blonde now?

“What are you doing in there, Thorn? Can I come in and watch?”

“You wish!” Thorn shouted, angry with himself for his wayward thoughts about Ava. “I’m taking a shower. What do you think I’m doing?”

She pressed against the door and sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve never watched a man shower before.”

“I find that hard to believe, Ava. Could you leave? I’m coming out.”

Seconds later, a white folded towel came flying over the top of the glass doors. Thorn just had time to catch the thing. “Are you going?” he asked as he began to dry his body.

“Why? I gave you a towel.” Her voice was teasing and only served to make him angrier.

He growled out loud.

She giggled and moved away from the door. The sweet, musical sound of her laughter squelched Thorn’s anger.

Ava loved playing games, enjoyed seeing how far she could push him. Maybe he should play a little game of his own. Show her what she was missing out on.

He smiled at the idea. The thought had merit. Ava wouldn’t expect him to walk out naked. Wouldn’t think he’d have the nerve.

What would she do? Stand there and stare, or run for the hills?

Somehow Thorn pictured her hightailing it out of the bathroom as fast as her bare feet could scamper.

Ava Stanton loved the chase as much as Grayson, but to actually follow through was a whole other story.

Thorn’s smile broadened. The more he thought about the plan, the more he liked it.

He could already see her blue eyes turn saucer-like, her jaw drop all the way to her chest as he walked past her to go to his room.

He’d bet big money she’d never come into the bathroom while he was showering again.

With that thought driving him, Thorn opened the door.

Ava stood leaning against the sink, looking at her feet. She obviously hadn’t heard him come out.

When she looked up, her eyes widened.

Her gaze moved over and down his body then stopped on a particular area of interest.

He walked up and handed her his towel, intentionally brushing against her arm. As he moved away, he heard her suck in a breath, a reaction that pleased him.

Yes indeed. Let her stew on that for a while.

“Oh, Ava,” he called from his bedroom, hoping to add fuel to the fire. “I have a lunch date with a lady friend, so you’ll have to entertain yourself for a few hours. I hope you can do that without getting into trouble.

Mauvelous

Yancy struggled to keep from saying anything else to Mauve. Boy, she knew just how to cut him to the quick. The bad sex thing was like a sucker-punch to a male’s ego, even worse when it was brought up continually. He’d always prided himself on giving women satisfaction in bed, but she had to keep reminding him that in her case, he hadn’t.

Bitch.

What had she expected? She’d caught him at a low point, a time when he wasn’t in charge of all his faculties. If he had been, he’d have remembered that Aztec had a rule against bedding fellow agents—it never would have happened.

Yes, he’d been attracted to Mauve the minute he saw her that first day, but he knew they could never be more than colleagues. Not with that specific clause in place. His job was too important to him to allow a pretty face to jeopardize it. Besides, Mauve strutted around like she was God’s gift to the male population and that wasn’t a turn-on to him.

He couldn’t abide women who knew they could get what they wanted with a bat of an eyelash, a wink of an eye or a flash of enough skin.

There was no denying that Mauve O’Connor was hot. Even now, after her constant berating, a smile in his direction could still get her further than anyone else.

He hated that. No woman had ever had that kind of control over him before, fruitless considering it’d get him nowhere with her now, yet another insult to his ego.

Shaking off the negative thoughts, he pulled up to The Sands, still not sure how he was going to lure Cadence Fleming after she threatened to call the cops last night. It hadn’t been her idea, but she certainly hadn’t tried to stop her friend from making the threat.

He killed the engine and took a deep breath.

An idea struck him.

He smiled and turned to Mauve. “How about we go in for lunch together today. You appear interested in me and we’ll see if that doesn’t get her attention. Women are more inclined to want a man who’s dating another woman.”

“Is that right?” The three words reeked of sarcasm, as if she didn’t believe his theory.

“That’s what I’ve noticed. Weird as it is, it’s that whole, ‘men think with their heads, women with their hearts’, thing.”

Mauve snorted. “I use my brain, thank you. So, I do believe that hypothesis is flawed. Besides, if we wanted to stereotype, men think with the heads of their penises.”

Yancy refused to allow her to goad him further. He was going to keep his cool no matter what. “Will you do it or not?”

“All right. I’ll do it for Aztec.”

He opened his car door and came around to Mauve’s side. She was already out of the Cobra waiting for him.

Yancy scowled, then grasped her hand and pulled her toward the entrance to the restaurant. She wouldn’t even allow him to be courteous, to open the damn door for her. Stubborn woman.

At The Sands, he stopped. “You’re going to have to look as if you want to be with me. That face says otherwise.”

She yanked her hand free. “Don’t worry. As soon as we walk through that door, no one will be able to tell how disappointing the sex was with you.”

Yancy gritted his teeth, then tamped down his fury and opened the door, shoving her into the restaurant.

She was going to pay for that last remark—actually eat her words before the day was over. He had a plan all right and it wasn’t going to thrill Mauve O’Connor one bit.

“I see you’re back,” Cadence said as she came to greet them.

“Yes, but this time I brought a friend.” For sport, Yancy patted Mauve’s ass and smiled at Cadence.

Both women looked at each other.

Yancy’s smile broadened, though his hand burned from where it had made contact with Mauve’s behind. Damned woman got him back without even knowing it.

“Would you like a table or a booth?” Cadence asked in a clipped tone.

Yancy’s plan was working. Ms. Fleming sounded jealous.

“A booth. It’s more intimate.” His eyes met and held hers. Oh yeah, she wanted him. At least her eyes said she did.

He flashed his pearly whites and watched Cadence swallow repeatedly.

“Follow me.” Cadence whirled around and led them to a back booth, then dropped the menus on the table and stalked away.

Mauve took a seat. “What the hell was that about?”

Instead of Yancy sitting across from her, he slid in next to her and draped his arm over her shoulder.

“Get away from me,” she muttered under her breath.

“We’re dating, remember?”

She slid forward in the seat, and his arm dropped. “Just keep your hands to yourself.”

Yancy shrugged. “Hey, I thought the ass pat was a nice touch.”

“For you maybe.”

He let the remark slide and flipped the menu open on the table. “What are you going to have?”

She snatched the other menu and opened it. “Are you buying?”

“Yes, so don’t worry about cost.”

She snorted. “Big spender, huh?”

“Cadence is coming back. Kiss me.” He grasped Mauve’s shoulders and pulled her close, smashing his lips to hers. Her body tensed, a reaction that only made him work harder to get her to respond. His tongue slid along her soft, supple lips, expecting resistance, only to be rewarded when her mouth opened, her tongue uniting with his.

On cue, his body reacted, intense desire ripping through him. To get closer, he slid his hand up her neck to behind her head, deepened the kiss, amazed at how sweet and demanding her mouth became.

A need blazed deep inside him, his cock fighting a painful battle against his jeans.

A foot shuffling and a light sigh alerted Yancy to Cadence’s presence.

What the hell was wrong with him? This was supposed to be an act, a performance for Cadence’s benefit, not the most incredible kiss he’d ever shared with anyone.

Shit! Mauve is the woman who said you bombed big-time in bed. Don’t think that way.

He shifted on the seat, then turned to find Cadence standing by the booth, an order pad in hand, her face flushed pink. Her blue eyes narrowed on him, indicating annoyance.

Yancy glanced at Mauve, whose face matched Cadence’s. Bright red, her mouth parted, her eyes flaming with desire.

God, how he wanted to kiss her again, but that wouldn’t get the job done.

There was a fine line with women. Too much attention toward another only pushed them away. His job was to seduce Cadence, not Mauve, no matter how appealing that idea might be.

* * *

Mauve’s heart pounded—her body all tingly and hot. She could still feel Yancy’s tongue on hers, could still taste him—a vivid memory that hardened her nipples and had her crossing her legs to keep them from shaking.

Why did he have to be so good at kissing, and bring back their night together? Better yet, why did she want him to do it again?

If they hadn’t been interrupted, she had a sneaking suspicion they’d have been under the table in another couple of minutes.

No man had ever made her forget where she was.

Damn him.

“Are you two planning to order entrées?” Cadence asked in a none-too-friendly tone. “Or are you going straight for the dessert?”

Caddy-Did

Kent opened the passenger-side door and tumbled out of the car, a soft giggle greeting his trip to the pavement.

“You okay, Sugar?”

He glanced up, rubbed his bearded chin and grinned. The petite, blue-eyed blonde he’d spent the night with didn’t look one bit concerned he’d fallen flat on his face. She actually seemed amused.

He really should have sobered up before coming to work. But if he had, he’d have been late for purgatory.

“I’m fine.” He slid from the car and sat on the blacktop, the morning’s sun already warming it to the point that it burned his ass. Great. Now his butt would sting all day—like his pride. “Thanks for the ride. Or should I say…rides.”

She smirked. “No problem. Call me sometime. I had fun.”

Fun. Kent had never thought of his performance in the bedroom as fun. Earth-shattering, sure. Mind-blowing, yes. But fun? Definitely not a word used to stroke a man’s ego.

Once on his feet, he slammed the car door and watched the blonde back out and leave the parking lot.

Damned if he could remember her name. Something like Barbie or Bambi.

Hell, what did it matter? He wouldn’t call her anyway.

He turned and shuffled toward the entrance to Aztec.

Coffee. That’s what he needed, about a pot of the strong stuff. He had to sober up before Cadence Fleming arrived and ruined his buzz.

Inside the building, Kent made his way to the break room, intent on polishing off the French roast before people started showing up.

Halfway down the hall, the smell of coffee permeated the air.

Shit. Someone was already at work. He’d hoped to be able to get cleaned up some before he had to start the day. He knew he was a rumpled mess—hadn’t been home since yesterday morning.

When he entered the room, he found David brushing his teeth in the lounge bathroom. He looked like shit too.

His boss turned toward him and grimaced, then gave Kent the once over. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

Kent headed for the coffee machine, poured a large cup of the brew, then went to one of the tables. He lowered himself into a chair and almost missed the seat, sloshing coffee on his hand. Dammit!

With a napkin, he sopped coffee from the newspaper on top the table, Kent caught the headline, “Another Missing Woman”, then sipped from his cup, studying David’s rigid back. Something was wrong, something his boss was hoping to keep secret. “Did you sleep here last night?”

David came out of the bathroom, his gray eyes narrowing. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Not really. But we were talking about you.”

“All right, yes, I did. I’d prefer that stay between you and me.”

Kent nodded. “Sure.”

David walked over and filled a Styrofoam cup with coffee, then came to sit across from Kent. “Jamie and I are getting a divorce. I want it. She doesn’t. She thinks having a baby can save our marriage. I know better. I can’t see that a child would change anything. In my eyes, it’d make things worse.”

“Amen to that. Besides, from what I’ve seen, marriage is like a noose around your neck. The longer you’re in it, the more uncomfortable it gets.”

“So, what happened to you?” David pointed to his wrinkled attire. “Why do you look and smell like you’ve spent the night in a brothel?”

Kent flinched. “Thanks.”

“Well…”

“I was out all night. With a woman.”

“I figured that much. But why?”

“Because, you’ve stuck me with that dominating blonde for the next month. I had to spend my last night of freedom with someone who wouldn’t make me feel as if I was chained to something, being whipped into submission.”

David’s eyes widened as he looked over Kent’s shoulder.

The gesture told Kent someone was behind him and had heard everything.

He turned.

In the doorway, her cheeks flushed, stood Cadence Fleming.

Talk about sticking your foot in it. Why did she have to overhear that? Now things would be worse than before—and before was bad.

“Cadence.” David jumped up to greet her at the door. “I’m glad you’re here. We need to go over what you’ll be doing for the next month.”

Kent watched her from the corner of his eye, her if-looks-could-kill glare clear as day. She disliked him, and that wasn’t going to make training her easy—not one bit.

David led her to the table. “Kent will be teaching you everything you’ll need to know in the next four weeks. I’m positive with him showing you the ropes, you’ll be ready for anything that’s thrown at you.”

She looked squarely at Kent, her turquoise eyes darkening. “Does that include verbal humiliation?”