Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1) Read online

  Mandy’s gaze was dark when it landed on Heidi. She bit her tongue to keep something ugly from escaping her mouth. It wasn’t Heidi’s fault that James was an idiot.

  Heidi pretended she didn’t notice the look. “He’s not gay is he? Because that would be a real waste. Someone that hot should not be gay.”

  “He’s not gay,” Mandy replied, focusing her attention on organizing the files on her desk. “He’s just a friend. I don’t think of him that way.”

  Heidi didn’t look convinced. “How can you not think of him that way? If he was around me, the only thing I would be worried about is making sure I had a jumbo pack of condoms hidden in my nightstand.”

  Mandy tuned Heidi out. She just couldn’t think about James Hardy another minute without going insane. He’d always had this effect on her – it was even worse now that she could do something about it.

  By the end of the day, Mandy was fully convinced she gone round the bend and crossed into Crazy Town without even realizing the destination was within walking distance. The entire day had been an exercise in concentration. When her mind wandered (which was often), it almost always landed on the memory of a shirtless James on her couch.

  Once the courtroom was clear, Judge MacIntosh stopped by her small desk and laid a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I heard what happened last night,” he said. “You really didn’t need to come into work today. That’s going above and beyond.”

  Mandy cringed. He’d obviously noticed how distracted she was. If he wanted to believe it was because of the car incident, who was she to stop him? “Sorry. I just didn’t sleep very well last night. I know I was off my game today.”

  “I think I was the only one who noticed,” Judge MacIntosh said, patting her shoulder. “You’ll feel better tomorrow. I’m sure.”

  “Definitely.”

  After packing up for the day, Mandy locked her office and headed down to the lobby. The only thing she could think about was crawling back into bed and pretending this whole day hadn’t happened.

  “Hey, Mandy.” Clint was waiting for her when the elevator doors slid open on the main floor.

  Mandy took an involuntary step back. She believed everything she’d said regarding Clint this morning. She really did. James’ words were clouding her brain. She collected herself quickly. “Hey, Clint.”

  “I heard what happened to you in the parking lot last night. That’s terrible.”

  “It was a little scary,” Mandy admitted, sliding around Clint so she could make her way to the front of the building. She didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now.

  “I should have walked you out to your car.” Clint was following her. Great.

  “I don’t think that would’ve made much of a difference,” Mandy replied, slowing her pace so she wouldn’t appear rude.

  “I doubt someone would’ve tried to run you down with me outside,” Clint replied, puffing his chest out.

  Mandy didn’t feel like arguing. She’d reached her limit when it came to pointing out the stupidity of men for the day. “You’re probably right.”

  “Do you want me to walk you out to your car? You know, just to make sure?”

  Mandy considered his offer, almost immediately brushing it off. “It’s still light out and there are a lot of people going to their cars. I think I’ll be safe.”

  “You’ll definitely be safe.” A new voice interrupted their conversation.

  Mandy felt James move in beside her even though she hadn’t physically laid eyes on him yet. He had a certain “presence.” If someone could separate it from him bodily and bottle it they would make a fortune. She lifted her eyes to his. “What are you doing here?”

  “Making sure you get home safe.”

  “I think I can handle that myself.”

  James ignored her. He had no idea why she was being so petulant but, for some reason, it was turning him on. Of course, to be fair, everything she did was turning him on these days so he shouldn’t have been surprised. Instead of focusing on her, though, he kept his eyes trained on Clint. “You’re name is Clint, right?”

  Clint was surprised James remembered him. “That’s right. I’m one of the security guards here.”

  James couldn’t figure out why Clint seemed proud of that distinction. “You didn’t see anything out of the ordinary last night, did you?”

  Clint shook his head. “The building was quiet. I didn’t even know anything had happened until I saw all the police lights outside.”

  James cocked his head to the side. “I don’t remember seeing you out there.”

  “I didn’t go out there.”

  James found that suspicious. A normal person would want to investigate when five cop cars, lights flashing, flooded a municipal parking lot after dark. “Why wouldn’t you want to check it out?”

  Clint shrugged. “I didn’t think it was any of my business.”

  “What if someone was hurt?”

  “The cops would be better equipped to handle that than me, wouldn’t they?”

  James narrowed his eyes. There was something “off” about this guy – and it wasn’t just the way he followed Mandy around like a lost puppy. “Where were you right before the cops showed up?”

  Mandy knew what James was getting at – and she didn’t like it. “James,” she warned.

  “I was walking the building,” Clint replied.

  “And you never check the outside of the building?”

  Clint finally grasped what James was saying. “Are you accusing me of trying to run Mandy down? Why would I do that?”

  “I’m just trying to get a feel for what happened last night,” James said. “You were here, so I’d like to know what you were doing.”

  “Well, what were you doing?” Clint shot back.

  “I was rushing in front of a car to push her out of the way,” James countered. “I can account for my whereabouts. You, on the other hand, seem to be trying to avoid the question.”

  Clint’s face was suddenly red. “I was inside.”

  “Doing what?”

  “If you must know, I was watching the Pistons game on the television in the security office,” Clint hissed.

  Mandy let out a breath when she realized that Clint wasn’t hiding nefarious actions. He was just lazy. She could live with lazy. “Are you happy?” Mandy asked James.

  “Not yet,” James replied. “Who were the Pistons playing?”

  “The Cavaliers.”

  “Who won?”

  “The Cavaliers.”

  “What was the score?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  Mandy was done. She grabbed James by the arm and started dragging him toward the front door. “Will you leave him alone?”

  “I wasn’t done questioning him,” James argued, but he let Mandy pull him away from Clint. He liked the feeling of her hand on his arm – even if she was pissed off at him. Actually, he liked that even more. Man, I’m sick. She’s made me sick.

  “You’re done,” Mandy countered. “Was he wrong about the Pistons?”

  “I have no idea,” James said. “I don’t follow the Pistons. They suck.”

  Mandy rolled her eyes, but continued to tug on James to make sure he didn’t turn around and start hounding Clint again. “You’re unbelievable.”

  Once they were outside, Mandy let go of James’ arm reluctantly. She was mad at him. She didn’t care how good his body felt next to hers. She was mad. She was still mad, right? Mandy took a deep breath to calm herself. “Thank you for checking up on me, but it’s really not necessary. I’m going to drive straight home and I’ll be safe there for the rest of the night.”

  “I’m driving you home.”

  “I can drive myself.”

  “I’m sure you can,” James said. “That doesn’t mean you’re doing it.”

  “And I suppose you think you can stop me?” Mandy challenged him, her blue eyes flashing.

  James placed his hands on his hips and planted his feet on the sid
ewalk. She was adorable when she was angry. “I suppose you think you can stop me from stopping you.”

  “I’m an adult.”

  “I noticed,” James deadpanned. He realized that was the problem.

  “Which means I can drive myself home,” Mandy said. “And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

  James watched her stalk down the sidewalk, enjoying the haughty sway to her hips as she moved. He let her get about twenty feet away from him before he pulled out his trump card. “You don’t have a car here.”

  Mandy froze. “What do you mean? My car was here last night. You drove me home. That means my car should still be here.”

  “I had Grady move it to your apartment this afternoon,” James replied, enjoying the game they were presently mired in.

  Mandy swung around, her face angry. “How did Grady get a key to my car?”

  James shrugged. “We have our ways.”

  “Well, fine,” she sputtered. “I guess I’ll call a cab.”

  “Or you could just shut up and let me drive you home.”

  Mandy pulled her phone out of her purse stubbornly. “I’ll call a cab.”

  James started moving toward her. “I’m taking you home.”

  “You’re not the boss of me.”

  James swallowed hard as he got closer to her. He knew exactly where he wanted to be the boss of her, and that urge was getting harder and harder to fight. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

  “That still doesn’t mean you’re the boss of me.”

  James pursed his lips and decided on a different tactic. “May I please drive you home?”

  Mandy screwed her face up into what she hoped was a hateful scowl. James found the expression enticing – even though he had no intention of telling her that. “Fine.”

  “Good.”

  The fifteen-minute ride to her apartment was completed in silence. Once she was in his Explorer, as hard as she tried to keep her anger pushed to the forefront, she couldn’t help but feel it dwindling as the ride progressed.

  James parked in front of her building and waited. He had planned on spending another night on her couch – just to make sure she was safe – but he was honestly unsure if that was a good idea. There was no way that flimsy bedroom door would be able to keep him out tonight.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Mandy said, opening the passenger door and jumping down to the pavement. She didn’t wait for him to answer. Instead, she slammed the door shut and moved toward the building without a backwards glance.

  James watched her go for a second. Once she was safely inside of the building, she would be fine. She would be totally fine. He didn’t even realize he was following her until he’d already killed the engine and pocketed his keys.

  Mandy jumped when she saw him standing next to her in front of the door. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m checking out the apartment.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re in danger.” James said the words, but he didn’t believe them in the slightest. He was going into that apartment, but it wasn’t to make sure she was safe. He couldn’t think of anything else. He was too far gone.

  Mandy opened the door and pushed it open. Fine. If he wanted to search the apartment and then go, she would just have to live with it. His overbearing pride obviously couldn’t handle the thought that he wasn’t right every single minute of every single day. “Men,” she grumbled under her breath.

  James bodily pushed Mandy into the apartment ahead of him, slamming the door shut behind him once they were inside.

  Mandy turned in surprise. “What the hell?”

  She didn’t know what she expected to find when she met his gaze, but his dark eyes had turned almost black and it wasn’t anger that was fueling him right now. It was something else.

  “What are you doing?” Mandy asked, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

  James moved toward her, backing her into the closet door next to the bathroom. He pressed his body against hers, making sure there was nothing but clothes separating the two of them – and those would be gone soon, he had no doubt.

  Mandy ran her tongue over her lips nervously. His intention was clear and, even though she hadn’t been able to think about anything else since she’d first laid eyes on him after eleven long years, she suddenly felt nervous.

  The sight of her tongue did him in. James slammed his mouth over hers and gave in completely. He had no choice. His body wouldn’t let him walk away now even if he wanted to.

  Eleven

  James’ mouth was hot on hers as he pressed against her. Mandy raised her hands so they were resting on his hips, opening her lips so he could gain easier access with his tongue. James groaned into her mouth when he felt her tongue brush against his.

  He raised his hand, cupping the back of her head so he could pull it back and give himself a better angle to ravish her mouth with. He slipped his tongue inside of her mouth again, swallowing the small mewling sound that was emanating from the back of her throat. Kissing her was like coming home from the military after a long trip overseas. It just felt right.

  She’d dreamt of kissing James Hardy for as long as she could remember, but the reality was so much better, Mandy realized. His lips were soft, yet demanding. One of his hands was behind her head while the other was wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him so she could feel his hardness grinding against the cleft between her thighs.

  After a few minutes, Mandy pulled away to catch her breath. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of need. Her lips were swollen, her eyes were glistening with unexpressed emotion. James sucked in a breath of his own, but only one. His lips were crushing hers again within seconds. He needed more. He needed more of her.

  James wrapped his arms around Mandy’s tiny waist, lifting her up so she could wrap her thighs around him. He stumbled backwards, knocking her bedroom door out of his way as he struggled to the bed. He dumped her on top of the mattress after a second, relishing the look of disappointment that washed over her face when their bodies were no longer pressed together.

  James stripped off his shirt, never moving his gaze from her. He didn’t want to break the spell.

  Mandy sucked in a breath when she saw that chest again. It was even more impressive up close. She climbed to her knees, shuffling closer to the edge of the bed as her heart hammered in her ears. She reached out to help him unbutton his jeans when she saw his hands were shaking.

  James stilled when he felt her hands on his pants. He let her unbutton them, fighting every internal urge that was fueling him – every thought that was telling him to slide inside of her right this second – and instead let her explore him at her own pace.

  Her hand was small and warm as it slipped inside of his jeans and slid into the front opening of his boxer shorts. He gasped when he felt her fingers brush against his hard length. He decided to give her a hand and slipped down his jeans, stepping out of them and kicking them to the wall along with his shoes. He only had so much control right now and impatience was warring with common sense in a way that had fireworks exploding between his ears.

  Mandy reached for his boxer shorts and shimmied them down his thighs, her eyes going wide when she saw the one part of him that had remained hidden. She wrapped her hand around him, causing James to shift uncomfortably. She couldn’t hide the small smile that played at her lips when she realized just how much power she had over him at this moment.

  He was big, impressively so. She had never seen one this big before, and she couldn’t stop from running her hands up and down as she marveled at the size. James grunted when her fingers rubbed the sensitive nerve bundles underneath his length. He reached down to still her, wrapping his hand around her wrist as he tried to regain a modicum of control.

  Mandy flashed him an impatient look.

  “If you keep doing that, I’m never going to last,” James rasped. “And trust me, baby, I want this to last.”

  Mandy smiled as James moved toward h
er, leaning on the bed and helping her scooch back until she was settled in the middle of the mattress. He pressed his lips to hers again, his mouth still full of need. Once he pulled away, he fixed her with a heavy-lidded look. “It seems to me that I’m at a disadvantage here.”

  Mandy was confused. “What?”

  James took back some much-needed control. “Well, it seems to me that you’re still dressed while I am … not.”

  Mandy’s eyes traveled back to his erection. “I noticed.”

  James reached forward, grabbing the hem of her shirt, yanking it over her head in one, swift move. He took in her black-lace bra – and the creamy mounds spilling over the top – and felt some of his newly-found control slipping. He moved his hands to her waist and unsnapped her gray, linen pants. Mandy shifted, lifting her rear so James could pull them off. He had trouble maintaining control as he pulled, there was a shakiness there he couldn’t put a name to, yanking the heels she was wearing off at the same time as he stripped her thighs bare. He dropped the clothing items on the floor next to his discarded shirt and jeans before focusing his attention back on her. God, she was beautiful.

  James inhaled deeply when he saw the tiny black thong. If he wasn’t in such dire straits, he would take a minute just to look at her. Instead, he crawled on the bed and cupped her breasts reverently. “Christ, I’ve wanted to see these since you walked into the office.”

  James gently laid her back so her head was resting on the pillows, his fingers fumbling at the back of the bra strap. He couldn’t hide his relief when it sprang open and he could finally pull it from her body.

  James lowered his mouth to one of her small, pink nipples. He rubbed his mouth against it, torturing her by keeping his tongue in his mouth as she arched her back. “James,” she gasped.

  He grinned as he pulled her nipple into his mouth, practically groaning in happiness when he rolled his tongue over the nub. Mandy’s hand traveled up James’ muscular back, finally resting in his soft, brown hair.

  After a few minutes, he moved over to the other nipple and laved it with the same attention, finally letting his hands move down to the thong. It was the only thing separating him from nirvana right now.