Page 47 of Ice Cold Liar (Ice Breaker Cold Case #14)

Her high heels raced toward him. She reached out. Touched his shoulder. “Eb!” Joy broke in his name.

His head turned toward her. Those familiar topaz eyes stared back at her.

But the smile on her mouth froze. Because he wasn’t looking at her the right way. His stare—where was the hunger? The need? The craving? This man—this man looked at her like?—

“You’re not Eb,” she said, definite, and she snatched her hand back from him.

His eyes narrowed. No warmth. He seemed cold. Calculating. Dangerous.

Naomi knew she wasn’t staring at her Eb. “You’re Jake.”

“And you are my brother’s obsession.” His gaze slid over her. Assessed. “Did you enjoy breaking his heart?”

“What?” She took a hard step back. “You’re mistaken.”

“No. I’m never mistaken about my brother.” Then he pursed his lips. “Okay, fine. Once I very much was. About something pretty big, but that was my own damn jealousy blinding me.”

He’d lost her. “What is happening here?”

“I wanted to meet you. To see the woman who has obsessed Eb.” He nodded. “Saw the dog a few moments ago. Cute bowtie on him. Guessing that was your idea, seeing as how he’s your dog?”

She didn’t glance to the right. Henry was, indeed, decked out in a bowtie. “Where is Eb? If he’s so obsessed with me, shouldn’t he be here?”

“Do you hate him?”

Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then… “You’re a very direct individual.”

“I have a zero-bullshit tolerance.”

“Fair enough. So do I.”

Interest gleamed in his eyes.

“I do not hate Eb.” Those words needed to be stated, for the record.

“Even though he lied to you, betrayed you? Had sex with you while he was trying to wreck your world?”

Again, her mouth opened. Almost dropped to the floor. But Naomi recovered. “You don’t bother at all with tact, do you?”

“Again, zero-bullshit tolerance.”

“And do you also have a zero-manners tolerance? Because your questions—no, your interrogation is incredibly rude.” A prim chastisement.

He shrugged. Not chastised at all. “Eb is the charmer. I’m the evil twin. Or haven’t you heard?”

The man was a dead ringer for Eb. Same chin.

Same forehead. Same thick, dark hair. Same gleaming eyes.

Only—the emotion in the eyes was different.

“I don’t hate Eb.” Deliberate words. “In fact, I told him that I loved him. He said the words back to me. After that, he pretty much packed me up and sent me here. Then he vanished.” More than vanished.

There had been no phone call. No text. Nothing.

“Uh. He sent you off to a penthouse that was ready and waiting for you.”

Yes, a penthouse had been waiting for her.

“He lined you up with a dream job.”

Her jaw firmed. The job was exquisite, but she hadn’t asked for him to arrange it.

“And he sent you back to the city you specifically told him that you were already thinking of moving back to because Baton Rouge was a town of nightmares for you. He does all this, and you think he vanished? Sounds to me like he was trying to give you the life you wanted.”

“I want him. ” She didn’t care about any of the other stuff.

“Do you? Do you truly want Eb?”

“Yes.” A hiss.

“Maybe he wanted to make sure you had time to think. Time without him pressuring you. Time when you weren’t worried about your basic survival and you could live without fear or adrenaline.

Maybe he wanted to be certain that what you felt was real because it would gut him too much to love you and have you turn away just when he thought he had everything he ever wanted. ”

She sucked in a breath.

Again, he shrugged. A lazy roll of his broad shoulders. “I know my brother pretty well. I can tell what he’s thinking because, not too long ago, I was afraid to hope that my obsession would really love me.”

“I want Eb.” How many times did she have to say those words? “I’m not going to change my mind about him. I won’t be frightened off. I won’t grow tired of him. I want to learn every secret he has. I want him to learn my secrets. I want him to know…” An exhale. “I believe in him.”

His eyelashes flickered. “Maybe you should go tell him all that.”

“I would if I could find the asshole.”

He smiled at her. Naomi’s breath caught because that smile—with the one dimple winking—was so much like Eb’s.

“Do you really think he wouldn’t be close?” His voice had almost softened. “It’s your big night. The VIP reception here at the new hotel. Your moment to shine after the work you put in over the last few weeks. He would like to see you shine.”

Goosebumps rose over her arms. “He’s here.”

Jake stared back at her.

Brisk now, she nodded. “It was…interesting meeting you, Jake.” She extended her hand toward him.

He took the offered hand. Shook it. “Do you know my brother’s middle name?”

“Of course, it’s Dickens.”

The cold seemed to thaw in his eyes. “He doesn’t tell just anyone that name. Embarrasses the hell out of him.”

She smiled at Eb’s twin. “Because he can be a real dick?”

His laughter rang out. Warm and rich and it turned heads around them.

She let go of his hand and skirted away. She had another twin to find. A twin she needed to see desperately. And if the jerk even thought of ghosting her again, he would pay. Dearly.

But there was no quick exit. Too many people wanted to say hello. Including Hunter McQueen and Declan Flynn—her boss. Not like she could ignore him. Or his lovely bride, Marley. Eb’s sister.

A sister who watched her with curious eyes. And a quick smile. And with a whole lot more warmth than Jake had displayed. Then Marley sidled close and whispered, “He just arrived. He’s on the elevator and coming up to see you.”

Her heart pounded far too quickly. Every sense suddenly seemed to be working at a fever pitch. “If you’ll excuse me…” She didn’t wait for a reply from the group. She turned on her heel. Marched past the crowd. Marched away from the party and the drinks and the laughter and the music in the night.

Henry darted forward to walk at her side.

They reached the elevator banks.

She looked down at him. “Give me a little time with him, would you?”

Henry—with his bowtie—sat down.

The elevator dinged. The doors opened just as her head turned back, and as those doors fully cleared, she saw him. An exact copy of the man she’d spoken with just moments before on that rooftop.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Strong jaw. Dangerous and menacing. Killer handsome. And with topaz eyes…

That seemed to eat her alive.

“There you are,” she murmured.

He stepped toward her.

No. Naomi shook her head. She rushed onto that elevator.

Pushed him back. Grabbed him and dragged his head down to her.

Their lips met in a mad, frantic crush. She kissed him desperately.

Wildly. Passionately. With every bit of need and desire that burned within her.

And Eb met her. Need for need. Lust for lust. Craving. Taking.

His hands curled around her waist. He pulled her against him.

The doors dinged. She was pretty sure the elevator started moving.

Quickly, clumsily, Naomi broke from him. She pulled out her security card. Swiped it over the control panel. Typed in a code. The elevator stilled.

“Uh, Naomi?” Deep. Rumbling. “Did you just stop the elevator?”

Her heart raced so quickly. And the fingers that held the key card trembled. She dropped it back into her purse. Tossed her small bag to the floor. Then confronted him. “You didn’t call.”

“I had to take over at the CIA.” His eyes still drank her in. Stark hunger—need—hardened his features.

“You didn’t text.”

“You don’t know the clusterfuck that Madeline left behind. I wanted to call, but they had me in level-nine clearance meetings because the people in charge were pretty afraid the world might just implode—the spy world, at least. Every move I made was monitored.” Hard, rumbling words.

“You didn’t tell me that you loved me.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes, I did.” Adamant.

“Fine. You said it twice.” A woman liked to hear certain things again and again. Especially when her heart—and her life—had been on the line.

But he shook his head. “Said it more than that.”

She took another step toward him. “You did not.”

“Baby, I did.” A rough pause. “I believe you.”

“Yes, you should believe me because you—” Naomi stopped. A shiver slid over her. Hadn’t she thought before…when he said those words…

“I believe you,” he repeated. “I love you. I’ll love you until I die. There. Does that work for you?” He seemed to be holding his breath.

“You set me up here in Vegas. Gave me the perfect place to live. The perfect job.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. His eyes burned. “I want you to have the perfect life.”

Impossible. “I won’t have that without you.”

A shudder worked along his body. “You need to be sure. When you learn about all the dark spots inside of me or when you get tired of being with someone who committed so many sins in the past…you’ll want to get away.”

She was right in front of him again. Naomi reached out. Took his hands. Put them on her hips. “I want you. I don’t care if you work for the CIA and you do your black ops work for the government. I don’t care if you are scheming and charming and plotting to take over the world.”

“That’s not what I?—”

She raised one hand and put her index finger against his lips. “It was a joke.”

His tongue licked her finger.

She shivered.

He licked her again. Then he eased back. “I love you,” Eb told her. “I…thought you might want time away from me. Normalcy. Time when you weren’t threatened. When you weren’t suspected of murder. When you could have time to think…to think and see if I was the man you wanted at your side.”

“You are.” Absolute certainty.

“We can try dating,” he said. “I’ll wine you, I’ll dine you, I’ll?—”

“Fuck me right now?”

His eyes widened.

“Because that’s what I’d really like. You and me.

Here. I don’t care about being wined and dined.

Pretty sure my psycho ex did that. So I’d prefer to just be real with you.

I want you. I missed you. I felt like you cut out my heart, and I was barely functioning without you.

Don’t do that again. Don’t leave. Stay. I want you?—”

His mouth was on hers. She was in his arms again.

He’d lifted her up against him, and there were no more words.

No more declarations, not from either of them.

He kissed her as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

As if he’d been starving. His hands shoved up her dress, he yanked away her panties.

Then he twisted. He pushed her against the wall of the elevator.

Pinned her with his body and his power and that strength was so incredibly sexy.

She heard the hiss of a zipper. Felt the press of his cock against her. That broad head teased her.

“I…I don’t have a condom. Dammit, I?—”

Her hand feathered along his jaw. “I should tell you…I want kids. And I really think twins would be awesome.”

He was staring at her. His pupils flared. His face turned utterly brutal with passion and a stark possessiveness. He drove into her.

That was it. Done. He pounded into her with a fierce, almost predatory lust. Again and again. One strong hand snaked between them. He stroked her clit just the way she liked. Over and over even as he took her body. The dress hiked up between them. His cock drove deep. Her nails bit into the tux.

Her whole body was bow tight. His mouth was on her neck. Licking. Biting. Sucking her skin in sensual torment.

She came for him. Screaming his name as her body bucked against his. She felt him come inside of her on a long, hot wave of release, and his orgasm just made her climax even harder.

When it was over, her legs slid limply down him. He withdrew, held her as her feet touched the floor. Then straightened their clothes.

But he didn’t give her back the panties.

He pocketed those.

She tried to get her breathing under control. She should also, ah, unfreeze the elevator before security was called.

But Eb…he dropped to his knees before her.

“Eb?”

His head tilted back. “I want to spend my life with you. Sickness. Health. Darkness. Light. Lies. Truth. Every damn thing. I want to be there with you. I’ll fight for you. I’ll kill to protect you. And I will do my best to make you happy. You are it for me, Naomi.”

She grabbed his hands and hauled him upward. “I’ll fight for you. With a bat. With a wrench. With whatever is handy.”

He smiled at her. That dimple winked. She was a sucker for his dimple.

“I’d kill to protect you.” She would. Naomi knew it.

“No hesitation. I’ll be with you in the dark and the light and every shade of gray in between.

You’re mine, Eb. The person I always wanted to find, and now that I have you, I don’t plan to let you go.

” Tears pricked her eyes. “Fight for me, and I’ll fight for you. We’ll fight for us. ”

“Damn straight, we will.” His mouth came back to hers. He kissed her. A soft, sweet kiss after the explosion of passion. “ Always. ”

The elevator dinged. The doors opened.

Hunter McQueen had been scratching Henry behind his ears, but when those doors opened, Henry jerked to instant attention.

“Come on, boy,” Eb called out.

The dog rushed into the elevator. Bumped his head against a rather disheveled-looking Naomi—she’d been perfectly poised five minutes ago—and a smug Eb.

“Was wondering when you’d show up,” Hunter said as he ambled closer to the elevator.

Eb and Naomi were holding hands.

“Coming to join the party?” Hunter asked them.

Eb looked down at Naomi. She smiled back at him. Smiled with absolute love.

Damn. That kind of love might just be worth killing for.

What would he do, Hunter wondered, for someone who looked at him that way?

“We have other plans,” Eb announced.

Oh, yeah. He was sure Eb had plans. Plans to fuck Naomi all night long.

“After all,” Eb continued as he brought Naomi’s hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles, “this is Vegas. And the place is full of twenty-four-hour wedding chapels.”

It took a moment too long for those words to register.

“Besides,” Eb added with a roll of one shoulder, “not like we should let Henry’s bowtie go to waste. He’s already fancy and clearly ready to be the ring bearer.” The doors began to close.

“Wait!” Hunter lunged forward. “Are you getting married tonight? Those are your plans? Marriage?”

“Congratulate us,” Eb said.

The doors closed.

Hunter gaped. Then he laughed and then…

Was that bastard serious?

He smiled. Yeah, Eb had probably been serious. Hunter whirled on his heel. No time to waste. He had to go tell the family, after all.

It was time to celebrate.

THE END