If that little pervert was taking pictures of her, Connor would end his miserable life. If the dude thought he’d seen some bad shit in the Korengal Valley, that was nothing compared to the hell Connor would rain down on him if he was the asshole scaring Lara.

  Connor’s gut knotted. He’d been sitting just outside the range of that camera like an idiot, watching her fold laundry, enjoying the fact that his clothes were mingling with hers. All the time someone had been spying on her.

  Some fucking bodyguard he was. He’d yelled at the senator’s detail, but the truth was he wouldn’t have known about the man in the park if Dax hadn’t been there. He’d been talking to Roman and trying to figure out how to get Lara in bed instead of doing his fucking job.

  After that, he’d lost his target. He’d wasted precious time because he couldn’t stand to see his fairy princess so vulnerable. He’d stepped in like an idiot storybook hero.

  Connor didn’t believe in white knights. They got murdered fast in his world. Their fair damsels had their throats slit, too. If he didn’t get his shit together, Lara was going to find out way too late that there were no fairy-tale endings.

  The elevator stopped at the lobby and Connor exited, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should just introduce her to Dax. He’d been running that scenario over and over in his head since he realized she’d very likely caught a glimpse of him. Dax had been the “bad guy” in the bushes. Explaining the situation to Lara would have brought her some peace of mind, but he had other considerations.

  Dax had a much higher profile. He’d tried to keep out of the press as much as possible after his father’s suicide. Given his military career, the last thing Dax wanted was to be a tabloid stud like Gabe and Mad had been or on the nightly news like Roman and Zack. Still, Dax was a solid part of that world and not an outlier like Connor. Lara was smart and knew her D.C. society. If she connected the dots from Dax Spencer to the fact that Connor had used Zack as a reference, there was no way she’d continue buying his cash-strapped vet routine. She would dig and investigate. Then his cover would be blown.

  And she would have to deal with the real Connor Sparks.

  Would that really be so bad? The real Lara was stronger than the woman he’d imagined before they’d met. Although Connor sure would like some explanation about her panic attack earlier today. What had set her off? She’d handled some asshole pointing a gun her way with relative calm, but a stranger running away and a text had freaked her out.

  Because she’d thought someone was stalking her every move?

  Probably so. If Lara could see the threat, she handled it. But if the danger was hidden, the perpetrator lying in wait . . .

  That was why the crap at the park had thrown her for a loop. She had real proof that someone was watching her, biding their time. She’d felt violated. She feared the unknown.

  He stepped out of her building and into the last of the evening light. He needed to make this quick.

  “Hey.” Dax emerged from the alley on the side of the building, wearing sweats, a Navy T-shirt, and his sneakers.

  “You’re losing your touch, brother.”

  A grimace crossed his face. “I know. She saw me. I’m sorry. She wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been trying to get closer to her because you took off. You should have let me go after the bad guy while you watched your girl.”

  “She’s the client. Hell, she’s not even the fucking client. She’s a mark.” He had to start remembering why the hell he was here—and it wasn’t to walk her damn pathetic dog and wallow in domestic bliss. He didn’t need a woman to wash his clothes. That’s what the cleaners were for. He’d lived off takeout food for years. He sure as hell didn’t need a woman who only knew how to cook flipping vegetables.

  Dax sighed a little but didn’t push. “Fine. But she’s your mark and she obviously trusts you. She nearly caught me. If she had, all that trust you’ve built would go straight to hell.”

  “Fine. Next time I’ll let you handle the stalker. Have you figured out who he is yet? Because that asshole has probably been in her building. He’s hacked into the security feed.”

  Connor wanted to believe it was Freddy. Oh, he wanted to prove it was Freddy, but the man he’d chased had been too tall, too supremely athletic and managed to outrun him. Likely if he’d been closer by even a few feet, the fucker wouldn’t have been able to lose himself in a crowd of tourists.

  “I got a couple of good shots before he made me. There wasn’t a ton of cover in that part of the park.”

  “Which is precisely why those rent-a-cops should have been able to make him.” Connor wished he’d beat the crap out of them.

  “I think we lucked out. They wouldn’t have thought to take pictures. They would have immediately scared the stalker off. Here’s the thing that bugs me. You said she got a text, right?” Dax asked.

  “Yeah, the bastard sent a message right to her phone. It was a picture of her doing laundry. I think that’s what set her off. I have to figure out why so I can make sure it doesn’t happen again. If she crumbles in the middle of a firefight, she’ll kill us both.”

  Connor knew he sounded like a complete dick. He sounded pissed that she’d been so fragile in that moment. The truth was that watching her stammer and strain to breathe had just about killed him. He’d picked her up because he couldn’t watch her shiver a second longer. Once she was in his arms, he’d felt her calm. She’d snuggled against him like a fluffy little bunny who didn’t know she was cuddling a tiger, one who wanted more than anything in the world to eat her alive.

  “That’s a problem, Connor. He never touched his phone. He couldn’t have sent her that text.”

  “Of course he did. You said he was taking pictures.”

  “Yes, with a small, old-school camera. It might have been one of those old disposables. Does that sound like the guy who sent a well-timed text? Like a guy who knows how to hack a building’s security system? He wouldn’t use some piece-of-crap camera. He would use his phone or a tablet or something digital.”

  It didn’t make sense. “You never saw him pull out his phone?”

  “Not once. Just that crappy camera.”

  “He could have had that text scheduled in advance.”

  “That’s my point. Would a guy with a low-tech camera like that know how?” Dax shrugged, as if giving up the argument. “Well, Everly has the pictures I took and she’s going to run it through the FBI’s facial recognition software.”

  Connor grinned at that. Somehow he’d always thought Gabe would end up with a debutante, not a kickass security professional who could hack into the feds’ website. Still, he would hate their wedding to be interrupted by the bride’s arrest. “Shouldn’t we go through legal channels?”

  “Everly says she does it all the time. Besides, if she gets caught, Zack will pardon her. We have to use that get-out-of-jail-free card while we can. We’ve only got another couple of years to get our criminal on.” Dax leaned against the building.

  Connor didn’t miss the fact that Dax managed to stay out of the security camera’s range. Sometimes Connor thought Dax should have ditched the Navy and joined the CIA with him. He was a stealthy bastard. He would have been amazing in the field. People always talked to Dax. He would have been a seriously effective asset. Then Connor realized the shadows weren’t the place he wanted his sunny friend to live. Dax might be good at avoiding detection but he’d never had to get his hands bloody, and Connor intended to keep it that way.

  “So Everly is going to get in touch with me if she gets a hit?”

  Dax nodded. “Actually, I was thinking Everly should get in touch with you before that. Look, you haven’t managed to get anything really useful out of Lara yet.”

  “It’s only been a few days. I need more time. It’s not like I can torture the information out of her.” He wanted to—sensually speaking. It would be the most interesting interrogation of his life. He would strip her down, tie her up, and bring her to the edge of orgasm time and time again. He would use his fingers and his mouth, and if she was a very good girl and told him everything he wanted to know, maybe she would get his cock.

  It was all bullshit because if he had the chance, he would get his dick in her as quickly as he could. He would shove inside that hot, tight pussy and then maybe he would find some relief for the ache that had began the moment he saw her.

  “Hear me out.” Dax’s voice pulled him from that particular fantasy and not a moment too soon. “Deep Throat mentioned Lara to Everly. Don’t you want to know if he mentioned Everly to Lara? There’s a connection here we’re not seeing. I want to know, and so do Gabe and Ev. Let her make contact with your girl. Let’s see if Lara is willing to talk to someone who’s connected to her contact.”

  It wasn’t a bad plan. He was just surprised he hadn’t thought of it. Again, his brain had fled and his dick wasn’t as smart as it used to be. He needed to distance himself. He needed to come to terms with the fact that sleeping with Lara was a bad idea. She would get clingy. Shit. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t get clingy.

  He had a job to do. To get it done, he needed to sneak Roman and his men into her place. Because Connor was still on leave, he didn’t have all the right equipment. Even if he hadn’t been, the Agency wouldn’t have green-lighted this op, so he would have needed Roman anyway.

  “All right.” Connor sighed. “Bring Gabe and his girl down in the next couple of days. Have Everly make contact with her on her personal e-mail. Tell her a confidential informant gave her Lara’s name. We’ll find out very quickly if they’ve been in contact with the same man. I can’t imagine she’ll turn down a chance to talk to Everly. The minute Ev mentions that she’s Mad’s sister, Lara’s investigative instincts will kick in. She’ll be all over it.”

  “And hopefully Everly will be able to girl-talk some information out of her. Then you can get back to real life,” Dax suggested. “Roman told me he’s sure Langley is going to clear you in the next couple of weeks. He’s speculating that they’re tugging on your leash, hoping to rein you in a little.”

  They wanted him afraid. They had zero idea how tired he was of all of it. Of course there was always the fear deep down that he wouldn’t be good at anything else, that he’d made his deal with the devil and there was no way out of hell.

  A vision of Lara humming while she folded laundry played across his brain. He’d been so calm that evening, peaceful and centered in a way he hadn’t been before.

  It had been a lie. The whole time someone had been watching, lurking in cyberspace, waiting to take her out.

  He was being lulled into some kind of domestic bliss, like a hungry tiger who thought the zoo was the solution to all his problems.

  Fuck that. He wasn’t buying what she was selling. He didn’t need vegan muffins and constipated dogs and women who listened to vagina rock.

  “Good. The sooner this is over with, the better. I have other things to do,” Connor spit out. “Even if the Agency reinstates me, I think I’ll take some more leave. I won’t be satisfied until I find Natalia Kuilikov and get some answers out of her.”

  “You and me both,” Dax agreed. “I’m staying in a hotel about a block away. Text me when you’re on the move again.”

  “Will do. You coming with Roman when I let him in?”

  Dax frowned. “You’re really going to do that? She might be able to forgive you for snooping around if you ever tell her the truth, but I’m not so sure you and Roman have the same agenda.”

  “Of course we do. We’re both looking for Deep Throat and Natalia Kuilikov.”

  “I’m worried Roman will shut down Capitol Scandals. You know he plays hardball when it comes to Zack’s legacy. He always has. If he thinks taking everything away from that girl will protect Zack’s right pinkie from getting a hangnail, he’ll do it and he won’t think twice.”

  Lara lived for that rag. Yes, it was a tabloid. But stories about the president’s penis size notwithstanding, she never reported anything that was false or actively hurting the public. What would she do without her site?

  Why did it fucking matter? It couldn’t matter. He had to lay aside his odd affection for the girl and finish this mission. “Yeah, I’m going to do it. If I can spare her, I will. If I can’t, well, that’s politics, right?”

  Dax’s eyes narrowed. “Now that sounds like the Connor I know. Funny, I was really starting to like the new one. Call me when you’re on the move. I’ll shadow her as long as necessary. I think I kind of like her, too. I finally read the damn site. Yeah, it seems to be nothing but a tabloid, but there’s substance there. She’s found a way to get people to listen. Smart girl.”

  Dax walked away and Connor couldn’t help but think that he’d disappointed his best friend.

  He stepped back into the building. This was why he needed to get back to his real world. He didn’t fucking fit here. He didn’t belong where fairy princesses made breakfast and did laundry and tried to save the world through impassioned words. He didn’t even fucking understand this world. Everyone around Lara was dirty. Her best friend was screwing a married man. Her ex-fiancé was likely hiding his father’s backdoor dealings. Freddy was up to something. God only knew what he could dig up on her father.

  On the ride up to the tenth floor, it struck him that maybe he should confront her with everything. He should find all the dirt under Daddy’s seemingly shiny surface. Her mother probably had a couple of skeletons in her closet, too. He could lay it all out for Lara. Then she would understand his worldview, know that it was right. She would have no choice then but to admit she needed someone like him, who didn’t mind getting his hands bloody or giving away pieces of his black-as-night soul to keep her safe in this nasty world. She would finally grasp that he alone stood between her and a big heaping pile of danger. After that, she would get on her knees and beg him to protect her.

  He would do it, but their roles would be clear. She would pay him with that sweet body, and he could hold himself apart because she was just like the others, offering him a deal. After all, nothing was free.

  Something nasty roiled through him as he stalked down the hall toward her sunny apartment.

  When he headed for her door, Connor realized that if he dumped all his honesty on Lara, she would never offer him the same affection she did the rest of her friends. He cursed under his breath. Damn, he couldn’t keep her anyway. Sure, he could tear her apart and force her to his side temporarily, but he would go back to the Agency because it was his home. Hell or not, it was where he belonged.

  So instead of seducing her tonight, he would keep his distance. It was the only gift he could give her.

  He would drug her tonight, slip something into that organic wine she liked and let the wolves in. Once Connor had the information he needed, he would disappear from her life. Eventually, she would find her pansy-assed prince. They would have 2.5 kids and he would cheat on her and she would be forty and single and miserable.

  And Connor would be alone. That was just how the shit had to fall. He would stay away from her, no matter how much he wanted to sink himself inside and take all that warmth as payment for being cold for so long.

  The predator inside him couldn’t fucking stand that she was going to get away. But he would release her because he didn’t want Lara Armstrong to be one more ghost who haunted him.

  He opened the door, and the heavenly smell of meat assaulted him. His stomach growled. That was some spectacular-smelling tofu.

  Lara stepped out, wearing her clothes from earlier, along with a pink and yellow ruffled apron. She was biting that full lower lip and frowning. “It’s almost ready.” She swallowed then took a deep breath. “Do you like it bloody? Or well done?”

  “What are you talking about?” Connor growled because there was no way she could be talking about what he thought she was. Lara Armstrong didn’t bend. She was constant, and that had been a wall between them, one he wouldn’t climb.

  She was a little pale. “The, um, meat. How long do you want me to cook it?”

  That was when he noticed the spot. It was small, but his gaze caught it because he wouldn’t have ever expected to see a drop of blood staining her pristine apron. She’d cooked for him. For him and not just because she was cooking. She’d given up something important in order to please him.

  His fairy princess had gotten bloody for him.

  He crossed the space between them and had her in his arms before she could take another breath. She was so small, he just lifted her up so he could get to her mouth.

  All of his resolutions from barely three minutes ago went out the window as his mouth descended to hers. He saw a moment of surprise in her big blue eyes, and then her arms wound around his shoulders and she leaned in.

  He was all over her. He took two steps forward so her back flattened against the wall and he could press in, surrounding her with himself. The need to rub his body all over her was almost primal and completely irresistible. He needed to mark her, to bury his own scent in her skin so other males understood they would be forfeiting their life if they tried to touch what was his. He dominated, his tongue surging inside and stroking into her mouth in a blatant imitation of what his cock wanted.

  That quickly, the most important question swirling in his brain wasn’t whether he would keep her for the time being, but whether he would ever be able to let her go.

  * * *

  Lara was still a little breathless hours later when she finally sat down across from Connor, a glass of wine in her trembling hands. She’d poured him a couple of fingers of his ridiculously expensive Scotch and handed it to him in a crystal tumbler before deciding she needed a little liquid courage, too.

  She was so confused. First he’d kissed her like he would never stop. He’d pressed her against the wall. She’d been completely dependent on him. Her feet hadn’t touched the ground and her whole focus seemed to narrow to the feel of his mouth on hers. Over and over he’d kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers, his body harder than the wall. She’d felt his erection between them as she’d wrapped her legs around him, wanting to ride that cock. She’d never thought of it that way before. She’d thought of a penis in clinical terms but that big, hard erection that had rubbed all over her couldn’t be described as anything less than a cock. She’d lost track of time while he’d kissed her.