Because her lover was keeping secrets even while he demanded truth from her. “Something someone mentioned to me.”

  “Lara, we’ll talk about that later. But Capitol Scandals . . . You can’t give up your passion.”

  But he’d been willing to sacrifice everything for her. “I can. I can find another passion.”

  She bit back a sob because she had a feeling her passion wouldn’t be a man with dark eyes and a low, rumbling voice.

  Would he even come back? Certainly he would since the site wasn’t down yet. She could do it remotely. She had the capability on her phone as long as she had an Internet signal. After she did that, he would likely walk out of her life and she would never see him again.

  “Lara, don’t,” he insisted.

  She needed to do it now or it would be too hard to. She needed to save her father and deal with the fact that her lover wasn’t what he seemed.

  “Connor Sparks,” her father repeated, sounding as if he snapped his fingers. “He was one of the six.”

  “The six?” Freddy had said something about that. Now his words were coming back. Freddy had used the name Sparks. He’d said he thought Connor was Sparks. How could she have forgotten that? Oh, yeah. Her vagina had a bad short-term memory.

  “The Perfect Gentlemen. There were six of them who went to prep school together. Connor Sparks is one of Zack Hayes’s closest friends. They grew up together. They’re considered unbreakable. A lot of people on the Hill credit more than just Roman for Zack’s career. He’s had backing financially from Gabe Bond and Maddox Crawford. Dax Spencer was the military man. Sparks was the sneaky one if I remember correctly.”

  Connor Sparks. Her lover. The man who had betrayed her utterly. This Dax person must be the reason he’d called himself Spencer. A little inside joke. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll take care of this. Don’t do anything without talking to me.”

  She hung up and was immediately assaulted with texts from Tom. She groaned but opened one to write him back that she was busy and would get in touch with him later. She couldn’t deal with Tom when her whole world was collapsing.

  Please, Lara. You have to listen to me. After talking to your father, I was suspicious. It’s too coincidental that Roman Calder was in the building and then blackmailed your dad. So I checked with the doorman. Calder needed a code to get in. You can only get a code if you live in the building. He used your code, Lara. He had to have gotten it from that bastard you’re sleeping with.

  Calder had used her code to do his dirty work. Tom was right. There was only one person who could have given it to him. If Calder had gained access from the building manager, the man would have given the chief of staff a guest code. She’d given hers to Connor without a second thought since he was living with her, protecting her.

  And he’d used his cover to lull her into a false sense of trust and stolen her secrets for his real boss.

  She stared at the phone, looking through the texts. Her father had called Tom, it seemed. He’d been trying to find a way out of the trap Calder had put him in. Tom had always answered her dad’s legal questions. It wasn’t so surprising that he’d called Tom. Despite their breakup, her dad had always liked him.

  Tom had gone to the mat for her dad. He’d called in every favor he had and he’d discovered Roman Calder had entered her building at just before two a.m. The elevator had been used shortly after that and had gone straight to her floor. A few hours later, it descended directly to the lobby again. Kiki had entered the building and she’d passed Calder on his way out the door.

  So Hayes’s right hand man hadn’t visited her building in the middle of the night for a clandestine meeting with a congressman or a lover. He’d come to break into her apartment and steal her secrets, and there was only one man on earth who could have let him in.

  Connor had made love to her for the first time that night. He’d kept her in bed for hours. She’d woken in the middle of the night and he hadn’t been in bed with her. She’d gone to find him and he’d hustled her back to the bedroom and seduced her again.

  Had Roman been in her house all the while? Had he been right there in her living room?

  Apparently, he’d found the code to her safe in her day planner. She never remembered numbers so she’d written it down.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

  She sucked in a deep breath and pulled up the app for the software that powered her website. She’d started Capitol Scandals with the idea of doing something good.

  She ended it with the same thought, only this time she would save her father.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks, making the world blurry and opaque as she hit the button that took her site offline and hid it from search engines.

  The door opened as she set the phone aside and Connor walked in carrying a tray. “Hey. I have coffee. I had them make it supersweet for you and I got you a fruit cup and a raw granola bar. I was promised both are vegan. Let’s eat up and then get out of here.” He set the tray down and stared at her. “What’s wrong, princess?”

  She would ignore the way he called her princess. He couldn’t really mean anything by it. He probably called all the women he fucked princess. She stood up, so glad she’d already gotten dressed. “I would appreciate it if you would tell Calder it’s done. He can leave my father alone now. I’ll abide by his rules.”

  Connor went still, his body tense. “What are you talking about? You’ve been crying. What happened?”

  Like he didn’t know. He’d probably walked out to give his old friend a call. Likely he was expecting a fight and needed advice on how to handle a hysterical woman. She was going to make things easy on him. She just wanted it done so she never had to lay eyes on the man again.

  “My father called. He explained what’s been going on. I don’t have Calder’s number, so you’ll need to tell him that I’ve met his demands and I expect my father to be safe from here on out. Tell him if he hurts my father, I’ll dedicate my life to ruining his. Every good deed I’ve ever done, I’ll turn around and work against him. Do you understand, Mr. Sparks?”

  She needed to stay calm. Her whole soul wanted to scream at him. If she gave in to her rage, she would also give in to the bleak sorrow that threatened to overtake her. She couldn’t let him see her cry or show him any chink in her armor. Connor had used her. He’d made her feel completely hollow on the inside, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her weep for him.

  “Who told you?”

  “My father explained who you are, but I put it together. And Tom figured out that you were the one who let Calder into the building and my apartment. How did he find the code to my safe?”

  “What did Roman do?”

  “I’m sure he did what you agreed to. He found a way to make me shut down Capitol Scandals.”

  “No. That was not our agreement. I’m here to find out what you know about Natalia Kuilikov.”

  So they intended to take everything from her. It made sense, she supposed. Men that ruthless left nothing behind. She reached into her pocket and drew out the paper the CI had given her. The information no longer mattered to her. She wasn’t strong enough to play with the big boys. In a matter of days, she’d gone from political crusader to a stupid girl who wanted a baby with the man she loved.

  Lara slapped the note on the table. “Here. That’s all I’ve got. Anything else you need? I suspect you’ve taken already all the data from my computer.”

  He stared at her outstretched hand. “Lara, we need to talk about this.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.” She stared at the paper on the table. He could take it or leave it. She no longer cared. She wondered how long it would be before she cared about anything again. “I’m going to call a cab. Our business is done.”

  She started toward the door, but his hand shot out, gripping her wrist and whirling her around to face him.

  “There is nothing businesslike about this and you’re not leaving. If you think for one second I’ll let you set foot outside without me, then you haven’t been paying attention the whole time we’ve known each other.”

  The whole time. She’d known him less than a week and yet she had the feeling he would haunt her for the rest of her life. How had he gotten so close to her in such a short time?

  Well, of course. That had been a setup, too. “There was no Niall.”

  His face lost a bit of color. “No.”

  Somehow that was the cruelest cut of all. Losing Niall had hurt. Not in the way losing Connor cut to the bone, but they’d bonded that night when he’d held her while she cried.

  Over him.

  “You’re a bastard.”

  “Yes.”

  “Let go of me.” She struggled in his grip.

  “No.” He drew her close. “I can’t. If I let go, you’ll disappear and I can’t let that happen. I forgave you for lying to me last night. Don’t I deserve the same?”

  The utter hypocrisy hit her like a slap upside the head. “Everything you’ve ever said to me is a lie.”

  “Not everything.”

  “Let me go. I’m not doing this with you, Sparks.” She wasn’t going to call him Connor again. Too intimate. He’d pretended to care about her, to love her. It had been nothing but a cleverly crafted ploy designed to make her open her doors and let him inside. “You’ve got what you want and now I’m leaving. And you know what? I don’t forgive you, not for any of it. I hope you rot in hell.”

  “That’s not like you. You’re angry, but you don’t mean a word you’re saying. When you calm down, we can talk. But don’t think for a second that I’ve gotten what I want out of this. If I had what I wanted, you would be back in bed and neither one of us would be thinking about a thing except pleasing each other.”

  “You must be really hard up to need sex from your mark. Next time, find a prostitute. At least she’ll get paid.”

  “I won’t need a prostitute, princess. I’ll have a wife. I believe I did mention we’re getting married. Just because you’re not happy about how we met doesn’t change a damn thing.”

  “Not happy about how we met? Are you crazy? You lied to me and used me and made me look like a fool.”

  “I lied to you, yes. But I made love to you and I saved your life twice. You’re only a fool if you think you can brush me off now. I don’t know what Roman did, but I’ll fix it. I will handle it. You will go back and pick up that piece of paper. Then we’re going to your place to pick up Lincoln and some of your things and we’ll stay at my house until everything is sorted out. You and Everly can work on the Natalia situation.”

  Of course. He knew Everly Parker because she was engaged to his very good friend Gabe Bond. “She lied to me, too. I’m not working with her because I’m done with this investigation. And I’m done with you. Go to hell.”

  “I’m already there.” He backed her up against the wall, looming over her like a really gorgeous grim reaper. “Did your dad tell you all about me? Did he tell you about growing up in a single-wide with a village bicycle for a mother? Did he tell you I attended one of the world’s best prep schools on a scholarship and I showed up in jeans that were two inches too short for me because dear old Mom spent her money on drugs instead of little things like clothes and food for her kid? Did he tell you I kill for a living? Am I not good enough for you now that you know who I really am?”

  She pushed at his chest. “Are you actually trying to play on my sympathy? Screw you. I don’t care that you grew up poor. I care that you grew up to be such a massive asshole.”

  He stopped, staring down at her, and then the bastard threw back his head and laughed.

  She shoved at him again, but he wouldn’t move. “Stop laughing at me. Is that what you’ve been doing the whole time? Did you laugh at the idiot who thought she was fighting the good fight? Did you and your friends get together and marvel over how stupid one girl could be?”

  He was a hunk of unmoving granite. His arms wound around her and he pulled her in. “You are not an idiot and you do fight the good fight. And if any of my friends laugh at you, it’s because you’re charming and funny and they’ll be better for knowing you, princess. I really did contact you because you had a link to Natalia. But I stayed for you.”

  That didn’t even deserve a reply. She simply scoffed and pushed at him again.

  “Look, I don’t know what Roman did, but I’m the one who gave him the power to do it so I’ll be the one to fix it. I admit I have been trying to manipulate you but you don’t fall for any of my tricks so I’ll just say it. I’m sorry. I might have come in with selfish intentions, but everything changed when I got to know the real you. I even had thoughts of trying to shut you down in the beginning, but I understand now and I’ll fight for you. I’ll fight my friends for you. They’re the only family I have, but I’ll risk it for you and you alone.”

  That soft spot in Lara’s heart wanted to believe him. But she wasn’t about to fall for the same tricks again. “Well, you tried to destroy my family so I don’t really care about yours. Just get out of my face and out of my life.”

  “Lara, c’mon. This isn’t like you. I understand that I’ve put you in a corner and hurt your pride, and you can’t know how sorry I am for doing it. But the Lara I know cares about people and relationships too much to throw them away. Once you’ve had a chance to calm down and think this through, you’ll see that you belong with me.”

  “I’ll see that you go to jail if you don’t let me out of here, Connor. I don’t care who your friends are. You can’t force me to stay in this room against my will.”

  He paused. “Where are you going?”

  “Home. Alone.”

  “That’s exactly what the Russians would love to have happen. Then they can take you out easily.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t believe there are any Russians. You’ve lied about virtually everything. You probably set that up, too, in order to gain my trust.”

  “The Russians are real and they’ll try again. I won’t let them hurt you and I won’t let you put yourself in danger. You’re coming with me. If you want to call the cops, feel free. I’ll explain the situation to them. I’ll show them my credentials and have you in protective custody before you can blink.”

  “Your credentials?”

  “CIA, princess. I’m a high-level operative and I assure you if I want you in custody, I’ll have you there. I would rather not piss you off more than I already have, so please be reasonable.”

  She thought it was perfectly reasonable to not want to be in the same space with the lying asshole. It was dangerous. Despite the fact that he’d conned her from the minute they’d met, her body didn’t care. He’d trained her to respond to him, and his nearness made her skin heat. She felt as if her body had a memory of each and every time he’d kissed her, brought her to pleasure. She remembered and wanted him with an ache that was hard to deny.

  Hard, but she was going to do it.

  “Lara, it doesn’t have to be this way. No matter how we started, what’s between us is real and I won’t let you throw it away. Then again, you might not be able to, or have you forgotten last night?”

  She sagged against the wall, the true horror of her situation hitting her. She could be pregnant. An hour ago, she’d wanted to be. Now carrying the child of the man who had deceived her seemed like the worst kind of punishment.

  Still, a vision of a baby with Connor’s eyes swamped her.

  Lara shoved down her tears. “We don’t know anything, but if I am, you won’t have anything to do with either of us.”

  His hands tightened then relaxed, and he took a deep breath, stepping back. “So you’d deprive your child of a father to spite me? I hope the real Lara comes back very soon.”

  That stung. “Yeah, well, I have to say I don’t much like the real Connor.”

  He shrugged. “Not a lot of people do, princess. Is there any way I can convince you to eat?”

  Why did he care? “I’m not hungry.”

  He hadn’t reacted at all the way she’d thought he would. She’d expected him to snicker at her or shrug and walk away, maybe even get angry. She’d pushed his buttons just so she could provoke him. She’d actually physically pushed him. He’d still just held her tight.

  “Do you want the coffee?” He held it out to her, his eyes steady, and she couldn’t help but think about what it had meant for a poor kid from a trailer park to go to a prep school without the proper clothes. He stood there holding the stupid coffee like he was waiting for her acceptance, and she could see the little boy lurking under the man.

  “Only because I’m addicted to caffeine.” She took the brew out of his hand and didn’t miss his grateful smile. “But I’m going to cut down on it. I’m going to kick the habit because it’s bad for me.”

  “Not all addictions are bad for you.”

  She would have to disagree. “I want to go home.”

  “I can watch you better at my place.”

  “Or you’re just bored because you’ve already stolen all my secrets, Mr. Spy.”

  He picked up the paper and opened the door for her. “Well, then you can steal some of mine. Did you think of that?”

  She lifted her chin. “I don’t steal things.”

  “I can think of something you’ve stolen.”

  Lara rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t say that. That is so corny if you were talking about your heart.”

  He blushed a little. “I told you I was bad at the romance thing.” He stopped her before she could make it out the door. “I don’t want to lose you, Lara.”

  “You already did.” She ducked under his arm and stood by the bike.

  She drank her coffee in silence. He was furiously texting on his phone. She could only guess he was telling all his friends the game was over and they could go home soon. When she was done with her liquid caffeine, he took the cup and threw it away for her.