“No, what I’d like is to see my mother,” he said. “I just need a few minutes of her clearly precious time. I’m intending on going back home tomorrow.”
Fiona eyed him, her face blank. “Let me check with Leigh,” she began.
“Not necessary,” he interrupted. “I’ll just take myself to Micheline’s office and see if I can catch her myself.”
Full of righteous indignation that he hadn’t had to work too hard to manufacture, he stormed off in the direction where he’d met his mother earlier.
The heavy wooden doors were closed this time. When he tried to open them, they wouldn’t budge. Locked.
Rattling the handles one more time for good measure, he turned. “Frustrating.”
“I’m sorry,” Fiona said, her voice as calming as her serene gaze. “I haven’t heard back from Leigh yet, but I know Micheline keeps an impossible schedule.”
“This is ridiculous.” He glanced at his watch. “She tracks me down after so many years of no contact, informs me she’s dying—which I’m not sure I believe, by the way—so I drive all the way down here, and now she disappears. I might as well go home tonight.”
A slight widening of Fiona’s eyes was her only reaction. “Let me see if I can track down Leigh,” she said, her voice still soothing. “Please. I’m not sure how well it will go for me if I lose you the very first night of your visit.”
Masterful manipulation from Fiona, he thought. In fact, he nearly complimented her out loud. She intrigued him, this woman who fought like a ninja but made herself appear quiet and docile in order to remain under the radar. Unraveling her mysteries nearly made him want to stay a couple of days at least.
Nearly.
Except the one thing he could not stomach, thanks to his mother, was a liar. He avoided them like the plague. And the more time he spent with Fiona Smith, the more he realized she wasn’t on the up and up. If he had any common sense, he’d go pack his suitcase right now and get the hell out of here. In fact, he’d go do that right now. The sooner he’d left this place in the dust, the better he’d feel.
Then he made the mistake of glancing at Fiona. She studied him, her gaze warm, her lips parted. Desire short-circuited his brain. “Don’t do that,” he rasped.
“Do what?” Picture of innocence.
“Look at me as if you want to eat me up.” His body stirred—hell, more than stirred. Rock hard, in an instant.
She took a step closer to him. His mouth went dry. His heart thudded in his chest.
“Common sense be damned,” she said before wrapping herself around him and pulling his head down for a kiss.
The instant she pressed her mouth against his, heat flared, consuming him. Openmouthed, he lost himself in the taste of her, the lush curves of her body molded against his.
When she finally stepped back, they were both breathing hard.
“I think you ought to stick around awhile,” she murmured, the heat in her eyes matching the one in his body. “It’ll be...interesting, to say the least.”
Chapter 4
The kiss had not gone as expected. Despite her initial intention to distract him, there had been nothing casual about it. Fiona had been warring with herself against the sensual lure of the man ever since she’d first laid eyes on him.
She’d acted completely on impulse, trusting her instincts. But what she’d thought would be merely a bit of a tease, a lighthearted flirtation, had erupted into an incredibly passionate kiss that had left her weak at the knees, her body aching in all the right places. Despite it being against every rule of undercover work, if Jake had asked right then and there, she would have been sorely tempted to tumble into his bed with him.
Luckily, he hadn’t asked. Most likely he’d been as shocked by the raw force of that kiss as she had been. She had to wonder if that, coupled with when he learned about being switched at birth, would be enough to make him stick around a few more days.
Though part of her wanted to keep Jake here for purely selfish reasons, Fiona also sensed that his presence was somehow integral to whatever Micheline had planned. The FBI had set up a case file after receiving several complaints about the AAG swindling people out of their life savings. They’d learned of intricate financial schemes, fraudulent investments, and even potential money laundering. Then a former cult member had shown up claiming Micheline might be planning something big, something awful, hinting that it could end multiple lives. This had been the catalyst for the Bureau sending Fiona in undercover. She’d been tasked with not only obtaining proof of Micheline’s swindling, but finding information about what exactly the AAG leader planned to do. If it was something that would harm innocent people, Fiona was to neutralize the threat.
After getting to know Micheline, Fiona would do whatever she could to gain the older woman’s trust. Jake had unwittingly offered to help her out there by asking her to pretend to be a couple. If only he’d stay just a few more days. Right now, the AAG leader had proved to be both busy and evasive. Fiona had only managed to spend a few moments with her. She spent more time with Leigh than anyone else. Close, but not close enough.
And now Micheline couldn’t seem to make time for the son she’d summoned home, even if only to reveal the truth about his parentage.
Honestly, though, Fiona couldn’t blame Jake for considering leaving. She didn’t understand what the hell kind of game Micheline was playing by avoiding him. As far as Fiona could tell, Jake had no idea he’d been switched with Ace Colton. Was that why Micheline didn’t want to spend time alone with him? Was she planning on revealing the truth? Did she dread seeing his reaction?
This entire scenario puzzled Fiona. Jake had left home over two decades ago, and he and Micheline hadn’t spoken the entire time. Not even once. Whatever had happened to send Jake running must have been awful, but why had Micheline made no effort to reach him until now? Did she intend to involve him in whatever big thing she had planned? And where did the Colton family come in?
Fiona sighed. While this wasn’t her first undercover assignment, it definitely was the most complex. And getting more and more so with each passing day.