Irresistible Forces

Her breathing gradually calmed, and the tears ceased to threaten her composure. She blew her nose and splashed her face with cool water, then reapplied her powder and lipstick.

After running a comb through her hair, she stared at her reflection. Shame ebbed through her. Margo Knutsen Riley was not a coward.

Oh, yes I am.

No. No I'm not.

She drew a deep, fortifying breath. Damn it, I am not a coward. Later today, just before the Studfinder opened, she'd go find Jared and conduct the interview.

And face all her ghosts — past and present.

5

Nick Riley was dead. Jared jogged out to the Studfinder, trying to digest that shocking information. Unbelievable. He'd had no idea. Margo was available.

He paused across the street from the nightclub, his breath catching. Talk about tacky. He didn't even know how long Nick had been gone, and here he was thinking about-Past tense. Why would Margo want anything to do with someone in his insane career field — either his current fake one or his real one — not to mention someone her late husband had hated and that she believed had been unfaithful to her? With a sigh, Jared crossed the street.

He had to put Margo out of his mind, though he still needed to talk to her again to ensure she would keep his cover. The Margo he'd known would never break a promise, but they'd both changed a lot since college.

Knowing the other dancers wouldn't be there yet, Jared slipped into the dressing room and ran his usual search, coming up empty-handed — again. So far, he'd seen no proof of drugs coming into or out of this establishment, though he needed to get back into the office again and check out the computer. The muckety-mucks had been sure enough to set up this crazy assignment. All Jared could do was keep his eyes open for anything unusual.

Besides local police interference.

He shook his head, still pondering Charlie's words of assurance last night. They'd sounded weak. Uncertain. If the Studfinder really was a front for a drug cartel, and Jared's cover was blown, his ass was toast.

The door behind him squeaked open, and Jared slid between two lockers, waiting to identify the intruder. None of the dancers had a reason to be here this early. The only other living thing around this time of day was the resident cat. If the owner caught him, he'd come up with some kind of excuse, but not being discovered at all was an even better idea.

He held his breath as the person emerged from the dark hall. Margo. Alone, she stood peering around, waiting. She was looking for him — why else would she be here?

Jared stepped from his hiding place and just stared. All the feelings he'd carried in his heart for so many years punched him in the solar plexus. It was a miracle he could remain standing at all. For a few miserable moments, he couldn't even draw a decent breath.

She started toward him, and he dragged in a shaky breath, preparing himself. Seeing Margo again was amazing. And agonizing. Damn. There'd never been anyone else for him — never would be.

'We need to talk,' she said quietly.

She'd been crying. Over Nick. Jared gritted his teeth and nodded. 'Not here.'

'Fine.' She cleared her throat. 'My office is only—'

'Not there. Too public.' He gripped her elbow and steered her toward the side entrance. 'Do you have your car?'

'Yes, but—'

'Let's just get out of here first.' He struggled against the urge to stop and pull her into his arms, to murmur words of love and comfort, to kiss her until they both forgot everything that had happened since the last time they'd kissed. 'Then we'll talk.'

She remained silent but managed to free her arm. Without looking over her shoulder, she marched toward a red BMW with a vanity plate that read LOVENICK.

Perfect. Just frigging perfect. She punched her remote and the locks clicked. Jared reached in front of her and opened her door. She glanced back at him, her eyes wide and filled with questions, her lips slightly parted and beckoning.

He cleared his throat and pressed his hand to the small of her back, urging her to enter the car before he did something stupid, like kiss her. Besides, the sooner they were away from the Studfinder, the safer he'd feel. Having Margo here, where she could be in danger if his cover was blown, made Jared nervous.

A nervous cop is a dangerous cop.

Remembering those words from his training didn't help put him at ease. Once she slid into the driver's seat, he slammed her door and hurried to the other side. Within seconds, he was in the posh leather interior, buckling his seat belt.

Margo locked the doors and started the engine, backed the car out of the parking space, and pulled toward the exit. The engine purred, the ride like skating on butter.

'Where are we going?' she asked.

'Your place.'

'I don't think that's wise.'

He looked at her. Big mistake. Trying to ignore the lick of lust that damned near made him groan aloud, he said, 'You have questions for me, and my answers aren't for public consumption.'

She set her lips in a thin line. 'Very well, but this is just business.'

'Whatever you say.' He flashed her a grin, enjoying the leap of her pulse in the side of her neck and the color creeping upward from the neckline of her blouse. 'Nice car.' Except for the license plate.

'Nick bought it for me.' She sighed.

And the vanity plate. Jared didn't want to talk about Nick, but they had to. Dead or not, Nick still lurked between them. He always would.

'I–I'm sorry, Margo.' He waited a beat and bit his lower lip. 'About Nick. I didn't know.'

'You must not go back to Riley's Crossing very often.' She turned the corner, keeping her gaze on the traffic, sparing Jared those devastating gray eyes of hers. 'The whole town was in mourning.'

Because Fred Riley still owns the place. 'No, not once since college. My uncle moved to Florida — no reason to go back.'

'That's right. You didn't have any other family.'

You were the only family I wanted.

Margo stopped at a wrought iron gate and inserted a card. The gates swung open for her, and she drove into the complex. Posh condos sat in a parklike setting among immaculate gardens, fountains, and trails.

Jared kept expecting to see Nick Riley's gloating expression, and every time the thought struck, guilt answered.

Margo punched a button and a garage door opened. She steered the car inside, killed the engine, and lowered the door. Only a small light overhead dispelled the darkness. She punched yet another button on her handy remote and a brighter light filled the garage.

So, this is the good life. Nick had always known how to appreciate the finer things. 'Nice place.'

'It's all right.' She opened her door and Jared unfolded himself from the passenger side.

'Just all right?' he asked over the roof of the car.

She lifted a shoulder. 'Nick wanted this, but I wanted a little Victorian fixer-upper across town.'

He met and held her gaze. 'So move.'

She looked nervous as she slammed the door. 'No. Not yet anyway. This is fine.'