Page 29 of A Real Good Bad Thing

Damn him. That was a good point. He hadn’t been following me. Plus, I’d invited him to track me down today. Hell, I’d left clues for him to find me.

“You have me there,” I said.

“And when I had you in my arms,” he said in a harsh whisper, “that was all real. Don’t doubt that for a second.”

I tried to hide the little shiver that ran through me too.

“Both at the bar and at your hotel,” he added, like I could have forgotten when and where he touched me. He kept his gaze locked on me, his eyes intense. “You need to know this, Ruby. So let me make myself very clear. I don’t use women. I don’t seduce them for info or intel. From the second I saw you, you knocked the breath straight from my chest. I didn’t know your name or a damn thing about you. I knew one thing—you were stunning. And after we flirted at the bar, and the drink at your hotel and the way you said my name when you fell apart, I knew another thing. I wanted to see you again, plain and simple. It had nothing to do with the job. And it had everything to do with you.”

I shivered. Dear god, this man and his recap of our steamy night. I was getting hotter. This was dangerous. I had to stay focused. “But the picture today, Jake?” I gave a shrug that saidexplain yourself.

He sighed heavily, then ran a hand through his hair. “When I spotted you with your stepdad at Tristan’s this morning—”

I held up a hand. “You were following me?”

“No. I was tailing Eli,” he said, making a firm distinction. Eli was the job; I wasn’t. “And I saw you. I asked Andrew who you were. As you know, he literally just told me. Now it turns out we’re both looking out for the people who got screwed—me for Andrew and you for your mom.” His voice never wavered in its certainty, its intensity as he kept his eyes on me. “Theonlything made up was that the photo was from your website. Everything else was true. I had an incredible time last night,” he said, his tone shifting to something deeper. “I wanted more. I stillwantmore.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a rough and sexy whisper. “A lot more.”

Heat raced through me. “Me too,” I said quietly, admitting that at last. It was impossible not to, especially with the way he looked at me like he was picturing me naked. Picturing us together. “I want all the bad things.”

“I’m very good at doing bad things.” His tone was rough, dirty.

I wanted to grab the check and beeline for my hotel right then. But how could I when I didn’t know how much I could trust him? Maintaining my skeptical stare, I shoved the naughty thoughts away. “I’d like those things a lot…with someone I trust.”

He matched my skepticism with certainty and a little deadpan charm. “Yeah, I like trust too.”

So, there we were. Admitting we didn’t quite trust each other. Where that left bedroom matters, I had no idea.

But lust wasn’t the most important factor right now. Diamonds were. Playing fair was. Doing the right thing, rather than a real good bad thing. “So, where do we go from here?” I asked.

Jake sat back, his tone lightening. “Look, things got complicated today when I learned who you were. I’m not going to deny that. But I’m still here. Still talking to you.” He tapped the table with his finger, then gave me a crooked smile. An incredibly charming one. “Because maybe we should work together to find the truth. We’re on the same team.”

Hmm. I was intrigued but not sold. “Why should I work with you?” I asked, a little challenging. Or maybe a lot. “What do I need from you? I’m the one who was invited into Eli’s house later this week. I can just look for clues or diamonds or whatever myself. I don’t have to, you know,break in.”

“What if they’re not there?” he suggested casually. “What if they’re, say, in the nightclub?”

“Then I’ll go there and find them,” I said, calling on my best tough girl act. I was looking for a way to get Mom’s money back. A big bag of diamonds would do that but so would evidence I could use as leverage.

I was more determined than ever, and certain I needed to do it without interference. I fished for some bills and set them on the table. “I’d better go. I have work to do.”

As I stood, one of my longtime friends appeared beside the table, exclaiming, “Ruby!” The restaurant owner wrapped me in a hug. “So good to see you. I’ve missed seeing you around my hometown.”

“I’ve missed you too, Tanice,” I said, hugging her back. “Thanks for dessert. You always know how to treat a girl.”

“That’s what my new girlfriend says too,” she said with a wink.

“And she’s right. We’ll have to get together soon.”

Tanice stepped back, smiling. “A bunch of us are having a party on Devon’s boat later this week. Want me to text you the details? Kalila is off camping, but she should be back then.”

“That sounds great. I’ll be there.”

“We can catch up and you can see the whole crew. And meet my new girl.”

“I’m there,” I said, excited for the chance. Tanice squeezed my arm, then scurried off.

When she was gone, Jake met my gaze with a smug look and said, “Why should you work with me?” He tipped his forehead toward my disappearing friend. “That’s why.”

15

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