The Perfect Solitaire

“Zoe, you okay in there?”

“Yes. Come in. I’m just finishing up.”

Ben walked in. “You’re determined to tame your hair. Leave it alone. It’s pretty down.”

“It’s a squirrel’s tail. I need another band,” she said, unable to find the one she’d had before.

Seeing it on the floor, she picked it up and snapped it around the ends, when Ben caught her around the waist.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she whispered.

“Collecting on a piece of my debt.” He leaned against the sink and brought her against him.

“That’s unfair, Ben.” She lost her grip on her hair and the band spiraled off, falling onto the floor again. “You made the rule of no fooling around while we’re working together.”

“I love that you have such a good memory. But if you remember correctly, our business concluded with the arrest. We declared the case closed.”

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CARMEN GREEN

National bestselling author Carmen Green was born in Buffalo, New York, and had plans to study law before becoming a published author. While raising her three children, she wrote her first book on legal pads and transcribed it onto a computer on weekends. She sold her first novel in 1993. Since that time she has written and published more than thirty novels and novellas, and is proud that one of her books, Commitments, was made into a TV movie in 2001. In Commitments, Carmen even had a cameo role.

In addition to writing full-time, Carmen is now a mom of four, and has just completed her master’s degree in creative writing. She’s a founding member of the Femme Fantastik Tour, a group that tours military bases promoting their literary works throughout the United States and Europe. In her spare time, Carmen likes live music, gardening, vacations in quiet, tropical places and long cruises that don’t require her to do anything but read, sleep and eat. Her next novel for Kimani Romance, Sensual Winds, will be available in July 2009. You can contact Carmen at www.carmengreen.blogspot.com or [e-mail].

The Perfect Solitaire

Carmen Green

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Danielle Alexandria Green

You’re such a blessing to my life.

I’ll always love you.

To the Sparrow. You are always with me.

Dear Reader,

I’d like to introduce you to the Hoods. They’re a wonderful family of handsome, intelligent and sexy men who are on the right side of wrong, and who practice their own brand of street justice against those who’ve slipped through the loopholes of the legal system. My Hood family give their own special twist to the infamous fairy tale Robin Hood. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed creating them. The first book is Ben’s story, but later you’ll meet his twin, Rob, and then Zachary. I assure you that the women in their lives love these men, and I hope you will, too. Please be sure to drop me a note at [e-mail]. You can also keep up to date on the happenings in my world by visiting my blog at www.carmengreen.blogspot.com.

Many blessings,

Carmen

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 1

Zoe lay on her back in the center of his bed, as Ben Hood teased her womanhood with the sixteen-inch strand of multi-colored Tahitian pearls she’d borrowed from her jewelry store for the White Linen Party. He smelled of man and cologne, and coupled with the yearning in his eyes, she couldn’t resist him any longer. Her nipples were like radar beams pointing right at his chest. And it seemed, under their own volition, that the hardened tips lifted her thirty-year-old body, and her arms circled his neck.

The room was bathed in candlelight, yet she could still see his triumphant smile. “I thought you could resist me?” he teased, his knees dropping to her sides, his arms circling her back as he pulled the black bra off. His left hand palmed her breast before his luscious lips covered the caramel-colored tip.

“You’re too hard to resist.” A low guttural moan tore from her throat as he ravaged one breast then the other. She shook with wanting. “Oh, goodness,” she moaned, and he laughed deep in his chest, his hand straying down between her legs. There was this direct connection between her breasts and her essence, and she’d never met a man who knew how to make them work together like him.

“Who knew I would meet someone as fine as you at a conference?” Zoe laughed. Ben chuckled.

His hands moved over her body as if he’d known her for years, yet this was their first time. Still, the shyness she usually felt was gone. Stripped bare, he rolled onto his back pulling her on top of him, his lips never leaving her breasts. She loved the way he appreciated them, as if there was some type of life substance coming from them. She felt the tugging inside, the warmth of sexual desire filling her, making her want him to have her in any way he wanted.

Ben released her breast and looked into her eyes. She descended for a kiss, his mouth claiming hers. The word carnal came to mind. Dizzying and potent, his tongue sought hers and she met him with a passion she hadn’t felt in a long time. This was what she’d been wanting for so long, and had been missing in relationships in her twenties. At thirty-five, Ben was a man. A real man. There was no escaping that fact, and the way he wanted her, the way his hands held her against his sex and his mouth claimed hers, well, she was nearly ready to come right then. She grabbed his chin, his day-long growth of beard tantalizing her palm.

“Yeah, baby? What you want?” He caught his bottom lip between his teeth and gave her a look so sexy, her heart skipped a beat. Having him ask as his hands played the guessing game between her legs with her pearls was sexy as hell. She sucked in her breath and nodded when he guessed just right. His thumb glided over the heart of her sexuality and she pushed against him.

“You’re gorgeous. You know that?” he asked. His gaze roamed her as he caressed her most intimate parts.

She smiled down at him. “You’re biased.” She stuck out her tongue and he was up in a flash and had captured it between his lips. They were again chest to chest, sex to sex, and she had to have him.

Zoe wrapped her legs around his back and pushed, and he shook his head and murmured, “No.” “Why?” she whispered, nipping his ear, backing up a little. She reached down and took him in her hands.

He muttered an expletive as he watched her and she wrinkled her nose at him, laughing. “Aren’t you about to do that?” she teased.

“Woman, don’t play. That’s a dangerous weapon. Handle with care.” Even as he taunted and teased her, his hands never left her body. His strokes were purposeful and strong. She felt wanted. Needed, even.

Carefully, she wound the pearls around his sex and rolled them gently up and down. His eyes widened. “You were telling me why I couldn’t have this,” she said, and kissed his manhood. His thigh muscles flexed. The stimulation from the pearls and her mouth seemed to drive him close to the edge, and his chest rose and fell in quick pants.

“You keep that up and I won’t be able to please you,” he said.

“Yes, you will.” With each stroke and suck, he drove his hands through her hair until he couldn’t take any more. He pulled her up and took the pearls from her hands. “You’re dangerous with these, you know that?” She smiled, biting his chin. “You’re a bad girl, Zoe.”

“I want you,” she told him as she touched his hardened sex again, her legs tingling. Zoe was surprised at her confession. She’d never spoken those words to another man in her life. She wondered how she’d feel in the morning, but she didn’t care right now. She wanted him and she meant to have him.

Opening for him, she lifted her legs and he kissed her as he pushed inside. They both smiled. She, in surprise. He, in knowing. “Big,” she whispered.

“You can handle me, baby,” he said, and began to move in her.

Each stroke made up for all she’d missed.

“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, again and again. Her desire soared the more they moved as one. His thrusts were powerful, his six pack of tight muscles a visual delight. But it was his eyes glazed in pleasure that drove her closer to the finish line. Watching their bodies meet in carnal bliss, the way his hands took possession of her thighs and bring about her climax made her arch, her fingers running up his arms. She wanted to hold him to her, but she didn’t want to say that. The end was approaching fast and Ben seemed to know.

“Come here,” he said and lifted her, their bodies still joined. He seemed to innately know that this was the only time she’d completely let go. He moved inside of her to a place no man had been before, and she cried out her climax, her body clutching his, words falling from her lips she couldn’t explain or remember. A second later he pulsed inside of her, their mouths attached, their mating finally at a blissful end.

Their breath wasn’t fully recovered when his phone began to ring. Neither of them moved; her head on his shoulder, his muscular arms cradling her. It rang again and stopped, then started again. “That’s the signal. I have to get it.”

“What signal?” Zoe asked as he lay her down on the bed, leaned over and grabbed his pants.

“The phone rang three separate times in succession. That means pick up. It’s probably Rob.”

“Who’s Rob?” Zoe rolled onto her side, wanting Ben’s attention back on her.

“My twin brother.” Ben smiled and dragged a curl of her hair down to her breast. It popped back into place. Zoe nuzzled Ben’s chin, half listening as he talked. She recalled now that he’d mentioned that he was a twin and Rob was older by four minutes.

“Rob? What’s going on? Yeah. Where’s Zach? I’m off tonight and I’ve got company.” The sensual glow cleared from his eyes, and the finger he’d been using to run down the center of her chest was now turning on the lamplight.

“We can pick up Pickens tomorrow,” Ben said.

“The warrant is still good. No, if you need me, I guess I can come. What else? I have company, Rob.”

Warrant? Hadn’t he said he was an investigator? Not a bounty hunter. Those were two distinctly different things.

Zoe gathered her G-string and snapped it into place, frantically searching for her bra. Skipping it, she put on the white-linen dress she’d worn to the party. It was very wrinkled, but linen was that kind of material. She stepped into it, hating she couldn’t find her bra. Her nipples were chafing against the material. How could she have been so wrong? Wild passion was a terrible thing and had clouded her good sense.

She quickly snapped up all of her belongings and went around to the side of the bed so Ben could see her. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said, and he half stood, but she waved him down. “I can find my way out.”

“You don’t have to leave.” He looked confused, and regret passed over his face.

“No. I’m gone,” she told him.

Her shoes tapped against the marble floors decisively. Though not a cop, all she could remember from childhood was her mother and the nervous way she’d approached the door every time the doorbell rang when Zoe’s dad had been at work. She’d been waiting for bad news and now she’d finally gotten it. Two months ago, her father had been left for dead in a hit-and-run accident in the line of duty, and because of budget constraints by the city, medical benefits he needed were being cut. Her mother was barely supporting them on her teacher’s salary. No way. Investigator. Cop. It didn’t matter. She would not be her mother.

Just reading Zoe McKnight’s name in the e-mail made Ben Hood’s thigh muscles stretch and his biceps flex in remembrance of how good their lovemaking had been.

Three months had passed since she’d been right here in his house, and he should have forgotten her by now, but he hadn’t. Nat King Cole was right. She was unforgettable.

Zoe was far more beautiful than the movie stars or the women music videos touted as icons of beauty. She was an authentic woman with a soft stomach he’d enjoyed holding in his hands, shapely breasts that filled his palms, and thighs that gripped his in earnest. And that unruly mass of hair that she tried to tame with a headband or clips, and that he could never forget pulling free and letting go wild.

Her smile still lit up his mind. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Those were her last words to him over three months ago. He’d been a one-night piece of ass, and that didn’t sit well with him. How many times in his younger, stupider days had he promised to call a woman and hadn’t?

Karma was a mean old bitch.

He tapped the keyboard and paged through the e-mail file, reading why she wanted to hire Hood Investigations, Inc.

Her jewelry stores, Zoe’s Diamonds on Peachtree and Zoe’s Diamonds at the Galleria, kept getting robbed. The amounts taken weren’t large and his initial thought was that it was an inside job, but instinct told him Zoe wouldn’t have pursued their company if she hadn’t already considered that possibility.

Atlanta stores and gas stations had been plagued with smash-and-grab type robberies with thieves stealing ATM machines. But these robberies were different. These were smooth break-ins and they were affecting Zoe’s economic future.

The stores had been fit with sensors and cameras by a reputable security company, but they’d been disabled every single time. So far, only merchandise had been taken, but Zoe was worried that the thieves were becoming more brazen and striking more often, and soon, somebody might get hurt. Her biggest concern was that she was planning a multi-million-dollar expansion project and not only did she need A-1 credit, but a low-incidence crime rating.

It’s an inside job, Zoe, baby. Saying her name made him want her again in the same way he craved sweets the year he’d given them up.

Shaking images of her from his mind, Ben reviewed the remainder of the e-mail files he needed to send back to Rob, the president of Hood I.N.V., and responded about two other cases that weren’t closed yet. His sister, who owned her own cleaning company, knocked on his office door.

“Come in, Mel.”

“Ben, I’m about to head down to Rob’s house, but I found something interesting behind your nightstand.”

He swung around in his chair. “What are you doing behind my nightstand? Didn’t you just have surgery on your rotator cuff six weeks ago?”

Mel, the baby of the family of five, was a hard worker, supporting her hearing-impaired daughter and her six-year-old all on her own. “I wasn’t lifting anything.” Her compact size fooled many people, but not her brothers and sister who knew of her black belts in Aikido and Hapkido. “I found these fancy pearls when I was dusting, and I couldn’t help but think you might want to give them back, or I can take them home and consider them an early bonus.”

Ben was out of his chair in a slow movement. The fun he’d had with Zoe and these pearls brought back fond memories. “You may clean behind my nightstand anytime. Thanks, sis. Your bonus is in the mail.”

She laughed as he popped a kiss onto her forehead. “Tahitian pearls. Nice.”

Ben relieved Mel of the fancy baubles. “How do you know they’re Tahitian?”

“I have a deep appreciation for fine jewelry.” She touched his chin. “That look says that you should return them. She must be pretty special.”

“Very much so.” Ben walked his sister to her car. The sun warmed his skin and he had the feeling the day was only going to get better.

“Approach her as if she’s a case. Carefully and with a lot of passion. You’ll get her.”

Ben saw his sister off and studied the pearls before deciding what he wanted. He’d return the pearls. The same way he’d gotten them. He’d seduce Zoe, just like he had three months ago. And he’d start by finding out who was trying to ruin her business.

Chapter 2

“Why not hire a twenty-four-hour guard service, Zoe? I don’t think you need to get some expensive investigation company to charge a whole lot of money to come in and solve a petty theft problem.”

At the store, Zoe locked the safe that held loose diamonds, and other precious stones. She turned around and looked at her older sister, Faye, who’d been hovering for the better part of an hour. “I don’t want guards sitting in my stores. None of the other stores have them, and I’m afraid they’ll turn off customers.”

She straightened the clingy fuchsia dress over her curves—fuchsia being the signature color of Zoe’s Diamonds on Peachtree—and checked her makeup one last time.

The past two months had been tough with her stores having been robbed three times. She couldn’t believe she’d been targeted after all the security measures she’d taken.

When Zoe turned around, Faye held a long strand of silver pearls in one hand and a gold rope necklace in the other. Zoe chose the pearls. Similar to the ones she’d worn the evening she’d spent at Ben’s, but not nearly as expensive. That night had cost her emotionally and financially. From the moment she’d met Ben, she’d been attracted to him. She liked his talk of his big family and the crazy antics of his two brothers from when they were boys. He’d even confided, after some probing, that he’d wanted children.

Zoe had been impressed. She only had one sister, but she and Faye didn’t see eye-to-eye on much, and having another sibling might have helped them bond better as children. But his being an investigator was a turn off, despite his good looks, his ability to hold a stimulating conversation and his limitless talent in bed.

But her biggest regret of the evening was that she’d lost the ten-thousand-dollar strand of Tahitian pearls. She’d never found them, and as much as she’d thought of calling Ben to ask if she’d dropped them, she’d never completely found the nerve.

Zoe took the strand of freshwater pearls her sister offered, and wrapped her neck with them twice, making a choker. She completed the look with an amethyst cuff bracelet and a thin amethyst anklet that accented her high heels. She was ready.

“What now?” Zoe asked Faye while she pulled back her hair, wishing she’d straightened the wild curls.

“You don’t need Hood. They’re too expensive.”

“They get results and that’s all I care about. I’m ready to move on to the next phase of my life. When I stopped paying Charles spousal support two years ago, I said I wasn’t ever going to get married again. I saved all that money and it’s getting invested in my dream, Faye. Zoe’s Diamonds on Peachtree is my dream. Nobody has the right to steal that from me.”

“I know, but giving the money to Hood is the same thing as giving it to Charles.”

“How do you figure that? If you’re still arguing Charles’ side of the divorce four years after the ink dried, you may as well leave now.”

So many unsaid words hung between them. There had always been jealousy between her and Faye for years. Faye had grown up falsely believing that Zoe had somehow gotten more out of life than she had. Though Faye was five years older and had taken the lion’s share of college-fund money their parents had saved, Faye still made snide comments about Zoe getting to go to the school of her choice. She didn’t bother to mention that Zoe had gone on scholarships with little assistance from their parents.

“Zoe, I don’t know why you still think I’m on Charles’ side.”

“I know what I saw which was you and Flint move into my house with my ex after he and I broke up. I saw you and Flint and Charles’ new woman become virtually best friends when I could have used a sister to comfort me. You brought her to the same salon I got my hair done at, our church here in Atlanta, even my favorite dinner spots when you were visiting Mom and Dad. If you weren’t trying to rub it in my face that you were Charles’ lady’s best friend, I don’t know what else to call it.”

Faye looked humiliated and embarrassed. “Okay, Zoe. At the time, I wasn’t a VP at the bank, I was just a manager. Flint had gotten laid off so things were getting tight. You’d always had the best and I wanted to see how the other half lived. I got carried away,” Fay offered with a shrug. “I shouldn’t have forgotten that blood is thicker than water.”

Anger pulsed through Zoe’s veins. She was surprised that her feelings were still so strong. “Why’d you come down here, Faye? This is the last day of your vacation, and you’re here in the store with me. I’ve got an appointment. Why don’t you go spend your last day in Atlanta with Mom and Dad?”

“Because I just want it to be us girls. I do have a lot to atone for.” Faye looked like she wanted to cry, and Zoe didn’t want to deal with her emotions today. “I just thought we could recapture some of the days of our youth. We weren’t always fighting.” She laughed and it sounded like a sob. “I see how wrong I was now that Flint and I are getting divorced. I empathize with you.”

Zoe had felt betrayed by her sister and she wasn’t sure there was a way to recapture the days they had gotten along when they were young. “The thing about that kind of hurt, Faye, is that it doesn’t come with an expiration date. Family is supposed to stick together, and I couldn’t tell you then and I can’t tell you now who to be friends with. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

“So you’re dismissing me?” Faye no longer sounded sincere, but hard, and Zoe wasn’t intimidated by her older sister anymore.

“It took you years to say those words to me. I need more than three minutes to process them. What brought about this change of heart, Faye?”

“It’s just time to bury the hatchet. I mean—” she chuckled hard. “I really do need a break from all the stress of my divorce. Maybe when this is over, you can treat me to a sister weekend away to Savannah or something.”

The real Faye had finally shown up. Her weak attempt at an apology was really the well-crafted pitch for a free vacation. Faye’s sour face and her woe-is-me attitude only served as a reminder of her constant defection to the Nathanson side of the road, and Zoe was short on sorrow.

“I’ve got work to do. I’m sure Daddy needs you to do something for him at the house. Why don’t you go over there and help him with his exercises?”

Faye scoffed. “He needs a physical therapist, not a daughter.”

“That would be me the evenings I don’t work, and Mom when she’s not teaching. But since you’re here you can pitch in.”

Zoe left the stockroom, heading to the front of the store spraying each display case with special cleaner so that they gleamed after she wiped them. She intentionally left a cloth to see if her sister would get to work. Faye neglectfully dragged her finger along the glass and pouted as she followed Zoe.

“It’s just one more day,” Faye said in her own defense. “Besides, I’d rather be with you. I’m more accustomed to dressing up for work at the bank than dressing down to help Dad stretch, and I can meet handsome single men, right?”