Tall, Dark and Filthy Rich

Cole had probably escaped quite a few smacks due to Jessie’s talent with the future perfect tense. Man, at that time, with his day-to-day survival, he couldn’t even wrap his brain around the idea of the future. Let alone anything being perfect.

He hadn’t allowed himself to think of her. Not in years. What would have been the point? Now, he couldn’t wait to see Jessie, to note the changes time had made. Okay, she probably didn’t still wear her hair in those long braids, but he doubted her sweet smile had altered.

After buying her Coke, Cole rounded the corner and stopped. His skin grew hot. The bold woman with her back to him, reading one of the Just Between Us promo posters, was the kind that should be appreciated. Slowly.

He could spend a lot of time admiring this woman’s butt, so nicely packaged in the short black skirt she wore. Or that sexy stretch of skin between where her skirt ended and her boots began.

Did women know just how damn inviting that length of leg was? And those boots…feminine enough to show off an uninhibited sex appeal, but worn with an attitude that said she’d kick the backside of any man stupid enough to act like a jerk.

His kind of woman. A million carnal fantasies flashed in his mind.

He swallowed, feeling good. This was the first time in a long time he’d responded so physically to someone. But who was she?

The chill of the cold aluminum can finally jerked him back to reality. He needed to find Jessie. Cole looked down the hallway to see if maybe she’d wandered off. She was always curious. It was a trait that often got her into trouble. And had once saved his skin.

Then the woman turned and he forgot the cold.

Cole had been right. He’d never fail to recognize Jessie’s smile. It was still the same, but everything else had changed. She’d grown a little taller, and those shapely legs of hers invited serious appreciation. Her breasts, round and full, drew a man’s eyes. And that mouth, sensual and carnal, promised a lot of wicked things. The woman in front of him could never be called sweet.

Her brown eyes tipped up in the corners with her widening smile. She knew. She knew she’d surprised him, and what’s more, he knew she liked it.

“Hello, Cole. It’s been a while.”

“Little Jessie Huell,” he said, his voice filled with wonder.

She was beautiful. Her lips twisted and she raised an eyebrow. “Not so little anymore.”

As if he needed to be reminded. For some reason, he thought that if he called her little, he might see her as that. Idiot. Was it really Jessie Huell’s mouth he’d just imagined on his own?

She walked toward him slowly. Every step reminding him how long it was since he’d been attracted to someone. A year and a half. A year and a half since his wife had left.

“I bought you a Coke.” The gesture seemed lame now. Men didn’t bring this woman soft drinks. They brought her jewelry.

A soft smile touched her lips. “Like when we studied Latin?”

He nodded as the scent of her ambushed him. She smelled like sunshine, and he was transported back to a time when his whole life had stretched golden before him. A time when the mistakes you made were on geometry tests and missed free throws, not with your life.

“De oppresso liber,” she murmured, as her fingers wrapped around the can.

The phrase meant “Free from having been oppressed.” Once, he’d been leaving the garage for their Latin study session. He’d kept her waiting for over forty minutes. She’d gasped when he stretched out in the booth across from her, sporting the beginnings of a black eye. He hadn’t gotten out of his father’s way fast enough that time.

She hadn’t said a thing. Simply wrote the phrase on his notebook. Then below that, she’d written Someday in English. Someday. She didn’t know it, but he’d held on to that bit of encouragement with everything he had. Sometimes it was all he had.

Together, they’d sipped their Cokes in silence. The sun had set, and the crickets started to chirp. With his eye nearly swollen shut, he hadn’t needed another thing but Jessie’s quiet understanding.

That memory told him how dangerous his attraction for her would be. Because he couldn’t need anything. Too many needed him already. A pair of little girls depended on him to make the right decisions.

He dropped his hand from the soda, took a step away from the teasing scent that beckoned to him, and closed his mind to the past. He could do without having his emotions stripped bare right now.

Jessie popped the top of the can and took a sip. “I’ve switched to diet, but every now and then I miss the taste of Coke with sugar. Of course, you probably hear this kind of talk from all the women in the office and your wife.”

“I’m not married.”

She looked up at him sharply.

It was the first time Jessie’s smile slipped.

3

THE ONE THING that had been holding her back from making a complete idiot of herself over seeing him was now gone.

Cole Crawford wasn’t married.

Damn, she really should have paid more attention to her mother’s newsy e-mails about her hometown. That might have prevented the shakiness she felt right now.

Turning, she took a large swallow of pop. The sweet drink gave her body an instant jolt.

Who was she kidding? Cole gave her that jolt. She’d crushed on him big-time. But he’d gone off to college, found someone new and gotten married. Jessie had forced all her feelings for him into a hidden corner of her mind and locked them there.

Now that lock was open and hope was chasing away the shadows. She was suddenly having all kinds of amazing fantasies. Okay, she was playing something far more dangerous than The Speculation Game; instead, she was sporting around in Exaggeration Land. Grrr.

Cole followed her into the conference room, then pulled out one of the chairs at the long table, offering her a seat. At least she could give her weakened knees a break.

Jesse tried to smile politely rather than glare at him. He was supposed to be in some far-off, remote place, being untouchable and gorgeous.

He wasn’t supposed to be right here in Atlanta, being single and a buffet of lick-me kiss-me carnality. If he had to be somewhere near her, he could have at least been sporting a large, protruding gut over those khakis.

She’d bet Cole’s abs would make any male model run home and cry for his mommy.

Dammit.

She took a measured breath. Yes, she was being ridiculous. She was a mature woman who’d built a business from the ground up. And she was here to discuss that business. “Did you want to ask me a few questions?” she said, thrilled that her voice sounded so unaffected.

His eyes narrowed, then he seemed to notice the notebook in his hand, and gave a chagrinned shrug. “I was just getting over the grown-up you. I was expecting braids.”

“I hope I wouldn’t still be wearing the Laura Ingalls look at my age,” she said, as she watched him slide into the chair opposite from her.

“So tell me about your job,” he began, after giving her legs one last look. “You’re a P.I.?”

“I dig up dirt.”

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. “What if you can’t find any?”

Why did people never believe? All the naiveté… Sometimes it made her a little sad. But it was good for business. “Everyone has dirt. Some you sweep under a rug and forget about. Some you bury alive.”

His hazel eyes challenged her. “Think you could dig up any dirt on me?” he asked, his voice lower. More sensual.

She stopped herself from sucking in a breath. While some girls went for the cute boys, the tall basketball players or the preppy charmers, Jessie had always been a sucker for the guys who liked fast cars. The rebels without a cause. Yeah, fast and dangerous. That was all Cole Crawford.

He may have smoothed out the edges, but underneath, she sensed the danger still lurked.

And she still went for it.

Her agency had been created to protect women just like her. Those who liked a man with a bit of an edge. Would she find dirt on this man? She could guarantee it.

“I bet I could have a juicy bit on you in less than thirty seconds,” she told him with a laugh. Her body liking the idea of the challenge.

The hazel of his eyes darkened to brown. She’d forgotten about his beautiful eyes—sometimes green, sometimes brown, depending on his thoughts.

Mmm, no, she hadn’t forgotten; she’d just wanted to.

Any woman would take a moment and bask in the sheer pleasure of his gaze. Savor it like some delicious dessert. Chocolate and Cole’s eyes. Two things a gal could never get enough of.

His knee accidentally brushed hers as he shifted in his chair. Sensation raced down her leg, and she stared at him. There was plenty of space between them. There was no reason for him to accidentally touch her.

Wait a minute. Was Cole Crawford flirting with her? She wasn’t looking for it, had never expected it, so it would come as a bit of a shock…but the signs were all there.

The way he’d angled his big, broad shoulders toward her to totally focus on what she had to say, as if he planned to do nothing but listen.

Or how his gorgeous eyes held her gaze just a moment longer than necessary. Then there was the teasing about finding dirt on him.

Cole had teased her when they were in high school, but it hadn’t been like that. Sensual. His voice had never lowered, his glance never flicked to her lips as his playful actions elicited shivers down her back.

“Oh, I’m sure you could find something.”

Her nipples hardened. He’d accepted the challenge.

A young woman, who looked fresh out of college, knocked on the open door of the conference room.

He reluctantly looked away from Jessie. “What’s up, Penny?”

“Bad news. Nicole wanted me to let you know our guest for to day’s show just bailed. So should we do another Eve chat?”

“Eve chat?” Jessie asked.

“That’s when Eve walks into the audience and they ask questions and chat,” Penny explained.

“You’re kidding! That’s what you do when someone doesn’t show up? I figured those shows were only aired on Fridays.”

“We also work them into the schedule when this comes up. You never know when a guest will cancel at the last minute.”

Jessie sat back in her chair. “Wow, you’d never guess that. Eve seems so natural.”

“That’s why she’s so good at her job,” Cole told her.

“So, what do you want me to tell Nicole? Go with the Eve chat?”

Cole glanced Jessie’s way, and her shoulders suddenly tensed. She knew by the change in his expression, the speculation that entered his hazel eyes, that he was contemplating asking her to fill in. Being on TV seemed like a great idea, but at such short notice? And on only a few hours’ sleep?

Contemplating the purchase of a vehicle GPS location tracker when the new money started rolling in was all fun and games until the reality of appearing on TV hit her. She could look a total fool. She could babble. She could freeze. Something could be hanging from her nose and she wouldn’t know, but everyone else in Atlanta would have seen it. Who would hire a P.I. who had stuff coming out of her nose?

Jessie took a deep breath. She grabbed the Coke can and swallowed a large mouthful of pop.

“You up for being our guest today?” Cole asked. His eyes held a daredevil challenge.

No. “Sure,” she said with a forced shrug. She wanted this. Her business needed this. She had never backed down from anything in her life, and she wasn’t going to start now. She’d just make certain she looked in a mirror before stepping in front of a camera.

Jessie straightened her shoulders and placed the Coke can on the conference table with resolve. Sure, being in a situation where she could humiliate herself and have it remembered for years to come, not to mention bring shame to the Huell family name, was a possibility…so why would she want to turn that down?

“I’ll tell Nicole,” Penny gushed.

Jessie turned toward Cole. “I’m looking forward to it.”

A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. “Thought I might have lost you for a minute there,” he said.

Hmm. She was usually pretty good at schooling her features. In fact, she was proud of her ability to hide from people what she was thinking. And feeling. Was she slipping?

Or maybe Cole could read people a lot better than she’d given him credit for. She’d have to remember that.

“I’ll take you over to makeup.”

Cole stood and escorted her down the hall. He’d grown taller since the last time they’d walked side by side. His shoulders were broader, too.

So many things had changed since he was her high-school fantasy.

Lines fanned from his eyes, indicating he still liked to laugh. But deep grooves circled his lips, proving he’d experienced some of life’s harder times. And what had happened to his wife?

With no other obstacles in their way…

Would this be Jessie’s chance?

Her chance to finally touch him, kiss him, be with Cole the way she’d wanted to since she’d first seen him on that loud, rusty motorcycle her dad had hated so much.

No. No, for some reason she liked her fantasy and wanted to keep it intact. Knowing Cole’s true flaws would be a letdown. And every gal needed at least one unattainable dream to make life interesting.

“Do I have time to run home and change? I wasn’t expecting to be on the air today.”

His gaze scanned her body. Her skin heated as it moved from her face, down her neck, to linger on her chest. Her nipples began to bud and her stomach tightened as his eyes moved lower. And lower.

All the green was gone from the hazel when his eyes met hers once more, betraying a raw desire. “You don’t need to change,” he said, his voice low again and husky. With a nod, he indicated the door marked Makeup, then he turned and left.

Jessie leaned against the wall as she recovered from her body’s reaction to the lust in his eyes. The fast heartbeat, hitch in her breath, the perspiration…they were all there. And suddenly she realized she was wrong.

Maybe knowing the real Cole would be more than enough. More than enough to give up on her fantasy man. With a smile, she headed into the makeup room.

Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting in the makeup artist’s chair, trying to hold her tongue. It was hard. Jane’s nonstop talk about her new boyfriend had put Jessie at ease, but it took everything she had not to blurt out her typical warnings. “You hooked up in Vegas?” “How easily can you replace that wall between your two condos?”

Ordinarily, Jessie wouldn’t have anything in common with the fashionable blonde, but Jane was obviously so happy and made her feel so comfortable, she couldn’t help but like her right away. But Jessie hated to see anyone’s heart stomped on, so she thought maybe just one small word of caution about men would be in order.

She’d have to break her in easy. Maybe start with a quick suggestion of a simple Google search before she moved on to credit checks and criminal background reports. “Do you have a computer at home?”

With a flick of her wrist, Jane spun the chair so Jessie could finally see herself in the mirror.

And she forgot all about tips on securing a man’s social-security number. “Wow.” She moved her head from side to side. “I have cheekbones.”

Jane laughed. As if she had this kind of response to her abilities every day, but still loved it.

“You make me look like this all the time, and I’ll check out that new man of yours for free.”

“No, I’m not worried.” A smile so peaceful passed across her face that Jessie’s inborn worries grew. Only a woman who truly loved would have a smile like that, and was therefore more likely to ignore her man’s faults.

“Besides, I can show you how to look like that in ten minutes,” Jane said as she put away a few of her brushes. “Makeup is the easy part. Unleashing your inner wild child, now, that’s…”

Her words trailed off, and Jessie got the impression the woman was reliving some delicious memory.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the green room.”

“When will I meet Eve?” she asked as she followed Jane to the door.

“Normally you would have already, but since you’re a last-minute fill-in, probably not until just before showtime. Sometimes Eve likes it that way, to keep things fresh.”

They passed by open double doors to a large studio, and Jessie stopped. Audience members were already filing into their seats. A charged energy positively radiated from the room. The leather furniture of the interview area, which seemed to fill up her TV screen at home, appeared miniature now against the backdrop of lights, cameras and the half-dozen or so crew members milling around the studio floor.

Getting tickets to Just Between Us was the new hot thing. Atlantans waited in line excitedly for hours. Now they were going to see her. And be utterly disappointed.

Jessie sucked in a breath. Her skin grew clammy and her nerves started fluttering.

“You’ll do great,” said a deep voice she recognized.

Cole had returned, and was in the process of placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Except the touch that was supposed to be comforting was anything but. Once again her nipples tightened beneath the lavender material of her awful blouse.

She turned, and Cole’s eyes widened. His expression grew more serious. Jessie had forgotten Jane’s ministrations to her face. “How do you like the new me?” she asked, shooting for glib.

“Nice. I liked the old you, too,” he said, his voice deep, his eyes intent.

Those butterflies inside her tummy disappeared as her stomach clenched in reaction to his words. Because Cole wasn’t just saying he liked how that kid he’d known from the past had matured, he was acknowledging the new attraction between them.

A surge of strength made her muscles loosen. This was something she could handle. Wanted to handle. Desire…passion.

“I have your microphone. It’s wireless, so you won’t have to remove your shirt.” He held the small device up for her to see. “Ready?” he asked.

Maybe. She worked to make her breathing normal when she felt his warm fingers brush the swell of her breast. The scent of him wafted toward her…citrus, with just a hint of mint. She struggled not to wiggle as he clipped the microphone in place.

How long did this take?

“You look hot, Jessie.” They both turned to see Penny walking toward them. “Nicole wanted me to wait with Jessie in the green room until her segment,” she told Cole.

He nodded. “That’s fine.” Clearly, the young woman was in awe of him. Who wouldn’t be, with the sense of power that hung around him? At the same time, there was something about authority that made Jessie want to challenge it.

Not a great quality to have when working as a police officer.

A must-have for a P.I.

Cole’s hazel eyes cut back to her. “Break a leg,” he said with a slow wink.

She watched him walk away, and Jessie vowed she would never watch this man walk away from her again, until she knew the secret delights those eyes of his promised.

FITTING HER FOR THE microphone had been a bad move. Penny could have done it. Hell, twelve other people on staff could have managed it. Feeling the softness of Jessie’s skin had teased him, but spotting the hint of her sexy, black lace bra foretold his doom. He hadn’t been able to concentrate since the show began taping. Thankfully, the director had the action well in hand.

All Cole had to do was sit in the control booth and speculate on the black skirt she wore. Would it ride up? That expanse of skin between skirt and boot had teased him before, in the conference room. Now, it tortured him, because he knew just how soft her skin was. Would the inside of her thighs be as delicate? His fingers curled into a fist.

The stagehands finished the change to the set from the last segment, and Eve and Jessie took their seats on stage.

The director flipped on his studio mic. “Cue music, we’re back in five, four, three…”

As the music faded, Eve took over with a smile. “We’re here with Jessie Huell, who’s been sharing some of her stories of late-night chases pursuing cheating spouses. So, Jessie, give some advice for the single girls out there. What should we be on the lookout for?”

“Take camera two,” the director said, and the monitor filled with a close-up shot of Jessie’s beautiful face.

She laughed, a deep feminine sound, yet filled with cynicism. That was it. Cole hadn’t been able to place what was different about the sweet, innocent girl he’d known. Suspicion, skepticism surrounded her now.

“First of all, you need to be prepared that he’s holding something back. News you might not want to hear or know.”

“Camera one, go to a two-shot,” announced the director.

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Because everyone’s got a secret. In fact, you show me a man who’s lived in the world, had a job, gone to college or whatever, who doesn’t have at least one thing he wouldn’t want you to know, and I’ll show you a man who’s a liar. Or someone who’s very good at covering his tracks. And that’s just what I like to do…uncover tracks.”

“How do you go about it?”

“Camera three, pan the crowd for audience reaction.”

“Other than the background searches, you have to become an investigator and think systematically. Find out what your target’s hidden objective is. We all have one. Certainly every man I’ve encountered has. Maybe it is to find love, his soul mate. Maybe it’s to get to something you have.”

Cole scanned the audience’s reaction. Jessie held their attention. Good.

“Here’s the second step. Find out the reason behind your man’s actions. What’s he trying to hide? Some dirt you can live with, some dirt you can’t. Why is he with you instead of some other woman? Ask yourself that before you enter into any kind of relationship. Is he cheating? Using you? Be methodical and be brutal. And remind yourself that love has nothing to do with it.”

“So what does that leave a woman with?” Eve asked. Damn, she was good. Cole had been wondering the same thing.

“Back to camera two.”

A sexy smile tugged at the corner of Jessie’s lips. “Now, that’s where the beauty of the fling comes in. I highly recommend it. But like your investigation, you have to be systematic about it. There are rules.”

“This I’ve got to hear.”

“Get rid of anything casual. No quick phone calls just to talk. The telephone should only be used to set up times for sex.”

Cole’s penis hardened.

“Second, don’t sleep over. You’re not twelve.”

“Got it,” Eve said.

“Never engage your emotions, and last, but certainly not least, don’t ever let him see how much you want him.”

“Terrific. Thanks, Jessie.”

“Wind down and cue music. Close segment in five, four…”

Eve grinned into the camera. “There you have the rules for your next fling. We all have secrets, and it’s Jessie Huell’s job to discover what they are. Join us after the break.”

“And to commercial,” the director said, and took off his headset. “You found a good one there, Cole. I bet our viewers will be contemplating their boyfriend’s covert objectives, or their spouse’s hidden intentions for weeks.”

The smile left Cole’s face. He forced the speculation about Jessie’s cynicism from his mind. She was in the habit of finding dirt, and he was a man who’d lived in the world of sandstorms. Yes, she was intriguing. But she was also a woman of secrets. And most secrets were best left alone.

4

HAD SHE REALLY ANNOUNCED to the world she believed only in flings?

Jessie closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. That fling comment should definitely make her mother proud. Jessie could picture the scene at the Cuts and Such salon, where her mom never failed to get her hair back-combed every Saturday. Her mother would be innocently thumbing through a magazine under the dryer, when she’d be bombarded by the tsk-tsk-tsks of her friends. Each commiserating that she’d never make grandparent status with that kind of daughter.