The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries #1)(38)

Evan waved her off. She walked out, and he gave his attention back to the computer. He’d set up the surveillance on his brother as a precaution. Matt was weak when it came to some things. It was important to make sure he towed the line. Now, he could see that his plan had been brilliant for another reason.

The large man from earlier in the week walked into the frame. He stalked Grace like a hungry lion. He moved well. Evan hadn’t noticed it before. Johansson was the name he’d given. This Johansson fellow moved really well. Evan backed up the tape and watched him again. His long limbs moved with a fluid grace that went beyond mere athleticism. Evan bet he moved silently, too, out of long practice. It was how the military trained their black ops to move. Sean Johansson—if that was really his name—was former black ops. Evan had no doubt about that. So what was a former Green Beret or Navy SEAL doing in Fort Worth, negotiating some pissant deal?

Evan’s brain filtered through the possibilities. He could have left the life and gotten a civvie job. Evan watched Johansson. His attention seemed to be focused on Grace. He crowded the secretary.

He could be exactly what he said he was. Evan made a note to check into his background. Johansson was either an idiot who liked to f*ck secretaries, or he was a plant. That notion gave Evan a rolling wave of nausea. There was only one person in the world who would have planted a soldier at the same temp agency Patrick Wright’s brother owned. How had that f*cker found him? Or had he? Was this a fishing trip or a hunt? Uncertainty gnawed at Evan. He would have to figure it out before he made his final move.

The scene continued as Johansson flipped up Matt’s secretary’s skirt and f*cked her right there on her boss’s desk. At least one thing had gone right on this shitty day. A warm feeling spread through Evan’s chest. This must be what happiness feels like. It was right there, the final wedge he would drive between Matt and that little whore.

He would be able to kill Grace Hawthorne with his brother’s full approval.

And then he would work on that Johansson bastard. He was just a pawn, like all the rest. Evan knew he could take him out and then concentrate on the power players.





Sean entered the bedroom after making sure the kitchen was clean for the night. Despite his earlier claims that he didn’t clean, he’d been happy to stand beside Grace and load the dishwasher. It had been a familiar domestic scene that tugged at him in ways he didn’t want to contemplate given his earlier conversation with Ian. Still, he’d enjoyed the evening far more than he’d expected. Grace was witty and smart and had a wicked sense of humor. She also knew when the Dom was back in the house. Sean had deepened his voice and told her to wait for him in the bedroom. She’d gotten up and walked off to obey without an argument. She’d merely looked at him with those “love me, protect me, take me” hazel eyes of hers and disappeared behind the door.

He was an *. He was going to burn in hell for what he was doing to her. He called himself every nasty name in the book and still went to the laundry room to make sure the alarm was off. He didn’t need to unlock the door. He’d passed Jake the copy of the key he’d made. He’d given his partner the key to Grace’s house, a perfect copy of the one she’d handed him in complete trust and love.

Grace was in love with him, and he was letting wolves into her home.

It was all for the best. It was all to protect her. His heart hurt, but he opened the door to the bedroom anyway.

Sean looked down at Grace and a rush of arousal flooded his system. He was always aroused around her, but seeing her like this made him feel like a giant among men. She was a soft bit of heaven waiting for his command. As he had ordered, she was waiting for him on the floor of the bedroom in her submissive position. Sean ran a hand through her hair and was satisfied with her little sigh. She reminded him of a kitten when she made that sound. She purred when he stroked her. Only one thing marred the perfection of her waiting for his command. The way Grace had reacted to him walking into her boss’s office made Sean uneasy. She’d been nervous, and Sean couldn’t figure out why. She’d been startled, as though he’d discovered her doing something she shouldn’t. He’d thought about rifling through Wright’s desk while she’d gone to the bathroom, but she’d left the door open and the office had been crowded by that point in time. What was she hiding?

She looked utterly guileless. Sean let his worry slip away. He had a job to do.

Sean’s job had been given to him in the plainest English possible. Distract the girl. Ian had been very clear on that point. Sean was to keep Grace occupied and then let Jake and Adam into the house when she was safely asleep. They hadn’t been able to quietly copy her hard drive. It was too risky at the office. Grace’s desk was out in the open. Even when Sean had distracted her earlier, they hadn’t gotten the job done. It had to be tonight.

“Undress me.”

Grace was on her feet in an instant. Her hands went to the buttons of his shirt, carefully undoing each one. She was meticulous. She unbuttoned one, pushed back the material, and moved down after kissing the flesh she’d exposed. After she did the first one, she’d looked up to him for permission. He said nothing, but let his lips tug up to give her the answer she wanted. When she reached the bottom of the shirt she pushed it off and folded it neatly, laying it on her dresser. She came back and got to her knees to unbuckle his belt.