You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(20)

Phoebe’s head came up again. “Your men? That’s a little presumptuous, isn’t it? You treat him like a puppy you can pat on his head and send away. He isn’t yours and if you think you can take me, you’re wrong.”

Charlotte’s lips curled up and Jesse realized Phoebe had just fallen into a trap. “She doesn’t like the fact that I said you’re mine, Jesse.”

Big Tag was frowning at her. “I didn’t either.”

She waved him off. “I meant as a friend and employee, but Phoebe’s brain goes straight for the sexual. I wonder why. Li’s right. You’re going to owe him a hundred bucks at the end of this thing. She’s all Stockholmed out. Who wants cake?”

Ian’s eyes narrowed as his wife strode off toward the break room. “Handle her, Murdoch. Any way you can and keep it the f*ck down. I still haven’t heard back from Ten.”

He felt Phoebe’s whole body go stiff at the mention of Ten’s name. “I still think she works for him.”

“Ten knows when a game is up. He would have told me.”

“Or he would just burn her,” Adam mused.

That was a more reasonable explanation, but Ian seemed unconcerned. He strode off after his wife and Adam sighed a little and then followed them.

No one was going to save Phoebe from him. No one would try to come between them. Satisfaction settled in his gut. At least his brothers recognized he had a claim on her.

“Jesse, you should let me go. I’m not a threat to you.” She sounded so reasonable. “Honestly, I’m not a threat at all, but you are still in danger. If you let me go, I’ll tell you what I can.”

So she still thought he was an idiot. He walked down the hall and opened the door to his office. He slammed it behind and locked the door. The office was full of well-meaning busybodies, and he wasn’t about to be interrupted.

He set her down and then took a deep breath.

She leaned against his desk, needing it to balance her. Her manicured fingers gripped the edge of the desk, tension throughout her body. “Can we talk?”

“Who do you work for?”

“I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you that someone sent me that kill order and they won’t just shrug and walk away. You’re in danger, Jesse.”

At least they’d gotten past one thing. “So you’re dropping the whole ‘I’m just an accountant’ act?”

“I am an accountant,” she replied beseechingly. “I have a degree from Georgetown. Not everything I said was a lie.”

Just the little things. “Oh, I think it’s safe to say you lied enough. What’s your name? I think I should know the name of the woman who made me a fool.”

She flushed. “I didn’t, Jesse. Damn it. It wasn’t like that. And my name is Phoebe. You know it’s easier to work with something similar. A partial truth is easier to sell than a lie.”

“Yeah, well, the partial part is the one that hurt. Did you have to pretend to like me?”

“I wasn’t pretending. I do like you.”

“That’s something I can test, you know.” He was feeling a little cruel. He didn’t like it, but that didn’t seem to matter.

“Jesse, I can’t make you believe me. I can only tell you that I’m sorry you got hurt in all of this.”

“You’re sorry? I chase after you for months and you lead me on and you’re sorry. That’s good to know. Did you bug my house?”

She nodded slowly.

“So that’s why you agreed to come over.”

“The first time, yes.”

Humiliation burned through him when he realized all the things she would have heard. “Audio or video?”

She bit her bottom lip before replying. “Both.”

How she must have laughed at him. He did a lot of stupid things when he thought he was alone. One in particular made his blood pressure tick up. “Did you like the show? Did you like how I would grip my own dick and call out your name when I came?”

Her face went white as a sheet. “I didn’t watch it. I didn’t know. God, Jesse. I didn’t get the feed. It went to my boss and he’s never mentioned it. He never would. He’s not like that, Jesse. He’s a good man.”

“Sure he is.” Now he had to wonder just how close to this boss of hers she was. “I’m sure he’s a great man.”

She tried to stand, but stumbled, her bound feet a burden. He cursed under his breath and caught her so she didn’t hit the floor.

The minute she was in his arms, his dick tightened again. He couldn’t be around her and not want her. He’d wanted her when she was quiet and shy and he definitely wanted the Phoebe who told Ian he was stupid and told Charlotte off. Both times she’d been defending him. Had she figured him out so easily? Had she discovered that someone standing up for him made him soft? That a woman doing it flipped his switch hard?

She held on to his arms as he sat her on the desk. Her eyes stared up at him. Dark eyes that sometimes lit up when he walked in a room. She was that good at her job. She’d sometimes made him feel like the only man in the world. She’d managed to do it while she held him off sexually, so she was practically a spy goddess.

Maybe two could play at that game. He would love nothing more than to send her back to her mystery lover a little less pure. And if that man happened to be Tennessee Smith, that was all the better. He kind of hoped his office was bugged, too, and that old Ten was sitting somewhere dark with headphones on because Jesse meant to put on a show.