Sleeping with the Boss (Anderson Brothers, #1)(28)

An involuntary groan escaped his throat as he ran his fingers over the lavender scrap of lace barely covering her, feeling dampness through the sheer material. And right as he slipped his fingers under the elastic to remove this final barrier, his phone rang.

Fucking “Smooth Operator” played from his phone in the door pocket. He should have turned it off.

She groaned and leaned back against the seat, legs on either side of him, lavender-clad heaven still within his reach. “Just take his call and get rid of him,” she groaned.

“Dammit!” He had to take the call or his brother would probably send Chance out to find him. “Hold on a f*cking minute,” he shouted into the phone before putting it on hold. He’d talk to him, but not with his pants down. He slid his clothes back in place but stayed unzipped to save that time when he got back to Claire. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “Don’t move.”

She grinned and ran her fingers over herself. “Even to do this?”

“Especially to do that.” Fuck, she was hot. He’d kill Michael for this.

Taking a deep breath and not looking at Claire, he plopped his ass in the seat on the opposite side of the limo facing her. When he went to push the “resume call” button, he noticed a text from Jim: 5 mil.

Clarify, Will texted back.

$5,000,000 wired into Claire Maddox’s account yesterday. Source unknown.

He looked over at Claire. Her hair was fanned across the back of the seat and she looked completely relaxed with her legs just far apart enough for his hips to fit between her knees.

Five million dollars was a shit-ton of money. Surely there was a valid explanation other than that she was on the take. There was no way she was the spy. No way in hell. He’d ask her about it and clear it up after he spoke with his * brother.

He pushed the button. “Okay. What’s on f*cking fire, Mikey?”

“Obviously your pants. Chance tells me you’re out with the Maddox woman.”

He shot a look across at Claire and she smiled. “Yeah. Don’t start.” He needed to be careful with what he said so she wouldn’t get the wrong idea—or so she wouldn’t know what was actually being said if Michael came unhinged over his dating a sort-of employee.

“I thought she was our prime suspect?”

Will kept his voice calm and conversational. “Not anymore.”

“Do you have evidence to clear her?”

“Not yet.” He tried to make it seem like a friendly conversation from his side.

Michael’s voice rose even louder. “So you’re f*cking someone who might be f*cking us over?”

Will turned so his head was between the phone and Claire. “Not yet, but I hope to be soon.” A quick glance at Claire revealed she had pulled her knees together and was sitting upright. He pressed the phone tighter against his ear to muffle the sound in case she could hear, which he knew was impossible over the road noise and soft music playing. “Please keep your voice down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Will! I gave you one simple task.” Will fumbled with the volume button on the side of the phone, but didn’t find it before his brother shouted, “I told you to find out who the spy was. I didn’t tell you to f*ck her.” Will hung up on his brother, but it was too late. From the opposite side of the limo, Claire was shaking, staring at him like he’d sprouted a third eye.

She didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity. This was bad. Real bad. Like drop-and-cover bad.

“Smooth Operator” started up on his phone again. He ignored it.

He held his palms up and used the most soothing tone he could conjure. “Claire…”

“Don’t.” It didn’t even sound like her voice. It was distant and threatening. “Don’t say a word.” She snatched her bra from the floor and put it on.

“Please let me explain.”

Michael’s ringtone finally shut up and she grabbed her shirt from the seat next to her and struggled to turn it right side out, still trembling. “Some things defy explanation. They defy reason.” She wrapped the shirt around her and tied the bow with a hard jerk. “Or logic.”

His gut burned like he’d swallowed a bottle of Drano. “I’m sorry.”

“Some things also defy forgiveness, Will.” She picked up her skirt and wrestled it over her legs, snapping it closed with a pop. “Tell the driver to pull over and let me out.”

“No.” He couldn’t. Not until he explained.

“I’ll press kidnapping charges. Don’t think I won’t. Let me out.”

Fuck. “Please. Give me five minutes. If after that you want out, we’ll pull over.”

“How could you possibly expect me to trust you to make good on your word after what I just heard?”

“Because what you heard isn’t what it sounds like.” Only, it sort of was, he realized grimly. “Because it’s important that you not leave thinking the wrong thing. Because what you think and feel matter to me.” He slumped into his seat as the truth hit him. “Because you matter to me.”

They stared at each other as “Smooth Operator” struck up again, followed immediately by “Kung Fu Fighting.”

“You have five minutes. Then you’re going to let me out.” She put on her glasses and glanced at her watch. “Go.”