Mommy Under Cover Read online

Riley stared down at her. “Right. And it has nothing to do with you being an attractive, half-naked woman who just happens to be lying beneath me with her leg thrown over my butt.”

  She moved her leg.

  “I’m not half-naked,” she insisted.

  “Close enough. My mind is more than willing to fill in the blanks.”

  Her lips quivered, fighting back a smile. She lost that fight.

  “Ah, hell,” Riley whispered. “This was so much easier when we were discussing disks and files.”

  He was right.

  But he still leaned in even closer. So did she. Why, she didn’t know. It was stupid, and what they were apparently about to do would up that stupidity several dozen notches.

  Yet she didn’t stop him.

  She didn’t stop herself.

  Riley touched his mouth to hers. Just a touch. It barely qualified as a kiss. Barely.

  And that was truly scary, because it packed a wallop.

  He groaned softly. A rich, male sound that curled around her, clouding her mind even more than it already was. Well, clouding it in some ways. In other ways, that sound seemed to hone every nerve, every sensation.

  Everything.

  Tessa couldn’t fall for him. She just couldn’t. It would start another nightmare. One where one of them, or both, would lose focus.

  “We need to finish this,” Tessa whispered. Not easily. Her voice was strained and uneven. “I mean, not finish this this. But the show we started.”

  “Yeah. The show.” And Riley repeated it while he levered himself up slightly so he would appear to be having sex with his wife.

  Unfortunately, Riley and she didn’t have the fake rhythm part down pat because she adjusted her legs just as he lowered for what would be a thrust.

  No “air” thrust as he’d probably planned. No air anything. It was complete contact, and she went from the I’m-fighting-this, hurry-up stage to being fully aroused.

  Not exactly the response she’d wanted.

  But it was impossible to stop.

  And for Riley, impossible to hide.

  Worse, his erection pushed right against the soft intimate folds of her body. It didn’t matter that he had on his pj bottoms and that she was wearing panties and a gown. The sensation was practically blinding. Judging from Riley’s not-so-soft grunt, it was the same for him.

  Tessa fought with her breath. Riley fought with his. And she tried to stay perfectly still, hoping to lessen the effect.

  Not that it was possible to do that.

  But the stillness allowed her a chance to battle some of those primitive demands that were begging her to take him. Right then, right there. And to heck with the consequences.

  “Brace yourself,” he mumbled.

  Another thrust. Then, another. With each one, her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her body softened. And begged.

  Mercy, did it beg.

  Every inch of her wanted every inch of him.

  One last thrust—but just because it was the last, it didn’t mean it wasn’t as effective as the others. Mainly because he had to collapse on top of her, which put his erection in the one general area she truly wanted it to be.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  “It’s the fatigue,” she whispered back.

  “So you’ve said.”

  It was bull, of course, and both of them knew it. To the best of her knowledge, fatigue had never caused her to come close to having an accidental orgasm. No. Riley had caused that.

  “In an hour I’ll check the hall for the guard,” he whispered. “If he’s gone, we can get back into Fletcher’s office. In the meantime, you get some sleep. I’ll take first watch.”

  She didn’t argue. She couldn’t. Tessa was still having trouble speaking. “Wake me in a half hour,” she finally managed to say.

  After a few unbearable seconds, where he was obviously pretending to catch his breath from the fake—and the real—exertion, Riley rolled off her and landed on his back. Probably because it was expected of a loving husband, he snuggled against her.

  Worse, he fit.

  She fit, too.

  As if she belonged there. There, next to him. Wrapped in his arms.

  For a lot of reasons—and that fit was definitely one of them—Tessa knew it was going to be a heck of a long night.

  Chapter Seven

  Riley stared up at the ceiling and listened for any activity both inside or outside the clinic. The only thing he heard, however, was the rhythmic rise and fall of Tessa’s breathing.

  For some reason, it was calming.

  Unlike everything else.

  He had a sickening feeling that everything was on the brink of chaos.

  It was nearly 6:00 a.m. Almost time to do another search of the hall to see if it was clear. So far, it hadn’t been. Either Tessa or he had checked every couple of hours, on the pretense of using the bathroom or getting a drink of water, and each time they’d seen two armed guards, one posted at each end of the hall.

  Not good.

  Fletcher was perhaps on to them, or else the double guards were just a reflection of his paranoia about security. Either way, it meant Tessa and he were literally under house arrest. If they challenged the guards, then it would possibly result in a fight for their lives. At a minimum, Fletcher would almost certainly ask them to leave.

  So they were in the wait-and-see mode.

  Not exactly a comforting place to be.

  Riley shifted slightly, facing Tessa. A huge mistake. Just the sight of her face caused emotions and feelings to swell inside him. Things he no longer thought himself capable of feeling. Feelings that went well past basic attraction.

  He silently cursed.

  Hell, hadn’t he learned anything from that fatal mission with Colette?

  Apparently not.

  He reached out and pushed a lock of Tessa’s dark blond hair from her forehead. She stirred, a little, and peeked out at him. Man, even blurry with sleep, those eyes were something else.

  As if he needed anything else about Tessa Abbot to be memorable.

  “Go back to sleep,” he whispered. “It’s not time yet.”

  She gave a groggy nod and closed her eyes.

  Riley was thankful for the temporary solitude. Not that he thought solitude could help him come to terms with whatever this was that was happening between them. There were so many reasons why there shouldn’t be an attraction, and Riley mentally went through them. Regulations. The mission. The fact that neither had the time or probably the inclination for a personal relationship or commitment. And Colette. He’d gone this route before and it had ended in disaster.

  Going through those reasons didn’t undo anything.

  But it did help him come up with a way to neutralize some of the effects.

  For one thing, there’d be no more fake kisses. No more fake sex. No intimacy, either fake or otherwise. He’d feign an illness, a sore throat maybe. Anything that would explain why he was no longer touching his wife.

  Of course, that begged the question, Why hadn’t he done it sooner? They had had a long day, sex wouldn’t have been expected. He could have whispered softer. Could have paraphrased what they discussed. Maybe even delayed Tessa’s report of what she’d found in the computer. Under the circumstances, a delay would have been reasonable. Logical.

  And Riley didn’t have an answer for why he hadn’t chosen logic over the cheap thrill of holding Tessa. But there was a problem with that particular cheap thrill. It wasn’t cheap. And it felt a lot more than just a thrill.

  Man, he was so in trouble.

  There was a knock, just one, and before Riley could even move to sit up in bed, he heard someone insert a key card into the lock. The door opened. He reached out and stopped a very groggy Tessa from overreacting and reaching for a gun that wasn’t there anyway.

  Their visitor was Beatrice, and she was balancing a tray, some clothes and what appeared to be a laptop computer.

  “Dr. Fletcher had to drive to his resid
ence this morning to pick up a few things,” the woman explained.

  Riley latched right onto that. If Beatrice was telling the truth, it meant Fletcher lived nearby. Or at least seminearby. It could be important info if Tessa and he needed to look elsewhere for the evidence.

  Beatrice deposited the items on the table next to the bed. “He’ll be back soon. He said I was to bring you a computer so you could check your e-mail.”

  “Thank you,” Riley responded, knowing they wouldn’t use it. It was different from the one last night and Fletcher or one of his henchmen had no doubt scrubbed this one clean. Added to that, Fletcher would probably examine any outgoing mail to make sure it didn’t breach his security.

  “So what’s on the agenda today?” Tessa asked Beatrice. She rubbed her hands over her face and yawned.

  “More of Phase One.”

  Riley snagged one of the cups of coffee from the tray and inhaled, hoping the scent alone would wake him up. He wouldn’t be drinking any of it. Too big of a risk because Fletcher could have drugged it with a sedative.

  Or worse.

  “When will we be leaving for the second facility?” he asked Beatrice.

  She started for the door, giving her explanation over her shoulder. “Dr. Fletcher has decided that the remaining procedures will be done here at this clinic.”

  Riley wouldn’t know if that was bad news or not until Tessa and he had another look at the computer in Fletcher’s office. His gut instinct told him that there was vital information in those files if they got a second crack at them. If they didn’t, then somehow they’d have to find the location of that second facility or even Fletcher’s residence.

  Because Riley wasn’t giving up.

  The moment Beatrice shut the door behind her, Riley and Tessa got out of bed. Both reached for their clothes and began to dress. Not the clothes that Beatrice had provided, but the jeans and sweater they’d worn the day before. Riley had already inspected them as much as he possibly could for tracing and listening devices.

  They kept their movements unhurried in case they were still being monitored. But with Fletcher supposedly away from the clinic, it was time to proceed with the mission. With good luck, they could be out of here in the next hour or so. With bad luck…

  Well, Riley didn’t even want to go there.

  They had to succeed. Because as much as he hated to admit it, this might be their last and only shot at collaring Colette’s killer.

  TESSA PEEKED out into the hall, to make sure Beatrice was indeed gone. She was. Thank goodness. No guards in sight, either, which meant they could finally do something about those computer files.

  “All clear,” she relayed to Riley.

  He pressed the button on his watch to engage the signal that would jam and temporarily disrupt Fletcher’s surveillance equipment. Tessa prayed that it worked as well as it was supposed to work because by her estimation, they’d need at least ten minutes.

  Riley and she made their way down the hall, only to find the door to Fletcher’s office locked. Riley extracted a small pin from his watchband and had it open within seconds.

  An alarm went off, causing them both to curse. The sound wasn’t loud and blaring. More of a warning hum. Unfortunately it wasn’t confined to just the room. It seemed to resonate through the entire building. Probably a backup security precaution to alert Fletcher that someone had entered his office.

  It was an unanticipated problem. A bad one. Because the jamming device should have neutralized the security system. But Tessa wouldn’t let the contingency stop her. She’d already passed the point of no return. If she didn’t access the files, now, she might not get another chance.

  She ignored the stabbing sound of the alarm and booted up the computer while Riley searched through the desk. Tessa did her own searching, for the hidden files she’d located the night before.

  Nothing.

  God, they weren’t here.

  “What’s wrong?” Riley asked after he glanced at her.

  “The files are gone.”

  He groaned and motioned for her to continue to look. Tessa did. She resumed her search through the files. Frantically now. Hunting for anything that might be suspicious. But it soon became apparent that she wouldn’t find it.

  Fletcher had no doubt seen to that.

  Riley pressed the communication function on his watch. He held the watch between them so that she’d be able to hear the exchange even over the alarms. “Are you able to get a tracking signal on us?” Riley asked.

  “Affirmative,” was the response. She recognized the voice as her father’s. “We should have your location pinpointed within the next few minutes. What’s your mission status?”

  “We struck out,” Riley relayed. Not easily. It seemed as if the words caught in his throat. And probably did. Because they’d failed. “Fletcher apparently removed files that Tessa had located last night.”

  “Do you have anything else?”

  Riley glanced at her, then dodged the question. “We’ll keep looking.”

  “Too risky,” her father immediately answered. “You’ve engaged the disruption signal and your cover is in jeopardy. Terminate the mission and inform Dr. Fletcher that you’ve changed your mind about the procedure. If necessary, use evasive measures to vacate the facility.”

  “No!” Riley didn’t raise his voice beyond a whisper, but it was an angry whisper that conveyed all the frustration and disappointment that Tessa was feeling. “We’re too close to stop now.”

  “That wasn’t a request, Agent McDade. It was an order. This mission is terminated. When you’ve reached a safe rendezvous point, we’ll arrange to have you picked up.”

  The alarms stopped. It happened so quickly, so abruptly, that it plunged the room in total silence. Riley and Tessa didn’t hesitate even for a second, because someone had no doubt manually disengaged the alarms. Fletcher probably. The first place he’d look for them was his office. And if he found them, there would be trouble. There was no way they could justify why they were in this room.

  Riley caught her arm and got them moving toward the door. He peered out first before they stepped into the hall. They’d only made it a few steps when the first guard rounded the corner.

  A second was following closely behind.

  “Is there a fire?” Riley shouted. “Is that why the alarms went off?”

  He’d asked, hoping to maintain what shred of cover they had left. But it wasn’t one of those two guards who answered, but another one, a woman, wearing the same dark blue uniform as her comrades. She came rushing down the hall, as well. Straight toward them.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

  Riley let go of Tessa’s arm so they could move into a better position to respond to the guards. In this case, a better position would mean hand-to-hand combat. That wasn’t Tessa’s first choice of self-defense since they were outnumbered and unarmed.

  “The alarms frightened my wife,” Riley lied.

  If the guard believed that even a little, she didn’t show it. Her eyes darkened. “You were in Dr. Fletcher’s office again.”

  And it wasn’t a question.

  “We were looking for a way out,” Tessa volunteered. “Because we thought the place was on fire.”

  “Come on, darling,” Riley said to her. “I’ve had enough of this. We’re leaving now.”

  The guard stepped to the side, blocking their path. “That won’t be possible,” she said.

  And with that she drew her weapon and aimed it right at them.

  RILEY KNEW their situation had just seriously escalated. John Abbot’s order to use evasive measures to vacate the facility was now a reality.

  The female guard stepped toward them. She kept a firm grip on her lethal-looking semiautomatic. The others drew their weapons, as well, and walked in Tessa’s and his direction.

  This could play one of two ways. He could continue to protest Tessa’s and his innocence, or they could brace themselves to fight their way out
.

  Riley figured no matter what he did, it would come down to a fight.

  “Drop back,” he mumbled to Tessa when the guard took one step too many.

  Tessa lunged back into the office, creating a timely visual distraction, just as Riley reached out and latched onto the female guard’s gun. She didn’t give it up without a fight, though.

  And that’s where Tessa came in.

  Diving to the floor, she reached out and snagged the guard’s leg. One hard yank and the woman was off balanced. Riley used that to snatch the gun from her hand.

  He didn’t stop there.

  Praying that Tessa would take cover, he shoved the woman out of the way and positioned himself to aim at the other guards.

  He was about a second too late.

  One of Fletcher’s other henchmen fired and Riley dropped down so he wouldn’t be shot. The female guard wasn’t so lucky. She took the full impact in the chest. Before she’d even hit the floor, Riley took out the guard with two shots to the head.

  The other guard turned and sprinted out of the hall. Escaping.

  “Hell,” Riley snarled. They couldn’t let him get away and alert God knew how many others. Beatrice was likely lurking around, and by now Fletcher could have returned from his errands.

  Tessa obviously understood that because she hurried out of the office and they raced down the hall after the escapee. She stopped only long enough to grab the handgun from the now dead guard.

  “I’ll go in low,” she informed him as they approached the point where the hall intersected another. It was a danger zone where anything or anybody could be lying in wait. Too many blind spots. Too many shadows.

  Tessa stooped down so she could approach the zone from the low level. Riley took the high point. He made a split-second glance around the corner and was only mildly relieved that he didn’t come face-to-face with a guard or anyone else connected with Fletcher.

  “Clear,” Riley advised her, and they started down that particular section of the clinic.

  They worked silently, in unison. Giving a little more than a cursory inspection to each room they passed. Even with the impending danger, Riley noticed that Tessa was good at teamwork. Something he sincerely appreciated. Unfortunately it wasn’t always possible to know if the mix was right until something went wrong.