In Bed With The Devil

Five

If there wasn’t twenty million for charity on the line, not to mention the house itself, Jack would have been on the road back to Texas the next morning. But he was stuck for the month. All the other guys had survived their time at Hunter’s Landing, so he would, too. But he would bet a lot of money that their weeks had been a whole lot less hellish than his.

He didn’t want to think about his most recent kiss with Meri, but he couldn’t seem to think about anything else. It had been different. He’d felt the power of his need for her all the way down to his bones. He’d ached for her in a way that was more than unsettling.

Trouble. Meri was nothing but trouble. She’d been a whole lot easier to handle when she’d been a teenager.

He walked into the kitchen, intent on coffee, only to find one of her team members pouring a cup. Jack frowned slightly, trying to put a name with the face.

“Morning,” the guy said and held out the pot for Jack.

“Morning…Colin,” he added, remembering the smaller man from his arrival.

“Right.” Colin pushed up his glasses and smiled. “Great house.”

“I agree.”

“It belongs to your friend, right? Meri’s brother? The one who died.”

Casual, easy words. The one who died. They cut through him like a razor and left wounds only he could see. “Yes. Hunter had this house built.”

“Meri said this house was being turned over to the town or something. That it’s going to be a place where sick people can recover and regroup. That’s cool.”

It was pure Hunter. Wanting to make a difference even after he was gone.

“How’s the work coming?” Jack asked, not wanting to talk about his friend anymore. “Making progress?”

“Not yet. Theoretically there is a way to increase thrust within the confines of a safe formulation, but the nature of our planet seems to be that going faster and longer always means creating something toxic. Meri is determined to change that. When we consider the finite nature of our resources and the vastness of space, there are going to have to be some spectacular breakthroughs before we’ll ever have a chance to explore our solar system, let alone the galaxy.”

Colin took a quick gulp of his coffee. “The truth is, the next few generations are going to be like the early Vikings. Going off on the rocket equivalent of rafts into a great unknown. If you consider their total lack of technology, the analogy is even more interesting. Because we consider ourselves cutting-edge, but compare what we have now to the first Russian launches. It’s like they used paper clips and rubber bands to hold the whole thing together. But if they hadn’t launched first, would Kennedy have pushed space flight? If you knew the number of modern innovations that came out of the space program…” He trailed off and looked slightly confused. “What were we talking about?”

“How your work was going.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I get carried away.” Colin shifted slightly. “I like your car.”

“Thanks.” The sleek sports car wasn’t practical, but it was fun to drive.

“Get good mileage with that?”

Jack grinned. “No.”

“I didn’t think so. I’d like a car like that.”

“So buy one,” Jack told him. Someone with Colin’s brain had to make enough money.

“I’d like to, but it’s not a good idea. I’m not a great driver.” Colin shrugged. “I get easily distracted. You know, I’ll be going along just fine and then I think about something with work and-zap-I’m just not paying attention. I’ve had a couple of accidents. I drive a Volvo. It’s safer for me and the rest of the world.”

“Okay, then.” A sports car was not a good idea. At least Colin understood his limitations.

“Meri said you own a company that works in dangerous parts of the world,” Colin said. “Interesting work?”

“More of a logistical challenge. People need to be able to work in dangerous parts of the world. My teams make sure they stay safe.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“It’s an easy way to get dead. You have to know what you’re doing.”

Colin nodded slowly. He was blond and pale, with light blue eyes and a slightly unfocused expression. “Military background?” he asked.

“Special Forces.”

Colin sighed. “I wanted to go to West Point. At least when I was a kid. But I was already in college by the time I was thirteen. Besides, I don’t think I would have survived the physical training.”

Jack had spent his six years of service staying out of any kind of officer training. “It’s all a matter of discipline.”

Colin smiled. “Maybe for you. For some of us there’s an issue of natural ability. Or lack thereof. Meri talks about you a lot. I decided she had to be making it up, but she wasn’t. You really are dynamic and powerful. Probably good with women.”

Colin seemed to shrink as he spoke. Jack wasn’t sure how to respond to his comments. What most interested him was the fact that Meri talked about him. Unfortunately that was the one question he couldn’t ask.

“You have a thing for Meri?”

“What?” Colin’s eyes widened. He pushed up his glasses again. “No. She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but we’re just friends. She’s not anyone I would…you know…be attracted to.”

Jack’s first instinct was to grab the little weasel by the throat and ask him what the hell he thought was wrong with Meri. Then he got a grip and told himself to back off.

His second instinct was to walk away, because he didn’t do personal conversations. But then he remembered Meri’s insistence that they help Colin and Betina get together.

He refused to play matchmaker, but maybe a couple of questions couldn’t hurt.

“You’re a lucky guy,” he said. “Surrounded by beautiful women.”

Colin blinked. “Betina’s beautiful.”

“Yes, she is. Meri mentioned she wasn’t one of the scientists?”

“Oh, no. She coordinates the project. She’s just a normal person. She keeps us on track with our time and our budget. She takes care of things.” His voice had a dreamy quality. “She always smells good. It’s not always the same scent. Some of it is perfume, but there’s an intriguing quality to her skin…”

“Sounds like someone worth getting to know.”

“She is,” Colin said, then paused. “What do you mean?”

“Is she seeing anyone?”

“What? I don’t think so. But Betina has a lot of men. Practically a different man every week. She’s always fun. I don’t think the two of you would get along at all.”

Jack held in a grin. “You’re probably right. Have you two ever…?”

“Oh.” Colin took a step back. “No. We’ve never dated or anything.”

“Not your type either?”

“Uh, no. Probably not.” But Colin sounded more resigned than anything else. As if he’d given up hope on the one thing he wanted.

Jack heard the shuttle van arriving and excused himself. He took the stairs up to his office, but as he passed the landing for the bedrooms, he paused. Meri liked to just pop into his room without warning. Maybe it was time to play the same game with her. Last night’s kiss had obviously rattled her. He should press his advantage.

He crossed to her room and opened the door without knocking. Meri stood beside her bed.

The drapes were open and sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating every inch of her. Her hair fell in a wavy mass down her back. Her skin gleamed as if it had been dusted with starlight. She wore nothing but a tiny pair of bikini panties.

He stared at her nearly naked body, taking in the dip of her waist, the narrow rib cage and her perfect breasts. She held a bra in each hand, as if she’d been trying to decide which one to wear.

At last he raised his gaze to her face. She looked confused and apprehensive. There was none of her usual sass or spark.

Wanting slammed into him, nearly knocking him over with its intensity. On the heels of that came guilt. He’d promised Hunter he would keep Meredith safe from predators. Men exactly like himself.

“I’m sorry,” he said and backed out of the room.

Meri dressed quickly, then stood in the center of her room, not sure what to do. Last night’s kiss had been upsetting enough. She’d reacted to it with a passion that had stunned her. She’d wanted him, and nothing in her revenge plan was supposed to be about wanting.

She’d tried to convince herself that her reaction had been perfectly natural. Jack was a good-looking guy she liked a lot. She used to have a crush on him. It had been illogical to assume she could seduce him and not get aroused herself. End of story.

But she hadn’t been able to totally believe herself. Now, having seen the need in his eyes, she knew the wanting wasn’t all one-sided.

She left her room and went upstairs to his office. Sure enough, Jack was at his computer, staring at the screen as if it were the only thing that mattered.

“We have to talk,” she said.

“No, we don’t.”

“I’m not leaving. You want me. I saw it in your eyes.”

“I walked in on a beautiful naked woman. It was a biological reaction to a visual stimulus. Nothing more. I would have wanted anyone who fit the description.”

She considered his words. Was he telling the truth? Was that all it was? Biology at work?

“I don’t think so,” she said. “It was more specific than that. You don’t want any woman. You want me.”

He finally looked up from the computer. “I’ve never understood why anyone would bang their head against a wall to make the pain go away, but I do now.”

She smiled. “It’s just part of my charm. Come on, Jack. You want me. Why can’t you admit it?”

He sucked in a breath. She held hers, waiting for the words that would make her want to party like it was 1999.

“I talked to Colin about Betina,” he said instead.

She sank into the chair opposite his desk. All thoughts of wanting and sex disappeared as she leaned forward eagerly. “Really? What did he say?”

“Nothing specific. You’re right-he has a thing for her, but he thinks he’s totally out of her league.”

She groaned. “Of course he does.”

“Why?” Jack asked. “He’s got a lot going for him. He’s smart and he has a good job. He seems nice. He should be like catnip.”

“It’s not that simple. Colin is like me-book-smart, world-stupid. Betina is one of those funny, social people who makes life a party wherever she goes. Colin bonds with the potted plant in the room. Trust me, I’ve been there.”

“You were never that bad.”

“I was worse. I had a wild crush on a guy I could never have. Then he broke my heart.”

Jack looked out the window, then back at her. “I’ve apologized for that. I can’t take it back.”

“I know, but I like punishing you for it over and over again. The point is, being that smart isn’t easy. I always knew I didn’t fit in, and Colin feels the same way. We’re bright enough to see the problem, but we can’t seem to fix it.”

“You’re saying Colin can’t take the steps to tell Betina he’s interested?”

“He won’t see himself as capable.”

“Then maybe they shouldn’t be together.”

“I don’t accept that,” Meri told him. “Colin is a sweetie. And Betina is my best friend. I owe her everything. I want her to be happy. I’m going to make this happen.”

“You shouldn’t get involved.”

“Too late. Thanks for your help.”

“I didn’t help.”

She smiled. “You so did. When we go to their wedding, you can tell everyone how you had a hand in getting them together.”

He groaned. “Or you could just shoot me now.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”