Caught in the Act Read online

  She caught sight of his intense expression when he passed through a band of light shining through the blinds. His sheer masculinity wrapped itself around her, and when he wrenched her legs apart she writhed with need. He positioned her with her hips at the edge of the desk, and her skirt bunched around her waist. Through his jeans, the bulge of his cock pressed hard at the juncture of her thighs. Her clit was pounding and the pressure was only making it worse. He pulled her top lower over her breasts and kissed her cleavage while he tugged down the cups of her bra to access her nipples, abusing her clothing to have his way with her. A sting loosed in her nipple when he touched it, and it brought about a needy echo deep inside. When his warm, damp mouth closed over her erect nipple, and he grazed it with his teeth, it made her wild. She moaned aloud, her head rolling on the desk. The tension was unbearable. Her hips moved, her back arched. She wanted to wrap herself around him and take him inside.

  “I want to taste you,” he said, and ducked down. His mouth enclosed her swollen clit, his tongue rubbing back and forth over it rapidly, driving her to distraction.

  “Liam…Liam, please.”

  “I know,” he whispered in response, his breath hot on her sticky, sensitive folds. “I know. I want it too.” He moved away and she saw him opening a condom packet.

  They were going to do it; they were really going to do it. It was outrageous, here and now in the office, on the desk. But she wanted to; she wanted it badly. She kicked off her sandals and lifted one knee against his hip, inviting him in. In the gloom she could barely see him as he rolled on the condom, and she rued that, wanting to see it all. But when his fingers ran across the lacy edge of her panties and then hauled them down the length of her legs, all that mattered was the fuck, the actual fuck, and she wanted it bad.

  He nudged at her opening and she lifted up, giving him access, whispering encouragement as he thrust inside. “Oh yes, Liam. Oh god yes.” His cock was hard, hot and thick, stretching her open. She clung to his shoulders, levering her hips on the desk to take him, grinding against him as he hit home. She dug her fingernails deep into his shoulders as they found and matched each other’s rhythm, days of sexual tension making it fast and furious, glorious and needy all at once. Each thrust filled her so completely that it took her breath away. Each time he drew back her body ached for more, her climax imminent.

  When she felt it coming she turned away, unwilling to totally admit the power of this thing. Nevertheless, she whispered his name and it came out on a wild cry at the moment the climax hit. Her sex clutched, released, and clutched again, seizing his cock. His body went rigid, his cock jerking inside her. She lifted up from the desk and clung to him, kissing the side of his head, even while his hips jerked again.

  He sought her mouth, blindly kissing her, and Chrissie held onto him for dear life. The real world was rushing in again, fast, far too fast, interjecting old questions in to her thoughts, spoiling her afterglow. But she didn’t want him to be the thief—she wanted him to be the new IT man, plain and simple—and she pushed the questions out for as long as she could.

  “Are you the thief?” Chrissie asked forlornly when he stood up to pull himself together, his thoughts shifting as he checked the time.

  He shook his head and kissed the end of her nose. They’d finally breached the gap between them. He was happy, and it was perfect timing, because he’d just noticed a car purring past the window in the front car park of the building, headlights off. He ducked his head down. This is what he’d been waiting for. He knew who the thief was, and he’d already got the evidence he needed. Tonight was his last evening on the job, and Chrissie had made it all that much more pleasant waiting to close the case.

  She was pulling her bra and top into place and she gave him a curious look.

  He wanted to kiss her again, but there wasn’t time for any more canoodling. Not right now. “Where’s your car parked?”

  She frowned. “At the back of the building, why?”

  “Mine too.” The thief had pulled up at the front and wouldn’t know there was anyone else in the building. Reaching for her hand, he dropped to a squat and pulled her down with him.

  “What the hell are you doing?” She fell against him and he moved her down onto the floor, pushing her onto her hands and knees.

  “Quickly, crawl under the desk, I’ll stay behind you.”

  “What’s going on?” She looked so cute with her knickers still trailing from one ankle and her skirt at half-mast over her gorgeous bare arse cheeks.

  He gave her a quick slap on the behind. “Get moving.”

  Her mouth opened in surprise and she wriggled provocatively, one hand going to the place where he’d smacked her. Interesting. She liked that. “Our code thief is about to walk in.”

  “Are you sure? I mean…it could be Henry, the security guard. He should be here to lock up by now.”

  “Nope. Henry was placed under arrest earlier this evening. Unfortunately he’s in cahoots with the thief. He’s been leaving the building accessible on prearranged nights.” She stared at him, uncomprehending, but there wasn’t time to explain his role. “Now move your sexy tush under the desk and stay quiet.”

  “This is what you were waiting in here for,” she said, “wasn’t it?”

  “Move!”

  Still she hesitated, a question in her eyes. Without further ado, he manhandled her under the desk and then sat in the chair. Her tousled blonde head popped up between his knees a moment later. “Are you serious, the code thief is coming into the building now?”

  “You’re finally catching on.” Perhaps he shouldn’t have said that, because she glared at him. She was a fiery type, but he liked that about her. She was so keen to find the thief herself, she was bound to be annoyed. Flicking open his phone, he pressed the speed dial number for his sidekick, who was waiting to close in with the police in tow. “The target is on the way into the building now.”

  “We’re on it,” came the reply. “Saw the approach and we’re moving in behind the vehicle.”

  He snapped the phone shut and took one last glance at Chrissie. She opened her mouth to speak, but he touched his fingers to her lips. “Hush now, it’s time for the showdown.”

  A door clicked open in the outer office. He settled back in the chair, making sure he was shrouded in gloom. The thief wouldn’t even realize he was in here until it was too late. He felt Chrissie’s hand on his leg, but a shadow filled the doorway and he watched as the thief entered the room.

  “Something you forgot, Theresa?” He flicked the desk lamp on.

  “Shit!” She clutched at her chest. “I mean, Yes, I…something in my drawer. Why are you still in here?” She was trying to pull herself together, but it was too late.

  “I’m investigating the security. That’s why I’m here.” The hand on his leg tightened.

  “Oh.” Theresa’s attention flitted about the room. “Good,” she added. “I hadn’t realized they’d taken that step.”

  “Yup, they’re right on the case. In fact,” he leaned forward in the chair, “I installed closed circuit cameras on day three of my placement here. And, as you’ve probably already guessed, that means we have footage of the thief in action. Twice this week.”

  Her eyes rounded.

  “You’ve been a busy girl, haven’t you, selling out your employer?”

  She backed to the door, her hand grappling for the wall.

  “Don’t bother running. It’s not worth it. I have all the evidence I need, and you won’t get far.” A flashing blue light from outside the window bounced around the walls. Cursing, she turned on her heel and fled.

  Hard though it was, Liam resisted the urge to pursue. He’d let his sidekick take it up, because he wanted to make sure Chrissie was okay. He was more concerned about her right now. And once he’d given his handover statement, he was thinking they’d get dinner, and then have some more of what they’d just shared a taste of.

  He stood up and offered his hand.

 
; When she emerged she pointed one finger at him. “I worked it out while I was stuck under there, I know who it is you reminded me of.”

  “What?” He’d been hoping she’d slip readily back into his arms, filled with awe after witnessing the reveal on the case she’d been so fascinated with.

  She shook her head, hauling her skirt into place as she did so. “It kept bugging me who you look like, right from when I first saw you. Then, when you said you were an investigator, I clicked. You’re related to that TV investigator bloke, that Benjamin O’ Neil, aren’t you?”

  Man, that was the last thing he expected her to say. “Yes, but I am an official, I work for a reputable company. Ben’s a…well, he’s a loose canon.” Baby bro Ben seemed hell-bent on making a name for himself by breaking and entering, all in the name of uncovering the truth for some cutting-edge TV show. It wasn’t going down well with the rest of the family. They were all worried about his safety when he stepped outside of the law.

  “I knew it.” Just then she glanced at the scene outside the window, where the police were involved in a scuffle with Theresa. Just for a moment, Liam caught a flash of dismay in her eyes. She was gutted, but she’d been pals with Theresa and obviously hadn’t suspected her. A moment later she returned her attention to him, folding her arms over her chest and giving him a terse glance. “You’ve made a fool out of me.”

  What? “Chrissie! I have not. It was my job.” He pulled her against him, annoyance biting into him at her accusation, his hands locked around her shoulders. Resistance poured out of her, that stubborn streak of hers rising rapidly to the surface again.

  “I knew the thief had to be an insider,” she declared, and she was plenty annoyed herself.

  Liam tried to get a handle on her—which he was discovering was a pretty hard task. He never would have predicted this particular departure in her mood. What the hell was a man supposed to do? “Of course you did. You’re a very intelligent woman.”

  “Apparently not.” Color flared in her cheeks. “You should have told me you were a security person, instead of letting me make a fool of myself.”

  “Oh, come on, I couldn’t take a risk like that. You might have let it slip, given her a chance to cover up and get away.”

  Her lips tightened, and her eyes shone with fury in the gloom. She wrestled herself free of his grasp. “You bastard. You used me tonight, to…to stay in here, and to keep yourself amused.”

  Oh boy, she really was mad. He reached for her. “You didn’t complain at the time, besides, you didn’t make a fool of yourself.”

  She backed away, hands up. “Don’t you dare touch me!”

  She’d gone loopy, but for some ludicrous reason it made him want her all the more. He made a move, but she was already headed out the door. He began to go after her and then forced himself to stop. Something was really bugging her, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She needed time to cool her heels, get used to what had gone on here this evening, in every way. But he wasn’t going to let her get away that easy. Not after what had gone on between them, back there on the desk. No way.

  A week later, Liam finally came to the conclusion Chrissie needed longer to cool her heels than he’d originally thought, but he was a tenacious sort. He wanted it resolved. In his line of work—late hours, moving from post to post quickly—he didn’t often get the chance to spend quality time with the women he met. It was a family trait; he and his brothers had displeased their mother royally by not securing good women for her to take under her wing. Displeasing an Irish mother was a bad move, resulting in long, woeful speeches over family dinners; speeches about how hard done by she was not having daughters-in-law to nurture. It didn’t bother him, or in fact any of the three of the O’ Neil brothers, but Chrissie had caught his attention more than anyone he’d met in years. He wanted to see her again.

  However, when he’d turned up at her workplace he found she’d taken unplanned leave. The staff there wouldn’t hand over her home address. He couldn’t blame them for that. She didn’t respond to his voicemail, or return his e-mail, even though he knew she’d be checking them both from home. The desire to speak with her was becoming an unrelenting need. Thoughts of her filled his mind, his libido easily triggered as he thought back over what had happened between them. It didn’t help that he had to prepare the closed-circuit footage for evidence. He delivered the hard drives for each of the nights that showed Theresa’s nocturnal visits to the police. Problem was, the camera in Theresa’s office had also caught the whole of his interlude with Chrissie. As far as Liam was concerned, it was the hottest porn he had ever seen.

  He made an executive decision not to include that drive, since it wasn’t strictly needed. Instead, he would wipe it before he returned it to supplies.

  First, he had to watch it a few more times.

  The images were hampered by the angle and the gloominess of the room, but he was able to enhance it and zoom in. He was fascinated by the way Chrissie looked, her abandonment. The raunchy way she wrapped her legs around his hips made him painfully erect. He jerked off as he watched her pulling him in, whispering his name and letting down her barriers. The noises she made during the lovemaking made his balls ache. His fist moved faster. He wanted to be inside her again, now, right now.

  At the moment of climax, she turned her face away from his, and it caused him to swear under his breath as he watched her mouth opening, her fingers meshing in his hair. At the base of his spine pressure built, thudding hard as he jacked his load, cursing the fact it was a lonely emission instead of a shared pleasure. Afterwards, he noticed that her arms closed around him and she kissed the side of his head. That surprised him most of all. At the time he’d been so caught up in his own release he hadn’t realized she had shown any affection toward him.

  He spent longer than was good for him rerunning the footage, and eventually burned it onto his own hard drive before wiping the company drive. He couldn’t help himself, he wanted the memento. He also wanted proof she had been that way, she’d wanted that level of intimacy with him and she’d enjoyed it.

  At the same time he knew that if he confronted her at work, she would make a run for it, just like she had that night. That’s why he came up with a plan, a plan that involved enlisting his older brother’s help to convince her to listen long enough that he could point out some home truths to her. Liam was a practical sort of a man, and he came up with a practical plan, albeit a bit aggressive.

  Whatever it took, Liam was going to make her listen to what he had to say. There was a deeply sensual woman underlying that stubborn and headstrong exterior. If it took sex to bring it out in her, it was his duty to hunt her down and shag her senseless.

  Chrissie drove her car onto the driveway in front of her small, suburban house, parked and sighed with relief. Well, she convinced herself it was relief. Maybe it was resignation. The important thing was she’d survived day one back at work. It was hard. Theresa had been the only other woman in the office, and Theresa had turned out to be the weak point. That made her feel bad, even though she knew she herself was a strong link. Meanwhile, Liam had filled her e-mail box and her voicemail, but hadn’t, thank god, turned up to bug her in person. She’d been ready for that—expecting it, almost.

  Now she was safely home and it was her haven. It had felt a bit lonely over the past few days, while she was off work, but Liam didn’t know where she lived, which meant he couldn’t hassle her here. He’d give up soon. Maybe he had already. Her head dropped back against the headrest. Just thinking about what had happened between them and how misguided she’d been made her feel uncomfortable, even now, a week later. She’d meant to confront him over his devious behavior around the office and get to the bottom of it. Somehow he’d got her on her back instead. She sighed as the physical memories flooded her, her pulse tripping when her body flared into life at the mere thought of him.

  “Snap out of it,” she told herself, and reached for the door handle. It was then she noticed t
he blue lights flashing in her rearview mirror. There was a police car parked up behind hers. “What the hell?”

  She grabbed her keys and got out of the car, watching as a tall, uniformed police officer walked up her driveway. Stern but attractive, he was built like the side of a house, and he looked vaguely familiar. There was another man in the car, and the way the vehicle was parked, it was completely blocking the driveway, hedging her in like a criminal. What would the neighbors think?

  The officer flashed a badge. “Good evening, Madam. Are you aware of any traffic violations you might have made in the last ten minutes of your journey home?”

  “No!” Chrissie was shocked; she was a very careful driver. She was mortified to think she’d done something wrong. Then she realized she’d snapped at the policeman and tried to soften it with a non-offensive smile. “I’m sorry, officer, I know it’s no excuse, but I’ve had a lot on my mind recently.”

  She wished he wasn’t wearing sunglasses. It unnerved her that she couldn’t see his eyes. His jaw looked as if it was made of granite and he had a scar across one cheekbone.

  “Turn around and put your hands up against the roof of the car.”

  A rush of humiliation hit her as she did as instructed, resting her keys on the car roof and then flattening her palms against it.

  “Can I get some assistance here?” The officer shouted toward the parked car.

  Assistance? Something wasn’t right here. Surely you didn’t have to be searched for a traffic violation—or even several road traffic violations—and especially not by two of them. She heard a car door slam, then footsteps. The tension at her back intensified, the scrutiny of the two men behind her making the skin on her back prickle. She moved her head, trying to see their reflections in the windows of the car.