The Perfect Murder by Kat Martin

TWELVE

Kenzie sat on the sofa in the living room of the Houston apartment. It was 7:00 p.m. The long day over, she had changed into a soft yellow, loose-fitting knit top and a pair of dark brown yoga pants, slid her feet into a pair of kidskin slippers. She poured herself a glass of the white wine she’d found in the refrigerator and took several badly needed sips.

She should have relaxed. Instead, she sat on the sofa like a statue, listening to Reese as he moved around in his apartment, getting ready for the evening he had planned. With every minute that passed, her nerves stretched tighter.

She was good at her job. Better than good, and she loved it. But there was only so much she could take and today she realized that she had reached her limit.

Sure, the job paid a top-notch salary, but she could always find another place to work. She likely wouldn’t earn as much, but there were adjustments she could make to the way they lived, and she had a little savings to tide her over until she found another position. If she had to, she could find a cheaper place to live in Griff’s same school district.

Reese’s footsteps sounded on the carpet and she imagined him in his crisp white shirt and perfectly tailored designer suit, imagined how handsome he would look and what his date would think when she saw him.

She thought of them enjoying a meal together in an elegant restaurant, then Reese taking her home. Her throat tightened. She imagined him kissing her, the woman kissing him back.

She blocked the rest, the part she couldn’t bear to think about.

With a deep, fortifying breath, she rose from the sofa. She wasn’t a masochist. She had done her best to subdue her emotions, but she had failed. She had feelings for Reese and there was no longer any way she could ignore them. It wasn’t fair to Reese—or to her. Her ambivalence finally over, her mind made up, she resolved to do what she should have done sooner. It was time for her to quit.

Her hand shook as she set her wineglass down on the coffee table and started across the room. She couldn’t wait any longer. Not another minute. It had to be now, before her courage failed.

Her legs felt unsteady as she marched out into the hall, down the corridor, and stopped in front of Reese’s door. Her heart was throbbing, her chest squeezed tight. She ran her fingers through her hair, shoving it back from her face, taking a moment to steady her nerves. With a last deep breath, she knocked on the door.

If Reese had delayed, she might have weakened, turned around and run back the way she had come, but all of a sudden he was standing there looking down at her from his superior height, which, without her heels, made her nearly a foot shorter than he was. He was dressed exactly as she had imagined, except his suit coat was gone, the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up, revealing his muscular, tanned forearms.

“Kenzie.” His intense blue gaze swept over her, noting the pallor of her face or the pulse hammering at the base of her throat, maybe both. “What is it? What’s happened?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Come in.” He stepped back and she caught the scent of Paco Rabanne, the cologne he favored, a combination of cinnamon, wood, and leather.

“Your color doesn’t look good,” he said. “There’s a wet bar behind the paneling. Sit down and I’ll get you a drink.”

“I’m...I’m fine. I just need to get this over with.”

His features shifted from concerned to wary. “All right. Tell me what’s going on.”

She swallowed, gripped her hands together in front of her to keep them from trembling. “I’m quitting, Reese. I’m giving you my two-week notice. I won’t just abandon you, of course. I’d never do that. I’ll come in whenever you need me until you find a replacement, but I’m quitting. I’m going back to Dallas tonight.”

“What are you talking about? You can’t just quit and leave. You don’t even have a ride to the airport.” He urged her over to the sofa, but she didn’t sit down.

“The jet’s picking us up in the morning,” he continued reasonably. “If something’s happened—if you have a problem at home—I can get the plane to fly in for us tonight.”

Her throat tightened. “There isn’t a problem at home. The problem is me, Reese. I’m the problem.”

“What is it, Kenzie? Tell me.”

Her eyes burned, began to fill with tears. She drew in a ragged breath. “I have feelings for you, Reese. I’ve done everything in my power to ignore them. I’ve managed until now, but I can’t go on any longer.” She shook her head. “It isn’t your fault. You’ve never done or said a single thing that wasn’t absolutely professional. The problem is mine, and as hard as I’ve worked to deny it, I can’t pretend anymore.”

Reese didn’t move, just stood frozen, staring at her as if she’d turned into another woman, someone he had never seen before.

Embarrassment slid through her, but she refused to stop until there was no way she could possibly turn back. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized how deeply she had come to care for him, how totally impossible it would be to continue working for him.

“I don’t know how it happened,” she rambled on. “Little by little it just did.” The tears in her eyes slid down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, but I can’t keep pretending it doesn’t bother me when you look at me without the least bit of emotion, like I’m a piece of furniture that just takes up space in the room. I can’t arrange your dates for you then imagine the two of you together. I can’t go on this way any longer.”

Reese’s beautiful blue eyes seemed to burn right through her. Suntanned hands reached out and caught her shoulders.

“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you’re standing here saying the exact same words I’ve wanted to say to you. You can’t pretend anymore, Kenzie? Well, neither can I.”

And then he pulled her into his arms and his mouth came down over hers.

For several seconds, shock held her immobile. When a rush of heat slid through her, desperation, longing, and a coil of hungry need all poured into the scorching kiss she returned.

Reese groaned. Cupping her face in his hands, he deepened the kiss, turning it hotter and wilder, and somehow unexpectedly sweet.

“Reese...” The whispered word came out on a sigh when he broke the kiss long enough to press his mouth to the side of her neck.

“I have feelings for you, too, Kenzie. I know I shouldn’t, but dammit, I do, and I’m tired of pretending those feelings don’t exist.”

Reese kissed her again, ravaging her mouth, his lips softer than she had imagined and at the same time firm enough to take complete control. The kiss was everything she had yearned for and more. But she hadn’t forgotten this was Reese. To him she was just another woman, another conquest.

Trembling, she pulled away. “Are you...are you sure you want to do this? What...what about your date? She must be expecting you.”

“I canceled.” His eyes remained on her face. “Last night, too. You’re the woman I want, Kenzie. It took me a while, but I finally figured out no other woman is going to erase you from my mind.” He took her mouth again, plundered it, drew her to the length of his long, hard frame.

Kenzie moaned. No other man was going to erase Reese from her mind, either. She craved him, hungered for him in a way she had never known before. She reminded herself this was Reese and whatever he felt for her wouldn’t last.

It didn’t matter.

Not tonight.

Making love with Reese was the only thing that could set her free. The only thing that could purge him from her heart and mind. Maybe afterward, she could move on.

“I didn’t know,” Reese said, pressing soft butterfly kisses to the corners of her mouth. “You never gave a single indication I meant anything more to you than just your employer.”

He meant more. Too much more. She went up on her toes and kissed him, a wet, hot, searing kiss that told him how much she wanted him. Her fingers were unsteady as she unbuttoned the front of his starched white shirt and pulled it free of his slacks, ran her hands over his six-pack abs and the lean bands of muscle on his chest.

“Reese...oh, God. I’ve wanted to touch you this way for so long.”

Hard muscle bunched beneath her fingers. Reese kissed her again, briefly this time, caught her hands and held them immobile in both of his.

“We don’t have to do this now, Kenzie. We can start over, take things slow and easy, get to know each other.”

But Kenzie already knew Reese. She knew he was a man of honor, knew how much he loved his family, how well he treated his employees, even his competitors. She knew that although he dated a lot of women, he was always up-front with them and never took advantage.

Now he was worried he was taking advantage of her.

“There’ll be consequences,” he continued. “We’ll need to figure things out. There are no guarantees—you and I both know that.”

They both had failed marriages. People changed, things didn’t always go the way you planned.

“There’s no way to know how this will work out,” he said, “but I promise you, I won’t let you and your family get hurt.”

Fresh tears filled her eyes. He was being up-front with her, telling her the truth, preparing her for the inevitable. It didn’t change things, didn’t make her want him any less. She swayed toward him, slid her fingers into the silky black hair at the nape of his neck, went up on her toes, and very softly kissed him.

“I know you, Reese. And I’ve wanted you for so long. Please...give me this one night.”

Those incredible blue eyes turned smoky. “Kenzie, honey. Are you sure?”

“I need this, Reese. I need you.”

He ran a long, suntanned finger down her cheek, tipped her head back, and his mouth claimed hers. For several long moments, he nibbled and tasted, altered his kisses between soft and sweet, and hot, long, and deep. She slid the white shirt off his shoulders and ran her hands over his naked chest.

Hard, lean muscle flexed and tightened. She thought of the beautiful tattoo on his back, imagined tracing the intriguing lines, imagined pressing her lips against his hot skin.

Reese pulled her soft yellow top over her head, unhooked her bra and tossed it away, and his hands closed over her breasts. Fresh need poured through her and a noise that sounded like a plea slipped from her throat.

“Reese...”

His mouth replaced his hands and she felt a tug on her nipple that made her knees go weak. Desire pulsed like a drumbeat in her core.

Reese gently kissed her. “We don’t have to do this now,” he repeated, cupping her face between his palms and looking deep into her eyes. “I don’t want to rush you. I want to make this good for you. I want to make it right for both of us.”

She thought of the problems they would be facing when they got back to Dallas, the helicopter crash, the accidents that had been plaguing the Poseidon. She thought of Griff and the custody battle she would be fighting in the days to come.

She thought of Reese returning to his office, resuming his duties as CEO. Would he still want her? Or would he come to his senses and realize what a mistake it would be to get involved with one of his employees? Would he simply replace her with someone else?

She couldn’t continue the way she had been. She needed to get on with her life, and ending her obsession with Reese was the key.

“Do you want me, Reese?”

His eyes found hers. He took her hand and pressed it against the fly of his slacks. He was big and hard. A little thrill shot through her at the power she held. “I want you, Kenzie. So much.”

Desire curled like smoke through her veins. Leaning toward him, she pressed her mouth against his chest over his heart, and Reese hissed in a breath. When she looked up at him, his expression darkened. In a heartbeat, his careful control vanished. One of his hands slid into her hair to hold her in place as his mouth crushed down over hers.

Hot, wet kisses followed, his hands on her breasts, his body hard against hers. Kenzie clung to his neck as he walked her backward till her shoulders came up against the wall, and his mouth claimed hers. Long fingers moved over her body, touching, stroking, setting her on fire.

“Stop me, Kenzie,” he whispered, his teeth grazing the side of her neck. “At least tell me to slow down.”

“Don’t stop,” she said. “Please don’t slow down.” She was burning for him. She wanted everything, all he could give her. “I need you, Reese. I need you so much.”

Reese didn’t wait for more, just stripped off her stretch pants and the tiny white thong she wore underneath. His belt buckle jangled. She heard the buzz of his zipper. He paused for a moment to dig out his wallet, then he was lifting her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“I need you, too,” he said. His hands gripped her bottom to hold her in place as he buried himself deep inside.

The heat of his body engulfed her and a whimper escaped her throat. Dear God, nothing had ever felt so good. She clung to his neck as he drove into her, out and then in, pushing her toward the brink. She could feel his pulse thrumming beneath her fingers, the hot dampness of his skin.

Faster, deeper, harder, driving into her, taking her until her womb tightened around him and everything inside her broke apart. She was flying, repeating his name over and over like the chorus of a song. Pleasure tore through her, seemed to go on forever.

Reese didn’t stop. Just kept kissing her and moving inside her, driving her up again, then once more over the edge before he gave in to his own powerful release.

Long seconds passed. Little by little, her pulse began to slow and awareness returned.

Reese softly kissed her. “Kenzie? Honey, are you okay?”

She wanted to laugh. She wanted to sing. She wanted to weep. She knew the consequences of what she had done and yet she couldn’t regret it. She looked up at Reese and managed to smile.

“I’m fine. Better than fine.” Reese set her back on her feet and left to deal with the condom she had barely noticed him putting on. He returned as she was picking up her clothes, preparing to dress and return to her own apartment.

Reese snagged the clothes out of her hand and tossed them up onto the sofa. “You won’t be needing those,” he said with the sweetest smile she had ever seen. “At least not until morning.” Then he scooped her up in his arms, carried her into his bedroom, and firmly closed the door.

They made love twice more, once with hungry abandon, then tenderly. Exhausted, she finally fell asleep hoping he would wake her one last time before morning. She would have stayed awake all night if she could have. She didn’t want to face the dawn, face the consequences of what she had done.

In the end, she’d woken to warm rays of sunlight filtering through the window curtains. But as she had feared, when her hand went to the other side of the bed, she found it empty. Reese was already gone.