Simply Sinful (Simply 1)

Her toes were painted pink. Ridiculous he would notice considering she sat deciphering books that put her life in danger. With all quiet for the moment, Kane leaned back in his seat, enjoying the view.

She chewed on the eraser head of a pencil, her shimmering lips pursed in thought. Maybe he could take just a quick taste. He shook his head, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to lessen the constant ache of arousal, nor would it ease the pressure in his chest that had been present since their earlier conversation.

When was the last time he’d thought of his mother, let alone discussed his past aloud? It had been a long time, and he’d never planned to do it again. But if soul-baring had given Kayla an explanation for his reluctance to take things further, dredging up the pain had been worthwhile. She’d spent too many years believing herself unworthy of more than an admiring glance or a groping hand. Better she understand he had the problem, not her.

Better he walked away from her knowing he’d given something in return.

“Sullivan, Mark.” Her voice brought him back to the present.

“Another big player,” Kane said. “He owns real estate all over the city.” They’d been at the books over two hours. Rather, she’d been at them.

He’d been watching. The shifting of her legs, drawing his attention to the warm place in between. The animation then the scowl of frustration crossing her face, resulting in a pout of her lips that made him desire more than a simple kiss. All in the name of the case, he reminded himself more than once, trying to push aside the things she made him feel.

The first book contained a list of female names that neither he nor Kayla recognized. The women, Kane assumed, who worked for Charmed!’s side business. The last few books produced a list of male names as impressive as it was extensive. Where before they only had an informant’s tip, they now had probable clients and their call girls. Thanks to Kayla’s intelligence and persistence.

As much as he’d fought against letting her handle things, he had to admire the results. He sure as hell admired the woman.

Kane was certain these highly placed, mostly married, men would talk. The more puzzle questions she answered, the longer the list of names had become. They covered all upper-crust walks of life. And none of these men would want the scandal sure to be caused if their private lives were made public.

“I need a break.” She stretched her legs out in front of her. Bare feet peeked from beneath narrowed jeans, and she wiggled her toes in a long stretch.

“Put it away for the night. You’ve still got the end of a concussion and need rest.” Something he wouldn’t be getting much of tonight. After spending the evening watching her work, that much he knew for sure.

“Don’t I know it. Besides, except for one last run-through, I think I’m nearly finished.” Her eyelids fluttered closed, shades of exhaustion evident. “But I have to finish tonight.” She grabbed for the first book in their pile, the one that began the list of names, and fanned through. “We have a growing list, but we’re no closer to…Kane?” Her voice rose in excitement.

He sat forward in his seat. “What is it?”

“Major change here. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before. Look. All the earlier books were done in pencil, right?”

He nodded. Not that he’d have noticed if she hadn’t pointed her family’s quirk out earlier. Experts at crosswords did them in pen with no fear of mistakes.

“But here—there’s a mix of pencil and pen.” She studied the book for a second and grabbed another, glancing through it. “This one, too. Look.”

He was beside her in an instant.

“Here. Black ink instead of pencil. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it first time around.”

“I missed the change, too.” He skimmed the pages of the remaining books. “Same with these.”

“This is it. It’s what I was looking for. It’s my aunt’s clue.”

“What?”

“It was her way of letting us know she wasn’t doing this willingly, Kane. I’d bet my life on it.”

He closed his eyes at the thought. He was getting damn tired of her life being on the line. She didn’t need to remind him. “Okay, let’s say you’re right.”

“I know I’m right. When the guy grabbed me the other day, he mentioned money, and when he called, he mentioned the books. These books.” She drew a deep breath. “Not only do they have the names, which is incriminating enough, but maybe he knew Aunt Charlene was dropping clues.”

“Possibly,” Kane muttered.

“So tell me why we can’t find a trace of the money,” she said with frustration.

“There’re plenty of places to hide cash without an accountant knowing,” he said. “Offshore accounts, for one. Without a number, they’re untraceable.”

“But this guy seems to believe I know where the money is. Why?”

He shrugged. “Impossible to know what he’s thinking. But whoever is involved wants their take. Any clue in those books where the money could be hidden?”