Lover Undercover (McCade Brothers 1)

“Well, sorry, Detective, but you’ve got the wrong idea. I don’t issue rain checks. This is a onetime offer.”

The mattress creaked again as bodies moved. Someone got up from the bed. “Nah, I don’t think so. See, Stacy, I’m onto you. Whether you know it or not, you’re trying to pin me into a catch-22. You won’t trust a man unless you can lead him around by his dick. But as soon as you can, you lose respect and interest. Me, I plan on holding your interest.”

“That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard. For the record, I’m not the least bit interested, and your dick just missed out on the best ten minutes of its sad little life.”

“We’ll see.”

Kylie couldn’t quite suppress a smile at how confident he sounded. Then her eyes rounded as he went on. “Just to establish some all-important trust, I’ll admit my dick is begging to be led around by you, particularly at the moment. But, you know what? Over the next day or so, you’re going to realize you’ve got a few parts wishing for my lead. When you do, you call me and I’ll come back for that rain check. But when you make the call, know you’re not just offering up your body. You’re exploring body, mind, and soul with me, and it’s sure as hell going to take more than ten minutes.”

“You’re insane. Get out.”

“I’m simply telling you so you’ll be prepared. Don’t worry when you can’t clear me out of your head. Just pick up the phone. I’ll be waiting.” His footsteps vibrated along the floorboards as he crossed to the door.

“You’ll die waiting,” Stacy yelled.

“I’ll die laughing,” he shot back.

“Get ouuuuut!” A loud crash sounded against the far wall, indicating Stacy had thrown something—something breakable.

“Gotta work on that temper,” he chided. “I know it’s tough on you, not getting exactly what you think you want, exactly when you want it. Trust me, Stacy, it’s all going to work out.”

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, followed by the click of the front door closing.

The bed creaked again, and then Stacy thumped toward the closet, muttering under her breath. “Of all the conceited, egotistical…” The closet door flew open and Kylie helpfully held out Stacy’s robe.

Stacy’s mouth dropped open, but before she could scream bloody murder, Kylie stepped forward and took her sister’s arms. “It’s me.”

With a hand to her chest, Stacy released her breath and sagged against her for a moment. “Oh my God, Kylie. What the hell are you doing in there?” Then a rare thing happened. Red bloomed in Stacy’s face, flushed down her neck and chest. “Did you overhear—?”

Kylie cringed and nodded. “I’m sorry. Really sorry. I know I should have spoken up when you first got home, but I was in here digging out my costume for tonight and, well, having kind of a tough moment. I started to call out to you, but then I heard Ian. I just c

ouldn’t handle another interaction with LAPD’s finest today, so I decided to stay put until he left. I didn’t realize I’d be stuck in here while…while you…and he…well, mostly you I guess…”

Stacy shrugged into her robe and yanked the tie snug around her waist. “Yeah, mostly me. What an asshole. An idiot, really, considering he could have left here happy and satisfied, but instead chose to walk off with a boner the size of the Hollywood sign in his pants and some crazy ideas in his head.” She shook her head and sighed. “And he seemed so normal, too. I swear, just when I think I understand men…”

“Maybe all men aren’t alike?”

Stacy snorted inelegantly. “All the ones attracted to me are, so I don’t know what Ian’s trying to pull with his mind, body, and soul bull. I’ve known all along my mind and soul didn’t measure up.”

“What a thing to say! Why would you believe that?”

Her twin shrugged. “Gosh, Ky, let’s see…in sixth grade I asked to try out for the advanced reading class, because as far as I could tell, I read as fast and as well as any of us, but Mrs. Crabtree said one Roberts in advanced reading was enough. I realized then and there, any investment in a Roberts twin’s mind wasn’t going to be mine.”

Astonishment flooded her, and then a belated blast of anger for her sister. “I’m sorry. Mrs. Crabtree should have let you try out. If I’d known you wanted to, I would have backed you up, but you never said anything to me. I always assumed you weren’t interested in school.”

“I wasn’t much after that. Then, in twelfth grade, when Mr. Hicks told me the only way I’d get a passing grade in geometry was to give him a blow job, it kind of cemented things for me.”

Oh, God. “That’s why you dropped out.”

“It certainly factored in.”

“Why didn’t you tell someone? Mr. Hicks should have been fired. And arrested!”

“Who says I didn’t tell someone? I was scared, and certain nobody on earth would believe me, except maybe you, but finally, I figured God would know the truth, so I told Father Flannery. You know what he said to me?”

Kylie shook her head, but fingers of dread reached low in the belly and squeezed.

“He said my tongue would turn as black as my soul if I didn’t stop speaking such ugly lies about a fine upstanding man and a deacon of the church.” She waved her hand carelessly, as if brushing off an inconsequential memory, but Kylie heard the bitterness in her twin’s voice.