Heated (Most Wanted 2)

"It's a fundraiser to benefit research into pediatric neurology research," he said. "Evan and Angie should be around here somewhere. They're both--along with the Jahn Foundation--patrons of the event."

"Which means they made huge donations?"

"Pretty much. In fundraising, the donations often go to pay for the event, which then tries to recoup that money and earn more through table fees, silent auctions, that kind of thing." He nodded toward the table with the baskets. "See anything you want to bid on?"

"I doubt I could afford anything, but we can look."

We were heading that direction when Tyler stopped. "Wait. That's Franklin. Eli Franklin," he added, pointing to a tall, thin man with deep set eyes and a heavy brow.

"Lizzy's boss?"

"I should tell him what happened. Not wait until the morning."

"Sure," I said as he veered in that direction. We didn't make it there, though. Instead, we were waylaid by another man, this one white-haired and distinguished.

"Tyler!" he said, holding his hand out to shake as he patted Tyler soundly on the shoulder with his other hand.

"Mr. Danvers," Tyler said. "What a pleasure. Did you get the revised proposal for the security system?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. But we'll talk later. No point in boring your lovely companion."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Tyler said, pulling me to his side. "This is my date, Sloane Watson. Sloane, this is Gregory Danvers, the CEO of Covington Investments, one of the most influential financial companies in the world."

There was something about his tone and manner that caught my attention, and I was damn certain that he'd forgotten to introduce me on purpose. I just wasn't sure why.

"It's a pleasure," Danvers said, as I extended my hand. "Tyler's given you my life story. What do you do?"

"Sloane's a detective," Tyler added, and suddenly all the pieces fell into place. What was it he'd said? That he had social engagements planned where it would be useful to have a cop on his arm.

"Is that right?" Mr. Danvers said. "What kind of crimes do you investigate?"

I ignored the unpleasant twisting in my belly and smiled at Danvers. "Homicide primarily, though I've worked vice and sex crimes and even a bit in the white collar division. Excuse me," I added, because I needed to get away and get my head clear. "I see Angelina. I'm going to go say hi and leave you two to talk."

I left before Tyler could object, ignoring the way his brow furrowed as I made my escape.

I really had seen Angelina over by the raffle baskets, but considering we had yet to even be introduced, I had no intention of actually going over there. Instead, I planned to finish off my wine and down another glass, just to take the edge off.

That plan, however, was foiled when Angelina joined me in the line for the cash bar. "I'm Angelina Raine," she said. "Angie. And you're Sloane Watson."

"Yes, I am," I answered, making her laugh.

"I saw you at my party but didn't come over on purpose. I was ..." She trailed off, tilting her head from side to side as she considered her words. "Let's just say I was waiting to see how it panned out." She glanced across the room toward Tyler. "Looks like it played out better than anyone expected."

I cleared my throat, feeling too fragile at the moment to go there, and irritated with myself because of it. "Listen, I owe you an apology. I'm not sure how much you know--"

"Everything," she said. "Evan told me the whole story."

"Oh." I frowned, thinking of my arrangement with Tyler. Just how much of the story did Evan know?

"He told me you're a detective from Indiana, and you're looking for one of your friends who used to work at Destiny. Turns out she moved on to Vegas, right?"

"Looks that way."

She nodded. "Some of the girls do. I guess good dancers can make a nice living there."

"I'm sorry about crashing," I said.

"It's okay. And it turned out for the best. You're seeing Tyler now, which I think is very interesting. And working at Destiny, too."

"Yes, as to Destiny, but not because I have an overwhelming desire to leave the force and go into exotic dancing. I'm hoping Amy mentioned where she was going to one of her customers."

"You're still worried about her?"

"Not overly. But we have a very pregnant mutual friend, and I know Amy wanted to be there for the birth."

"Maybe she met a guy," Angie said. She glanced across the room at Evan. "The right guy can make every other thought leave your head."

I laughed. "You've got that right."

"And it's such a perfect segue I don't even have to be rude when I ask how it's going with you and Tyler."

"Oh." I shook my head. "We're just--" I wasn't sure what to say. We had an arrangement, and while I may have forgotten about it in the thrill of being with Tyler, tonight had very firmly reminded me. "I'll be going back home soon," I finished lamely.

She nodded slowly, as if considering me. We'd reached the bar, and she ordered us each a glass of wine, then turned to me as the bartender poured. "That's too bad," she said. "Kat and I were watching you at the party. And I've been watching tonight."

"Watching me?"

"Well, watching both of you. Tyler mostly."

"Have you?" I paused, knowing I shouldn't push this--knowing it didn't matter because all I had with Tyler was a snapshot in time, and whatever I thought I was feeling didn't matter. Couldn't matter.

All true--but I still wanted to know. "What have you seen?" I asked.

"More than I've seen before," she said. "I'm speaking out of turn, I know. But I've known him forever and I love him to death, and I've seen him go through a lot of women." She took a sip of wine. "They buzz around him, like moths to his light, you know?"

I nodded. I understood exactly.

"But I've never seen him actually pursue a woman. And I sure as hell have never seen him look at a woman the way Evan looks at me."

Oh. I felt my stomach do a little flip. "I--" I stopped. I didn't know what to say. But in that moment I felt strangely, absurdly grateful to this woman who was practically a stranger to me.

"I'm not sure why I'm telling you this. I mean, I know you have a job to go back to, and not even in this state. But I guess I wanted to let you know that you're different. If that matters to you."

Tears pricked my eyes, and I looked down to stare into my wineglass. "Yeah," I said. "It matters."

After Angie left to find Evan, I moved to a corner and watched Tyler finish his conversation with Danvers. It looked easy, jovial, and I could see that Tyler had charmed the man.

When Danvers departed, Tyler turned, his gaze scouring the room and landing on me. Immediately, he smiled, and the heaviness that had settled on me lifted somewhat. Apparently not completely, though, because as soon as Tyler reached me, he pressed a kiss to my temple and asked me what was wrong.

"Nothing," I said. "Tired." I tilted my head and grinned at him. "I haven't been getting much sleep."

"Who needs sleep when there are better things to do?"

I rolled my eyes and fell in step beside him as he extended his arm.

I knew I should stay silent--that I was being a fool. Hadn't Tyler himself said that we weren't dating, we were fucking? And didn't I know damn well that whatever this was would end the day I returned to Indiana?

Dammit.

How had this man gotten so entwined with my heart so quickly? How had he snuck in around all my defenses?

I knew how, of course--he'd seen a part of me no one else had. A part I hadn't even seen. He'd peeled back the hard shell, exposing what was inside. And while it felt nice to be free, that also made me vulnerable.

Now, though I hated myself for wishing it, I was craving some sort of acknowledgment that what I was feeling for Tyler--what I thought he was feeling for me--was real. That it wasn't one big elaborate con for some endgame I hadn't yet seen.

Beside me, Tyler was chatting with passersby and nodding at friends. But his eyes kept returning to me, his exp

ression inquisitive. Finally, he pulled me aside. "Did Angie say something to upset you?"

"What? No. She was great. I like her."

"She is great," he said vaguely. "But you--"

"I'm fine," I said, then rose up on my toes to kiss him. "Really." I cleared my throat. "So you're trying to get a security contract with Danvers? That company you own? BAS Security?"

He nodded. "So far we've kept the client list small and local. But Covington's international. It would be a big coup."

"I'll bet. And having a cop on your arm probably gives the right impression. Projects confidence. Not to mention legality. Almost like an endorsement."

"I see." He slid his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't meant to suggest--"

"Suggest? You flat-out said. And you know what, Detective, you're right." His voice had taken on a hard note and I cursed myself, wishing I hadn't brought it up because I had a feeling it was about to all come crashing down.

"Were you not listening when I laid out the reasons for this arrangement?" he continued, still in that hard, businesslike voice. "Because I thought I was clear. There are events where it would be beneficial to have a cop on my arm. Well, Sloane, this is one of them."

"Yes," I said curtly. "I figured that out."

"Dammit," he said, loud enough to have people turning and looking at us. "Shit," he muttered, then took my arm. "Come here."

He led me out of the rotunda, around one of the rope barricades, and into one of the empty galleries.