Holiday Baby Scandal

Laney shifted, and in seconds settled over him, joining them, and Ryker’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head. She was a vixen and she damn well knew it.

Her hips shifted, slowly. Too slow. Agonizingly slow.

Enough.

Ryker gripped her hips between his hands and held her in place as he slammed into her at a feverish pace.

Laney’s fingers curled into his bare skin, her nails biting into him. Perfect. This was what he’d missed. Her passion, her need for him that stirred something so deep within his chest, he refused to analyze it.

Laney tossed her head, her hair flying to cover part of her face. She clenched her eyes shut as her knees tightened against his sides. Ryker held his palm over her stomach a second before curling his fingers back around her side.

Mine.

The word slammed into him as Laney cried out her release, and there was no stopping his now. Ryker’s entire body trembled as he let go, Laney’s pants only urging him on. He locked his eyes on her, shocked to find something in hers. Something much more than desire, much more than passion.

Damn it. Laney had love in her eyes. Love for a bastard who didn’t deserve her, who’d betrayed her brothers. Love for a man who’d been told he was unlovable for the first twelve years of his life.

Ryker shut his eyes. He couldn’t face this now. Not when he’d told her they’d talk later, not when he was feeling too damn exposed, and not when he knew there was no forever for them.

Eight

Monday morning had Laney heading to O’Shea’s, the actual office in downtown Boston. Apparently there were some computer issues Braden needed fixed ASAP, per an employee’s plea. Braden had told her this was top priority in an early-morning text.

Laney had only met the newest employee a handful of times, but based on what she’d seen of her and how she’d corresponded with her via emails and texts, Viviana was exactly the type of professional, poised person the business needed. The woman had been with them for nearly a year now and was proving to be an extremely loyal, trustworthy team member. She fit right in with the O’Shea family.

Laney let herself into the old building, which had been renovated into something of grand beauty back in the fifties. A few modern touches had been added to keep the ambiance up-to-date, and for security purposes, but overall, the building had been restored to its original grandeur. The old etched windows were kept, as well as the intricate trim and crown moldings. Scarred hardwood floors had been buffed and refinished to a dark, sparkling shine.

They wanted potential clients to feel at home. Because that’s what O’Shea’s was all about. Family.

Shaking off the cold, Laney turned and smiled at Viviana. The striking beauty was around the same age as Laney’s brothers, but she could easily still be carded. She had glossy black hair, almost as if she had some Native American heritage. Her dark eyes and skin only showcased how gorgeous she was naturally.

“I nearly froze just walking in from my car,” Laney stated, tugging off her gloves.

“Maybe I’ll ask for a transfer to Mac’s store in Miami,” Viviana joked, her painted red lips parting in a stunning smile. “Just during the winter months. Boston can be brutal.”

Laney nodded in agreement, recalling the snowstorm nearly a year ago when Braden and Zara ended up trapped together. Of course, if not for that storm, Zara may not be in the family now.

Laney couldn’t imagine being trapped with Ryker. Actually, if their encounter two days ago was any indicator, t

heir private time would be absolutely glorious. Maybe being trapped together would do them some good. Then he couldn’t run away from what they shared and he’d have to listen to reason.

But Laney knew if they were alone, their clothes would be off and that would be the end of talking.

“We love you too much here to let you go,” Laney replied, heading toward the back office. “Braden said the new program was giving you fits?”

Laney glanced at the framed images lining the walls. Ancestors in front of the store, some of her grandfather and father at the auction podium, another of her great-grandfather at his desk in the backroom...the same desk she was heading toward.

Viviana fell into step beside her. “I tried to go back through some records to find a piece we auctioned last spring in London, but the program shows a blank, like nothing was entered until two months ago.”

Two months ago Laney had installed a simpler program; she’d put all the history of their auctions on there for easy access. Something was definitely wrong.

“Let me take a look.” Laney moved into the spacious office and circled the antique desk her great-grandfather had found at an estate sale in Spain. This piece was part of O’Shea’s history, passed down through generations. “Do you have any clients coming in this morning?”

Viviana crossed her arms over her plum suit jacket and shook her head. “Not today. I was hoping to get some pieces logged in to the system. We’ve already received quite a few framed pieces of artwork and several items from a recent estate sale Mac handled in Naples.”

Laney settled into her comfort zone behind the screen. She pulled up the system she’d created and saw everything was up-to-date from the time she’d installed it. Then when she tried to retrieve backdated records, the files were completely empty. That was impossible. Everything should have been in chronological order just like she’d programmed.

“If you want to work, you can still get into the system to add new items. You just can’t go back.” Laney didn’t look up as she continued going from screen to screen to see what happened. All of her codes were still as they should be. “I’ll let you know if I need you.”