Armoured Attraction

Quint had gotten Liam to join the army and then picked him up as a DEA agent immediately after Liam’s discharge, which had eventually led to his job at Omega. Liam owed the man his life.

But, yeah, anybody who had worked at the Outer Banks sheriff’s office for more than ten years was going to remember him. He doubted they would even know he was law enforcement now, unless they ran a background check on him.

“Well, this time I’m not some kid they’ve arrested for stumbling drunk down the beach.”

Their eyes locked. He had met Vanessa on just such an occasion. She had stuck her snooty little nose up at him and told him to go find a bench and sleep it off.

He hadn’t been able to help falling in love with her right then and there.

“I’ll just be checking in as a professional courtesy, as a fellow law-enforcement officer,” Liam continued, ignoring the shared memory between them. “When I heard about the escaped fugitive, I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.”

Vanessa was nodding, about to respond, when they heard a cry from the bedroom.

“Miss Vanessa?” The voice was lost. Sorrowful. Frightened.

Vanessa ran to the young girl, but Liam kept his distance. He had no doubt she would not want to be near a man right now.

“I’m here, Karine. I was just in the bathroom.”

Karine all but jumped into Vanessa’s arms.

Vanessa sat on the bed and smoothed the girl’s hair, holding her loosely so she wouldn’t feel trapped.

“Who is that man?” Karine asked.

“He’s my friend. His name is Liam. He’s going to help us get you and the other girls to safety.”

Karine reached over and turned on the lamp next to the bed. Liam just stood there as she watched him with eyes that had seen too much. Even if they got this girl to safety today, away from the horror she had lived through, she would never have a child’s innocence again.

Her childhood had been finished from the moment someone had kidnapped her and thrown her on a boat.

Finally she nodded. “Okay,” she said to Vanessa.

Liam guessed he’d passed the test.

They needed a plan. But first Liam knew that everyone needed food.

“I’ll go grab some breakfast from—”

His words were interrupted by a pounding on the door.

“This is the Outer Banks Sheriff’s Department. Open the door.”

Chapter Four (#ulink_b6d0d27f-dd12-5670-8ebc-e74cc4d4100c)

Vanessa stood. The sheriff’s department had found her? How? She hadn’t used a credit card.

This was the problem with living in a relatively small town. There were no secrets. One call from the police to the front desk in a systematic search and the clerk would undoubtedly have remembered her and told them. It was pretty odd for Vanessa to be at a hotel of this caliber, since most people knew her face and reputation—the Outer Banks princess—but didn’t really know anything about her. They assumed she still lived off her parents’ money, just as Liam had assumed in the bathroom.

She didn’t. She hadn’t for more than eight years.

It really didn’t matter how the officer had found her. She had to figure out what to do.

They couldn’t get out the one window of the room; it was right next to the door. There was no window in the bathroom, either.

The pounding on the door came again. Not obnoxiously loud, but firm enough to know whoever was on the other side meant business. “I need to speak with Vanessa Epperson.”

Tears were running down Karine’s face but she made no sound. Vanessa glanced frantically around the room before her gaze settled on Liam.

Who was taking his shirt off?

“Get her into the bathroom, then come back out here.” He looked at Karine. “Stay very quiet in there. We’ll take care of this.”

The young girl nodded and ran to the bathroom. As soon as she turned away, Liam kicked off his shoes and socks and started unbuttoning his jeans, before pulling them, and his underwear, all the way off.

Liam was naked.

Vanessa pulled the bathroom door closed behind her and tried not to stare but could not help herself.

Liam was naked.

He ruffled his own hair so it stood on end, then turned and walked to the door, opening it a few inches.

“Man, what is going on? Do you know what time it is?” Liam looked down at an arm that didn’t have a watch on it. “Neither do I. But it’s like the butt crack of dawn.”

“Um, excuse me, sir.”

Vanessa couldn’t see the officer but could hear the discomfiture in his voice.

“We were told that Vanessa Epperson was staying in this room.”

“Well, she is, man.” Liam yawned and ran a hand through his hair. “But she’s a little worn out right now if you know what I mean.”

Liam opened the door a little farther, his nakedness causing the man to step back rather than step closer to look inside.

“Um, could you put some clothes on, sir? I’d like to talk to Miss Epperson, please.”

The officer wasn’t going to be deterred, although Liam was doing his best. Vanessa wasn’t sure if the officer could enter the room without a warrant, since it was a hotel, not a home, but she didn’t want to find out.

She pulled off her pajamas—T-shirt and shorts—so she was also naked, grabbed the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around herself. She wasn’t as bold as Liam and willing to answer the door buck-naked.

“Hey, baby.” She walked up behind Liam and slid her arms around his chest, running them over his pecs and abs, feeling them tighten under her fingers. “What’s going on?”

This is all just an act. This is all just an act. This is all just an act.

Liam put an arm around her and pulled her in front of him so the sheet was covering them both from the officer outside.

But her very naked back was pressed to his very naked front. All of his naked front. Vanessa couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through her entire body when he reached down and kissed the tender skin joining her neck and shoulder.