Black and Blue Read Free

Evie, probably no more than eighteen, as well as shorter, curvier, and not nearly as confident. She peered down at the black-and-white-tiled floor as she said, “Wonderful to meet you, Mr. Blue. I’m Claire.”
    He arched a brow at Evie.
    She elaborated, her expression softening. “Claire is my sister. From my mum’s side, not my father’s.”
    Clearly she adored the girl.
    He reached for Claire’s hand, but Evie moved between them, blocking him. Taking Claire by the shoulders, she said, “Darling, I’m having a chat-up with Blue, so I’m going to leave you for a few minutes. Will you be all right?”
    Claire offered a wide, assuring smile. “Yes, of course.”
    After kissing the girl on the cheek, Evie turned and hooked her arm through Blue’s, practically dragging him through the throng of laughing, chatting partygoers.The heat she radiated seeped through the fabric of his tux, stroking his skin. Felt good. Too good. He swallowed a mouthful of curses.
    “I’m going to do you a solid and always be honest with you, no matter how cruel it may seem,” she said, nodding to an acquaintance across the room. “I’ll start with this little nugget of truth. I’m not interested in making nice with you. We’re here for a reason. Let’s get on with it and go our separate ways.”
    It took him a moment to realize she was serious. Women just didn’t talk to him that way. They fawned. They flirted. They teased. “Did I kill your cat or something, and just don’t remember? What’s your problem with me?”
    “Where to start?” she said on a sigh. “Oh, I know. How about the fact that you’re a he-slut? Or do you prefer the term ‘man-whore’?”
    His sense of irritation grew. No wonder Noelle had warned him about the girl.
    “Have you lived your life so perfectly you’ve earned the right to judge me?”
    John stopped in front of them and held out a tray of crab cakes, golden eyes bright with determination. “May I get you anything, sir?”
    Blue wanted to say “A rack and flogger,” but didn’t. John would have found a way to get the items for him. “Not yet,” he muttered, dragging the girl toward the terrace.
    “Are you daft?” she demanded, picking up their conversation as if it had never lagged. “Everyone but your girlfriend knows about your affairs. Have you everdated a woman you haven’t cheated on? Wait. Don’t answer that. If my opinion of you dips any lower, I’ll be tempted to murder you—just like I’m tempted to tell Noelle what you’re doing to her. I happen to like her and think she deserves better.”
    All right. So. The worst had happened.
    Through gnashing teeth, he managed to say, “You know why I’ve done what I’ve done.”
    “Yes, and at any time you could have told Michael no. My guess? You like sharing your love juice behind your girlfriend’s back,” she said.
    Love juice? What, were they fourteen?
    Before he could comment, she tripped over her own feet, surprising him with her clumsiness when she’d been so graceful before, and bumped into—
    Their target, he realized. The wife of a government official. A woman who had no idea she’d been caught selling her husband’s secrets to the highest bidders.
    “I’m so sorry,” Evie said to her. “The big oaf hasn’t learned to share the walkways.”
    Blue worked his jaw in an effort to release tension. The attraction he’d first felt for Michael Black’s daughter had been in the process of withering, and this just finished the job. He moved his arm to her waist, locking her against him, just in case she decided to bolt from the coming wrath.
    The curves of her body fit perfectly against him. The heat of her burned his palm in the best way. Not that he noticed.
    “Do you have any idea what you just did?” he snarled softly.
    “Of course I do,” she replied, using the language Michael taught all of his agents. A language of his own invention, ensuring no one else understood. “I took care of things. Our target