“I did.”

Ford frowned. “You’re not going to tell him about Nicole and Zoe over the phone, are you? I assume you plan to meet him in person?”

Victoria shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on how the conversation goes. Why?”

“Because I want to be there when you tell him.”

She laughed, as if this was the funniest thing, and then cocked her head. “Wait. You’re not actually serious, are you?”

Hell yes, he was serious. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t go—your conversations with Sutter aren’t privileged. Just consider me there as Nicole’s representative.”

“No, I will be there as Nicole’s representative.”

He moved closer, a little frustrated that she was pushing back on this. “I’m going to this meeting, Victoria. I found the guy, and I think that earned me the right to be there when he learns about Nicole and Zoe.”

“Why? So you can scowl and throw scary, no-one-messes-with-my-sister glares at him?”

That may have been part of the plan, yes. “I want to see how he reacts. Nicole is freaking out that this will make her a home wrecker, and I want to be there in case the asshole starts talking smack about her or tries laying the blame on her for getting pregnant.”

“Granted, I’m a cynic when it comes to these things. But I think there’s a decent chance that’s exactly how he’ll respond.”

“Let him try to say that about my sister to my face, then,” Ford growled.

“Wow.” Victoria gazed up at him. “Did you know the right side of your jaw does this weird twitching thing when you go into caveman protective mode?”

He gave her a look.

She smiled innocently, then clapped her hands. “Okay. So, I understand your concerns. And you’re absolutely right that I wouldn’t even be talking to Peter Sutter if it hadn’t been for the fact that you found the guy. With some key assistance from myself, mind you. But you still can’t go to the meeting, for several reasons. You can’t go because it would be unprofessional. You can’t go because your presence there, as Nicole’s brother, would likely put Sutter instantly on the defensive and that’s not good for strategy purposes. But most important, you can’t go because that’s not how I operate. I don’t bring big brothers of clients to meetings, or investigators, or henchmen of any sort. I will handle Peter Sutter, because this is what I do. And trust me when I say that if he tries to cast aspersions on my client, or shirks his responsibilities in this, he will find out very quickly just how good I am at what I do and how badly that can bode for him.”

Ford took in the heated way her eyes flashed with determination.

“What?” she asked.

The corners of his mouth twitched. “That speech was kind of hot. Seriously, I’m at half-mast right now.”

She looked up at the sky. “I don’t understand how your gender survives. All the blood drains out of your brains the minute your penises get any bright ideas.”

He laughed hard at that, and closed the gap between them. “If I agree not to go to this meeting, it’s because I trust you to take care of my sister.”

“Of course I’ll take care of your sister.” Her eyes met his, her mouth curved in a smile. “But when you agree not to go to this meeting, it’s because I didn’t invite you in the first place.”

Always so saucy.

He rested one hand on the ledge on each side of her, trapping her in. “What am I going to do with you?”

When she opened her mouth to answer—undoubtedly, again, with some saucy response—he kissed her, hot and hard. All day and evening, he’d been waiting for this moment, when it was just the two of them. Now that he had her right where he wanted her, he didn’t intend to waste another minute.

Her breath caught when he nudged her legs apart and stepped between them. He trailed his fingers up her smooth thigh and underneath her dress. “Looking at you in this dress has been torture.”

She smiled coyly. “And here I’d thought you’d like this dress.”

“Not when I can only look and not touch.” He slid his hand into her thong and cupped her possessively, making her gasp. “But I can make up for lost time now.” She was already wet for him, and that only fueled his fire. “Spread your legs a little. No one can see.” The only neighbor with a view of his terrace was, well, otherwise engaged at the moment.

When she did as he asked, he shoved the edge of her underwear aside and slid a finger inside her, stroking her slowly.

She leaned into him and swirled her tongue around his in a hot, erotic kiss. Then she broke away, arching against his hand. “God, if you don’t stop, we’ll end up doing it right here,” she panted, in a low, throaty voice.

His cock swelled as he thought about ripping her underwear off and taking her right there, hard against the terrace wall, her dress bunched up around her waist as he covered her mouth with one hand to keep the neighbors from hearing her cries.

But right then, he had other ideas.

He gave her a wicked look—after all, he’d warned her that he would make her pay. “Just remember, sound does travel in this place.”

Her eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”

In answer, he got down on his knees in front of her.

She quickly glanced around, undoubtedly confirming that no one could see them, and then gripped the ledge with her hands as he lifted her dress. Bunching the material in one hand, he used his other hand to slowly pull her underwear down to her mid-thighs.

For a moment, he just looked at her. Beautiful, so ready for him, and trembling in anticipation. Something tightened in his gut, a possessive, edgy sensation he’d never felt before. “So gorgeous,” he said in a guttural voice. “Now let’s see if you taste as sweet as you feel wrapped around my cock.”

He reached around to cup her ass in one hand and licked her.

She moaned quietly, tangling her fingers in his hair and completely giving in to him. Within minutes of using his mouth on her, her legs were shaking and he could tell she was close. Wanting to hold her there, right at the edge, he circled his tongue around her clit, then pulled back and blew on it gently.

She spread her legs wider, her underwear still mid-thigh. “Ford, please,” she begged, her voice a strained whisper.