I Spy a Wicked Sin by Jo Davis

an irony.
    Two hours passed with record speed and Lily blinked at the clock. She’d promised to check on Jude and she had no idea how long the other man had been gone.
    She hurried out, heels clicking on the tiles, then digging into the carpet as she ascended the stairs. Too bad she couldn’t go barefoot, but she couldn’t dress down when anyone might stop by to see Jude.
    What wasn’t underneath the clothing didn’t count.
    She reached Jude’s bedroom to find the door cracked a bit, so she pushed it open and tiptoed inside. His big body lay sprawled on his stomach, sheets tangled around long legs, a slice of tanned, bare ass making her mouth water and fantasies run rampant.
    Too bad the man was out of commission or she might be tempted to caress that delectable rump, see whether she could entice him to finish what he’d started between them the other day.
    Considering her mission, however, perhaps it was better that he remain distracted by Liam and Tamara.
    The thought depressed her and she shook it off, walking over silently to check and make certain he wasn’t in distress. He slept soundly, auburn hair spilling over his face, lips parted slightly. He looked so young and vulnerable, though she knew he was anything but.
    “Why couldn’t you have been one of the good guys?” she whispered, aching at the sight of him.
    But he wasn’t, and with Liam gone, his boss unconscious, she had a prime opportunity to extend her search beyond the previous boundaries.
    Where . . . ? Her eyes fell upon his walk-in closet, the door ajar. A tingle went up her spine and she crossed toward it. Was it possible?
    The master closet didn’t share a wall with Lily’s room. Instead, it was situated across his room, on the outer corner of the house, on the wall with the window overlooking the pool. His office on the first floor was directly below.
    The familiar thrill of the hunt warmed her blood. She was on to something. Easing inside, she flipped on the light, careful not to make too much noise. The space was so huge it could’ve served as a pro football team’s locker room.
    Suits, jeans, slacks, and shirts—both dressy and casual— lined the walls on rods. Shoes of all types were parked on several rows of shelving, four pairs wide. Doing a double take at the clothing, she realized the outfits were organized by color and style, pants and the appropriate shirts hanging together. Liam had likely done this so Jude wouldn’t have to worry about trying to match his things.
    The care and consideration that had gone into his gift brought unexpected tears to her eyes. With a quiet sniff, she began checking cubbies and boxes, what few there were. The closet was pristine, free of the typical clutter one might expect to find.
    Next she pushed hangers aside, disturbing the clothing as little as possible. As she’d done in Jude’s office, she checked the walls of the space for seams, hollow places. What was unusual about the closet was the detailed molding work. People normally put effort into such decor in a living or dining room, not a place guests wouldn’t really see.
    The molding formed long, vertical panels more than six feet tall and three feet wide, which, in itself, aroused her suspicion. She pressed on each one with no luck, and was about to quit when one panel gave under her palm.
    Pay dirt! Suddenly nervous, she went and peeked at Jude to find he hadn’t budged an inch. His soft snore reassured her and she returned to her task.
    The panel was located in the perfect spot should it conceal a small hidden room—at the corner of the house where no one would notice the discrepancy in the scant number of feet between the panel and the outside of the house. Not in a million years.
    Her excitement grew as she gave a quiet knock. Definitely not solid. But if it opened, where was the spring? “Come on,” she muttered, pushing all around the inside edge of the panel. No luck. In frustration, she leaned against the right- hand strip of