by Marlie May
“Um.” I was totally flustered, unable to think of anything but tasting his skin. “I guess I need my make-up bag, too. Panties.”
One eyebrow cocked up. “As much as I’d enjoy peeling it off you, how about skipping that lacy scrap of material you call underwear?”
“Go…without anything underneath my dress?” Wait. Peeling? I quivered.
But the idea of no underwear…so forbidden and tantalizing, had never appealed more. We’d know, but no one else would.
He nudged me toward the bathroom where he dropped my make-up bag and shower tote on the sink after removing them from my unresisting hands. My dress, he hung on the hook on the back of the door.
“I’ll leave the underwear decision up to you,” he said. He backed from the room and shut the door.
I essentially collapsed against the vanity and fanned my face. Hot damn. I didn’t know whether to scream out my frustration or tell Eli that even half a dance was not necessary.
“Meet you out here in ten minutes,” Eli said.
“Ten minutes? I’ll need at least twenty.”
“If you can do it in ten, you can model for me before Jax arrives. I’ll be waiting on the bed.”
16
Eli
My body rigid, I strode into the other bathroom, stripped, and stepped into the shower.
Double fuck. Even a blast of cold water wasn’t enough to cool me down.
After toweling off, I dressed in my suit and combed my hair, grateful Ginny had cut it earlier.
I didn’t know if I’d be able to keep this seduction going much longer without exploding but I sure as hell planned to try. When she’d offered a quickie, I’d had to clench my hands into fists and grit my teeth to keep from nudging her back on the bed, shoving her dress up, and driving myself all the way to the hilt.
Our first time needed to be perfect. Taking her like that, even if I made sure she came before me, would be a complete waste of something special.
If I hoped to win her heart, I had to give her everything tonight, not just a hasty tumble on the bed.
But, yeah, it was going to kill me.
Ducking out of the bathroom, I was grateful I’d beaten her into the room. Because I did want to keep the heat going between us. I needed to get her so hot and panting she couldn’t think of anything but me.
I dropped onto the bed, lounging on a cluster of fluffed pillows, and kicked up my feet, hoping she’d come out before Jax showed up.
The bathroom door swung open.
No Mia.
Then her bare stretch of leg strutted into the air—showing off an awesome spiked heel.
Wearing a black silky dress, she swung partway into the room, hugging the doorframe with her hands, stroking them up the white painted trim. Her hips gyrated. My body…Fuck.
Humming a vampy tune, she pumped her hips, pursed her lips, and tipped her head back so her gorgeous, fiery hair dangled down her back.
What a freakin’ tease.
The goal here had been to keep her heated up, not me.
While my jaw hung open, I watched with complete absorption.
Circling out into the room, Mia sauntered across the carpet and stopped at the foot of the bed, her hair a wild mess of curls around her face, her arms over her head, her eyes closed while she swayed.
Slits opened up each side of her floor-length dress, exposing enough skin some might consider the garment indecent.
A total turn-on for me.
Still humming, she swiveled her hips and slid her tongue across her lips.
“So, tell me,” she said in a sultry voice while I sputtered and tried to maintain some sort of inner control. She sashayed around to the side of the bed and flicked her hand to her body. “Will this do?”
“You’re gorgeous.” Sliding off the bed, I circled her in what felt like a mating dance older than time.
Color rose in her cheeks, and her posture relaxed back into the Mia I knew best. I might beg for the vamp again before morning, however. “Thanks.”
So much creamy skin available to touch. I ached to kiss my way from the arch of her foot strapped in the higher-than-sin heels, to the tops of her thighs. She spun and posed with her back to me, tossing a come-hither look over her shoulder. Dipping low, the silky black fabric hung in loose folds, exposing her spine to just above the crests of her awesome ass.
Her hair. Her glorious hair. Wearing it swept up earlier had added to her sophistication. Now, tickling across the bare skin of her back, it shouted pure siren. If only I could sink my face into the silky strands before tasting every speck of her hot body.
“Not bad, Eli,” she said after giving me a full perusal. She flicked the collar of my white button-up shirt.
Not bad?
“Honey,” I said, my voice scratchy and gruff. She’d stolen my heart, my wind, and my will to resist her.
But hell, not bad? I patted the front of my jacket and stared down. What was missing that would take me from ‘not bad’ to ‘hot date’ material for the evening?
“Aw, poor baby,” she said with a pout. “Don’t tell me you can dole out the tease but can’t take it?”
“You are so going to get it,” I growled, reaching for her.
She giggled and evaded my grip, backing toward the door. “Don’t forget. You said no quickies.” Her voice went high pitched as she mimicked. “Can’t start something we can’t finish, my dear.” She propped a hand on her generous hip. “Besides, Jax might stroll in any minute. Don’t want to give him the shock of his life.”
I had a feeling Jax would understand.
Damn minx was going to drive me insane. She was wild. Insatiable.
I advanced toward her, ready to toss her onto the bed anyway, then follow, but Jax banged on the door.
“Guys,” he said. “About ready?”
“I was just kidding, you know.” Mia strolled closer to me, not stopping until our bodies brushed together. “You look incredible. Too damn sexy for my own good.”
“I like that you think I’m too damn sexy because the feeling’s mutual.”
Her lips quirked up on one side. “What we’re starting is special, isn’t it?” Her voice came out bold yet hesitant, all at the same time.
I swept my arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. “You’re special. Infinitely precious to me.”
Jax banged. “Guys?”
She gulped and stared up at me with shimmering eyes. “Aww, I feel the same.” Backing out of my embrace, she waved at the door, her voice croaky. “Better let Jax in before he breaks it down.” Releasing a laugh, she wiped the corners of her eyes. “And before you ruin my make-up. I’m going to look like a raccoon if you keep up the sweet talk.”
After stroking her cheek with my knuckles, I unlocked and swung open the door for Jax.
“Good, good. Was getting worried there for a minute.” His gaze fell on Mia. “Whoa. Someone turned up the heat.” He slapped my back. “I feel for you, dude. Tough night ahead.”
I was up for it.
“Jax,” Mia said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You look great.”
“More than not bad?” I said with a smirk.
“I’m going to have to beat both the ladies and guys off tonight.” She lifted her clutch. “Unfortunately, instead of a stick, I’ve only got this.”
Dressed in an equally dark suit, my friend looked ready to walk down the red carpet at the Emmys with a model on each of his arms.
“We ready to head to the ballroom, then?” She winked at me. “I’m eager to get this started. The sooner I make the rounds and solidify a few more donations, then dance for half a song, the quicker my real evening can begin.”
The jacuzzi. The king-sized bed. Me and Mia. All. Night. Long.
“Half a dance?” Jax tossed me a puzzled look. “We gettin’ a reprieve?”
My body warmed at the thought of returning to our room where I’d slowly strip every bit of material off her body. Then I’d drape her across the bed and s
tart at the bottom and work my way to the top. Or vice versa. I wasn’t picky.
I roped myself in before I got so into the idea, I could think of nothing else. To protect her from all threats, I needed to remain alert and on guard.
“Early night, Jax,” I said.
His tense expression eased. “Cool.”
Looping her hand through my arm, Mia tugged me toward the door. “Come on!”
We returned to the floor the Foundation had booked and strolled to the ballroom, which was situated on the opposite side of the hall from the registration desk, and went inside.
While packing my suit, I’d worried I’d be overdressed. So not true. Jax wasn’t the only one looking ready for the Emmys.
The ballroom for the evening event had to be twice the size of the other, and more people had arrived for what must be the biggest event this part of the state had ever seen. Clusters of people dressed in black, with a few splashes of red and silver, stood chatting, cocktails in hand.
We grabbed drinks, a dirty martini for Mia and soda water for me and Jax.
“I’ll go lurk in the shadows,” Jax said with what could be considered a smirk but probably represented relief. Dude obviously hated crowds. Our covert surveillance earpieces had been tuned to our own, private frequency and encrypted to ensure whatever we said couldn’t be overheard by others. Anyone savvy enough to consider spying on us would only hear gibberish. It was vital that whoever was after Mia not know our next move until it had already happened.
“Before you do that, can I get you to stay a moment with Mia while I…”
Jax snorted. “Go to the bathroom?”
“Something like that.” I gave Mia a quick nod and strode from the room. Out in the hallway, I made a phone call and then returned to the ballroom.
“All set,” I told Jax, who retreated to his spot in the shadows, near the entrance.
My hand low on Mia’s back, we made our way around the room. It was a pure joy watching her in action, using her friendly, slightly folksy manner with some potential donors, but switching it up to pure sophistication with others. She could read someone in seconds and knew just how to draw them out, make them feel as if they were the only ones who mattered.
Rivaling a goddess, she glistened more brightly than an emerald on a white satin surface.
I couldn’t believe that she’d soon be mine even if it was only for one night.
“Three’s a charm,” Mia said eventually, holding my arm and leaning into my shoulder. “Only one thing left before we can blow this joint.”
“The—”
“How about a dance?” Peter said, coming up behind us. His grin took us both in.
“Oh, sorry,” she said, mischief filling her eyes. “But my dance card’s full.”
Peter’s grin fled, replaced with a scowl, even though it was clear from Mia’s light tone she’d been joking. “I thought we could…talk.”
“How about next week?” She must’ve picked up on odd nuance in the air because a frown brewed on her forehead. “Call me anytime. I don’t start my new job until after Labor Day.”
“I wanted to discuss a few…things. Including your next medical mission.”
Her fingers fluttered against the sides of her martini glass, and her gaze darted to the exit.
Tension spiked through me immediately. Why did his comment make her nervous?
“I can’t go back to Mexico,” she burst out.
“That I don’t understand.” Peter pressed for a smile but it didn’t come through in his tone or posture. “Let’s dance and you can tell me all—”
“I’m happy to go anywhere else for my next mission, though we agreed I wouldn’t be sent again until next year. Mexico is not an option.” Said with such finality, even I wouldn’t argue.
Was this solely because of the robbery? She’d been terrified when I picked her up at the station, but she must know robberies could happen anywhere, even in sleepy Crescent Cove.
Peter’s scowl only deepened, taking us both in, which made no sense. He had no reason to act this way with Mia, let alone me. It got my back up. Made me want to bluster between them, push him aside, then take her somewhere else.
“As Mia suggested, why don’t you call her?” I said softly, barely restraining my ire. This conversation scraped like a fingernail along my nerve endings. The undercurrent of…something suspicious couldn’t be denied. “How about that dance, now?” I said to Mia.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Her smile came out shaky. Definitely something bigger going on here.
With a nod to Peter, I took her hand and led her over to the wooden dance floor where couples swayed to the 90s music played by a live, four-piece orchestra. Nothing beat a cello-violin version of a Backstreet Boys hit.
“That was a weird conversation,” I said, sliding my arm around her waist. Feeling grateful Ginny had shown me the rudimentary elements of the waltz, I spun Mia across the parquet flooring as the cellos and violins spun, I Want it That Way seamlessly into Quit Playing Games.
Mia shrugged and lifted a fake smile to the couple swaying near us. “I’m not sure why it matters to Peter where I go next. I can help people anywhere.”
“Why are you so opposed to Mexico?”
Stumbling, she righted herself with a hand on my shoulder. “It was a scary situation for me.”
I hated pressing, but to defend her, I needed to know the full picture. She was hiding something. “The robbery?”
She gnawed on her lower lip then smiled brightly up at me. “Yes. The robbery.” Her fingertips tickled across my neck, and she swayed closer. “Can we let it go? I want to focus on you.”
So did I, but… “What aren’t you telling me? What else happened in Mexico?”
Her breath sucked in. “Nothing. What gives you the idea I haven’t been completely honest?”
The fact that she was staring past me, not making eye contact, for one.
“You’d tell me if someone hurt you, threatened you, whatever, right?”
A fake laugh burst from her. “Of course. But nothing did. It was a simple robbery. Well, other than the cut on my arm, but that come from…concrete. When I fell.”
Simple robberies and falls on concrete don’t keep people from returning to an entire country. What wasn’t she telling me?
“Our half dance is done,” she said with satisfaction. Her lips curled up in a real smile, and her voice deepened. “Can we go back to our room, now?”
I didn’t want to let this go. If I could persuade her to tell me what was bothering her, I could fix it. But pushing this when she obviously didn’t want to discuss it would only upset her further, the last thing I wanted to do.
My protective instincts dueled with my heart. I did want to take her to the room.
To shelter her. Show her how great we could be together. To love her.
Despite my unease with our conversation about Mexico, the slow dance with her had built my anticipation for what might come next, once we’d returned to our suite.
Maybe, just this once, I could relax and leave Jax to handle the job. Then I could focus on the gorgeous woman in my arms. Short of a bomb exploding in the building, nothing could harm her while we were together.
“By the way, I…opted to go with something a little more intriguing,” she said slyly.
I missed a step but recovered quickly, dipping her backward—because I could. And because her laughter trilled out, telling me it pleased her. “I have a feeling intriguing is going to just about kill me.”
Lying in my arms, she grinned up at me. “I know you suggested no panties, but I opted for a thong.”
17
Mia
We left Jax at his door and took the tower elevator ride up one floor to our suite, holding hands.
I should be nervous about this.
Someone wanted to do me harm, and Eli had stepped in to keep it from happening. Would we be together, let alone contemplating hooking up otherwise?
Unlike o
ther bodyguard situations, we’d grown close fast and taken our relationship in a different direction.
Yet, we’d been friends first. Our attraction had heated up eight months ago, when we first met.
If I hadn’t been burned by Russell and I’d told Eli yes instead of no back then, where would we be now?
Russell. The name sent anxiety racing through me, and I tensed. After what happened with him, was I foolish to let someone into my life again?
“You okay?” Eli asked when we stopped outside the room. “You’re quiet.” He teased one of my curls between his fingers. “You seem…hesitant. If you’re not sure about—”
“I want this,” I whispered. “I want you.”
His knuckles stroked my cheek, and his voice deepened. “Then I’m yours. For as long as you want me.”
What if I wanted him forever? For him, this could be a short-term thing, something to be savored before he moved on. While I…I was greedy. I wanted it all.
I gulped. “I’m scared.”
“Russell.”
“Maybe?” I glanced up at him, but his face gave nothing away. “He made me feel worthless. As if it was his right to do what he did, and I was wrong to feel he shouldn’t. Too often, I took it because I believed I deserved it.”
“Jeez, Mia, you’re ripping my heart out.”
“I only want it if it’s freely given.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Honey. You don’t need to feel afraid. I’ll never hurt you. I want you, for sure. But so much more.”
Could he ever love me as I was starting to love him? Or would he hurt me? Not like Russel but in a different way. It wouldn’t be on purpose, like with Russell’s abuse, but it might sting just as bad.
Looking back, I had a hard time believing I’d truly loved Russell. My initial caring got tangled up with my need to please him at all costs to myself.
Eli pulled something new and exciting from deep inside me. If I handed him my heart and he eventually tossed it aside, it would devastate me. It would leave permanent scars.
