by Rae Rivers
Eyes locked with his, she sipped her drink without saying anything, but he sensed a crack in her resistance.
Hell, it was inevitable. For both of them.
He took a step forward, sensing her struggle, studying her conflicted expression of denial and desire, and felt the last of his own resolve weaken.
In one fluid movement, he disposed of their glasses and closed the distance between them.
“Cole,” she whispered, staring up at him, and he wasn’t sure if it was an attempt to push him away or draw him in.
Capturing her face in his hands, he dipped his head to hers, and kissed her.
Slow and teasing.
One kiss meant to sample forbidden waters sparked the fire that silently burned between them and he knew it would take an ocean of strength to walk away from her now.
Dragging his mouth from hers, he tipped her head back so he could read her eyes.
“Alex?”
She gave a delightful little scowl but didn’t pull away. “We shouldn’t.”
“You sure?”
For an agonizing moment in which he feared she’d push him away, she stared at him in silence, but just as he was about to step back, she shook her head.
“Thank, God,” he breathed as his arms came up around her and his mouth found hers in a hard, heated kiss.
The kiss that followed was so intense and powerful that it rocked him to the core.
Instead of withdrawing, she cried out for more. She groaned when he captured her mouth with his. She gasped when he nibbled her earlobe and whispered his name when he trailed soft kisses across her cheekbone, her chin, and her neck.
She was all fire and woman and he wanted to ravish her.
The tension mounted, almost unbearable, and as he devoured her, his kisses became more demanding.
And suddenly it wasn’t enough. He ran a single finger along her shoulder, hooked the strap of her gown, and pulled it down her arm. The material loosened to expose a naked breast and raw, primal pleasure washed over him.
“You weren’t lying,” he rasped.
“About what?”
“About having great breasts made to fit in a man’s palm.” With growing excitement, his hand grazed her soft skin.
“Cole,” she breathed, leaning into him.
Backing her up against the wooden drawers, he growled softly against her skin and captured her erect nipple in his mouth.
Hell, he’d known kissing her would be good, but he hadn’t expected this. Heat, passion, and an urgency that chased away all rational thoughts and made him mad with hunger.
His free hand worked on the second strap, wanting to see all of her, wanting her naked. The strap refused to budge but with a firm yank, the material ripped with ease and fell away to expose her other breast.
He gave her a slow smile before capturing her mouth with his again. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against her lips.
“What are we doing?” she gasped but showed no intention of stopping him.
“Do you want me to stop?”
God, he didn’t think he could.
He dragged his mouth away from hers and they both stared at each other in shocked silence while gasping for air.
“Alex?”
Her expressive eyes met his and instead of pulling away, she smiled. “I want you, Cole.”
Cole tried to slow his breathing, realizing he was losing himself in this gorgeous woman. He’d only wanted to kiss her, to taste her, to satisfy his curiosity, but now that he had, it wasn’t enough. Her willingness and increasing surrender to him only added fuel to the fire that already burned between them.
His eyes burned into hers, questioning, waiting, wanting. And suddenly, he didn’t care.
To hell with the consequences.
****
For the first time in a very long time, Alex knew what it felt like to be ravished. Really ravished.
And it felt great.
Cole had ignited a flame within her that was hard to douse, a passion that drove her insane with desire, and she longed for more.
His hands moved sensually over her body, his skin deliciously rough against hers. The hard bulge in his pants thrust against her pelvis in crazed grinding motions that had her gasping his name and clinging to his shoulders in a weak attempt to ground herself.
When she thought she couldn’t stand it anymore, she pulled him up toward her and tugged at his shirt. His chest was smooth and rock hard—like all of him—and she leaned forward to do some tasting and touching of her own.
A low groan rumbled in his throat and in a smooth movement, he hoisted her onto the wooden drawers and moved between her legs. The wound in her side pulled, but her brief flinch quickly disappeared when he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in for another kiss.
His hands moved under her gown, bunching it up around her waist, and she knew they were fast approaching the point of no return.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, the last of her remaining senses screamed at her that this was a bad, bad, idea.
But…wow.
“What the hell’s this?” he whispered, as his hand touched the cold, hard object strapped to her leg.
Alex grinned and reached between her legs to release the holster around her thigh that contained a small, concealed handgun.
Cole raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “You wore a handgun under your Valentino gown?”
“Of course.” She tried to draw him in, but he pulled back, still grinning at her. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m trying to picture any of the other women at the party with a gun strapped to their leg, but none come to mind.”
“You’re thinking of other women at a time like this?”
He gave a low, sexy chuckle. “There’s only one woman on my mind right now.”
“Good,” she whispered and reached for him, needing his magical mouth on hers again. “I don’t like to share.”
“Neither do I.”
She smiled and he took possession of her mouth again, darting, tangling, tasting. A fresh onslaught of sensations struck her as his hand found its way to the thin string of her panties. Heat fired between her legs when she felt the soft tug, the thin elastic tearing away with ease, no match for his strong hands.
With a small cry, she bucked against him as his fingers slid between her legs and stroked her heat. She was already wet for him, and he slipped easily inside of her, the sensation incredible.
“Oh, God,” she breathed, arching against him.
He nibbled his way along her neck and caught her mouth with his, kissing her senseless while his clever, clever fingers moved against her, dancing a rhythm all on their own. She felt the fire building within her and she reached for him, wanting to hold on, losing complete control.
Cole’s eyes darkened and he whispered her name as her body tightened around him. The fierce orgasm had her shuddering against him, packing a punch like no other. She cried out his name, arching her back.
But it wasn’t enough.
She wanted him inside her, with her, a part of her. She frantically pulled at his belt and unzipped his pants. With his help, they pushed them down to his knees, his hard length springing free from the restrictive clothing.
She dropped her eyes to his cock, and a fresh shiver of pleasure raced through her as his hands tightened around her waist and he positioned himself against her.
She gave an impatient moan when he froze. “What? Cole?”
“Damn it,” Cole growled and pulled back.
“What’s wrong? Why are you stopping?”
“Protection.”
She blinked. “Baby armor.”
“I don’t have any.”
She smiled at his frustration. “Don’t worry, Casanova. I take a daily dose of protection.”
“I’m glad,” he breathed and shoved his hands into her hair, dragging her head back for another deep kiss. When he broke away, she was writhing beneath him and gasping his name.
&nbs
p; She exhaled sharply when he gripped her waist and shoved his hips against her, his hard, throbbing flesh rubbing against her in a crazy, delicious motion that extracted another weak cry from her.
“I have to have you.”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Now.”
She tightened her legs around his waist, drawing him in a little further, satisfied with the growl that escaped him. With one swift movement, he shoved his hips against hers, filling her completely. She cried out and clung to him, totally overwhelmed. He drove deeper, gave several hard thrusts, his dark eyes bearing into hers.
She threw her head back and gave a shriek as her orgasm took its potent hold and sent shivers wracking through her body. He tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back to cover her mouth in a brutal kiss that smothered her frantic cries.
Increasing his speed, he pounded into her and gave a single low, earth-shattering moan as his body started to convulse inside her.
A moment later, his thrusting slowed to a stop and they clung to each other, breathless and gasping for air.
Alex moved first and lifted her head off his shoulder. “To think that half an hour ago, I was angry with you.”
“You were?”
“You gave me a headache.”
He grinned against her cheek. “I gave you an orgasm. That should count for something.”
She laughed, the sound shattering the silence around them. “Is that your way of apologizing?”
“Did it help?”
Alex sighed in pleasure. “Definitely. I think we hit a home run.”
“Hell, yeah. We knocked that one right out of the field.” He tilted her chin so he could see her eyes. “I forgot about your stitches. Are you okay?”
She studied his grim expression, his frown, surprised to see the guilt in his eyes. He’d been ruthless with her, and it touched her that he was worried he’d hurt her with his frantic need for her. Hell, she’d been just as mad for him.
There’d been no tenderness in their lovemaking, no grace. Just raw, urgent hunger.
When she nodded, he kissed the top of her head, reluctantly pulled out of her, and wrapped her in his arms.
After a full minute when she’d finally caught her breath, she sighed and lifted her head off his shoulder again.
Alex lowered her shaky legs and slipped off the wooden drawers, her dress hanging in ruins around her waist. “You destroyed my Valentino.”
He flashed her a saucy grin and zipped his pants. Steady arms captured her waist and he tugged her against him. This time he caught her mouth in a gentle, breathtaking kiss and when he pulled away from her, he was smiling. “I’ll buy you another one.”
Alex bent to retrieve her tattered underwear and showed it to him, the torn lace hanging from one finger. “Cole Anderson, you ruined my new underwear.”
“I’ll buy you a closet full.”
“There’s no way you’re buying me underwear.”
“I think we’re way past modesty, Alex.”
A flush crept into her cheeks and she looked away. “You’re still not buying me any.” She glanced around the room and cringed at the sight of the open door. “Oh, God. Someone could have seen us.”
“The staff won’t come up here when I’m in residence.”
Her eyes widened. “Is that why you put me up here?”
He cocked a brow at her, feigning innocence, but the glimmer in his eyes hinted at pure mischief. “It seemed a shame for this room to go to waste.”
She pushed at his chest. “You knew this was going to happen.”
Cole grinned, unashamedly. “Of course. Didn’t you?”
Maybe. “No!”
“You don’t fool me, Alex. You felt the attraction as much as I did the first day we met.” He caught her chin with two fingers and gave her a slow, soft, sensual kiss. “We both knew where this was going.”
Her head reeling from the kiss, she didn’t bother to argue.
He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. “Let’s take a shower.”
“No.” She tried to pull away but he tightened his grip on her hand. “This is crazy. I work for you and—”
He put a finger to her lips, silencing her protest. “It’s a bit late to be worried about that, don’t you think?”
“I think we’re going to regret this in the morning.”
“Probably,” he agreed with a somber nod and then brightened. “So let’s make it worth it. How about that shower?”
Alex pushed away her doubts and laughed. She’d had many expectations tonight, but wild, heated, and crazy sex hadn’t been it. She followed him to the bathroom, shaking her head in amazement.
The next time they made love was with plenty of tenderness and a lot more grace.
Chapter Eleven
Thursday morning
The following morning, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, Cole returned to his private suite carrying two mugs of hot coffee. The aroma was spectacular, the caffeine desperately needed after the night he’d had. What he found even more spectacular was the sight of the beautiful woman asleep in his bed. She was naked beneath the cotton sheet, her smooth back exposed. Sprawled on her stomach, one arm on either side of her head, a mass of black curls spread around the pillow. All skin and woman.
God, she’s so lovely.
Vivid images of the night they’d shared came to mind and he felt the effect straight between his legs. Wow, he was starved. And it wasn’t for food.
He debated whether he should wake her to join him for coffee or simply wake her to make love to her again. A moment later, he abandoned the coffee, the lure of the naked woman more powerful than caffeine could ever be. He leaned over her, devouring her with his gaze.
Smiling, he started kissing her at the base of her spine and made his way up to her ear lobe.
“Go away,” she muttered into her pillow.
“Still tired?” he whispered with a grin and kissed her shoulder.
“Why? You have something in mind?”
“Only you.”
“God, Cole, I can’t keep up with all these orgasms,” she said with a laugh and turned around to settle into the pillows, one hand keeping the sheet in place.
“Who’s counting?”
“My body is. I need coffee.”
A pleased grin spread across his face at her disheveled appearance and flushed face. She looked beautiful and so damn sexy and he couldn’t think of a single reason why he wanted to get out of bed. He said as much to her and she laughed again, pulled the sheet up against her breasts, and ran a hand through her hair in an effort to tame the curls.
“Well, that would be one way of keeping you safe,” she replied and then fell silent. After a moment, she glanced at him through long eyelashes. “This is really bad, you know.”
“What?”
She waved a hand at them. “This. Us. Last night.”
“I thought it was pretty damn good.”
She ran her hands over her face and groaned. “Am I the only one here that’s going to regret what happened?”
“Do you regret what happened?”
Alex paused before answering. “No. And I know I should, but I don’t.”
And strangely enough, neither did he. He kissed her shoulder. “This does complicate things, Alexis, but we’ll figure something out.”
She nodded, but didn’t reply.
He remembered their coffee but was quick to discard it as it had gone cold.
She saw his disgruntled look and smiled. “It seems like we have a reason to get up then.”
“Hell no. I’d rather have you above coffee any day.”
She gave a playful push to his shoulder. “As game as I am to keep up with the continuous orgasms, I need the fix that only coffee can give me, so off you go. It’s your fault the coffee went cold.”
He slid a hand underneath the sheet and grazed his fingers along the side of her breast. “You’re so easy,” he said, chuckling at her sharp intake of breath.
/> “Cole. Coffee.”
With a final nip to her breast, he jumped up with a satisfied sigh and jogged down the first flight of stairs in high spirits.
His mood changed when he found his assistant waiting for him, a folder clasped under his arm. John’s expression was grim and Cole soon forgot about the coffee.
****
Half an hour later, when Alex walked into Cole’s office, her eyes flashed with surprise to find he wasn’t alone.
Cole saw her attempt to silently retreat, but he waved her in, destroying any chances she had of a quick exit. “Mike Willis was murdered last night. It looks like a robbery as one of his paintings is missing.”
Alex reeled back as though he’d punched her. “Mike is dead?”
“It’s all over the news. The cleaning crew found him this morning with one of his own antique swords shoved in his stomach.”
Alex closed her eyes. “Any suspects?”
“Not yet.”
“And the painting?”
“A 1916 Monet.”
“His Water Lily painting? That sold for the same price as the Renoir.”
“Where were you in the early hours of this morning?” John questioned, staring at Alex with a cold, accusing expression. When Alex ignored him, he pointed at the file in Cole’s hand. “It’s an odd coincidence, don’t you think? The night someone tried to steal an eighteen million dollar painting out of your home, Alexis—the daughter of an experienced art thief—was there. And last night she was at Mike’s dinner party, chatting with him. This morning a Monet worth eighteen mil is gone and Mike is dead.”
Cole exhaled and tried to dismiss the small spark of doubt that had seeped into his mind. He refused to believe she was guilty—not the beautiful, sexy, and warm woman he’d just spent one of the best damn nights of his life with.
The file in his hand was the background check on Alex he’d requested and it contained all the information about Alex and her mother.
A cat burglar’s daughter.
“Makes her look guilty to me, Cole,” John said.
“You think I did this?” Alex exclaimed as it dawned on her what John was suggesting. She crossed the room and snatched the file out of Cole’s hand. “What the hell is this?” she demanded and flipped through the pages. Her eyes widened and she scowled at Cole. “You have a file on me?”
