by Mia Dymond
He led Allison through the back door and into the kitchen. As they passed the counter on the way to the living room, he pushed the power button on the coffee pot.
“You already have coffee made?” she asked.
He chuckled. “My housekeeper gets it ready for the morning.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Housekeeper? Spying must pay well.”
He grinned. “James Bond was my hero.”
“Was?”
“Yeah, I could teach him a few things now.”
She laughed gently and took a seat on the sofa. “What did you do before private investigation?”
“Worked with Ben Ramsey.”
“You were a cop?”
He paused, skeptical of her question. Did she really not know? “You sound surprised.”
“I am. Somehow you don’t strike me as a yes, sir no, sir kinda guy.”
A light tap on the bay window stalled his response and he stood to peer out the curtain.
“Did you hear that?” he asked over his shoulder.
She shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything.”
His trained eyes scanned the perimeter of the manicured front lawn, searching for the source of the interruption. The aging spruce trees planted along the walkway stood tall and still in the calm night. The bright stars twinkled in the cold winter sky, lending an added peacefulness to the evening.
He dismissed his suspicion and sat beside her. “I didn’t last at the police department long. They didn’t like the beat of my drum.”
“Yet they ask for help when they’re in a bind.”
He snickered to hide his shock. The back-up he provided the Maplewood Police Department was strictly off the record, hidden under piles of bureaucratic paperwork. Of course she knew.
“It pays the bills.”
“And feeds your ego.”
“I have a hungry ego.”
“And plenty of women to feed it.”
He flinched. For some odd reason, her remark stung. “Contrary to popular belief, I haven’t been with a woman for awhile now.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Come on.”
Normally, he’d be flattered by her assumption, but this time, her acceptance of his confession was important. “Really. I mean, I’ve had some casual dates but nothing serious.”
“Imagine that.”
His brow furrowed at another tap behind the curtain. “Did you not hear that?”
She laughed softly. “I heard it.”
He approached the window again, this time checking for shadows or movement around the eaves of the house. Nothing. A sixth sense told him someone was out there. Someone who mastered the art of escaping detection.
“Are you normally this easily spooked?” she teased.
Not until I met you, he answered silently. He replaced the curtain and returned to the sofa.
“What about you?”
“I don’t date much.”
“Why not?”
She stuck her tongue in the side of her cheek. “Can you believe men find me intimidating?”
Her or her family? Even though she tried to convince him she had no family, Luke knew better. He felt them watching. Truthfully, the only thing that kept him from taking her right here and now was the thought of being thrown to the sharks. That, and the goon tucked somewhere in the shadows of the night.
“I wouldn’t say you’re intimidating.”
She lifted an eyebrow as if she demanded an explanation.
“More like sassy.”
“Sassy?”
His body warmed at the sense of pheromones in the air and he scooted close to her. “Sassy,” he repeated. “Coffee?”
“No.”
His Adam’s apple jumped as he contemplated his next move. She was here, warm, willing and waiting for his touch. They were alone. Hopefully. Hell, it didn’t matter. His body was so primed and ready for action, even a bullet between his shoulder blades couldn’t stop him. For long.
As if she sensed his indecision, she leaned into him and placed her lips to his. Without hesitation, he accepted her offer and moved his mouth over hers to devour its softness and coax her full sassy lips open to slide his tongue inside. His cock quivered as he took her in his arms and eased her into the cushions. Moaning softly, she circled his neck with her arms and crushed him against her. He scooted her sweater over her stomach until it was bunched between them to expose her lacy, silk bra once again. He flicked the front clasp open with one finger, mesmerized as her breasts spilled into his hands. Firm. Smooth. Perfect. She whimpered as he pinched each nipple lightly between his fingertips.
He forced himself to turn loose of her lips and pressed his forehead to hers. “You have exactly thirty seconds to tell me no before I completely lose control.”
She gave him a sexy smile while her fingers worked his shirt buttons. “How many seconds will it take to get to the bedroom?”
Not willing to second guess her decision, he grabbed her wandering hands and pulled her from the sofa.
Once he had her behind the closed and locked bedroom door and away from any outside interference, he hoped, Luke shrugged out of his shirt.
“This could stall my investigation, you know.”
She stretched out on the bed with her elbows braced behind her and gave him a look that boiled his already-simmering blood. “Do I look like I care about your investigation?”
After unbuttoning the first two buttons of his jeans, he reclined on the bed next to her. “Lose the sweater.”
She sat up and pulled the sweater over her head, taking care to snag her bra at the same time. Her hair brushed the tops of her shoulder blades as she swung it free from the fabric. She turned to face him with a twinkle in her eyes.
Allison’s heart pounded as she stretched out beside him and her heated skin met the cool silk bed sheets.
“Your housekeeper’s choice?”
“Mine,” he said before he took her mouth again.
Lost in the passion of his kiss, she found the carved indentions of his sculpted chest muscles with her fingers and massaged each edge as she moved lower to explore the washboard of abdominal muscles. Beneath her fingertips, his muscles leaped. A momentary sense of uncertainty skipped through her thoughts. Was he really scared of her?
“You’re trembling,” she whispered.
He offered a forgiving smile. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
A delicious shudder climbed her spine at his confession. “Well, stop.”
She trailed one finger under the edge of his boxers before she slid her hand inside to squeeze his length. He groaned and threw his head back as his hand covered hers to grind himself further into her touch. His size thrilled her. Thick, long, smooth and obviously very glad she approved.
Fueled by her desire, she stroked him from bottom to top, pausing to run her thumb across the weeping head. She heard his quick intake of breath just before his hand grabbed hers and pulled it from his jeans.
“Allison, one more stroke like that, and it’s over.”
Before she could protest, he buried his lips into the hollow of her neck and planted several kisses there before traveling across her chest to one breast. Her nipple pebbled as he suckled there while he squeezed the other between his fingertips. Heat spiraled between her legs as she ran her fingers through his hair and arched to meet his touch. Hot, white lightening struck her nerve endings until the coil of desire inside her demanded release. She screamed in satisfaction while his tongue continued to play.
With one last swirl of his tongue, he lifted his head and brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. “Beautiful,” he murmured.
Far from finished, she grabbed the sides of his jeans and tugged them over his hips. He chuckled softly. “You first. Lift up, sweetheart.”
She lifted her hips and panted as he slid her jeans down the length of her body until they lay in a pile beside the bed. His eyes glowed when he discovered the lacy white thong that barely covered her. She watched in heated agony as
he crawled between her legs and breathed a heated kiss against the fabric before looping his thumbs through the straps and removing the last barrier to her body. Moisture pooled between her legs as she read the desire in his eyes
“Luke,” she moaned.
He answered her plea by running one finger over her damp folds, coating it in moisture, before he slid it inside to caress her already-clenched muscles. Her hips bucked at his touch and she hissed his name again.
“God, Allison,” he groaned.
She chuckled inwardly. She, too, was amazed at her completely out-of-character reaction to him. Normally, she sprinted a marathon to a photo finish. But not this time. As long as Luke had possession of her body, she wouldn’t go anywhere. He had cast some sort of magical spell over her and somehow managed to make her feel desirable and anything but intimidating. A soft sigh left her lips. Uncles? What uncles?
Butterflies danced in her stomach when he massaged her again, this time unbinding her slowly and pushing her over the edge with a single, heated caress. He caught her strangled moan between his lips as she floated back to reality. Satisfied for the moment, she managed to pry his hands from her throbbing body.
“Now,” she said breathlessly.
When he stood to remove his jeans and boxers, the solid length of his shaft issued an invitation to ride as it stood at attention. She wet her bottom lip and reached for him.
He groaned and circled her wrist with his fingers. “I don’t have anything.”
She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, silently comforted by his dilemma. She let a contented smile slip past her lips. “You’re healthy, right?”
His eyes darkened as he stroked the length of his erection in anticipation. “Absolutely.”
“Me too. And lucky for you, I just happen to have birth control covered.”
He exhaled in relief as he came down over her and smoothed her hair from her face. “Thank you.”
She kissed him softly on the lips. “You’re welcome.”
With a cocky smile, he reached between them and positioned himself at her entrance and took a deep breath.
“I want this to last.”
She laid her hands flat against his chest and tweaked each nipple with a fingernail. “We have the rest of the night.”
Unable to wait any longer, she wrapped her legs around his waist and forced him deep inside with the touch of her heels to his tight, toned backside, where her clenched muscles swallowed him whole. He inhaled a sharp breath and thrust. She found herself reaching once again.
“Now, Allison,” he demanded.
At his request, she let go and soared through paradise with him, content and so very utterly satisfied. He growled low in his throat and filled her with his release.
With one last soul-touching kiss, he rolled off her, turned her to her side, and drew her back against him.
“Stay,” he whispered as he pulled the blanket over them.
She smiled to herself. “Of course.”
As if he expected her to slip away, he draped one arm across her hip and tucked his hand beneath her. Almost immediately, she felt his body relax and his breathing become even. Typical male.
Allison waited for the familiar feeling of restlessness to overtake her and force her to leave him asleep. Alone. Minutes passed and she waited, pleasantly surprised when all she wanted to do was lay in his possessive grip and relax.
She snuggled deeper into the warmth of his body and sighed. If she decided to risk giving her heart to Luke, she had some major decisions to make. What would her uncles say when she told them? How would he react when she introduced him to the family? Keeping him around proved risky. Trusting him not to run was even more so. She closed her eyes and smiled as sleep clouded her thoughts. Too late to determine what-if anyway; she already trusted him.
***
Scar stood guard as the Don grasped his cane, patted him on the head, bent to scoop a few more pebbles from the dirt, and then placed the ammunition into the pocket of his wool dressing coat. An amber glow was cast into the darkness when the old man took a drag from his cigar and stood silently, as if he timed his next move. A few seconds later, a pebble flew through the night air and tapped the front bay window of the house. Scar shook his snout. No wonder their niece was so spirited.
Scar raised his ears at the sound of footsteps, his night vision focused on a familiar figure. As usual, Carmine had come to spoil the fun.
Very quietly, Carmine approached the old man and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You should not be out in the night air, Don.”
The Don gave a husky laugh. “You have caught me, Brother.”
“Have you coerced them outside?”
“No, he has been to the window but has not discovered my presence. From the expression on his face, an old man’s mischievous antics do not concern him.”
Scar’s heart danced at his brother’s pleasure.
“Perhaps you need a bigger rock,” Carmine suggested.
The Don took another pull from his cigar. “I have searched the area. There are no large stones.”
Carmine retrieved Scar’s leash, placed an arm across the Don’s broad shoulders and urged them both back into the clear, cool night. “Come, leave her. She made her choice and you must stay warm.”
Bright green eyes, glowing with contentment, met his in agreement. “Si, she has chosen and I am warm with comfort.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The shrill tone of Luke’s cell phone jerked him from his slumber. Muddling through the haze that surrounded his brain, he reached over the sleeping beauty next to him and fumbled for the shrieking nuisance. Ramsey. He lifted his wrist to check his watch. 8:30. Hell. His conscious sucker-punched him as he realized what he had to do. He tossed the phone back on the night stand and buried his lips into the hollow of Allison’s neck.
“Allison,” he said against her heated skin.
She mumbled and pulled the sheet back over her.
He snickered and kissed her cheek. “I have to go, Baby, I’ll call you later.”
She gave a sleepy nod and burrowed further down in the bed. With one last kiss on the top of her shoulder, he forced himself to leave her, kicking himself several times while he showered and dressed. By the time the bedroom door clicked behind him, he already missed her. There were several ways he would’ve rather started the day.
Thirty minutes later, Luke strolled through the door of his office, both encouraged and nervous as hell about spending the night with Allison. Damn, his body actually hummed. He sighed and sat in his chair. The chemistry between them was explosive, so much so that he hadn’t even hesitated to issue the invitation to stay. She was only the second woman he asked to sleep over, and the first taught him a valuable lesson: spending the night created invisible chains that were almost impossible to escape.
He wasn’t entirely sure what the hell happened. One minute he enjoyed sex with an insanely beautiful woman and the next, he ripped his heart out of his chest and handed it to her on a silver platter. Why? Last night should’ve been just another notch in his belt, a new conquest, a scratch for an itch. But something about her made him want more. Crave more.
Pushing sex to the side, her quick wit, her fierce independence, the way she inflated his ego and then burst it with one flick of her fingernail, all of it drove him over the edge. When she followed him to his stakeout, he picked up on her general distrust issues. Yet last night when he filled her, she welcomed him inside with a vengeance. Without a condom. Which made things even more complicated. She didn’t know about the arrangement he had with her family.
She shouldn’t trust him at all.
***
Allison stood outside her front door and summoned courage to enter the house. Lucy would never let this go. Allison flipped her hair over one shoulder. Good thing Scar stayed with Uncle Carlos last night.
She pushed her key into the lock and turned the knob. She waited several seconds to see if Lucy heard the squeak. The silence cackled.<
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Allison eased inside and slipped out of her coat, confident she’d escaped Lucy’s inquisition. For now, anyway.
She climbed the stairs on tiptoe and crept into her bedroom to change clothes. She glanced into the mirror over the dresser while she yanked her sweater over her head and noticed a tiny bite mark on the top of her shoulder. She smirked. He branded her, the Neanderthal.
The floor beneath her creaked when she shifted to remove her jeans.
“Allison? Is that you?”
She rolled her eyes at her lame attempt to escape. “Yeah it’s me, Luce.”
“I’m in the tub. Come on in.”
Allison entered and boosted herself to the counter.
“Good morning,” Lucy said with sparkling eyes.
Allison twisted her lips. “Good morning.”
“Did you spend the night with Luke?”
Allison bit her lip. Get right to the point, Lucy. “I did.”
“And? You had a good time?”
A familiar heat wave invaded her cheeks. “Good enough to wake the dead.”
“You never spend the night away from home.”
“I know. It was a spur of the moment decision.”
“No, I think there’s more to the story.”
“Maybe.”
“You love him.”
“Just because I spent the night doesn’t mean I love him. Now get out of that tub. You’ll prune if you stay much longer, and we’ve got work to do.” Allison hopped off the counter and reached for the doorknob.
Lucy blew a pile of bubbles across the water. “Give me about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll make more coffee.”
True to her word, Lucy scurried down the stairs right on time. Allison handed her a cup of coffee.
“Thanks.” Lucy took a sip of the warm liquid and sat down at the computer. “Where should we start?”
“Let’s check out Dr. Winslow.”
“Good idea. According to the surgery schedule he was marked out for a conference in Philly.”
Allison tapped her index finger against her lips. “Dr. Winslow asked you to order more Botox, right?”
