by Susanna Carr
“I want to be on top.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You’ll have to fight me for it.”
She pushed at his chest but he didn’t budge. Now she wished she had taken the advanced self-defense course. “That’s not fair—” Her next words dissolved in her throat as he took her nipple in his mouth.
Julie’s spine bowed as Eric caught the tight bud between his teeth. She bucked her hips against him and extended her arms as the pleasure zipped through her veins. She was open to him. Exposed and willing.
Eric’s touch slowly drove her wild until she was gripping the bedsheets and panting hard. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her shoes digging in the small of his back, as she wantonly rubbed her sex against him.
He curled his hands along the edge of her red panties and dragged them down her hips. She wanted to kick them off, rip them, but Eric got onto his knees and slowly tugged the red lace down her legs.
As he discarded her panties, Julie sat up and pushed at his chest. “My turn on top,” she demanded. Much to her surprise, Eric smiled and silently laid back, his head at the edge of the mattress.
She quickly straddled his hips. Excitement swirled deep inside her as she saw him lying underneath her.
Eric wasted no time and clutched her hips to guide her slowly onto him. She tossed her head back as white-hot sensations streaked up her spine. She shivered, her skin flushing, as her body drew him in.
She rolled her hips and gasped as the intense pleasure unfurled through her veins. She rode him slowly, enjoying the stinging need that swirled low in her pelvis.
Julie rocked harder. She moaned when Eric held her breasts and the heat rippled through her. When she placed her hands over his and squeezed, she felt the tingle of it in her swollen clit.
She had to chase the pleasure. Julie rode Eric harder. Her hair fell around her face as she stared, mesmerized by Eric’s expression.
He looked just as she felt. Primal. Aggressive. She tried to hold off her climax. It was too soon. She wanted this to go on forever.
Eric’s gaze was intense on her eyes. His movements grew urgent, as if he knew she was on the edge. He reached between her legs and stroked her.
The hot, jagged climax forked through her. Eric thrust a final time. Her mind tumbled into a kaleidoscope of colors and sensations and she reached the pinnacle. The pleasure burned through her. She heard Eric shout out his release before she tumbled down and into the void.
* * *
A FEW HOURS LATER JULIE curled up next to Eric and watched him sleep. He lay sprawled on the bed. His arms were bent above his head. One leg dangled off the mattress as the other pinned her ankles down.
She had never seen him so unguarded. He looked younger and relaxed. Julie sighed with contentment. She splayed her hand against his chest and felt his solid heartbeat.
Julie leaned her head on his shoulder. What they had was supposed to be a fling. A sexual escapade. She wasn’t supposed to have fallen in love with him.
She squeezed her eyes shut as the truth punched at her. She wasn’t even sure when it happened. It had snuck up on her. One moment she was lusting at the sight of him, then infatuated by his skills and training. The next thing she knew, her heart was full with adoration as she watched him struggle with his code of honor.
He was supposed to be her fantasy. The secret one-night stand. But behind the scars and lean muscle she discovered a man who took care of his tribe.
Eric had immediately taken charge at Gunthrie S&I so he could lift the burden from Perry’s shoulders. Every day he had given his time to her colleagues and shared his knowledge so they could improve their skills. He took care of this tribe without expecting anything in return.
Falling in love with Eric Ranger was probably the most reckless move she could have made. He was a special agent who never stayed in one place. She was a woman who daydreamed about spies and villains to escape her boring job.
He was leaving in just over a week. She didn’t want to think about it. They were mismatched and any relationship was doomed from the start. She knew it all along, but it didn’t stop her from giving her heart to Eric.
But she had no expectations that this vacation fling was meant to last. She would treat this as a brief affair, hide her pain under a sophisticated veneer and accept the inevitable end with grace and dignity.
And that started now. She wouldn’t cling or smother him with attention. That meant she shouldn’t stay the night, no matter how much she wanted to.
Julie quietly sat up and dragged her feet to the floor. She wasn’t sure where she had flung her platform heels. She peered over the edge of the bed when Eric startled her by clamping his hand over her wrist.
“Leaving so soon?” His voice was rough with sleep.
“I should go home.”
“Why?” He tugged at her hand. “Do you have a plant to water? A goldfish that suffers from separation anxiety?”
She laughed. “No.”
“Stay,” he whispered.
That was all she needed to hear for her to tumble back into bed. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“I disagree.” He rolled on top of her and settled between her legs. “I refuse to walk you back to your car when we could be here.”
She stiffened. “Oh, my car! I forgot all about it. The parking fee is going to be astronomical.”
His eyebrow rose in disbelief. “I’m lying on top of you—naked, I might add—and you’re thinking about parking? You are hard on the ego.”
“Think you can make me forget about my car?” she challenged. “Not a chance.”
There was an unholy gleam in his eyes as he boldly cupped her sex with his hand. No warning, no seduction, and yet she found it incredibly arousing.
She couldn’t drag her gaze away from his as he glided a finger inside her. She blushed at the sound of her moan, and Eric smiled with appreciation.
He slid another finger into her core and her hips undulated from the invasion.
“What are you thinking about?” he taunted.
She wouldn’t give up that easily. “I was wondering where I put my parking stub.”
“Liar,” he said with a chuckle as he teased her intimately.
Her breath came out in little puffs. “I can’t remember which floor I parked on.”
His hand fell away. Julie groaned with disappointment. She’d pushed it too far, determined to win the challenge. She should have remembered how fragile a man’s ego was.
Eric bent down and placed his mouth against her sex. Julie gasped at his audacity. Her breath caught in her throat as he flicked his tongue.
“Eric!” She grabbed his hair with her fingers. Eric knew exactly how to give her maximum pleasure. Within seconds her hips jerked and bucked against his mouth. A soft climax rippled through her.
Eric crawled up her body as sweat beaded on her hot skin. “Stay the night.” It was part command, part plea.
Her arms and legs felt heavy as she curled them around Eric. “How can I say no when you asked me so nicely.”
He parted her legs and pressed his cock against her. She tilted her hips in invitation. “But tomorrow,” she said, “you’re sleeping over at my place.”
Eric froze. For one heart-stopping moment Julie thought she had made a mistake. She spoke like a girlfriend. She shouldn’t have made demands on his time. She had no right.
“Your place?” he asked gruffly as he braced
his hands on either side of her head. He stared at her face, looking intently into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Julie realized her request pleased him. “Yes.” She exhaled as he slowly entered her. “I might even make dinner for you.”
“Dinner,” he repeated.
He spoke in a daze as if a quiet night and a home-cooked meal were a deep, dark fantasy of his. If only. “Will you come home with me?” she asked in a whisper.
His forehead touched hers. “Yes, Julie,” he said softly. “Tell me when and I’ll be there.”
11
ERIC RESTED HIS ARMS on the bar, struggling with the sense of déjà vu. The nightclub was dark and crowded. Music pulsed from the tiled floors and mirrored walls. The scent of perfume, alcohol and sweat filled the air. It was another Friday night, another premarital screening. Same nightclub in Bellevue, same procedure. Only this time he couldn’t find their decoy.
He surveyed the area but didn’t see Julie. It was strange. She enjoyed being a decoy but she wasn’t honing in on the target. Sometimes he thought she had more fun preparing her alias than the actual assignment, but that could be wishful thinking on his part.
Where was Julie? He looked around again. He didn’t want to spend all night at the club. He only had a few more days before he left for D.C. and he didn’t want to spend it on work. He wanted to spend it with Julie alone.
He had worked hard to find Perry’s agency more premarital screening assignments. It was paying the bills and there would be no layoffs for now.
He frowned as he counted how many days he had left in the Seattle area. He didn’t like to think about it, but there was no future for him here. Julie had opened her home to him and they shared all their time together in the past week, but he knew not to read too much into it.
Julie was only interested in a fling. A walk in the wild side. She didn’t need any guidance, he thought with a smile, but he was glad she had chosen him. Julie Kent may look innocent, but she managed to turn him inside out.
He punched in Asia’s cell phone number. The moment his second-in-command answered, Eric asked, “Where is Julie?”
“She’s in the nightclub, I’m guessing.”
“The target is at the bar. Julie is not.” He glanced at the man in question. Zack wore a blinding white
T-shirt and extremely tight blue jeans. He was slouched against the bar trying to talk up a brunette.
The wrong brunette. He should be propositioning Julie.
Eric winced. God, he couldn’t believe he just thought that. “What is she doing?” he said sharply.
“Hey, I adore Julie,” Asia said. “But sometimes you need to leash her. She’s having way too much fun with her aliases.”
“Those aliases are the quickest way to get to the target,” Eric said in defense. He knew Julie placed too much emphasis on her disguises, but he was impressed by how she got into the target’s head and figured out each man’s particular fantasy girl.
“If I were heading this assignment, we would be celebrating at the hotel bar already.”
“Asia, I promise you can lead the next premarital screening.” He wouldn’t be here to take charge and if he had to transfer leadership, he would choose Asia. “Just tell me where she is.”
“I want it in writing that I get lead. You know Max is champing at the bit to take charge.”
He expected nothing less from Asia. Julie, on the other hand, would accept his word. She believed in him and his abilities, and he didn’t take that honor lightly. “I’ll send an email to Perry tonight,” he told Asia.
“Thank you,” she answered smugly. “I’ll tell Julie to find you.”
He ended the call, chugged down his water and checked on Zack’s location. From the disgusted expression of the brunette and how quickly she walked away, he suspected Zack failed to get as much as the woman’s name. Eric scanned the premises. This would be the best time for Julie to strike.
Where the hell was she?
He looked out onto the dance floor. Suddenly, the crowd parted. Eric blinked as he saw Julie under a spotlight, dancing to the music as she went from one partner to the next.
His heart clenched at the sight of her. Julie’s appearance wasn’t that different than how she looked at work. Her hair was pulled back in a tight French braid and her makeup was understated. She wore a fitted black halter dress that fell several inches above her knee. She looked sexy, but not scandalous.
She twirled on her black stiletto heels and Eric discovered that her dress was entirely backless. The plunging V showed a dramatic expanse of her smooth pale skin and suggested she wore nothing under that dress.
Eric watched, mesmerized, his pulse skipping a beat when she leaned forward. How did she keep from falling out of that dress? Sheer willpower?
As he watched her dance, he noticed the slight differences in her expression. Her friendliness was absent, and her mouth was formed in a pout instead of her breathtaking smile. He wasn’t fond of her aloof manner, but he could guess her alias: Ice Princess Julie.
Soon, his gaze ensnared hers. Julie’s eyes brightened and her lips pursed as if she were holding back a smile. He wanted that smile. Waited for it, but it didn’t come.
Julie faced him, her hips swaying, and motioned for him to come forward. Damn if that confident curl of her finger made him get up and meet her.
He moved as if he were hypnotized. His progress was slow, but he only had eyes for her. When he reached Julie, she pressed her hand against his chest before he could wrap his arms around her and stake his claim.
“What did I tell you about your shoes?” he asked.
“Aren’t they fabulous?” She twisted her foot from side to side. The metallic heel reflected the colored lights. “They were a steal at this consignment shop in Redmond.”
“They put you at a disadvantage.”
“No way, Eric. These shoes are my secret weapon. Look at what they do for my legs.”
It was best if he didn’t stare at her legs and remember how they felt tangled with his or wrapped tight around his waist. “Your target is at the bar,” he said, mindful of the people around her and the earpiece she wore.
“I know,” she said as she linked her arms around his shoulders and rocked her hips against him.
“The bar is that way.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on Zack,” she promised as she turned around and leaned against his chest while she danced.
“Sure you have.” Was she trying to drive him crazy?
“He only goes for women who blew off other men,” she said as she rocked her hips against him. “Hotter, cuter men. It’s like a challenge for him.”
“You saw that from across the nightclub?”
“Yes.” She turned around and hooked her leg over his hip. “The dance floor offers me a great vantage point before I make my move. My guess is that he has something to prove, but I can’t tell if he would go with a woman who—” She stopped in midsentence as her eyes widened.
Eric immediately went on alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I see Mercedes and Tiffany at the bar,” she said excitedly. Julie frowned and tilted her head as if she were listening to voices in her head. “No, Asia. They aren’t relevant to the case. Not this case, anyway.”
“Are they moving in on Zack?” Eric asked. The last thing they needed was to have to compete for their target’s attention.
“I doubt it.” She peered over his shoulder and tracked the women’s movements. “They go for computer geeks in pairs.”
“Then focus, Julie.”
“Oh, I’m focused.” Her eyes narrowed into slits.
Eric grasped her upper arms and looked directly into her eyes. “On our case,” he clarified. “The one we’re ge
tting money for so we can pay the rent.”
“But…but…” Her eyes flashed with frustration. He knew she was conflicted. She wanted to redeem herself with the decoy assignment, but the other investigation was so much more enticing with a bigger payoff.
“I’m going to make it very simple for you,” Eric said. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”
Her mouth set into a firm line. “You don’t even know what I’m considering.”
“Yes, I do. You want to do the decoy assignment and investigate at the same time.”
Her shoulders sagged in defeat. “How did you know that?”
“Finish this assignment first.” He saw the rebellious flare in her eyes. “That’s an order.”
“Fine. I will. Oh, and don’t take what I’m about to do personally. It’s part of my alias, I swear.” She flattened her hands against his chest and pushed him away. He staggered back a step and she flounced off the dance floor.
Eric watched her leave, enjoying the sight of her bare back. He couldn’t wait to take her back to his hotel and strip the dress from her body.
He frowned as he watched Julie stride past Zack. Was it his imagination or did her hips wiggle a little more? It caught Zack’s attention. The man watched Julie’s ass as she bent down to adjust her shoe before taking a bar stool several seats away from her target.
What was she doing? Eric walked off the dance floor ready to correct Julie’s mistake. He watched her request an apple martini. As she waited for her order, she gave Zack a quick once-over. When Zack raised his glass in a salute, she casually dismissed him.
Eric winced. This night was not going as planned. What was wrong with Julie? She could wrap this Zack around her finger if she wanted to. Was she trying to blow the assignment so she could pursue Mercedes and Tiffany? He wouldn’t put it past her.
He saw Zack get up from his bar stool. Great, the guy was probably going to leave and they had nothing for their client. No audio, no photos, no evidence. Nothing.
This was why he could never trust Julie as his partner. She wanted excitement and most investigations were mind-numbing work. She got distracted with whatever was new and shiny and wouldn’t have his back.
