by Mandy Baxter
Landon closed his eyes and expelled a gust of breath. The din of the rain drowned out everything, even his own ridiculous thoughts. He welcomed the void and simply listened as the pitter-patter of a light shower transformed into the deafening rush of a deluge.
“What are you doing?”
His thoughts exactly. What in the hell was he doing? It was ridiculous to want a woman he barely knew, or even think about pursuing a relationship with someone who was involved in not only a past case but a current one. Jesus.
“Landon. Get out of the rain. Are you crazy?”
Yes. He was abso-fucking-lutely crazy. He had to be, right? Was there any other explanation for his behavior over the past week?
“Landon!”
Warm hands cupped his face, and he opened his eyes to find Emma staring at him, her brow furrowed, expression pinched. Had she been trying to get his attention? Shit, he was so lost in his own thoughts he barely noticed. Droplets of water clung to Emma’s dark lashes, trickled down her face, and soaked her clothes through. When had it started to rain so damned hard? And what was she doing out here in this weather? She was probably freezing.
“Landon, what’s the matter with you?” Emma searched his face, her thumbs brushing his cheeks. “Come inside. You’re going to catch pneumonia.”
His emotions were still too close to the surface. The storm blowing around them was nothing compared to the one raging inside of him. With his control hanging on by a thread, even the slightest touch sent him reeling. He wanted her. Needed her more than air. And damn it, he was tired of suffocating.
Landon took Emma in his arms and crushed her to him. His mouth descended on hers, hungry, demanding, desperate in his ferocity. She melted against him, the cold of the rain dissolving under Emma’s heat. Her mouth slanted open on his, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers in a firm caress that only made him hungry for more.
The rain didn’t bother him, nor did the violent rush of wind that whipped at Emma’s drenched hair, sending the heavy curls this way and that. Landon’s brain short-circuited, along with any decent decision-making skills. His lust overtook everything else, and he released his grip on Emma for as long as it took to peel her wet shirt off of her body. The momentary separation was brief as their mouths found each other again and a gust of wind stole the garment from Landon’s grip. Where it went from there, he didn’t really care.
Emma’s enthusiasm matched his own as her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. She popped the last two in her impatience, and the urgency of her actions made Landon’s cock throb almost painfully. He wanted to be inside of her so badly he couldn’t think of anything else. She shoved his shirt down over his shoulders and he shrugged it the rest of the way off. Not wasting a second, she went for the button on his jeans, working it free with one hand while she pulled his zipper down with the other.
Her kisses were a drug, sweet, intoxicating, and instantly addictive. Landon couldn’t bring himself to stop even long enough to take a breath. She matched his fervor as their lips met again and again, tongues intertwined in a sensuous dance. His impatience mounted and Landon grabbed the cup of her bra, dragging it down to reveal one full, perfect breast. He cupped the weight in his hand, massaging as he brushed the pearled peak with his thumb. Emma arched into him, a low moan vibrating through him as they kissed.
Emma’s arms went around him, her palms traveling down his lower back and into his jeans to cup his ass. Her touch was electric, sending a rush of adrenaline through Landon’s system that reminded him of skydiving. An exhilarating free fall that made him feel so alive he wanted to shout his elation. She cupped his ass, her nails biting into his skin. He thrust his hips into her, his erection barely restrained by his open jeans and pressing against the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. One hand snaked around and palmed the bulge there and Landon’s breath caught in his chest. She stroked him through the fabric, and he thought he’d come right then and there, it felt so damned good.
She shivered as a gust of wind swept over them, and Landon came to his senses, albeit a little. As much as he wanted her right here and now, he needed to get her inside, where it was warm. Words were an inconvenience at this point, especially if it meant he had to stop kissing her for even a second. He wrapped his arms around Emma to steady her and slowly maneuvered them closer to the glass door. When it stayed their progress, Landon reached behind her to slide it open and eased them into the room, turning to slide the door closed behind them.
“Wow, that took some serious skill,” Emma murmured against his mouth. Her warm laughter traveled the length of Landon’s spine, and he took her bottom lip between his teeth before sucking gently.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He abandoned her mouth for her throat, and Emma tilted her head back to expose her neck to him.
“So far, you’re pretty impressive.” A slow moan followed on the heels of Emma’s words, and it was all he could do to keep from tossing her down on the bed and fucking her senseless. He nipped at the sensitive skin at the base of her ear, and she shuddered against him. A slow smile spread on his lips, and he repeated the action, this time dragging his teeth against her flesh slowly.
A loud knock interrupted the moment followed by a call of, “Room service.”
Landon cursed under his breath. Of all the shitty timing . . . “Be right there!” he called back, surprised at the thickness of his own voice.
“I forgot about the food,” Emma said with a laugh.
“I thought you were starving?”
Emma’s eyes were heavily lidded as a seductive smile spread across her lips. “I am. But not for food. Not anymore.”
Ho-ly shit.
Chapter Nineteen
“Stay out of sight, okay?”
Landon’s gaze raked over her in a way that warmed Emma from the inside out. She was dripping wet, wearing nothing more than her pants and a bra. He didn’t need to worry about her jumping out to say hello.
He waited by the door until she slipped into the bathroom. Once she was tucked out of sight, he opened the door and exchanged a pleasant hello with the hotel employee. As Emma waited, she touched her fingertips to her lips, skimmed the skin at her throat and trailed down lower between her breasts. From day one, Landon had been sending her mixed signals and it seemed as though interruptions like this one always sullied the moment and urged him to rethink his actions. Well, she wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Emma quickly unfastened her button and peeled the stretchy skinny-legged pants from her body. Holy crap, a cotton/denim blend was like superglue once it got wet and made contact with skin. After a brief struggle that sent her stumbling more than once, she managed to get her pants off and checked her reflection in the mirror. God, she looked like a drowned rat.
From the rack beside the shower, Emma grabbed a towel and dried her hair as best she could. If anything, it looked more wild and unkempt than before, but she wasn’t about to worry about it when there was a half-naked Landon McCabe waiting on the other side of the door. She was in the red zone and this was her Hail Mary. If she didn’t take a chance and drive in for the touchdown, she might as well call the game. It was now or never.
Emma waited for the sound of the door closing before she emerged from the bathroom. Her heartbeat sped like hummingbird wings as she tiptoed out into the room almost completely naked. Would Landon reject her yet again? Oh boy. She thought she could do this . . . but really, Emma wasn’t sure she could take another one of Landon’s cool dismissals. His back was turned to her as he arranged the plates of food on a small table in the far corner of the room.
“You ordered quite a spread,” he said with a laugh. “I had no idea that room service delivered . . .”
The words died on Landon’s tongue as he turned to face her. Emma’s heart jumped up into her throat as every ounce of blood in her body rushed to her head. What was he thinking? His jaw went slack and his eyes widened a fraction of an inch. She’d never felt so ex
posed. And though she wasn’t completely naked, she might as well be. Her heart was bare as she offered herself to Landon, and what happened from here on out was entirely up to him.
“Jesus Christ, Emma,” he breathed as he scrubbed a hand over his face.
She folded her arms across her chest to shield her body, suddenly self-conscious. So much for the Hail Mary. Her fourth-down drive had ended in an epic failure. She was done. So done. She couldn’t keep getting to this point with Landon only for him to put her at arm’s length. Spinning on a heel, Emma couldn’t get to the bathroom fast enough. She was locking herself in and not coming out until Landon was nowhere to be found.
“Where are you going?”
Landon’s hand gripped her wrist as he hauled her against his chest. His bright blue eyes shone with a heat that weakened her knees and quickened her breath. “To go put some clothes on?”
She hadn’t meant it as a question, but she couldn’t help the way her voice squeaked at the end. How sexy was she? Ugh. Landon’s lips spread into a wicked grin and her stomach did a backflip. Words couldn’t even begin to describe how that smile affected her. “No, you’re not.” His voice was a sensual growl that caused a warm rush between Emma’s thighs. He could make her wet with nothing more than his voice. “In fact,” he reached behind her to unfasten the clasp on her bra, “you’re not nearly bare enough for what I want to do to you.”
“Oh.” The word left Emma’s lips in an almost silent whisper as Landon eased the straps down her arms and removed her bra.
“I know I’ve been a crazy, fucking asshole for the past few days, but ever since that night on the roof”—he leaned down and placed a kiss at the swell of one breast—“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.”
Emma arched into his touch, a sigh slipping from between her lips. “Landon . . .” The words she wanted to say wouldn’t budge. That she’d wanted him for so long. Thought about him for years. That she beat herself up for wanting the man who’d arrested her dad. That she blamed him for the loneliness she’d felt over the past six years and yet she wanted him still. Needed him. The past week had been like a dream come true despite the nightmare she’d drawn everyone into.
She gasped as he took one stiff nipple into his mouth and sucked. Emma gripped onto his shoulders, bending back in his arms as he suckled her. His mouth was a brand on her skin, the sensation throbbing low between her thighs. When he pulled away to look at her, the cool air puckered her nipples even tighter. He took a few steps backward and eased down onto the armchair, pulling Emma down on top of him. She straddled his waist, the hard length of his erection brushing against her core through her underwear, and she kissed him, rocking her hips in a gentle rhythm.
Landon bucked his hips in the air, shoving his jeans down his thighs as he shimmied them off completely. There was something about his almost bare state that Emma found incredibly erotic. A couple of scraps of cotton fabric were all that kept their bodies from joining and it was a sweet torture she enjoyed.
“I could kiss you for hours,” Landon said against her mouth. “Just sit here and taste you for days.” His tongue darted out at the seam of her lips and Emma opened to him, kissing him deeply. She slanted her mouth across his and he cupped the back of her neck, holding her tight as he ground his hips hard against her core. A pleasant jolt shot through Emma’s body and she moaned into his mouth as she rubbed her palms over the sculpted marble bulge of his pecs. How many times had she fantasized about making out with Landon McCabe? And O-M-G, round three only confirmed that the real thing was way better than any of her girlish imaginings.
Touchdown!
His words warmed her heart, but his wandering hands did wicked things to her body that overheated Emma to the point of combustion. His fingers glided over her skin, down her shoulders and arms, across her collarbone and the swell of her breasts. Emma trembled as his fingertips feathered over her nipples, a pleasant tingle that resonated deep inside of her and made her already aching clit throb with the need for release. Landon took his time with her. He kissed her the way that some people ate a decadent dessert, as though reveling in every spoonful.
If Landon were a dessert, he’d be a flourless chocolate cake: rich, indulgent, and sinful, with a hint of bite to the sweetness. So good.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her hard before standing up straight, giving Emma no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist. With a quick spin, he deposited her in the chair, scooting her ass to the edge as he went down to his knees before her. Their eyes met and Emma’s breath caught at the intensity of his crystalline blue gaze.
He didn’t look away, kept his eyes locked on hers as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her underwear and pulled them down over her thighs. Landon dragged the garment slowly down, past her knees, then her calves and Emma lifted her feet so he could remove them completely. Chills chased across Emma’s skin as he dragged his palms up the insides of her thighs. He eased her legs apart and his eyes dipped down to her sex and stayed there as he hissed in a breath.
Anticipation coiled into a tight knot deep in Emma’s stomach. The moment stretched out as Landon simply looked at her. “Beautiful,” he murmured under his breath before reaching out to pet her. Emma whimpered as the pad of his finger swept over her clit, already swollen and so sensitive to his touch.
Landon came up on his knees and kissed her, a slow, soft kiss that made Emma’s toes curl. “You feel so good.” He worked his fingers over her slick flesh and let out a deep, contented sigh. “I can’t wait to see if you taste as good.”
Emma’s brain went blank. The thought of having Landon’s mouth on her in that way, licking and tasting her, short-circuited her thought process until all that was left in her mind was a pleasant buzz. Who needed a beer to relax when she had Landon McCabe whispering naughty things in her ear? She might melt right into the upholstery if he said one more thing.
“Oh, God, Landon. Do it.” It might have been brazen, but Emma couldn’t be bothered with whether or not she sounded a little too desperate and wanton. If that’s what it took to spur him into action, she’d say any dirty thing he wanted her to. “Put your mouth on me.”
Landon knelt before Emma as though in prayer to some sacred deity. And make no mistake, she was every bit a goddess laid out in front of him, her thighs spread and inviting, her glistening pussy begging for his touch. He could worship her for days, until he was too weak to move and dehydrated to a mound of dust. Landon could think of worse ways to go. Who needed food or water, anyway? As long as he had Emma, he didn’t need anything else.
Sure, but you don’t really have her. She’s isn’t yours.
Landon pushed the annoying voice of insecurity to the back of his mind. He’d take whatever he could get at this point. Even if it was only for tonight.
Emma’s lips curved into a soft smile that went straight through his chest like an armor-piercing round. Would it be creepy to admit that he wanted to stare at her for a while, devour every inch of her flawless, oiled-bronze skin with his eyes? He let his gaze wander, down the slim column of her throat, over the swell of her high, pert breasts and the erect dusky nipples he ached to reach out and touch. His gaze ventured lower and he took in Emma’s slim waist, which flared out at the delicious curve of her hips, over her thighs and dipped once again to her sex, dripping with her arousal. Sweet Jesus, she was perfection.
Emma’s brow furrowed and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth as though unsure. She sat a little straighter in the chair and said, “It’s okay, Landon. You don’t have to . . .”
Fucking hell. He’d sat there too long, staring like some stupid kid who’d never seen a naked woman before, and now she thought he wasn’t into her. How could she not understand the effect she had on him?
“Emma.” Landon shook his head and gave her a rueful grin as he once again positioned her on the edge of the chair. He guided one leg up and kissed her calf, the inside of her knee, her thigh. “You have no id
ea how badly I want to.” His eyes never left hers as he kissed his way to the juncture between her legs. “I wanted to see you first, take in every inch of your body and enjoy the sight of it.”
“Oh.”
The husky tenor of that one word made Landon’s balls draw up tight. Her brown eyes shimmered, her lids heavy as he ran his palms up her thighs and urged her to open for him once again. He dipped his head to that sweet spot he’d been dying to taste and flicked out with his tongue over her stiff and swollen bud.
“Oh my God.”
Emma’s breathy gasp on the heels of her passion-infused words pinged around inside Landon’s head, and all logical thought took a temporary leave of absence. He buried his face between her legs, lapping at her, sucking as a rush of adrenaline so intense it made him dizzy coursed through his veins.
Emma was the high Landon had been searching for his entire life.
What started out as a gasp transformed into a desperate whimper as Landon dragged the flat of his tongue against her soft flesh. He drew her swollen bud into his mouth and sucked. Emma’s back arched off the chair, and she dug her nails into the armrests as she thrust her hips, pressing against Landon’s mouth. He’d said he could kiss her all night, but he’d rather his mouth was buried between her thighs.
“Uhng . . .” Emma’s low, desperate moan spurred Landon on. Her scent, the evidence of her arousal sweet on his tongue, drove him wild. With one hand, he cupped her ass, tilting her up toward his mouth, and with his other, he eased one finger, and then another inside of her.
Emma lunged forward as he worked his fingers inside of her tight channel, his tongue swirling over her clit. She cried out as her hands dove into his hair, fisting the short strands as she held him tight against her. Landon had her on the edge; it wouldn’t take much to send her over completely. His cock throbbed, jutting out from between his legs, so hard he felt the slightest bit of discomfort.
Damn, this was without a doubt the best adrenaline high of his life.
