When he drew her closer, his body kissed hers, and the strain of his erection rubbing against her alerted her senses. A long, steely rod mashed against her lower belly, and her thin sundress did nothing to prevent the friction of bodies rubbing together. What started off as soft and nice turned desperate and hungry in a hurry.
“Jeff,” she rasped, trying to break the connection. His mouth followed hers. His tongue silenced her.
Jeff’s kiss seduced her. His heavy arms embraced her, inviting her to accept what he was proposing.
Paige was lost in the moment. His tongue tantalized the tip of her own, and he kissed her deeper, with more passion, encouraging her to let herself go.
Finally, she broke free, giving him her cheek. “Please, Jeff.”
“All right,” he said wickedly, but he swept her into his arms and carried her back downstairs.
She swallowed over and over again. What had she provoked, exactly?
He placed her on the bed, backed away, and began working his hands over his buttons. He stripped away his shirt, loosened the top snap on his pants, and eyed her like his next high-priced meal.
“No,” she objected. “I don’t want this.”
“This is exactly what you want,” he assured her, unhooking his belt and snapping the leather strap when he freed it from the loops.
“I thought…”
“Up there,” he interrupted her, “was for show. Down here? It’s only you and me.”
Paige hurriedly moved to the other side of the bed. He caught her before she escaped into the bathroom, pressing his palm to her stomach and her hand to his protruding member, which was respectively still covered by clothing. “Let me hold you.”
“Holding me is not what you have in mind,” she said, squeezing his shaft because she could, because he’d placed her hand there, and simply because the temptation was too great to deny.
His lips twitched. He moved into her again. “No,” he admitted. “But we could start with an embrace and go from there.”
The sudden fear of being alone with a man known to kill his lovers shot a dose of fear straight through her body. Ramone had been a known killer, a criminal notorious for the deadly way he conducted business. Was Jeff different? Did he truly desire her or was she another notch in his belt, a trophy to go back and show his fellow team members?
“Come on, baby,” he said, sliding her hand over his erection. “Let me make you mine.”
Her head was spinning. Was that a smooth line or what? He wanted to make her his? What kind of promise, if it was an oath at all, was that?
The need to self preserve kicked in when he nipped at her ear and claimed one more inch of her flesh with his heavenly tongue. Jeff was good. He was a true magician in the art of seduction.
“You think you want to have sex with me?” she asked, very much aware of the woman she was becoming, the fight in her coming out regardless of how much she wanted to conceal her former self. “Is this what you want?” she asked, ripping her shirt open and watching the dark, wild obsession light its flame behind the eyes of a man quite capable of providing a woman with sinful pleasures.
“It’s not a matter of thinking, baby,” he told her, unhooking her bra and dropping his head to her chest. “It’s a matter of taking what you obviously can’t wait to give me.”
After her bra fell to the carpet, he lapped at her nipple, flattening the tip of his tongue against the point. “Damn, you’re so sweet.” He pushed her breasts high, moving his mouth from one to the other and lavishing her with a mouthful of affection.
Paige stared straight ahead. She enjoyed his attention far more than she’d expected. The way he ran his mouth and tongue over her brought on heat and pleasure, but at the same time, she remembered the heartache previous sexual encounters brought with the experience. A man like Jeff Jacobsen was capable of bringing plenty of pain, too, wasn’t he?
Oh, but this was so good, she mused. Jeff’s lips were soft and attentive. His hands spun magic. He ground his lower half against hers, and fireworks exploded in her core. Her lust ran deep, and the need to give herself to Jeff was profoundly different than anything she’d ever experienced with Ramone.
His hands fell to her hips, and he ground against her with more determination. “That’s it, darlin’, let’s fuck around awhile, what do you say?”
She wanted to say yes. She was dying to say yes. How long had it been since she’d had sex? She shivered when she thought of the last time, remembering how Ramone had taken her to his room and locked the door. They’d stayed there locked up like two lovesick pups, at least that’s what he wanted everyone on his staff to believe. He’d refused to let her leave his suite, and she’d emerged four, maybe five days later, battered, bruised, sore, and broken.
Jeff worked her body forward and back. Pressing his erection against her, he kissed her breasts and stomach, inching toward her pussy, and pulling at her, forcing her to kneel on the floor.
“Stop,” she said, gasping.
“No way, honey. I’m going to eat you alive.”
Jeff positioned his head at her center and shot her a devilish grin. Then, he shifted lower, drawing her leg forward. His tongue went to work, circling her knee around and around while inching the skirt of her dress higher and higher.
“No, I said stop!” She slapped her hands against him and backed away all at once, snatching her bra from the floor and rushing into the living room. She kept her back to him long enough to slip her arms into the black lace bra and readjust the top of her sundress so it covered her completely.
When she turned around, she expected to find a very angry man. Instead, he looked confused. “Are you really going to pretend you’re this innocent girl with me?” And maybe a little perturbed. “You’re, what, nearly twice my age, and you want me to think you’re afraid of sex?”
The age thing was a stretch. Should she be offended? Had he been trying to insult her?
“I’m sorry, Jeff. I don’t mean to send mixed signals.” And why the hell was she apologizing to this man?
“Do you want to talk about what’s going on?”
“I…no, not really,” she said, noting the stark hunger in his eyes. She’d let things go too far, and now, she’d have a hard time slamming on the brakes.
“Finish what you were saying,” he encouraged her.
“Jeff, there’s no way I can be with you.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“Is it because you have some crazy notion I’m going to fuck the life out of you and then kill you?”
“That’s your reputation. You’re the man who literally sucks the last breath from his victims. If you weren’t protected by your handler, or whoever it is paying you to kill targets, some might believe you’re a serial killer given your history.”
“Someone has filled your head with nonsense.” He released a low, dry chuckle. “It’s not like that.”
“Then why don’t you explain to me what it’s like?”
Jeff sat on the corner of the coffee table. He dropped clasped hands between his thighs. “Paige, I really don’t want to get into the details of my missions.”
“If you sleep with me, you will.”
He took a deep breath and studied the carpet like he fully intended to count each stitch, every thread. When he refocused on her again, true emptiness and sorrow gleamed in his eyes. “I have my reasons for doing what I do. I’m no different from any soldier in any branch of the military. The only difference is instead of returning to base after a tour, I’m sent back to a nice, relaxing ranch that is more secure than any military base in the world.”
“Why is that?”
“Our operations are considered very dangerous. Some call them suicide missions. Our team prefers to think of our assignments like we’re playing Russian roulette with our lives. We’re confident, each and every one of us, that we’ll forever dodge the bullet. We don’t see ourselves as dead men walking. And so far, our team has been lucky. We’
ve never lost a man, and Adam’s partly responsible for that.
“Even though we face terrible opposition when we’re working, we train for each assignment and we work hard before we go in the field, studying mock personality assessments, daily routines, personal habits, and physical attributes. We know more about our primary targets than their mothers or spouses.”
She listened carefully to every word, trying to get a glimpse of the man behind the killer. He went on after a long pause. “I won’t justify why I chose this career. Lately, I’ve even begun to question my choices.”
“Then why do you do it?”
“It’s not for the money, if that’s what you think.”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“There are many reasons this career appealed to me, and I don’t wish to discuss those with you right now. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve lost sight of those. The causes I fought for don’t matter as much as they used to.”
“Why?”
His gaze held hers in an entrancing moment. Seconds passed, and she couldn’t look away from him. Her heart slammed against her chest cavity, and she wondered why one look from him made her feel like she could melt. Did he feel the same?
“My goals have changed,” he finally said. “Or they are changing.” A strike later and he added, “I’m not sure why, at least not yet.”
“Have you thought about walking away?”
“At times, I’ve considered leaving, but then there will be one more mission, and I’m good at what I do.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Where?” he asked curiously.
“I have my sources.”
“I suppose you do. You’ve proven yourself very resourceful.”
She smiled, feeling satisfied he’d noticed.
“Paige, the fact is, I am dangerous.”
“Really?”
“Shocking, huh?”
“Are you dangerous to me?”
His face softened. “You’re more dangerous to me than I am to you.”
“How’s that possible? I was a target.”
“Keyword was! I’m not going to kill you.”
“What makes me any different than anyone else you’ve taken out?”
His facial expression changed. “You’re different, that’s all.”
Was that sincerity she saw flashing in his eyes?
“We both know what I do for a living isn’t the real issue here,” he stated flatly.
“What else could it be?”
“You tell me,” he said.
Could she confide her worst nightmares in a man she had every reason to fear? Did she want Jeff to have a glimpse inside her past?
“Paige, I’ve told you again and again I’m not going to hurt you.” He went to her. “Can you try and trust me?”
Her gaze met his. “How many were there?”
Jeff gulped. “Women?”
“Yes.”
“Several.”
“Did you want to kill them?”
His eyes went stone cold. “I had a job to do.”
“And killing them after you took them to bed was what?”
“A job benefit,” he said, a wicked, lopsided smile shaping his lips. The light in his eyes quickly diminished. “Like I said, it’s not what you think.
“In a nutshell, I appeal to dangerous women. My job requires that I get close to them, and then when they’re of no use to me any longer, I back off. So far, all women targets I’ve encountered on the job have refused to let me go. When that happens, I take them out. It’s my job. It’s what I do. It’s not who I am.
“Killing women isn’t something I wanted to do, but most of them can’t let me walk away with the information I’ve retrieved. Remember, we’re not talking Snow White here. These women have killed plenty of harmless people.”
“What you’ve done haunts you, though, doesn’t it?”
Jeff walked over to the wet bar and stirred up a drink. They could thank Callan later. The young Irishman thought of everything—champagne, single malt scotch, and even a bottle of brandy.
“Don’t you feel some remorse?”
He swirled the dark liquid around in his tumbler, peering over the rim like any answer he needed might be found in that glass. “Paige, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Not right now.”
“You’re sorry for the things you’ve done. I can see it in your eyes. Why won’t you admit the truth to me? You want me to trust you. How can I do that when you won’t open up to me?”
“That’s what I’ve done. I’ve said too much already.” Jeff took a sip of his drink. His brandy-moistened lips formed a thin line.
She was pushing his buttons. She didn’t care. “I look at you and see a man who could have everything, maybe even a family, but you have nothing.”
He slammed the glass down and went to her. “That’s right, Paige! I have nothing! I have nothing to offer you, and before you let me in your bed, you need to think about that!
“I want you. God help me, I ache for you, and maybe I have since the day we met, but I can’t give you anything. If I take you to bed, I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to love you like crazy, but tomorrow or the next day, or maybe even the day after that, I will let you go!”
Paige lost the will to breathe then. She couldn’t find her voice, but maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. What did she say to that? How could she respond to such a passionate declaration when she realized everything Jeff said, he meant.
“Jeff…”
“Don’t,” he said, putting his hands in front of his body. “I can’t do this with you, not now.”
“You want me.” After listening to him and hearing such passion in his voice, Paige understood his longing.
“It’s a hunger I’m not sure I’ll ever sate,” he admitted.
“And when did you decide this, exactly?”
His lips twitched. “I found you extraordinarily beautiful when we first met, but I came to look at you in a different light when you ran with me. Today was exhilarating. I had a good time with you.”
“I was running away from you,” she stated flatly.
“No, you weren’t,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “You may not have realized it, but when you took off down the beach this morning, you weren’t headed anywhere except straight into my arms.”
“You like a challenge, Jeff.”
“Yes, but I like you a lot, too,” he growled, licking and nipping at her bottom lip.
“Jeff,” she moaned, the need claiming her as violently as any winter wind.
“I can’t promise you anything,” he whispered, tasting her, coaxing her. “But I’ll be good to you in the short time we have. Right now, let me be with you. Let me love on you, sweetheart. Trust me enough.” Another wicked whisper led to another seductive request. “Make love to me. Hold me.”
Paige draped her arms over his shoulders and gave into temptation. Allowing Jeff to lead her into a groping session so out of control, she succumbed to the pleasure and found herself imprisoned by her desires. Still, mental barriers existed. She had to overcome those, and she wasn’t sure how.
Her head fell to the side, and his lips covered her ear. “Take it easy. Your heart is pounding against my chest.” He kissed his way down her neck, around her full breast, and then he stepped away from her.
Paige’s body told her one thing. Her head told her another. Could she lose her heart to a confessed assassin? Regardless of which side of the law he stood on, Jeff killed for a living. And…oh, God, she was losing herself!
The way he touched her heated her flesh but burned her heart and soul. She’d never been so torn before—wanting to love, but dying to protect herself at the same time.
Heaven help her, his eyes. He looked at her like she was the only woman he’d ever met, the only female he’d ever seen or ever wanted to take to his bed and love.
Had she ever met a man so captivated by her? His gaze was heavy. Tenderness pooled in his eyes as much as desir
e. He couldn’t fake that, could he?
Paige drew him to her once more, framing his face and kissing him with everything she had to give, urging him forward, but yet knowing there was no way she could put aside her fears.
“Jeff,” she gasped. “Oh, Jeff, I’m sorry. I can’t…I don’t know how.” And there it was—some element of the truth she desperately wanted concealed.
“Yes, you can,” he assured her, stepping out of his pants. His long, hard penis protruded through the opening in his boxers, gaining her attention. Did she have the will to stop him now?
Connor’s words of advice rang in her ears. He’s a killer. He kills for sport.
Damn it! She couldn’t trust him.
“I’m not having sex with you,” she said with finality. “So you can put your pants on the same way you took them off—quickly!”
He grabbed her from behind and held fast to her body. “Paige, don’t do this. You’re denying yourself, and there’s no reason for it.”
She twisted and turned, fighting to get away from him, feeling trapped all of a sudden. “Let…me…go!”
Jeff relented. Several fists pounded against the door.
“What the fuck?” Connor yelled moments later when he entered the room. He stalked toward Jeff, ready to throw a punch. Miles went for him, too, but Paige soon saw the reason for his swift approach. Miles kept the two men from fighting. Jeff and Connor gripped one another by their collars. Veins bulged, strung tight with fury.
“Break it up, you two!” Miles shouted. “We don’t have time for this!”
Paige slammed the door, preventing the housekeeping service from viewing what was taking place in their room. What had she done? Oh, God, what was she doing…to herself, and to Jeff?
“Damn you,” Connor growled, possessive and angry. “You couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“I see Callan successfully placed the bugs in this room,” Jeff grumbled in a deadly tone.
“Back away, Connor!” Miles warned.
“No, let him take his best shot,” Jeff taunted. “I don’t blame him. She tastes like heaven and feels as soft as snow-white clouds. He ought to be mad. Hell, I’d be ready to knock his lights out, too!”
Blaine, Destiny - Breakfast by the Sea (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 12
