by Tawny Weber
“No,” she finally said, after a quick squint in the murky light didn’t tell her one way or another. “My aunt was in town and said she’d drop off some packages for me to wrap. She probably forgot to keep Persephone inside.”
He nodded. He didn’t relax, though. If anything, he tensed up even more. Because now it was just them, she realized as her stomach sank into the toes of her Frye boots. They weren’t talking about the cat rescue, or the need for him to pull out his detective’s badge.
Her breath stuck somewhere in her chest, Jade sucked in her lower lip and sighed.
“Wait,” she said, her words low and husky. Quiet, because of the crowd encircling them. Afraid he’d think they were a come-on, she cleared her throat and tried again. “I mean, can we talk?”
He looked as if she’d asked him if he wanted to strip naked and climb back up the Christmas tree while singing “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
“About the case,” she said. If cop mode was all she could have from him, she’d take it. At least until he realized she wasn’t trying to lure him into anything. Not a relationship, not a commitment. Not even her bed. “Or, you know, we can just sit and I’ll protect you from all the matchmaking mommas who are eyeing you right now.”
His cringe was infinitesimal, but she knew she’d hit her target when he cast a wary eye around the room.
“I’m not interested in matchmaking,” he said loud enough to make a couple of matrons frown. Then he met her gaze, his dark eyes serious, with just a hint of regret. “Or in being matched.”
Jade’s expression didn’t change as she slowly nodded. Message received.
“I’m not either. But we can be friends, can’t we?” she asked quietly. Her heart trembled in her throat as she stared into his eyes, waiting for his response. Hoping it’d be positive. She might not get to keep him forever, or even for a little while. But couldn’t she have him for just a little longer? Maybe just until Christmas, since he was her Christmas wish.
Because no matter how much her heart whined, she didn’t expect him to change. She’d given up too many dreams for other people’s good that the idea of someone giving up even a portion of theirs for her filled her with dread. Not even if it meant that he’d suddenly realized he was insanely wild about her, and declared his life incomplete unless she climbed on that Harley behind him to ride off into the sunset.
“Got a solid hold on your cat?” he asked.
Jade blinked in confusion, but checked her grip on Persephone. “Yes?”
“Let’s go then.”
“Go?”
“Go talk.”
11
DIEGO STOOD in the doorway, waiting while Jade checked all the windows and doors in her house to make sure the cat’s escape had been an aunt-related error and nothing else.
She’d invited him in, but as much as he hated looking like an idiot, he hadn’t felt it smart to go farther than the entry. Not until they’d established a few things.
So there he stood, looking at anything and everything except his own personal crime scene, aka her couch. But not looking didn’t stop the memories of how she’d looked, naked beneath him. Of how her skin had felt, silky soft and sleek under his hands. Of how she’d tasted, rich and tempting against his tongue. The sounds she’d made echoed through his mind like the sweetest song, one he was desperate to hear, again and again.
But as long as he didn’t look at the couch, he’d be okay. Like looking into that snake-headed gal’s eyes...avoid them and he wouldn’t be turned to stone.
Trying not to feel like a wimp, Diego gratefully greeted Persephone as she padded out of the kitchen to wrap around his ankles.
“You doing better now?” he murmured.
She meowed and looked up expectantly.
For what? He’d done his good deed for the day. Unless she was about to splat against a hard surface again, this was as close as they were getting.
He crossed his arms and stared. She stared right back.
He wasn’t about to be intimidated into submission by something that weighed less than ten pounds.
She stood on her back legs, leaning both front paws against his knee. Then, in evil-cat fashion, she rubbed the side of her face against his leg.
“Crap.”
Glancing around to make sure Jade wasn’t nearby, he held out his hands. The cat plopped back on her butt and glared.
“Best offer,” he told her. “Take it or leave it.”
With a graceful leap, she took it. He tried not to grin as she curled against his chest as she’d done earlier, purring like a freight train.
“Told ya you were her hero,” Jade said.
Diego damn near tossed the rumbling cat across the room. He hadn’t heard her come in.
Jade didn’t smirk, though. Instead, she looked serious. Like a woman who wanted to have a talk. His gut tightened, but avoiding the couch was about as chicken as Diego would allow himself.
“I think she’s still stressed from her tree adventure,” he defended, handing Jade her cat, despite the feline’s protest. “No reason to think I’m a hero for just doing my job.”
Jade gave him a long look before bending down to set the cat on the floor with a quick scratch behind her ears.
“I suppose ‘hero’ is just a part of the job description for you,” she commented as she straightened. The move shifted the knit fabric so it slid temptingly over her body, hugging her waist, curving along the sleek lines of her hips. “But Persephone and I aren’t used to heroes, so we think it’s pretty special.”
He remembered what Applebaum had said about her fiancé bailing at the last minute. Compared to a loser like that, he could see why someone who did the right thing might seem heroic to her. Diego frowned. But that didn’t make him one.
“Look, we need to talk.”
“Hmm, I’m pretty sure I said that already.” Her tone stayed serious, but her eyes danced with humor as she gave him an arch look.
He’d sneaked out of her bed like a creep, turning an incredible night of passion into a cheap one-night stand. He’d spent two days avoiding her and hadn’t had the courtesy of even acknowledging what an ass he’d been. And she wasn’t pissed? As he crossed his arms over his chest, his frown shifted into a glower. What the hell was she up to?
“Did you want to sit down?” she invited, waving a hand toward the living room. Diego’s gaze inadvertently followed to land on the blue velvet couch. The soft, tempting blue velvet couch.
“No.”
“You’d rather stand here, in the hallway?” She still sounded serious enough, but her lips were twitching now.
Why was she so easygoing? He’d spent enough time in Diablo Glen, talked to enough people and heard enough gossip to know that Jade Carson didn’t have guys sliding in and out of her bed.
So why wasn’t she more, well, girlie about it?
Unless she was relieved.
Diego’s ego cringed.
“I’d rather say what I have to say,” he told her quickly, needing to get back on track before he gave in to his ego’s need to prove his worthiness. “After I’m through, we’ll see what’s what.”
She bit her lip as if debating whether or not she wanted to hear him. He figured not. But like broccoli and exercise, it’d be good for her. And for him, he admitted with a sigh. He wasn’t a fan of opening up and sharing. But he owed her.
“I need your help on this case,” he admitted, figuring that was the best place to start. A factual appeal to her civic duty.
“Again, I’m pretty sure I’ve made that offer already.” She stepped around him, close enough that the floral scent of her twisted through his senses. It wasn’t perfume, he remembered. It was her shampoo. Soft, like roses at midnight, with just a hint of citrus. She didn’t touch him, though. Just mo
ved past and settled onto the bench next to the front door.
“You didn’t want to sit,” she explained, “but my feet are killing me. These boots weren’t made for chasing a cat through town.”
Diego just nodded. He didn’t want to get distracted, afraid that the minute they shifted into comfortable, friendly chatter he’d forget why he’d agreed to talk.
“I need your help,” he repeated. “But we need to establish some parameters.”
“You want my help, and you want to make sure I agree to follow your rules before you let me give it?” she clarified, finally showing a crack in her friendly shell. Anger sparked, making her eyes flash like brilliant emeralds.
When she put it that way, his request sounded so arrogant. Then again, there was a good reason why he was a loner. He didn’t do this talking crap very well.
“Look, I told you that I’m up for a promotion. Getting it means a lot to me,” he explained, biting back the impatience and trying to sound reasonable. “But for that to happen I have to stick tight to regulations on this case. Sleeping with someone connected to the case falls in the category of flipping off the spirit of the regulations, even if it doesn’t break the actual rules.”
When her eyes rounded, he wondered if he’d gone too far. Maybe he should have sugarcoated his comments? But her complacent sweetness was digging at his ego.
“So sleeping with me was a bad career move? Is that why you sneaked off without even a goodbye? The reason you’ve avoided me the last two days? Because you’re afraid of upsetting your boss?”
He winced. When she put it that way, it sounded pretty rotten. But, again, she didn’t look hurt. Or pouty or upset or about to throw a tantrum. None of the typical female responses. He narrowed his eyes, suddenly more worried than he’d have been if she’d hefted a big-ole frying pan toward his head. Instead, she looked like a woman who’d just grabbed the gauntlet. Not good.
Like a clever cat stalking a wily mouse, Jade stood. The slow smile curving her lips was wicked. Wicked enough to make him forget she was a good girl. To forget he didn’t do small towns, that he didn’t do good girls and that he wouldn’t be around long enough to get his fill of her, even if he forgot all the rest.
She took three steps forward, close enough for him to feel her body heat. With no input from his brain at all, his body leaned toward hers. He craved the feeling of her soft warmth again. The memory of her breasts crushed against his chest filled his mind. Sent the blood pounding through him to energize—and harden—his entire system. He craved the taste of her. He needed to touch her. He desperately wanted to strip her bare and worship every inch of her before driving the hard, throbbing length of himself into her waiting heat.
Diego tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry. At that moment if his promotion sprouted wings and flew around his head screaming warnings, he’d have swatted it away.
Then, with that innate instinct some women had, Jade seemed to realize that he’d hit his breaking point.
And she used that exact moment to lean in just a little closer. So the flowery-citrus scent of her shampoo filled his senses. So close he could see the creamy perfection of her skin and know for sure that her lush black lashes were a gift from Mother Nature, not Maybeline.
So close he could reach out with one bite and eat her up if he wanted.
And man, oh, man, he wanted.
The look in her eyes warned him that she’d bite right back. And there’d be nothing sensual about her move.
“Look, hotshot,” she said, tapping her silver-tipped red fingernail against his chest three times. “I’ve already taken the ride, so I can say firsthand that you’re amazing in bed. The key to hearing angels sing, even.”
His ego purred.
“But?”
Because he knew there was a but there. One that would probably make him look like an ass.
“But I don’t have to chase a man to get him into my bed. Nor do I have to trick him or trap him or play some silly game to keep him there....” Her pause was a work of art, drawn out just long enough to make it clear who she thought had played the game. Then she tilted her head to the side, so her hair swept like a silken wave over her shoulder. “And I promise, if we end up naked together again, it’ll be because you begged me.”
This time when her gaze swept his body, it was as electrifying as if she’d skimmed her fingers over his hard, bare flesh. Despite the cool air, a trickle of sweat slid down Diego’s spine.
“And if that happens,” she continued, her tone as arch as the look she gave him, “I promise, I won’t be as easy on you as I was last time.”
He couldn’t help but be impressed. He’d never been put so tidily in his place. Even as his brain flashed danger signals, his bruised ego demanded a chance to prove itself. His body was aching to let it have its way. Begging was looking pretty damn good.
He was insanely attracted to her big eyes and the appeal of her dimples. Her body was a gorgeous combination of curves and sleek lines. And those legs. His mouth watered just thinking about how they’d felt wrapped around his hips. Throw in her taste in underwear and she was just about the sexiest woman he’d ever met.
But he was pretty sure it was her smart-ass mouth and clever mind that attracted him the most.
A scary thing for a man who prided himself on the fact that the few relationships he’d ever had were emotionally distant and completely superficial.
“I’d beg for you,” he said, putting it all out there because she deserved nothing less. “But that’d be a mistake. A big one. For both of us.”
Her eyes flashed hot and excited at his vow to beg, then dimmed as she frowned.
“A mistake? We were pretty freaking awesome together.” The crease in her brow deepened as she tilted her head to the side. “Weren’t we?”
“Yeah. We were. But I’m short-term. As soon as I solve this case, I’m leaving,” he reminded her. If nothing else, he had to know he’d been honest. He might not be able to give her hearts and flowers and forever. But he could give her honesty. Well, honesty and the most incredible sex she’d ever had. Except he shouldn’t be thinking about the incredible sex, he reminded his hardening body. He shouldn’t be angling to have it again and again and again.
But he was.
“You’re going to do your best to solve the case as fast as possible. Which means you’d feel guilty, like you were doing a hit-and-run, if we kept getting naked together,” she stated. No recriminations, no pouting. Just simple understanding. Diego swore, if he believed in love, he’d have fallen for her right then and there. The woman was incredible.
As if she’d read his thoughts and figured it was time to step up the game and show him a whole lot of you-ain’t-seen-nothing-yet, Jade offered a slow, sexy smile.
“You really are a hero, aren’t you?”
“I am not,” he snapped, offended. Not offended enough to blunt his desire for her, though. Maybe if she insulted his manhood or disused Harleys, his hard-on would ebb.
“Sure you are. You’re worried about me. You want me, but you need to do the right thing. So instead of begging like you’d like, you’re going to push this—” she waved her fingers between their bodies, as if indicating invisible, yet potent, flames of desire “—away and pretend it’s not flaming between us. Sort of like you sneaked out of my bed the other day.”
He opened his mouth to deny sneaking, then snapped it shut and gave a bad-tempered shrug instead.
“You don’t want a purely sexual relationship,” he told her, even though he hoped he was wrong.
“Nope,” she agreed. “I don’t.”
Diego nodded. See. He’d been right. It felt like getting kicked in the nuts, then force-fed liver and onions. But hey, right was right, even if it felt like crap.
“But I wouldn’t mind an honest, open sexual relationship
with a gorgeous man,” she mused out loud. Her words were light and easy. The look in her eyes was intense and searching. “A friendship, hanging out together, maybe a few dates. No promises, no regrets.”
“A relationship?” he hazarded, not sure since he’d never really had one. Didn’t they come with requirements, though? Like no guaranteed expiration date.
“A relationship,” she agreed, biting her lip and looking afraid for a second. Then she took a deep breath, as if gathering her courage. And gave him a smile that sent every concern, every argument, clear out of his head.
“Just like that?” he asked, realizing that feeling in his chest was hope. Almost afraid to believe, he gently settled his fingers on the slender curve of her hips. She felt so good, he silently groaned, giving in to the need to pull her closer. To feel her body, warm and soft, against his.
“Just like that.”
His eyes locked on hers, he slowly—so, so slowly—lowered his head to hers. A second before he could kiss her, she pulled back a tiny bit.
“Except for one thing,” she said.
Just one? He could think of a million things he’d do, offer, promise, to have her.
“Anything,” he promised, meaning it.
“Say please,” she whispered against his lips, her eyes lit up with wicked glee. Then she ran her tongue, hot and wet, over his lower lip.
“Please,” he groaned just before taking her mouth with desperate, biting kisses.
Begging, his mind intoned. It does a body good.
* * *
HOW COULD A FULLY CLOTHED, nonsexual encounter have her just as hot and bothered as a totally naked, decadently sensual exploration? Jade wondered. A week of hot, wild sex should have blunted her need for Diego, shouldn’t it? Or at least put a dent in the clawing desperation to lick his hard...muscles.
Sitting on her living room floor, carols playing softly in the background as the tree lights flashed gentle colors, Jade was surrounded by wrapping, ribbons and glitter. All of which usually made her very happy. Dressing up a package was almost as fun as dressing up a person. At least, it usually was.
