by Jill Sanders
Brian finished the sandwiches and slid a plate across the counter towards Mia.
“Is there anyone else you can think of in town? They need to have access to a facility large enough for manufacturing. Word is, there’s lots of it coming out of Haven, enough to get on the radar of the DEA.”
“Right.” He thought about it. “Besides the buildings in town, there are hundreds of places in the mountains that I don’t know about. Including the new McGowan school.” He hadn’t driven up into the hills and scouted the new facility out yet. “We can check that out tomorrow, if you’re up for it.”
“Sure.” She bit into her sandwich. “Do you think the McGowans have anything to do with this?”
“No.” He chuckled. “Hell, those boys are squeaky clean now that they’re all family men. Maybe even before. Sure, they were playboys, but…” He shook his head when he thought about it. The McGowan men had been known in the past for being womanizers and playboys, but never anything illegal. “Because of the school, there are a lot of new faces in and near town. Hell, those apartments they have on campus house close to a hundred.”
“Think it could be an out-of-towner?” She opened a bag of chips and offered him some.
Taking a handful, he shrugged. “Could be, if they had access to a place big enough. I doubt the drugs are coming out of the apartments though.”
“Right.” Her eyes ran over him. “So, I bet you’re an ass man.”
He was so shocked by her words that he almost spewed the sip of water he’d just taken. Swallowing, he took a deep breath. “What makes you say that?”
She tilted her head. “Well, it’s sort of obvious. I mean, Darla…” She made a motion over her chest, hinting at Darla’s ample cleavage. “And yet you weren’t attracted to her. Which means…” She shrugged. “You’re an ass man.”
He chuckled. “What if I’m gay?”
He enjoyed the burst of laughter that came from Mia. “You’re not gay, I’ve seen you looking.”
“Maybe I haven’t found the right…” He made the same motion over his chest.
She shook her head, finishing off the chips and sandwich. “Nope, I don’t think so.” She sighed. “So, what is your type? And don’t give me the bullshit you did earlier.”
He watched her tongue dart out and lick the barbeque powder from the chips from her lips. Without really thinking it through, he leaned closer and laid his lips over hers.
Chapter 6
What the hell was she doing? Kissing Brian was the worst mistake she could ever make. Yet, here she was, letting him kiss her and, even worse, enjoying it.
When his hand moved into her hair, she jerked away, almost tipping over the stool.
“Sorry,” he said, softly. But he was smiling, so she doubted he was sorry.
“Right.” She tried to act cool while her heart beat a million miles an hour. “So, that happened.”
He chuckled. “It’s long past due.”
“You kissed me earlier,” she reminded him.
“That was work.” He cocked his head as his eyes searched hers. “This wasn’t.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Am I to assume I’m your type then?”
He laughed and shook his head, then walked around the counter to clean up.
“Well?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“Mia, you’re everyone’s type.” He turned and leaned on the counter, then slowly crossed his arms. She admired how powerful his chest was before she got control of her thoughts again. “You’re freaking Megan Fox and Joan of Arc all wrapped up together. You can kill a man with your bare hands and yet steal his heart with a simple look. You’re Albert Einstein smart and yet have a knack for making people around you feel smarter.” He smiled. “Anyone who doesn’t fall instantly in love with you is either blind or stupid.”
She was left speechless. Did he really think all of that about her? It wasn’t as if she had a self-esteem issue, but still, she struggled with how she viewed herself. What woman didn’t? But she had never thought of herself the way he did. He made her seem… like a freaking goddess.
Which was ironic, because she’d always thought of him as pretty much the same. A god made for sex and pleasure. Of course, he’d been off-limits due to them working so close together. She’d had a few work-related relationships in the past and shortly before meeting Brian had sworn off them.
She watched him push off from the counter and walk towards the back door. “We’d better head out,” he called after her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she was going to make it through this assignment, she needed to stay focused. Wondering what being with him would be like was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
She grabbed her coat from the hook by the back door, slipped on her boots, and stepped outside. She shivered.
“Yeah,” he said from the bottom of the porch. “It’s supposed to get colder in the coming days. We’re expecting snow tomorrow.”
“Where to?” she asked after sliding into the car.
“Let’s start on the main strip.” He handed her a file. “Map of the town. Every building that’s empty or in question is highlighted.”
She opened the folder and looked over the map as they started driving. She wrote little notes on each building—how many doors there were and their location, if there were any cars parked out front, if the lights were on or if the building looked abandoned at this late hour. She wrote down anything she could think of as Brian drove around slowly.
The entire time she tried to focus on her job, but that kiss kept replaying in her mind. He’d shaken her to her core and even her body was having a tough time letting go of the sensation of Brian’s hands on her.
By the time they were done driving around the small town, she was exhausted. Her eyes burned and it was very difficult to read her own notes.
“Done for the night?” Brian asked.
“Yes,” she agreed quickly. “I guess we should have taken another nap instead of moving over to the house.”
“Still, the extra space will be nice.”
She agreed, knowing instantly that she planned to use the large bathtub in the bathroom attached to the bedroom she’d chosen. She’d seen a bottle of bubbles and thought about the bottle of wine she’d purchased at the store. “Bubble bath time,” she said softly, glancing out the window.
“Right,” he said, causing her to turn towards him.
“What?” She smiled at his scowl. “Jealous?”
“Of taking a bubble bath?” He chuckled. “No.”
“Men can take bubble baths. I don’t think it would harm your masculinity any for you to soak in a tub.”
“Oh, I’ve taken plenty of baths. After workouts, I’ve even thrown a tub of ice in to help me recover,” he replied.
“Ice tubs are different than hot, bubble-filled water.”
“That sounds like a hot tub.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he put the car in park and turned it off. “Now, I’m game for that. There’s one on the back patio.”
She thought about enjoying a nice soak outside and seeing Brian in swim trunks. “Okay, you’re on. I’ll even share my wine.”
As they walked towards the back of the house, the first snowflakes started to fall.
“I thought we weren’t supposed to get snow until tomorrow,” she said.
He glanced down at his watch. “It is tomorrow.” He unlocked the back door. “I’ll get the wine and you get the towels.” He moved into the kitchen as she rushed up the stairs to pull on her swimsuit and grab some towels. She was halfway up the stairs when she remembered she hadn’t packed a swimsuit. After all, most Montana small-town hotels didn’t have swimming pools.
Groaning, she figured a black bra and boy-short underwear would have to do. Pulling off her clothes, she folded them and set them in the chair facing the bed, then grabbed two large towels and headed down the stairs. Thinking about it, she backtracked and tucked a little insurance into the towel, just in case.
She found Brian pulling off the cover of the round hot tub, dressed only in a pair of boxer briefs.
His eyes moved to her and his smile flashed. “Forgot your suit?”
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen each other in the outfits, but it was the first time after that kiss.
“Who thinks to pack a suit for an assignment?”
Tossing the towels down on the bench next to the hot tub, she shivered when a small burst of wind blew across her skin. Rubbing her arms, she climbed into the steamy water before he had the cover fully off the hot tub.
“Aaahh.” She sank into the heat and relaxed. Before getting in, he untwisted the wine top and poured them each a glass. Handing her one, he climbed into the water as her eyes ran over him.
He surprised her by instantly asking, “Like what you see?” He relaxed back and sipped his wine.
She thought about his words earlier and doubted she could find her own to compare him. Instead, she smiled. “I’d have to be blind not to.”
His instant smile told her that she’d hit the mark.
“So, where does this leave us?” he asked as he hit a button and had the bubbles starting up.
“Exactly where we were before,” she admitted, hoping, but knowing that they couldn’t go back in time. She knew that she’d never be the same after having Brian’s lips on hers and doubted she could continue an unbiased business relationship with him.
“I don’t think so,” he said, causing her to sigh before sipping the wine.
“No, I suppose not,” she admitted.
He moved closer to her, removed the wine glass from her hand and set it along with his on the side of the tub. “So, why don’t we try this…” His hands moved to her hips under the water and pulled her towards him. Her eyes locked with his as he moved closer to her. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
Just hearing that, knowing she had all the control, made her want him even more. Her body ached, and her heartbeat quickened in her chest the closer he got to her. When their skin touched, she lost it and closed the small gap between them. When she laid her lips on his, she knew she was lost.
His large hands lay on the curve of her back, holding her to his hard body. When she scraped her teeth over his bottom lip, his fingers dug into her hips as he pushed himself against her. She could feel him growing harder against her hip. The hot bubbles caused her entire body to heat or maybe it was just being against him. Either way, she felt her head start to swim as he took control of the kiss, pleasing her with his mouth as his hands started to move over her.
“Mia?” Her name was a whisper on his lips as they moved down the column of her neck.
“No, let’s not think…” she said, arching back so that he could continue down her body.
As if she’d given him permission, his hands started moving, working on the clasp of her bra. She felt the material slide away and when her bare chest pressed against his she groaned with pure delight.
Her own hands disappeared under the water and found his boxer briefs and started to tug them down his hips.
When she found him, she wrapped her fingers around him. He was fully hard, which sent vibrations of need pulsing through her body. She felt her knees weaken and was thankful he was holding onto her in the water. Her body arched back as he took her breast fully into his mouth.
Just the feeling of his mouth on her had her crying his name and digging her free hand into his hair. Her other hand remained wrapped around him. She smiled when she felt his pulse quicken under her palm. She knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“I want to take you inside,” he started to say.
“No, here, right here,” she begged. “Now.” She couldn’t explain it, but she wanted him as the snow fell a few feet away from them, while they remained in the hot water under the covered porch.
“It’s not like I have—”
She nodded towards the towels.
“Condom’s in the towel.” She smiled. She hadn’t really planned on sleeping with him, but she’d hoped and dreamed since the first moment meeting him.
“You do come prepared.” He chuckled as he leaned out of the tub to get it. She watched the muscles in his back and had to bite her bottom lip as a strong wave of desire rushed through her.
What was wrong with her? Sure, it had been almost six months since she’d had any play, but she was acting like it had been a lifetime.
She was starved for someone to touch her. Just having Brian’s hands on her was sending her sliding closer to the edge. What was she going to do when he made love to her? How could she ever recover from him? Did she want to? Maybe that was why she was jumping into things with him.
She looked up into his eyes and felt the answer already there. She’d been infatuated with him for over a year. Even if he was toying with her, she was willing to enjoy the ride. After all, so many others in her life had used her, wasn’t it her time to get some enjoyment out of life?
Moving her body until her skin slid across his, she smiled up at him. “Show me what you’ve got.”
He chuckled. “I’m in so much trouble,” he whispered just before he took her lips again.
No, she thought as he slid her shorts down her legs, I’m the one in trouble.
When his fingers found her and slid into her heat, she felt her entire body convulse.
“My God,” he groaned next to her skin, “if you come with me just touching you, what will you do once I’m inside you?”
Her mind was still foggy from the release, but still, she was present enough to say. “Let’s find out.”
She yanked down his shorts until he kicked them off and tossed them with her bra and underwear. She took the condom from him and slid it slowly over him while his hands gripped her, holding her tight.
Their mouths met again as he hoisted her up a little. Using the low side of the hot tub to lock her into place, her legs wrapped around his hips as she felt herself building again.
When he slid into her, she knew there was no going back from this. Just being with Brian had ruined her for life. Her entire body yielded to his, as if it had been made for him.
She melted around him and when his kisses turned softer, she realized it was more than just her body that had been ruined.
Chapter 7
Brian woke with a start. The absence of city noise had him questioning the silence. Then he felt the arm slung over his chest and memories of taking Mia in the hot tub, and again after he’d carried her up the stairs into the room she’d chosen, surfaced.
A slow smile filled his face.
“Shut up,” she groaned from somewhere under that massive pile of dark curls. “I can hear you gloating.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t say a thing.”
“You don’t have to. Your entire body smiles when you do.” She lifted her head and, after wiping her hair out of the way, narrowed her eyes at him. “See.” She pointed to his face. “Shut up.”
He laughed as his hands started rubbing over her very naked back. He felt himself growing hard again and knew that he’d have to stop off and get a box of condoms later that day.
“Don’t do that.” She frowned down at him. “Don’t…” He moved his hand lower and cupped her. He watched those sexy hazel eyes of hers slide closed as she moaned softly. “…do that.”
“Do that?” He repeated his motion.
“Yes,” she sighed out. “God, please.”
He shifted slightly and her legs fell open. His hand and fingers worked as he rained kisses over her face, trailing lower until he took one of her nipples deep into his mouth. God, she tasted like spring. He wanted to lap her up, spend the entire day running his mouth over every inch of that honey-colored skin.
“Mia,” he said when he reached her belly button.
“Mmm?” she moaned.
“Do you still want me to stop?” he asked knowing full well that she didn’t.
“Shut up and get inside me.” She almost growled it out.
“Yes, ma
’am.” He chuckled, but before he slid on the condom, he settled between her legs and used his mouth and fingers, lapping at the perfect lips, sucking on her tight clit until he felt her convulse and cry out his name.
When he finally did settle back between her legs, he looked down at her; her dark hair was fanned out on the pillow, her hazel eyes looked a shade or two lighter, and her skin was almost glowing.
“My god.” He shook his head. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, then she dug her nails into his hips, forcing him to move.
Mia thought about her actions later when she was alone in the shower. How she had always avoided the personal side of intimacy. She had always pulled away from getting too personal, but with Brian she could tell it was already too late. After all, hadn’t they been personal over the past year?
She’d never been with a man that she’d been friends with beforehand.
Leaning her head against the cold shower wall, she wondered just how she was going to keep her sanity. Focus on work, she thought. That was the only way she could possibly get out of this intact.
As she dressed and got ready, she came up with a game plan. By the time she entered the kitchen, she had on her game face and a layer of protection in place, emotionally.
Seeing him standing in the kitchen in faded jeans and an old white T-shirt, barefoot, as he flipped a pancake into the air, she felt a little of her mask fade away. Damn.
Taking a deep breath, she avoided his eyes as she moved to make herself a cup of coffee.
“Want one?” she asked over her shoulder. When he didn’t answer, she turned around and almost bumped into him. He was standing directly behind her, watching her.
When he took her shoulders in his hands and pulled her closer, she tensed.
“We aren’t going to do this,” he said softly as his eyes ran over her.
