“It’s really nothing,” she assured him, looking down at her lap. “The whole thing was just a misunderstanding. We talked it out and Mitch left.”
Isaiah waited for more, but she obviously wasn’t going to tell him about her trip to the tattoo parlor. Confronting her on that omission would involve telling her he’d followed her and possibly mentioning the people he had watching her while she was at work—the same people who would be following her home tonight. Mentioning his creepy stalker activities was not going to win him any points with Nikki, and it wasn’t going to convince her to confide in him. If anything, it would drive her away.
“What are your plans for the rest of the night?” she asked.
“I have some work to do tonight,” was his vague answer.
“What do you do? I mean, other than being a college student?” she asked.
“I help move stuff.” That usually sufficed with most people because it sounded like boring manual labor, so they simply dropped the subject.
“I’m surprised there’s a market for moving things at night,” she remarked.
He shrugged. “A lot of people prefer having me work at night because they have jobs during the day.” It was strange how lying to Nikki made his stomach clench. He was used to lying to people. It’s what he did, not just for work, but in general. He lied because he couldn’t go around telling people he was a vampire who fed on people’s energy. Lying to Nikki just felt different, likely because he wanted more with her, more than he could have.
“How about if we go to the beach?” he suggested after they’d finished their pizza.
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “I’m sure it’s freezing out there.”
“I brought a blanket and an extra jacket,” he offered. It was more accurate to say he’d brought a blanket and Justin had left a jacket in Caitlin’s car, which he’d borrowed since it looked more like something a college student would drive.
“Okay, we’ll go to the beach,” she agreed with a smile. “Just promise not to let me freeze.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll keep you warm,” he assured her, very much looking forward to keeping her warm.
Chapter Twelve
Even with the extra jacket, Phoenix was cold, proving that living in the San Francisco Bay Area had made her soft. The temperatures were much more moderate than they had been in Seattle. Standing side by side, and watching the waves crash on to the beach, she felt happy for the first time in longer than she could remember, which was crazy since her life was in danger and she was on a date with a criminal.
“How can you possibly be warm?” she asked, eyeing Isaiah in his lightweight black sweatshirt.
He chuckled and moved to stand in front of her, wrapping his arms around her so his hands rested at her lower back. “I even let you wear the heavy jacket.”
“Whose jacket is this?” she asked, noticing how his eyebrows rose in surprise.
“What makes you think it’s not my jacket?” he asked.
“It doesn’t smell like you,” she answered automatically before realizing that sounded strange. Looking down, she hoped to cover her blush.
“You’re right,” he told her. “It’s my brother’s jacket. He left it in the car.”
“How many siblings do you have?” she asked.
“Just one brother,” he replied. “No sisters. How about you?”
“No siblings. My parents tried, but things didn’t work out for them.”
“Did you miss having siblings growing up?” he asked.
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “I doubt we would have been close, anyway.” There was no missing the confusion on his face, but she couldn’t very well explain that, even as children, hunters and breeders were kept separate in many ways. That was just the way things were in their culture—at least in the area she’d grown up. From what she’d heard from Brian, hunters were much more enlightened in this area. She’d have to take his word for it since she wasn’t willing to contact any of the hunters in the area to find out.
She shivered ever so slightly when Isaiah leaned forward to brush his lips across her cheek.
“Are you still cold?” he asked close to her ear. “Is that why you’re shivering?”
“Yes,” she said in a breathy voice she barely recognized.
“I’ve got an idea that could help warm you up,” he murmured, cupping her chin.
“What’s that” she asked.
“This,” he said, leaning in to kiss her. His tongue stroked hers before retreating so he could suck her bottom lip gently and stroke it with his tongue—an act that had her imagining him doing the same to her clit.
There was no holding back her moan, and her hands reached out to clutch his shoulders. All concerns about the danger she was in, or Isaiah’s mysterious job, faded to the background as she allowed herself to get lost in the sensations he created in her body.
One of her legs lifted to try to wrap around his hip so she could get closer to his erection, but he was too tall for that. A frustrated groan came from the back of her throat, and he must have realized her dilemma because he shifted so that his thigh was pressed between her legs.
As their kiss became more urgent, Phoenix moved against Isaiah’s thigh, desperately trying to find some relief from the aching pressure between her legs. A voice in the back of her head told her she should be embarrassed about rubbing against him like this when they were in a public place, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of getting closer to Isaiah.
One of her hands slipped under his shirt, needing to touch the hard plains of his torso. Tearing his mouth from hers, Isaiah let out a ragged breath. “We really shouldn’t do this here.”
A needy whimper was her only reply, and he must have noticed how far gone she was because he looked around before lifting her and kneeling in the sand with her straddling his lap. Angling his body so no one passing could see them, he undid her pants and slipped his hand inside her panties. She should probably have been shocked by what was happening, but all she could think about was how good it felt when his finger pressed against her clit. There wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver, but she was so close to coming that she didn’t think it would take much to get her there.
His mouth claimed hers again while his finger strummed her clit. This time, his kiss was meant to drive her over the edge as his tongue thrust into her mouth in slow strokes, like she wanted him thrusting into her body as he brought her to completion. Remaining quiet was next to impossible, and she was even more thankful for his mouth on hers when a soft scream slipped past her lips while his finger brought her to orgasm.
Chapter Thirteen
Isaiah had never seen anything sexier than the sated look on Nikki’s face. That was a look he could easily become addicted to. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, enjoying her blush. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those women who doesn’t know she’s beautiful.”
“It’s not that.” Before he could respond, she continued. “Come home with me tonight. I know I said we weren’t going to have sex, but I need you.”
“I really do have to work tonight,” he insisted, wishing that weren’t the case.
“Don’t go,” she pleaded softly. “I’m worried about you.”
“Why are you worried?” he asked.
It looked like she was going to answer. In fact, her lips parted to speak before she looked down and shook her head. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I know you can’t tell me what’s going on, but I’m worried about you. Please, just stay with me.”
“You heard me talking to Sam?” he asked and waited until she nodded. Kissing her gently, he cupped her chin. “Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about what’s going on, but you honestly don’t need to worry. I can’t explain it all now, but everything is going to be fine.” The alarm on his phone interrupted any reply she might have given, and he let out a regretful sigh. “I need to drop you off now. We still need to talk about the trouble you’re in. Befo
re you start arguing with me, I don’t buy that it’s nothing. I can help you.”
“I can’t talk you out of going tonight, can I?” she asked, clearly refusing to discuss what was going on with her.
“After you asked me back to your place, if there was any way I could get out of this, I would,” he assured her.
She nodded and stood. He wouldn’t say she was mad at him, but she clearly wasn’t happy with him working tonight. That was something he’d have to worry about later.
Chapter Fourteen
Phoenix debated on what to do next for several minutes on her way to the bridge. The smart thing to do would be to drop it and stay away from Isaiah from now on. She could think of nothing he could say to justify committing a crime. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to remind herself that he might not be doing anything illegal, but that did little to ease her concerns. She’d specifically heard him tell Sam they might get shot.
These thoughts plagued her the entire drive back to her apartment. “It’s none of my business,” she told herself as she tossed her purse and keys on the coffee table in her front room. “If he wants to risk his life, or risk getting arrested, I am not going to stress about it. That’s right!” she told her reflection in the bedroom mirror, as she tossed the box of condoms she’d bought onto her bed. The fact that she’d stopped to pick them up just proved she wasn’t ready to give up on Isaiah.
Decision made, she grabbed her keys and purse before heading out the front door again.
Chapter Fifteen
Isaiah still wasn’t happy about breaking into Sam’s building when he hadn’t had time to study the street at night first. Admittedly, he was also annoyed that he’d been forced to end his evening with Nikki. He could be inside Nikki’s hot body instead of skulking in the shadows on a cold night. When she’d offered to let him take her home, he’d been beyond tempted. He also knew she was going to worry until he told her the truth about what was going on. Since dropping her off, he’d thought a lot about her reaction and come to the conclusion that he was an ass for not telling the truth about what he was doing tonight. Professional or not, he shouldn’t have worried her, and he wanted to go to her now. Then again, that would mean beginning his explanation with how the men he’d paid to follow her home had told him where she lived, and that was definitely something he should admit to another time.
“The street is pretty clear,” Sam told him. They were at the entrance of an alley close to Sam’s building, one with a good view of the front. They’d already scouted around the back and sides, just to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. The plan was to go in from the front of the building. There was no access from the side, and the back entrance had surprisingly good security, considering how lax it was in the front.
Technically, Sam wasn’t involved in the break-in. He’d just follow along and watch the areas Isaiah exploited. Sam didn’t do well sitting things out, which was part of the reason Isaiah had chosen to have Sam help him check the sides and back of the building. It gave Sam something to do, making it much less likely he’d get in the way. That would be a problem since Sam wasn’t in on the details of Isaiah’s plan. For the most part, Sam would be in the way, not that Isaiah would ever tell him that.
Isaiah’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Normally, he’d have turned it off, but he was worried about Nikki and wanted his people to let him know if there was a problem. Sam gave him a sharp look when he pulled the phone from his pocket. Sure enough, it was a message from his people, and Nikki was in trouble—the kind that had him tempted to turn her over his knee. Until recently, he’d never really understood his brother’s love of spanking, but he had to admit that picturing Nikki’s bare ass up in the air as it wiggled around was turning him on. He blamed Drew for painting that tantalizing image.
“Problem?” Sam asked.
“You could say that,” he muttered when Nikki raced across the street toward them.
“Isaiah, don’t do this,” she pleaded, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Sam started laughing. “Real smooth, my friend. You got tailed by a barista. Either you’re losing your touch, or the rumors of your greatness are exaggerated.”
“Nikki, this isn’t what you think,” he assured her, ignoring Sam’s teasing.
“You’re breaking into a building in the middle of the night,” she accused, pulling back from him. “This is insane! It’s stupid! I heard enough of your conversation with Sam to know what’s going on. That’s why you were hanging out at the coffee shop, isn’t it? You were just watching this building to plan all of this. Don’t let Sam pressure you into committing a crime. A real friend would never let you risk being killed or going to jail.”
Before she could draw more attention to them, Isaiah grabbed her and spun them so her back was against the wall and his hand was covering her mouth. Leaning in close to her ear, he spoke quietly. “Listen to me, Nikki. This is my job. I was hired to break into this building.”
“By me,” Sam added, holding a pen light in one hand and his employee badge that listed him as head of corporate security in the other.
Nikki’s eyes widened, and Isaiah finally removed his hand from her mouth. “You aren’t a college student?” she asked.
He shook his head, knowing this was where she’d realize he’d been lying to her. Sadly, he’d still be lying to her after this.
“And you aren’t a thief?”
He shook his head again, his temper rising. “What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night when you’re in danger? Why are you risking your safety like this?”
“I already told you I’m not in any danger,” she foolishly argued.
“Don’t lie to me,” he warned. Isaiah didn’t generally get angry, but he was furious, and that emotion was mixed with the crazy arousal he always experienced around Nikki. “I am beyond pissed at you for putting your safety at risk for no damn good reason,” he practically growled before turning to Sam. “We’ll reschedule this.”
Sam grinned and nodded. “Have fun!”
Isaiah didn’t reply; he merely grabbed Nikki’s hand and guided her down the street to the alley where he’d parked Caitlin’s old car. While she didn’t pull her hand away, she looked angry at him for his attitude, and he was glad. They needed to have this out. He needed to know what was going on so he could protect her. Now that he could tell her the truth about what he did for a living, she had to believe he was capable of keeping her safe.
“Isaiah! My car is parked back there!” she argued.
“Is it locked?” he asked without slowing down.
“Yes,” she snapped like he’d just asked her a stupid question.
“Then it will still be here when I take you to work in the morning,” he ground out.
“Where are we going?” she demanded, finally trying to get free of his grip.
“Your place. My place. Doesn’t matter where we go, but we are going to have a long talk about what is going on,” he told her again.
“You do not get to tell me what to do!” she shouted. “I invited you to spend the night with me, but you were too busy playing burglar with Sam. Then you get on my case for assuming the worst when you couldn’t even be bothered to tell me the truth about what’s going on. Fuck you, Jordan Drake!”
“My name isn’t Jordan. It really is Isaiah.”
“Of course,” she muttered. “Everything you’ve told me is a lie, isn’t it? Was this all just some big game to you?”
Isaiah stopped walking and turned to look at her. His mouth opened, and then he closed it before letting out a weary sigh. “Yes, I’ve lied to you about a lot of things because that is part of my job. People pay me to check their security for flaws, and that involves a lot of research. I’m well-known in my industry, so I assume a different identity while I do the research, and I do my best to remain anonymous. Your coffee shop was the last place I should have picked to work, but I couldn’t stay away from you. I get that you can’t have more, and I can’t
have more, but fuck me if I don’t want it so damn much I ache. I’ve wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and that desire only gets stronger the more I’m around you.”
Nikki’s mouth hung open for a moment before she finally spoke. “I should go home,” she said softly. “Alone. I should go home alone.”
“But you don’t want to, do you?” he asked, opening the car door for her.
“No,” she admitted as she slid into the car. “I just want to be with you.”
Isaiah shut her door and hurried to his side of the car, determined to get out of the area before she had time to think about this anymore and insist he take her back to her car. If she’d refused to go with him, he would have let her go, but he had no intention of giving her any time to change her mind now that she’d agreed.
“Maybe we should go to your place,” she suggested.
“You’ll need clothes for work in the morning,” he reminded her.
She nodded and gave him her address. He had no idea what was running through Nikki’s mind, but he wasn’t done entertaining that spanking fantasy. Then his mind wandered, and he wondered how she’d react if he pulled her across his lap and spanked her. He knew some women enjoyed that sort of thing, so she might like the idea. He was definitely going to test out this fantasy with Nikki if she was game, but not tonight. Tonight, he was much too desperate to get inside her body.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked, interrupting his fantasy.
He hadn’t even noticed he was smiling, but it made sense considering how much he was enjoying the thoughts playing out in his mind. “Spanking you.”
“What?” she gasped.
“I’m thinking about spanking you,” he repeated. “That’s been on my mind since I realized you’d gone out at night when you know you’re in danger.”
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