He set down his wine. Reaching one arm across the back of the sofa, he stroked her bare shoulder with a thumb.
She didn’t push his hand away; all she did was wet her deliciously full lips, which were already moist from the wine.
“I mean the same thing I’ve said before,” she said. “That you’re my client and there’s—”
“Something happening between us.”
He could see the gentle pulse at her neck begin to beat with fervent intensity. He half expected her to get up off the sofa and walk out on him. But she didn’t. For a long, tense few seconds, she just sat there while he stroked her shoulder.
“Yes, there is,” she finally said in a breathy voice that sent him hurling over the edge.
He couldn’t fight it anymore. Desire was burning through him like an all-encompassing fire. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman this badly.
How did she do this to him, and why?
He didn’t care why. All he knew was that he had to have her. He had to satisfy this searing need to touch.
Slowly, cautiously, he leaned toward her. Close enough that he could smell the perfumed fragrance of her hair, feel her wine-scented breath against his face.
He hovered there, inches from her lips, waiting to see if she was in agreement, and when she made no move to pull back, he pressed his lips to hers.
Tentatively at first. Exploring. Seeking. Then she let out a soft little erotic whimper that fired his blood to the breaking point.
Her willing response sent a surge of voracious lust whipping through him like a cyclone. He cupped her head in his hands and felt her lips part for him, then he swept his tongue into her hot, wet mouth and deepened the kiss.
She whimpered with pleasure again….
He inched across the sofa, close enough so that he could take all of her into his arms. She melted into him like warm butter, reaching around his shoulders and raking her fingers through his hair. She was bewitching.
He slid his hand down the side of her gown and around her curvaceous bottom, feeling his tuxedo trousers tighten over his growing arousal.
“You taste great,” he whispered at her cheek, trailing tiny kisses down to her neck while he shifted her in his arms. She tilted her head back to give him full access, and he devoured as much of her as he could, kissing her bare shoulders and tasting her jaw-line.
Within seconds, he was easing her onto the soft cushions beneath him, glorying in the potent sensation of her hands tangled in his hair.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he settled himself upon her, pressing his erection against her through all their clothing, pulsing his hips and reveling in the unmitigated pleasure of her thrusting her own hips forward in return.
“Mmm,” she whispered, kissing him deeply, eating at his mouth as if she’d been starving for him for days, in the same way he’d been starving for her.
A hot, searing flame ignited and flared inside him, followed by something resembling panic. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop things if they went much further—and he was surprised he’d gotten this far. He was dangerously close to the edge of reason. The feel of this woman beneath him was like a tidal wave of undiluted, intoxicating ecstasy storming his senses.
He slid his hand down her thigh and gathered the fabric of her skirt in his hand, carefully lifting it inch by glorious inch. Her legs were bare beneath the skirt—no stockings—and the warm softness of her smooth leg wrapped around him gave him the most exhilarating palpitations in his chest. Finally, his hand was up under the skirt and at her soft hip, his fingers reaching the narrow band of her bikini panties.
He slid his fingers inside and around to her bottom and she began to kiss him faster, lifting her head off the couch pillows to deepen the kiss.
This was getting out of control. He wanted to make love to her here and now, half-dressed on the sofa, and again afterward in his bed. He brought his hand around to her flat belly, then slid it down to reach inside her panties….
Like a predictable clock chiming midnight, signaling the end of the ball, she squirmed and turned her face away. She pressed a palm to his chest. “Wait. Donovan, we shouldn’t be doing this.”
He froze, immobilized while his heart continued to pump heated blood through his veins. Closing his eyes for a moment to try to gain control of his breathing, he fought the crippling urge to kiss her again and continue this achingly pleasurable indulgence. He removed his hand from the intimate place it had almost been, and sighed.
She shifted slightly beneath him. He recognized her uneasiness—and knowing a woman was uneasy beneath him was about as effective as a bucket of cold water splashing over his head.
He backed off immediately and retreated to his side of the sofa, pushing his hair back off his perspiring forehead. “Sorry.” He paused, catching his breath. “I didn’t mean to take it that far.”
God!
All he’d meant to do was kiss her….
Jocelyn pulled and tugged at the neckline of her gown to try and put herself back together. “It was my fault, too.”
An awkward silence ensued.
“Look…”
She didn’t let him finish. She stood. “Maybe this was a mistake.”
“No, Jocelyn—” She started to leave. “Don’t go. Let’s talk about this.” Damn, he’d really done it now. He followed her down the wide hall.
“There’s no point talking,” she said. “I knew this was going to happen. I could see it coming, yet I couldn’t stop it, and that’s dangerous, Donovan. I can’t do my job this way. I should resign.”
He caught her arm. “Resign! All we did was kiss, really….”
He knew how ridiculous that sounded. It was a hell of a lot more than just a kiss.
“But it might not be just a kiss next time, and where does it go after that? I’ll be honest, I’m very attracted to you. So much so, that I’m finding it hard to keep my mind on my work. I’m supposed to be watching you constantly, but I’m not watching you the way I should be. I’m not thinking about potential dangers, I’m thinking about you. About how badly I want to…”
Her chest was heaving.
“To what, Jocelyn?”
“To do what we just did.”
He released her arm. “I won’t lie. I’ve been thinking about it, too, and it’s been getting a little crazy, but please, don’t leave. I need you here. At least until the stalker is caught. Then…then maybe we could think about us.”
For a long moment she stood there, staring into his eyes, considering what he’d said.
Please don’t leave, he tried to say without words.
But when she spoke, her voice was cool and back under control. His heart sank.
“If it’s protection you need, Donovan, I’m no longer the best person for the job. I’m sorry. I’ll make the necessary arrangements for another E.P.P., and stay with you until the new operative can take over, but after that, I’m gone. It’s for your own safety.”
She went into her room and closed the door behind her.
Donovan backed up against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose. His chest ached, his safety the last thing on his mind as he thought about what she’d just said, and the fact that she hadn’t said a word about the us part.
“I’m in trouble, Tess,” Jocelyn said to her assistant over the phone the next morning, after she escorted Donovan safely to the O.R. She now stood in the waiting room outside. “I need your help.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Jocelyn felt some of the tension in her shoulders drain away momentarily. Tess was not only her capable and competent assistant, but her truest confidante and dear friend. She was blond, beautiful, an aerobics fanatic and she’d been with Jocelyn since she’d opened her private agency four years ago. She was a great listener who always told it like it was.
“I gave notice to resign last night,” Jocelyn said, “and Dr. Knight needs a new agent immediately.”
There was a brief
silence on the other end of the line. “What in the world happened? He didn’t make a pass at you, did he? Like that slimy old retired senator in New Jersey?”
Jocelyn cupped her forehead with a hand. “No, it wasn’t anything like that. Well, it was…I mean, he did make a pass at me, Tess, but the problem was, I was all for it. I think I might have even encouraged him. I’m not sure. I can barely remember what happened. It was all such a blur.”
Silence again. “How old is this guy?”
“He’s young. Thirty-four, and gorgeous.”
“You didn’t tell me that!”
“I know. I guess I didn’t want to admit that I’d noticed.”
She heard Tess take a deep breath and whistle. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never let this happen. Do you think you’re falling for him?”
Jocelyn closed her eyes. “I don’t want to say yes. I don’t want to admit to it or give in to it, but…Lord help me, yes, I think I am. In fact, I think I already have.”
“Why don’t you want to give in to it? Because he’s your client? If that’s the problem, we can fix it today. I can find someone else to take over, then you’ll be free to go for it.”
“No, no, no, I don’t want to go for it. I want to get as far away from him as possible. I don’t want to see him again.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because…” Oh, how could she answer that? It was personal and complicated and would take too long to explain, and it would sound ridiculous. “I just don’t want to get involved with anyone right now.”
“I’ll say it again. Why the hell not?”
Why did Tess always insist on acting as her conscience? “Because I’m busy. I don’t have time for a relationship.”
“That’s crap and you know it. You’re afraid to get involved with anyone because you’re worried he’ll be like Tom or your father.”
So much for “complicated and too lengthy to explain.” Tess hit the mark in one sentence.
That was Tess. Direct and to the point, even when Jocelyn wasn’t quite ready to feel the point jabbing her in the behind.
Jocelyn gathered her resolve. “It’s not just that. Donovan isn’t my type. He’s not looking for commitment—he said it himself over dinner last night—and from what I’ve learned about him, he’s never had a serious, long-term relationship with anyone, at least not in his adult life. Why would I want to get involved with someone like that, when the possibility of getting my heart broken is practically a sure thing?”
“Did you ask him why?”
“Why what?”
“Why he’s never had a serious relationship with anyone. Maybe he got burned once, too.”
“No, I didn’t ask.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
Yes, she was. She was curious about a lot of things.
“I really don’t want to ask, because that will only add fuel to the fire. I don’t want to get any closer to him. I want to get out of this assignment before I end up in his bed.”
“And what would be wrong with that? You’re a grown-up, Jocelyn. You deserve a few guilty pleasures every now and then, and you can handle them if you want.”
Jocelyn sat down on a chair. “Are you implying what I think you’re implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m saying it loud and clear. Do I need a megaphone? If you’re attracted to him and he’s attracted to you, why not steal a little enjoyment while you can? It wouldn’t hurt you to ditch your professional, tough-girl attitude for a night. Especially if we find him another bodyguard. There wouldn’t be any ethical problems then.”
“You’re saying I should have casual sex with him? I’m not good at casual sex. Call me needy, but I have a problem with the ‘casual’ part.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t end up casual.”
Jocelyn ran a hand through her hair. “I couldn’t, Tess. I’m a chicken.”
“No, you’re not. You’re the bravest person I know. Think about what you do for a living. You can tussle with the best of ’em.”
“That’s different. It’s my job.”
“So let me get this straight. You’re fearless professionally, but scared stiff personally.”
Lord, Tess was blunt. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t completely bang on.
“Okay, okay, you get the insightful award for today,” Jocelyn said, twirling a loose thread from one of her buttonholes around her finger.
“So what do you want me to do?” Tess asked.
Jocelyn considered it a moment, then let out a deep sigh. “Try to find Dr. Knight a new E.P.P., and look into the waiting list to find me a new assignment. Preferably an out-of-town detail.”
“So you’re not going to take my advice.” Tess didn’t even try to hide the disappointment in her voice.
Jocelyn stood up to peer through one of the windows on the swinging doors to the O.R. All she saw was her own reflection, which she didn’t really want to look at right now.
“Sorry, Tess. I’m not interested in taking risks with my heart. I’ll be back in the office as soon as you can get me out of this. The sooner the better.”
Jocelyn and Donovan were halfway home when he turned up a side street and pulled over. He turned off the car and draped an arm over the steering wheel, looking at her. “We have to talk.”
Heart suddenly racing in her chest, she looked out the windows, checking for cars that might be following them. “There’s nothing to talk about, Donovan. My assistant has been working all day to find you another E.P.P.”
“No luck?”
“Not yet,” she said, still looking out the windows. “So far, the only person available is a guy I don’t trust. He’s a hothead who would prefer to beat up on an attacker just to prove he’s tough, when he should be shielding and evacuating his principal.”
“Why won’t you look at me?” Donovan asked.
She swallowed nervously. “I’m just trying to do my job.”
And I can’t bear to look at the tender, pleading expression on your handsome face.
“There’s no danger. No one knows we’re here,” he said.
“Let me be the judge of that.”
He sat for a few seconds, waiting for her to assure herself that there were no potential dangers in the neighborhood, then tried again. “You don’t have to quit.”
“Like I said last night, it’s for your own safety.”
His gaze was direct and penetrating. “I trust you to take care of that, even after what happened last night.”
Jocelyn tried not to notice the way his jeans were pulling tight over his muscular thighs and the way her pulse was thrumming wildly in response. Tried not to think about what Tess had suggested that morning—that Jocelyn go ahead and seek pleasure with her soon-to-be ex-client, for the mere sake of self-indulgence….
“What happened last night shouldn’t have happened,” she said, trying to purge those imprudent, reckless thoughts from her muddled brain. “It’s one of the first laws of my profession—never get involved with a principal.”
He tapped his thumb on the steering wheel and faced forward. “All right, I’ll accept that, Jocelyn, because I respect your judgment and your professionalism. If you want to resign and find another E.P.P. for me, that’s fine. I’ll take another E.P.P. Maybe it would be best.”
That seemed a little too easy, but she suspected it was merely the calm before the storm….
Donovan shifted on the leather seat to face her. “Last night was incredible, Jocelyn.”
Oh, God.
“It took every ounce of self-control I possessed,” he continued, “not to follow you into your room after what happened, and pick up where we left off, when I knew I should be promising never to do it again. If I thought I could make that promise, I would try harder to convince you to stay, because I am completely willing to place my life in your hands. But I’m not that strong, Jocelyn. I can’t make that promise. I wanted you last night like I’ve never wanted any woman in my life, and
that feeling’s not going away. I was in agony today. Agony. I can’t fight it, nor can I resist touching you if you’re anywhere within reach.”
I’m within reach now, she thought, struggling with feelings of desire and longing that were bombarding her senses and becoming impossible to ignore.
Why did he have to smell so good? Look so good? Sound so good? The moist texture of his mouth, his lips parting seductively, and the heated glimmer in his eye—it was all so erotically, achingly sweet. Here in the car, she didn’t feel like a bodyguard…she felt like a woman. A woman tingling all over. A woman struggling to resist the power of this man’s appeal.
Her breaths came in short little gasps. They stared at each other for a long, pulse-pounding moment.
This was insane.
“If I could resist you,” he said, “I would. The unfortunate thing is, I can’t.”
He swayed toward her, just a little, and it was enough to break down every wall of defense she had tried to build around herself today while he was operating on people. Her cover came crumbling down in a great, chaotic descent.
Donovan cupped her cheek in his hand and gazed at her for a shuddering instant before he pressed his mouth to hers.
The world spun stormily around Jocelyn as she reached her arms around this man who drove her wild in the most ground-shifting way. He somehow managed to make her forget who she was and what she was doing here. All that mattered was the erotic delight of his hands touching her.
The drenching heat of arousal between her thighs hit like a tidal surge.
He whispered in her ear. “Come home with me, Jocelyn.” Gooseflesh tickled down her body and caused another wave of creamy heat between her legs. “I want you in my bed….”
Tess’s words resounded in her mind again: Why not steal a little enjoyment while you can?
Lord, how she wanted to…
He kissed her neck and stroked her shoulders and back, then devoured her mouth again with another skillfully wet kiss that dissolved most of what was left of her resistance. She wanted this man inside her, and she didn’t care what the consequences were. Surely she could deal with her fears another day.
Sleeping with the Playboy Page 7
