Under His Cover-nook

by Lyric James

  Under His Cover

  by

  Lyric James

  Under His Cover

  Copyroght 2013 Lyric James

  Electronic Publication January 2013

  lyric_james@sbcglobal.net

  http://www.lyricjamesbooks.net

  Cover Art by Sasha White of Gypsy Style

  Professional Editing Services by Leanne Salter

  Proofreading Services by Sharon Muha

  Formatting Services by Ironhorse Formatting

  Nook Edition

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to BarnesAndNoble.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Vindication

  Lover’s Revenge

  Something Wet

  Up All Night

  About The Author

  Find Lyric On The Web

  Chapter One

  August

  The bouquet careened toward her like a harpoon.

  “I got it.”

  “No, I got it,” the other women around her screamed and laughed.

  Did she want it?

  Invisible fingers began to claw at her throat. The beat of her heart echoed in her ears. Mouths moved, music played, but the sense of being underwater assailed her. She got shoved in both directions in a haze of silk, satin, and lace.

  Hell no.

  Jade Conner thrust backward, flung an elbow to the right and stepped on an instep to the left. For some god-awful reason, fate intervened and dropped the ribbon-wrapped bundle of roses and gardenias directly into her arms.

  “Well shit,” she muttered.

  The surge of happy faces and warm wishes from the ladies around her became almost deafening.

  “Congratulations.”

  “Oh man, I knew I should have shoved you out of the way.”

  “You know what it means, don’t you?

  “You’re next.”

  It would be in bad taste if she hurled the bouquet across the room into the trash can. Karyn, the bride, her friend, and her boss, would kill her if she did. She would not spoil Karyn’s wedding day with murder.

  “I need a drink,” Jade grumbled. A big one, with lots and lots of alcohol. “Thank you, thank you,” she said, through gritted teeth and maneuvered around the crowd.

  “All right, gentlemen, it’s your turn,” the DJ said into the microphone.

  Oh joy. Every unattached male in the place moved toward an exit. Why was it women nearly killed each other to get the bouquet, but men would rather kill themselves than catch the garter?

  “Can I have a leg-spreader please?” she asked the bartender and pulled a barstool out to sit on. Although her legs wouldn’t spread for anyone tonight, she wanted the fruity drink.

  As she sipped, her gaze wandered over the men standing in the center of the ballroom, and zeroed in on the best man.

  Lieutenant Governor Rhys Cunningham.

  The custom tailored tuxedo fit his muscular physique to perfection, accentuating his broad shoulders, lean torso, and long legs.

  De-lish.

  To say the man was fine-as-hell didn’t quite cover it. She’d seen him, of course, his face plastered in news articles and society page spreads. But up close and personal it had been thoroughly enjoyable.

  Engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, wedding rehearsals, dress and tux fittings. It had been too much for her libido. But she only had to last a couple more hours. If she had to spend one more evening with that man, she’d probably jump his bones.

  Jade chugged the drink back and asked for another. If her mother had been there, she would have said, “that’s so un-lady-like, Jade,” which made her smile. It had been a couple of months since she’d visited her family in Nashville and made a promise she’d go visit while Karyn was on her honeymoon. Yesterday, Jade had finished her latest case, delivering the photos and other proof a wife needed to divorce her philandering husband. As far as she knew, no new cases awaited them. So, she’d be free to take a break and visit.

  Seductive music began to play when the groom, Zechariah, got down on his knees in front of Karyn and slid his hands up her legs. Laughter echoed around the room.

  Rhys’ mouth quirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. A nice mouth. Perfect light-brown tan. His burgeoning smile showed straight white teeth, deep dimples, and underneath the tuxedo he wore, hinted at the body of a sex god. She was not the type of woman who took to mooning over a man, but damned if flutters of pleasure didn’t flit around her belly every time she looked in his direction. And that had been a lot since she’d met him a couple of months ago.

  She appreciated a good-looking guy as much as the next girl, but what roamed around inside her belly was not simple admiration. It was the sort of behavior that could potentially have her hiding behind bushes, or looking for the man in the daytime with a flashlight.

  It had stalker tendencies written all over it.

  She’d dated good-looking men before and had boyfriends. Few and far between, maybe. She’d had sex. Many times. However, the power that emanated from Rhys Cunningham... He was the type of man who could give her the mind-shattering ecstasy, soul-sucking orgasm all her friends bragged about. The first time she met him she knew every woman who’d had the pleasure of being in his bed left more than satisfied.

  A couple of hours later, Jade had consumed two leg-spreaders, two strawberry daiquiris and an amoretto sour. A big grin on her face, she grooved down the soul-train line. In the middle of her dance, the song changed to something mellow and slow.

  “May I have this dance?”

  Jade stumbled when she heard the deep timbre of his voice whisper over her ear. A secret thrill shimmied up her spine as wetness crept into her panties. She turned. “Yes.”

  He folded her into his arms, and she nearly melted.

  Wow. He asked her to dance.

  If she were sober, she probably would’ve told him thanks, but no thanks. Men like Rhys Cunningham were way out of her league. A rich playboy with a different woman on his arm every night, and she was sure he held the title of lieutenant governor in nothing but name only. She doubted he cared about anything or anyone but himself.

  Inebriated Jade decided to thoroughly enjo
y the moment. Plus, she couldn’t deny she’d been slyly casting side-long glances at the man all night.

  Each melody in the song brought him closer and closer to her until no personal space stood between them. Their bodies seemed to meld together. Her nipples beaded through the thin fabric of the bridesmaid dress. Warmth and pleasure sluiced over her, and the thud of her heartbeat climbed to the base of her throat. She lifted her gaze to meet his. Her senses caught a hint of soap and shampoo. It reminded her of the beat up leather jacket her grandfather used to wear, and the tangerines he would peal and share with her when she was a child.

  Underneath the tux his shoulders were broad, his stomach was hard and flat, and the muscles of his arms and legs were hard and rounded. He looked down at her from beneath a sweep of black lashes and charcoal grey eyes.

  Purely erotic thoughts formed in the back of her mind.

  Finally, Rhys thought. He’d been waiting to ask Jade to dance all night, but every time a slow song came on, she’d disappear into the crowd. He’d gone to the DJ during the last song, requested something mellow and situated himself in a spot just off the dance floor and close to her so he could catch her before she ran off.

  “Jade, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” she said and smiled up at him.

  “I’m Rhys”

  “Oh, I know who you are.”

  He tilted his head. “Is that good or bad?”

  A smile curved her lips. “I don’t know yet.”

  Rhys had to admit he’d been living in a state of constant excruciating arousal since he’d met her. It didn’t matter that at any time he could pick up the phone, dial a number and a woman of his choice would have shown up at his door.

  But he didn’t want just any woman.

  What the hell was wrong with him?

  What something drew him to this woman? This caramel-skinned goddess who’d begun to torture him in his dreams every night since he met her.

  Today, when she walked through the sanctuary doors, his gaze had followed her down the aisle, and the way her body slid beneath the purple silk as it flowed and cascaded around her legs made him hard and hungry. All evening he’d been mesmerized by the sway of her hips, the curve of her ass. Everything primal and animalistic inside him roared to life.

  He wanted to fuck her. It was that simple. Tonight, if he could seduce her in to it. Rhys loved women. But due to the position he held, he needed to be selective. He was discreet, cautious, and always chose bedmates who didn’t want anything more from him than sex. He made sure they understood exactly what he was interested in from the get go. No games. No charades. Let’s have a little fun, flirt, go on a few casual dates and have a lot of casual sex. If the woman didn’t agree to that, he didn’t bother.

  Rhys let his gaze drift over her face. She looked away as heat suffused her cheeks.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

  “When I find something I like to look at, I try to memorize every detail.”

  She bit her lip, and he couldn’t tear his gaze from the contrast of white teeth against gold-sparkled lips. The woman had a mouth meant to wrap around a cock.

  “And you like me?” she asked, her voice soft as a caress.

  The soft flowery scent she’d spritzed on her skin wrapped around him. Rhys wanted to pull her in a corner, lift her skirt and bury himself inside her. A hesitant smile curved her lips, and in that moment there wasn’t a thing she could ask that he wouldn’t do for her.

  Fuck.

  What was this woman doing to him?

  Her hand smoothed over his shoulder and down his arm, sending ripples of awareness through him. “Why is it I think you say that to all the girls?”

  “That doesn’t make it any less true, does it?”

  She laughed, the sound trickled up his spine and filled him with warmth and lust and something else he couldn’t quite define.

  “Lieutenant Governor Rhys Cunningham,” she said with a Mae West dripped southern drawl. “Why, you’re nothing but a big flirt.”

  He couldn’t resist it anymore. If she responded by slapping him, well, at least he’d had one taste. Rhys leaned down and captured her bottom lip between his teeth, and when she leaned into him, he licked her. The act sent adrenaline and desire shooting right through his dick. “Oh, I’m a lot more.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is that right?” She smoothed her hand under the lapels of his jacket and over his chest. Rhys closed his eyes and stilled. Her hand moved in small circles over each pec and along his torso until it stopped at the rim of his pants before moving back up and around his neck. “You’re not the only one with hidden talents.”

  Rhys opened his eyes, and his gaze bore into hers. “That sounds awfully close to an invitation to something.”

  “Oh…it is.”

  Chapter Two

  Jade’s heart sped up. What Rhys did to her lips wasn’t exactly a kiss. The moment he bent down and tasted her, she could almost swear he licked between her legs. A jumble of emotions filled her. She couldn’t believe it. Another woman had taken over her body. It didn’t matter that she barely knew him; that she was surely setting herself up for a one-night stand and she’d never hear from him again. All she knew was that she couldn’t have pulled herself out of his arms and away from him if she wanted to.

  When he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, her pulse thudded. Desire flowed through her, and she gasped when his hands lowered to her hips.

  The music faded to nothing. The other bodies bumping and grinding on the dance floor disappeared.

  Before Jade could catalog it in her mind, they were in a hotel room discarding clothes. With a quick twirl of her fingers, she undid the buttons down the front of his shirt and lay her palms on his warm skin, unable to believe she was so bold. Unable to comprehend she’d actually agreed to come upstairs with him. Admitting that she was powerless to stop herself. She couldn’t blame it on the alcohol she drank, no matter what Jamie Foxx said. Because the moment he touched her, she became intensely sober as another kind of intoxication spread through her body.

  He was even more gorgeous underneath his clothes. She closed her eyes and relished the smoothness of his skin, so tan and firm. Like cotton under her fingers. His heart thumped staccato beats against her hand. The scent of citrus and spice filled her nose, and she breathed deep, wanting more. Pleasure rippled over her in waves as he responded to her touch, gripping her wrists to stall her hands. His uneven breath matched her own.

  As their gazes locked, she stood speechless and fathomed what she was about to do. Nothing made sense. How could she have attracted someone like him?

  The suite was bigger than her two-bedroom duplex, and the only rooms she vaguely remembered were the living area and this bedroom. The king-sized bed was turned down, and though she cared not one iota about the view, she knew it would remind her of the time she’d stood on top of the Empire State Building.

  He leaned forward and for a mere heartbeat their breaths mixed and melded together, the thrill and eagerness emanating between the both of them almost tangible. Jade parted her lips on a sigh, and Rhys swept his tongue inside. He cupped her around the waist, and the hunger radiating from him heated and stirred her blood. She kissed him back, her tongue dancing with his as she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

  It still wasn’t enough.

  The passion he evoked inside her was like nothing she’d ever experienced. He moaned and lifted her against his body, his hands cupping her ass. With expert fingers, he kneaded her until she ground her pussy against him. Jade craved his tongue on her skin. Nothing else existed except his mouth and his touch.

  Slowly, he drew back, and she slid down his length. His hands shook when he relinquished her even though restraint punctuated every expression flitting across his face. “Are you sure you want this?”

  Smiling, she understood he was giving her a chance to back out, to walk out the door and never look back.

  Rhys t
ook both her hands. Desire shined in his eyes as he blew out a deep breath. “I’ll understand. It’ll kill me,” he said on a soft chuckle. “But I’ll understand.”

  Jade lay her palm against his chest. “I want this.”

  “I-I can’t offer you anything else.”

  Her heart hitched. She’d walked into this room with the full knowledge it would be a one-night stand. There wouldn’t be a phone call tomorrow, flowers on Monday when she got back to work, or a date next Friday night.

  She didn’t care.

  Even now she had a hard time not crawling all over him. “I know.”

  The muscles in his jaw worked, and his dick pulsed against her stomach. Jade unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. She took off her panties and toed them to the side. Now, she stood before him naked. Raw and exposed.

  Again, she didn’t care.

  The force bringing them together would not be resisted.

  She wanted this.

  She wanted him.

  Rhys sucked in a deep breath. Whether he pulled her into his arms or she moved of her own free will, she didn’t know, but his mouth covered hers and stoked and stirred a hunger so deep inside her she moaned as the fire inside her raged.

  Nothing in Rhys’ life prepared him for the effect Jade had over him. She met his kiss lick for lick, stroke for stroke. Her hands were all over him, pulling and yanking at his clothes, arousing every nerve ending in his body. He ached for her. She was a tantalizing blend of naïveté and vixen as she smoothed his pants slowly down his legs to the floor where she ended up on her knees in front of him.

  She tugged at his boxers and smiled when his cock popped free of the fabric. Her tongue darted out over the head, and he inhaled sharply as pleasure coursed through him. Standing, she moved him backward toward the bed and pushed. When he collapsed, the down comforter made a soft puffing sound.

  “I don’t want to have carpet burns,” she said and smiled.

  Rhys laughed as she crawled over him and resumed her exploration of his cock and lost himself to the pleasure of her tongue, the heat of her mouth, the insistence of her hands. His blood pounded through his veins and he thickened and hardened. So close to an explosion, he had to stop her. He wanted to see her face, enjoy her luscious body beneath him.