A Wicked Seduction

by Janelle Denison

  He took one look at the money in his hand and decided not to argue further, seemingly figuring he was getting the better end of the deal. He jumped back into his car and hightailed it out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

  Not wanting to spare another second, Jo took the stairs two at a time, knocked on Michael’s door and announced, “Pizza delivery.”

  She heard low muffled sounds and words she couldn’t make out, then seconds later locks unbolted and the safety chain slid free from the latch. The door opened a few inches, revealing a burly, unkempt man dressed in boxer shorts and a stained T-shirt. His hair was long and oily from not being washed, and the stench of body order and liquor that slipped up her nostrils nearly made her gag.

  Still blocking the door and not allowing her to see inside, he handed her a ten-dollar bill.

  She didn’t take the cash. “Umm, the total came to eleven seventy-six,” she said, hoping he’d move away to get more money and give her the space she needed to maneuver herself inside.

  “Goddamn expensive pizza,” he grumbled and took two steps to the left to grab something off the nightstand—his wallet.

  He fumbled through the bills and she nudged the door open wider to peer beyond the bed dominating the room. Her stomach turned over when she saw the little girl curled up in the corner, her eyes wide with terror and a bruise on her cheek. Her arms were secured behind her back and Michael had taped her mouth shut to keep her quiet. The whole scene was too reminiscent of another time, another place, and Jo’s entire body flashed hot, then cold.

  Dammit, where were the cops?

  She’d come this far and wasn’t willing to give up the leverage she’d gained. She focused on the one thought filling her mind, which was saving the little girl. Daringly, she stepped inside the room with the pizza box still in her hands, but Michael blocked her path before she could go any farther.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, his face flushing red with the beginning signs of rage.

  She looked up at the solidly built man in front of her, and despite the sudden anxiety gripping her she forced a sweet smile. “I’m delivering your pizza, and a little something extra.” Calling on strengths she never even knew she possessed, along with her martial arts training, she planted her foot into his belly and shoved him hard. The breath whooshed out of him and the force of her kick sent him stumbling back into the room, which also gained her full entrance. Tossing the cardboard box onto the bed, she withdrew her can of Mace and aimed it straight at his face.

  “Don’t move, Michael,” she ordered. “You’re under arrest.”

  He laughed menacingly, unthreatened by her choice of weapon. Still trying to gulp air into his lungs, he staggered toward a small table. Seeing the revolver resting there that he was after, Jo automatically dropped her Mace and withdrew her gun at the same time he picked up his and pointed it straight at her.

  Adrenaline rushed through her blood. She started to sweat and her whole body trembled as old memories washed over her. She blocked the awful recollections the best she could and amazingly enough managed to keep her revolver leveled on Michael’s chest.

  She chanted the words Dean had left her with and she now drew strength from, believe in herself. Believe, believe, believe.

  Her finger curled around the trigger. “Drop your gun,” she told him, hating the slight quiver that found its way into her voice.

  He gripped his pistol tighter, though his aim wasn’t at all steady. “My wife has taken everything away from me, and I’ve got nothing left to lose.” A malicious smile curved the corners of his mouth. “So, you shoot me and I kill the girl.”

  Believe, believe, believe, Jo’s mind screamed, knowing the test she was about to face. A test she’d failed before. Before he could fully train his gun on the little girl in the corner, Jo fired off the first shot, the blast of sound deafening in the small room.

  Her bullet hit Michael in the right shoulder, knocking him on his backside from the impact. He hit the ground with a hard thud, and the gun in his hand flew across the carpeted floor. She kicked the weapon aside, far out of reach, and unclasped her handcuffs from her holster to restrain him.

  Wounded and in pain, Michael didn’t have much strength to struggle, and she manacled his wrists and left him lying on his stomach. She hadn’t killed him, but she’d saved Lily’s life, and that’s all that mattered to Jo. She’d leave Michael’s fate up to the authorities.

  She moved to the little girl and unbound her hands and untaped her mouth. Lily let out a sob and hurled herself into Jo’s embrace, wrapping her arms tight around her neck and clinging with all her might. She held the frightened girl and rocked and soothed her with comforting words, her own emotions just as raw.

  She’d believed. And she’d proved to herself, no one else, that she had the internal strength and ability to make right choices and follow through.

  She’d fought the good fight here, and now she was ready to confront another fear. Life was too damn short and too uncertain, and she wasn’t about to give up the one person who’d given her every reason to believe in herself.

  14

  AFTER A DELAYED FLIGHT to Seattle, she finally brought her rental car to a stop at the curb in front of Dean’s house late Friday night, trying to calm the sudden nervous flutters taking flight in her belly. She’d had plenty of time to give herself a pep talk and prepare for this moment of reckoning. While she felt confident of her own personal decision, she had no idea what to expect from Dean with her impromptu visit—a warm welcome, or a cool reception?

  Ultimately, his initial reaction didn’t matter, because she wanted Dean, and she was willing to fight for him. For them.

  Exiting the small compact, she made her way up to the door. A light shone through the front window, and she hoped that he was home, though the possibility existed that he’d be out celebrating his birthday. And if that was the case, she’d camp out in the car until he arrived home, because she intended to be his birthday present. Luckily, he answered on her first knock, looking completely surprised to see her.

  “Jo,” he said, his gaze taking in her presence as if he couldn’t believe it was really her.

  He looked so damned sexy and appealing in nothing but his pair of soft cotton sweatpants that it took all her effort to refrain from throwing herself into his arms and letting his solid warmth envelop her. She’d missed that special connection they shared. She’d missed him.

  She summoned a bright, hopeful smile. “Happy birthday.”

  His dark brows lifted skeptically. “You came all the way to Seattle to wish me a happy birthday?”

  She nodded, unable to blame him for being cautious about her sudden appearance when she’d given him no reason to believe that she’d come around. Especially after the way she’d rejected his love. However, after everything she’d been through in the past few days, she refused to let any uncertainties get the best of her.

  “And I’m here to give you a birthday present that can only be appreciated in person.” When he said nothing else, just stared at her with those searching green eyes, she swallowed the tight knot in her throat and asked, “Can I come in?”

  “Uh, yeah, sure.” He stepped back, waving her inside as if she was an old acquaintance stopping by for a casual chat, not the lover she’d recently been. “I was just having a slice of the strawberry pie my mother brought over for my birthday. Care for a piece?”

  She followed him into the kitchen and spied the half-eaten dessert at the dining table. “No, thank you.”

  He slid back into his chair, picked up his fork, and resumed eating the pie, a small smile teasing the corner of his mouth. “I bet if they were chocolate-covered strawberries you wouldn’t have refused.”

  She was encouraged by the fact that he was flirting with her, despite being as distant to her now as she’d been with him days ago. “You’re probably right.”

  She stood across the small room, unable to gauge his mood, or even where she stood with h
im anymore. He wasn’t making her visit easy, but then he had no idea why she was there or what she wanted.

  Leaning against the low counter behind her and bracing her hands on the edge, she inhaled a deep breath. “Dean, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Okay.” Finished with his dessert, he set his fork on his plate and pushed the dish aside. Reclining in the chair and crossing his arms over his bare chest, he gave her his undivided attention.

  She then proceeded to tell him about Michael Edwards, the daughter he’d kidnapped, and how she’d found the courage and fortitude to not only draw her weapon, but pull the trigger to save Lily’s life—without second-guessing herself.

  A tremulous smile curved her lips. “And the best thing is, I walked away from the situation with absolutely no regrets.”

  “I know, and I was so damn proud of you for what you did,” he said softly and with a wealth of satisfaction shining in his eyes. “And I got the impression that your brothers are proud of you, too.”

  Both Cole and Noah had been extremely supportive and, yes, proud of what she’d done. Then it dawned on her that Dean was already aware of her accomplishment. “You knew all this?” she asked incredulously. “How?”

  His shoulders rolled in a lazy shrug. “Noah called to tell me what happened, thinking I’d want to come back to Oakland and be there for you.”

  Her chest tightened, and she stated the obvious. “But you didn’t come back.”

  “No, I didn’t.” He stood and closed the space separating them. “But for one very good reason.”

  “And what reason is that?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

  “This time, you had to be the one to come to me,” he said, caressing the tips of his fingers along her cheek, his touch like a healing balm to her soul. “And I knew you couldn’t do that until you were ready to admit that we had a future together.”

  Her entire body shuddered with relief, but her fingers remained clutched around the edge of the counter behind her. “I’m here now.” Her simple words said it all.

  He smiled gently, his eyes turning a warm, patient hue of green. “So you are.”

  He wanted more, and she gave him everything she had, all the honesty in her heart, knowing she had nothing left to lose. “I’m not completely over my fears and insecurities, but I can deal with anything so long as you’re by my side. You’re the reason I found the courage to believe in myself and pull that trigger.”

  “I had nothing to do with it, sweetheart,” he refuted, seemingly not wanting to take any credit. “I always knew you possessed the strength to trust in your own instincts. I’m just glad it didn’t take you long to figure it out for yourself.”

  She licked her dry lips, and willed her racing heart to calm. “And right now, those same instincts are telling me that I can’t live without you.”

  He tipped his head, his gaze locking on hers. “Are they telling you anything else?”

  “Yeah, they are.” Need and longing swelled within her, and she didn’t hesitate to embrace the feeling, or share it with this incredible man who’d changed her life for the better. “I love you, Dean Colter. And I’m not about to compound my mistakes by letting you go.”

  He framed her face in his big hands and smiled at her with the kind of deep, abiding emotions that knew no bounds. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, Joelle Sommers.”

  Lowering his head, he sealed their lips, kissing her deeply, thoroughly, hungrily, until she melted in his arms and let him have his way with her mouth.

  “So, what are we going to do about us?” he asked in between soft, lingering kisses along her lips, her jaw.

  She threaded her fingers through the silky hair at the nape of his neck, reveling in the texture and warmth. “That all depends on you and where you want to live,” she said, her tone breathless. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

  “Do you have any objections to me following you right back to Oakland?” he murmured.

  His hot breath fanned against her skin, making her shiver and arousing her from head to toe. “You would do that?”

  “Oh, absolutely. Just try and keep me away,” he growled against her neck, then skimmed his lips up toward her ear and nibbled on her lobe. “I can commute until the sale of the business is finalized, but once that’s done, I’m all yours.”

  Happiness bloomed like a new and fresh start for her. “Oh, I do like the sound of that.”

  He pulled back, and while his hands remained tangled in her hair, his gaze sought hers. “What about your brothers? Everything okay there?”

  She nodded. “We’ve come to an understanding about me, my abduction cases, and what I can handle. A compromise if you will,” she said with a sassy grin. “I think my brothers know exactly where I stand, and if they don’t, I have no problem telling them.”

  He chuckled. “That’s my girl. By the way, where are you hiding my birthday present?”

  “Under my clothes.”

  He waggled his brows provocatively as his hands slid down her back and over her bottom. “Do I get to unwrap you?”

  “Not this time.” She moved out of his embrace and gently pushed him back toward his chair until he was once again sitting in the wooden seat. Then she took a few steps back to give him the best possible view of her presentation. “I believe I owe you a striptease for your birthday, the one you were expecting when I first took you into custody.” She began unbuttoning her blouse and winked at him.

  The flare of heat that ignited in the depth of his eyes told her that he appreciated her thoughtful gift. “How do you feel about getting married?” he asked.

  She parted the cotton material and let it slowly slide down her arms to the floor. “How do you feel about having a bounty hunter as a wife?” she countered as she unclasped her lacy bra, and strategically removed it with one arm still covering her breasts.

  “I’m not crazy about the idea,” he admitted, frowning since she wasn’t letting him see her naked just yet, “but I’m thinking we can find a way to compromise. How do you feel about having a partner on your road trips?”

  “I’d like that.” Kicking off her sandals, she turned around so that he was looking at her bare back, unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, then slowly inched them down while giving her hips an enticing shimmy for effect. She glanced coyly over her shoulder at him, found him staring at her bottom, and smiled at his body’s blatant reaction to her drawn-out strip. “At least until we start having a family of our own.”

  His surprised gaze leapt back up to hers. “You want that?”

  She pushed the denim all the way down her legs and kicked them off. Then she turned around to face him, wearing a pair of lacy white panties, with her palms cupping the fullness of her breasts. “I would love that with you.”

  Her heart pounded at the wondrous look in his eyes, the complete and utter fulfillment…which ebbed into a desire and need that made every pulsepoint in her body throb with equal intensity.

  “Let me see, Jo,” he said huskily.

  She turned around again and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties. “This is the ‘tease’ part of the strip.” The scrap of material skimmed down and off. She tossed the piece of lingerie over her shoulder and it landed in his lap, right on top of his huge erection. “Bull’s-eye.”

  He managed a strangled laugh. Picking up her un-dies, he rubbed them against his cheek, inhaled her scent, and groaned. “You already know that you’ll get yours later.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping,” she said impudently, and finally gave him the full frontal view he’d been waiting for.

  His eyes grew hot as he visually consumed her, his breathing labored. She felt incredibly feminine and desirable as she glided toward him, and bent low to draw his sweatpants down and off, then toss them aside. Kneeling in front of his spread thighs, she wrapped her fingers around the rigid length of his penis and brought him to the very brink with the stroke of her hand, the heat of her mouth, and the sensual swirls of her to
ngue—until he begged her to stop and urged her back up.

  She moved over him, straddling his thighs as he gripped her hips. He guided her down, and she was so ready for him that he slid all the way into her, deep and hard, tight and wet, a perfect, luxurious fit that made them both moan in unison.

  His hands spread over the slope of her back to press their bodies intimately closer, and she brought his lips to hers and whispered, “Happy birthday, Dean,” then rocked her hips rhythmically against his and sent them both over the edge and straight into bliss.

  Once they regained their breath, Dean lifted his head from her neck and smiled wickedly at her, something Jo knew she’d never get tired of seeing on a daily basis.

  “You’re the one guilty of theft, you know,” he drawled playfully. “And you do realize, don’t you, that I’m going to have to take you into custody this time.”

  She managed a grin of her own. “Whatever for?”

  He kissed her lips, softly, gently. “For stealing my heart. And your sentence is going to be life…as my wife.”

  It was time Jo was more than willing to serve.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8238-8

  A WICKED SEDUCTION

  Copyright © 2002 by Janelle Denison.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.