“This time it is, but no promises for next time.”
“Everything okay?” Elsa asked.
“It is now,” Jessica said. “I’ll tell you all about it later.” Reece put his palm over her hand, the one still resting on his thigh. He pressed down and squeezed her fingers, keeping her trapped there. It wasn’t like she’d planned to desert him.
Their dedicated waiter brought them a second round of drinks along with complimentary appetizers, probably to make them thirsty, but it didn’t matter because Reece was picking up the tab for this extravagant evening. That bothered her.
In her ear she heard Pierce saying he was signing off for a few minutes to deal with Neil. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that meeting. Seth remained on the line for tactical information and to report any further disturbances from outside the club. Jessica guessed it was too much to hope that Pierce would get rid of Neil forever. Hadn’t she seen a posting in northern Alaska advertised recently?
Seconds later, the DJ told the room he was slowing things down for all those lovers out there who wanted to snuggle. Reece said, “That’s our cue. Come and dance with me. Don’t worry, we’ll just sway back and forth. I’ll lead.”
Jessica scooted out of the booth. “Did you bribe the DJ to play slow music just to get me out on the dance floor?”
“Of course. That’s what bouncers with hot dates do all night. Didn’t you know?”
She laughed, remembering she’d said something similar when they were on her turf in the lobby of the Federal Building.
Elsa and Gordon elected to stay at the booth and snuggle there instead, saying they preferred fast music while out on the dance floor.
True to his word, Reece took her in his arms. He put his face at her temple after kissing her cheek gently. They soon swayed deliciously to soft music. There were quite a few other couples dancing, but she barely noticed them, doing her best to ignore the occasional voice in her ear from others on the team.
Jessica worried he might hear it if Pierce started screaming again. In the lessons learned portion of their debriefing tomorrow, she’d mention her fears in that regard as a tip moving forward.
Elsa and Gordon took turns in the men’s and women’s on-site facilities, planting their listening devices in inconspicuous places. For now Jessica did her best to ignore any random conversation buzzing in her ear to focus on the seriously hot guy dancing her around the room. She’d always hated dancing, but she loved swaying in Reece’s arms. Perhaps at long last she’d found the right partner.
“Thanks for getting rid of Neil,” she said. “I’m sorry he came here tonight.”
“No worries. I didn’t do much except get him outside. His friend was the one who hustled him into a waiting vehicle the moment we got out there. Come to think of it, that car showing up when it did was really great timing.”
Jessica didn’t say anything, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She didn’t want him thinking through who picked Neil up. She kissed his neck in a place she knew was sensitive, trying to distract him from his current thought process. It wasn’t exactly a chore, but she felt like she was using him as she did it.
He started to make a sound, clearing his throat instead, but she liked that she had some sensual power over him. She licked the spot she’d just kissed, eliciting another low growl of approval. Reece responded in kind, first pressing his lips to her brow, then trailing sweet kisses down her face.
When he got near her mouth, he kissed her lips like they were all alone. His fingertips skimmed along her spine headed for her ass. He pressed his hand in the center, pulling her lower half closer. He broke the kiss, staring at her much like he had the night they’d met. Like he was hungry. Like he wanted to do wild things to her.
She wanted to grant him complete access.
Reece gave her that special half smile he had when he was amused. She liked it. She wanted him. She wondered where they’d end up tonight or even if they’d end up together.
Jessica had fake overnight guests to contend with who weren’t really spending the night, but she couldn’t very well tell him that. Or she could usher him into her bedroom and put Elsa and Gordon on her pull-out sofa, but then they’d have to listen to her and Reece satisfying their hunger for each other all night long.
Jessica wanted to go home with the hot, sexy bouncer who liquefied her insides with a mere kiss, but figured she’d likely end up sleeping alone.
For the first time all night, she startled when Pierce came back on her earpiece, asking Elsa and Gordon about their progress. He hadn’t even shouted.
Reece looked down at her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but didn’t look at him, feeling her cheeks warming up.
“What’s wrong?”
She wanted to say nothing, but felt obligated to respond. “I feel bad saying this, but I wish I didn’t have guests tonight.”
“Oh?”
Jessica looked into his eyes and said, “Actually, I’d rather you were the only guest in my apartment tonight.”
There was sudden silence on her earpiece. No one said a word.
He smiled at her. “Me too. But I understand.”
She really did wish it, but felt a sudden rash of guilt over using him the way she was tonight, especially after all he’d done for her, both the things he knew about and the things he didn’t.
Did the guilt show on her face? She hoped not. He gave her an odd look, but then pulled her tightly into his arms as they continued swaying to the music. His scent. His warmth. His body. All combined to make her wish they’d met in such a way that he wasn’t part of her job.
Guilt was a heavy burden, eating away at her very soul. She probably wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight no matter whose bed she ended up in.
As the slow music wound down, Reece whispered in her ear, “Tell me something. Did Neil really follow us here tonight or is something else going on?”
Jessica stiffened, pulling away before she could consciously stop herself. They parted enough that he was looking at her. She knew she must look guilty.
Her mouth opened and then closed. She shook her head as her eyes welled with tears.
Reece’s eyes widened as he stared into hers. “Wait. Do you have me under surveillance?”
Chapter Ten
The incident with Neil and the unusual way he’d been removed from the premises hit Reece like a blow to his breadbasket. How many times had he seen that actual takedown in tactical security seminars over his career? Twenty? More? But then instead of being cool and pondering the possibilities in his head, he blurted out accusatory questions like a first-year recruit.
Given his background, he should have guessed sooner what might be going on. Jessica sidelined his brain, but that wasn’t her fault. It was possible she didn’t have impulsive guests with a burning desire to access to his exclusive club for secret FBI purposes, but he doubted it.
The truth of the situation rested in her current guilt-filled expression.
“I…don’t have you under surveillance.” The brief pause was a giveaway. She was lying.
“I don’t believe you,” he said, hearing the shock in his own voice. It was a knee-jerk reaction because he was so surprised. Truthfully, anything she said would have astounded him.
It wasn’t so much Neil showing up as the way his nerdy-looking friend got him out and into the back of a waiting sedan with darkened windows and government tags. How had that been planned so well, unless the car had already been standing by?
Reece figured there was likely a communications van located somewhere close by with a live visual on the club. They saw Neil come in, went bat-shit crazy and had him hauled out.
Jessica turned away, moving out of his arms half a step. Not good. Was she mad at him? Was he mad at her? Yes. Maybe. No. Not really. He needed to figure his next step out quickly and act accordingly. No need to ruin this evening with bullshit from either of their work lives. In fact, even if she was lying her ass off to hi
m tonight, she didn’t know who he really was either, so he’d been just as deceitful.
If she or her chain of command was running an operation—and they probably were—he didn’t care. It didn’t change much as far as his circumstances were concerned. Arthur was happy because he supposedly had an FBI agent available for consultation on matters for his club, even though Reece wasn’t going to actually feed him any legitimate information from Jessica. If her people were doing a surveillance operation, he should try to help them.
The slow music came to an end and a fast-beat tune started up. Jessica slowly headed off the dance floor. He let her get five steps away while he tried to calculate the best way to repair this foolishness. His feet started moving before he even knew what he’d say. When he got next to her, she didn’t so much hang her head as refuse to look him in the eye for the rest of the trip back to the table.
He walked silently for a few more steps before crowding behind her and stopping her at the edge of the cascade of stairs. He grabbed her and buried his face against her ear. “I’m sorry, Jessica. Please forgive me. I shouldn’t have said that. I know you aren’t having me surveilled. Your stupid work stalker showing up here surprised me, and I reacted poorly.” He hugged her hard to convey his sincerity.
She relaxed. “Well, I’m sorry Neil is such a prick. This little fight between us is one more reason to kick his sorry ass when I get back to work tomorrow.”
“Wait. What? We aren’t fighting, are we?” Please say no. He forced himself to chill and kissed the back of her neck.
She turned in his arms and hugged him tight, pushing her face against his throat, her lips pressing into a particular special place that put his mind elsewhere every time she kissed him there.
“Not anymore,” she said, kissing him again. “Certainly not because of him.”
Elsa and Gordon brushed past them on their way out to the dance floor.
Reece made a point of following her companions with his gaze and said quietly, “So I guess make-up sex is out of the question tonight, right?”
Jessica smiled. “Well, my apartment is really small.”
He shrugged. “And?”
“Unless you have a proclivity for others listening in while we are together intimately, I’m going with out of the question.”
Reece tilted his head to one side. “Not personally a fan of performing to more than a crowd of one other person in the vicinity.”
“Yeah, me neither. I also hate it when others are listening into my personal conversations.”
He nodded. “I’m so glad we agree on these points.”
She pushed out a frustrated-sounding sigh. “Unfortunately, that also means make-up sex is out of the question tonight.”
“You could come home with me.” He couldn’t get the vision out of his head of her naked, willing and wrapped in his arms for the rest of the night.
“Definitely tempting. If only it didn’t put me in the category of worst hostess of the year.”
Reece glanced out at the couple dirty dancing, wondering if Jessica would be listening to them go at it until dawn or exhaustion set in. His next thought was a vision of being snuggled up behind Jessica in her bed while they both pretended to sleep, but listened to Elsa and Gordon all night long. He didn’t want anyone to watch him have sex, but the reverse wasn’t true, and listening in was a close second to watching.
Jessica kissed his jaw, drawing his attention to where it should be. He pressed his lips to hers. “My back seat is an option once we drop them off at your place and shove them out of the car.” He waggled his eyebrows.
She laughed. “I love how you don’t give up so easily.”
“Well, I really want to make up with you.”
She pressed her soft lips to his chin. “Me, too. So raincheck, yes?”
“Yes. And soon.”
“Definitely soon.”
They went back to their premium table, sipped their drinks, held hands and kissed at every opportunity. He tried to initiate a more intimate chat once they were alone, but if he talked about anything too personal, she’d look like she wanted to speak, but ultimately backed out of the discussion and changed the subject to less volatile topics. It took him an hour to realize she was likely wired and someone was listening in on their conversation.
Not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was, Reece changed tactics and talked all about himself. Well, he discussed his fake background, which did not include four brothers. Luckily, she never brought up the slip he’d made at the FBI building regarding his four brothers.
By the time they left at midnight, she knew every well-orchestrated lie in his bogus backstory. Pleading general fatigue and work the next day, Jessica told Elsa and Gordon she needed to leave. If they wanted to stay, they’d have to get a taxi home.
Reece perked up briefly, explaining that they were welcome to stay until the club closed at two in the morning, but they opted to leave with him and Jessica. He drove to her place and parked in a visitor’s spot close to her building, Elsa and Gordon scurried out of the vehicle, giving repeated thanks for the amazing evening, and best of all leaving them alone in his car. She’d given Elsa a spare key earlier in case they got separated.
“Thank you so much for tonight.” Jessica gave him a look like she wanted to devour him whole. He so wanted to help her.
“It was my pleasure. Your friends are nice.”
Jessica smiled, released her seatbelt, and turned slowly to face him. Then she moved close and kissed him like they might never see each other again. He returned the lip lock, moving his seat all the way back to give them more room to embrace and to do the whole goodnight kiss the right way.
The kissing led to touching, he couldn’t seem to help himself. After several minutes of heavy breathing that he hoped no one else was listening to, one thing led to another. Before long he’d pulled her over the center console to straddle his lap. Her miniskirt went dangerously high, revealing the skimpy thong undies she wore.
She kissed him hard and thoroughly. He loved it. Only barely thinking clearly, his hand moved along her inner thigh, seeking to pleasure her. Her flimsy panties were no match for his deft fingers, and once he got his thumb against her most sensitive spot, he rubbed, hoping to relax her at the very least before she left his car. Then maybe listening to Elsa and Gordon all night wouldn’t be so torturous.
Jessica broke their kiss, sucked in a sharp, sexy breath, and stared deeply into his eyes, whispering, “So good,” over and over as he touched her. Then she fastened her lips to his and drove her tongue inside his mouth to tangle deliciously. He stroked harder and faster beneath her miniskirt. “Don’t stop,” she whispered urgently. I won’t. Not until I hear you come.
He was blatantly rigid beneath the fly of his trousers, and patently ignoring his libido. He concentrated so hard on kissing her and stroking her he didn’t realize she’d unfastened his pants until he felt her hand grip his cock. He moaned the moment her fingers brushed his flesh.
She worked quickly, not only getting him freed from his boxers in a flash, but also impaling herself on his stiff cock before he could stop her. Would he have stopped her? No. He would not.
One hand went to her bare ass to help with leverage as she moved up and down. She’d shoved her miniskirt to her waist when they started kissing. The kiss hadn’t ever broken as they connected fully. Reece pushed his hips upward as she rode him.
Five thrusts in, she moaned, the sound making him smile inside. She whispered, “Harder. Faster.”
He obliged, speeding his movements, feeling the exact second she climaxed when her inner walls pulsed repeatedly around his dick. She broke the kiss, arching her back, and pointing her face to the roof of his car, making sexy sounds as she came.
Reece lasted one more deep stroke before the orgasm of a lifetime spewed from him like a volcano erupting. He grunted like a caveman, with about as much finesse, clutching her to him in a death squeeze as the powerful sensation of hi
s release eventually subsided.
“Best make-up sex ever,” he whispered against her chest, her leather shirt soft but sturdy against his face, her rapid heartbeat thudding against his ear.
“Yes,” she said, ruffling the hair over his brow. He sucked in a deep breath, smelling her perfume, the leather of her shirt and her climax comingling together. She still breathed hard, but kissed his temple and hugged him as hard as he embraced her. As the warmth of their union registered, it was then he realized they hadn’t used a condom.
~ ~ ~
The car windows around them were steamed opaque, but Jessica didn’t care. He’d mentioned make-up sex earlier and she’d thought of nothing else for the rest of the night. She was not sorry. The make-up sex in his car had been worth the risk of any possible discovery. Thankfully, she didn’t think any degenerate neighbors had watched them from the sidewalk and no police officer had knocked on the window with the butt of a flashlight, catching them in flagrante. As far as she was concerned, they’d gotten away with it.
As post-bliss sanity returned, she was sorry she hadn’t remembered to ask him to put a condom in place. She’d ripped his clothes from him and embedded him within her body before he could deny or stay her desires. Did he have protection in his wallet? She didn’t know. It hadn’t even once occurred to her to ask until this moment, which was far too late. She was an idiot, a well-satisfied idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.
Reece cleared his throat, released her from the constricting hug he’d given her, and grabbed a square tissue box from his back seat. He handed it to her with a contrite look in his eyes. He might not have remembered either in the moment, but she blamed herself, not him. She was the one who’d pulled his pants open and impaled herself before he seemed to realize her intent. He’d been about to make her come and she wanted to feel him deeply inside. She’d taken what she wanted regardless of the consequences, and vowed to never make him suffer for her spontaneous decision.
“I’m not sorry,” she whispered, looking directly into his soulfully beautiful eyes. Even the image of being nine months pregnant and waddling up the front walkway of her childhood home unmarried and unemployed as her parents watched with her four older brothers lined up behind them on the porch didn’t conjure any remorse.
Bouncer (Bad Boys in Big Trouble Book 2) Page 11
