by Joanne Rock
“I don’t think you’re ready to let me see you the way I want to yet.” He reached into the V of her shirt, using the tips of three fingers to stroke down the center of her chest. “I want to know all about you. See the parts of you bared that you’ve never shown to anyone else.”
His soft caress distracted her, robbing her focus as the feel of lace over her nipples suddenly constrained her unbearably, the fabric agitating her until she longed to do the clothes ripping for him.
“I’m no innocent, Alec.” As much as she wanted him, she didn’t want to deceive him on that score. “I’ve been seen a time or two before.”
“No.” He shook his head while he blew a warm stream of air from his lips to the patch of exposed skin just above the valley of her cleavage. “I don’t think anybody else has ever touched you the way you let me touch you last night. And next time I take your clothes off I want to be naked with you for real. Do you understand what I mean?”
She shook her head, not understanding at all. Possibly a little afraid to understand. Maybe the high altitude was starting to get to her.
“I want the five-star sex as much the next guy. But I don’t think you find that with just anyone.” He covered her hand with his and slid it down to his lips. Planting a kiss inside her palm, he flicked his tongue over her skin before lowering her hand. “We had that last night because we connected on a deeper level. And while recreational sex is cool, too, it’s not something I can retreat to after getting a taste of what the real deal can be like.”
“Are you telling me—” Her thoughts seemed to run from her struggling brain, and no matter how much she concentrated, they only hovered further out of her mental grasp. He couldn’t be talking about deep and meaningful emotions, right? And yet, what else could he mean? “Last night was super-charged because of the fear. The adrenaline letdown. The cloak-and-dagger antics of getting into your apartment. That’s not reality.”
“Fear?” He slipped his hand beneath her jacket to lay on her waist, his thumb and forefinger playing barely there caresses up and down her side. “Is that what you were feeling when I poured drops of warm oil over your skin? Or when I licked each drop off you? Were you scared when I sat you on top of the dresser and drove into you like I’d never get enough?”
Her mouth went dry at the memories, her lips so hot and parched she had no choice but to bathe them with a swipe of her tongue.
A swipe Alec followed with his gaze. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
The warm red light from the Exit sign imbued his skin with a demonic glow, his probing questions confusing her when all she wanted was to lose herself in him, under him.
She couldn’t let him make this too complicated when her thoughts were being pulled in ten directions, her energies devoted to her quest for justice and her heart still grappling with the old hurts from Gena’s accident that they’d unwittingly brought to the surface today.
What had happened to her escape from reality?
“You know, maybe you’ve had a lot of time and experience to devote to figuring out exactly what kind of sex you like best.” Moving slowly, carefully, she found the first button on his shirt and slid the smooth, round disk through the hole. Followed by another. “But before last night, it had been a really, really long time for me.”
When he didn’t say anything, didn’t move, she decided to clarify. Press her case.
“Years. Several years.” Not to put too fine a point on it. But damn. She wouldn’t let him think she was Ms. Recreational, either. Undeterred, she kept up her slow conquest of his buttons. “Now that I find myself in a position to engage in sex that I really want, I’ll be damned if you’re going to go and make it too complicated for me.”
“Years?”
She finished the last of the buttons, exposing the smooth, taut skin of his chest and the hint of rock-hard abs any woman would love to get her hands on.
And speaking of rock-hard…
“You know, I’m reconsidering the merits of a good, old-fashioned quickie—”
His mouth found hers with sudden swiftness, erasing any doubts she might have had about how much he wanted her. She’d figure out how to handle his request for more of her later, when she wasn’t in the throes of urgent need.
His kiss came with just the right pressure, his lips demanding her response. The sound of their breathing mingled in her ears with the hum of the plane’s engines, the dull roar plunging them deeper into their own world, cocooning them in white noise. The sounds even drowned out her thoughts, releasing her from the last of her fears about joining with Alec.
She wanted this—wanted him—with a frenzy she couldn’t deny and a hunger that had only multiplied since the night before. Having experienced a taste of him once, she’d somehow gotten hooked.
He pulled back from her as if he’d run out of breath, as if he needed to break the live-wire connection they seemed to share. “You think I’m even capable of a quickie with you?”
Assuming it to be a rhetorical question since the bulge in his pants made him look pretty damn capable in her eyes, Vanessa kept her mouth shut. Shaking his head, he flicked the jacket off her shoulders, skewing the fabric of her T-shirt to one side to expose her bra strap.
“I want to feast on you like there’s no tomorrow.” He nipped at her bare shoulder, teeth grazing her skin and raising goose bumps.
Shivers licked over her at the idea of Alec tasting her deeply. Repeatedly.
No doubt, she’d arrive in the Hamptons still feverish and quaking with the tremors of her orgasms. Probably not practical, even if it sounded…incredible.
“Maybe I’d better take charge then.” Shoving to her knees, she straddled his lap. She yanked his shirt off his shoulders, leaving his arms caught up in the crisp cotton. “And don’t worry, I won’t ever tell anyone that you engaged in something so sordid as recreational sex. It’ll be our little secret.”
He watched her with moody eyes, his gaze fastened to her face even when she whipped the T-shirt over her head. But when she slid off her bra, she could see him shift ever so slightly in his seat.
“Don’t blink now, Alec.” Kneeling over him, she bent to whisper against his ear, making sure the soft curve of her breast grazed his bristly cheek as she shifted positions. “I wouldn’t want you to miss anything.”
He lifted his chin then, perhaps to look up at her, or maybe just to drag the rough edge of his jaw over the achingly tender softness of her breast. Her nipple puckered even tighter. Warmth pooled between her thighs, her body ready for him long before he’d taken off her clothes. Just like the night before.
Only this time, instead of him taking his time to peel her out of her clothes, here she was stripping things off for him, offering herself up for sexual conquest.
“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Alec’s voice held a dangerous edge, a warning note she didn’t have any intention of heeding.
His tongue darted across the taut nipple, the action sending an answering contraction between her legs, the pleasure intense enough to almost be painful.
She couldn’t imagine what might happen if he licked her now. There.
In a flash, he freed himself from the shirt around his elbows, shaking the cotton loose onto the floor as he stretched up to steady her.
“I’m sure I want this.” It was the only thing that seemed certain in her life. Whatever Alec could give her here, now, she would be signing on.
His arm banded around her back, her hips. He didn’t pull her down to his lap, but drew her hips into his chest so that her sex butted up against the center of his ribs. The heat of him penetrated her jeans, reminding her how hot this ride would be, how much she needed just to let go and enjoy.
Maybe with a little incentive, Alec would see how much fun recreational sex could be.
SHE WANTED SOMETHING Alec knew damn well he couldn’t give her.
Recreation?
Hell, couldn’t women buy vibrators for that? He wanted more than just a good t
ime with her and he wanted her to know it, but he wasn’t dumb enough to let this opportunity pass him by. Until she understood that he was serious about getting to know her, he would seduce her into knowing him.
Unfair?
The woman carried a gun 24-7. She’d had years of experience fending off guys. As far as Alec could figure, only a moron would give her a chance to start putting up boundaries and relegating sex to a playtime activity.
He cupped the curve of her ass in his palms, nudging her hips tighter to his chest. She felt so good. So hot. The sweet scent of her sex made him even harder when he was already taxing his zipper.
Unfastening her jeans, he breathed a damp kiss onto the front of her panties, inciting a roll of her hips to make any stripper proud. Not that he planned to share the thought. Vanessa’s kick-ass exterior housed a vulnerability he hadn’t expected, a softness he wanted to protect no matter who wore the damn badge.
The mewling sounds of pleasure she made in her throat had him forgetting all about his noble intentions for next time he got her naked. He couldn’t ignore the hip roll. Couldn’t deny her soft moans for the completion he knew how to provide best thanks to the full, uninhibited access to her body last night.
There were benefits of watching and learning.
Lifting her in his arms, he laid her out on the leather seats, allowing her knees to dangle over the edge as he dragged her jeans from her legs. Her hair had sprung loose from her braid, providing a silky dark blanket for her bare skin against the buff-colored leather. From restless thighs to rising and falling breasts, every inch of her flushed pink even though he hadn’t taken her to full-fledged orgasm yet.
Stepping out of his trousers, he withdrew a condom from his wallet before tossing his pants aside, unconcerned that his bare butt was mooning all of Long Island. He stepped away from the windows, closing in on Vanessa, determined to imprint himself on her consciousness as thoroughly as she’d already impressed him.
She didn’t stay put on the seats where he’d left her. She rose up again, impatient hands reaching for him, skimming over his naked thighs and abs until she stroked his cock.
He hadn’t expected that, hadn’t meant to let her slow him down in his quest to bring her off before they landed. But his johnson bobbed toward her of its own volition whenever she let him go, his head too overloaded with the sheer impact of Vanessa to tell her no.
“I can’t touch you enough. And I’ve been dying to try out a new trick you taught me.” She peered up at him, her soft cheek stroking, skimming the length of his straining erection until she turned to blow a stream of warm air over him.
The same way he’d done to her breasts earlier.
“You know too much.” He gritted the words between clenched teeth, knowing he didn’t dare let her try out any more new tricks tonight. A red-hot twinge of sensation knifed down his spine and squeezed him by the balls, reminding him he had no time left before he was going to lose it with her. Here. Now.
His window for finesse vanished, he lifted her, hauled her up his body until they faced each other. He wanted to kiss her, explore her mouth and neck and that incredible valley between her breasts, but he was on borrowed time after the way she’d touched him.
“Turn around.” He growled out the words, hoping she understood that he walked a sharp edge of desire now. One false move and he was done for.
She spun away from him easily, her breath coming fast and shallow as she arched her back, bending at the waist just enough to make it easy for him to grip her hips. Guide her closer.
His fingers fumbled with the condom, nearly dropping it. Hell, he’d never been this torn up and out of control, out-of-his-mind turned on by a woman before. But she was warm and willing, and so ready to spread her legs for him. It was all he could do to look at her bent over like that….
Thoughts incinerating in spontaneous combustion, he cupped her breasts, thumbs tracing her tight nipples while he slid himself inside her. Slow. Easy.
Her moan filled the cabin, drowning out any noise from the engine. She was slick and hot, dripping with readiness, and she was all his. Possessiveness speared through him, making him hold tighter, his fingers squeezing her breasts together as he drew her body back to his with each deep thrust.
Her skin glistened in the half light with a sheen of sweat, her thighs flexing in time with his. She possessed such strength, such stamina, and yet he couldn’t help but think how delicate the rope of her spine looked as she bent and arched with each aching movement. Releasing her breasts, he smoothed his hands around to her back, rubbing lightly over her shoulders. He gathered up her hair in one hand, winding the long length around his palm.
All the better to see you with, my dear.
The significance of the big bad wolf in his head right now wasn’t lost on him. He wanted a taste of Vanessa. A bite.
She arched against him with a slow sweep of her body, her hips fitting snugly to his as she steadied herself on the seat’s headrest. One arm reached back to loop about his neck, drawing him closer. Drawing them closer.
He would never hurt her, damn it. Never let any more of his personal demons touch her. This time—with her—he wouldn’t fail.
Bending to kiss the salty skin of her shoulder, he lost himself in the steady rocking of her hips, the rhythmic slide of her strong, lean body against his. The taste of her nourished him in a way nothing else ever had, the scent of her filling his nostrils until the need to make her come became his sole focus and priority.
Reaching behind him, he groped for the vial he’d set on the media cabinet along with his pants. He hadn’t mentioned that he’d brought it along, not wanting her to think he was some kind of perv for indulging his sexual fantasies while they chased carjackers around New York.
But now, he uncorked the bottle while he kissed her, carefully warding off his own throbbing need. His fingers armed with a few drops of the oil they’d used the night before, he tossed the bottle aside and touched her between her legs.
She bucked against him, gasping in surprise as the tingling heat dripped down her slick folds. His fingers sizzled, too, from the liquid, and he used them to massage the moisture into her sex.
Her fingernails clenched his neck, scratching lightly as the first wave of a shuddering orgasm wracked through her. He didn’t break his rhythm, his touch guided by the pulsing sensations he could feel both inside and outside her.
His own climax slammed through him then, the force of it spinning through him until his knees buckled. He guided them down to the seats. Cradling Vanessa in his lap as they half fell, half sprawled into the leather, their bodies sealed together by sex and sweat and so much more.
If only Vanessa would see it.
He held onto her, not ready to let her go even though the plane had started to descend. The angle of the plane accounted for part of the reason his knees had given out.
“You cheated.” Her breathless voice didn’t sound unhappy about the fact.
“Yeah?” He swiped a lock of her hair from her forehead, knowing they’d need to get dressed soon. “How do you figure?”
“You brought along a sensual aid.” She slid away from him, reaching for her shirt as the lights from the city below became more visible out the windows. “Not that I minded, of course. It was just a bit…unexpected.”
“You give me all the time I want with you naked, and I promise I’ll give you the best sex of your life with no toys in sight.” He would find a way to have that with her, to talk Miss Independent into letting all her barriers down. “Tonight I was under time constraints.”
He stepped into his pants as he watched her dress, already regretting the loss of access to her body.
“I hate to tell you this, but toys are very recreational.” She smiled as she rebraided her hair.
“Don’t get used to it.” He smiled back at her, looking forward to the challenge of having his way with her again. “Next time will be on my terms.”
13
IF ALEC’S TE
RMS INVOLVED the mini-mansion he kept in East Hampton, Vanessa told herself she would have to say no. Bad enough she’d been seduced by a jet. She couldn’t be swayed by the two-story beach house he referred to as a cottage.
Sinking down into a lounge chair on his patio overlooking the water, Vanessa reminded herself that when she’d gone into law enforcement she hadn’t cared about any of the superficial trappings Alec’s lifestyle maintained. Still didn’t. But the view over the Atlantic at this time of night could sure turn a woman’s head, even if she’d take more satisfaction out of locking up criminals than testing her rusty financial-analyst skills on the stock market.
Cranking up the flame on a hurricane lamp Alec had lit on a wrought-iron patio table before he took a walk down the beach to look around, Vanessa warmed her hands by the blaze. The spring weather had been warm this week, but the breeze blowing in off the ocean chilled her now the same way it had from the moment the stairs to the Cessna had been lowered, ending her time alone with Alec.
He’d arranged for a car to meet them at the airport when he’d called for the pilot. Or perhaps that had been part of the benefit he paid for with the air-management company who provided him with pilots and serviced his plane wherever it happened to land. Either way, a driver had been waiting at the tiny municipal landing strip, and they’d arrived at the beach house a few minutes later.
They hadn’t spoken much. Mostly, Vanessa thought, out of deference to their driver who shuttled them around in a Lincoln without a formal partition between the front and back. But even when they’d arrived at the house, they’d gone their own ways after Alec had pointed out the kitchen and a bathroom. They’d each made phone calls, Vanessa to Wes and Alec to heaven-only-knew who. Friends? Enemies? Donata the mistress Vanessa really didn’t want to meet? He’d mentioned putting his own resources to use for scaring up a paper trail to implicate his partner, but she couldn’t be sure what sort of resources Alec had in mind. Despite the beach mini-mansion and the jet that both proved he made a very successful living in real-estate development, she found it hard to envision him as anything but a loner. He seemed too intense and possibly a little too dangerous for polite company.
