Into Temptation

by Jeanie London

  Locking her fingers into his hair, she held him close and gave over to his mouth’s devastating attention. She rocked her hips brazenly to get the friction she needed to feed this incredible ache…her climax building, a molten heat that swelled and mounted until she rode his hand, positively wild to break the tension.

  Then she came apart in his arms, just exploded in a way that stole her breath and dragged low moans from her throat. She buried her face against the top of his head, found herself strangely touched by the way he pressed tender kisses to her breasts as he rode out the clenching spasms of her orgasm with such a knowing rhythm.

  He knew she was wasted, allowed her to be, assumed the control when she’d had no choice but to relinquish it. He held her, such an odd embrace that felt so entirely right with his hand caressing her most intimate places, his fingers clenched tight inside her, and his cheek pressed to her throbbing heart.

  And when he whispered, “Let me make love to you,” Lindy didn’t deny him, not now, not with her body aching with the remnants of such pleasure.

  “Yes.”

  He glided up her body, one hand steadying her as the other freed itself from the tangle of her thighs. She gasped as he came away, but suddenly he was there, catching the sound with a hard kiss, such a possessive kiss that she trembled, one of those full-bodied tremors that rocked her from head to toe. She felt annihilated, yet unfamiliarly thrilled to know how much one tiny word had pleased him.

  There was some power in that, she supposed.

  But power no longer mattered. Lindy had gone too far to turn back now. She’d admitted her attraction to this man, had intended to use it, had totally lost control.

  Clinging to Joshua, she met his kisses with an almost desperate abandon, her hands locked tight around him to hang on. But he didn’t use the knowledge against her, not yet at least. He only gave her back his passion, let himself be as needy.

  She didn’t know what to make of his honesty, didn’t have the brain cells left to figure it out. Not when he broke their kiss and left her wanting. Not with so much of her body exposed to the elements, to him.

  Leaning against the wall, panting, she watched as he freed something from his back pocket…his wallet? In growing disbelief she watched as a familiar package appeared.

  A condom?

  If Lindy could have laughed, she would have.

  They were on the roof in a rainstorm, harboring against security personnel and the local authorities ten stories below, and this man was thinking about protection.

  She was glad, of course, particularly because she was so caught up in the moment that she hadn’t thought about much but feeling him inside her—foolish, foolish girl.

  But Mr. Gentleman Bad Guy was saving them both. How ironic was that?

  “Do you always carry condoms or were you specifically hoping to score with me?” She wondered why she wanted to know, if she would even believe what he told her.

  Forcing her leaden arms to reach for the packet, she took it from him, determined to prove she had some control.

  Joshua unzipped his pants and maneuvered his very impressive goodies free from the fabric.

  Lindy had known from the second she’d laid eyes on him that this man was dishy, so she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised he was as gorgeous underneath the clothes as he was in them. Just the sight of him bare-chested and bare-crotched, pants riding low on his hips and rain sluicing over all those muscular curves and ridges, was enough to make that needy ache start with renewed force. He had a solid body honed by years of active living, a body made for touching.

  Reaching out, Lindy glided her fingers along the sculpted hardness of his erection, smiled when he jumped in her hand.

  “Having fun?” he asked.

  “I won’t answer your question unless you answer mine.”

  He exhaled, and she wondered why he hesitated. “Let’s just say that after last night, I was hoping I might need this.”

  It was a good answer. Of course, he could be totally feeding her a line. There was no getting around the fact that this situation was stupid on so many levels. But Lindy had always trusted her gut—even when her instincts led her into risky places. Offering a fake-O deal to a potential informant and then doing the jiggy with him qualified as risky in the extreme.

  Still, she was too in tune with her instincts to start questioning them now, no matter where they led. She didn’t want to believe he was feeding her a line, either. Lindy liked knowing that Joshua wanted to make love to her, liked proof that she wasn’t the only one who’d been wanting here. With a little luck—if she managed to focus on work ever again—getting personal might actually sway Joshua to her side.

  So she rolled the condom onto his equipment, amused by how impossible it was to think of work when handling this beautiful erection.

  She’d barely done the deed when he caught an arm around her and pulled her close enough to unhook the fastener at her waist. She hadn’t known it when she’d dressed, but there’d been a very good reason she hadn’t worn panty hose. Well, a better reason than wanting to be comfy while she traveled. Joshua dropped her casual slacks easily.

  “Grab them.” He hoisted her up.

  Lindy laughed as she caught her slacks before they hit the wet roof. As her ensemble was trashed between the rain and the climb, the effort was pointless. She would look like a dishrag leaving here tonight no matter how careful they were now.

  But the gesture was thoughtful—another surprise—and she stopped laughing quickly enough when he maneuvered her into his arms. Forced to hang on, she clung to him, which brought her breasts up against his chest. The sensitive peaks grazed his skin, sent her into a frenzy. When he clamped a hand on her bottom, she wrapped her legs around his waist until that hard erection nudged her close.

  And that feeling came over her again.

  Maybe it was the way he’d stilled and grown serious or how he stared into her face as if taking her measure, but she felt wildly breathless. She didn’t understand why he affected her this way. But he did.

  Joshua didn’t dissemble—did she really think he would?—he smiled that fast smile, took aim and pressed inside.

  Lindy watched, riveted by the play of emotions on his face. He was so handsome with his striking features and dark eyes.

  Her body seemed to melt around him as he levered in, filling her until she could barely breathe, couldn’t stop herself from squeezing her thighs tight to ride the thick feel of him.

  “Ah, Lindy.” He lowered his mouth to hers.

  Then he began to move.

  The tender sound of his voice and the stirring touch of his kiss imprinted on Lindy’s awareness. Their bodies came together effortlessly, moist folds welcoming hard heat as he pressed inside until she could feel him everywhere. Then he withdrew slowly, enough to steal her breath with the sensation.

  It didn’t take two slow thrusts to realize all those earlier orgasms had been foreplay to what was brewing now.

  With his legs braced wide, Joshua held her anchored against him, moving smoothly, exploring the way they came together, learning the feel of her. She clung to him, using her legs as leverage to ride each stroke, grateful she wasn’t the one responsible for holding them upright, otherwise they’d have collapsed into a heap long ago.

  With eager fingers, she traversed the terrain of his broad shoulders, the strong cords of his neck, the silky wet hair. And they kissed. Their mouths came together then broke apart on soft sighs, the mounting tension of each thrust making it almost impossible to focus on two things at once.

  Rain fell, providing the perfect cover from any eyes that might watch them on their lofty nest, allowing their bare bodies to glide together with a silken friction. The heat they created clashed with the chill water, her skin aflame and freezing all at once, driving her closer into his embrace for shelter, for pleasure.

  Tension coiled inside her, stunning in intensity, as he drove her harder, forcing the breath from her lungs with each thrust. She ex
haled gasping kisses against his lips, so very aware of his every tremor, the way he kissed each breath away with a growing fierceness, a possession that mirrored his hard thrusts.

  Her thighs slipped around his hips and he anchored her against him with a tight grip on her bottom, lifting her in smooth moves, crushing her in his arms as he levered into her with a fury that rivaled the whipping wind and the slicing rain.

  His legs began to vibrate. She didn’t know how he was still standing, how he held her locked so securely against him. Lindy only knew that she didn’t want to stop riding these strokes, knew that the building pleasure overwhelmed her, consumed her until she became all fierce motion.

  Joshua dug his fingers into her bottom while dragging her against him harder, faster. And when their climax finally broke, their bodies exploded together, their moans breaking against each other’s, their hips riding to completion together.

  Then he staggered, crowding her into the wall enough to steal the little breath she had left before bracing himself with an arm above her head.

  “Don’t move.” His voice broke in a way that made her smile.

  Or try to.

  She couldn’t quite manage it, even though she wanted to savor this unspoken admission, enjoy that Mr. Gentleman Bad Guy was in danger of dropping her. But Lindy could only blink the rain from her eyes, bury her face in the crook of his neck.

  He, at least, could stand.

  8

  PRIVATE.

  Joshua frowned at his cell phone display and the illuminated word blinking insistently. Henri would be on the other end of the secure satellite signal. Was this some sort of test? Joshua had made the arrangements for the transfer of the German manuscript to happen later today at a drop point in France and hadn’t expected a call until receiving confirmation of a successful pickup.

  Should he answer? Only last night, he’d told Henri something personal had come up, a situation that would delay his arrival with the White Star. With this lie, he’d bought himself precious hours to figure out what that personal something would be. Only when he had a story in place would he be able to talk without evasions that might expose his lies.

  Joshua needed time to devise a credible story and proof to support it. Henri was no man’s fool. He would check out the story. This was business.

  With each passing hour, the line Joshua treaded grew thinner. Once, he would have enjoyed the challenge of juggling Henri and Lindy, but now he could feel his future hanging in the balance, a weight that had never felt so heavy.

  A sign he should consider a new line of work?

  He might not have a choice. But he could choose whether or not to take this call.

  Setting the cell phone down on the desk, he moved across the suite to the kitchen. He poured espresso, cocked a hip against the counter and willed the rich brew to clear his head. He had decisions to make.

  Everything kept coming back to Lindy. What she wanted from him, and what she could offer—not some deal that would turn him into MI6’s snitch. After last night, he was convinced Lindy was somehow vested in building this case against Henri, enough to ruthlessly seduce him as her point of entry.

  Joshua also knew she was getting more than she bargained for with her seduction.

  Unfortunately, so was he.

  He’d been stringing her along with this game to swing the situation around to his favor. But that time was working against him, too. Making love to her should have been strictly a tactical move, but it had turned out to be all about satisfying desire. His. Hers.

  Right down to standing in the rain to find her a taxi.

  She’d resisted the effort, of course, but leaving a lady he’d just made love to standing soaking wet on a dark street corner wasn’t how Joshua operated. Not that making love to a predatory intelligence agent on a rooftop was his usual MO, either.

  Staring blindly into his suite, he wondered where she was now. She could be holed up inside this very hotel or one of the many within easy distance of the airport serving this city. Their game dictated tight parameters. Proximity to quick travel arrangements was one of them.

  She would be tracking him down. That much was a given, but what Joshua wanted to know was whether or not she found herself as distracted by last night as he was.

  Brutally shoving the thought aside, he gazed through the window and willed himself to stop reminiscing about rooftops and rain-soaked skin. He needed to produce some viable options for handling a difficult situation.

  He needed to direct Henri one way and Lindy another, so their paths didn’t cross. Joshua had things each of them wanted, but he’d committed the White Star to Henri. He owed nothing to Lindy, which made her the least pressing of the two.

  That was the place to start.

  So, what trail of bread crumbs could he leave for Henri to corroborate his claims of personal trouble?

  Henri happened to be one of the few men alive who knew anything at all about Joshua’s true identity. Not because he’d willingly shared his past, of course. His relationship with Henri was strictly business. But Henri, being the meticulous man he was, extensively researched anyone he considered inviting into his employ.

  With his resources, Henri had been able to uncover the truth that Joshua had worked so hard to put behind him. Alcohol and drugs had separated his mother from her family long before Joshua had been born. By the time she’d died when he’d been a teen, he’d already learned that survival skills couldn’t be learned inside a classroom. With no prospects for a bright future, he’d dropped off the grid to make his own way.

  He was smart and adaptable, both qualities that powerful people employ. He’d eventually worked his way into the employ of one of the most powerful.

  Henri Renouf hadn’t earned his reputation without being smart and adaptable himself. Knowledge was power, and he wanted enough to formulate an opinion about anyone he dealt with—to use as leverage in the event things didn’t go his way. Not even Joshua’s best efforts to bury the past had withstood the test.

  In fact, those very efforts had inadvertently impressed Henri and given him a run for his money.

  That had been Joshua’s point of entry into Renouf’s empire, the start of earning the man’s respect. And as that respect—and trust—had developed, Henri had used his considerable resources to bury Joshua’s true identity even deeper.

  Which was why he’d been so surprised—and admittedly impressed—that Lindy had connected him to the Stuart Temple alias.

  But to satisfy Henri, Joshua would need to head even further back. He could think of a scenario that would provide a plausible explanation for his delay. All he had to do was make some arrangements, falsify a travel itinerary, hire someone to carry it out and Henri would have a trail to keep him busy—one that would hold up under scrutiny.

  But Joshua hated using details from his past to any purpose. His early life hadn’t served much good while he’d been living it. Except to fuel his determination to create a new life. So he’d kept no connections to the past. Save one, and that wasn’t one he cared to expose.

  But it was one Henri was likely to believe.

  Setting down the cup, Joshua shook off the restlessness that had been nagging at him ever since digging into a New York cop’s past and coming up with an exploitable mistake.

  Why did he keep thinking about that cop?

  Their business was over and done. The cop had screwed up, left a trail. If he hadn’t, Joshua would have simply found another cop who had. So what was so special about this one?

  Better yet, what was wrong with him?

  He was unsettled by his contemplative mood. He was tired. Not so much physically or mentally as emotionally. Lindy’s appearance had him analyzing his situation, forced him to look closely at a life he was more comfortable living than analyzing. His answers were there, waiting to be acknowledged.

  This cop’s intentions had been good—trying to put his kids through college.

  So had Joshua’s intention to make a better life.


  Didn’t someone once say the road to hell was paved with good intentions?

  Turning his back on his thoughts, Joshua forced himself to focus on Lindy, not the rain-drenched woman from the roof but the ruthless agent who threatened his future.

  She wanted to know where he was headed, which would mean discovering how he traveled from Vienna. Continental Europe opened up a variety of possibilities—train and car among them.

  He counted on her wasting valuable time investigating these options. But he’d be flying out of Vienna, and not on any commercial carrier. Today, he needed to get ahead of her more than ever. Not only did he need time to put his plan into place to satisfy Henri, but he needed to arrange another peace offering to take the place of the San Gabriel. All while staying ahead of one very persistent, very desirable MI6 agent.

  A beep jarred the quiet, and Joshua glanced at his cell phone that vibrated on the desk. He recognized the number. His Northumberland investigator. With his pulse upping its tempo, he cleared the display and waited for the text message to appear. When it did, Joshua smiled.

  Melinda St. George.

  Gotcha.

  Venice, where the Adriatic Sea winds into canals and beneath picturesque bridges, paths that lure the unsuspecting into an inescapable web.

  LINDY STROLLED through the Piazza of San Marco in Venice, dismayed by the crowds still milling around. By day, visitors could appreciate the famed mosaics and winged lions on the cathedral. Now, they couldn’t see a thing but the silhouette of historic buildings and glare of bright lights, yet the place had transformed into a hub. A band played, drenching the clear, moonlit night with pop tunes. Fractured conversations and laughter erupted from cafés on the sides of both Procuraties.

  Locating her quarry in this mob wasn’t going to be as easy as picking him off the side of a building.

  Lindy supposed she should be grateful to have made it this far. True, she was still hanging on to Joshua’s money trail with both hands. He’d routed funds through several countries today. She’d been able to follow, but only because he hadn’t had long enough to bury his money again. Give him a few days when he wasn’t dodging her, and he’d vanish without a trace.