He grabbed for her wrist. “Enough.”
“Why?”
He met her startled gaze. “Ever hear of too much too soon?”
Understanding lit her embarrassed gaze while his traveled the length of her and back again. Large breasts rounded beneath the tight turtleneck top and rigid nipples pushed through the thin white material. Her jeans were fitted, accentuating full hips and generous curves. Kane had had his share of women, and they’d had one thing in common. They spent too much at the gym trying to be model-thin, or had put themselves on ridiculous diets he’d never understand.
Kayla had eaten what she pleased tonight and enjoyed every mouthful. And he’d enjoyed watching her. He wondered if her sexual appetite was as unbridled.
Twice and she hadn’t been thrilled at the admission. What had those experiences been like for her? His groin still ached from a touch that hadn’t been hesitant but…experimental. Despite the body made for sex and sin, this woman was fresh and new.
Too wholesome for someone like him. Yet he couldn’t turn back. He needed her, something he wasn’t ready to face now…and probably not ever.
“I don’t really believe there’s such a thing as too much, do you?” She touched a soft hand to his cheek and he knew. She trusted him, yet everything about them was a lie. He’d known enough about her going in to wrap her around his finger, and he’d done it easily. He hadn’t counted on being floored himself. But he had been…as much as she.
Since she believed he’d be leaving the state after tonight, he could give them both a time to remember. No risk involved for either of them. She was too good at chipping away at the rough exterior he’d built and relied upon to survive. If not for the softness in her, if not for the softness she brought out in him, they’d be in a sweaty tangle on the floor by now. His throbbing body reminded him they hadn’t gotten that far. Yet.
He held his hand toward her. “Why don’t we find out?” Her fingers twisted in his, he led her to the oversize chair beside the table. He sat down and lowered her into his lap, facing him. “Still cold?”
She turned so she straddled his hips with her own and met his gaze head-on. “Not anymore.” He heard a smoldering heat in her voice. “Or should I say yes so you’ll warm me?”
Her impish grin was at odds with the questions in her eyes. Kane decided to erase those, as well as all rational thought once and for all. He wrapped his hands around her waist. “How about you say nothing at all?” he said and sealed his mouth to hers.
She tasted as good as before. She made him as hot as before—only faster this time. He pulled her shirt from the waistband of her jeans, needing to feel, taste and savor the sensations only she aroused. A willing partner, she helped, raising her arms to make his job easier, and before he could blink, he was facing his fantasy.
Ever since stealing a glimpse of Kayla Luck through a glass storefront window, Kane had been waiting for this. He just hadn’t let it enter his conscious mind. It was there now. She was there now.
He traced the edge of white lace surrounding her plump breasts, feeling her soft flesh beneath his fingertips. Her chest rose and fell in time to her rapid breathing, but she held his gaze and didn’t say a word.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re beautiful.”
“Don’t worry. If I let you get this far, I believe the compliment.”
“Unlike this morning.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know you this morning.”
“And you do now.”
She laughed and he discovered even her grin made him hard.
“I know what’s important,” she said playfully. “Isn’t that what you said?”
He nodded and pushed the material beneath her breast, exposing all of her for view. The blood in his veins pumped fast and furious. “Still hot?” He placed a kiss on the distended tip of her nipple.
A strangled sound escaped her lips.
“I’ll take that as a yes—which makes hot chocolate out of the question.”
She stared at him wide-eyed.
“But I am hungry. How about you?” Reaching to his side, he felt beneath the room service cart left by the hotel staff earlier and came up with a can of whipped cream. “Special request,” he said.
“You think of everything, don’t you?” she asked.
“I try.” He shook the can with one hand.
She was already willing. He also wanted her hot…and wet…and enjoying every moment. She hadn’t done much of that in the past and he wanted her to remember him even after he was gone. He didn’t want her ever to forget.
With great show and care, he circled her nipple with a generous helping of whipped cream. Her smoldering gaze met his. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“It’s cold.” Laughter and anticipation lit her voice.
“Not for long.” He lifted her breast in his hand, savoring the weight, the feel, the warmth and then he proceeded to devour his dessert until he was tasting beyond cold and sweet, until he was tasting Kayla.
Unfortunately for him, his plan worked too well. She lost herself in sensation. She moaned aloud, her thighs clenched and unclenched around his. And Kane knew she was past conscious thought, past the point of asking him to stop.
Which meant she trusted him. He glanced at her glazed eyes, and her honest face. A protest of his own rose to his lips. Before he could speak, her hips bucked against him and his coherency vanished. He met her thrusts with unrestrained pumping of his own until he thought he’d come right then. Lifting her up, he waited only for her to wrap her legs around his hips and he took the few steps needed.
Together they toppled onto the bed. In between spurts of laughter and the mess of the whipped cream, which she attempted to lick from his lips, they managed to stand and undress. Kane grabbed for his jeans and pulled a condom out of his wallet, realizing on some subconscious level, he’d been prepared for this. He’d made sure his wallet wasn’t empty.
Shaking off the implications, he joined her on top of the mattress. She lay beneath him, naked and ready. His. He shook his head to clear that thought, but it remained. He pushed a strand of hair off her cheek, stuck there thanks to leftover whipped cream.
“I never realized making love could be fun,” she said, out of breath.
He’d never laughed while having sex, either. At least he’d given her something after all. He grinned. “Sweetheart, you haven’t seen anything yet.” He shifted his weight and slipped his hand between her thighs.
She was everything he’d wanted her to be. Warm, slick and, if the sighs greeting his ears were any indication, she was definitely enjoying. He slipped one finger inside her moist heat.
“Kane?” His name came out on a groan.
“What?” Closing his eyes against the tension threatening to burst inside him, he eased his finger out…
“I’d rather you…I mean, we…”
He knew what she meant. But he wasn’t ready. He wanted more for her than a fast tumble. More memories. He slipped his finger back in once more. “Patience is a virtue,” he told her through clenched teeth.
“Then I’m not virtuous.” As if to make her point, she wrapped her hand around his straining length and proceeded to pick up a rhythm that brought him to the brink.
“Point made.”
Taking care of protection seemed more of a nuisance than it should. Then, grabbing her wayward hands, he yanked them above her head and held her wrists with one hand. With the other, he eased himself inside her, trying like hell to keep in mind it had been a long time for her.
Considering how perfect the fit, how intense the emotion she drew from him, this was a first for him as well. Kane held onto rational thought long enough to recognize he’d never felt like this before. Seconds before he climaxed in her arms, he knew he’d never feel like this again.
HE WOKE TO THE SOUND of rustling clothing. Kane rolled onto his back to see Kayla slipping back into her clothes. Last night came back to him in a rush of memory and sensation—bec
ause his body was rock-hard. Despite that he’d slept with her twice, and that the sheets still carried their scent, he wanted her again. Wanted her more than he had the first time.
One glance and he knew she’d planned on slipping out before he awoke. Something he’d done himself and only now, being on the receiving end, did he realize how low a maneuver that actually was. The sense of loss shocked him.
She was leaving. Because she was sorry for what happened? Because she was embarrassed and couldn’t face him? Or because, God help him, he’d been nothing more to her than a one-night stand? He couldn’t stand the possibility, and in that fleeting second, he wanted more.
“Going somewhere?”
She glanced up from buttoning her jeans. Her hair fell around her face in easy waves, surrounding guilt-ridden, embarrassed eyes. “I was just…”
“Leaving?”
“Getting dressed. I would have woken you.”
“Bull.”
“You like that word.”
“Only when it fits.” He rose from the bed, ignoring that he was naked, and trying unsuccessfully to ignore her gaze following him across the room.
“I thought a clean break would be best. You’re going back to New Hampshire later today any way, so I figured, this way, no messy goodbyes.” She turned a bright, sunny smile his way.
He shoved his hand into his pants pockets and fished through his wallet. What was he to her? She hadn’t accepted his date until he’d pressured her into it with the lesson pretense. Was he a client she never wanted to see again or something more?
In his mind, the case had been closed long before he slept with her. He knew she wasn’t a prostitute, knew she had no knowledge of any ring that might exist. But she was the woman who’d slipped past his walls. No one had ever gotten that close before. If anything would kill the edge Reid was so worried about, the one that kept him alert and alive, this was it. A soft, caring woman.
Kayla Luck.
Kane drew a deep breath. It didn’t matter why he’d come into her life. The fact remained that he had, and, in the process, he’d compromised himself, his principles, his case and his job. Not bad for a night’s work, McDermott. He had to let her go. But the same part of him that wanted to kick himself for getting in too deep also needed to know. Could it all have been one-sided?
He turned toward her, wallet open. “We never agreed on a price, but I’m sure this will cover last night’s…lessons.” She might not think she’d taught him anything. But she had. A very expensive and painful lesson. He tossed the wad of bills onto the bed.
Don’t take the money. His heart seemed to hammer out the words in rapid beats. Furious with himself, he still needed to see her reaction, needed to know what he’d meant to her.
He looked over his shoulder. She’d paused in the process of pulling the baby-blue jacket onto her shoulders.
“What…is…that?”
“You said we’d see how things go.” And they had. He thrust his hand toward the bed where the money sat, glaring and rude. “That’s payment for services rendered.”
CHAPTER FOUR
KAYLA STARED AT THE MONEY on the bed in disbelief. “Payment.” She forced the words from her dry throat.
“You said we’d see how things go.”
Yes, she had…and now she knew. Things had been unbelievable, or so she’d thought. Special, sensual, incredible, fun, she couldn’t come up with enough adjectives to describe how being with Kane had felt. Because he was leaving, she’d decided to slip out before he awoke. No goodbyes, nor forced smiles. No questions, like will I see you again? She’d been foolish enough to hope he’d look her up again on his own, no prompting.
She turned toward the bed. The money marred the mattress where she’d come close to falling hard. For a stranger. Her stomach cramped and she was reminded of another morning after. It’s been real, Kayla. Catch you around sometime. Different man, another notch in some guy’s bedpost. Kane had just been so much better at seducing her into denial before slapping her with reality. Men didn’t want anything real with Kayla Luck. They never had, never would.
She squared her shoulders and forced a brave front. She refused to let him know how deeply he’d wounded her. “You’re right, we never agreed on payment.”
Unable to look into those dark eyes, she kept her gaze trained on a point behind him. “I said we’d see how things went…and…” The green bills caught her eye, mocking the instincts she’d trusted as well as her attempt at composure.
She paused, wanting to slam him, wanting to say last night hadn’t been good enough to accept payment in return. But that wasn’t her nature, though Catherine might have had a choice word or two for a man who’d crossed her, Kayla was different. She bent and grabbed her bag. Perhaps she no longer trusted her judgment in men, but she respected herself enough to be strong until she walked out that door. No man had the right to treat her like a prostitute.
Straightening, she met Kane’s unreadable gaze. “Know what, McDermott? You and your payment can go to hell.” She didn’t know him well, but she’d learned enough last night to catch a flicker of emotion in his eyes now.
Relief mixed with regret? She shook her head, realizing she’d been searching for something to hold onto despite his crude offer. Apparently she harbored unhealthy illusions. For all his suave charm, Kane McDermott was no better than the rest.
Gathering her pride and her jacket, she ran for the door.
Kane didn’t try to stop her.
“NO CASH EXCHANGED HANDS last night. Unless you can claim success, McDermott, I’d say case closed.” Reid approached Kane from behind.
Kane eased back in his chair and forced himself to turn and look his superior in the eye. “She’s clean, boss.”
“Damn.” Captain Reid crumpled a sheet of paper and slammed it into the trash. “Waste of manpower,” the older man grumbled.
“Seems like,” Kane agreed.
“Our informant could be blowing smoke, playing both sides for cash…but the teasers he gave us sounded legit. I really believed certain of our politicians were frequenting that place on the sly.” The captain paced the short length of Kane’s desk and back again before coming to a halt. “Any chance things happened before Ms. Luck’s reign?”
Kane shook his head. “Doesn’t seem possible. Not without her knowing. She was around during the aunt and uncle’s days, she helped them out once in a while with classes and handled the books. Now she’s running the place herself. If there was anything going on then or now, she’d know.”
“Any chance she was tipped off, then turned those lovely charms your way? Any chance she got to you last night?”
“Conned me? None. The lady’s innocent. I’d bet my badge.”
“Really.” The captain raised a knowing eyebrow before settling himself on the edge of the metal desk. “Now that’s a first.”
“What is? I always trust my instincts.”
“But you never put that faith in another human being, especially a lady.” He gave Kane a pointed look. “Until now.” He stood and headed for his office.
Direct hit, Kane thought. He couldn’t avoid the truth any longer. Couldn’t avoid thinking, either, though that’s what he’d tried to do since Kayla’s abrupt departure this morning.
The captain was right. He had put faith in her and he’d let down his guard. For one ridiculous moment, he caught a glimpse of a life different than the solitary one he led. He’d been alone so long without a true connection to another person. But Kayla had shown him there was more than eating, sleeping and working. She’d made him feel alive and, foolishly, he’d wanted more. Not that he could have accepted, considering he was incapable of offering anything substantial in return.
Money in exchange for sex. That was one hell of an offer he’d made. He snorted in disgust. He’d set out to prove she wasn’t a call girl, and had treated her no better than a hooker instead. The wounded look in her eyes hit him harder than when he’d been decked head-on with the butt of a
gun. Guilt and regret twisted his insides.
A detective with years of experience questioning suspects, yet he botched the one chance he had with Kayla. In the end he’d done them both a favor. Interpersonal skills weren’t his thing and now she knew it, too. Besides, the lady was too good at breaching his defenses, something he and his line of work couldn’t afford. Letting her go hadn’t been easy, but it had been necessary.
“McDermott.”
Kane raised his gaze toward Reid’s office. “Yeah, boss?”
The older man waved a sheaf of papers in the air. “Report on my desk by tonight. Everything gels, case closed.”
“Right.”
“And you look like hell, so get the paperwork done and, remember what I told you, I don’t want to see your sorry butt in here till the middle of next week.”
Kane opted not to argue. His burning eyes told him he could use the sleep.
First things first. He shoved a sheet of white paper into the typewriter beside his desk. Paperwork would force him to relive last night in all but intimate detail.
He groaned. Those intimate details might not make it onto paper, but they were forever etched in his brain. He and Kayla had warmed each other up, and hot chocolate had nothing to do with the heat in the hotel room. Her full body meshed perfectly into his, her slick wetness made for an easy glide home.
Home? He slammed his fists onto the keys. What the hell was he thinking? The lady had been a one-night stand and he should be glad she’d walked out first; pleased he’d ended any soft thoughts she might have entertained about her night with Kane McDermott, New Hampshire salesman.
Ripping out the ruined sheet of paper, he crumpled it into his hands and tossed it into the trash. She wasn’t out of his life a few hours and he couldn’t concentrate.
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