Tango & Lace

by Misty Dietz

  “Please, call me Lilith.” The woman’s voice was deeper than Mya expected. Elegant, yet warm. Like her hands, though they were slightly rough against Mya’s own. “And thank you for the offer, but I only stopped by to borrow Jackson’s new structural compass for a demonstration I’m giving tomorrow at a field luncheon.”

  Oh, just one of those. Whatever the hell a structural compass did, it couldn’t possibly rock a man’s world as much as Dr. Erickson’s gorgeous blue eyes, model-perfect lips, and cheeks that could chisel diamonds. The contrast between the woman’s looks and her work-rough hands was interesting and somehow threatening.

  And she was nice. Damn.

  “In the chaos of this morning, I forgot to bring the compass to the office,” Jack supplied.

  “I see. Sounds interesting. Well, I’ll just leave you two to your tools, then.” Ai, yai, yai. Mya rolled her eyes at her shallow self as she grabbed the single wine glass and returned to the kitchen. She stirred the beans and rice and turned up the music to drown out the timbre of the scientists’ voices from the other room. Jack and Lilith were obviously well acquainted if Lilith was the one who made room for Jack in the university’s geological sciences department.

  But how well acquainted? Had they ever been lovers? When she and Jack were together, he’d never once mentioned Lilith. What did that mean?

  Stop. It was none of her business.

  She swore when the shredded meat started burning. Moments later Jack came into the kitchen.

  “That smells amazing. I skipped lunch. I suppose you did, too, with everything that happened.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him as she continued to stir the meat. “She’s gone already?”

  “She only came for the compass.”

  Mya bit her lip, trying not to look relieved. “You really should have had her stay. I wouldn’t have minded. I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do, unless you’ve stayed in touch…”

  He leaned a hip against his grandmother’s counter and reached for the glass of wine she’d poured for him earlier. “You’re fishing for information. Why?”

  “I’m not fishing.” Oh hell, she totally was, and she could never, ever hide shit from him so she might as well dump it out there and be done with it. “Were you two ever lovers?”

  Jack paused mid-swallow, raising an eyebrow. He set the glass down. “And this is your business because…?”

  She frowned and stabbed at the pile of meat. Maybe she should burn the damn thing after all. “Well, if you plan to bring her here for the night…” For a hot sweaty interlude. Ugh! “It kinda does affect me. Like, I need to know if I should buy some heavy duty ear plugs, or not be here during a certain witching hour, or something.” Her ropa vieja recipe had never seen beef shredded to this degree. With every stab and shred, she swore a different foul word in her head. And when she exhausted her Spanish vocabulary, she started in on English.

  And he still didn’t say shit.

  She couldn’t do this. She’d been in his presence for less than a day and already he’d turned her inside out. And she’d let him do it.

  Que estúpida soy.

  She turned off the burners for the meat, rice, and beans, then pivoted away from where he was standing, a slight up-tilt to his lips.

  “I’m not hungry anymore. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll find another place to stay,” she said.

  He grabbed her arm before she could take two steps. He was deceptively fast for such a big man. “Mya.”

  Ooo, when her name dropped like that in his smooth, cultured bass. Like a caress. “Don’t say it like that,” she snapped.

  “Why, when you like it so much?”

  “I don’t. Not anymore.”

  “You’re a terrible liar. And so easy to rile.”

  “I’m glad I’m entertaining to someone of your vast intelligence and academic repute. Now, goodbye.”

  He spun her back around and his lips came down on hers, hard, hot, and demanding. She opened to him, gasping into his mouth, all the pent up emotion of the day released in a flood, leaving her quaking at his invasion. His palms cupped her ass, parting her legs, dragging her up his body over his rigid erection as he turned and slid her onto the counter top. “Damn you, Mya. How can you unravel me so easily?”

  She couldn’t breathe with his lips, teeth, mouth branding her neck so possessively. Couldn’t gather her thoughts. Didn’t want to think. His thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts, fingers tightening reflexively on her ribs, and her head arced back on a long, shuddering sigh, her legs wrapping around his trunk to draw him closer. Madre de dios, he was solid.

  She thrust her fingers into his silky hair, pulling, making him growl and rise from her neck to slide his glasses on the counter before claiming her lips again. She tasted the rich cabernet on his tongue, the wine’s deep complexity adding another layer of seduction. She shivered when his fingers trailed slowly down her body, such a contrast with his busy mouth, to stop at the hem of her cotton tank top. He leaned back to pull her shirt by the hem, over her head, then chucked it on the floor. His eyes, the deep blue of a stormy Caribbean Sea, spoke of a yearning that knew no relief. She stripped off his polo and pulled him to her, shaking now with something stronger than lust. His mouth slanted against hers, slower now, his fingertips like butterfly wings against her belly, tracing aching circles around her belly button, until they edged under the waistband of her yoga pants.

  “Jack.”

  His fingers slipped beneath the satin of her thong, rubbing, pressing…

  Remembering.

  “God, Mya. I’ve always loved making you come undone like this,” he groaned, his mouth wet and erotic at her ear as his fingers played her like they always had. His skin was a love song against hers, warm and poignant with memories. Her legs trembled, widened, shifted. Her heart throbbed, her breasts ached. His other hand splayed across her back, and she shook so hard she thought she’d lose the rhythm. The cord was winding tighter within. She moaned louder now, her hips rolling on the granite in time to his hand at her center. He was her world. His colors, his scent, taste, texture. She loved his skin. Loved it.

  So different from hers.

  “That’s it, come for me,” he whispered hoarsely against her mouth.

  She bit his lower lip as her body convulsed, bowing into his. He murmured incomprehensible words, his hand continuing to pleasure her, not letting her down easily, until she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against the pulse that raced there, desperately trying to hold back the tears that had risen unbidden to her eyes.

  Such a release, it overwhelmed her.

  Jackson held her, unspeaking, stroking her hair as her breathing returned to normal. Felt so good. She never wanted to leave his arms, but it was up to her to make the next move. She blinked, her eyelashes brushing against the sensitive skin under his ear. He shivered.

  Do something, Castillo.

  Finally, she pulled back and was about to raise a hand to touch his lips, ready for whatever happened next, but he took a step back, cleared his throat, and ran a hand through the hair that her hands had pulled so insistently. His eyes darkened again as they raked over her passion-warmed body, making her sex respond immediately.

  But instead of coming back for round two, he reached for his glasses and slid them onto the bridge of his nose, not quite managing to suppress a shiver. “Well, the chemistry’s still there. We should do alright in the competition.”

  Then he dished up a plate of ropa vieja, black beans, and rice and sat down at Rosie’s table like he hadn’t just given her the most body-quaking orgasm she’d had since the day he left her sheets.

  Chapter Seven

  Jack didn’t see any lights on in his gramma’s living room as Lilith pulled her Subaru into Rosie’s driveway. Part of him was relieved that Mya had obviously gone through with her plan to visit her siblings in Denver after her dispatch shift. But another part…

  It was getting ridiculous how muc
h he’d been thinking about her in the last week since he’d returned. Of course, it didn’t help that she was usually within arms’ reach. Or that all her vibes projected her openness to him. Just kiss her. How often had he been this close to following the urgings of his body. But he’d planned for this reaction to her. What he hadn’t planned on was her living with him. Lying down in bed with only a thin wall separating him from the object of his obsession. Her orange-blossom shampoo in the shower, her socks strewn around the house, her spoon in the yogurt in the refrigerator.

  Since the police hadn’t been able to find evidence of a targeted attack against Mya and the week had been uneventful, he’d been spending more time away from home to save his sanity. But of course, that only increased his distraction because when she wasn’t with him, he was wondering where she was and what she was doing and if she was safe.

  Which was markedly neurotic and decidedly stalkerish.

  Two states of mind he would’ve never thought himself capable.

  So, tonight he’d decided to go out with colleagues after a meeting. Mya wasn’t going to be home anyway. After a few drinks, he left the restaurant, only to find his truck tires had been slashed. After he reported the incident and had his truck towed to the tire shop, Lilith had graciously offered to bring him home.

  She turned to face him, leaving her car running. “I’m glad you decided to join us tonight. A few people have commented about your distractedness of late. Are you second guessing your position here?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Not at all. I apologize.” He didn’t like sharing his private life, even with people he regularly worked with. “I just need to resolve some personal issues that have cropped up since returning home.”

  “You may need to start compartmentalizing a little more effectively. We need you firing on all cylinders once classes begin.”

  He nodded and glanced again at the front windows, dreading the thought of being alone with his thoughts of Mya. “You’re right. Why don’t you come in for a couple of minutes? I’ll share some of Mya’s famous sangria and show you the documentation for my Wadi Murabba'at Caves paper so you’ll stop hounding me.”

  Lilith laughed. “I’ll never stop pestering you for glimpses into your brilliant mind.” She turned off the engine. “Sangria and documentation, what could be more compelling?”

  He got out and closed the passenger door. “How about more graduate fellows with the enthusiasm of your highly-touted Ms. Hollows?”

  Lilith followed him up the walkway to the front door. “Timber Hollows is a godsend. You’ll meet her soon. She lives, breathes, and sleeps geochemistry. And she keeps our accreditation paperwork zealously organized. She’s definitely making me look good to the Board.”

  When Jack unlocked the front door, loud crooning strains of Justin Timberlake streamed from the kitchen. His heart slid into his throat almost in slow motion. She’s home. His breath eased, sliding in a deep exhale between his slightly parted lips that curled up in spite of himself.

  He shut the door with a soft click behind Lilith, knowing he probably should have slammed it to alert Mya he was home. “Come on back to the kitchen. We’ll say hi to Mya, get some sangria, then I’ll grab my papers.”

  He led the way to his grandmother’s cozy kitchen, his heart rate increasing with every step. He rounded the corner and pulled up short, his gaze arrested by the fetching picture Mya presented, perched on the counter top, feet in the sink. She wore a strapless red dress, the skirt voluminous, splayed out, draping down the lower cabinets as she painted her toenails a vibrant crimson to match the dress. Her long black hair curved across one shoulder, curled just so, caressing her cheek in a flawless waving style like glamorous movie stars from the forties.

  And her cleavage as she bent over her legs to apply the polish…

  He swallowed hard.

  She glanced up and sent him a red-lipped smile that nearly turned him into a babbling fool. Her gaze went over his shoulder. “Hi Lilith, I was hoping you’d stop by again one of these days. Jack, where are your manners? Do step aside so your guest doesn’t have to peer over your shoulder.”

  He shifted, not sure he should be vocalizing, but, “why are you doing that in the sink? Don’t most people paint their toes on the floor or a chair?”

  Mya raised an eyebrow and put another coat on the toes he’d fantasized sucking way too much for his peace of mind lately. “Guess I’m not most people,” she said.

  “Where are you going dressed like that?”

  Mya sent him a devilish smile and screwed on the top of the red polish. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Lilith laughed. “Way to make him sweat. I’ll have you know he’s been offering your sangria for bribery.”

  Mya smiled and lifted her feet out of the sink, letting them dangle over the cabinets. “Is that so?” She brought her amused gaze to Jack. “What are you hoping to gain with your bribe, Professor?”

  Right now? Time alone with her. He’d give Lilith the entire pitcher to make her leave. “It wasn’t bribery, it was gratitude. My tires were slashed downtown. Lilith gave me a ride home.”

  “Yours were the only ones?” When Jack nodded, Mya frowned. “That sucks. Classes haven’t even started and you’ve already managed to piss people off. Not a good sign, smart guy.” She eased down from the counter and went to the fridge. Jack’s gaze fell on a thick textbook that had been hidden behind her skirts. An Introduction to Geoarchaeology. It was a substantial book written by a well-respected, professor emeritus of geoarchaeology and archaeology at Boston University. Mya bustled around, watching him, but pretending not to as she removed the sangria, pulled out three glasses and filled them. Her emotions were so easy to read, yet so complex. Like layers of the earth that told the story of its creation.

  I love that about her.

  He wandered over to the textbook, noticing the dog-eared pages even before he opened it up to find large blocks of text highlighted in various shades of pink, orange, yellow, and blue. A curious lightness settled in his chest.

  Mya handed the first glass to Lilith, pausing when she noticed Jack holding up the textbook. He smiled. She bit her lower lip.

  “If you want to sit in on one of my classes, all you have to do is say the word.” I’ll even give you private lessons.

  She seemed to regain her footing when she shrugged and handed him a glass of the refreshing berry and brandy-infused wine. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to know a little about what you’re up to all day, especially when you constantly badger me to hang out at the college. And honestly, how irritating is it when someone does Sudoku puzzles in ink, for god’s sake? I gotta do something to up my game, right?”

  Lil hummed her approval of both Mya’s commentary as well as the sangria. “He’s still doing that? I agree, very annoying.”

  Jack interpreted Mya’s fiercely downward pulling brows to mean she didn’t like Lil knowing about his Sudoku proclivities. It suggested a sort of intimacy, he supposed, but she was getting way ahead of herself, thinking he and Lil had been lovers. This was probably going to degenerate. He should’ve told Mya that first day that he and Lil had never been lovers. Lil had been interested once upon a time, but that time had long since passed. She was attractive, but they were too much alike to hold each other’s interest.

  There was also the fact that he was strung out over a fragrant Latina flower he couldn’t exorcise from his mind.

  “What about the tear gas? Have the police ascertained any leads on the attack?” Lilith asked, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

  Mya sighed and set her glass on the counter. He could read her inner fight to be nice when she wanted to strike out in her frustration, wondering about him and Lil. He was going to tell her the truth tonight so there would be one less thing between them. No more should have dones.

  “So far they’ve turned up nothing. They’re pretty sure it was a case of wrong-place-wrong-time for Artie. The thief could’ve decided to break into anyone’s hous
e. That’s the good news. The shitty part is that I’m still waiting for the cleanup team to blow out all the toxins from my HVAC system so I can go back home.”

  Maybe he’d call up the service and pay them to keep putting Mya off.

  “I can see why you’d…be…frustrated.” Lil’s voice faded off as she became preoccupied with her phone.

  Mya’s gaze jumped between Lil and Jack several times as though silently asking him what had caused the change in Lilith’s disposition. For several days now something had been off with Dr. Erickson, but he hadn’t had time to ask her about it. Besides it would have been awkward since their relationship had never skewed that way before. Still, she seemed withdrawn periodically, enough that it was definitely noticeable.

  “Well, you kids have fun. If you drink the whole bottle, call her a cab.” Mya stretched sinuously, and it was all Jack could do to keep his eyes off her neckline where her breasts rose temptingly. “I’m going to bed. ‘Night.”

  What? He would’ve been relieved she was going to bed if he didn’t suspect she’d sneak out the window, dressed to the nines as she was. It had been one of her favorite teenage rebellion activities. And he’d always been the one to bring her back home. “You don’t look or act like you’re ready for bed.”

  As soon as he said the words, he realized how sexually charged they sounded. He didn’t dare break eye contact with Mya to gauge Lil’s reaction. Besides, at this point, he didn’t care what Dr. Erickson might speculate.

  “Oh really? And how do I look when I’m ready to go to bed, Jack?”

  A loaded question he’d sincerely love to answer. But not with a colleague in the room. “You’re dressed like you’re ready to walk a runway. And you just did your toes. You’ll get them all smudged up if you go to bed right now.”

  “Since when are you the toenail fashion expert? And why do you even care? There’s no impending threat to me, and we’re not a thing, so what’s the deal?”