"Both of them paid you to keep an eye on me?" Now she whispered, too.
Albert chuckled. "I'm an old man and more of a fixture around here than an active employee. You flatter me suggesting I could keep up with a beauty as active as yourself."
"And you're a bad liar," she said, smiling but narrowing her gaze on him. "Don't try to make me think for a moment that you can't tell me everything that goes on around here."
She thought Albert blushed, but his wrinkled, hollowed cheeks were pasty enough it was hard to tell. He straightened, though, his expression growing serious.
"When two men are that determined to know a lady's whereabouts, it's because they feel a strong sort of possessiveness toward her. Now if you don't mind my saying, I see danger in one and a strong sense of possessiveness in the other. If you mix the two..."
"It would be one hell of a mess," she finished for him.
"Tread carefully, Miss Angela. Your men may not quite be as they appear."
A car pulled up into the circle, its headlights beaming on the two of them for a moment. Angela heart pounded viciously in her chest until she confirmed it wasn't Mario's limo.
"Duty calls," Albert said, patting her arm and grinning, appearing relaxed and completely in control.
Angela gathered inner strength and smiled easily at him. "Thank you," she said, slightly upset there wasn't time to learn more of his thoughts on Mario and Jake.
A few minutes later her hotel door closed silently behind her, automatically locking. She kicked off her shoes, leaving them at the desk and walked to her bed, climbing on to it and collapsing.
"It's about time you got here," Jake said as he appeared from around the corner by the bathroom.
Angela shot to a sitting position, managing to free her gun from her purse by her hand and aim it at him before she acknowledged who spoke to her.
Jake brought his hands out from his side slowly. "I didn't mean to startle you," he said, his gaze riveting on the gun.
"Crap, Jake." Angela was pissed and relieved all at once. She lowered the gun, her hands shaking when she dropped it on top of her purse. "You scared me to death. What are you doing here?" Her senses returned to her with her next breath. "How did you get in here?"
Jake gave her an impish grin when he pulled a card key out of his jeans pocket. "It was in your shorts pocket."
"What?" She didn't understand. "But I used my card to get in here."
"Apparently you had both cards on you." Jake shrugged and dropped the card key on the table by her surveillance equipment.
"Wait a minute. How were you watching my ass if you were in here?"
Jake moved in on her, reaching the edge of the bed and leaning over. He pressed his fists into the bedspread. Long, corded muscles bulged in his forearms. His shoulders flexed and chest muscles rippled under his T-shirt. "An ass as hot as yours doesn't leave the mind easily," he growled, lowering his gaze to her breasts.
God! He was 100 percent flirt. She was staring at a purebred playboy and knew without giving it thought that she was desperately out of her league. Her life was all business. The men she had dated behaved in a civilized manner. Angela made the first move if she decided they were worth her time. Jake wasn't even bothering with the first move. The look on his face made it clear he was coming in for the kill.
Maybe in his world women fell at his feet, willing to do whatever he wanted. In her world, though, when she chose a man, he fell at her feet and begged to do whatever she wanted, Angela pulled her knees to her chest and scooted back on the bed. It might have been a king size, but with a man the size of Jake, there wasn't enough space to escape him. His eyes blazed like rare emeralds when he grabbed her ankles and pulled her back into his arms.
"Damn it," she cried out, and slapped her hands against his warm, steel chest.
"What did Albert say to you?" Jake braced her with one hand pressed against the middle of her back. His fingers crawled into her hair, tugging until she let her head fall back and stared into his smoldering gaze.
"Albert?" she asked, blinking until Jake returned his attention to her face. "Who is Albert?"
"You know who Albert is." Jake captured her mouth, demanding entrance and impaling her with his tongue.
Angela barely had time to capture her breath before he began making love to her mouth. His fingers moved up her spine, caressing and pressing into her flesh, which proved to be almost as erotic as the way he kissed her. As sturdy as he was in holding her against him, his other hand moved delicately down the side of her head. When he brushed his fingertips against her cheek, all the while instigating a dance with their tongues that ignited flames of passion deep inside her, it was all she could do to hold on.
Maybe they were in different leagues. But that didn't mean she lacked experience. Jake used his body as his weapon. He possessed skills most men didn't even know existed. Jake might be one of the best bounty hunters, with too much sex appeal for his own good, but his skills vanished when it came to women.
Not his sexual skills. Angela wouldn't argue they were off the charts. She was barely able to maintain control of her own mind as he created sensations inside her she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before. But he plotted, brainstormed, and analyzed a case before beginning his hunt. Jake wasn't brainstorming and analyzing her. He dove in, all aggression and demanding. Angela needed to tame this virile beast.
If she could manage it. Angela turned her head, fighting to catch her breath and make her brain work. Instead of breaking off the kiss, Jake made a rumbling sound in his throat as he ran kisses along the side of her face to her ear.
"Jake," she cried out, her entire body jerking as he raked his teeth down her earlobe. When he teased her inner ear with his tongue, the swelling between her legs exploded into a pool of moist heat.
"You don't have a clue how sexy you are," he whispered, his words torturing her as much as his tongue did.
"I think I have a clue," she mumbled, although she was lying. She should be focusing on taking the upper hand, not on learning how he reacted to her touch. Exploring his body wouldn't help her tame Jake, but it sure as hell caused the heat smoldering inside her to grow into a pressure ready to explode almost immediately.
"Are you going to tell me what Albert said to you?" Jake's voice was raspy and his breath hot against the curve just above her collarbone. With each kiss, each nibble and scrape of his teeth against her flesh, he moved closer to areas that swelled, screaming for his attention.
"I don't think I will," she admitted.
Her hands were under his shirt. There was an odd sense of power as her fingertips explored and his muscles twitched under her touch. Angela barely had time to catch her breath, let alone clear her vision, when Jake let go of her long enough to rip his shirt from his body. She didn't even register where he threw it when he grabbed her tank top and as easily pulled it over her head, tossing it wherever he sent his shirt.
"Now is as good a time as any for you to learn something," she began.
Jake cupped her breasts. Angela grabbed his wrists but wasn't able to get her fingers to wrap around them and meet. She was even less successful at stopping him when he tugged on her already swollen breasts. He squeezed her nipples between his fingers and Angela's world toppled to the side, taking all her coherent thought with it.
"I would have to agree," he grunted, not taking his attention from her breasts. "And I plan on learning more than something, darling. I'm going to learn everything about your body, where you're most sensitive, where you're ticklish, what gets you off, and what doesn't."
"That's not what I meant." This was quickly becoming the wrong time to show Jake how he needed to act around her. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him his behavior turned her off. Her pussy throbbed and was so damned soaked, she felt her come on her inner thighs.
"You're very sensitive." His crooked smile was mischievous.
"Jake!" Angela would not lose this battle. She pressed her hands flat against his chest. Tight small cur
ls of chest hair tickled her palms while his solid heartbeat matched the throbbing between her legs. There wasn't any way she could push Jake backward if he didn't want her to. "Lay down," she ordered.
Her expression must have given her away. Jake's grin faded and his expression grew serious as he dropped his hands. "You're going to run the show?" He sincerely sounded surprised.
It was time for his first lesson. "I've always run the show," she whispered, and gently pressed against his chest.
It was an odd moment for Albert's words to come to her. I see danger in one and a strong sense of possessiveness in the other. She could only guess which man held on to which trait. If anything, both men were dangerous and possessive. But to give in to either would put her at the mercy of that man. She would lose control.
"All right, darling." Jake stretched out on the bed, his head touching the headboard and his feet at the edge of the bottom of the bed. "I'm yours to command," he added, raising his arms and strapping his hands behind his head. His brown hair was tousled and his expression once again mischievous. This was all a game to him.
"I can only imagine how you've mastered such skills." She really didn't want to know how many women it took to make a man as confident and convinced of his abilities as Jake was. "You're not mine and I'm not going to command," she tried explaining.
Jake pressed his lips together as his body tensed. "They aren't skills. What's happening here isn't something we've plotted out and now are putting into action." His jovial look was gone, and the man staring up at her looked dangerous, intelligent, and incredibly focused. "This is new territory for me and for you, which is why you want to maintain control."
He moved his hands and gripped her waist, lifting her and easing her on top of him, until her legs straddled him.
Angela straightened her arms, flattening her hands against his chest. "You're seducing the hell out of me," she accused, pushing and sliding backward. They couldn't do this with Jake determined to manipulate her thoughts and insist her desire to control was to cover up some deeper longing.
Jake grabbed her arms, keeping her from getting too far away from him. "Don't try and make me think you don't want me."
"I thought we'd already established there was mutual desire." The fog was still there, drifting around her senses, but she felt a remnant of control return to her corner. "This isn't a good idea."
"You believe that?" He wasn't letting her go.
Angela tried twisting out of his grasp and ended up struggling against him. Wrestling with Jake would only put her back in the middle of that fog. She ended up with her back pressed against his hard chest and his muscular arms wrapped around her. The two of them knelt on the bed, and Jake lowered his head so his curls brushed against her cheek.
"You're so damn hot and I bet if I were to check right now you're soaked as hell, too," he whispered against her face.
Angela stiffened. "Soaked" didn't begin to describe her current state. "Don't you dare," she whispered, but made the mistake of turning her head to look at him.
Jake raised one hand and gripped her neck, using his fingers to pin her face and keep her gaze locked with his. "If you believe both of us should restrain and not ease our pain and desire for each other, I have a right to know."
Instead of making her think of an answer, he stretched her body against his, both of them on their knees with his legs on the outside of hers. He kept her head turned and slowly brushed his lips over hers. It was barely a kiss, but she made the mistake of fighting him. Jake came back for more, pressing his lips against hers, and once again applied incredible skills as he made love to her mouth. She was stretched against his torso, on her knees, leaning back into him while they devoured each other's mouths. When his hand eased inside her shorts she stilled.
"Trust comes with time, sweetheart. I understand that. You're accustomed to being in charge and not letting go. Tonight, let's just enjoy the release of mutual cravings." His voice was raspy and scraped over her raw senses the way his teeth and fingertips had tortured her flesh.
As he spoke, his hand slid over her pelvis. Instinctively she tightened her abdomen, giving him easier access. In spite of her mind demanding control of this situation, as Jake had just suggested, her body was more than willing to ease the path to pleasure and satisfaction. His fingers parted her moist flesh, and his eyes opened wide, staring at her in astonishment. Even at close range, they locked gazes and both forgot to breathe.
"You're smooth." He spoke with a reverence that was empowering.
Angela sucked in a breath and swore she could taste him as she took his scent deep into her lungs. Shaving was a personal vanity. She knew men liked it, but she loved how it felt, too. The smooth, hairless skin heightened her sexual experiences, when she had time for them. And it kept her feeling clean. At the moment, though, she was so wet his fingers slid easily deep inside her.
"This isn't..." a good idea. Angela didn't get the entire sentence out of her mouth.
The only hint she had was a slight twitch on the side of Jake's jaw before he thrust his fingers deep inside her.
"Holy crap!" And her world erupted.
His fingers were long, thick, and took her to new heights she hadn't known she'd been missing out on until now. He thrust again, then one more time, each time he impaled her a very macho grunt escaping his lips. With his fourth thrust, which was as premeditated as the ones previous, a dam broke inside Angela. Wave after wave of pent-up desire rushed through her, streaming fast and wild like a narrow river heading for a very high waterfall. She tumbled over, free-falling and seriously unsure if she'd recover from her orgasm and ever be the same again.
Giving Jake this unhindered control would put a strain on their relationship. Just as Albert said, Jake was very possessive. It would make him think he could call all the shots and simply tuck her under his wing. Letting go and giving him that power would be the biggest mistake of her life. Although the way his arms had tightened just enough around her when her orgasm hit, how he allowed her to ride it out, and with his continual impaling, thrusting until the pressure was fully gone, was not only the most incredible experience; it was hot as hell.
"You're so soaked." Jake nipped at her ear. "My sweet baby needed to come."
His baby?
Jake plunged deep inside her, applying the same amount of force and aggressiveness that had pushed her over the edge a moment ago. Hell, she was still basking in her aftermath and he shoved her right back into a state of turmoil and swelling pressure.
"Damn it! God!" Angela would have tumbled over if he weren't keeping her pressed against his body. Besides, his hand in her shorts braced her. Instead of crashing to the bed, both of them leaned forward slightly. His fingers plunged in an altered course, hitting a spot that was seldom touched. Her orgasm peaked so fast it stole her breath. "Jake. Oh shit!"
Her world exploded in an array of warm colors, every sensation suddenly heightened as she started plummeting, sliding into an explosive state of satisfaction that gripped and held on to all of her senses. Angela felt her orgasm tear through her and, try as she did, she couldn't stop it or control its strength.
Which was what she usually did. It didn't hit her until the intensity of her ride began to ebb. No man ever made her come until she was ready for release. Angela controlled her orgasms, just as she controlled everything else in her world. It allowed for few surprises but kept her world manageable.
"Next time you come like that, it isn't going to be with your back to me." His deep chuckle raked over her nerves.
Already he was assuming control. If she weren't so sated right now, Angela was positive she would have a comeback that would securely put him back in his place. Just because he got her off better than she could do herself. And although he'd made her come when she'd instructed herself not to, that didn't make him the boss.
As soon as she quit floating and the intense pleasure causing every inch of her to tingle receded, she would make sure he knew that. No matter what Jake K
ing thought about her, now that he'd just given her one hell of a memorable orgasm, Angela didn't answer to any man. Nor would she ever. Although maybe, possibly, if Jake was nice about it, she might let him make her come like that again.
Chapter Ten
"We've got work to do." Jake held Angela's limp body against his, feeling the strong thumping of her heart between her swollen breasts.
Jake had never made a woman come the way he just had with Angela. As tortured as he was physically at the moment, with his cock engorged and the urge to rid her of her shorts and impale her soaked pussy, a strange sense of calm and intense satisfaction seeped through him as well. It made for a strange mix. Maybe her demanding nature had its effect on him. Getting her off satisfied him in a way. He definitely wanted to fuck her for hours and hours, but as late as it was getting, they needed to start laying out their game plan. He was a bit surprised Mandela hadn't figured out her room number and come pounding on her door.
Angela blinked, shifted, and tried twisting in Jake's arms. He reluctantly pulled his fingers out of her moist heat and dragged them up her flat abdomen. They were sticky and wet, and he fought the urge to lick her come from them but wasn't sure what Angela's reaction would be to that. It was another odd sensation that her feelings and thoughts meant so much to him.
His family had been right. It was worse than a humbling revelation. The past few years he'd gallivanted around, lining women up as far as the eye could see. The women had used him as much as he used them. He didn't know a lot about any of the ladies he spent time with, other than contact information and small bits of useful knowledge, such as which ones preferred to be on top or enjoyed giving blow jobs. Jake forced himself to face the whole truth. He'd been worse than an alley cat on the prowl.
Right now, as he stared at Angela, all that mattered was her pleasure. His cock was harder than steel. It rubbed against his boxers and jeans and was uncomfortable as hell. And he didn't care.
Well, he cared. No way would he consider himself converted from prick to saint in the matter of time it took for Angela to come twice. If she were any other woman, he would probably take advantage of her dazed state to strip off the rest of her clothes so he could get himself off.
Bounty Hunters: 03 Stay Hungry Page 18
