GUILTY PLEASURE (STEELE FAMILY Book 13)

by Brenda Jackson

  Slowing his pace, he rubbed his hand down his face. Damn. Why couldn’t he control himself where she was concerned? This wasn’t just any woman he was checking out. This was Dee, who he’d known forever. Then again, this was also the Dee he’d had in his bed. He knew first-hand how it felt to be between those gorgeous legs, to grip those curvy hips and to find heaven in the depth of her delicious mouth.

  When she opened a set of French doors and disappeared, he sighed with relief. But out of sight wasn’t out of mind. The moment he stepped out on the terrace that led to the botanical gardens, she was waiting, ready to give him hell. “What do you think you’re doing here, Cohen?”

  He refused to answer until she’d answered a question for him. “You were going to his hotel room, weren’t you?”

  She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He wished she hadn’t done that. It made her breasts push up and he could clearly see a very nice, tempting cleavage. “And what is it to you if I was?”

  A muscle in the back of his neck felt tight, like it was about to pop. “It would have been a mistake.”

  “Then it would have been my mistake to make. What I do is none of your business. You have no right to be here.”

  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Last I looked, this was a free country.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Think about what you’re doing, Cohen. You followed a woman you don’t want, to a place where people are hooking up all over, just to keep her from having some fun with someone else. Why?”

  He could definitely answer that. But first he needed to straighten out a few things. “I do want you, Dee. Don’t ever think I don’t. But it would not be fair of me to have you.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “But you did have me.”

  “I know. I wish you wouldn’t keep reminding me.”

  He saw anger flare in her eyes. “Why? I know I was inexperienced. Are you insinuating I was that bad?”

  There was no way he could allow her to think that. “No, you were that good.” He hadn’t meant to say that. Too late.

  “Then why Cohen? And please don’t tell me it’s because I’m Stacey’s best friend or that there’s an age thing between us.”

  He shook his head. It was time for the truth. He couldn’t use those excuses any longer. “No, none of those.”

  “Then why?”

  He drew in a deep breath. Maybe he ought to come right out and tell her the reason. Tell her about Amanda, about the heartache she’d caused him…about his fear of falling into the abyss of depression again. But what would that accomplish? Knowing Dee like he did, she would take it upon herself to prove he could love again. But he knew he couldn’t. His heart was no longer broken. It was hardened. There was a difference. He was incapable of loving anyone and he knew it.

  When he didn’t say anything, she poked his chest. “This doesn’t make sense. You don’t want to sleep with me, but you don’t want anyone else to, either. You can’t have it both ways. You have no idea what I’m going through, Cohen. How it’s been since you first touched me.”

  Cohen knew he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t help himself. “And what are you going through, Dee?”

  “Where should I start? With my need to have a man’s hands on me, a man’s body moving inside me. Or those erotic dreams I have of you tasting every inch of me?”

  Jeez. Why did she have to go there and remind him of how it had been? He could feel his erection get hard, just remembering. “I think that’s too much information.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have asked. I don’t appreciate you trying to throw a monkey wrench into my sex life, when yours is probably just fine and dandy.”

  If only she knew, he thought. Still, there was no need to tell her that he hadn’t been with another woman since their last night together. At first, he’d convinced himself it was because he’d felt guilty about what they’d done. About the fact that he couldn’t give her what she needed.

  “I’m not here because of me, Dee.”

  She took a step closer. “And you shouldn’t be here because of me. I’m twenty-seven. An adult. Living on my own. And I’m in my right mind.”

  “Your actions tonight tell me otherwise, Dee. You were about to sleep with a stranger.”

  She rolled his eyes. “Trust me. I wasn’t seriously interested in Marshall, not for anything long term. But for tonight, I knew all I needed to know about him…that he could get hard and he wanted me.”

  There was no way Cohen could hide his shock. Then she twisted the blade a little deeper. “He’s going to need a pretty stiff erection to satisfy me, not to mention stamina. I was looking forward to tonight, Cohen. And you ruined it for me.”

  He could only stare at her while standing there doing the very thing she’d assured herself good old Marshall could do. Get hard. Because she was standing so close, not to mention glaring at him, she probably hadn’t noticed his predicament. But if she got any closer, his erection would poke her. “Dammit Dee, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

  She waved off his words. “Whatever. If you weren’t here, you wouldn’t have to concern yourself about me. What I do is my business.”

  She was right. If she wanted to sleep with that guy, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. “Can we talk about this?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Honestly, Cohen, what is there to talk about?”

  There had to be a way for him to make her see reason. Women didn’t just randomly pick guys up to get laid. Well, most of them didn’t, he thought, remembering the barracuda who’d gone after him earlier that evening. But he wanted to believe that Dee was different. Still, hadn’t she been about to hook up with Marshall? He didn’t want to think about what she and the dude would be doing now if he hadn’t shown up.

  “It’s late and you need to think about this some more. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” When she glared at him, he quickly corrected himself. “I mean irrational, not stupid. Not until we talk.”

  She began tapping her feet and his gaze was drawn to those killer red stilettos. When he glanced back up to her face, she was tapping a finger against those red luscious lips. Damn, red dress, red shoes, red lips. He’d bet her bra and panties were red too.

  “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll sleep alone tonight and we’ll talk in the morning. But I can’t imagine what you think you can say to make me feel better.”

  He didn’t know either, but he intended to come up with something. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.”

  She lifted her chin. “Why? So you can find out where it is and spy on me, keeping watch over who’s coming and going?”

  He didn’t like the thought of her hotel room having a damn revolving door. “No. I want to walk you to your room because it’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”

  “Umm, that’s sounds like something Marshall would say.”

  He frowned, not liking the comparison. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “I think the question you should be asking yourself, Cohen, is…do you trust me?”

  Not waiting for a response, she walked off.

  **

  Dee continued toward the bank of elevators. She didn’t have to look behind her to know Cohen was following close behind. The heat she felt on her backside made her aware of just what part of her anatomy was holding his attention. Currently, it was a toss-up between her backside and her legs.

  She intended to make his eyeballing worth his while, so she deliberately walked with a sensuous strut. Not only was Cohen noticing, but several men loitering in the halls had turned to stare as well. Let them look. The more the merrier. Hopefully Cohen would see that others desired her, even if he was fighting against it, himself.

  She smiled. Things were working out rather nicely. All she had to do was continue this ruse, to see how far she could push him before he…

  What?

  Volunteered to take care of her needs himself
? Her smile widened at the thought. When she came to the elevators, she stopped. He came to stand beside her. “Did I tell you how nice you look?” he asked.

  She wished he hadn’t. She glanced over at him to see him staring intently at her face, her lips. Feeling a little naughty, she deliberately licked them as if they were dry. She saw the effect of her actions when he forced air from his nostrils.

  “Thanks, Cohen. You look nice yourself. But like I said, you don’t have to see me up to my room.”

  “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  The elevator opened and they both stepped inside. A part of her was a little disappointed when a few other people got on. Instead of telling him her floor, she pushed the button on the panel wall, then moved to the other side of the elevator so it looked like she was alone.

  When one of the single men in the elevator eased up beside her and asked her name, Cohen moved to stand beside her. “She’s with me,” he told the guy.

  The stranger had the decency to apologize as he backed up. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “Now you do.”

  The guy quickly moved away. Dee narrowed her gaze at Cohen. She wondered if he realized he was acting more territorial than protective. When the elevator door opened on her floor, she stepped off and Cohen followed right behind her. When the door shut behind them, she frowned at him. “I am not with you, Cohen.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not the way you meant.”

  “He didn’t have to know that.”

  “Why not let him know? I’m here and I’m available. It’s not like I’m hiding anything.”

  “Maybe you should be,” he said, deliberately looking at her cleavage.

  “The girls are disappointed,” she said, as she began moving toward her room.

  He walked beside her. “What girls?”

  “My breasts. You know, the girls.”

  “Oh. And why are they disappointed?”

  “I had planned for a man’s mouth to be doing all sorts of wicked things to them tonight.”

  He stopped walking and she was certain he’d nearly tripped. “Will you stop saying stuff like that?”

  “Why? It’s only you. I wouldn’t talk like that around another guy. But with you I can be myself, you know, let my hair down, though I don’t have much now,” she said, shaking her short curls. “Still, you get the picture.”

  “Yes, I get it. But I’d rather you not talk like that around me, either.”

  “Why? Can’t you handle a little naughty talk?”

  “What you’re saying is not naughty. It’s provocative.”

  She came to a stop in front of the door to her room. “Oh, I get it. Men can talk dirty but women can’t. Sounds pretty sexist to me.”

  He didn’t say anything while she pulled the passkey out from her purse. No doubt he was still trying to figure her out. Good.

  “Okay then, call me for breakfast. But not too early. Goodnight.”

  Then she then slid the passkey into the lock, opened the door and stepped inside…then closed it shut in his face.

  10

  Cohen stood rooted in place for a minute. Should he be surprised she hadn’t invited him in? Had he expected her to?

  She was doing the right thing. He had no business being in her room. No man did, for that matter. Why couldn’t she have come here just to enjoy the beach? Read by the seashore? He would gladly take her into town to find a book store. Surely, there had to be a few books that would hold her interest.

  He moved away from the door, in case she was watching him through the peephole. At least now, he knew where her room was located. Lucky for him, it wasn’t too far away from his. Same side of the building, just different floors. She was on the tenth floor and he was above her on the eleventh.

  Above her…

  Why did just thinking that conjure up erotic images in his mind? Hell, he wasn’t the horny one here. She was. And he intended to help her handle it. But how? He knew several ways of controlling male urges but had no idea about how a woman was supposed to control hers. And Dee had shared some pretty vivid needs with him over the last few days. She’d been too open, too upfront, to damn revealing. Women didn’t say stuff like that to men, even those they trusted.

  As Cohen went to his room, he thought about the guy on the elevator earlier, the one who’d assumed Dee was alone. He really couldn’t blame the man for hitting on her. Tonight, Dee had been seduction personified. The minute she had walked into the ballroom, men had taken notice. Why did she have to look so damn seductive? Even now, he was still aroused. Then again, she’d pretty well told him that her breasts needed some attention, and that she dreamed of having his tongue on her. Jeez. His throat tightened and he could barely catch his breath.

  Two hours later, he’d showered and was kicking back on his balcony with a beer from the bar in his room. Why was he still up at close to two in the morning? Why was he wondering what Dee was doing, wondering if she’d changed her mind and had someone with her in her room?

  He shook his head. She didn’t. She’d given him her word, right? In all actuality, she really hadn’t, he thought before downing another mouthful of beer. She’d only agreed to talk with him in the morning.

  What would he say when they met? Hell, he’d never had to deal with this kind of situation before. He needed help. Advice from someone who would know.

  He then thought about Tyson. His best friend was an expert when it came to females. Luckily, Cohen knew Tyson was working the late shift at the hospital this week. He reached for his phone and hit Tyson’s number.

  “Hey Cohen. What are you still doing up?”

  “Pondering something. I have a ‘what-if’ situation that I could really use your help with.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hypothetically speaking,” he said.

  He heard Tyson’s chuckle. “Okay, hypothetically speaking.”

  Cohen smiled. They both knew there wasn’t anything hypothetical about it. Tyson knew why he’d come here--to keep Dee out of trouble. “What if the person I’m trying to keep safe from the wolves is determined to act like Little Red Riding Hood?”

  “Umm, then you need to become a more proactive wolf.”

  A proactive wolf? “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

  “I mean that evidently, Little Red doesn’t have a problem with the idea of being gobbled up. So you might as well be the wolf that enjoys the meal.”

  Cohen almost fell out of his chair. “Come again?”

  “Think about it, Cohen. Have you considered the reason for Dee’s strange behavior? You rejected her.”

  “I didn’t reject her. I just refused to be set up for any more seductions.”

  “To a woman, that’s basically the same thing. So now, she wants to seduce any man but you. She’s been there, done that. Got rejected for her efforts. So now, she’s looking for a guy who will appreciate her.”

  Hell, he’d appreciated her. He’d made love to her and would still be making love to her, if he hadn’t come to his senses. “I don’t want another guy to touch her, Tyson.”

  “Then you need to determine why. You can’t give her the kind of love you thinks she deserves, yet you don’t want another man to love her, either. That’s just wrong.”

  “The men she’s targeting are all players--carefree, love ‘em and leave ‘em types. Stone cold womanizers.”

  “Oh. The kind of men Galen, Jonas, Eli and I used to be, before finding the right girl?”

  Cohen rolled his eyes and took another swallow of beer. “You know what I mean.”

  “Yes, I do. But have you considered that she might find a keeper in the group?”

  “And she might find someone who’ll break her heart.”

  “If you ask me, her heart is already broken,” Tyson said. “Sounds like she’s looking for someone to mend it.”

  Coh
en drew in a deep breath. “Are you suggesting that I seduce Dee?”

  “From the way it sounds, either you seduce her or someone else will. Which is it going to be?”

  **

  Dee couldn’t sleep, but it was too late to call Stacey. So here she was, at two in the morning, playing a game on her smartphone. And winning. Why couldn’t she win with Cohen? Why did the man have to make things so difficult?

  In a way, it wasn’t that she couldn’t sleep. She just refused to try. Each time she closed her eyes, she would see Cohen. But not as he’d looked last night. Instead, her mind would conjure up remembered images of him naked, in her bed. She’d always thought his features were the epitome of masculine beauty. And his body was a piece of perfection, with chiseled pecs, powerfully built shoulders, and an iron tight chest, sprinkled with rough hair.

  McSexy is the name she often gave him in her erotic dreams. And what she’d told him earlier was true, she often dreamed of having his mouth on her. He’d appeared scandalized by her confession, but as far as she was concerned, he had needed to hear it. In all honestly, just being around him made her ache.

  She smiled, recalling their conversation tonight. She hadn’t pulled any punches with him. And tomorrow, she’d do the same. He might have been shocked at her brazenness…but his body had reacted. She’d seen it, each and every time. There were some things a man just couldn’t hide. Whether he knew it or not, Cohen’s breathing pattern changed whenever he got turned on. And knowing she was the cause of it had just encouraged her to push him harder.

  When she saw him in the morning, she intended to be even naughtier. Like she’d told Stacey, she was going to drive him crazy with lust. It was time for him to either fish or cut bait. If he didn’t want her to get laid by someone else, then he needed to do the honors himself. Not that she was really looking for someone else, mind you, but she intended to make him think that she was.

  So right now, her plan was to put erotic pictures in his head, images of her getting her brains screwed out while engaging in wild, hot, endless sex with a man whose face she wanted to be his. She hoped he wanted it to be his, too. If all she could get was noncommittal sex now, that would be okay. It would lead to committed sex later. She was willing to take it one step, one stroke, one hard thrust at a time.