by Robena Grant
“I’m staying at the spa again tonight,” she said. “Want to join me?”
Jack’s eyes widened, and then he blinked a couple of times and lowered his eyes, one hand reaching for his water glass. She knew that sign meant he had to weigh the pros and cons. He’d heard the invitation, and knew it wasn’t about protecting the place. She held her breath for a moment, and wondered if he’d reject her. And this time she’d meant it from her heart. Not because she wanted to quiz him. Not to seduce him. She wanted to love him.
He really did take his work seriously, and he’d reminded her often enough that he had a job to perform. But it wasn’t like they’d be making love all night. Would they? She let out her breath in a puff, a silly grin spreading across her face. His dark eyes met hers, and for one instant she saw the desire sparkling in them. He took a slow drink of water, put the glass down and leaned closer.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” His eyes darkened, and his brow furrowed.
“What? Protecting the place, or inviting you?”
“You’ve been drinking alcohol. I never—”
“You’d never take advantage, and blah, blah, blah. I only had two small glasses of wine. I know what I’m doing.” She leaned closer and took his hand in hers. “I want you, Jack.”
“But I’m leaving here soon, after—”
“We have something special, I know that, and I think you do too. I don’t care if you leave and never visit the desert again. I want us to share the time we have left. But if you can’t, or won’t, admit to your feelings—”
“Hey,” he said, and frowned deeper. “Don’t second guess me.”
Debbie smiled. “So, is that a yes, or a no?”
He laughed and squeezed her hand, and all concern erased from his brow. “It’s definitely a yes.” He signaled the waitress for the check.
Debbie’s heartbeat increased and she felt that sudden rush of excitement that filled her when she’d done anything impulsive or risky. It seemed every pulse in her body pounded in anticipation of the adventure. She’d lived such a straight and narrow life for so long, that she’d almost forgotten the rush. But she refused to question her actions. She did know what she was doing, or about to do, and she couldn’t wait.
Jack took care of the bill, escorted her through the restaurant and out to the parking lot and neither one of them said a word. When he reached her car he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, softly at first, and then he deepened the pressure. His tongue traced her mouth and she parted her lips, trying to control her breathing, ready for more. Their tongues did a dance, and their breaths quickened and mingled. She leaned into him, pressing his butt up against her car door, and ran her hands up over his shoulders. She felt his body’s instant arousal and almost moaned with need.
“That kiss was a reminder, in case you’d changed your mind, you know, gotten cold feet.” He grinned and moved in to nuzzle her neck.
“Oh, no way,” she said, and shook her head. “No chance of that happening.”
“We’ve got separate cars. It could happen.”
“So, follow me.” She clicked open the car doors. He dropped her hand and grinned, and then he jogged across the main parking lot, not waiting for another invitation, but looking as if he were a kid let loose in a candy store. With a smile, she slid into the driver’s seat. Oh yeah, she had all kinds of candy for him. He got into his car and turned on the headlights, and she realized he’d gotten a rental car. That reassured her again of how safe she felt with him, he cared about the safety of others, and he cared about his own life even if he claimed he didn’t.
She entered the exit road, and then glanced into the rearview mirror. He drove up right behind her car, waiting for the light to change color. He gave her a wave and flicked the high beams twice. She grinned, and waved back.
Chapter Thirteen
Debbie waited at the back of the spa for Jack to pull into an adjacent space and get out of his car. She had no idea who might be lurking, and a palm tree was a perfect spot for one person to hide behind, especially at night. Jack got out of his car and, with his gun drawn, scanned the entire area. He motioned for her to get out. She ran to the back door of the spa and unlocked it, and they both went inside. She left one small interior light on in the back room.
“I’ll check out the place,” Jack said, and went into the reception area, and then checked in each massage room. Debbie walked into the women’s bathroom. She turned on the steam in the steam room. She lit a couple of large solid candles and left them on the side of the tub, then turned on the faucets for the only whirlpool spa in the place. When the water covered the jets she set the speed on low, and sat on the side watching the bubbles, lit like diamonds from the candles, as they swirled and twinkled.
“How come you never told me you had all of this?” Jack asked, waving a hand around at the equipment. He peered over his shoulder at the rest of the now dark spa, then he began tearing off his jacket, and tie, in what seemed like one motion. “My aching body,” he said, his words ending in a groan. “Oh man, this will be a treat.”
“One of many,” Debbie said, and laughed as she handed him a towel. “I don’t get that many male clients, so I only have the one spa bath. But if the men want to use it, I make sure the females use the employee restroom. Most of the guys use the steam shower in the men’s room.”
“Didn’t know there was one of those,” Jack said, and toed off his boots.
“Yeah, I wish I had room for an outside lap pool and deck. If I ever get rich I’ll buy the property next door.” Debbie turned her head away, knowing the trousers would go next. “Hang your stuff in here,” she said, and pulled aside a curtain covering the opening to a small changing room. She indicated the pegs that lined the back wall. “Or you can fold it, and put everything on the bench.”
She stepped outside as the changing room was only big enough for one person, and stripped off her clothes, and hung everything on a peg outside of the shower enclosure. With a towel wrapped around her naked body, and the ends tucked in at her chest, she wriggled her shoulders. A steam was exactly what she needed after the hike this morning.
Jack hadn’t bothered to close the curtain, and she got a nice glimpse of firm buttocks. He barely managed to wrap the towel around his waist before dumping his clothes in a heap on the bench. He stepped out and pulled her to his exposed chest. One tug and that towel would be gone. Debbie grinned, and reminded herself to be patient, but she did run a hand over the crinkly dark hair on that well-muscled chest.
He surprised her by planting a kiss squarely on her mouth. “We won’t be able to see the front door, and I can’t take the gun in with me.”
“I know. But it’s only for ten minutes. We can leave the bathroom door open. I’m sure we’ll hear anything like breaking glass.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Jack surveyed the area. He frowned and scanned the area again, and then he reached down and turned off the tub jets. “We’ll turn them on later.” He slipped the gun onto a stack of magazines on a small table next to the spa tub.
“No fooling around, or anything,” he said, and his voice and expressions were stern. “We have to stay alert while we’re in there—” He jerked a thumb toward the shower. “—and in the tub.”
Debbie suppressed a smile. “Sure, I get that.”
He was always on the job, and because of that she felt so safe with him. Other than Rachel, there’d never been anyone in her life that she’d label as her protector. Not that she really needed one. She could protect herself quite well. She always had Rachel’s back, and Rachel had hers. But this was different. It was a different kind of comfort, to relax for a change, knowing a strong and capable man had her best interests at heart.
“Dave has a cop patrolling the area. I doubt anyone would attempt a break-in this early in the evening,” she said, and stepped into the steam room. “Besides that, there are two cars parked outside.”
“Maybe so, but we can’t be too careful.” He followed her ins
ide, pulled the door closed, and sat on the small two-person bench. Debbie kept her towel around her torso but it wasn’t long enough to cover her thighs and she saw Jack’s eyes feast on her legs.
Good. She let her head fall back and touch the wall behind her as the steam enveloped them. The heat hit all of her joints, and she began to relax. Sweat beaded on her face and trickled down her cleavage, and she felt more alive and aware of her body than she had in years, and she luxuriated in those feelings.
“You done?” Jack asked, about ten minutes later.
Debbie opened her eyes, and nodded. “Yes, sure, we’d better not overdo it. I’m going to take a cool shower before the spa tub. Okay?”
She’d let him have his way in the steam room, keeping her distance, and allowing him to open the door every few seconds even if it meant losing the full power of the steam. She hadn’t touched his body anywhere, hadn’t even knocked knees. But now they’d take a whirlpool, naked. She couldn’t wait to touch him, to warm him up, to make him want her as much as she wanted him. She had to be careful that all of the spa play didn’t relax him so much that he fell asleep. Ten minutes maximum, she thought, and reminded herself to turn on the timer.
Back out in the bathroom, she reached into the shower stall and turned on the cool water, and thought of the fun they’d have in the dolphin room later; fun, but definitely no massage. That could knock a man right out, especially after all of this relaxing water play.
She had to keep him awake. “You can use the shower after me, or go right to the tub,” she said, opening the steam room door and peering in through the clouds.
“Yeah, sure. I need one more minute.”
She dropped her towel, and stepped into the shower, and turned on the faucets to lukewarm. Then she felt his body, hot and wet from the steam room, slide up against her back.
“There’s room for two in here,” he said, and kissed the top of her shoulder.
****
Jack rolled onto his side, and pulled Debbie tight against him, which wasn’t hard to do, considering the dolphin bed was small, probably only a double bed size. He nuzzled her neck and nibbled at the little groove above her clavicle, and she squirmed closer, emitting a moan.
Ah, he’d hit a hot spot. Heat raged through his belly at the thought of pleasing her. He was so hard and ready that he had to slow down before it was all over. First the steam, then the cold shower with a lot of sensual touch, then the whirlpool tub followed by another invigorating five second cold shower, and here he was, as pliable as putty in this woman’s hands, and what amazing things those hands could do.
He gave his thoughts free roam, and finally settled on the topic of sleeping arrangements as he found a more comfortable position. He’d slept in some unusual places in his life. Not that he relished a bed of leaves in the jungle, or a sleeping bag in a thunderstorm.
He traced Debbie’s upper chest with his tongue, stopping occasionally to drop kisses on his way down to her breasts. He cupped one of the soft mounds and suckled, swirling rings of moisture around the tips, engaging first one breast then the other, and he knew she was close, but not there yet. Safety was a big issue with Debbie. He knew that. He could wait.
He encouraged the thoughts of that last night in the jungle with Juan, anything to slow his body down. How cold he’d been. He’d never imagined that night that he’d ever be in this situation again, having a beautiful woman lying with him. He’d definitely envisioned death, and he’d thought then of all the things he’d missed out on in life. But strangely enough, once he’d moved on to the next case he’d pushed all of those thoughts to the back of his mind.
Did he want a relationship? He had no idea. His goal now was to please her. That was all.
“I want you, now,” Debbie said against his mouth, and she reached down and held his swollen member in her hand and stroked the tip in small circles.
He heard the fervor of her plea, and pulled in a quick sharp breath as his own need to fill her engulfed him. And a rush of heat hit him. “Slow down,” he said, barely able to get the words out. He’d gone from waiting to on fire in one second.
“Now,” she said.
“Um, you’re sure about this?” He had to ask, and even if she said no, she’d changed her mind, well, he’d deal. He prayed she didn’t have second thoughts.
She whacked him on his upper arm. “I invited you here didn’t I?” And then she ran a hand down over his abdomen and held his rock hard member again. She slid her hand up and down the shaft, teasing him.
“Ah, Deb, we need to go slow here,” he said, hovering above her. “Or it’ll be over in a second.”
She laughed, released him, and gave him a little more room on the bed.
“Besides, we’ve got all night.” He glanced over at the small table. His gun was there in readiness. So were the condoms. Thank goodness she’d thought to provide those. His expectations had been so low, for so long.
“Hey,” she said. “Are you having second thoughts?”
He laughed and nuzzled her neck, loving the taste of her skin. “No way in hell.” He ran a hand down over her abdomen and found the soft curls of her mound. She gripped his shoulders, and then his buttocks, moving in sync with his fingers. She was wet and ready and moaned her approval, her mouth seeking his.
“Now,” she said again, and captured and held his bottom lip with her teeth for a few seconds.
He sank into the kiss, devouring her gorgeous mouth, eating her words with his lips, and dancing his tongue with hers. He pulled in a deep breath, held it for the count of ten, and then began a leisurely journey down her body, stopping to nibble and lick and taste until he found that special spot. He teased with the tip of his tongue and she moaned again. She was hot, almost feverish.
“Oh god,” she said. “Oh Jack. Oh my.”
He took his pleasure—pleasuring her—feeling her burst apart in shudder after shudder. She called out his name and it had never sounded so sweet. He reached for the condom and sheathed himself, entering her slowly, feeling the heat and the way her muscles contracted and still quivered. He started to move, pumping, riding her higher and faster, in tune with her encouraging words. She wrapped her legs up around him, locking them at his waist. Her breath started to come in short gasps and she writhed beneath him, and the sound of her ecstatic whimpers, and her hot breath on his shoulder drove him faster, deeper, taking and giving everything he had.
He pumped into her, feeling the exhilarating rise to release almost overtake him. And this time she shouted his name, and lifted her head up to kiss his face, and gripped him tighter with her thighs, and the bed skittered and bumped against the wall, and he rode the crest of a wave so high, so wild, waiting for her to catch up, and she did, and that same wave threw them back to the shore, him pulsing, and groaning, and spent.
“Oh my…oh my,” she said, and then she collapsed back against the pillow.
He lay like a beached whale, and could hardly get his breath his pulse raced so hard. He lay very still for a few moments and waited until the flashing multi-colored lights that had burst into his vision muted, and his breath became more even. Finally he rolled off her, and pulled her close to his side, still needing her warmth, their connection. His big hand splayed across her tiny butt, and thought “mine.” She’s all mine.
“Are you okay?” he asked, after a few minutes.
“Never better,” she murmured, and stroked his shoulder. “That was amazing, you’re amazing.”
“We are amazing,” he said, and propped himself up on one elbow. He grinned, seeing the sparkle in her gray eyes. “We’re great together. We are a perfect match.”
****
Hearing Jack say those words, speaking of them as a couple, made Debbie almost cry. If she could have chosen anyone to fall in love with, it wouldn’t have been someone she knew she might never see again. He had three strikes against him, and normally one strike in any guy she dated meant the relationship was doomed to never even get off the ground.
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His job was risky. His life was always on the line. He’d be leaving soon.
Why was she being so lenient with Jack? She’d thought this would be great sex, tremendous sex. And it was. But she hadn’t factored in the depth of her feelings. Well, maybe because she hadn’t known their depths before the act…or had she? She pressed her lips together to stave off the whimpering cry that threatened release. She’d been so wrong to seduce him.
“Why don’t you sleep for a bit,” she said, forcing calm to her voice that she didn’t feel. She climbed off the bed, and reached over for one of the terry robes she kept for clients. “I’ll take first watch.”
“You’re sure?” he asked. But his eyes were already closing.
What was it with men and sex and complete exhaustion afterward? She pulled up the top sheet, and covered him, while using all of her professional skills to keep her wayward emotions in check. He rolled onto his side, oblivious, his breathing deep and even.
She stood by the bed for a few moments. What is done is done. She’d have to suffer the consequences. Grandma’s voice still echoed in her ears as she went out to the reception area. She folded herself into a blanket and slid to the floor behind the countertop, glad she’d brought Jack that release, that deep satisfaction he’d needed, but unable to hide the feelings, and the fears, that welled up in her own chest.
She wanted and needed more than he could offer. It was difficult to admit that. But it was the truth. And then the tears fell.
****
A noise penetrated Jack’s dream, and he opened his eyes to darkness. It sounded like a door opening and closing. He felt for his gun. It wasn’t in the holster, in fact he was naked, and in a bed. Not in a jungle, or some dark alley, or a flea infested hovel, but in a real bed.
He stood slowly, carefully, adjusting his eyes to the darkness. Then he remembered. He was in the spa and he’d had the most amazing night of his life. Debbie must have gone outside to keep watch. Maybe she’d fallen asleep. His pulses bounded in fear for her safety, and he grabbed the gun off the table, and pulled a towel off the shelf. No sense scaring her by approaching her stark naked. He wrapped the towel around his body, cinched it at his waist, readied his gun, and carefully opened the door.
