by Trish Wylie
‘You really gonna go there?’
It would seem so. She shrugged a shoulder.
‘It’s half your problem with me. Neanderthal man meets modern-day, independent woman and he doesn’t know what to do with her.’
The smile was slow, deliciously dangerous and steeped in heady sensuality. ‘You have a lot to learn about a man like me, babe. When you’re ready to find out, let me know.’
She would have called him on the ‘babe’ thing again if the invitation hadn’t felt like six-foot-two of blue-eyed Death by Chocolate. But there was no way she was letting what he’d said slide. ‘Is that supposed to scare me?’
‘What makes you think that’s what I was aiming for?’
‘You think I can’t take you on and win, Danny?’
He smiled again. ‘I’m Danny now, am I?’
An answering smile formed on her lips before she realized it was happening. When it came, his smile grew.
Thought he had the upper hand, did he? Well, in that case, she might have to give in to the impulse to find out how much of an effect she had on him. Rationalizing it as the need to know what she had to work with, she lifted her chin, stretched her arms out to her sides and arched her back. Purposefully pushing her breasts forward in a way she knew would strain the buttons on her blouse to the breaking point, she parted her lips and took a deep breath. To top it off, she shook her hair off her shoulders, caught her lower lip between her teeth and let it slowly slide free. When she was done she looked at him.
A burning gaze travelled the length of her body and back up. It lingered on her breasts for a moment, making them swell against the decadent lace of the bra she’d forgotten she had until she went digging in a drawer for the kind of underwear befitting her outfit.
When his gaze found hers, he nodded. ‘You do like living on the edge.’
There it was again: that deeper, rougher voice …
It was beyond tempting to ask what he planned to do about it. But before she could weigh up the risk the opportunity was lost to the sound of an oncoming train.
Stepping over to the bench, he held out a large palm and jerked his chin. ‘Up.’
Jo stared at his hand as brakes squealed and a rush of air whispered strands of hair against her cheeks. But she couldn’t back down, not after her show of sexual bravado. Sliding her palm across his, she felt the same jolt of heat travel up her arm she had experienced the first time he touched her. By the time long fingers closed around hers and he tugged her to her feet, it was spreading over her entire body. Drawing a long breath, she avoided his gaze by looking over a wide shoulder at the train. As it stopped she took a tentative step forward and grimaced when her ankle turned.
The grip on her hand tightened. ‘You got it?’
The question raised a small smile. ‘You tell me.’
Threading his fingers through hers, he stepped forward to push the release button on the train doors. Holding them open with his arm to allow her to step inside, he leaned closer to inform her, ‘I know what you’re doing.’
‘Do you?’ she questioned over her shoulder as the doors slid shut behind them.
‘Mmm-hmm,’ he replied with a firm nod, his too-blue eyes darkening as she turned and looked up at him.
When the train jerked into motion, she rocked forward, a low gasp hauled through her lips when her breasts made contact with his chest. If it felt as good as it did with layers of clothing between them the thought of skin-to-skin was enough to form a moan in the base of her throat. She tried to take a step back, but a long arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place as he lowered his head and spoke into the hair above her ear.
‘How close do you want to get to that edge?’
Jo’s heart kicked against the wall of her chest, her blood transformed into liquid fire.
Turning his hand against hers, he made enough room to rub his thumb against her palm, the long fingers of his other hand splayed possessively over her hip. ‘If you’re curious what’s on the other side, I can take you there.’
His low, rough voice made the words take you sound like a promise of ecstasy. A distant whispered yes echoed inside her and made her slide her lower body across his. When Daniel tensed in response and the fingers on her hip pressed tighter, a surge of feminine empowerment washed over Jo.
Turning her head, she lifted her chin and spoke in an equally low tone into his ear. ‘This would be working a lot better if you stopped talking.’
‘Someone who makes a living with words should know what they can do.’ The hand at her hip slid dangerously close to the curve of her rear. ‘Only takes a few and our minds fill in the rest.’
Jo took a breath of clean, masculine scent and resisted the urge to rub her cheek against his jaw. ‘It takes the right words.’ She smiled languidly. ‘And I think you’ll find I have the advantage there …’
‘Lay a few on me and we’ll see.’
What they were doing should have felt weird but didn’t. If anything it felt like an adult version of the ‘fun’ she needed to draw her back from the past. She glanced at what she could see of his face. Instead of fighting her attraction to him the way she knew she should, she decided to enjoy the ride. Just for a little while. She’d never had a male playmate before but it was an exhilarating experience. Especially with a Marine-turned-cop she could go toe-to-toe with on equal terms …
The movement of the train rocked their bodies while his thumb traced circles in her palm. His head moved a fraction, the millimetres of space between her cheek and his jawline tingled with static. ‘Chickening out on me, babe?’
As if. Lowering her voice to an even more intimate level, Jo carefully enunciated each word. ‘Anticipation … longing … desire …’ Lifting her hand, she set her palm on his upper arm, curling her fingers around the dark material of his jacket and the tight muscles underneath. ‘Heighten … intensify … quicken …’ She sighed breathily as her hand moved up his arm and across a shoulder to the rigid column of his neck. ‘Tighten, strain, grasp, reach—’ She gasped, held her breath for a second and exhaled on a blissful sigh. ‘Release.’
‘Jorja.’
The growled warning made her lean back so she could see his face. What she’d done might have ended up doing more for her than she’d planned, but it was obvious it had done just as much for him. His eyes were as dark as storm-filled skies. Waves of the kind of tension that could only be eased with physical satisfaction rolled off his large body, seeped into hers, and made her ache for the satisfaction to be mutual. When his gaze lowered to her mouth, it elicited an unintentional swipe of her tongue in preparation.
She wondered what kissing him would feel like …
Okay, that was enough. She really needed to snap out of it. She couldn’t hand him a victory like that when he would never let her forget it. Daniel equalled arch nemesis. Any other guy who had the same effect on her equalled candidate for the kind of sex she obviously needed more than she’d realized.
Dropping her chin, she looked up at him from beneath heavy lashes. ‘I have another word for you …’
‘Trouble?’
‘Disappointment. I’d learn to live with it if I were you.’ Adding a sweet smile, she dropped her hand from his neck to his chest and pushed as she looked over a shoulder. ‘Look at that, it’s our stop. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?’
Stepping onto the platform ahead of him, Jo held her arm out to her side to regain her balance before she let go of his hand. Without warning he yanked her back towards him. As she stumbled a large hand wrapped around the back of her neck and the world as she’d known it came swiftly to an end.
Firm lips crushed hers in a bruising kiss that rocked her back on her heels. She squeaked in surprise, blinked wide eyes and grasped hold of his shoulder to stay upright. But when he canted his head, she closed her eyes. As it always had in every other aspect of their relationship, her competitive streak kicked in. He couldn’t light up her body like a roman candle on the fourth of
July without repercussions.
Absorbing the intensity of the kiss, she bundled it into a fist in her chest and tossed it back at him. Her lips parted. His tongue pushed inside, duelling with hers. It was angry and messy and uncoordinated and without a doubt the hottest kiss she’d ever experienced and Jo hated him for that. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life comparing every kiss to one and have the rest fall short. Not when it was obviously meant to punish her for what she’d done to him on the train. He just couldn’t back down and let her win one, could he?
He didn’t know how.
When the kiss ended as suddenly as it began, Jo’s eyes snapped open, the sound of ragged breathing making her realize the train had left. She stared up at him. To her surprise he didn’t look at all victorious. If anything he looked as angry as she felt. Without saying anything, he released her, turned and headed straight for the exit. She gritted her teeth and followed him to give him a piece of her mind, frowning with frustration when her feet wouldn’t allow her to match his long stride. As he reached the turnstiles Daniel glanced over his shoulder. When he turned and marched right back towards her, Jo froze. What was he—?
She was swept off her feet before she had time to figure out what he intended. ‘Put me down!’
‘We go at your pace we’ll be lucky to get back before Thanksgiving,’ he said tightly.
‘I can still walk.’
‘The expression on your face that suggests it’s over broken glass says otherwise. Stop squirming.’
Lifting her higher, he turned sideways and pushed his leg against the turnstile. His gaze was fixed firmly ahead, his jaw set with determination; she knew there wasn’t a hope in hell he would put her down any time soon. Fine, then, he wanted to carry her for two blocks, he could go right ahead. She hoped he strained something while doing it. Sighing heavily, she placed an arm around his neck. When they hit the sidewalk and a passer-by smiled, she pointed at her feet.
‘Blisters,’ she explained before the woman got the idea what she was seeing was anywhere in the region of romantic.
‘Ah,’ the woman said in reply.
Having started, Jo found the prospect of talking to random strangers infinitely preferable to talking to him.
‘Lovely evening.’
‘Yes, it is.’
She swung her legs a little and tried to ignore the fact a large hand was wrapped around her knee. ‘Enjoying the city?’
A couple wearing the obligatory ‘I heart New York’ T-shirts lifted their gazes from the map they were poring over. ‘Yes, thank you. It is wonderful.’
‘Wait. Go back,’ she demanded before craning her neck to look at the tourists. ‘Are you lost?’
Daniel sighed impatiently before turning, remaining silent while the couple held the map out. Jo offered directions and tips for places to visit. Smiling brightly, she then enquired where they were from and said she hoped they enjoyed the rest of their trip. She even got to try out some conversational—if a little on the rusty side—French. They were a lovely couple.
‘You going to do this the whole way back?’ Daniel asked as he started walking again.
Jo ignored him and looked around. ‘Hi, how are you?’
‘I’m good, how are you?’
‘I have blisters.’ She pouted.
When he finally shouldered his way into the foyer of their apartment building, he headed for the stairs.
‘If we’d taken the elevator you wouldn’t have to carry me any more,’ she pointed out after the second flight.
‘We rescued two people stuck in an elevator yesterday. It occurred to me at the time if I ever got stuck in that ancient contraption the guys would never let me hear the end of it.’
‘Two people stuck in an elevator.’ She pondered. ‘I wonder what they did to pass the time …’
‘Two men stuck in an elevator.’
‘I wonder what they did to pass the time …’
He glanced at her. ‘Forgiven me for following you yet?’
It didn’t escape Jo’s attention he hadn’t mentioned any forgiveness for kissing her. But either way her answer was the same. ‘No.’
Eight flights later and—to her great irritation—without Daniel so much as breaking a sweat, they were at her door.
‘Key,’ he ordered.
‘You can put me down now.’
‘Key.’
Tugging on the strap across her breasts, she removed her arm from around his neck to unzip the small bag at the end of it and dig for her keychain. Lifting it in front of his face, she jangled it for effect. ‘Happy now?’
‘I will be when you put it in the door.’
‘And how exactly am I supposed to do that from way up here?’ When he simply leaned forward, she muttered under her breath, ‘Planning on tucking me into bed too?’
‘That an invitation?’
‘I can’t believe you just said that out loud.’ Swiping her hair behind her ear, she focused on getting the key into the lock and turning it.
Daniel carried her inside, waited for her to hit the light and then kicked the door shut. Unceremoniously dumping her on the cushions of the sofa, he sat down on the chest she used as a coffee table and raised a palm. ‘Give me your foot.’
Jo wriggled up the cushions, swiping her hair out of her eyes. ‘You’re kidding me, right?’
‘I’m not leaving till I see how much damage you’ve done. Give me your foot.’
‘Sure you’re not trying to sneak a feel of the boots? You know you can get therapy for that, right?’
‘It’s amazing to me you’ve lived this long without someone strangling you.’ He waggled long fingers. ‘The sooner you give me your foot, the sooner you can get rid of me.’
‘Well, when you put it that way …’ Raising her foot, she set it on his knee, her pulse thrumming while she waited for the opening she needed to slap him.
Daniel ran his palms along her boot. When he got to the top Jo pressed her lips together at his expression. He didn’t deserve a smile for the hesitation.
‘Problem?’ she asked.
‘No.’
‘The zip is at the back.’
‘I know.’
‘Do you also know in order to take it off you’re going to have to touch me?’ Seemed to Jo it hadn’t been an issue before he dumped her on the sofa.
His gaze lifted and locked with hers as a heated palm set against the back of her thigh drew a gasp through her lips.
‘It doesn’t go any higher than that,’ she warned.
A low rasp sounded as he opened the zipper. Slipping long fingers under the edge, he pushed the leather down her leg and lifted her foot with his other hand. As the boot descended his hand smoothed over her skin, distracting her from the sharp sting at her ankle with an excruciatingly gentle caress.
Despite how mad she was at him for kissing her, there wasn’t an inch of her body that didn’t ache for that touch. But since it was Daniel, she still couldn’t wrap her head around it. Her heart hammered erratically. Had he changed or had she? Heat seeped into her skin and travelled back up her leg. When had it happened? How had it happened? Her pulse sang with intense pleasure. Who cared when it felt so good?
Setting the boot aside, he lowered his gaze and ran his palm up her calf. Jo swallowed in an attempt to dampen her dry mouth, caught her lower lip between her teeth to stop another moan from escaping. She really should put a stop to what he was doing. In a little minute, she vowed she would.
Leaning to the side as one hand smoothed over the top of her foot, he used the long fingers curled around the back of her calf to lift her leg so he could look at her ankle. ‘Is the other one as bad as this one?’
That deep, rough voice again …
Jo silently cleared her throat. ‘Probably.’
Oh, good, now her voice sounded different.
‘Let me see,’ he demanded.
One. More. Minute.
Setting her foot on the floor, she raised her other leg and held her bre
ath while he repeated each slow move. With a second opportunity to take everything in, the way his hands touched the leather felt reverent, the way they smoothed over her skin more decadent. She should have been prepared for the effect it had on her knowing what he could do with a kiss, but she wasn’t. Jo doubted anything could have prepared her for what felt like tenderness, especially from a man like him. If he added tenderness to a kiss, would it still be as hot? She should not want to know the answer to that question as badly as she did.
‘You have a first-aid kit?’ he asked.
‘Mmm-hmm.’
His gaze lifted, a smile forming in too-blue eyes when she didn’t say anything else. ‘Want to tell me where it is?’
‘Bathroom.’
‘I’ll find it. You stay here.’
Once he stood and walked away, Jo hauled a breath into her aching chest and exhaled it with puffed cheeks. Time seemed to be slipping from her grasp along with her sanity. That minute was bound to be up. Her eyes widened when she remembered what the first-aid kit was sitting beside in her bathroom cabinet. He’d better not think that was an invitation.
But when he reappeared, Daniel simply set the first-aid kit on the chest, sat down and reached for her foot again.
‘I can do that,’ Jo said when she found her voice.
Selecting what he needed, he ripped open a small white package and curled a hand under her calf. ‘As appreciative as I am of your footwear, you should consider flats from time to time. This might sting.’
‘Ouch!’
A corner of his mouth lifted as he reached for a Band-Aid. ‘They’re blisters, not broken legs.’
‘And now he’s funny again.’ She frowned as he swapped one foot for another. ‘Could you get a move on?’
‘Almost done.’
She gritted her teeth. After he smoothed a second Band-Aid in place, she snatched her foot back.
‘ ‘Night, Daniel,’ she hinted heavily.
He pushed upright, but instead of standing straight he leaned over her, his gaze locked with hers. Jo’s eyes widened when he laid his hands on the cushions at either side of her hips. What was he doing? Her stupid, errant tongue damped her lips in preparation as his face angled over hers.
