A twinge of guilt needled him. He’d had nothing to do with them getting caught, but forgetting to lock the door could make him a co-conspirator. “Luck is a fickle bitch.”
“Well, I’m glad she decided to be generous tonight.” Her sweet lips twitched, and her innocent eyes danced with mischief.
“You’re mocking me.”
“No….” She giggled as he gave her ass a playful swat.
He threaded his fingers through her hair and brushed his lips against hers, capturing her mouth as it parted. Fickle bitch indeed. He’d lost count of all the times luck had played against him, fulfilling his hopes and dreams only to yank them away.
Claire stretched on his lap, and he held her closer as if tightening his grip might somehow ward off the bad luck. Better to enjoy her while he could and hope the dice rolled in his favor.
He clamped her thigh and hitched her up against his stirring cock.
“Mmm… JT.” She brushed his bangs back and smiled. “I’ve never called out a man’s initials before. Felt kind of odd.”
She’d spit out his name like a curse when she’d run out of swear words. That has to be an accomplishment. “Felt pretty fucking good to me.”
She picked up the arrowhead again and lightly scratched the letters J T on his skin. “Why don’t you use your first name?”
The question brought back memories better forgotten. “My mom never liked the name Jared, but my dad insisted on naming me after his father, so she called me JT instead and it stuck.”
The stone talisman touched his nipple as she scrawled his full name. “Do you like it?”
When had what he liked ever mattered? Fate tossed life at him. JT decided later whether he liked it or not. He shrugged. “I’ve tried using Jared, but people don’t know who I am.”
Her fingertip traced the letters the arrowhead left behind. “Would you like me to call you Jared?”
The word sounded odd on her lips and in his ears. “No. If you call out that name when you come, I’d think you wanted another man.” He winked.
She brushed off his joke. “It’s funny how things your parents say or do stick with you.”
His mother’s brutal rejection stuck like a dart in a battered bulls-eye. You’re not worth the trouble. But he refused to follow the path Claire was trying to lead him down, so he kissed her, occupying her mouth and dragging a thumb across her nipple in an effort to reroute her thoughts.
She arched into his palm. “Mmm… Jared. Tucker. You are a bad boy.”
He frowned and cupped her full breast, pinching her nipple between his fingers. “I never told you my full name. How did you find out?”
***
Claire gasped as his fingers squeezed her flesh. She’d known there’d be consequences for letting his name roll off her tongue, but damn. She might have to do it again. “I found it on the jury questionnaire.”
“Ah.” JT released the throbbing bud and soothed it with wet heat. “Too bad you confessed so soon. I wanted to torture you a little more.”
“Oh, I have all kinds of information about you. Date of birth, home address, the outstanding bench warrant for the speeding ticket you never paid.” She grinned as his eyes widened. “You’re lucky the jury was dismissed or you could’ve been held in contempt.”
His eyebrow arched. “That wasn’t on the questionnaire.”
“The jury consultant found out.” She twirled the sprinkling of dark hair on his chest, then captured his nipple and squeezed, employing the same torture he’d used against her. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
“Hmm….” His thoughtful hum turned into an outright moan as she increased the pressure. “I… can’t think when you’re doing that.”
She licked the other nipple. “Try.”
He hissed. “You’re a cruel mistress.”
“Spill.”
“All right.” An indulgent smile twisted his lips. “I got a hard-on when the judge ordered me not to speak to you.” He shifted under her, and his stiff cock slid under her butt.
Claire’s skin tingled, and a sickening weight in her stomach squashed the fluttering in her lower abs. He’d been turned on by the forbidden; she knew that. Sneaking around with him had held the same appeal for her, but now that the trial was over, how long would it take for him to get bored with her?
She pushed that nagging dread into a dark, shadowy corner, and redirected her thoughts. “I’m not surprised. Tell me something else.”
His blue eyes sparkled with unrepentant glee. “I got wood both times we got caught.”
“That’s not news.”
“Damn woman, I just can’t keep a secret from you.”
But she kept secret the persistent doubt that she’d keep him interested. JT loved taking chances. She didn’t need a court questionnaire or a paid expert to tell her that. She’d seen thrill in his eyes and felt his excitement between her legs when they risked getting caught. What could a simple girl from Nowhere, Colorado, with a dull desk job, do to make this gambler come back for more? Her throat went dry and she coughed.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “I need water.”
“Me too.” He helped her up, and they walked through the bright living room to the blazing kitchen.
She pulled two bottles of water from the fridge and leaned back against the counter, staring out the window at nothing in particular.
JT cracked the bottle open and stood across from her, his gaze fixed on her naked curves.
Her heart raced. Maybe I should become a nudist. Being undressed in his presence excited her, but did it do enough for him?
A light flipped on in the house behind hers and a shadowy male figure moved through the room. An idea flickered in that corner where she’d stuffed her fear. He gets excited when we might be seen. She moved across the kitchen, opened the back door and jiggled the handle on the screen door. “I can’t remember if I locked this.”
JT looked out the window and then looked again. “Whoa.” He slipped and arm around her waist and pulled her back. “Your neighbor’s up.”
She stumbled into his chest and felt his heart pound. Better yet… his cock stiffened against her ass. A secret smile chased away her dread. “Did he see?”
“I don’t think so.” His breath burned hot on her neck, and his eager erection pressed between her thighs.
Play with this. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” She reached between them and slipped her hand down his stomach.
He moved back and let her stroke him. “Oh really?”
She turned and presented her breasts. “I like to open the doors and windows in the summer. The breeze feels good on my bare skin.” It’s not a lie if I don’t actually say I was naked, right? And she didn’t specify which body parts were exposed. Alex could win that case with ease.
“Well, it’s January now, so close that damn door.” He palmed her pointed nipples. “It’s fucking freezing in here.” An exaggerated shiver bounced his cock on her stomach.
She kicked the door shut. “Still December for a couple of days.” As if that made a difference.
“That’s right.” He pulled her close and slipped his hand between her legs, stroking slowly and deliberately as if trying to spread her heat to his body. “What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?”
She drew in a sharp breath as he nipped her neck. She’d made plans, but his seeking fingers scattered her thoughts. “Going to a party at the pub. Probably some work people there.” That’s perfect! Alex planned to spend New Year’s in Las Vegas with Will and Talia, so he’d be nowhere near the party. She could bring JT along. Having him so close to her colleagues would reignite the forbidden factor. “What are you doing?”
“Drinking, maybe gambling a little.” He trailed his mouth along the pulse pounding in her throat. “Just haven’t decided where.”
Ask him! The worst he can say is… yes. “Would you like to join me? There’s no gambling at the pub unless you want to bet on pool, but hanging out wit
h my work friends could be risky.”
His mischievous smile shot an arrow through her quaking heart. “Sounds like fun, Rebel.”
She tapped the triangle-shaped stone on his chest. “Make sure you wear this.”
“I always do.” His mouth caught her nipple as he cupped her ass and fit her snug against his hard-on. “Let’s go to bed.”
“Tired?” She wiggled her hips against his hot erection and got the answer she wanted.
His laugh echoed through her entire house, then his eyes darkened, his lip curled, and he dragged her down the hallway and ripped the covers off the bed. He flattened his hand on her chest and pushed.
Claire landed on her back, spreading her legs as he fell on top of her and plunged inside.
She gripped the sheets under her, tossing her head on the pillow. Silvery moonlight spilled across their twisted bodies and she gasped. “The curtains are open.”
“Good,” he breathed on her breast.
Her body shattered, scattering gleaming shards of pleasure through her limbs. “Fucking hell!” She’d never come so fast and so hard, and from a simple fuck. Other men had skill, but JT understood her desires and fears and used them to tear her apart.
He shuddered on top of her, pounding and quaking at the same time. Then he collapsed and sighed, tangling his body with hers. “So Goddamn good.”
Moonlight sparkled on their damp skin. Claire gazed toward the window as she tried to wiggle from under him.
He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into the warm curve of his body. “Forget about the curtains.”
She dropped back on the pillow and sighed. A soft snore tickled her skin, and the fading moon chased shadows across the bed.
But sleep eluded her as a nagging question escaped its dark corner. Do I have to live in fear to be with this man?
Chapter 10
“Happy New Year!” A giggling partier in a low-cut sparkling top teetered on her heels and splashed her drink on Kurt’s shirt.
He wiped up the spill with a stray napkin and checked his watch. Still half an hour until January, but the alcohol-saturated crowd didn’t seem to care. Cheers rose and noisemakers honked, and someone started an ill-timed countdown. Kurt saved his beer from certain doom as a pool ball ricocheted off the table and shot straight toward him. Most excitement I’ve had tonight.
This party was not on his agenda. He’d planned to stay home this New Year’s Eve, watching the Babylon 5 marathon on SyFy, but his boss had suggested that making an appearance at the unofficial office pub might be good for his job, so he showed up late, ordered a beer, and watched his colleagues drink away the last hours of December, making little effort to include him in their revelry. Surely bailing out before the ball dropped wouldn’t equal career suicide. He downed the last of his Guinness and slapped the empty glass on the table. He’d nearly made a clean break when a firm hand clapped him on the shoulder and spun him around.
“Hey Kurt, how are ya?” A familiar man, wearing a leather jacket and a stone arrowhead, grinned and honked a shiny paper cone in his face.
“JT. What are you doing here?” The party was open to the public, but for the last couple years, the DA’s office had taken it over.
“Claire brought me.”
Damn it, they’re still together. “That’s nice.” Kurt scanned the crowded bar for his rebel princess. He had no idea what she might be wearing, but her heart-melting smile and touchable hair would stand out in a cantina full of aliens. But they’re not together right now. “Where is she?”
“Chatting with some friends. I went in search of more beer. Found you.” A harried waitress handed a full frosty glass to JT. “Leaving already?” he asked.
Kurt nodded and the waitress stopped in her tracks. “Another beer for you, honey?”
He shook his head and she scurried to help other customers. “I didn’t want to come in the first place.”
An understanding smile appeared over JT’s glass. “Kinda dull, huh?”
“Hell yes.” He’d left her alone and he was bored. Trouble in paradise? “Does Claire know you think that?”
“Not a clue.” The scoundrel pointed a finger at him. “And don’t you tell her.”
Kurt shrugged. JT didn’t need his help screwing up. “Fake it all you want. I’m going home.” He turned toward the door, committed to biding his time until Claire gave up on this guy.
“Don’t ditch me, man. You’re the only other person I know here.”
Kurt stopped and studied the man. His earnest eyes pleaded for some company, and his inviting grin appeared to be permanently etched on his face. “You’re as bored as I am,” he said.
“Have another drink. We’ll turn this into a good time.”
The scoundrel’s smile beamed through a crack in Kurt’s defenses, and he suddenly understood why all the woman in the place gave the man hungry glances as they walked by him. He’d promised a good time, and Kurt had no doubt he would deliver. “Okay. I’ll stay till midnight.” And maybe if he hung around JT long enough, Claire would grace him with her presence.
“That’s the spirit.” His new friend flagged down the waitress and ordered another round. “All right. Let’s have some fun.”
Kurt searched the crowd, hoping his princess would rescue him, but she remained hidden. He’d have to deal with JT himself. A glorious memory triggered a smile. “Wanna play pool?”
The gambler laughed, then his eyes turned serious. “You’re on.”
They claimed an empty pool table and flipped a coin for the break.
JT called heads and won. “Luck is on my side tonight.”
Luck? The waitress reappeared and handed Kurt an open bottle. He downed half the cold brew in one swallow. His head spun and bold words shot out of his mouth. “That’s no match for my brain.”
“Bring it on.” JT cracked the triangle apart and sunk two of the solid colored balls. “Who gets the next shot? Oh, that’s right. It’s me. Till I miss.”
“You’ll miss.” Kurt enjoyed the trash talking as much as the game. “And then I’ll clean up your mess.” He smiled when JT laughed, marveling at how quickly they’d accomplished their goal.
Kurt settled on a misplaced bar stool while JT lined up his next shot. “What do you do for a living?”
He smacked a solid shot to the corner pocket. “I build stuff.”
“Cool.”
His lips curled downward, and his jaw clenched. “Then some asshole burns it down, and I build it again.”
“That sounds… like a chore.”
JT sank another ball. “It’s a fucking pain in the ass. I’ll be putting in a lot of overtime on this project.”
Overtime. Kurt knew it well. “At least you’re making extra money.”
He shook his head. “I wish. I’m the boss, so all I get is the blame. My employees and contractors get the extra pay.”
“That’s good.”
“For them. It comes out of my pocket so the customer won’t go over budget.” JT lined up a tricky bank shot. “I’m just glad I still have the job.”
Kurt had to respect JT for paying his employees when he couldn’t afford to. He had to get permission to put in extra hours, and even then his manager bitched and moaned about it. “Sounds like you’re a good boss.”
JT smiled. “They don’t complain… much.” He bent over the table and smacked the cue ball dead-on. The ball made the first bank, then the second and third, but the white ball dropped into the pocket behind the purple. “Fuck me with a trick shot.”
“My turn.” Kurt smiled and chalked his cue. “You needed enough force at the beginning to carry the energy all the way through to the third bank, but not so much to sink the cue ball.”
“Is that right, smart guy?”
Kurt retrieved the white ball. He’d heard that question before, usually as a veiled threat, but the humor in JT’s voice bolstered his courage. “Yep. Like this.” He lined up the cue ball at an angle that allowed him to take the same
shot at the yellow-striped ball. First bank, second, third, the stripe dropped and the white ball rolled and stopped at the edge of the pocket.
JT shook his head and patted him on the back. “Nicely done.”
“Simple physics.”
“Physics is never simple.” JT occupied the bar stool as Kurt prepared to clear the table. “How’d a genius like you end up fixing Claire’s computer?”
“My dad gave me his old laptop when I was six. I played on that thing till the keyboard wore out.” Kurt sank two balls in one shot.
“A life-long computer geek, eh?”
“Yeah.” He studied the position of the remaining balls, calculating angles and distances. His father had taught him to analyze every situation before he chose an action, but the decision to study computers required little thought. “He died before I got my degree, but I know he’d be proud of me.”
JT watched the green-striped ball roll across the table, and his usually bright eyes dimmed. “How’d he die?”
An odd question. Most people avoided the subject, focusing on his career instead. “Car accident. He never should’ve been on that road.” It made no sense at the time and still kept him awake at night.
Kurt’s quiet companion toyed with the arrowhead around his neck. “My dad died when I was in college.”
So that’s why he asked. “I’m sorry. What happened?”
“He was riding his motorcycle without a helmet. Not that it would’ve done any good.” He shrugged and tucked the stone under his shirt.
Kurt met his somber gaze. “So you know what it’s like.”
“Yep.” JT raised his glass in salute, then took a deep drink.
Kurt lifted his bottle and drank it empty. Nothing more needed to be said. He lined up his shot. “Eight ball in the side pocket.”
JT bolted upright and gaped at the empty table. “Eight ball already? Are you fucking kidding me?”
He grinned as the black ball rolled and dropped neatly into the hole. “Nope.”
The out of luck gambler slapped his palm over his face. “Best two out of three?”
Kurt signaled the waitress. “You’re on.”
Home Is Where the Heat Is Page 11
