by Regan Black
Her eyelids were heavy, her lips flushed and plump from their kisses as she stared at him. They both watched her hands, small and fair against his deeper complexion, explore his torso.
He couldn’t recall ever being quite this desperate to hear a woman’s opinion of his body.
Her palms flattened over his pecs, smoothed across his shoulders and down his arms. With a firm grasp, she leaned closer and kissed his chest right over his heart. He couldn’t bear it but didn’t dare move as her tongue and mouth flicked a sigh-inducing path upward until at last they were kissing again, lips fused as tongues dueled.
He breathed her in, filled himself with her scents, orange in her hair, chocolate on her lips, and the arousal swirling thick in the air between them. His hands wandered over her delectable curves, from her breasts, to the dip of her waist, to her hips. Slowly, he dragged his touch back up until his thumbs were resting just below her nipples.
She was making soft, needy noises that tested his resolve. “Touch me.” She rubbed her breasts against his hands.
“My pleasure.” He teased her nipples, pinching lightly through the fine fabrics of her shirt and bra. With an arm around her waist, he bent her back a little, giving him better access as he kissed a path down around that gorgeous pendant and lower to her breasts. He hesitated, unbuttoning her shirt slowly and keeping his kisses light. Her bra was sleek satin, but the glow was nothing compared to her skin. He could happily lose himself in her for the rest of his days.
“Emmanuel.”
“Mmm?”
“Put your mouth on me before I die.”
He cupped her breast and met her command, suckling hard on her nipple and then blowing lightly across the moistened peak. She held his head close, moving against his mouth, crying with pleasure when he used his teeth lightly.
The woman was a marvel of demands and responses. He dipped a hand lower, pressing his palm to the heat at her center over her pants. Her hips bucked, and he grinned against her breast, learning what she enjoyed.
“Stop,” she whispered, her hands dropping from his head to his shoulders as she nudged him back so she could sit up.
He did, easing back as far as she would allow. She still held him with her legs. She was adorably disheveled, and whether or not they went any further with this, he was staying the night. In her bed, on the couch or on the floor in front of her door. He wasn’t taking chances with her.
“You...” She paused, her throat working as she swallowed. “We, um...we shouldn’t do the rest of this out here.”
Despite a critical lack of blood flow to his brain, he could think of several reasons why they should. “Okay?”
“Any of my siblings could walk in on us.”
Us. He liked the sound of that. The rest of that, not so much. “Really? I told you not to share the code.”
“Really?” she mimicked his tone. “Scolding me here and now?” She arched a golden-brown eyebrow. “You’d rather explain this,” she circled her hand to indicate their state of undress, “to Riley or Griffin?”
“Well, no.” Although she’d be worth the inevitable broken nose or bruised jaw. “Be clear,” he said, stroking the length of her thighs, teasing them both. “Do you want me to take you to the bedroom and continue this?”
“Yes.” That sparkle was back in her eyes. “And hurry.”
His heart rate kicked into overdrive and desire flooded through him. They were on the same page. “You got it.”
Chapter 9
Pippa couldn’t suppress a shocked squeal as he plucked her right off the counter. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His lips were a fantasy and she couldn’t get enough of his taste. She might already have an irreversible dependency. Sliding her tongue over his, she pressed herself to him. Couldn’t get close enough to his heat and strength.
She never lost control. Was never desperate. And where on earth had the courage to snap out demands come from? Until right now, her sexual experiences had all been very practical. Definitely satisfying, but practical. She’d never felt anything like the joyful abandon she felt tonight with Emmanuel.
He carried her out of the kitchen, but they’d made it only a few paces down the hall before he stopped to feast on her breasts again. Good grief, she was perched on the edge of an orgasm already. She’d prefer to be naked, with him buried deep inside, when the wave crashed over her.
“Wall is good,” she decided.
“Next time,” he said, continuing the journey into her bedroom.
Next time. The idea held tremendous appeal. Especially as he eased her to the floor, the backs of her knees bumping the bed. He shoved off her shirt and tossed it to the floor before he cupped her aching breasts once more.
They were leaving a trail of clothing anyone could follow. She started to giggle and stopped short when he removed her bra and covered her with his hot palms. “Oh, yes.” His thumbs flicked over her hard nipples.
Reaching between them to work on his belt, she got it open and unbuttoned his jeans, carefully lowering the zipper. “Take those off.”
He complied immediately, a sexy smirk on his mouth as he pulled a condom from his pocket and dropped it onto the nightstand. When he was naked, she just stared. Her skin felt too tight, too hot, and she craved his touch. Everywhere.
But first she wanted to kiss every inch of that glorious body. His fitness had been apparent from the start, but now, seeing every ripple and ridge, every firm plane, her mouth positively watered. She couldn’t decide where to kiss him first.
“Pippa, you’re killing me.”
She looked up and saw the raw hunger, the blatant need, in his brown eyes. Tiptoeing, she gave him a searing kiss. “I don’t know where to start,” she whispered against his mouth. “You’re so beautiful.” She’d been spewing orders, and now she just wanted him to take over. Sliding her hand over his length, she delighted in his deep groan.
He covered her hand with his, let her stroke him a few times, then he knelt down to remove her pants. “Pippa.” His breath teased the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, now bare to his view, exposed to his touch.
His next words were incoherent as blood pounded in her ears, and when his mouth met her center, her thoughts scattered. He tasted and teased her with his tongue and intimate kisses. He spoke in a flow of Spanish that made her feel like the sexiest woman, the most valuable treasure, on the planet.
Her legs trembled as he brought her to a shuddering climax and he caught her, held her close, so she couldn’t escape the full rush of sensation. Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away, desperate to get herself under control. Easing back onto the bed, she barely had time to catch her breath before he was prowling over her, grabbing the condom he’d left on her nightstand.
“You are glorious,” he murmured against her belly. “Amazing.” His tongue circled her breasts. “A beautiful joy.”
She couldn’t muster a protest or find shelter from the emotions bombarding her. He’d stripped her bare, inside and out. Did she regret it? Too soon to know, especially when there was more to discover. All she could do was stare at his striking form as he rolled a condom over his jutting erection.
She took comfort in his kisses and touches, finding her way back to those playful and tantalizing moments in the kitchen until she was on the verge of another orgasm. Poised at her entrance, he pressed in just enough to make her crazy. To make her crave.
“More.” She lifted her hips. He complied, but not enough, then withdrew. “Emmanuel,” she pleaded, her hands gripping his lean, sculpted arms. “Please, Emmanuel.”
He drove deep in one full stroke and her body soared, the physical demands and bliss blotting out everything but him. She clung to that pleasure, chased it as he did, looking for the touches and adjustments that made him growl and moan in pleasure.
When the next orgasm crashed over her, she was
lost, then found as her gaze met his. A moment later he reached his release on a shuddering groan. They were both spent, but she didn’t want to let him go, wishing she could hold him all night.
No. That couldn’t be right. She didn’t do the all-night thing. She wasn’t the cling-and-cuddle type. So why did she nearly protest when he left to dispose of the condom?
She didn’t have time to sort out the reactions spiking through her system before he was back and stretched out beside her, pulling the sheet over their cooling bodies.
Pippa was in shock, the bliss of moments ago shattered by the reality of what she’d done. There were consequences, and now she had to face them. But how? She didn’t leap into physical encounters and to hell with the aftermath. Not like this. The worst part, aside from being speechless and breathless, was the intense desire for an encore.
Emmanuel had just gifted her with a series of orgasms that should have kept her satisfied for years. She was here, tucked up beside him, feeling greedy and wanting more. It would be comforting to think he had merely unlocked some previously unknown Pandora’s box of passion. She knew better.
And it scared her.
“Wow,” she whispered in the direction of the ceiling. “That was...”
He rolled to his side and propped his head on his fist, watching her with those deep brown eyes. He traced her lower lip, and she was afraid he would catch the tremor. There was a certain knowledge in his gaze that went beyond the physical. A deepening warmth that made her edgy and nervous.
This wasn’t supposed to go down this way. She didn’t fall into situations that left her ruffled or unsettled. She stayed in control. Always. He was waiting for her to finish, so she tried again. “That was...” She couldn’t find the words that made sense without exposing this strange fear prodding her to run away and leave her own bed.
“Amazing,” he finished for her. His smile was almost shy, and he seemed to be as much at a loss for words as she was. Maybe in another time and another place with another man that would have been comforting.
Emmanuel had come into her life as a definite enemy to the case. Tonight changed all of that. Irrevocably. But not publicly. Not yet. She could still deny any inappropriate connection to the detective who’d sealed Anna’s fate. Her gaze drifted down his torso, and her hand followed before she could stop it. Enemy was such a strong word, a divisive word, not at all suitable after what they’d just shared. Honestly, he’d been winning her over since this morning when she’d found him grieving over an informant. Add in his guidance for her top case and determination to keep a promise made to her brother and she could so easily become a lost cause.
He eased her over, nuzzling her neck, murmuring nonsense about her beauty.
Finally, common sense kicked in, or maybe it was a jolt of self-preservation. Her hands on his firm shoulders, she pushed him away. “Yeah, okay. You should get going,” she said.
“Pardon me?” His dark eyebrows disappeared under the wave of hair that fell across his forehead. “We agreed I’d stay the night.”
Had they agreed? She couldn’t remember, and that wasn’t the point. “I’ve changed my mind. The panic button is enough.”
His chin dropped. “Pippa, what—”
“You heard me.” She scooted out of the bed and grabbed her robe, cinching the tie tight at her waist. “You heard me. Please go.”
He sat up, the sheet falling low across his hips. “Pippa, talk to me.”
She shook her head. How could he sit there in the middle of her bed, naked and unaffected?
“Talk to me,” he urged. He indicated the pillows they’d just been resting on. “This was something special.”
“Right. Sure.” She stopped herself before she started wringing her hands. “Whatever it is or isn’t, this is over,” she said. “No sense rehashing every little detail.” Though she already knew she’d do just that as soon as he walked out. The real thing had been infinitely better than her heated dreams last night.
“For tonight?”
She couldn’t make herself say forever. Not when her body refused to accept this was a one-and-done thing. “Emmanuel, please leave.” If he kept pressing, she might cry, and that would not be tolerated.
She didn’t need a flood of foreign emotions right now, not with two major cases demanding her time. “This was fun. Amazing,” she used his word. “It was an excellent experience.” She folded her arms, her skin heating as his gaze cruised over her cleavage. “Clearly we were both in need of a physical outlet for our stress.”
“This was more,” he snapped, cutting her rambling short. “Why are you making it cheap?”
She didn’t reply. Couldn’t.
His next words were a string of Spanish, spewed so fast she had no idea if he was swearing or praying. Probably the former. Whether he was swearing at himself or at her, it didn’t matter, as long as he left.
If he stayed, the temptation would be too big for her to resist. She held firm, held herself back from his enticing body as he gathered up his clothing, following the trail back to the kitchen. Good grief, the man was beautiful.
The neediest parts of her body begged her to reconsider, to take it all back and kiss him until his heat surrounded her again and gave her that rush of feeling so cherished.
Madness.
He was far too reasonable. Too easy to talk to. She was kicking him out of her bed and out of her home, and he didn’t rage or rant. Of course not. Emmanuel Iglesias was suddenly everything calm and cool. A complete flip from the desire and passion not fifteen minutes past.
* * *
Emmanuel reminded himself this was her choice. If he wanted her to choose differently, to choose him, that was his problem. He’d honor her decisions. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight for more—for her—but this wasn’t the time for that battle.
He was in the kitchen, tugging his shirt over his head, when her phone rang. It was there on the counter, impossible to miss the caller ID screen showing Elizabeth Wentworth’s face.
Perfect.
Pippa rushed out of the bedroom to answer the phone while he slipped back in for his shoes and socks.
From what he could glean from Pippa’s vague responses, Elizabeth was chattering on about something. Pippa paced up and down the hall; the tension of her kicking him out of her bed had faded into a friendly warmth for her friend. Whatever was going with Elizabeth, Pippa was all for it.
She nearly plowed into him at one point, and in her excitement over the call, she apparently forgot her anger. Pointing to the phone, she put it on speaker.
“Thanks for listening, Pippa. When I told her you were on the case, that I hired you, she smiled. Like, a real smile. Finally, it’s sinking in that I’m in her corner.”
Emmanuel managed not to roll his eyes.
“Well, you always have been. I’m glad something good has come of this mess.” Pippa’s tone was warm, but her eyes were cool as she watched him.
“Truly,” Elizabeth gushed. “We haven’t had conversations this open and sincere since before middle school.”
It was hard to imagine Anna being an open and sincere mother at any stage of the parental process. Emmanuel knew a series of nannies had raised her daughter. But listening to the friends talk, he was forced to rethink his certainty about Anna’s guilt in the Hicks murder.
The two people who knew the woman best were clearly aware of her inherent flaws.
“It’s like she finally believes me,” Elizabeth said. “I know you couldn’t meet with her personally that day at the prison, but just knowing you tried to come out has given her some confidence. I’ve told her I believed in her innocence from the start, but I guess hiring you was the sign she needed to believe me.”
“We are making progress on her case,” Pippa promised.
He glared at her. That was a big stretch.
“Thank goodness
. I’ll let you go. I just wanted to tell you about the RevitaYou issue.”
“I’ll see what I can do from this end. That supplement is dangerous,” Pippa said. “I’m so glad she’s interested in being your mom again.”
“Me too. It’s more than refreshing.” Elizabeth sniffed. “I’m such a baby. But...”
“I get it,” Pippa assured her. “You deserve to have the best of your mom.”
“You don’t think it’s the vitamins?”
Pippa laughed. “No. I think your mom is learning from a tough experience.” She said goodbye and ended the call, and they both stared at her phone.
“What about RevitaYou?” he asked.
A lesser man might be offended that her attention had so wholly shifted away from him. He couldn’t exactly call himself the bigger person here, but he wasn’t offended. That tightness in his gut told him he’d rather have her attention, and he definitely wanted her body under his again. Or over. Being kicked out of her bed made his motions as jerky as his thoughts while he finished dressing.
“Apparently Anna has bribed someone in the prison system to deliver RevitaYou and other things to keep her comfortable and youthful during her incarceration.”
“Of course she has.” But if Anna had a cooperative network inside and she’d wanted to meet with Pippa, who had blocked that meeting?
“Elizabeth warned her. She’s worried about the risks with the illnesses and deaths tied to the product,” Pippa added, pacing again.
“Understandable. But if Wentworth won’t listen, that’s on her.”
Pippa’s nostrils flared as she whirled around to face him. “Manipulating a system doesn’t make her a killer.”
At last he had her attention. For the moment. “Did I say that?” He stared her down, waiting for her to argue. She didn’t. “Remember to use the panic button,” he said, with a little too much bite as he tapped the device. Her eyebrows arched in challenge, but he didn’t back down. If she wanted to limit their conversation to the cases, it was fine with him.
