by Rachel Grant
He wanted this weekend to be real and the bodyguard part to be a charade. But she wasn’t his girlfriend and he would be on duty. And he didn’t fuck around on the job.
She bent over her open suitcase, which sat on a low rack at the foot of the bed.
Her ass in the air like that made him hard. But then, after the kiss today, all she had to do was breathe and he got hard.
He needed to get out of this room before he forgot himself and violated one of Raptor’s main rules for operatives: no screwing around with the client while the job was ongoing.
“We can unpack later. Trina wanted us to gather in the garden for the results of the scavenger hunt.”
“We have twenty minutes. Did you send her our selfies?” Hazel asked.
“Shit. I forgot.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the message app. Hazel’s conversation with his sister was on top. He glanced at the thread, and his stomach dropped.
He looked up to see Hazel’s crossed arms and a satisfied smile on her face. “Don’t worry. I sent them to Trina while you were driving.” Her words and tone were innocent sounding, but her smile was anything but.
He set the phone aside and advanced on her. Screw the rules. She was too damn irresistible when she smiled like that. In two steps, he’d scooped her up and dropped her on the bed, then crawled up over her. He had her pinned between his hands and knees, even though he didn’t touch her. He could feel her body heat, a warm caress on his exposed skin. The fresh scent of citrus and mint clung to her hair, and he wanted to eat her.
“I bet you have some questions for my sister,” he said.
“I do.”
“Ask me. Not my sister.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Please?” He wasn’t above pleading.
“No.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Hazel.”
She smiled and licked her lips. “Thank you.”
His cock thickened at the sight of her tongue. “I never said I didn’t want you.”
“You never said you wanted me either.”
“Wanting and having are two different things.”
“I’m well aware of that.” She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I’m going to lay it all out now. One hundred percent real. I want you. I’ve wanted you since the first dinner party at Alec’s house four and a half years ago.”
He knew that. He’d always known that. “I’m your bodyguard. What you want, even what I want, is irrelevant. Raptor has rules against fooling around with clients.”
“Yet here I am, pinned beneath you.”
He started to pull back, to do the right thing, but she grabbed his shirt, keeping him above her. “You aren’t working for Raptor right now, and I’m not a client.”
“You are—”
“No. Alec is your client. I don’t even think I’m in danger.”
“We can’t, Haze. Not while I’m protecting you.”
“You think Alec and Isabel won’t be having sex this weekend because he’s protecting her?”
“I really don’t want to think about Rav’s sex life, thank you very much.”
“And I’m calling bullshit on your rules. I’m not in danger. I’m not your client. And you aren’t working for Raptor. Those are all excuses. And you know it, or you wouldn’t be pinning me to this bed.”
He stared down at her. His body throbbed with need. She was everything he wanted, and he could have her.
But want had nothing to do with it. This wasn’t right. Not when she was vulnerable and he was ready to bolt. He wouldn’t stick around, and that would hurt her. Worse, they could have weeks ahead of them stuck in their roles of fake relationship. If he fooled around with her now, things could get damn awkward when it was clear he didn’t want more. “Maybe I don’t want to have sex with you.”
It was his biggest lie in a day filled with them, and he suspected she knew it.
“And maybe you do.”
There was no “maybe” about it.
“We’ll finish this conversation later,” Hazel said. “Let’s go meet the others and collect our prize.”
He climbed off the bed and offered her a hand to pull her up. As he did so, he said, “We could be stuck in this charade for weeks. Sex is a bad idea.”
She stood and patted his cheek. “You can tell yourself that, Sean. But what you’re really doing is running scared.”
She crossed the room to the couch where she’d set her purse and scooped it up. “Let’s join the others and get our prize. Then I’ll claim exhaustion and retreat in here so you can hang with the guys without having to pretend for a while. Deal?”
“Hazel—”
“I’m trying to make this easier for both of us. I’m mindful of the fact that this is your best friend’s wedding and you should be here to have fun. Let me give this to you, okay?”
He nodded. Anything else would be a dick move, considering he was the one who’d just refused her blatant offer. He’d hurt her, yet she wasn’t making this weekend about her.
Two things were certain. Hazel MacLeod was too good for him, and he sure as hell was running scared.
14
Hazel couldn’t believe she’d said it straight out. She wasn’t even drunk this time. And yet she’d still crashed and burned. The way he’d pinned her to the bed, then hadn’t touched her had created aches in places she hadn’t known existed.
And now she’d put Sean in an awful situation. It wasn’t his fault Alec had screwed everything up by forcing them together. When this was all over, she was going to kick her cousin’s ass for his sheer cluelessness.
She wanted to hide in their room as she’d promised, but the rest of the day was planned, and it would look bad if she spent the time sulking in the room. So she had to suck it up and put on a happy face. In the last week, she’d discovered that she liked pretty much everything about Sean Logan. His looks had been the draw at first, but damn, what wasn’t to like about a man who carried her to safety after being injured in the lake—twice?
And then there was the way he’d held her when she couldn’t sleep, convincingly faked being infatuated with her, and kissed her like he was desperate to have her. And she could be stuck playing his pretend girlfriend for weeks.
She was definitely going to kick Alec’s ass.
Ian stepped up beside her and draped an arm over her shoulders. One thing she’d noticed today, this was a touchy-feely bunch. She liked it but imagined it was hard for Ivy, who’d always had more social boundaries.
The groom leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I’m glad Sean finally got off his ass and asked you out.”
She smiled. “What makes you think he’s the one who made the first move?”
Ian’s brow crinkled. “Uh, the fact that he’s had the hots for you for years?”
“Has he now?” Much as she wanted to believe him, she couldn’t let herself hope. Not in the face of Sean’s rejection just minutes ago. The word “fiasco” sounded less promising at this point.
“Yeah, it’s been obvious.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Right. I thought spies could read people.”
“Technically, I was never a spy. I ran spies.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’ve read enough books to know that when you write your memoir, you’ll call yourself a spy in the title.”
“Well, it sells better that way.”
She looked up at him in shock. “You aren’t really writing your memoir, are you?”
He smiled. Ian Boyd’s smile was a beautiful thing. “Nah. The CIA would redact too much. It would be horribly boring.”
Redacted. At this point, she seriously disliked that word. Alec was holding information back from her.
Sean joined them and handed Hazel a champagne flute. “What are you up to, Ian?”
“Telling Hazel all about that time in Jakarta.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “Go ruin someone else’s love life. I think Luke and Undine look too happy.”
Ian laughed
and walked off, while Sean put an arm around her and kissed her temple.
“What happened in Jakarta?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“Right.”
Sean flashed an innocent smile she didn’t buy for a second.
She rose on her toes and kissed his lips. Might as well enjoy this while she could.
He placed a hand behind her head as she dropped to her heels, and followed her, making the kiss something more lingering.
She forgot how to breathe.
It’s an act. All an act.
Trina tapped the side of a glass with a spoon. “Before I announce the winner, I have to say, I’m sure no one thought I’d let our bride and groom lose, right? Even though they came in third, they get the same prize as our top scorers.” She pulled two identical gift bags from a box on the floor. She must’ve hidden the second bag so Ian and Cressida would believe they had to compete to keep the game interesting. It was clear Ian had a competitive streak, but then most of the men did.
Trina handed one bag to Ian, then turned and handed the second bag to Sean. “Our top scorers were Sean and Hazel with a score of eighty-nine. Congratulations and”—her voice deepened with a wicked edge—“enjoy.”
Sean took the bag and glanced into the package. His eyes widened, and his gaze jerked up to Trina.
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”
“What’s in the bag?” Luke asked.
Sean and Ian exchanged a look. They both shook their heads, mute.
Now Hazel was curious. She hooked a finger over the top of the bag and tilted it in her direction so she could peek inside.
Oh good Lord.
A few feet away, Cressida peeked into the bag in Ian’s hands. She let out a squeal of laughter. “Trina!”
Trina shrugged innocently. “Hey, I told you there was a reason this was a couples thing.”
“I think—” Hazel cleared her throat when her voice broke. “I think I’ll go put this in our room.”
“I’ll come with you,” Sean said.
That’s what she said. Laughter bubbled up at the joke she didn’t dare say aloud.
On her way to the hotel lobby, Hazel finally remembered her manners. She turned on her heel and smiled at the day’s game maker. “Thank you, Trina. It’s exactly my color and size.”
Trina and Cressida both snorted. Ian and Keith laughed. Sean let out a strangled groan.
A minute later, they were climbing the stairs to their second-floor room. Now in addition to having a massive king-sized bed made for sex and a hot tub made for sex, they also had a bag full of toys all made, quite specifically, for sex.
Sean held up a giant blue dildo, marveling at the molded veins and testicular details. “This is your color and size?”
“Yes. Want me to demonstrate?”
God, yes. But he didn’t dare say it aloud. “At least it’s blue. I don’t know how I’d feel winning a dildo that looked like a white guy’s dick.”
Hazel studied a box that held a U-shaped vibrator. “This one’s for stimulating the G-spot. You can download an app on your phone and control the settings.”
“I don’t think I want Apple or Google to know when I’m using my sex toys,” Sean said.
“I’m pretty sure they already do. At least, Facebook probably knows.”
“And that is why I’m not on Facebook.” He shook his head, then pulled flavored lubricant from the bag. “I’m sorry Trina did this. It’s…awkward.”
“Are you kidding?” She held up an oddly shaped small purple vibrator. It was probably meant to mimic a tongue and had been in the box with the U-shaped toy, part of a set. “I’ve been wanting one of these since my last one quit. They’re the best. And, sadly, expensive.”
He closed his eyes, imagining all too easily how fun it would be to play with the toy and Hazel. It was waterproof, so they could play with it in the hot tub. He could slide deep inside her body as water sloshed over the sides of the tub and he stroked her clit with the small, powerful vibrator.
She dug in the box and pulled out the charging cable and plugged it into the USB power port on the desk. “Do you mind if I keep this one? You can have the dildo.”
“I don’t want the dildo.” Not without you to use it on. In. With. The preposition didn’t matter as long as the noun was all Hazel.
“Fine, then you can have the wrist and ankle cuffs with the under-mattress straps. I’ve always wanted to try bondage but haven’t ever been with someone I wanted to try it with.” She shrugged and gave him a slight smile. “You’ve got to really trust a guy, you know?”
And there was another mental image. Hazel splayed on that king-sized bed, arms and legs wide, strapped tight as he went down on her. Down on. Two prepositions he very much enjoyed giving and receiving. And, if she were game, he’d fuck her mouth while her arms were bound, sliding as deep as she could take him.
Was deep a preposition? Probably not, but it seemed like one. Who knew prepositions could be his favorite part of speech?
He wanted to curse Trina and her scavenger hunt, but at the same time, he had new fantasies of Hazel to enjoy. He’d put the blue dildo to work as his cock slid in her mouth while she was tied to the bed.
Oh, the things he wanted to do to her…
With the bondage kit, he could tie her on her stomach and use the U-shaped vibrator. It was made to stimulate her clitoris on the outside and her G-spot—along with himself—on the inside. He touched the silicone-covered device. “You can have the other vibrator, but this one is mine.”
“I thought you didn’t want Google up in your business?”
He studied her from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the good parts—which was pretty much all of her—and smiled. “Sweetheart, this is for getting in your business. And it works offline.” He pressed the power button and it began to buzz and vibrate—weakly. “Better charge this one too.”
Jesus. He was a fool for playing her game. Much safer to share the room—and bed—without a bunch of powered-up sex toys.
But damn, the challenge in her eyes, the defiance in her posture, was hard to resist.
“You can have the lube,” she said. “I’ll take the massage oil candles.”
His eyes narrowed. He didn’t mind her taking the vibrator and even the dildo. Both could be used solitary. But who was she hoping to use the massage oil with? “Which one of us gets the sex dice?”
“There are two dice. We can each keep one.”
He shouldn’t play this game but couldn’t help himself. He stepped forward, backing her toward the dresser where the vibrator was charging. “It’s not a good idea to break up the set.”
“I could say the same thing about the two-part vibrator kit.”
“So maybe we should keep them together.”
“Fine. You get the dice. I get the vibrators.”
He laughed. His dick throbbed. That body part wanted to have a say in the equitable division of toys. Or at least testing the toys. What sort of sound would she make if she was tied up and he made her come with the vibrator? She wouldn’t be able to pull away when it got too intense.
She’d be at my mercy…
Her lips parted. The air between them was thick with heat. He had no doubt her thoughts ran parallel to his. He traced her full bottom lip with his thumb. “What would your safeword be, Hazel, if I tied you up? What would you say if you wanted me to stop?”
Her tongue ran over her lips. “What makes you think I’d want you to stop?”
Heat surged. He wasn’t sure if it was ignited from the region near his heart or his cock. Probably both. The only confirmed fact was her words set him on fire in a way he hadn’t expected. Somehow, she had the upper hand in this flirtation, with her teasing words and sexy smile.
The hellcat was coaxing him to a hard-on with her seemingly guileless admissions. She was a master at manipulation and the innocent, sexy lure. The words that left her lips were pure enticement. Playful. Fun.
And a damn
land mine.
He wanted to blurt out all the things he would do to her. How he planned to make her his, how he would use Trina’s considerate gifts.
But there was a knock on the door, and he had to get a grip on his lust. They were here for a wedding. A weekend with friends. He was the best man, and they were supposed to do a rehearsal in thirty minutes.
Much as he was annoyed, he was thankful for the interruption. He swept the toys into the top drawer of the dresser and took a deep breath, willing his erection to fade. “Who is it?”
“Alec and Isabel.” Rav’s voice was muted. The old inn had nice, thick walls and doors, he noted.
“I’ll get the door,” Hazel said.
He nodded, then he caught the back of her neck and pulled her to him. His lips brushed hers. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”
A slow, somewhat wicked smile spread across her features. “Yes. Yes, we will.”
15
Hazel sat between Isabel and Sean at the small circular table in their suite. Across from her, Alec held up a tablet displaying the official portrait of Sheriff Carl Taylor on the county website. “You’re both sure this is the guy who was standing next to Small?”
Hazel nodded in unison with Isabel. Sean shrugged. “I was too focused on scanning the crowd to pay attention to the dais. I figured if there was any threat coming at Isabel or Hazel, it would be from someone in the crowd, not at the front.”
Alec nodded. “Yeah, that’s where I wanted you to focus. I was watching Small and the stage, but I’d never seen Sheriff Taylor before, so it didn’t register.”
“You think Taylor and Small have something to do with the threat?” Hazel asked. Once again, she wondered what was in the redacted parts. She had no doubt Alec had a very specific list of suspects. “If you think Small is dangerous, why bring Isabel there?”
“I don’t know if there is a connection. I just find it interesting that a sheriff who was trying to shut you down on the same day the threat came in is a Small supporter. And I wasn’t worried about bringing you both to the rally because I knew Small would never expect us to show up.”
