Ian's Ultimate Gamble ; Seduction, Westmoreland Style

by Brenda Jackson

  For the next hour they went through a series of swings, some she decided would work for her and some she knew wouldn’t. But her golf swings weren’t the only thing she was thinking about with Ian plastered to her back.

  “Okay, when do I get to play with the balls?” she asked him, glancing up at him over her shoulder.

  “Only you would ask me something with a double meaning at a time like this,” he whispered huskily in her ear before pulling her body back to his, letting her feel his aroused state.

  She laughed quietly, knowing what balls he was alluding to and moved away from him. “Sorry.” She glanced around, trying not to look at him below the belt. “So what’s next?”

  “Kissing you isn’t such a bad idea,” he said.

  They stood so close that his bare legs brushed lightly against hers. The contact was enough to send heat sizzling through her body, and the fact that he was aroused wasn’t helping matters. And when his scent, which had been playing games with her senses for the past couple of hours, finally took hold she parted her lips on a breathless sigh.

  That was just the opening Ian needed and he leaned over, and when his mouth touched hers he literally lost it. Never had he needed a kiss more or his common sense less. Now was not a time he wanted to think rationally, since thinking irrationally suited him just fine.

  When he’d been teaching her various golf swings, the feel of her butt against his groin had nearly driven him crazy, and overtaken his mind with lust. He’d been hard-pressed not to do something about it. Even now, if he’d thought for one minute that they had complete privacy, he would peel her clothes off this very second. He couldn’t take the chance, but he could and would make sure they had some private time together later.

  His hands tightened around her waist as he continued to kiss her deeply. He knew he had to slow things down a bit, but still, the taste of her was driving him to get all he could because the getting was definitely good.

  The sound of a golf cart coming up along the path grabbed their attention, and Ian broke off the kiss and took a step back. He glanced over at her and watched as she nervously nibbled her lower lip. Feeling a tightening in his gut, he groaned softly.

  Lacking the ability to resist doing so, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. Moments later, pulling back, he rubbed the tip of his finger across her top lip. “You still up for swimming?” he asked, knowing he needed to find the nearest pool to cool off.

  “Yes, what about you?”

  He chuckled from deep within his throat. “Yes, I am definitely up for it.”

  “Ian,” she admonished, watching him take a step back to grab the golf bags and place them over his shoulder. But before she could take him to task, he took her hand in his and pulled her toward the cart.

  “What about the rest of my lessons?” she asked.

  He smiled as her looked at her. “They’re coming.” Just like you’ll be doing pretty soon, he thought as they continued to walk together.

  “Can I ask you something, Ian?”

  He glanced over at her as they continued walking. “Sure.”

  “Am I out of your system yet?”

  He stopped walking and stared at her. “No. Now you’re so deeply embedded there, it’s like you’ve become an ache.”

  She smiled as they began walking again. She could imagine how much an admission like that had cost him. “Need an aspirin?” she asked coyly.

  He stopped walking again and reached up and lightly brushed the side of her face with the palm of his hand. “Now who’s being a smart-ass? No, I don’t need an aspirin. I just need you, Brooke. And you know what’s so scary about that?”

  She held his gaze. “No.”

  “I swore that if I ever saw you again I would avoid you like the plague. But now I can’t seem to bear having you out of my sight.”

  She smiled slowly. “Sounds like we have a problem.”

  Ian chuckled, although deep down he really didn’t find the situation very amusing. “Yeah, it seems that way. Come on. Let’s grab some lunch.”

  * * *

  “So what sport do you want to try next while you’re here?” Ian asked after taking a sip of his soda. He and Brooke were sitting outside on the verandah at one of the cafés enjoying hot dogs, French fries and their favorite soft drinks.

  She lifted her gaze from dipping a fry into a pool of ketchup and looked at him, smiling. “It doesn’t matter as long as it’s not a contact sport.”

  He laughed. “Are you saying that my touch bothers you?”

  “No, it doesn’t bother me exactly.”

  “Then what does it do to you?”

  She leaned closer so others sitting around them wouldn’t hear. “Makes me hormonally crazy.”

  A smiled touched the corners of Ian’s lips. “Define.”

  She rolled her eyes. He would ask that. She was sure that having such an analytical mind he could definitely figure it out. But if he wanted her to break it down for him, then she would. “Whenever you touch me, or brush up against me, the only thoughts that occupy my mind are those of a sexual nature.”

  “In other words you get horny?” he asked, seemingly intrigued by her explanation.

  “No, Ian. Men get horny. Women become hormonally crazy.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Brooke figured as much. She couldn’t believe the two of them were sitting here having such a conversation while sharing a meal when just a few days ago there had been more bitterness between them than she cared to think about. And yet just as Ian had admitted on the golf course, they were no closer to resolving what they’d once shared than before.

  “So what have you been doing for the past four years?” he asked casually, taking another sip of his drink.

  Brooke raised a brow. She wasn’t stupid. He was really getting around to asking what she hadn’t been doing. A woman’s body didn’t lie, and Ian knew hers better than any man. He was sure after making love to her the night before he had a good idea what she hadn’t been doing. “Mainly working. I’ve had a couple of tough assignments.”

  Ian nodded. He’d never liked the fact that she was putting her life on the line with every assignment. But he’d had to accept what she did for a living. After all, she had been a deputy when he’d met her. Besides, he had seen her in action a couple of times. She knew how to kick butt when she had to.

  “Do you know how much longer you’re going to be an agent?” he asked. When they’d talked about marriage, she’d said she would remain an agent until they decided to start a family.

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Lately I’ve been thinking that I’m getting too old for field work. I’ve made my five-year mark, and the undercover operations are beginning to take their toll. I want to get out before I suffer a case of burnout like Dare did.”

  Ian was about to open his mouth to say something when his cell phone rang. “Excuse me,” he said, standing and pulling it from the snap on his belt. “Yes?”

  Moments later, after ending the call, he was looking at her apologetically. “Sorry, that was my casino manager. There’s a matter that needs my immediate attention.”

  “I understand.”

  “We’re still on for a swim later? At my place?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “I’ll even feed you again.”

  She chuckled. “It’s hard to resist an invitation like that.”

  “I was hoping that it would be. Let’s say around five. Is that okay?”

  She nodded. “That’s perfect.”

  “Good.” He then leaned over and whispered in her ear. “And bring an overnight bag so I can help you with that hormonal thing,” he said and quickly walked away.

  Brooke continued to watch him until he was no longer in sight. It was only then that she released a deep breath. She doubted he would be able to help her with her libido in overdrive. If anything, he would probably make it worse. Ian was and had always been too damn sexually potent for his own good. She smiled at the t
hought of that, since she of all people should know.

  She picked up her glass to take another sip when across the verandah a couple sitting at a table caught her eye. It was the woman she had bumped into yesterday. She frowned. There was something about her, but what it was she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  Ian had joked about Brooke being an unforgettable person, which she knew wasn’t true. But still, she couldn’t understand why the woman had not recognized her. Moments later it dawned on Brooke that today her hair was pinned back and she was wearing a hat. Yesterday her hair had been down. That had to be it, she thought. But still, there was something tugging at her brain, something she should be remembering.

  Brooke took another sip of her soda, deciding it must not have been important.

  * * *

  Brooke arrived at Ian’s penthouse ten minutes early, wearing a very daring, flesh-tone crocheted dress with a see-through bodice. The scalloped hemline was short and showed off the beauty of her legs. Ian knew he was in trouble the moment the elevator door opened.

  He took a step back and eyed her up and down. He then pulled in a deep breath. “Hmm. I’m surprised you made it up here in one piece,” he said, imagining how many men’s eyes had popped out of their heads when they’d seen her. He figured his housekeeping staff was in the lobby mopping up their saliva as he spoke.

  She chuckled as she stepped closer to him and placed her overnight bag down at her feet. “Have you forgotten that I can handle myself?”

  No, he hadn’t forgotten and had always admired her ability to do so. When she came to stand directly in front of him, the scent of her perfume began playing a number on his libido. He cleared his throat while scanning her outfit again. “I thought we were going swimming.”

  “We are. This time instead of wearing my bathing suit I decided to bring it with me. But I see you’re ready.”

  In more ways than one, he thought, although he knew she was referring to the fact that the only thing he was wearing was a pair of swimming trunks. “Yes, I thought we’d get our swim out of the way and then enjoy dinner. It will be delivered in a couple of hours. But if you’d rather we eat first, then…”

  “No, that’s fine. I’ll probably be quite hungry by then.”

  He smiled. He intended to make sure she was totally famished. “I’ll take that,” he said, leaning down to pick up her overnight bag. He looked surprised because the bag was heavy.

  She shrugged and smiled. “When have you known me to travel light?”

  “Never.”

  “Then nothing’s changed.”

  He furrowed his brow. “And what about when you’re on assignment and you have to travel light?”

  “Then I make an exception.”

  Ian smiled and nodded quietly. “I’ll take this up to the bedroom. You’re welcome to change in there if you like or you can use one of the guest rooms,” he said.

  “I’ll change in your bedroom.”

  He moved aside to let her lead the way, and when they got to the stairs and she began climbing ahead of him, his body became more aroused with every step she took. Every time she lifted her foot to move up a step, her short hemline would inch a little higher and emphasize the sweet curve of her bottom.

  He pulled back, deciding to just stand there and watch her, or else he would find himself tumbling backward. When she got to the landing she noticed he wasn’t behind her and turned around. She lifted a brow when she saw he was still standing on the fourth stair. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing other than the fact that we need to do something about that dress.”

  She leaned against the top banister, and he wondered if she knew that from where she was standing with that particular pose, and with the aim of his vision, he could see under her dress. He might be wrong since her outfit was flesh tone and everything seemed to blend in, but he couldn’t help wondering if she was even wearing panties.

  “What do you suggest we do with it?”

  He blinked and met her gaze. His mind had totally gone blank. “Do with what?”

  She chuckled. “My dress. You said we had to do something about it.”

  “We can burn it.”

  She grinned. “No we can’t. It’s an exclusive design.”

  Ian lifted a brow. “Is it?”

  “Yes. Don’t you like my outfit?”

  “A little too much. I suggest you change into your swimming suit before I decide a swim isn’t what we both need.”

  He then began walking up the stairs toward her. When he reached the landing he handed her the overnight bag. “I think this should be as far as I go considering…”

  “Considering what?”

  “Considering I wouldn’t mind taking you right now on that banister you’re leaning against.” He’d been fantasizing about her ever since he’d left her in the café. He’d barely kept his concentration while waiting for her to show up at the penthouse.

  She smiled at him as she straightened and gripped the overnight bag. “This should be one interesting afternoon.”

  He smiled back at her. “Trust me. It will be.”

  * * *

  Ian couldn’t wait. He had to dive into the pool to cool off. It was either that or change his mind and go upstairs to Brooke. But he knew once he was in that bedroom with her, chances were that’s where they would stay until dinner arrived.

  He just couldn’t get rid of the memory of the two of them on the golf course. Brooke had always been a quick study, and today had been no different. If she practiced there was no doubt in his mind that she would become one hell of a player.

  Then there was that point at lunch when he had been tempted to reach out, snatch her up out of her seat and kiss her. Just watching her drink, the way her mouth had fit perfectly around the plastic straw and the way she’d slowly sucked her soda from the cup had made him hard.

  He was taking his fourth lap around the pool when he heard her voice. “So you couldn’t wait for me.”

  He glanced over his shoulder and immediately was grateful he was in the shallow end, otherwise he would have clearly sunk to the bottom. Brooke was standing there beside the pool in the skimpiest bathing suit he had ever seen. The one she’d been wearing the other night had been an eye scorcher but this one, this barely there, see-how-far-your-mind-can-stretch piece was definitely an attention getter and erection maker, not that he needed the latter since he was already there.

  He pulled himself up and stood in the water and reached out his hand, and in a thick, throaty voice said, “Come here.”

  Brooke swallowed. When he’d stood, she couldn’t ignore how his dripping-wet swimming trunks gave a pretty substantial visual of just how aroused he was. But that didn’t keep her from crossing the room, stepping into the pool and taking his outstretched hand.

  “You like playing with fire, don’t you, Brooke?” he asked when she was standing directly in front of him, so close that their thighs were touching. So close that she could feel his hardness settle against her midsection.

  “Not particularly,” was the only response she could come up with, since she was so captivated by the dark heat in his eyes.

  “Oh, I think you do. And since you like playing with fire I want to see just how hot you can get.”

  “You already know how hot I can get, Ian,” she said, then sucked in a breath when he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to the fit of him.

  Ian smiled. Yes he did know. That was one of the things he always loved about Brooke: her ability to let go when they made love and not hold anything back. And speaking of hot…she was like the blast of an inferno, the scorching of volcanic lava, the hottest temperature at the equator. Hell, a summer solstice had nothing on her. And during the four years they’d been apart she hadn’t changed.

  She’d said she was hormonally in high gear, but that was only because her sex life had stopped after him. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. When he’d entered her body
and found her so tight, he’d known inactivity was the cause. Whatever the reason she hadn’t slept with any other man, he intended to remedy that by helping her make up for lost time.

  All the reasons why he should be working her out of his system escaped him, probably because at the moment he couldn’t think. All the blood from his brain had suddenly rushed downward to settle in the lower part of his body. The part that desperately wanted her.

  “I thought we were going to swim,” she whispered as he began lowering his mouth to hers.

  “We are. Later.” And then his mouth devoured hers with all the want and need he’d been holding inside since he’d last made love to her. Had it been just this morning? The hunger that was driving him made it seem a lot longer than that. She had tempted and teased him since then, bringing out the alpha male inside of him.

  As usual, she tasted fiery, seductive and spicy. He hungrily consumed her mouth with wanton lust, but kissing her wasn’t enough. He reached out and, without breaking the kiss, with a flick of his wrist he undid the tie of her bikini top at her back. Umm, now all that was left was her bottom.

  Moments later he pulled back and, kneeling down, grateful they were still in the shallow end, he began peeling the thong bikini down her hips. His hand ran up the length of her inner thigh and he stroked her slowly, liking the sound of her erratic breathing. He stood back up and lifted her hips.

  “Wrap your legs around me, Brooke.” And the moment she did he slipped between her thighs to widen them and then he buried himself inside of her to the hilt at the same exact moment he buried his tongue inside her mouth.

  She sucked in a breath, and with their bodies connected he moved against the pool wall. Of all the places they had made love, they had never made love in a pool. He’d heard that water was a highly sensual playground and he was about to find out if that was myth or a fact. When her back was braced against the wall, he began moving inside of her, flexing his hips, thrusting in and out.

  Brooke closed her eyes, absorbing the intensity of Ian moving between her legs. Her fingers bore down on his shoulders as a scream gathered in her throat. He was amazing and was giving her just what she needed. What she wanted. And just seconds before an orgasm was about to hit, he pulled out of her and spun her around with her back to him.