Sinful Seduction

by Katie Reus

  “What is it?”

  “I know you’ve got a lot of shit to deal with over the next week, but once the dust has settled, I want a private sit-down with you Monday. Not tomorrow, next Monday,” he added, when Blue was about to tell him that tomorrow would never work.

  “Are you firing me?” he asked, wanting to know now.

  Taking him by surprise, Harrison grinned. “No. I’ve got business I want to discuss, but it can wait. You need to take care of your woman. If you need longer than a week, let me know. I won’t be on this detail after today but the team I’m sending in is the best. If you have any specific requests, just tell me.”

  Blue shook his head. Red Stone only hired the best anyway. Whoever Harrison chose was fine with him. “I trust your judgment.”

  Seeming pleased by that, Harrison nodded before turning and getting into a conversation with one of the team members. Blue immediately headed for the bathroom. After he knocked and announced himself, Mina pulled the door open only enough to let him in.

  Needing to feel her in his arms, he held her close. “That was an impressive throw,” he said, hoping to ease some of the tension on her face.

  She smiled, letting out a startled laugh. “I’m just sorry I didn’t do more damage to that bastard. I’m almost afraid to believe it’s all really over.”

  “Believe it, sweetheart. No one is ever going to get to you like that again.” And he was going to make damn sure they suffered if they tried. “But…now that your father is gone, you’re going to have to think about stronger security measures. It doesn’t matter how low-key of a life you live. And I know this was an inside job, but eventually, someone will figure out how wealthy you are and come after you again. We can make it so that you’re not living in a prison, but you’re going to need a security detail more often than not.” He felt strange giving advice like this when he didn’t even know how to define their relationship, but it needed to be said.

  “We?” she asked softly and he realized what he’d said.

  “You.”

  She frowned. “I like the sound of we better.”

  “Thank God. Mina…this thing between us. I’ve never felt anything like it before.” Hell, he sounded like an idiot.

  “Me neither. And I feel stupid saying this, but I hope you know that I want more than just sex. I want a relationship, to see where this thing goes, to spend all my freaking free time with you and—”

  Blue crushed his mouth over hers, needing to taste her like he needed his next breath. He didn’t have all the answers about their future, but he knew his future included Mina in it.

  Chapter 14

  One week later

  Blue nodded at Lizzy, who was Harrison’s personal assistant/computer guru, clacking away on her keyboard as he entered her private office. She immediately stopped what she was doing when she saw him. Her office was the final barrier to Harrison’s and Blue had just gotten the go-ahead from one of the assistants in the exterior office to come in here. “Go on in,” Lizzy said, motioning behind her to the closed door. “They’re waiting for you.”

  They? He wasn’t sure who she was referring to other than Harrison, but didn’t ask. He’d had a long week helping Mina deal with her father’s funeral and just being there for her emotionally. He wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, but seeing Mina in pain killed him and right now he didn’t relish the idea of getting ambushed. Harrison had been tight-lipped regarding what this meeting was about so Blue just nodded and murmured thanks to Lizzy before heading in.

  Harrison and Porter were sitting in two chairs on the side of the desk closest to him. And there was a third chair in front of them. He frowned, wondering why the hell Harrison wasn’t sitting at his chair, and why his brother Porter was here.

  “Hey, guys.”

  Harrison smiled and motioned to the empty chair. “It’s a crazy week and all the conference rooms are in use. Figured it’d be easier to just meet here anyway. How’s Mina?”

  Blue sat, still wondering what the hell this was all about. “Hanging in there.” She was at his place now, where she’d been staying the last week. They hadn’t discussed her going back to Key West and truthfully, it was something he didn’t want to even think about. He knew it was too soon to ask but he wanted her living with him permanently. “What’s going on, guys?”

  Harrison shot Porter an unreadable look. Porter just shrugged in that stoic way of his. “Be blunt,” he said, as if answering a question.

  Harrison gave a shrug and looked back at Blue. “We’re going to be upfront with you, but first, what are your intentions with Mina Hollingsworth?”

  He bristled. “How the fuck is that any of your business?” He wasn’t going to answer any questions about his personal life, especially when he hadn’t broached the subject of the future with Mina yet.

  To his surprise, Harrison actually smiled. “What I should have asked was, would you prefer to be stationed in Miami on a permanent basis? Very limited travel.”

  “Yes.” He didn’t even have to think about it.

  “Good. Porter and I talked about this with our dad and even though he’s taking a backseat to business lately, he’s on board…We’d like to put you in charge of one of our East Coast divisions. It would include the Hollingsworth account, unless Mina is disagreeable. But I don’t see that happening. You can keep a pulse on her security in addition to the others in your division, you’ll be local, and we won’t lose you.”

  Blue sat there a moment, absorbing everything. “Lose me?”

  Harrison nodded. “Look, I know how much you’re worth. I’ve never mentioned it because I didn’t see a reason to. I figured if you wanted to work here when you don’t even need a job, you had your reasons, but with your net worth and your track record of investments, we want you as part of our team in a broader capacity. Now that you’re with Mina, something tells me the prospect of traveling when you don’t need to will eventually drive you to quit. We don’t want that.”

  Blue rubbed a hand over his face, stunned by the offer. “How’d you know about my financials?”

  Harrison gave him a wry look. “Seriously? With the background checks we run, we know everything we need to about our employees.”

  Yeah, he’d figured. “Okay, what exactly does this entail? Is it contingent on the Hollingsworth account?”

  Harrison shook his head. “Nope. This offer was coming by the end of the year. Your relationship with her just moved it up. You’re more than qualified. In fact, I’d say you’re uniquely qualified.”

  Wordlessly Porter handed him a folded piece of paper. When Blue opened it he read an outline of his potential duties—a lot more management stuff, which worked well for all his experience as an officer—and his new salary and benefits. It was impressive. And much more up his alley. Until Mina he’d felt so damn lost, like he was going through the motions. Now this offer? It seemed too good to be true. “I need to think about it, but I can let you know by tomorrow.” And talk to Mina. He was going to lay all his cards on the table tonight and might as well tell her about this too.

  Harrison nodded, as if he’d expected it. “Take your time.”

  After talking details for a few more minutes, Blue said his goodbyes to both men, feeling completely stunned. On the way back to his place he stopped at a local florist and picked up a bouquet of tulips since Mina loved them. He barely remembered the drive to his high-rise condo. Once he made it to the penthouse floor he was relieved to see the security team still standing guard. Not that he doubted them, but leaving Mina for even an hour felt like too much now. He knew that would fade in time once he trusted that she was no longer a target, but his need to protect her never would.

  As he entered his place he heard muted voices coming from the direction of the living room. Mina’s and Ivan’s. Blue gritted his teeth, not liking that the other man was here. Ivan was protective of Mina and while Blue appreciated it, he was big enough to admit he didn’t like the camaraderie between the two of them. It was a
rchaic and a little juvenile, but he wasn’t going to deny his feelings when it came to Mina. He loved her. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind.

  When he stepped into the living room, he was once again reminded of how damn right Mina looked in his place. Sitting on one of his couches wearing one of those flowy summer dresses, her feet tucked under her as she sipped a glass of white wine, the bright lights of the city behind her through the floor to ceiling windows, she looked like home to him.

  It was the only way he could describe her. Being with her, coming back to her every night, was home. She smiled broadly when she saw him and when her gaze landed on the flowers, she actually flushed pink, clearly pleased. And it made him feel ten feet tall.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured, covering the distance across the hardwood floor in seconds. Before she could rise, he’d taken his place next to her, brushing his lips over hers in a way he meant to be possessive because Ivan was there.

  Laughing lightly, because she likely knew what he was doing, she pushed at his chest. “Ivan just stopped by to talk to us.”

  Us? More like Mina. Probably wanted to convince her to dump Blue. He’d seen the way the other man looked at him and was well aware Ivan didn’t think he was good enough for her. Well, fuck him.

  Blue set the flowers on the table next to her wine then looked at Ivan, keeping his expression blank. “Interesting timing. Did you intentionally plan to stop by when you knew I’d be gone?”

  “I did.” The truth of his statement took Blue off guard. Before he could respond, Ivan continued. “But not for the reasons you think. I haven’t been here long so I haven’t had a chance to tell Mina everything. And I’m not going to sugarcoat any of this. I had you thoroughly checked out. If I didn’t, I’d be terrible at my job. You saved Mina more than once and no one could ever doubt your honor, but I still had to be sure about you.” He cleared his throat, looking nervous as he flicked a glance at Mina.

  Blue looked down at her to find her lips pulled into a thin line, but she didn’t seem surprised. And if he was being honest, Blue would have lost respect for the guy if he hadn’t checked him out. “And?”

  “And…I know you’re not after Mina for her money.” He pointed at a thick manila file on the glass-topped coffee table. “From our brief discussions about you, it doesn’t sound like you’ve told her as much as you should about yourself. I never thought anyone would be good enough for her, but God, you’re like an all-American hero,” he muttered in mock-disgust, drawing out a small smile from Blue. “Give me a call tomorrow. I know what your meeting with the Caldwell brothers was about so once you’ve made a decision, we need to talk specifics if you’re going to be in charge of…” He trailed off, standing. “Just call me.”

  Blue was surprised the other man knew about it, but maybe he shouldn’t be. It wasn’t surprising Harrison would have told Ivan, especially if Blue was going to head up Mina’s security detail—which Ivan currently led. Even though Ivan didn’t work for Red Stone, Blue had a feeling that was going to change soon. He wanted to offer the man a job and make his position permanent. His loyalty for the woman Blue loved was unquestionable so even if the guy rubbed him the wrong way sometimes, he didn’t care. Mina’s safety was more important than anything.

  Mina nudged Blue in the side. “Are either of you going to tell me what you’re talking about?”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Yeah, in just a minute.”

  Taking the cue, Ivan headed for the door. “I’ll let myself out.”

  When Mina went to get up to walk him out, Blue tightened his grip around her shoulders. “He’s fine.”

  She gave him an annoyed look, but didn’t argue. Just nestled closer to him until he pulled her onto his lap. “All right, start talking. What was all that about?” she asked as soon as Ivan was gone.

  “Maybe you should just read the file.”

  She tweaked his nose, making him smile, something he did more and more every day. “Or maybe you should just tell me what’s in it.”

  “Before I joined the Marines you know I played pro ball.” When she nodded, he continued. “I received a healthy signing bonus—very healthy. I barely touched it, instead I worked with a couple financial advisors and I’ve got a little over ten million in the bank.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  “Okay, so you’re definitely not after me for my money,” she said teasingly.

  Blue slid a hand up under her long dress, skimming along her smooth legs, up her inner thigh until he cupped her mound. Her bare mound. “This is what I want from you,” he said, his voice raspy.

  “I hope that’s not all you want.” She sounded just as unsteady as he felt and when he tweaked her clit, she shuddered.

  He shook his head, stilling his hand. “Definitely not. I know it’s too soon and I argued with myself the entire way here, but, shit, okay, I’m just going to say it.”

  “I love you, Alex.” Mina bit her bottom lip, her green eyes nervous as she watched him.

  Her words rolled over him, wrapping around him like a warm embrace, making it impossible for him to think. He hadn’t known how much he’d wanted her to say that until now.

  “Say something,” she whispered, and he realized he’d just been staring. Because he was stunned that this sweet, smart, beautiful woman loved him too.

  She shifted against his lap. “It’s okay if you don’t. The last couple weeks have made me realize that life is too short to hold back anything and I just wanted you to know.” But he could hear the nervousness in her voice

  He mentally shook himself, feeling like a jackass for just sitting here. “I love you too. So fucking much. More than I ever imagined possible, Mina. I want you to move in with me. I’ve got more than enough space, and we can make any of the rooms your studio. Hell, we can knock down a wall and make you a giant studio.” Anything to make her happy. “But if you want to live in Key West, that’s fine too. I’ll move there with you—if you’ll have me.” He’d tell her about his new job offer later. He didn’t want to affect her decision or for her to think he was trying to use his job offer as a guilt tactic or something. Because he would give it up if she wanted him to move with her.

  “Yes.” She smiled widely, her happiness clear as she shifted positions and straddled him.

  He immediately pushed her dress up to her thighs, stroking his hands up and down her bare legs. He loved simply touching her. “Yes? Just like that?”

  She lifted a dark eyebrow. “You want me to argue?”

  Throat tight, he shook his head. “No, I just thought I might have to convince you a little harder.”

  At that, her eyes gleamed wickedly. “What kind of method were you planning to use to convince me?”

  He cupped her mound again, sliding a finger inside her this time, pleased to find her already wet. “How about I show you?”

  Letting out a soft moan as he pushed another finger inside her tight sheath, she shakily nodded. “I like the sound of that.”

  He planned to show her that he was the man for her every day for the rest of their lives.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Sinful Seduction! For those of you who have read my Red Stone Security series you’ll be familiar with some of the characters. For those just discovering this series I really hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read so far and check out the rest of the series. I also hope that you’ll consider leaving a review at one of your favorite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books. If you don’t want to miss any future releases, please feel free to join my newsletter. Direct link: http://eepurl.com/jEABv

  Happy reading,

  Katie

  Excerpt from

  Sensual Surrender

  Copyright © 2014 Katie Reus

  Looking supremely smug, Jay grinned at her as he stroked a hand up and down her bare spine. The tile of the kitchen floor was cool beneath them, but she was still comi
ng down from her climax so nothing could dilute her pleasure.

  When he groaned and started to sit up she pushed off him and stood. “All right old man, let me help you up.”

  For a moment, he portrayed such a vulnerable expression that she wanted to smack herself. He was in his late thirties whereas she’d just turned twenty-five—though she felt a hundred some days—and recently he’d made a comment that led her to believe the age difference bothered him a little. Even if it wasn’t a big deal to her. Thanks to an apathetic mother and an alcoholic father, she’d grown up with no real childhood to speak of and she’d always felt light years older than she was. With the exception of her deceased sister’s help, Ellie had always taken care of herself. “Jay—”

  That brief sense of vulnerability she’d seen disappeared as he smiled and stood. He wrapped his big arms around her and brushed his lips over hers, silencing whatever she’d been about to say. “I’ve gotta head out soon and I’ll have to turn my cell to silent for a few hours once I reach the casino.”

  “Okay. I don’t have anything big today. Just joining in two meetings with Wyatt this morning, so if you, want let’s meet for lunch. At the Cloud?” What most employees called Cloud 9.

  He nodded and kissed her again, this time a claiming that left her breathless. Once he’d gone upstairs she put the eggs up and snagged some coffee. By the time she’d finished it and made her way up to their bedroom, Jay was dressed and looking impossibly sexy in a black suit and silver and green tie she’d bought him. One of his tattoos peeked out on the top of his left hand, part of an intricate script listing the names of friends he’d lost overseas. When she met his gaze again, she saw that familiar hungry look as he watched her.