“Go collect your things,” Landon directed her once the police had left the room. The only one who could overhear their conversation was the groundskeeper who was currently boarding up the patio door. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“I’m sorry?” Kelli appeared rather taken aback by his request, though she shouldn’t be the least bit surprised. At least three hours had passed since the shooting, so it had to be going on one in the morning. Did she think he was just going to let bygones be bygones? “You’re now aware of who I really am and what I’ve been hired to do. An attempt has been made on your life. I’m not leaving you alone until you’ve done your business and you are sitting in your first-class seat on the way back to Los Angeles.”
Landon had opened the closet door with the intention of grabbing his business suits, but her comment about first-class and the fact that she hadn’t once personalized her job had him changing course. He grabbed her wrist and had her back against the wall before she could inhale to make another declaration.
“What exactly am I to you?” Landon asked, capturing both her wrists in one hand and pressing them against the laminated wood above her head. His lips were inches from hers, and he made sure those blue eyes of hers were trained on his. “Was I nothing but a job to you? Did you get off knowing that I had no idea my father hired you to protect me while we fucked? Or better yet…did you fuck me to keep me safe? I’ll be sure to let my father know you went above and beyond in fulfilling your duties.”
Landon had already anticipated that Kelli would try to pull away from him, so he leaned his body into hers right as he stated his intentions. It didn’t get past him that she kept herself in good shape. Her muscles were toned and she was a lot stronger than she let on, most likely a conscious decision on her part. It no doubt gave her the edge over most enemies she might encounter.
“Tonight…” Kelli’s voice trailed off and it was then he thought back to when she approached him at the bar. A sick feeling stirred in his gut and he abruptly stepped away from her as she confirmed his suspicions. “I recognized the blonde from some intel that was given to me regarding Curtis Pynaker’s known associates. It was more than obvious she was hired to approach you, most likely delaying your signing or exposing you to some type of scandal so that Pynaker could make a competing offer.”
“So you thought you would sacrifice yourself for the greater good?”
Landon was stunned that his business rival would take things this far, but he was even more disgusted that Kelli would go to the lengths she did in order to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. He’d thought she was special.
Did she go to this type of extreme with all her clients?
All Kelli had to do was come clean with him. He wouldn’t have liked that his father had gone behind his back after they’d discussed this possibility before leaving Los Angeles, but he would have at least been on an even playing field. Right now, they weren’t even playing in the same league.
“It’s not like that,” Kelli argued with a shake of her head. She’d lost the flower in her hair long ago. She took a step forward, but he’d already turned his back and crossed the room to grab his cell phone from the nightstand. “Yes, I needed to intervene, but all I had intended to do was dance with you. I didn’t mean for things to—escalate.”
“What? You didn’t mean to accidentally fuck me?” Landon wasn’t in a forgiving mood after being made a fool of when this had all been avoidable. Now that he was convinced his father was right—which really pained him to admit—he would hire his own protection detail. He was done with this conversation, so he swiped the home screen on his phone and initiated a call to his father. “Don’t bother packing, Kelli. Stay on my company’s dime and enjoy the rest of your vacation. Think of it as a mission bonus. It’s the least I could do for you after you saved my life.”
“Don’t be such an ass,” Kelli exclaimed, quickly taking his cell away before he realized her intention. He would have taken it back had she not put the phone to her ear. She never wavered her determined stare as she all but challenged him to try to stop her from having her say. “Mr. Smyth? Yes, this is Kelli Garrett. There’s been an incident, and Landon now knows I’ve been hired as his protection during this trip. No, no. He’s fine. Yes, his meeting is still scheduled for tomorrow morning.”
Landon observed Kelli as she continued to speak with his father, going into more details about what had transpired this evening. She even turned away from him, wrapping one arm around her waist as she took three steps to the right and then three steps to the left. She was looking down at the sandals she’d put on before the police had arrived. Even he was aware of the defensive posture she’d taken, the only sign that this evening’s events had any effect on her.
Kelli was conveniently leaving out the fact that things had gotten rather personal between them. Honestly, he could see how things had spiraled out of control now that she’d monopolized his phone and given him some time to think. He had pressed her pretty hard. He had time now to go through the past week, recalling each and every moment he laid eyes on her.
Their attraction wasn’t one that had been forced. He truly desired her, in spite of the fact that she had withheld her true identity. As for her response to his touch? That spoke for itself and he wasn’t quite ready to walk away from her.
“Dad, we’ll talk about this when I get back home,” Landon said to his father once Kelli had handed him back his phone. A quick glance ensured that the groundskeeper had finished boarding up the patio door. “There are some things I still need to take care of this evening.”
“What do you still need to do?” Kelli asked him after he’d disconnected the call. Once again, she was trying to take charge of the situation. He was getting to know her better with each passing second, and that included her physical response to him closing the distance between them. “Landon?”
“I only want to know one thing.” Landon didn’t touch her. He stopped inches from her, coercing her to tilt her head back so he could see for himself that she hadn’t played him for the sake of her job. “Was it enough for you?”
Kelli’s lips parted in surprise at his candor, but she was already aware that he wasn’t into playing games. He never had been, and he never would be. Her blue eyes darkened in response to his question, giving him his answer…but he needed to hear her response. He was a straight shooter and they had a little more than twelve hours before they parted ways.
“No, not quite,” Kelli whispered, closing her eyes almost in regret. “It wasn’t enough, but we both know it’s unwise to continue to mix business with pleasure.”
“I’ve personally never tried that cocktail,” Landon admitted honestly, finally giving himself permission to touch her. He brushed his hand over her cheek and then slid his fingers behind her neck, waiting for her to look at him. She finally lifted her lashes in acceptance. “One night. Until we have our fill, and then we can both walk away satisfied.”
It was easy to see the internal battle going on in her mind as she continued to hold back, but she’d already given him her answer earlier. Her admission that their time together wasn’t enough was all he needed to initiate a seductive night of complete and utter release.
“We’ll need to take off your dress,” Landon directed as he stepped back and led the way as he unfastened the first button on his shirt. “You had your time of enjoyment, little siren. It’s time for mine.”
Chapter Four
What the hell was she thinking?
Kelli should be telling Landon to pack his suitcase. They should be heading to the new room the resort had provided. She certainly shouldn’t be reaching for the shoulder straps of her dress and slipping the strips of material down her arms, but his assertion that this was only for one night was something she couldn’t possibly turn down.
One night of bliss.
She didn’t want to wake up tomorrow with the regret of not having enjoyed the time given to them.
They were both aware that t
hey ran in different social circles. She wouldn’t fit into his life, and he wouldn’t want to live in hers.
We have our fill, and then we can walk away satisfied.
“After we are done, you need to allow me to do my job,” Kelli stipulated, wanting to clarify that she still had an assignment to complete. “That means listening to what I say from the moment we leave this resort to when I see to it that you’re safely on that flight to Los Angeles.”
“I can handle that,” Landon conceded rather confidently, shedding his shirt and not hesitating to reach for his belt buckle. The rise of his right eyebrow told her that there was a but to that concession. “But as I said…you’ll have to let me be in charge tonight.”
Kelli would have loved to say that the humidity in the air had risen, but the heat she was experiencing had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with her reaction to his words.
Yes, she was his…for tonight.
“Come here.” Landon had waited until she’d stepped out of her sandals and her dress had fallen to the floor. It wasn’t the kind of material where she could wear undergarments. It had been a struggle to conceal her holster, but she’d been able to make it work. As it was, she wasn’t about to let her weapon out of arm’s reach. “You can put your weapon underneath the pillow…where your hands will remain until I say otherwise.”
This attraction Kelli had for him was only growing stronger with each passing minute as she realized that there was more to him than what was written in his dossier. The men she dated tended to defer to her decisions, and Landon was anything but a submissive type.
Kelli forced her trembling knees—which weren’t only unsteady due to the remaining adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream—to move until she was standing in front of him. She truly thought he would reach out and touch her, but he stood there in all his glory with his hands at his sides and a penetrating stare, which allowed him to see more than she would have preferred.
“We should get started.”
Kelli’s movements weren’t as graceful as she would have liked them to be as she crawled onto the bed, slipping her holstered weapon underneath the pillow as he’d instructed. It was very liberating to lie down on her back and lift her arms to gently rest them on the goose down pillow.
Her breasts were now exposed to his scrutiny. From the hunger darkening the deep color of his eyes, she could see his approval. He wasn’t even touching her, yet she was becoming even more aroused by observing his passionate, intense demeanor.
“Spread your legs.”
Landon was giving these short, terse commands and she was involuntarily obeying. It was hard to explain, even to herself, but this was what her body and mind needed to balance her everyday life.
Kelli allowed her knees to fall open to his inspection. She couldn’t stem her quick inhalation when the backs of his fingers softly ran up the side of her knee, over her hip, and around her breast. What made his light touch even more exhilarating was how he never once broke eye contact with her as he explored her body.
Her responsive reaction when his warm hand settled over her mound took them both by surprise. She brought one hand down with the intention to wrap her fingers around his wrist, only to find that he had done so with hers.
“Arms up on the pillow,” Landon murmured as he settled over her, leisurely seeing to it that she was positioned like before. He slowly descended until all she could see were his penetrating dark eyes…right before his lips closed over her clit.
“Landon!”
Kelli arched her back and dug her fingers into the pillow, completely aware that she was quickly on the verge of an orgasm. He was doing something amazing with his tongue, but he wasn’t consistent enough with the concentrated pleasure to send her over the edge. It was pure torture, yet there was something freeing to hand over her will and allow him to decide the route she would take to reach her destination.
Landon had taken two fingers and slowly inserted them inside her pussy. His fingers were crooked in such a manner that each stroke swiped across that sweet spot, taking her even higher than before…but not enough for her to break. Was it possible to even soothe the extreme state she was in? She hadn’t realized she’d started to close her legs to try and make him do more until he caught her in the act.
“Open to me, little siren, or I’ll keep you like this for hours.”
A crashing wave of desire washed over her as she whimpered in his conquest, wanting more than anything for him to grant her that elusive orgasm. She had to literally force herself to separate her legs even farther than before in order to control her movements. The cool air rushed over her clit right before he added a third finger to her pussy. The varied temperatures sent her straight to that torturous height she couldn’t seem to step off in her need to acquire that elusive orgasm.
The sweet anguish became even more so when Landon took his tongue and lightly traced her clit in circles, causing the swollen nub to throb in time with her heartbeat. It wasn’t enough. She cried out when all pleasure ceased. It was as if time stood still.
“Turn over,” Landon directed rather harshly, his rich tone telling her that he was just as affected as she was by their passion. “Elbows and knees.”
Kelli managed to do what he asked, though her limbs were weak with desire. She’d just gotten into position when she heard the tear of a foil package. She wasn’t sure where he’d gotten another condom, and she honestly didn’t care.
Need consumed every part of her. She leaned down on her elbows instead of her hands, just as he’d asked. It was then she realized this position would give him leverage while allowing him to enter her with ease.
Kelli didn’t even have time to brace herself for his thrust. He’d settled in behind her and slammed his cock into her until there was no more room.
She was full.
The burn of her adjustment was seconds behind, but by that time Landon had already pulled out. He thrust back into her, instantly rubbing that sensitive area with his cock and triggering a tidal wave of pleasure. By his third stroke, she was screaming his name.
So this was paradise…
*
Landon stared at the last paper in front of him that would close the deal of the century for his father’s legacy. His signature would give their company the edge they needed to move into a brighter future here on the island, yet his John Hancock would bring to fruition this trip…and his brief affair with the beautiful woman currently standing across the room from him.
They’d fucked all night long.
By morning, it had turned into more than just another casual encounter.
He knew it, she knew it…yet their lives were on different paths.
“I was sorry to hear about your competitor,” Matthew Campbell stated as he set his coffee cup down on the conference table. He adjusted his tie before addressing this morning’s news. “We’d heard rumors of Mr. Pynaker’s business dealings being rather underhanded, which was one of the many reasons we chose to go into business with you and your father as a sole partnership. We prefer to keep our distance from his kind. Last night’s attempt at stopping this particular deal crossed the line, and I was glad to hear the individual who tried to break into your room was eventually apprehended.”
Landon forced himself to sign his name by the large X, thus concluding his business in Aruba. He then quietly laid the borrowed pen on the stack of papers before pushing his chair back and extending his arm in acknowledgment.
“Let’s just say it was very satisfying to learn that the man and his female partner from last night decided to cooperate with the local police about their involvement with Curtis Pynaker.” Landon shook Matthew Campbell’s hand before nodding his appreciation toward the real estate agent who’d brokered this amazing deal. “The man will ultimately get his due, and both of our businesses will continue to flourish. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Matt.”
“Same here, Landon.”
“I’m needed bac
k in the States directly,” Landon informed him, buttoning his suit jacket, “but my assistant will be in touch regarding the initial funds for the renovations we spoke about during the week. Once you’ve settled on a general contractor, we can get things started.”
Matt made some notations on his notepad before addressing a couple of things that could easily have been done over the phone in the coming days, but Landon appeased the man by staying a few minutes longer to tie up loose ends. It wasn’t long before he was standing before Kelli, still amazed by the change in her demeanor.
This woman standing before him with her hair pulled back at the base of her neck and wearing a pantsuit where her jacket concealed her weapon was not the same woman who was in his bed last night. No, that femme fatale was simmering just below the surface and he wanted to be with her again.
“I had my assistant check on my flight. There are still seats available if you’d like to accompany me to Los Angeles,” Landon offered, watching her closely as they walked down the long corridor to where the elevator banks were located. “I’ve heard that Curtis Pynaker is posting bail, so we can’t be too careful. I might need protection all the way home.”
A small smile began to form on Kelli’s sensual lips, reminding him of how she looked after achieving her third orgasm last night. His cock stirred as they came to a stop in front of the elevator. She pressed the down arrow without looking his way, alerting him to the fact that she would stick to their agenda. He had to wonder if she was afraid she’d change her mind.
“Curtis Pynaker’s movements are being monitored and you just closed your business deal.” Kelli looked up at the red numbers ascending in order, purposely avoiding his stare. “I’ll see to it that you make it on your flight and then I’ll return to Washington, D.C. My next assignment is in Iraq.”
Seducing Danger Page 3