He was close. Too damn close. He didn’t know if she did that. They hadn’t talked about –
She looked up from where she lay so intimately poised against him. ‘Whatever feels good to both of us…’
Her green eyes turned dark when he let her go to grab the headboard with both hands. Leaving her totally in charge…With a moan of pleasure, she licked him from bottom to top. Brody watched as she swallowed him deep. He felt the suction rise to a whole new level, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
Whatever felt good to them both…
His hips jerked under her guidance. He loved how her mouth felt. So hot, so wet and so damn hungry. She let out a moan. Soon she was going down on him harder, sucking him and licking the head of his cock like a lollipop.
The rain beat against the windows, and Brody heard thunder in his head. Or was that his pulse? He didn’t have time to figure it out, because with one long pull she had him coming. His hips bucked up and she sucked him greedily, swallowing everything he had to give.
At last he sank back against the pillow and felt the headboard dig into his shoulders. But still, she went at him, licking him and suckling to the end. He stroked his hand through her hair, unable to get a word out. Breathing took too much effort.
Finally, she rose back onto her haunches. ‘I like leading,’ she said with a sigh.
‘Get up here.’
‘Can’t move?’
He caught her and pulled her up for a kiss. ‘I’ll get there.’
* * *
Genieve crawled up into Brody’s arms and kissed him soundly. She was drunk on pleasure and high with feminine power. He’d hurt her feelings, but he’d apologised – and she loved making up with him.
He began pushing up her top. ‘You are way overdressed for this,’ he said.
She was. She wanted to feel him skin-on-skin. She swept the cami over her head, and her belly clenched when she felt him press against her.
‘Do you own anything plain and cotton?’
She watched him deal with the front tab of her black satin bra. ‘No.’
She bit her lip when he pushed the cups aside and fondled her breasts. Why would she when the fancier stuff got this kind of response out of him? She felt his cock bump up against her where she’d straddled his lap. She loved that he stayed so hard, even after he came.
‘Damn it,’ he said as he kissed his way across her collarbone. ‘The condoms are still in the living room.’
They were going to have to distribute those throughout the house if they kept up at this rate.
Genieve lifted his chin and kissed him. ‘Hold that thought,’ she murmured against his lips.
It took willpower, but she climbed off him and went to her purse on the dresser. Luckily, she kept a supply on her. She was a safety girl. She never trusted the current man in her life to always carry through, but Brody had. He had enough for a year out in the other room – or, at this pace, at least a week. She just didn’t have the patience to go get them.
She unzipped her shorts and peeled off her panties as he watched her. The room fell silent, except for their heavy breaths and the rain pelting against the window. She liked that he hadn’t moved to pull the curtains.
She liked even more that maybe he wasn’t thinking about it.
He reached for her as she climbed on top of him again. The mattress shifted under her knees, and his hands settled onto her hips. He was fully erect again as she unrolled the condom over him, and his lavender eyes were bright when she caught his shoulders and rose up over him. He lined himself up beneath her, and she slowly sank onto his hard cock, taking him deep.
‘Yes,’ she sighed, letting her head fall back.
The need to move came over her. She rose again, only to drop back down greedily. He felt so good inside her. So right. She began to ride. The stroke was just so good.
He massaged her breasts…and then her bottom…
Rain splattered against the window, and tree limbs creaked. The fury outside had nothing on the fury building within the bedroom. The headboard squeaked as Genieve pumped faster. She didn’t have far to go. Getting him off had turned her on.
And the fact that the big stern guy was letting her stay on top?
Unbelievably sexy.
Reaching back, she caught her ankles. She ground down hard as her body arched. His hands caressed her front, and she pumped urgently. Harder and faster. When he wrapped his arms around her and kissed between her breasts, she shot over the edge.
The orgasm left her limp. He pulled her to him, and she flopped against his chest. They were both overheated. Genieve bent her head against his as her heart-rate still galloped along.
He wasn’t the only one playing a game of pretend here. She was having the best sex of her life…with a man who knew all her secrets…
‘I’m glad you stayed undercover with me today,’ she panted into his ear.
He finally sent a glance towards the window. Nobody could get a shot through that rain, but he pulled a sheet up around them anyway. ‘I think you mean under the covers.’
She relaxed against him. ‘Is there a difference?’
‘With you? Thank God, no.’
Chapter Nine
Their late lunch turned into supper. They’d spent most of the afternoon under the covers together. With the rain and the clouds, it had seemed like the best place to be. They’d made love, napped and had the most interesting discussion.
‘What do you have against umbrellas?’ Genieve asked as she followed Brody into the kitchen.
He sent her a look from the refrigerator. They’d showered together, and his hair was still damp. He’d put his jeans back on, but not much else. She liked how low they rode on his hips.
‘I don’t have anything against umbrellas. Why would I?’
‘I don’t know.’ She grasped the counter and hopped up onto it. The move pulled his Foo Fighters T-shirt tighter across her chest, and his gaze immediately zeroed in. She hadn’t put many clothes on either. She really hadn’t seen a reason for it. ‘That’s what you told me in your sleep.’
His head dropped, and his fingers drummed across the top of the refrigerator door. ‘Damn. That again?’
She grinned. She liked getting under his skin. ‘We had quite the conversation.’
He gave up and closed the refrigerator door. When he crossed his arms, he looked like he was bracing himself. ‘What did I say this time?’
‘Stupid umbrellas,’ she said with air quotes. ‘Naturally, I asked why they were stupid. You said they were never where you need them.’
He nodded. ‘OK.’
She tilted her head. ‘You know what that means.’
He stood, implacable. ‘No comment.’
Curiosity rose inside her. How did that make any sense? It hadn’t rained until today, and he hadn’t gone outside. ‘You also said we need to squash the bees.’
‘Bees?’
She shrugged. ‘Buzz, buzz.’
He glanced across the breakfast bar into the living room. He’d turned on the television with the remote as they’d passed through the room, and the evening news was in full swing. ‘Well, that one’s pretty clear.’
It took her a moment, but she caught on. ‘You can’t stop gossip, Brody.’
‘Watch me.’ He crossed the kitchen and braced his hands on the counter on either side of her. ‘I’ve been thinking we need to put that superpower of yours to use.’
‘Superpower?’ There was only one place she’d been told she had extraordinary skills, and it wasn’t the kitchen.
He tapped her forehead. ‘You said you can read people.’
She narrowed her eyes on him. No more parlour tricks. ‘I’m trying to delve into your brain right now.’
‘Trust me, you don’t want to go there.’ He nodded towards the television. Gunderson’s competitor was onscreen, complaining about how the senator was using the hotel break-in for sympathy votes.
Which he was…
‘Gunderson’s n
umbers keep going up, and Kevin Murphy is getting desperate. He’s looking for anything he can to stop the slide. We need to make sure we find out who gave TMI that anonymous tip before he does. Or any reporter on the story, for that matter.’
Even in his sleep, he was trying to control things. ‘Buzz, buzz?’
‘Exactly. You might think things have quieted down, being alone out here, but the story is still big with the press.’
‘Then they need to find another story.’
‘I’ve been looking for one to give them.’
‘Brody!’
He leaned in closer, his arms taking the weight. ‘So where do I go to plug that leak? Who do you think it was?’
Genieve pushed back her hair. She’d turned a blow dryer on it, but it was still damp. ‘Do you think I haven’t tried to figure that out?’
‘So try with me,’ he said softly. ‘Who has a thing against Gunderson?’
‘Nobody – and everybody.’ She rubbed her feet together. She was getting more and more uncomfortable talking about Samuel with him. That link was there between them, but every time it came up she could feel the friction. ‘He’s a nice man who plays the political game well. He never rocks the boat, and he doesn’t have any strong stances – yet that wishy-washiness frustrates some people.’
‘The two of you were at a political party gathering, right? Did he get into it with anyone? Did you get any bad vibes?’
‘I don’t remember anything unusual. It was just another of those boring dinners with dry chicken.’
‘But that event was on Samuel’s schedule. Anyone could have found out where he’d be. All they had to do was follow you to the hotel.’
True, but it had gone beyond that. Those TMI reporters had been told she was an escort, and Luxxor worked very hard to keep that information private. Genieve shivered at the implications. ‘Shouldn’t we be leaving this to Detective Morgan?’
Brody’s jaw stiffened. ‘I’m not trusting this to anyone else.’
She glanced towards the television. Samuel’s opponent was demanding that they get back to the matters important to voters and questioning whether Gunderson had even been injured. There was an angry look in the man’s eyes. Red colour slashed across his cheeks, and he hadn’t mastered the politician’s non-gesture. His finger jabs at the camera were pointed and fierce.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘He’s not going to quit digging.’
‘What about Luxxor? Who has it in for them?’
She flinched. That was a loaded question, but she knew why he was asking. ‘Nina’s looking into it, Brody.’
‘What about you? Any enemies?’ he asked, his voice going flat. For once, his expression didn’t fall into step. He couldn’t pretend to be so disconnected any more – and that lit a tiny spark inside her. ‘Or unhappy clients?’
OK, that made the spark flare in a totally different way.
‘Because they were turned down,’ he said quickly. ‘Or because you ended the contract sooner than they liked?’
Now she was the one who wasn’t comfortable in her own skin. She pressed her hand against his chest. ‘I can’t talk about this with you,’ she said quietly.
For so many reasons.
Looking back was making her more and more ill at ease. She was falling into their game of pretend as badly as he was. She didn’t want to think back to any time before him.
He didn’t let up. ‘Somebody out there didn’t like Gunderson being with you,’ he said, his voice like steel.
She looked into his eyes. ‘Other than you?’
The tension in the room rose. It was the truth. She waited for him to deny it, but he couldn’t. He’d hated her being with Gunderson.
‘Damn it, Jenny, I—’
He stopped and his head snapped around when the doorbell suddenly started singing. Genieve jumped in surprise. Brody quickly stepped between her and the window. His hands clamped onto her waist, and he put her on her feet. ‘Go,’ he said. ‘Hide. I’ll get rid of whoever it is.’
She scurried down the hallway, only the balls of her feet hitting the carpeting. She spun into the guest bedroom and hid behind the door. She left it open a crack so she could hear, but her breaths were too loud in her ears.
Who was it? In her time here, nobody had dropped by, not even a deliveryman. Come to think of it, the only time Brody’s phone rang, it seemed to be for business. She needed to get the boy out sometime, but that only left people she didn’t want to see. Like the press…or Samuel…or Detective Morgan…
She heard rapid knocking on the door. Whoever was out there was insistent. They wanted in.
* * *
Brody waited until Genieve was out of sight before he headed to the front door. It was so rarely used, the foyer felt foreign to him. The open, vaulted space let the knocking echo, and it was swiftly followed by the ring of the doorbell again.
Somebody wanted attention, but they hadn’t been invited. He checked for the baseball bat stowed in the corner behind the door before undoing the deadbolt. He opened the door and quickly stepped into the open space to block it. He knew how the slimy press machine worked.
‘Yeah?’ he barked.
‘I—’ The woman’s brown eyes widened, and her gaze travelled over his bare chest. ‘Wow.’
Brody realised he was still only in his jeans. His shoulders tightened. He was used to fighting his battles in a suit and tie, but, when you came onto a man’s home turf, you needed to expect anything. And he wasn’t leaving to go put on something more appropriate. There were two people at his door, a pretty woman with long brown hair and a guy who looked as if he was made from granite.
Brody honed in on the mean-looking dude. He didn’t see a camera, a tape recorder or even a pad and pencil, but that only made his antenna go up higher. Who were these two?
‘This is private property,’ he said coldly. ‘You need to go.’
The pretty woman snapped out of her reverie. She jumped when he closed the door in her face, but the mean guy behind her stopped it with a bar arm.
Brody locked eyes with him.
‘No, no,’ the woman squeaked. She pressed her back against her companion’s chest and smiled brightly. ‘I’m Rielle. From Luxxor? Nina sent me over with this.’
She held up a manila folder, and Brody stopped edging towards the ball bat. That didn’t mean he took his eyes off the man. He was still a threat.
Brody held out his hand. ‘Thanks. Tell Nina I’ll bring your copy back tomorrow.’
The woman snatched the folder back and held it to her chest. ‘Oh, no. I’m here to see Genieve, too.’
The smile on her face might look friendly to most people, but Brody felt the back of his neck prickle. Did the delivery girl have some game, too?
‘Rielle!’
He stiffened when he heard Genieve’s feet pattering against the hardwood flooring. He reached out to stop her, but she ducked under his arm. Before he could control the scene, the two women were bound together in a tight hug.
‘Genieve, we’ve been so worried about you.’
Brody wavered between a rock and a hard place. Finally he relented and opened the door to let their visitors in. ‘Come in. Quick, before anyone sees you.’
Apparently where the brunette went, so did the scary dude. Brody let him in too, but poked his head out the door. Dusk was on the horizon. Most of his neighbours were home for the night. Some were out walking their dogs and one little boy was squeezing out the last few minutes of bike-riding time. He didn’t see any reporters. He also didn’t see a car.
‘Where did you park?’ he asked.
‘At the park one block over,’ the man said. He sounded as dangerous as he looked – especially when he smirked. ‘This isn’t our first rodeo.’
‘I’m sorry,’ the woman with him said. ‘I’m Rielle. I work with Genieve, and this is…’
‘The Enforcer.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Darien,’ she hissed.
Genieve just laughed.
Brody’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest when she walked over and hugged the guy. All she was wearing was a T-shirt.
‘Jenny,’ he said softly. He knew he couldn’t take him, but he’d try if he had to.
She looked over her shoulder in surprise, but then a devilish look came over her. ‘Don’t worry, Brody. Darien’s already taken.’
Going up on tiptoe, she planted a kiss on the man’s cheek. He let out a grunt of pain, and she pulled her hand away quickly. ‘I’m sorry. Did I get your stitches?’
He put his hand over the tender spot at his side. ‘Never let it be said I can’t handle a kiss from a beautiful woman.’
Genieve smiled.
‘This is Brody,’ she said as she came over and took his hand.
‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Rielle said.
Darien nodded. Brody returned the gesture, but he wasn’t comfortable. He didn’t like people in his private space, and he especially didn’t like drop-ins. The situation was way too exposing. Not only were he and Genieve not dressed for guests, he didn’t like strangers poking around his life.
Yet when he saw Darien wrap his arm around Rielle’s waist, he knew this wasn’t a matter of competition. It was a matter of protection.
He could appreciate that.
He closed the door and locked it.
‘Sorry to just pop in like this,’ Rielle said. ‘Nina wanted this contract signed as soon as possible, but…it looks like the two of you decided you don’t need it?’
Brody stiffened. Together, he and Genieve were wearing barely enough clothes for one. For someone who specialised in putting up fronts, the feeling of being exposed was intolerable. He didn’t like people analysing and judging, and, if tough guy Darien didn’t stop looking at Genieve’s legs, they were going to get into it.
Genieve glanced up at him, a hopeful look in her eyes, but then her lips flattened.
He’d missed something there.
‘We negotiated terms,’ she said crisply. ‘We just got started early.’
He struggled not to flinch. Was that how calmly they discussed these things? In the office, was it so orderly and matter-of-fact? They were talking about sex here. What he and Genieve had done all afternoon was nobody’s business but theirs.
Courting Gossip Page 14