Down & Dirty_Romantic Suspense Series

by AJ Nuest

  One hand propped on her hip, Tanner glanced between them before she aimed a lethal glare at Ben. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m asking you to dance.” He offered her his palm. “Just a few times around the floor, Tanner. Nothing to be afraid of.”

  The drill sergeant in his head called him out for being a big, fat liar. Having the woman in his arms was the most daunting suggestion he’d come up with all year. But it wasn’t like she’d given him a choice. She was not spending another second cozying up with that prick.

  “Afraid?” She boosted her chin in the exact way Ben had expected. With the same determined angle that said he’d ticked her off and she wasn’t about to run from a fight. “Don’t flatter yourself.” She peeked at Adder and sighed. “Give me a second, Casper. This won’t take long.”

  Ben grunted. Only the rest of the night.

  “Fair enough.” Adder raised his palms and backed away, retreating toward the bar.

  Which was where he could stay. Twiddling his fingers, Ben held Tanner’s gaze. Or better yet, the jackass could take a header into the lake and swim back across the Atlantic, far as he was concerned.

  Lips set in an uncompromising line, Tanner finally stepped forward and smacked her palm into his.

  Ben pulled her near enough to make a point, yet maintained a sufficient amount of distance he wouldn’t embarrass himself by having her plastered against him.

  Didn’t work.

  Her silky skin shifted under his palm, and he internally cursed. The light scent she wore wove through his senses like a goddamned island paradise, and had him conjuring images of her running naked down a sandy stretch of beach.

  Christ, he was in trouble. The woman was a mixture of fresh air and glistening turquoise water. A trace of something fruity that mingled with her feminine musk and had him wanting to take a long deliberate inhale down the side of her throat.

  “So, you got my attention.” She kept her gaze riveted on some distant point over his left shoulder. “What do you want?”

  Good question. A fucking excellent question he couldn’t begin to answer even if he tried.

  “To apologize.” Something he seemed to be doing with increasing regularity, though the irritation of shoving that phrase past his lips didn’t hold a candle compared to the other issues currently riding his back.

  Speaking with her so close downgraded the hell out of live combat to a Sunday stroll through the park. Two words, and he was forced to breathe her in, and the way she filled his lungs made him doubt if his body had ever before performed the basics of respiration. “You can quit spending time with that asshole. Message received.”

  Closing her eyes, she shook her head. A few steps, and some of the tension leaked from her body. Rather than holding her arm to the side, she bent her elbow and rested their hands on his chest. “It was the way you looked at me. Before the wedding. Dumb as it sounds, you hurt my feelings.”

  Hell, he knew that. He peered down at her lowered lashes, two dark fans feathering her cheeks. A blind man would’ve noticed the wide blue hope in her eyes that first time she’d glanced in his direction.

  But shutting it down had seemed like the best option. The only option.

  Right up ʼtil the irate confusion she’d shot at him had landed like a swift upper-cut to his diaphragm, and for some fucked up reason the only thing that mattered was how he could get that light back into her gaze. “My heart had stopped, Tanner, and I was concerned it might never start beating.”

  She snapped her eyes to his, filled with everything he’d been craving, and he quickly stared over the top of her head before they had a repeat of what had led them to this place to begin with.

  “It’s taking everything in me right now not to throw a right cross at your perfectly square jaw.”

  Yep. That pretty much summed up the fix he was in from start to finish.

  For him to be dabbling in things better left unsaid was wrong. Irresponsible. He’d gotten lost inside that rabbit hole once before. Gotten lost and had to pay for it in a way no man should’ve ever had to face.

  Another trip, especially with a woman whose middle name spelled trouble, and chances were high he’d never find his way back out again. “That doesn’t mean you should spend the rest of the night flirting with danger.”

  Another sigh, and she softened against him even more. Her curves molded to his body as she lifted on her toes, and he gritted his teeth as her breasts dragged a warm, tempting path up his chest.

  One of her hands slid behind his neck, fingers clenching, and he nearly sheared off a layer of enamel as she brought her lips to his ear. “Did it ever occur to you that not everything I do with Casper is actually what it seems?”

  Oh, hell no. He jerked back from her so fast, she stumbled forward. A slight gasp hitched in her throat as he cinched her waist to steady her feet.

  Dammit, he should’ve known there was a hidden agenda behind why she’d wanted to spend her time with Adder, and if Ben had to guess, whatever this was about had everything to do with what she’d been hinting at in his truck.

  For Christ’s sake, he didn’t even know where to start untangling that mess. If Adder turned out to be Shahzar—shit, even if he didn’t—the stubborn woman was bound to end up neck deep in a game she would lose. “If you think you’re using him in some screwy scheme, he knows, Tanner. Count on it.”

  The guy had already tricked everyone into believing his lies of omission. Ten years Adder had been a part of Dirty Deeds, and whatever his being here was really about, Ben had zero doubts he’d already seen Tanner coming.

  “Keep your voice down.” Tipping her head, she smiled over his shoulder. “Of course, he knows. He volunteered to help me, remember? But since you obviously have information I don’t, that’s exactly my point.”

  Aw, Jesus. A growl formed in the back of his throat. He squeezed his eyes closed against the constant need to grip her upper arms and shake her until she saw reason. How did the woman always know how to make him lose his shit?

  “Trying to figure out who he is won’t work.” Wrong, wrong and wrong again. Ben had spent enough years slogging through the criminal element that made up Chicago’s underbelly to know when those efforts were careening straight toward a dead end. “How can you when he’s a two-faced son of a bitch, and every word rolling off his tongue is a lie?”

  “Again, too loud.” She spoke through clenched teeth, frustration glinting in her eyes as she faked a laugh for the guests behind him. “And if you’re insisting we do this, I’m not letting it happen in the middle of Eden and Kelly’s wedding.”

  A tight spin, and she’d somehow slipped from his arms. Before he had the chance to catch up, he stood solo in the middle of the dance floor, swaying to the music on his own.

  Damn woman.

  Halfway toward the curtains strung along the southern end of the room, she came to an abrupt stop, met his eyes over her shoulder and jerked her head for him to come on.

  His teeth met with a clack. A sharp tug to each of his cuffs, and he pivoted to follow wherever she was off to now.

  She wove a path through the sheets, shoving them aside until she’d located a secluded area near the windows. Plastic crates filled with stemware and china sat stacked around the perimeter. A few tables set up as workstations held bins loaded with dirty dishes and piles of unused linen napkins.

  Rounding on him as soon as he entered, she jabbed her finger at him and he slammed on the brakes before she could give him a hard poke in the eye. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not stupid. And I’m not some shrinking violet who’s about to sit around, waiting for you to give me the all-clear over what I should or shouldn’t be doing. I already told you. I’ve got a lot riding on this case and, dammit, so does Trey.”

  She kept her voice low, even though there was a good chance the background noise had camouflaged her rant. But the real bullet to the arm was the way her throaty whisper had to be the sexiest damn thing that had ever left a woman’s lips.<
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  Or maybe the weird ache traveling through his chest had more to do with the ball-shriveling realization he would’ve easily traded his badge and gun for the chance to wake up every morning with that voice in his bed.

  “So, fine.” She tossed her hand in the air. “Since the cat seems to have miraculously returned your tongue, we’ll have it out right here, right now. But this is it, Ben. I’m not beating this dead horse with you again and again. You either tell me what you’re hiding and I’ll listen, or you can go back to your regular silence and butt the hell out. Either way, I’m moving forward and I’m solving this case.”

  Speak now or forever hold his peace, huh? He boosted his chin. That was quite the ultimatum, considering his vocal chords weren’t the only ones pleading the fifth. “Moving forward how?”

  She’d already told him whatever she had planned was liable to piss him off, but until he had a clearer picture of what he was up against, all bets were off. “You’re asking me to make a decision without providing the facts.”

  A beat passed, her eyes unblinking. “Oh, dear God.” Smacking her hand to the top of her head, she turned away from him and approached the windows. “So, that’s what this is about?” Leaning forward, she grasped the brass railing running the circumference of the room and lightly pounded her forehead against the pane. “Impossible. The man is completely impossible.”

  Yeah, welcome to his reality.

  “All right, fine. If that’s what it takes.” She finally knocked off her self-abuse, pivoting to the side. “God knows, it’s not like holding back has done me any good.” Though he didn’t miss the way one of her hands remained on the banister, and alarm jabbed the pit of his stomach over how she held on as if the room were about to flip.

  Shit. His acid reflux had just been demoted to the nuisance of a hangnail.

  “The lead Casper and I got from our John yesterday afternoon? Well, it checked out. The guy’s a local arms dealer. Online arrest report shows he has a special knack for moving stolen weapons. Even if he didn’t pull the trigger, all indicators point toward him being the supplier. So, if I’m looking to get even on Trey’s behalf, it appears he’s where I’ll need to start.”

  Start? Ben squinted. Just that one word and everything that had come beforehand dropped into his gut like an ICBM cluster bomb. If she’d found the guy responsible, then all they had to do was bring him in and wait for him to squeal. Hell, Ben would even be happy to tack on a little strong-arm incentive if doing so meant they could put the case to rest. “Sounds to me like that’s where it ends.”

  A small smile curved her lips, but it didn’t hold any humor. Her knuckles whitened, and dread wound to a high-pitched wail in his ears as she darted a sidelong glance at him through her lashes. “It would be…if that was all it took to stop the flow of illegal arms from moving into the area.”

  The shrieking cut out quicker than a repeating round clicked into a chamber. Her meaning hit home, and he rocked back on his heels, fighting to think through a wave of panic that surged so high, the glass ceiling overhead vibrated with a weird ping.

  Absolutely not. Lowering his chin, he nailed her in place with a scowl. “Are you now telling me you’re gearing up to try and bring down the whole ring?”

  Jesus H. Christ. Not even a cop with his experience and connections had been able to pull that off. Every time someone from the precinct had tried, Ben had ended up standing graveside, dressed in his blues and folding an American flag during a three-volley salute.

  “The guy is small potatoes, Ben. A front man I was able to locate in under forty-eight hours.” She swiveled the rest of the way to face him, the angle of her chin every bit as defiant as the heart-stopping shine in her eyes. “If we take him out, it’s only a matter of time before someone else steps in to take his place. You know that as well as I do. A month from now, it’ll be like we were never there and all our hard work didn’t make a bit of difference.”

  We? Another swell of dread doused him in a cold sweat. He shoved his hand into his hair and the roots complained as he fisted the strands. “So, let me get this straight. You’ve decided the smartest move is for you and Adder to infiltrate the organization and… What, Tanner? Act like you’re one of them until you can locate the leader? Think you’re outmaneuvering everyone until you’ve figured out a way to take him down?”

  “I’m not a cop.” Resentment hardened her features. As if Ben were the one who made the rules. As if he’d get some ridiculous satisfaction out of seeing her fail. “They won’t smell me like they smell you.”

  But she had everything backward in her head. If he had any control over how tragedy unfolded, he would’ve done anything and everything in his power to get her the fair shot she deserved. And he would’ve done so for every strong, beautiful, infuriating woman he’d lost in the past.

  “No.” Storming forward, he closed the distance and smacked his hands down on either side of the railing, caging her in his arms. The danger needed to be contained. The security breach redirected. One wrong move and, no matter where she turned, she’d be trapped. Stuck between the threat of someone who couldn’t be trusted and a bunch of ruthless killers who would just as easily pop one off in her brain. “Get as pissed as you want, I’m not letting you do this. It’s too damn risky.”

  “Yeah, the funny thing about that?” She slapped her hand to his chest and shoved, but he braced his legs and pushed right back. “I don’t remember asking your permission.” Setting her jaw, she got all up in his grill. “I knew you wouldn’t get it. I knew no matter what I said you’d start bossing me around like I’m some inexperienced kid. I hate to break it to ya, but that ain’t happening.”

  She thought this was his ego? That keeping her alive meant he wanted her under his thumb? Jesus, the woman couldn’t have shot wider of the target if she’d tried. “The only thing I have ever wanted was your safety.” Why couldn’t she see that? Why, for two goddamn seconds, couldn’t she get it through her head that protecting her was the one thing that brought meaning to his life? “You are not willingly walking into the most dangerous trap in the city. Dammit, woman, you’re driving me crazy.”

  “Oh, yeah? Well, that sounds like a you problem to me.”

  He flinched as his thoughts swung back around and hit him like an open-handed smack to the face.

  A slight gasp parted Tanner’s lips, and his focus dropped to her mouth.

  Shit, she was too close. He lifted his gaze, fingers flexing around the metal railing as she stared into his eyes.

  Or maybe he was too close.

  Her chest rose and fell in time with his.

  And all this time, there’d always been too much distance between them.

  Her soft breath warmed the stubble on his chin. She darted a glance at his mouth and her brow twitched. “If you’re planning to kis—”

  He drove forward and consumed whatever comment was about to form on her tongue. There, finally. He got her to shut the hell up just this once.

  Their lips collided, and he seized her ribcage. Her whimper filled his mouth, and he held her in place so he could feast.

  Damn, he’d expected her to taste like innocence. The pure unspoiled expanse of a faultless blue sky.

  But she was sin.

  She nipped his bottom lip and any attempts at finesse took a backseat to greed.

  The aphrodisiac of a heated seduction. Sex and confidence and a reckless certainty that had him desperate to get his hands on her skin.

  Grabbing the front of his suit, she tugged him deeper. His cock pulsed, and he thrust his tongue inside her mouth.

  Wrapping one arm around her waist, he palmed her ass and hitched her onto the brass railing. She shivered against him, opened her thighs and jerked him between her legs.

  A thick groan heaved through his chest as she writhed, panting. Tipping back, she hooked her calves around his thighs, and he cursed as she bucked and her sex rode the throbbing side of his shaft.

  Fuck, this wasn’t a kiss, it was
a claiming. Grasping her chin, he angled her head and dove in for more. A clashing of lips and teeth. A contest of wills as they both fought for control.

  “Oh, my God, Ben.” She cinched his neck, fingers buried in his hair. Her nails raked his scalp, and she arched against him as he latched onto the tender skin under her ear.

  Yes… She knew just how he liked it. Skimming his hand up her bare back, he twined those slippery ribbons through his fingers and yanked. He wanted her hard and fast, pounding into her until she shuddered around him as she came.

  “This can’t be…” Her thighs cinched his waist, and he rocked back and forth, gritting his teeth. He braced his hand on the window and drove deeper as she gasped and squirmed. “We shouldn’t…”

  Goddamn it, why in the hell did the woman always have such a hard time keeping her lip zipped? Squeezing his eyes closed, he grasped her shoulders and stepped back, holding her steady as she lowered her feet to the floor.

  He’d be hard-pressed to come up with another time he had to agree with her. At least about how he’d lost control and would’ve loved to have her shattering around him, wet and tight as he followed her straight off the edge into oblivion.

  Confusion filled her gaze, the hint of a question, and he lifted his hand to run his knuckles down her cheek.

  Everything else? Not so much.

  “What I want isn’t the issue, Tanner.” He’d always hungered for her. He knew that now. And after what they’d just shared, he no longer had any doubts about how much. “I’m not your enemy, and whatever I keep to myself doesn’t have anything to do with me thinking you’re a kid or some stupid worry I might have about offering you my trust.”

  Cradling her cheek in his palm, he ran his thumb over her lips. She slid her fingers between his and held his hand, tipping her head into his touch.

  But the bottom line was, Kelly had been right. Ben lowered their hands. His fingers slipped from hers as he turned and started for the curtain. He’d been on the fence too damn long, and when it came to what was best for Tanner, there was every chance his luck had run out.