by Leslie North
“Yes,” he hissed, lowering his head until his breath was hot against the side of her neck. “God, you’re Murph’s little sister.”
“I’m also a grown-ass woman who’d very much like you to fuck her now.” Aileen whispered the words into his ear, then teased his lobe with her tongue for good measure. When he shuddered against her, her feminine instincts screamed she had him. “Please, Heath.”
He shifted his big body slightly, pressing himself more firmly against her and letting her feel the full impact of her effect on him. At last she had her answer. She’d bet good money he went commando under those sweatpants, given that she could feel every inch of his big, hard cock pulsing hot on her thigh like he was naked against her. The thought only made her want him more, only made her wetter. He nuzzled her throat and licked her skin, softly at first, then with more vigor, using his tongue and lips and teeth to drive her nearly insane.
“Please what?” he whispered before nipping the delicate skin above her collarbone.
“Please fuck me.” For all her formality outside the sack, she’d always loved dirty talk in bed. “I want you inside me.”
Heath groaned low at her words, this time rocking his body into her, brushing his cock over the juncture of her thighs and making her shiver with need. “Are you sure? We do this, we can’t take it back. Things could get complicated…” He rocked again, making her gasp. “…messy.”
His hold on her wrists lessened and she broke free, shoving her hands through his soft blond hair and pulling his mouth to hers as she said, “What’s wrong with messy? I love messy.”
With a muttered curse, he gave up the fight and took her lips with his in a brutal, almost punishing kiss—whether he was angry with her or himself or both, she didn’t know. All Aileen cared about at that moment was tasting and touching and learning every inch of his glorious body.
Heath must’ve felt the same because he tore his mouth from hers and sat up to yank off her sports bra before pressing her down to the mat once more, his naked chest to hers as they both reveled in the delicious friction. He kissed her again, more gently this time, exploring her mouth and lips and tongue with his before trailing kisses over her cheeks to her ear then down her throat, making his way to her breasts. There, he took one taut peak into his mouth while lavishing attention on the other with his long, talented fingers.
Aileen was in heaven. Truth was, it had been so long since she’d been with a man, and she’d wanted Heath since that first day in Central Park when he’d swept in like some avenging knight to save her even though she was perfectly capable of saving herself. As he swirled his tongue around her nipple then pulled away slightly to blow cool air over it, she inhaled sharply and arched against him again, gripping his hair in her hands, not wanting the exquisite torture to stop. As if sensing her dilemma, Heath lifted his head and chuckled, low and seductive. “Don’t worry, darling. I’ll give you exactly what you want. In good time.”
He switched breasts, worshipping the other as well before kissing a heated trail lower down her stomach to the waistband of her yoga pants. Once there he stopped and gazed up at her, his passionate expression laced with seriousness. “Last chance. Are you sure?”
In response, she raked her nails over his scalp and bucked beneath him, dying to get some attention on her swollen clit. “Yes, I’m sure. Now get my pants off before I box your ears again.”
Heath laughed and tugged off her yoga pants and undies in one swift move, leaving her both relieved and a tad shy all of a sudden. After all, he was staring down at her body like a pirate ogled a treasure chest of loot—greedy and lustful. Then he lowered his head and traced his tongue over her slick folds and Aileen’s busy mind halted. All that mattered was his mouth, this moment, the way he worked her body with his lips and tongue and fingers, drawing every last ounce of sensation from her until she couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, could only feel and cry out with desire.
While he sucked her clit, he thrust first one, then two, fingers inside her, preparing her for him. She writhed beneath him, so close to the edge that it would take only a few more strokes to push her into oblivion.
“God, yes. Please, I’m so close. I’m…” she panted, holding him close to her.
“That’s it, darling,” he urged, working her good, making her feel better than any man ever had, bringing her the release she desperately needed. “Let go for me.”
“Yes!” Aileen cried out and bucked, her inner walls convulsing around his fingers as she came hard. Wave after glorious wave of sensation washed over her and time seemed to slow as she rode out her orgasm, Heath continuing to nuzzle her through it with his lips and tongue until she finally relaxed against the mat.
Slowly, he kissed his way up her body to her lips then kissed her deeply, gifting her with the spicy taste of her own arousal. She felt boneless, weightless, and still yearned to feel him inside her. She reached down and stroked him through his sweatpants.
“Please. I want to feel you inside me.” She rained kisses on his face. “Please.”
He sat up and reached into a drawer behind him and pulled out a condom. “Oh, you’ll get me all right, darling.”
She watched as he took off his pants then slicked on the condom, mesmerized by the sight of his beautiful, hard cock with a glistening drop of liquid at the tip. Aileen bit her lip, wishing she’d had time to taste him too, but there was no time for that now. They were both too close to the precipice for that. Later. She’d definitely take him in her mouth later and make him scream her name as she brought him off with her lips and tongue. Now, she wanted all those inches inside her.
Heath stretched out over her again and she spread her thighs, hooking legs around his waist so her heels rested on the tops of his tight buttocks. “Ready?” he asked.
“Always, for you.” The tip of his cock brushed against her slick folds and she pressed against him, needing him. “Do it. Fuck me, Heath. Fuck me hard.”
With a growl, he thrust into her hilt-deep, then held still, allowing her time to adjust. Nipping her earlobe, he growled. “You’re a dirty girl, aren’t you, darling. With that nasty mouth, I might have to spank you.”
Aileen had never been into the rough stuff before, but with Heath it held a definite appeal. “Whatever you want, just give me your cock. I need it. Now!”
Bucking against him, she pulled his mouth to hers for a deep, hot, open-mouthed kiss. He didn’t disappoint, thrusting inside her and hitting all the right spots. When he reached between them to stroke her clit as well, Aileen nearly climaxed right on the spot. It was that good. But she held off, not wanting it to be over between them. Soon though, his thrusts grew harder, faster, deeper and she couldn’t resist anymore. “Oh, God. I’m going to come again. I’m going to…”
Heath circled her clit with his thumb, now applying a bit more pressure and… boom! Stars exploded behind her eyes as she orgasmed hard for the second time, her nails digging into his shoulders and her head falling back as her eyes clamped shut. While she rode out her climax, he drove hard into her a few more times, his movements becoming more erratic until Heath too came hard inside her, his body tense against her, his beautiful moans filling her ears.
They stayed locked together until they both collapsed back onto the mat, exhausted and sated and chilled from the sweat of their bodies in the cool night air. Heath rolled to his side then cuddled Aileen against him, her head on his chest, resting right over his heart.
“That was a mistake,” he said, his voice rumbling beneath her ear. “But damn if I can bring myself to regret it right about now.”
Aileen smiled against his skin, too tired to even speak. As she drifted off to sleep, along with Heath, his words continued to loop through her head.
A mistake, yes. But one she intended to make again, if given the opportunity.
6
Heath was up the next morning before dawn, as usual, and got himself ready as quietly as possible to avoid waking Aileen. Sleeping with her had been…
a revelation. Hot, sexy, sweet too. Honestly, he’d enjoyed himself more last night with her than he could ever remember with another woman. And that was a problem.
Because sleeping with Murphy’s little sister wasn’t a pleasure he intended to repeat. No matter how he might wish he could.
As he stood beside the bed in the pre-sunrise gloom in just his jeans, Heath stared down at her sleeping form, her dark hair fanned out on the pillow. He’d carried her up here last night, not wanting to spend the night on those uncomfortable mats downstairs. Aileen looked so soft and innocent as she dozed. She’d been anything but pure last night though, with her dirty mouth and killer moves. He’d figured he’d teach her a thing or two about self-defense when in truth she’d handed him his ass on a platter.
He snorted. So far, nothing about Aileen had been what he’d expected.
And everything I wanted…
Nope. Heath frowned and stepped back from the bed to tug a T-shirt over his head, then padded out to the kitchen barefoot to start some coffee. Years in the military had made him an early riser. Now that he was out of the service, he still enjoyed getting up before dawn. Made him feel like he got a jump on the day ahead.
After fixing the coffee, he pushed the Start button, then grabbed his phone from the charger on the counter to check his emails. Nothing but junk. There was a voicemail from Daveed though—he and Murphy both rose before the sun too. Turns out Daveed’s years serving in the intelligence community had paid off. One of his contacts had intercepted a call last night from Senator Lawrence to his nephew. A nephew, it turned out, who just happened to be Mr. Frank Kent, CEO of EnKor. As he listened to Daveed’s rundown of the call, his tension grew. Seemed not only did the senator admit that the whole green energy invention he’d been touting was a fraud, he also insisted on moving up the timeline on the deal with EnKor. He’d also, apparently, promised to make sure the bill issuing government funds to Kent and his company for their “research” was a done deal.
It almost sounded too good to be true.
He was still contemplating it all when Aileen came out and joined him in the kitchen an hour or so later. Her hair was damp and her cheeks were flushed from her shower and she looked so young and cute that he wanted to hold her tight and never let her go. Instead, Heath grunted when she asked about coffee.
Once she’d fixed her mug and taken a seat beside him at the breakfast bar, she thumbed through the morning paper he’d brought in earlier.
“So, what’s on our agenda today?” she asked, glancing at him over the sports section.
“Not sure yet.” Heath didn’t mean to act like a grumpy ass this morning, but he wasn’t quite sure how to handle things after last night. They hadn’t exactly been close friends before the sex and now he was afraid things would be even more awkward between them afterward. But if he didn’t mention it, then she could get the wrong idea and get her feelings hurt, and he really didn’t want that either. In the end, he took the coward’s way out and changed subjects altogether. “I, uh, got a voicemail from Daveed this morning.”
“Yeah? About what?”
“His buddies at the NSA intercepted a call from the senator last night.”
Aileen halted mid-sip, her eyes wide over the rim of her mug. “No shit?”
“No shit.” Heath cleared his throat and shifted slightly on his seat, the warm scent of his soap and shampoo on her skin doing weird things to his senses, making him feel far more possessive than he had any right to being. “Seems he came right out and said the super-secret green energy invention that EnKor’s been bragging about for months is a fake.”
“Seriously?” She frowned and set her coffee and paper aside. “But why would he do that? Sounds like a stupid move on his part. If anyone found out about it, there’d be hell to pay.”
“Who’s going to find out though?” Heath asked. “For all he knew he was on a secure phone line talking to his co-conspirator. Not like he was telling Frank Kent anything he didn’t already know.”
“That’s true. Man, it’s all so wrong though. There’s so many people’s lives at stake and they just don’t care.” She shook her head, her expression disgusted. “Makes me ill.”
“Me too.” Heath gulped more coffee then continued. “There’s more. He wants to move up the timeline for the EnKor deal and he all but guaranteed the government grant money to Kent.”
“Damn.” Aileen straightened and bit her lips. “They were already cutting it close with the January fourteenth deadline. Christmas is only two days away now. If he wants to push things up, that means something’s probably going down before New Year’s then.”
“Probably.” He exhaled and rubbed his eyes. “Listen, about last night…”
“Yeah, yeah. It was wonderful, magical, made me see stars and all that shit.” Aileen slid off her stool and stretched, causing her fuzzy red sweater to rise and show an enticing expanse of smooth, creamy skin near her middle. Heath froze, his gaze riveted to the spot, even as her words sank in, stunning him even more. Never in all his years had he had a woman blow him off after sex and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Part of him was glad, admittedly, seeing as how things would be a whole lot less weird between them if she truly wasn’t bothered by what had happened between them last night. The other part of him though, the part that had been blown away by her passion and her fire in his bed, was a bit bummed. He’d hoped that she might have enjoyed spending the night with him at least as much as he’d enjoyed the time with her.
If Aileen had fuzzy, warm thoughts about them together last night, however, she wasn’t letting it show. In fact, she laughed as she took her cup to the sink. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to get all clingy now. It was fun. We had sex. I enjoyed it. A lot. If the opportunity arises again,” she chuckled, “see what I did there? If we happen to do it again? Great. If not, I’ll carry the fond memories of it with me forever. How’s that?”
“Uh…” Heath blinked at her.
“Awesome.” She finished rinsing her cup then walked back out into the living room, already working a mile a minute while Heath stood there unsure what the hell to do next. “So, I just saw in the paper that Senator Lawrence is doing another meet and greet today at the Meridian Hotel to support some local charity, City Harvest. They’re having a bunch of gingerbread houses on display from local restaurants and bakeries and the proceeds go to help feed the homeless this holiday season. What’s say we get dressed up again and go snooping?”
When he didn’t answer right away, she must’ve taken his silence for assent.
“Great. I’ll head up to the second floor and go through that trunk again. See if I can find another good disguise.” She was halfway up the stairs, her eyes a bit too bright and her smile a bit too wide for his liking. There was something he was missing in all this, but his head was spinning so fast right now, Heath didn’t know which end was up. Aileen seemed to have that effect on him. “If I find something for you, I’ll let you know.”
Then she was gone and he was alone, all the bluster vanishing along with her.
He’d always prided himself on having a clear head and doing well under high-pressure situations but goddamn if he didn’t feel like a tornado had just hit him. Even worse, he didn’t like the look Aileen had had as she’d hightailed it upstairs. It was almost like she was manically trying to avoid him all of a sudden. Ever since he’d brought up last night…
Well, shit.
Seemed he wasn’t the only one with mixed feelings about it. Worse, what if she actually had thought it was something more between them and then played it off as nothing to protect herself? He didn’t want to get involved with Murphy’s little sister. That had disaster written all over it. But he didn’t want her to get hurt either. He liked her. A lot, way more than was wise, truth be told. If circumstances were different and he wasn’t him and she wasn’t her, then maybe they might’ve had a real shot at more. But things were the way they were and it was difficult.
Heath rinsed
out his own cup then placed them both in the dishwasher before heading over to his laptop. Usually he and the guys would have a face-to-face pow-wow each morning, but with him staying at the brownstone and it being so close to the holidays, they’d decided to do everything remotely.
He took a seat at the desk and fired up his computer, hoping time with his buds would help him get his head back on straight, help relieve the strange pang of yearning that had settled in his chest since the wee hours of that morning when he’d opened his eyes and seen Aileen cuddled up beside him, her face nuzzled in his neck and her hand over his heart. For that one brief moment, all had been right with his universe and he’d wanted to hold those precious seconds tight and never let them go.
And that, more than anything, was the biggest problem of them all.
7
“Why are we stopping here?” Aileen asked as they stopped outside what looked like a renovated warehouse. They’d just left the Meridian Hotel and her nose still itched from the smell of gingerbread and the weight of disappointment settled heavy in her belly. Senator Lawrence had made his scheduled stop, but no matter what angle she’d tried, they’d been unable to get close. It was frustrating. She tossed the long blond ponytail of her wig over her shoulder and squinted at the shiny brass plaque set into the granite pillar beside them. “BrightStart Media? What’s that?”
“C’mon.” Heath opened the door and held it for her. “Let’s go inside for a minute.”
“Um, okay.” She followed him into the lobby, ignoring the curious stares of the employees bustling to and fro. They weren’t exactly dressed to visit a business. Besides her blond wig, Aileen had worn a rather dumpy pair of mom jeans and a garish Nordic pattern sweater with dancing elves and snowflakes in repeating rows of blue and white. It was all she could find in the trunk upstairs that even remotely fit her. Heath had worn another lumberjack-meets-GQ looking ensemble—faded jeans, oversized plaid work shirt, wool jacket and knit skull cap—and still managed to look distractingly hot. It wasn’t fair for a man to be that handsome and rich, yet so damned likeable too.