by Mia Dymond
“Serves you right, Turner. You waited until almost ten o’clock at night to tell me Bri just happened to have a plan. There’s no telling what she’s already done.”
“Hell!” Mace sucked in another hard breath as Jake gunned the accelerator and breezed through an obviously red light. “Killing me won’t stop her.”
“You’d better hope she’s still at the clinic.”
“Why am I suddenly on the chopping block? I’m the one who gave you the information in the first place.”
“Actually, Dara gave you the Intel.”
“Yes, me.”
“I knew she wouldn’t stay out of it.” Jake ignored his partner’s attempt at logic and finally slowed down enough to park next to the curb in front of Bri’s clinic. “She’s here.”
Mace frowned. “How do you figure? There’s not a car in sight.”
“The blinds are open.”
“So?”
“She only closes them after hours.” Or if she’s hiding someone.
“I’ll wait out here.”
“Get the hell out of the car, Turner, I may need backup.”
Jake slammed his door and stomped up the front steps, turned the doorknob and entered the office.
Mace closed the door. “Obviously, she’s busy. We can come back later.”
He glanced at the IN SESSION sign on the reception desk. Too damn bad. No way would he take the chance she might escape. “We’ll wait.”
“Maybe I should call Dara.”
“Why?”
“She’s a psychologist too, Rawlings, and right now I’m positive you could use some advice from a cool head.”
“Knock it off. I know what I’m doing.”
“So you say,” Mace mumbled.
Minutes ticked by as they waited, Jake’s blood boiling hotter with each second. Bri had another thing coming if she thought there was even a remote possibility he’d go along with her scheme. If she exposed even one tight, creamy breast, he’d arrest her for indecent exposure – even if it wasn’t indecent or illegal.
And then there was the task of dealing with Majors. He’d kick his ass from here to the end of time – the penalty for assault on a federal agent be damned.
Only the sound of a closing door saved him from plotting Majors’ further demise. He began counting to ten, stopping on five when Bri stood in the waiting room.
“Detectives,” she drawled. “What a surprise.”
“Oh, hell,” Mace grumbled as he stood. “Just for the record, this wasn’t my idea.”
“I take full responsibility,” Jake spat. “Start talking, Bri.”
Her eyelashes brushed the soft skin under her eyes almost as if attempting to distract him. “About?”
“No games. What makes you think I’d agree with what you have planned?”
“I haven’t planned anything,” she said calmly as she spun her bracelet and glanced at the face of the clock. “In fact, Ryan is supposed to brief me in an hour.”
The vein in his left temple pounded, threatening to burst with the angry flow of blood through it. “No.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“No briefing.”
“Tell me Detective, what exactly makes you think you have the authority to make that decision?”
Something in her tone made him pause. Then suddenly, the calm, even-tempered psychiatrist who practiced amazing self control morphed into the red-headed demon who could go one-on-one with Satan himself — and win. Incredibly, that made him hard. Extremely hard.
“Bri—”
“No.” She stepped toward him and poked her index finger against his chest. “You don’t control me, Jake. I do what I want, when I want and without your permission.”
He captured her finger in his fist. “Think so?”
“Absolutely.”
Bri met Jake’s hardened glare head on, eye for eye with not even a thought of surrender. He could protest as loud and long as he wanted – she’d made up her mind with no intention of changing it.
“What the hell are you thinking, Bri? Dancing is one thing but purposely baiting a lunatic is downright insane!”
“Jake, please relax.” She placed a hand on his forearm in an effort to calm him. “Ryan has my back. He’ll put a team of agents in place to keep me perfectly safe.”
“No.”
“It’s something I have to do. Girls are disappearing without a trace. Someone has to stop it.”
“You can’t save the world.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“No way – absolutely not. I won’t allow you to put yourself in the middle of something like this.”
“It’s not your call,” she said quietly.
He ran a hand through his hair and she didn’t miss its distinct shake. “Dammit, Bri, I love you. If something went wrong, I’d never forgive myself.”
Incredible shock rendered her speechless. Her heart pounded ninety to nothing in the silence that followed. For several seconds she was afraid to move, scared that if she did, he’d make excuses for his confession.
Finally, she whispered a desperate plea. “Say it again.”
Without hesitation, he squeezed her against him and rested his chin atop her head, his arms buckled tight around her. “I love you so much I hurt.”
“I love you too.” She smiled against his chest. “You have to trust me.”
“I do, baby.” He released a heavy sigh. “Enough to know I can’t change your mind. But I don’t have to agree.”
Although his surrender relieved her, she knew it had been issued a little quickly. She took a step back and captured his gaze. “That was too easy.”
“I guess love does that to a guy.”
“Try again.”
“What other choice do I have? If you insist on shaking your ass as bait, I’ll be right there watching you shake it.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Closely.”
She couldn’t stop the grin that split her lips. “Sounds like an excuse for another lap dance to me, detective.”
“From now on, mine are private.” He hugged her closely again. “And totally naked.”
“Hell,” Mace groaned. “I am still here.”
“Do you have an opinion you’d like to share?” Bri asked him, her lips brushing Jake’s chest as she spoke.
“No,” he grumbled. “I just think we need to talk strategy.”
“We plant a chip on her,” Jake said matter-of-factly.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Bri stepped out of his arms. “I’ll have bodyguards, that’s enough.”
“I’m with Jake, Bri.” Mace ran a hand down the side of his face. “It’s extra protection in case someone isn’t paying attention.”
“I don’t think—”
Jake took her hand and braided their fingers. “We’ll discuss this later.” He moved his gaze to Mace. “Call Majors and tell him to meet us at the club at nine o’clock tomorrow morning at the station. Bri and I have some things to discuss. Alone.”
“Fine.” Mace released a heavy sigh, one Bri took as relief, and then headed for the door. “I’m taking the cruiser and going in to finish my paperwork. You’re on your own.”
Bri released a grin. “He’s in good hands, Mace.”
As soon as the door closed, Jake’s gaze narrowed and her grin slipped. Uh-oh. Her nerves jumped as he spoke. “We need to talk.”
“I’m all talked out.” She untangled her hand from his while her body cursed the separation. “Let’s do something else.”
“Explain.”
“Ask, and I might.”
The clock on the wall ticked five times before she rolled her eyes at his hesitance. “Hold that thought while I grab my purse.”
She left him contemplating his next move and headed back into her office, suddenly not sure going anywhere with Jake was a smart move. The man was absolutely livid about her intention to dance. A tiny sexual shudder crossed her spine as she found the bag and draped it over one shoulder. Although i
t was extremely entertaining, teasing Jake was a risky move; there would be absolutely no going back once she crossed the line. And she intended to cross that line – cross it several times and then dot it for good measure.
She re-entered the waiting room, suspicious by his casual demeanor and the grin on his face as he braced one hip against the back of the sofa. “What did you decide?”
“I didn’t.”
She shrugged at his nonchalance. “Okay then, let’s go.”
He heaved a heavy sigh and pushed off the sofa. “You drive me crazy.”
“Lucky for you, I know how to treat that condition.” She tugged him by one arm across the room, pushed four buttons on the alarm pad, and then opened the door.
“Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but here.”
“Anywhere?”
She nodded as she led him to her car. Little did he know she’d follow him to the ends of the earth. “I’m easy.”
He released a half-laugh while he opened the passenger door. “Sweetheart, you’re anything but easy.” He gestured with one hand. “In.”
“Uh, no. I’ll drive.”
“You don’t know where we’re going.”
“I will when you tell me.”
She swore she heard the devil cackle when he grinned. “My house.”
Five very sexually-charged minutes later, she stood in the middle of Jake’s bedroom, ready to peel every article of clothing from her body in record time. “You always bring your women to your lair?”
“You know damn well I haven’t had a woman here.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, I haven’t.”
“Ever?”
“Ever.”
“Interesting. Why?”
He gave her a tilted smile. “You really want to analyze my motives right now?”
“Maybe later.”
He shimmied his holster off his shoulders and laid it on the nightstand next to the bed. “Much later.” He unclipped his badge holder from his belt and tossed it next to his weapon. “It’s my turn to analyze.”
“Yeah? Please continue.”
She waited for him to throw her against the wall, tear her clothes from her body, and then pound her seven ways to Sunday. Instead, he pulled her flush against him and pushed back the hair from one side of her neck.
“I’m convinced there might be a benefit to dancing while you profile.” His lips burnt tiny lip tattoos into her sensitive skin as they traveled the distance between her neck and the top of one shoulder.
“Do tell,” she murmured.
“I think,” he said as he lifted his lips and placed them on the opposite side to paint it with matching tattoos, “your sexy, little body is a very powerful weapon – one loaded for bear.” Her breasts swelled at each touch of his tongue as he continued his tender assault. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you could crack even the most hardened criminal with one sway of your hips.”
“Can you prove your hypothesis?”
He slid one strap over her shoulder until it rested across her biceps and then pressed his lips to the top of her breast. “Don’t have to,” he murmured, “I’ve done extensive research.”
Her fingers tangled in the waves of his hair, pushing his lips closer against her skin. “So, let me get this straight.” She concentrated hard to finish her thought while her heart threatened to puncture her chest with the force of its beat. And when he opened his mouth and closed his teeth around her flesh in a tender love bite, she literally fought to speak. “You believe I should use my hips as an interrogation tool.”
He released a low chuckle from deep in his throat as his tongue caressed the bite on her skin. “Hell, yeah.”
“I hate to disprove your theory detective, but my research shows my hips have little therapeutic effect.”
“Maybe.” He lifted his head and gave her a heated smile as he lowered her second strap. “But when you wiggle those hips, your ass takes center stage.”
“Ah, now I understand.”
“And,” he continued as he lifted his hands to stretch the fabric over her chest, “that motion bounces these tight, firm breasts.”
Tiny pulses of electricity shot through her body as he wrapped his fingers around both nipples and strummed the sensitive peaks. “Brings me to my knees every time.”
She thrust further into his touch and tightened her hold on the back of his head, lost in his confessed desire. He had absolutely no idea that dancing for him fueled her own desire. So much so that both times she’d been sorely tempted to tear off what little clothing she wore and have her wicked way with him right there on stage. Indecent exposure be damned – just the thought of being hauled off in handcuffs made her body tingle.
His lips separated into a mischievous grin. “Those thoughts will get you arrested, sweetheart.”
“You have absolutely no way of knowing what I’m thinking.”
He lifted the bottom of her tank top up and over her body before he tossed it to the floor. “You’re breathing hard.” He placed a palm over her left breast. “In fact, I could write your heartbeat a speeding ticket.” She moaned as his other hand slipped under her skirt and rested atop her panties. “And I’m willing to bet my fingers will come away drenched if I touch you.”
She could only manage a small whimper in response.
“Yeah, you’ve got some nasty thoughts going through your brain.”
He lowered his head and wrapped his lips around one nipple while his fingers caressed the top of her silk-covered mound. Desperate to feed the incredible demand for more, she thrust her hips further into his touch and pressed her breasts against his face.
Her fingers tightened in his hair. “Jake,” she said in a desperate whisper.
His tongue circled her nipple again before he released her and raised his head to hold her gaze in a death grip.
His fingers stilled. Her nipples tightened in anticipation of his next move.
With a slow, smooth smile, he moved his fingers from the top of her panties to the edge nestled in the vee of one leg and slipped underneath.
Another wave of moisture left her body.
“Told ya,” he growled as he moved his fingers over her folds.
Never missing a beat, he lowered her to sit on the edge of the bed and leaned in to place a heated kiss against her lips. “You’re already close.”
She gave him a forced half laugh. Close? He’d be lucky to get one finger inside before she totally lost it.
He bent between her legs while his fingers moved into position right over the taut nub in her center and pressed harder. “C’mon, pretty girl, let me have it,” he taunted.
She lifted her hips in an attempt to throw off his rhythm and give herself maybe a few more seconds of ecstasy beneath his touch.
“Nuh-huh.” He grasped her hips with his free hand and lowered her back to the bed while he held his dancing fingertips steady beneath her futile attempt at escape. “I want it, Bri.”
Now desperate to give in, she tossed back her head and shoved her hips closer into his touch, pulled further into the abyss when he slid one finger inside and began an intimate massage.
“Oh God,” she moaned.
“Feels good, huh?” His maniacal assault stopped for half a second before she realized there was absolutely no way she could attempt some sort of coherent response. Warm air caressed her clit. “It gets better.”
She cried out as his lips closed around her needy flesh, licking and sucking while his fingers re-entered her body and picked up right where he’d left off.
With her body now strung tight, she glanced down at the incredibly talented man between her legs and knew he had every intention of making her scream.
Someone had been exactly right about never looking down; she cupped the sides of his head and held on for dear life as she climbed to the top of the orgasmic mountain and then spiraled all the way to the bottom.
While her body clenched his fingers in a tight sucti
on, Jake gave Bri’s wet, slippery flesh one more swipe with his tongue and then eased his fingers from her warmth. He stood, leaned over her, and eased her to lay flush against the bed, her bare breasts pressed against his exposed chest. His dick pulsed beneath the constraints of his pants, demanding entry into the tight, warm space his fingers had just been.
“Beautiful,” he murmured as his lips sought hers.
She released a soft sigh and bent her legs to rest at his hips. His cock jumped.
“You’re a man of your word, Detective Rawlings.”
She slid from beneath him, pushed him to his back, and then planted kisses across his chest and down the staircased abdominal muscles of his stomach. “Let’s see if you can take what you dish out.”
Jake had about a millisecond to react before he pushed himself to his elbows and watched Bri move his shirttails from his lap and lower his zipper.
“Bri,” he growled as she slipped her fingers inside and squeezed his aching cock. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“Oh, I’m convinced it’s brilliant.” She released him long enough to work his pants over his hips until they rested on his thighs. “I would’ve guessed black.” Heat scalded him as she drew her tongue just under the waistband of his boxer briefs.
His cock grew impossibly longer, reaching for those soft, full lips, begging to be sucked inside. The little wench seemed to be empowered by his discomfort, her soft laugh only making matters worse before she opened wide, pressed her mouth against him, and released a long, hot breath.
Sweet Jesus. He fought the urge to squeeze his eyes closed tight, throw back his head, and howl like a coyote; only the amazing sight of her poised between his legs, ready to devour his dick like a sweet treat stopped him.
He hissed in desperate anticipation when her tongue darted from her pillowed lips and parted the flap of his briefs, grazing the surface of the heated muscle waiting beneath.
“Aw hell.” He wound all ten fingers in her red waves and thrust his hips closer. “I’m pretty much dead right here.”