Intrigue Me

by Leigh, Jo

  He walked her to his bedroom, kissing her the whole time, drinking in her moans, letting out more than his share. Even if they’d bumped into something, he doubted he could’ve stopped kissing her. God, he wanted everything. To see her naked, to lean over her and look down into that gorgeous face.

  He pulled back a step next to the bed.

  Lisa leaned up again, but then she opened her eyes. “Oh. We’re in your bedroom.”

  He nodded, waited for her to check out his California king and the open en suite door. It was tempting to keep going, to make the rest of the world disappear. “Is this okay?”

  “It’s beautiful. And big. I’m not used to big houses.”

  “No, I meant...is it okay that I want to strip that dress right off you.” He nipped her earlobe. “See if you taste like honey when you come.”

  “Oh, that.” She smiled. “As long as you have condoms, then yes. It’s okay. Better than o—”

  He hadn’t been kidding. A moment later, her blue dress was off, tossed to the overstuffed love seat near the wall. “Goddamn it.”

  Lisa covered her bare breasts. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Why was she covering the most beautiful pair of breasts he’d ever seen?

  “You said, ‘Goddamn it.’”

  “Out loud?”

  She grinned. “Out loud.”

  “Sorry about that,” he said, gently moving her arms to her sides. “The problem is I want to do everything at once, and that’s not possible.”

  “I’ll give you a hint. You’re wearing a lot of clothes.”

  “Doesn’t matter. We can take care of that after I’ve...” He bent down and took her right nipple between his lips. Her breasts were small, with stunning pink areolae and nipples that stuck out like erasers. She gasped when he swirled his tongue around the stiff bud, then released it and blew soft breaths.

  “Oh, that feels unbelievable.”

  “You’re so sensitive.”

  “I would probably have scratched your back if you weren’t wearing a dinner jacket.”

  He looked up, but didn’t straighten. “Tell you what. I’ll take off every stitch if you make sure these amazing nipples of yours stay hard and ripe.”

  “Deal,” she said. Before he could leave with a nice little suck, Lisa’s hand moved in and she covered it up.

  “Such a stickler for the rules.” He straightened and got busy undressing. The moment his jacket came off, she commenced with her part of the bargain. Damn it, he should have started with his trousers instead, because now his erection was painfully hard as he watched her tease her nipples with her fingertips, pull them, tweak them so hard she winced and moaned at the same time.

  He toed off his shoes and stripped as quickly as he could, just dropping everything to the floor. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, stepping toward her. “Especially when you’re flushed and gasping.”

  She lowered her hands, her breath catching, when he got close enough to lick the side of her neck, to feel her extended nipples graze his chest.

  He’d thought about asking her to leave her panties on, and taking them off with his teeth, but he couldn’t wait to touch her there. If her nipples were this hard, what would he find between her legs?

  He kissed her, but he also put his hands on her sides and lifted her, only to put her down on the side of the bed. Then he kept moving forward with his body, gripping her arms to lay her down. When he finally pulled back, her eyes were so dilated, he could barely see any of the blue he liked so much.

  Although this look might be his favorite now. Her chest and neck were flushed with arousal. As he moved slowly down, he teased her left nipple for as long as he was able to keep the awkward position—knees bent, hands gripping the bedspread, his cock the only other part of his body to touch her, leaving a slight trail of pre-come that said a lot about his patience.

  He blew on her nipple, and watched it tighten, but then he was on the move again. Finally, his knees met the hardwood floor. Before he removed her panties, he ran his thumb down the damp crotch.

  Her thighs quivered. “Stop teasing, Daniel. I mean it.”

  Daniel smiled. “I thought this time we’d take it slow.”

  “Fine. But— No, not fine. I’m ready to pop and if you don’t—”

  He stopped her when he whipped down her tiny bikini panties, and put his mouth directly on her swollen pink pussy.

  The command turned into a high squeal. Her breathing changed as he sucked on her clitoris. He flicked it with the tip of his tongue and slid two fingers inside her.

  God, she was moaning like she might die. If she didn’t come quickly, he might “pop” himself. He quickly slipped on the condom, and then his fingers were back where they belonged. Rubbing her, teasing her, spreading her folds wide so her clitoris was as plump as her nipples, but completely utterly different on his tongue.

  Her legs went over his shoulders and her heels gripped his back. Excellent. He’d meant to do that himself, but he liked that she’d gone for it on her own.

  He kept on flicking that beautiful nub as he rose until his lower legs were his only support. This way, he was able to grab her by her arms and pull her up. It meant chasing her clit, but then Lisa clutched his shoulders.

  “Holy... If you stop, I’ll kill you. I’m right there. Right there—”

  She almost knocked him to the floor when she came. It was fantastic. And she was gorgeous. Before she finished quaking, he positioned his cock at her entrance and thrust all the way into her with one stroke.

  He moaned, she cried out, and in a maddeningly short time, he came. The last thing he saw before he had to close his eyes was Lisa’s face. She looked perfect.

  * * *

  THE PARK WAS lovely at this time of the morning. The case Lisa was working required her to make contact with a particular nanny who brought her ward here daily. And all Lisa could think about was last night.

  She’d meant to comfort Daniel. To be there for whatever was making him so distraught. Turned out sex had been the answer. Which, honestly, worked out for both of them. They hadn’t needed to talk—well, not too much. From his admission at dinner, she still knew more about him than felt comfortable. That was why she’d left in the wee hours while he’d been sleeping.

  With a jolt, she looked around at the other benches that lined the playground area. The nanny she was waiting for hadn’t arrived yet.

  Her coffee was now lukewarm. Thinking about last night as if she’d been an observer wasn’t helping much. She understood how brave Daniel was to share anything personal with a relative stranger. She got how it felt to have the life you’d planned turn to ashes. Her chest tightened and a lump came to her throat, just like it had the night before. Perhaps she wasn’t as neutral as she’d thought.

  She liked him. A lot. She wondered how he’d reacted to the note she’d left him.

  God, she hated these divorce cases with a passion, especially when she was sleep deprived. There was so much waiting. So much time to think. Isabel Charles still hadn’t shown up. Every day the nanny brought her ward to this Upper West Side park at exactly 11:30 so little Alice could play with her friends while Isabel swapped gossip with the other nannies. So where the hell was she?

  Lisa had dressed for the part. She’d worn a sundress, not too revealing and not too sheer. Her sandals were upscale and going on her expense report, but the shoes in her large tote were much more useful Skechers, which were
what most of the other nannies changed into just before they headed home.

  If she’d been smart, she would have started up a conversation with some of the nannies already there. That would have kept Lisa occupied. Two other benches held three, and another two, and then there she was, alone. This was the bench Isabel preferred. Typically, she sat here until around noon, when Isabel’s friend Carrie arrived.

  Something needed to keep her attention away from Daniel. Even the dinner had been mostly terrific. They’d laughed and swapped childhood stories, and she’d felt more intoxicated from that than the wine. She’d felt like her old self. But really, the flirty, tingling, heart-pounding crap had to stop.

  Why had she agreed to teach self-defense to a bunch of semi-strangers? Yes, it had been Lisa Pine who’d agreed, but Lisa McCabe was the one who had the most to lose. She should have disappeared days before the junkie had shown up.

  She needed to stop volunteering, that was all. Tell them her time was needed elsewhere. She’d miss that, too. Being with people again had felt great. More than great.

  Okay, that was a problem. Her life before Moss Street was just the way she liked it. Private. Quiet. Uneventful.

  There wasn’t room for anyone else. Not even Daniel.

  For pity’s sake, could she not go two minutes without having him pop into her thoughts? Damn it, this thing with him was stirring up emotions that were better left alone. Despite all the rules she’d set up in her head, she had...feelings for him. She hadn’t wanted to go home last night. She’d wanted to wake up next to him.

  Just as she was about to get up and stretch, she saw the nanny. Isabel had arrived with the sound track of a sobbing five-year-old.

  “It’s all right, Alice.” Isabel put her bag down on the far end of Lisa’s bench. “Mommy and Daddy were just having a discussion. Remember when we talked about discussions? Hmm? That they’re loud, but no one wants to hurt you?”

  Lisa felt bad for Isabel, really, but this was also a good opportunity. She checked that her recorder was in her pocket and said, “Can I help?”

  Isabel looked over at her. “She’ll eventually wear herself out. Where’s yours?”

  “Don’t have one now. I’m looking. Just finished working for a family with three-year-old twins. The father left them high and dry, and Mom had to start working. Grandma flew in from Ohio.”

  “Oh, that sucks.” Isabel lifted Alice to her chest and sat down. Rocking the still-screaming child, she turned to look at Lisa. “Where was that?”

  “Columbus Circle.”

  “Ah. I’m Central Park West. I think there might be someone in the building who’s looking. Who did your résumé?”

  “Althea? At the Nanny Connection?”

  “Oh, she did mine. She actually found me this job. Pay’s great, but the fighting is really getting old.”

  Lisa turned on the recorder and moved a little closer. “It’s awful when the parents are having it out. Hell on the kids.”

  “You’re telling me.” Isabel sighed, patted Alice’s back. “He’s not bad, but she’s like something out of a horror movie.”

  “I had just the opposite.”

  “Did he get high, too? I’m pretty sure she’s addicted to Adderall.”

  “No, but he drank a lot. They used to put all their empty bottles in other people’s recycling.”

  Isabel nodded, and from her look, Lisa inferred the mother drank in addition to her addiction.

  “I keep thinking,” Lisa said, “that they’d fallen in love once. They’d liked each other once upon a time. Enough to want a life together. What happened?”

  Isabel gave her a long cynical look and laughed. “You must be new at this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, you know how it is. Everything’s flowers and unicorns in the beginning. You think you know a person.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t take too long for their true colors to start showing. Having kids just makes it show earlier.”

  Lisa closed her eyes for a moment. When she got her bearings, she opened them again. She understood, all right. So how on earth could she have forgotten for even a minute the most important lesson she’d ever learned? She’d thought she knew Tess better than anyone except her brother. Turned out Lisa hadn’t known a thing. And now she imagined she knew Daniel?

  She barely knew herself.

  9

  DANIEL KEPT CHECKING his cell phone. Of course Lisa hadn’t called. Why would she? Last night was last night. Today she was busy. Like him. He had no business thinking about her while he was at the clinic examining patients.

  He still couldn’t believe she’d been sitting outside in a cab.

  Every time he had a spare moment alone, his thoughts went to her. She’d been so beautiful in that blue dress. Even better without it. He’d been upset about the note she’d left, although the apple had been a nice touch. Thing was, he’d wanted to wake up to her. Which was nuts. She’d brought nothing with her. No change of clothes or anything, and she had to go to work. Her leaving wasn’t a statement about their future.

  At least he hoped not.

  While he was still annoyed that the chef had talked about Warren and the clinic, he’d recognized, albeit slowly and with great regret, that the problem was his, and that it would continue to be a problem until he figured out what he really wanted.

  That was why he was still at the clinic. He didn’t know which path to take, not anymore. For now, he liked being at the clinic for more reasons than he cared to share. He was reasonably sure no one knew about his father’s outrageous plans but himself. That was why it was hard to talk to Warren.

  It wasn’t all just about that, though, He’d always known that his wild oats would be cut off the moment he graduated. But for now, the free clinic was a safe harbor. Since he wasn’t working at the Center, he didn’t feel the pressure to put on the straitjacket of outward decorum. He would never in a million years have had sex with a volunteer in the Madison Avenue Center. Of course, he wouldn’t have met Lisa, either.

  * * *

  THE MINUTE LISA had recorded enough information, she’d left the park, hoping the nanny never found out she’d been a part of her boss’s upcoming divorce.

  As she walked down the steps to the subway, Lisa thought about how much time she’d spent at the clinic. How easy it was to have sex with Daniel, and how simple it would be to fall into another trap. At least she had this job. Although she wished she wasn’t stuck with these awful divorce cases so often. They were all boring as hell. Divorces. Custody cases. Runaway dads.

  She knew they paid her salary, but she was being wasted. Before her life had imploded, she’d been thinking of asking her captain for undercover work. She knew damn well Logan could use a woman for that sort of thing. She could do it. After what had happened at the clinic, she knew she still had massive skills. No more filing. No more mindless waiting. There wouldn’t be time or the energy to think about Daniel. Or sex. Or anything that might get her into trouble. Boredom was her main problem.

  Anyway, it was time she moved on to meatier cases. It had been sixteen months since Tess had stolen her life. All she had to do was convince Logan she was ready.

  She boarded her train and stared out the window, trying to decide how she should approach her brother. Fifteen minutes later she pulled out her cell phone, hoping he had a few minutes for her. She knew he was in the middle of coordinating an international sex-trafficking sting. From what she’d overheard, there would be a lot of politicians making headlines next week. It was exactly the kind of case she would’ve loved to be involved with.

  “What’s up?”
Logan had caught the call on the first ring. Good. Sounded as if he was in the hurry-up-and-wait stage.

  “Have a few minutes?”

  “Sure.”

  “I was thinking—”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Come on. I’m serious. I was thinking it’s about time I got involved in some of the more interesting cases.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I’ve got skills, Logan. You know I do.”

  “Okay. That’s something we’ll talk about later.”

  She’d heard the sigh he tried to hide. “You do know you’re not Dad, right?”

  “I’m not Mom, either. Hold on, I’ve got another call.”

  While she waited as Logan took the other call on his landline, she put him on speaker, so she’d know when he was back to her, but she didn’t really listen in on his conversation. Luckily, there were only three people in her subway car, and in accordance with the Official Sanctified Rules of the Subway Riders of New York, no one gave a shit about her or her phone. She was free to get her points in order in case Logan wanted to argue.

  First of all, she’d taken down that junkie without a moment’s hesitation. Which Logan didn’t know about because she’d been embarrassed to tell him she was volunteering at the clinic. Even though Heather had taken a pass on Daniel, Logan might not see Lisa swooping in as 100 percent kosher.

  But it wouldn’t matter if Lisa Pine never went back to the clinic.

  The idea alone made her stomach turn over. That meant not seeing Daniel again. Which, she admitted, was mostly the point. Okay, precisely the point. A more challenging job might distract her from doing something stupid. She couldn’t afford to lose herself again.

  And what about the self-defense class she’d agreed to teach? Was she willing to let all those women down?

  Christ, this was getting complicated.