He gulped as that image overtook him. Her in tight leather, with a whip.
Desire washed through him.
Shit. He did need professional help.
Nick squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, determined to get a handle on his overactive imagination. Shiloh was probably already asleep, and he knew she’d be appalled by his lustful thoughts.
Get a grip, Trent. She’s not a gorgeous cover model. She’s a thirty-five-year-old, power-hungry spinster with a bad attitude. Nothing sexy about that, right? Unfortunately, what his brain thought was sexy was not in-tune with his cock, and that part would probably keep him awake all night.
CHAPTER NINE
Shiloh rolled over for the eighth time and berated herself for thinking about the man lying on her living room floor.
Why had Nicholas insisted on staying? She could take care of herself, should have ordered him home. She didn’t need a man for anything.
Images of him walking out of the shower, water beading off his perfectly toned body sent her senses on full passion alert. Her nipples tightened and she felt a strange warmth steal over her.
What the hell was wrong with her brain? What happened to the strong, always in control woman who now ran DNS?
Shiloh punched her pillow, angry that she couldn’t get a handle on her libido when she was around a certain man. Nicholas Trent did this to her. It was his fault.
Nothing had ever distracted her to the point that she couldn’t think of anything else. Damn him and his sexy, head-to-toe bronzed body.
Frustrated, she gave up trying to sleep. Her mind raced back to the shower and she considered his male attributes. The man had quite the package. That, she remembered with clarity. She also recalled his arrogant grin and his super white, utterly straight teeth. He had to have worn braces when he was in his teens…
The thought made her snort. That hadn’t been all that long ago.
So why the attraction? What was so appealing about a man ten years younger than her? Probably all those darn women’s magazines writing about how older women in their thirties and younger twenty-something men were sexual equals—both at their peak.
Shiloh wasn’t sure if she was at her peak or not, but what she did know was that her breasts were on alert, and they clearly needed to be caressed by a living, breathing man.
By Nicholas.
A loud thump instantly put her on alert. She slid from bed and reached for the weapon in her bedside bureau.
At her bedroom door she stopped to listen, then eased the door open and saw a light on in her kitchen. "Trent," she called softly, spotting a lump under an afghan, lying on the floor next to the sofa. He obviously hadn’t heard the noise, though how that was possible, she hadn’t a clue. He was supposed to be there to protect her. Not to sleep through another attack.
Shiloh pressed herself against the wall and made her way to the kitchen. She couldn’t believe any lunatic would have the nerve to come back the same night, especially with her and Nicholas home. But then, the creep could be there to do what he’d threatened—to kill her.
Her heart squeezed painfully as she continued toward the kitchen, her Glock primed to fire.
“Freeze, Asshole,” she ordered, rushing to the kitchen entrance. Her face paled when she saw Nicholas leaning against a cabinet, naked from the waist up, drinking a glass of water.
His eyes widened.
Shiloh sighed and lowered her weapon. “What are you doing?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “What does it look like? I’m having a glass of water.”
Clearly, he’d been prowling around her apartment and she didn’t like it. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
He took another leisurely drink. “I don’t know. Your floor’s hard to sleep on?”
“Is that a question?” She was annoyed with him.
His gaze left her face, traveling downward, jogging her memory as to what she was wearing—a small, gray DNS T-shirt, revealing her belly. And a pair of matching skivvies.
Nicholas’ blue eyes softened.
Shiloh’s stomach did a backward somersault.
He extended the glass to her. “Do you want a drink?”
Shiloh licked her lips and ran the question over in her mind. Oh yeah. She wanted a drink, all right. A drink of his lips. A taste of his tongue. A brush of his chest against hers. And most of all, a feel of his cock deep inside her as he moaned her name in ecstasy.
Oh God. What was she thinking?
An intense heat washed over her face as she stared into his eyes.
He wanted her too. But if they acted on their desire, what would happen afterwards?
Would he be disappointed? It had been so long since she’d been with a man, and even then, they’d never come back for more. She wasn’t good in bed. She didn’t know what a man wanted her to be. Submissive? Domineering? Did they want a woman in control of every kiss—every caress? Or did they want to take the lead? She had no idea, and was too afraid to ask. But she couldn’t just stand here and gawk all day, allowing him to do the same. She had to say something…
But what!
Nick couldn’t stop staring at Shiloh’s legs. Damn. They were long and lean—leggy enough to wrap around him, with some to spare. What an image that was. Her stomach was flat. She had a cute little innie bellybutton he could see himself exploring with his tongue. Her hips were narrow, almost colt like, but her breasts were large and firm, the nipples jutting out under the thin T-shirt she wore.
Nick swallowed, his control slipping––especially when her eyes seemed to devour him. Did she want him? It sure as hell looked like it. Even if she did, she was his boss, and sleeping with her would be against DNS policy—against his better judgment, too. Besides, they could hardly stand each other. Probably wouldn’t be any good. Probably wouldn’t satisfy either of them. Not a good start for any relationship.
A relationship? Where did that come from? That was the last thing he wanted. The idea was preposterous. Then again, maybe they could just have sex—the down and dirty kind. But then what? They’d meet in the elevator at the agency days later and smile––remembering?
What if the sexual experience wasn’t all that great? What if he couldn’t please her? The way she acted, she was most likely frigid.
Sweat beaded his upper lip. He’d never run into a woman he couldn’t satisfy before, but he’d never met anyone like Shiloh Templar either. A woman obviously had issues concerning men.
Why not just kiss her and see where it goes?
“Does your offer still stand?” Her question drew his attention back to her.
“What’s that?”
“The one you made at the hospital.” Her eyes reminded him of a rain-soaked forest. She chewed on her bottom lip.
“Could you refresh my memory? I was drugged. It’s a little hazy.”
“You offered your services. What do you think? Are you up for it?”
Nick’s reserve crumbled. She was asking him to make love to her, and frankly he’d be a fool to turn her down. “I’m getting there, just give me a second. To hell with company policy or common sense for that matter. He wanted her. Really wanted her.
He lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”
Her eyes darkened to a deep emerald. “What do you want to see?”
“Whatever you want to show me. Better yet, come over here and we’ll decide together.”
Nick held his breath. He hoped she wouldn’t change her mind, because he was up for this now––literally. Just the thought of her in his arms had his cock as hard as steel.
Shiloh discarded the clip from her Glock and placed the weapon on the marble countertop. While she swung her seductive hips his way, Nick’s heart ran a twenty-mile marathon in two seconds.
Her fingers slid up his chest, causing his nipples to pucker and his breath to catch painfully in his throat.
He reveled in the feel of her fingertips, sensing it was only a taste of what was to come. A sudd
en urge to kiss her overtook him, and he drew her in and brushed his lips over hers… then pulled back.
Their eyes met and held. The steady tick of a clock occupied the silence, as did the tip-tap of water off stainless steel. Time stood still.
His gaze dipped lower to the rapid pulse-point at the base of her slender throat. That little pulse point excited Nick even more.
He leaned forward and kissed her again, his lips gliding over hers, her mouth now warm and demanding.
She could definitely kiss. He’d give her that.
Nick’s mind went blank. All he could think of was the taste and softness of her lips. Deepening his assault, his tongue found its way into her mouth while his palm smoothed over her, covering a breast, massaging it gently.
She moaned with pleasure, signaling he was doing something right—a first with her.
The woman felt incredible and tasted even better. His head reeled and, his body came to life.
He inhaled, taking in her light flowery scent, pulling her closer. His tongue, tangling with hers, demanded more.
With his free hand, he reached down and cupped her bottom, drawing her up against his arousal––a groan escaped his throat.
Her hand slid down his stomach into his jeans and caressed him intimately.
Losing control, he pushed her up against the wall and rained wild, wet kisses over her delicious neck, then moved lower.
He pushed her T-shirt up and was amazed when he caught his first glimpse of her full breasts. They were incredible. Perfectly shaped, firm yet soft, large but in no way enhanced. Most of the woman he’d been with had work done there, but Shiloh was real and that was such a turn on.
He leaned down and licked her nipple, then brought it into his mouth. Her hands trailed through his hair, holding him to her. She moaned with pleasure as he sucked, drawing her deeply in, his tongue swirling around the tip.
Nick slid a hand inside her panties and was amazed to find, as his fingers played inside her, how slick, hot and ready she was.
A chirping noise penetrated his passion-induced brain, a noise that seemed to get louder and more annoying by the second.
Shiloh pushed at him, her eyes narrowing.
“What is that?” he rasped.
“Oh God. It’s my cell phone.”
She pushed away, then shoved him hard when he wouldn’t let go and raced to get to her purse. She pulled out her phone. The instant she did, it stopped chirping. After she punched in a sequence of buttons, her face paled.
“I have to go.”
She ran for the bedroom, leaving him standing alone.
Nick clenched his teeth, looking down at the front of his pants. Damn. What was he going to do with this? How could she just leave him in this state?
A few minutes later, Shiloh came back fully dressed, jumping into her second sneaker. She glanced his way. “I have to leave. I’ve called for a taxi. You can stay here or not. It’s your choice.”
“But, what—”
She raced out, not giving him a chance to finish.
Nick walked into the living room. Should he follow her?
No. She wouldn’t appreciate that, and frankly, he needed distance right now.
Maybe it was best she got the call. This could have been the biggest mistake of his life if they’d continued. She might have expected some kind of commitment from him and he wasn’t going to give her that—ever. He was a free agent, and that was the way he liked it.
CHAPTER TEN
As Oak Haven loomed in the distance, Shiloh prayed her father was all right. She’d been told from day one, if the hospital ever called her it would be an emergency.
All kinds of horrible images came to mind. He could have wandered off, or gotten into a scuffle with another patient. He might have fallen down and hit his head or broken a hip. They’d never give her bad news over the phone.
She’d taken a cab to Ryan’s to pick up her car, then drove like a maniac to get there.
“Just let him be alright… Please, God.”
She pulled her Lexus into guest parking and quickly got out.
With her stomach in knots, she rushed to the side entrance and punched in her code. Inside, she raced for the elevator where she was met by a tall, reed-thin security officer.
“The hospital called. Something about my father, Ben Templar.”
“Do you have your card key?”
Shiloh dug through her purse and found the plastic card and handed it to him. While she waited for the elevator doors to open she thought about how fragile her father was. Anything could send him over the edge.
The doors opened and the security guard handed the card back to her. She rode to the fifth floor, her heart racing at a dangerous speed. If something happened to her father, she’d never forgive herself. After all, it was her fault he was here.
When the elevator doors opened, she dashed down the hall to the nurse’s station, searching for someone she knew. A young nurse sat at the circular desk, writing in a patient’s file.
“I’m Ben Templar’s daughter. They called me. Is something wrong?” Shiloh heard her heart pounding in her ears as she waited for the nurse to tell her something—anything to relieve her fears.
The nurse’s face changed from complete indifference to annoyance. “Yes. He’s been almost too much for us to handle tonight. We had no choice but to sedate him.”
Shiloh swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. “Why? What happened?”
“He was hysterical. Something about a man in his room, trying to smother him.”
Shiloh’s blood ran cold. “Did he say anything else? Did security see anyone?”
The nurse rolled her eyes. “No,” she said in a huff. “You do know that Alzheimer’s patients are sometimes delusional, right?”
“Yes, but I told security a man had snuck onto the grounds a few weeks ago and had upset my father, and that I wanted him watched more closely,” Shiloh said, purposely using a harsh, authoritative tone.
“We’re a hospital, Ms. Templar, not a maximum-security prison. We don’t have the resources to watch him every second. So unless you want to hire a private-care nurse to be with him around the clock, we can’t do any more than what we’re doing.”
Shiloh’s blood pressure soared. “Okay. Can I see him?”
“Of course. But don’t wake him. We’d hate to have to put him in restraints.”
Shiloh mentally calmed herself. How could they consider doing something like that to a man in his condition? First thing in the morning she was going to start looking for another facility for her father, even if she had to pound the pavement from one nursing home to the next. Clearly this wasn’t the best place for him.
They didn’t seem to care about him at all. Caring Heart, in Seattle, had been a Godsend, but obviously this facility was not up to those standards. She’d thought she’d done her research and found the best possible place, but now she realized she was wrong. If worst came to worst, she’d take him back to Seattle, and fly there on weekends to see him.
Quietly, she slipped into his room and noticed, even in sleep, her father’s face appeared troubled.
Tears blurred her vision as she stared down at him.
“Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry for placing you in this awful situation. I promise I’ll find you a home that will care for you as well as Caring Heart did.”
She lightly brushed his cheek. “Did you imagine that man?” Somehow she didn’t think so. She sensed this imaginary guy was the same one who had torn up her apartment—the same one who’d sent the pictures.
But who was he? And why did he have it in for her and her father?
Shiloh dropped into the chair next to his bed and closed her eyes. Her life was such a mess. And to add to it, she’d almost slept with a man she could hardly stand to be in the same room with. Not to mention the fact that he was a subordinate and it was against regulations, and to add a cherry to the top of the calamity, he was way too young.
Though his hands an
d mouth hadn’t felt immature or restrictive in any way as they’d worked their magic on her body. The heat of his fingers inside her still had that part of her body yearning for more. His mouth, sucking at her breast was burned into her memory.
Nicholas definitely knew how to please a woman. She’d never experienced such overwhelming desire. Nothing like the almost ho-hum feelings she’d had with men before. A minute or two more in his expert hands and she would have had an amazing orgasm—no question about it. He’d had her so close to ecstasy she hadn’t even heard her phone at first, and even then she hadn’t wanted to stop… until her father’s face flashed in her mind, like a beacon in a storm. The image had been like a bucket of ice water pelting her system, instantly squelching any passion. Thank God!
What was she going to say to Nicholas the next time she saw him? Would he treat her differently? Would he expect to continue where they’d left off?
She sighed. The stress of the day left her completely exhausted.
Why had she allowed her body to overrule her common sense? Clearly, desire was a strong force, but it had been foolish to get sexually involved with Nicholas Trent. Now she was going to have to tell him it had all been a big mistake and could never happen again. Blame it on the alcohol, or a momentary weakness on her part. She trusted he’d understand, and not cause a problem. She had enough to deal with right now without moving him higher on the list.
Nick closed the folder on his desk and rubbed his eyes. He rose to put the file into the cabinet. He was sick of paperwork. Would he ever get assigned a real case again?
“Hey Trent, you hear the one about the blond surfer-boy and the Ice Princess?” Gary Freeman leaned against his desk, arms crossed over his chest, a stupid grin playing on his lips.
Nick scowled. “No. You trying to get at something, Freeman?”
“What would I be trying to get at? But now that you mention it, a friend over at the Washington Police Department said you were at the director’s apartment the night she had that break-in. What’s going on? Are you Templar’s boy-toy now?”
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