by Taylor Lee
“To us, Maya. And to what promises to be one of the more interesting discussions I’ve had with a woman.”
When she didn’t raise her glass, Gray shrugged and took a hearty swallow of the wine and put his glass back on the table. He grinned when she took a sip of her wine and then quickly took another.
“Fine, if you don’t want to drink with me, drink by yourself. Whatever works, Doc. Just know that tonight you and I are going to take off the gloves. We’re gonna try to figure out how a bright, intelligent woman like yourself could have conceived of the idiotic plan you hit me with today. We might even try to figure out why you did it. What drove you to go to the lengths that you did—and frankly—gave you the balls to think you could get away with it, Maya? And what made you think that you could convince your uncle—one of the smartest, most judicious men I know—to go along with it? Not to mention that you’d be able to insinuate yourself into an elite strategic organization run by a woman with bigger balls than I have. And, honey, that is saying something!”
Gray took another swig of the wine and again raised his glass to her.
“And once we’ve done that, we’re going to decide if there is anything worth preserving in your plan, or more likely, how we’re going to send you back to your sheltered ivory tower world as gracefully as we can and forget that any of this madness ever happened.”
Gray watched her carefully to see how she was reacting to his challenge. It didn’t help when he saw her bottom lip quiver and tears flood her downcast eyes. He chastised himself. Oh fuck. That’s all he needed. God help him if she started to cry. He was somewhat relieved when she lifted her chin and met his gaze, although it only made the tears filling her eyes more apparent.
She bit down on her lip and then said in a shaky voice, “Don’t call me honey. I… I don’t like that.”
Thinking of all the things she could have said to him, Gray was taken back by her appeal. Goddammit. What the hell was going on? Tears and a request not to call her honey was the last thing he’d expected from the haughty woman. Christ, this was the woman who’d kicked him to the curb and who’d convinced two of the toughest people he knew to accede to her harebrained scheme. Compounded by the clear nervousness she’d exhibited since he’d invaded her home, Gray realized he needed to do some reassessing. He’d planned to take her on, hear all of her arguments and then tell her precisely what they were going to do. That was when he thought he would be facing the sophisticated, arrogant woman he’d expected, not this shaky, tearful person who had to force herself to look at him. The single tear slipping down her flushed cheek did it.
Gray reached for her hand and said softly, “What would you like me to call you?”
When she shook her head and turned away, he asked, “Do you prefer Dr. Taveras?”
At her negative shake of her head, he asked, “Maya?”
When she still didn’t answer he brushed at the tear on her cheek and asked, “How about Mia?”
Pressing her lips together, she met his gaze.
“I… I want you to call me Topaz.”
It took Gray a moment to appreciate her response. Yeah, she might be about to burst into tears, and she was clearly nervous as hell that he was crowding her. But she’d brilliantly taken him on, thrown down a gauntlet of her own by asking him to call her by her code name, essentially asking him to agree to the mission.
He shook his head slowly from side to side then with a soft, appreciative chuckle, he conceded, but not without a dig of his own.
“Okay, honey, Topaz it is.”
The fleeting smile that danced across her face confirmed that she appreciated his humor and his concession.
Gray lifted his glass to her once more and said, “Now will you drink to that?”
To his surprise she reached for her glass and drained it. Holding it out to him, she said in a plaintive Oliver Twistian way, “Please, can I have more?”
Gray laughed heartily and rose to his feet.
“Yeah, honey, I mean, Topaz. You can have the whole damn bottle if it will help you stop looking at me as if you’re in mortal danger of being attacked by a ten-foot Alaskan grizzly bear!”
Maya waited until he retrieved the bottle from the counter and refilled her glass and topped off his then smiled up at him.
“I was thinking you look more like a mountain lion, slinking behind the trees before you take charge and take me down.”
Certain that Maya didn’t intend the double entendre, Gray couldn’t let it go without comment.
“Well, Madam Topaz, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that at some point—sooner rather than later—that is precisely what I’m likely to do to you.”
Gratified by her startled flush confirming she’d caught both her unintended challenge and his brazen response, Gray settled in beside her, determined to open the conversation they needed to have.
Wanting to give her confidence he broached what he hoped was a neutral subject. Glancing around the spacious living room that looked as if it could have come out of a spread in an upscale home design magazine he nodded appreciatively.
“This is a beautiful room, Doc—I mean, Topaz. Given my peripatetic lifestyle, I’m not accustomed to seeing furniture and artwork that actually look as if they belong together. But even if I did have a place for more than a couple of months and neither Noah nor Jase had landed on me, it sure as hell wouldn’t look like this. You have exquisite taste, Topaz.”
He purposefully emphasized her name and was gratified to see a smile quirk her lush lips. Seeing that she’d relaxed a little, Gray allowed himself to look at her. He’d studied her beautiful face and stunning coloring earlier at Ian’s place. But then she’d been wearing tailored linen slacks and a matching blouse. Both were attractive, sophisticated, but had done more to hide her body than to reveal it. Not so, the silk lounging outfit that she was wearing now. The white satiny fabric underscored her warm, golden brown skin tones, but it was the artful cut of the clingy top that drew his gaze. Cut on the diagonal and shirred in the front, it separated her breasts, making them more sumptuous than Gray had realized. When Maya walked to the bar almost tripping over her rug, in addition to smiling at her nervousness, Gray had also been caught by the way the silky fabric hugged her curvy hips and toned ass. When he’d first seen her he’d been stunned at her regal beauty. Now he was treated to the fact that in addition to looking like the epitome of a princess, she was also sexy as hell. Mm hmm, he decided. This mission, such as it was, was getting more interesting by the moment.
Her response to his complimenting her room brought him back to the present.
“Thank you, Col. Webb. Ian insisted that I decorate this place the way that I am accustomed to. I think he wanted a visible sign that I might consider spending more time closer to him. He worries about me, although I keep reassuring him that I’m doing well.”
Intrigued that she seemed to have unlocked at least a sliver of an opening to her personal life, Gray decided to saunter through.
“Where do you live when you are not harassing me? Oh, and by the way, you can drop the ‘Colonel’ shtick. Gray works. Or even Grayson, if you’re annoyed with me, which I can’t imagine, but just in case.…”
Again a soft smile lit Maya’s beautiful face, making Gray pledge that if he did nothing else, he would make her smile at least a couple of times a day just to glory in its brilliance. Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to let her in on his plan, he asked, “Tell me, Topaz, what I can do to make you smile like that every so often?”
To his surprise, she frowned and looked down for a moment. She almost appeared wistful when she looked up at him.
“Ian has said that to me as well… Gray. I guess I really don’t smile very much. I think it’s because I live a relatively solitary life—with my books and research and all—and, well, I don’t go out much.”
Remembering that Ian said that friends weren’t a part of his niece’s isolated lifestyle, Gray couldn’t help but marvel. For the first time he under
stood that as outrageous and unworkable as her plan was how much courage it must have taken for her to conceive it, much less put it into action. Knowing that he was likely entering dangerous territory, he decided he’d avoided the subject for as long as he could.
“Hmm, and yet you proposed to invade the high security lair of one of the most dangerous men on the planet with the express purpose of taking down his criminal empire.”
He shook his head and held up his hands as if in disbelief. “Stepping outside of your comfort zone, much, Princess?”
While he should have expected at least some level of resistance, Gray was astonished at the change that came over her. It was as though she’d physically donned a suit of armor in preparation for battle. Her tone was crisp, more fitting of the woman he’d expected to encounter, not the wistful one who’d moments before asked him not to call her “honey.”
Taking a large fortifying swallow of her wine, once again draining her glass, she rose to her feet and stepped back, obviously putting distance between them.
“Yes, Agent Webb, I am. I’m glad that you recognize that. I’m sure that you and my uncle would prefer to think of me as the helpless twit who allowed herself to get kidnapped and caused the death of her parents rather than a woman who is taking charge of her actions. Unfortunately, you are going to have to accept me as I am. And just so we are very clear, Agent Webb, let me tell you who I am.”
Maya stood up straighter and pressed her lips together in a determined line. Her bronze eyes sparkled with anger.
“I am the woman who is going to put this plan in action even if I have to do it by myself. I have enough money to hire as many cock jocks as I need. You and Ian aren’t the only special operatives in the world. There’s lots of them for hire if you can pay their price—which I can. And if you spoil everything I’ve done in order to be hired by Diamond, I’ll live with that. I never expected to be part of a team anyway. I’ve never had one before. Why would I expect to have one now? So go ahead. Tell Diamond I’m not good enough for her elite group of agents. Which is what you obviously believe. I don’t care. You can’t take away something I’ve never had.”
She stepped back, breathing hard. Her face was flushed, contorted with a mix of anger and pain. Stunned at her sudden outburst, Gray knew it was now or never. If he didn’t get control of this confusing and confused woman he never would. And fuck it all, she just might do what she threatened. She was right. They weren’t the only agents who could help her. They just happened to be the only ones who could give her a ghost of a chance to come out of the mission alive.
As though she’d seen his resolve, she lifted her chin and glared at him. She turned and marched toward the door, no doubt thinking she was going to show him out. Throwing gasoline on the coals of his banked fire, she sneered at him over her shoulder.
“And for your information, I like Princess even less than I like honey.”
Grayson moved toward her, one slow, purposeful step at a time, gratified at the uneasy frown that flashed across Maya’s face. When he was looming over her, he said casually, “That’s good to know, Princess. Now I have two ways to get your attention, honey.”
He stepped closer, invading her personal space.
“Before you assume that I will allow you to show me to the door, it’s probably best that I reiterate who I am.”
Refusing to let her look away, he said in a soft, silky voice layered with danger, “I am the man who is going to decide IF you are going anywhere except back to your academic haven where you belong.”
He held up his hand, stopping her from interrupting him.
“And if, for some crazy reason, I do decide to go forward with this mission, it will be because you have agreed that not only am I in charge of the operation but that I am also in charge of you. That I am your commander in every sense of the word.”
At her dismissive sniff, Gray shouldn’t have been surprised that his cock made itself known in a most impressive way. Christ, how could he not get a hard-on? He was glaring at one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, and she was daring to confront him. Throwing caution, and every bit of sense he had, to the wind, he reached for her.
Winding her hair in his hand, he jerked her up against him. Her startled cry only egged him on. Pressing her back against the counter he leaned into her, determined to get his burgeoning cock as close to the gateway to heaven as he could. Separating her legs with one of his strong thighs, he buried his lips against her soft throat and said in a lust-roughened voice, “Oh and, honey, Princess, be careful how you poke at that mountain lion. There are no bars strong enough to hold me back if and when I choose to ‘take you down.’”
Tightening his grip, pulling her even closer to his strong body, Gray’s voice dropped dangerously low.
“And by the way, Topaz, if I ever again hear you blame yourself—a fourteen-year-old kid—for getting herself kidnapped, OR for being responsible for her parents’ deaths, this particular cock jock will turn you over his knee and spank the hell out of you!”
Chapter 6
Topaz struggled against Gray’s powerful hold, stunned at the strength of his body. She couldn’t remember being held like this. It was as provocative as it was riveting. Grayson’s thigh against her crotch held her in place but more than that the pressure against her groin sent a firestorm of sensations coursing through her. At his inflammatory threat to spank her, she let out a muffled cry, stunned at the electric sparks searing the sensitive skin between her legs. Oh God, what was happening to her? It was as if by holding her captive, Gray was claiming her, controlling her body and her senses, letting her know in the most incendiary way possible that he was in charge of her. And dear God in heaven, why was that so powerful? So erotic?
Trying to comprehend what was happening, Topaz admitted that she’d brought it on herself. Not this fiery force that had pinned her against the counter. In a million years she hadn’t expected that. But even as she thought that, she chided herself. How could she not have known how he would respond? Dear God, the man reeked sensuality. She’d never been with a man like Grayson before. A man who was so obviously powerful and sensuous. If she was being truthful with herself, she’d admit that she’d wanted to goad him, wanted to pick at that latent sensuality that was much closer to the surface than she’d realized. But why? She’d always held men at bay with her disdain, her haughtiness. And yet, here she had practically dared this powerful man to attack her.
Before she could analyze her actions further, he nipped at her earlobe and then bit down hard. A second later, he blew on the tender skin, sending a shivery cascade of sensation up her spine. Horrified at her whimpering cry, and the flood of moisture between her legs, Topaz buried her face against his chest, praying that he hadn’t felt her wayward body’s response.
His sensuous chuckle confirmed that not only had he felt it but that he’d also known exactly what to do to get that response. Feeling hopelessly outmatched, she shoved at him, trying to free herself from his grip.
Gray’s voice was low, crooning.
“Uh uh, Princess. We may as well get the rules of this game straight from the beginning. First of all, while I might seem like the easiest guy in the world to be around, don’t misunderstand. I’m a dominant man and a hard lover. That doesn’t mean that I can’t be tender or take it slow and easy. There’s always room for that. But, honey, don’t ever challenge me like you did, unless you want what I have to give, in any damn way I want to give it.”
He hesitated for a moment, then gently lifted her off of his strong thigh and stood her on the floor in front of him. He lifted Maya’s chin and gazed down at her. She was gratified to see that Gray’s face was as flushed as she was sure hers was, and his eyes were heavy with lust. When he spoke, his voice was soft, gravelly.
“That said, Princess, this was a mistake. I apologize. My cock got away from me. I didn’t intend to assault you like this. Unfortunately, emotions are running high for both of us. You caught me off guard with y
our provocation.”
He chuckled again. “Not that it wasn’t sexy as hell—but probably not a good idea when this particular mountain lion has imbibed a helluva lot of potent alcohol tonight and is already riding an emotional roller coaster.”
Tipping Maya’s head back, Gray brushed at the tears trickling down her cheeks. He frowned and shook his head.
“I gotta tell you, Princess. You’ve got volcanic emotions crowding that powerful brain of yours. You think it’s possible to give a guy a heads up? A few seconds of warning, when you’re going to go from biting my head off to crying on my shoulder?”
Topaz tried to laugh, but the sound that came out of her throat was closer to a sob. Embarrassed she pressed her cheek against his chest and clung to his shirt. She couldn’t bear to let him know how much he’d affected her or for him to see the tears she couldn’t seem to hold back. She was glad when he held her tighter and stroked her back. A delicious thrill coursed up her spine when he murmured, “And, Princess, don’t think for a moment that I missed the way your beautiful body responded to mine. Even if I wasn’t a randy asshole who thinks his prick should be in the Hall of Fame, feeling your body reach for mine, your legs open for me, was about as Goddamned sexy a thing a woman has done to me in a long time.”
Topaz couldn’t hold back her gasp, shocked at the wave of arousal that streaked over her at his provocative words.
Gray’s voice was gruff, his lips tickled her earlobe.
“And that response, my surprising Princess, is but one more reason we’re gonna have to keep a tight rein on these emotions of ours, not to mention our bodies.”
Gray held her against him for a moment—then surprised her by scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to the sofa. She couldn’t believe how easily he picked her up, another reminder of how strong he was. Compared to him she felt small, fragile… and feminine. As if she needed to be reminded of her femininity, given the moisture between her legs and the fact that her nipples were hard, aching. She didn’t miss the smile that quirked his lips when he glanced at the tight nubs straining against her silk top. He winked at her and said in mock dismay, “You’re going to have to do a better job of hiding all those sexy responses of your amazing body if you want to keep this mountain lion caged.”