by Lynn, Janice
He ran his fingers through the loose strands. “I love your hair.”
When she undid the last shirt button, she eyed his straining jeans. Although she could easily tie a cherry stem into a knot, she didn’t think her tongue could manage Jude’s button down fly. Not with all that pressure against it.
She cupped him through his jeans, massaging the soft denim. She bent and, working her way from bottom up, placed a kiss over each button. Jude held her against the last one. Tension and barely controlled restraint evident in the way his hand shook while he palmed her head.
“I want you,” he rasped.
Beautiful words.
She nipped at the button with her teeth, grazed a sliver of exposed skin above his waistband with her tongue. “Your vow?”
“I won’t take you.” He wouldn’t? “Not again.” He winced. “If I even did.” His words came out in pants. “Just--just don’t stop.”
She smiled. Hadn’t he learned his lesson yet? “You will. You did. I won’t.”
She undid the buttons, her belly quivering in response to how Jude sucked in his stomach at her touch to assist in undoing his jeans.
She pulled him free, stroked the hard flesh in a wickedly slow rhythm.
Jude’s fingers massaged her skull, her neck and shoulders, urging her to pump him faster, tighter. “Angel,” he groaned. “Please.”
Her thighs aflame, Avery’s breath hitched. She needed him, what only he could provide.
She did what she swore she wouldn’t do. What she’d thought she’d insured she wouldn’t risk doing. She forgot where she was, what she was doing, and why she was doing it. She lost control and wanted Jude’s control as shattered as her own.
A control she could tell he was on the verge of losing.
He threw his head back and groaned. His fingers wrapped in her hair, clutching almost painfully, urging her onward.
Having Jude at her mercy and so visibly, audibly, tactilely pleased by what she was doing was almost enough to push her over the brink and into an orgasm of her own.
“That feels good,” he rasped. “So good.”
Yes, Avery thought. So good summed up what was happening to her body. Without a single touch she was swollen and needy. However Jude did it, she knew magic had to be involved. Had to.
Magic that made her lose her inhibitions, her head, and her heart.
He touched her shoulders, her breasts, tried to get in a position where he could stroke her to a frenzy like she was doing to him. She’d have none of it, pushing him back onto the chair and demanding to stay in control.
A control he refused to allow. He pulled her up enough that he could slide his hand up her skirt and between her legs. Delving in, he growled and matched her rhythm with his fingers.
His thumb pushed against her, causing her thighs to clench, move with need. Damn it! She’d wanted this to be about him.
“Oh hell,” he cursed, but it was a curse of pleasure. A torturous sound torn from his throat as he threw his head back, groaned her name. He held her to him and, if given only a few seconds more, would have lost control. Avery was sure of it.
He wasn’t given those seconds.
Brrrr-ring. Brrrr-ring.
She froze mid-action. Jude cursed again. This time without pleasure.
Gazes locked, they stared at each other.
Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she picked up the handheld on his desk.
“Jude Layman’s office,” she said, wishing she didn’t sound so breathless. After a moment, she handed him the phone. “It’s for you.”
Jude glared at the phone and looked as if he was considering telling the person on the other line to go to hell, or worse.
“It’s Marcus.”
* * *
For a man whose personal life rarely interfered with his career, Jude admitted the past week had taken its toll in more ways than one.
While on his way to Marcus’ apartment, Simon called his cell. A pissed Simon who wanted him in his office now. Something about an anonymous tip to Hustled Magazine. So why he was sitting in Marcus’ apartment staring at his best friend made little sense.
Except that Marcus asked him to come, something he’d never done during work hours, and so Jude came. It’s what friends did.
Marcus sat on the sofa, fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Jude hadn’t known what to expect, so he’d grabbed coffee and bagels on his way.
Only Marcus looked more at peace than he’d been in months. Since he discovered Joy was screwing around on him.
Jude didn’t feel at peace in the slightest. “You’re telling me Joy spent the night here?”
Looking quite pleased with himself, Marcus nodded.
“You had sex with her?”
Another nod.
Frustration and relief both washed over him. Marcus got laid. Thank God. But Joy?
Now, if he just knew whether he had or not. His gut instinct said he hadn’t, but there were the dreams, being naked, the black panties. All evidence pointed that he had. All except the burn within him that suggested he hadn’t had sexual release.
“This morning I told her to get the rest of her things and get out. We’re finished,” Marcus said, making Jude want to jump up, belly-wallop, and high-five his friend. “After sleeping with her, I realized you were right.”
“About?”
Marcus shrugged. “It was over a long time ago. I just couldn’t let go, couldn’t admit I’d been so wrong about a person.” A shadow passed over Marcus’ face. “I mean, I went into my marriage thinking it was forever, you know?”
Yeah, Jude knew. Marcus’ loyalty was one of the reasons they’d become such close friends.
“I meant for it to last forever.” Marcus picked up the Styrofoam cup of coffee and swirled the hot liquid. “Only when I made love to her, it wasn’t love. Not anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain, but when we were in bed together, it wasn’t the way I remembered.” Marcus shrugged. “It was just sex.”
A million thoughts ran through Jude’s head. Mainly thoughts that he could now have guilt-free sex with Angela Greene. Hot, sweaty, toe-curling sex. But also, the meaning behind Marcus’ words. There was a difference between making love and sex?
“I did love her, but somewhere between screwing half my coworkers and leaving me up to my eyeballs in debt she killed my feelings.” Marcus stared at a drop of coffee on the plastic lid. “She doesn’t deserve me.”
Yes.
Marcus took a deep breath and set the coffee cup on the table.
“Enough about Joy. She’s history, and I appreciate everything you did for me during the months it’s taken me to realize that.” He turned to Jude. “How was the party last night?”
The party? So much had happened since the party Jude had to snort. “Let’s just say that before I left, everyone’s attention was on me.”
“Nothing new there.”
“Oh,” Jude laughed, “I can say without a doubt I was in rare form.”
“Because of the temp?”
“Because of the shrimp dip she fed me.”
Marcus’s brows drew together. “Aren’t you allergic to shrimp?”
Marcus had been with Jude on the other occasion he’d had the misfortune of ingesting the stuff.
Jude nodded.
“What happened?”
“Let’s just say she distracted me. I never even thought to ask what she was feeding me because I was more interested in how she was feeding me. I swelled to the size of an ogre, only blue instead of green, and was carted off by an ambulance while all the party-goers oohed and aahed over my misfortune.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“Nope.” Jude shook his head.
Marcus snickered, apparently unable to contain his humor. “Guess that means you didn’t get lucky last night.”
“Guess it means I don’t recall if I did or not.”
“Huh?”
Jude inhaled and made a quick dec
ision. Maybe Marcus could help figure out what was going on. “I slept with Angel.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“I didn’t say we had sex.”
“You didn’t?”
Jude quasi-shrugged. “Hell if I know.”
“Okay man, you’re freaking me out here. How could you sleep with a woman who looks like that and not know if you had sex?”
Jude didn’t normally discuss his sex life, but he needed to talk and this was Marcus. “I was drugged.”
“Drugged?” Realization dawned on Marcus’s face. “The hospital visit. They gave you some knock-out pills?”
“Same difference. You know how antihistamines affect me.” Jude rubbed both hands over his face. “I remember going to bed, Angel being there. When I woke up I was naked, and she was gone.”
“She ditched you?” Marcus looked impressed and shocked.
“Yep.”
“Isn’t that your M.O.?”
“Yep.”
“You screwed her, and then she took off, saving you the trouble. What’s the problem?”
“I don’t remember anything that happened in between her getting into bed with me and my waking up.”
“You may or may not have had sex with a beautiful woman who you definitely have the hots for.” Marcus considered him. “I’m still not getting the problem here.”
Jude sighed. “I vowed not to have sex until you got laid, so I—”
“You did what?”
“I know. It was stupid, but I made it during a weak moment and—”
“Damn straight it was stupid.” Marcus’s eyes widened. “The hummingbird?” he gasped. “I’m the reason?”
Jude nodded.
“I thought it was the temp.”
“I just met her on Monday.”
“Monday? I keep forgetting that. She sure has you wound tighter than a drum.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Jude, man, I know I can be a little slow to catch on, but I’m just not seeing the problem here.”
“I vowed not to have sex, and I may have broken that vow.”
“I spent the night getting laid, remember?” There was that. “There’s no reason for you not to buzz from flower to flower.”
Jude stared at his hands.
“Unless you really have given up the Hummingbird,” Marcus mused.
Jude exhaled. “Give up the Hummingbird?” The whole idea was preposterous. Yet, the thought of moving on to another woman held no appeal. He didn’t want to buzz other flowers. Apparently, he was hooked on one particular blossom. Angel.
Damn it. He couldn’t be falling for her. Not him.
He glanced up, met Marcus’s concerned gaze, and swore.
Oh hell. He was falling for an angel.
Chapter Twelve
“What gives?” Randi asked when Avery slid into the sandwich diner booth a little after noon. “All the cameras in Jude’s office went kaput.”
Avery dropped her purse onto the seat. “I turned them off.”
“What for?” Randi’s eyes widened, then she laughed. “You dirty little ho.”
Avery nodded. “Only the phone rang and interrupted so not quite as dirty as I’d intended. No one caught us, either.”
“Maybe you should turn the phones off, too, next time.”
“Next time? Who says there’s even going to be a next time? I’d only meant for Simon to catch us.”
“Which is why you turned the cameras off?” Randi shook her head. “Have you bagged him yet?”
Avery averted her gaze.
“No, you haven’t, and tonight’s your last chance.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Look, it’s obvious this guy floats your boat. Do him and get him out of your system because we both know that after tonight Jude’s mojo is going to go on an extended hiatus.”
“I met her.”
“Who?”
“Mandy Sims.”
“What about it?” Randi shrugged. “She doesn’t know who you are.”
“I didn’t like her.” Which was the understatement of the year.
Randi shook her head. “Av, this guy has gotten to you. It’s bound to happen to all of us from time to time. I’ve been attracted to a few of my marks. No biggie. But I’ve never wanted to bundle any of them up and bring them home with me. Screw Jude if that’s what you want, but don’t lose sight of why you’re in his life.”
Everything Randi said made sense and were things she’d repeatedly told herself. “I haven’t.”
Randi straightened the salt and pepper shakers on the table. “Cassidy told me you were freaked out when you left the hotel last night.”
Freaked out? There was another understatement.
“He couldn’t breathe,” she exclaimed. Pain slashed across her chest at the memory of Jude sitting in the floor wheezing for air. “That wasn’t in the plan.”
Randi grinned, not looking in the slightest nonplussed. “But what a perfect opportunity for you to give him mouth-to-mouth.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “I didn’t give him mouth-to-mouth.”
“Pity.”
“He could have died.”
Randi gave her a “so what” look. “He didn’t, besides we just got lucky with the shrimp allergy. Mrs. Yamaguchi is sure to pull her business.”
Lucky? She hadn’t felt at all lucky that Jude had reacted. She’d felt terrified for him. Avery sighed, closed her eyes, and leveled with her friend. “I don’t have a good feel about this case, Randi. I haven’t from the beginning, you know that.”
“Yeah, and we both know why.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because Jude Layman’s got to you and you’ve done the unspeakable.”
Avery gulped. “The unspeakable?”
“Broken TGEA rules.”
Avery’s pulse nose-dived and for a moment she thought she was going to pass out. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re falling for him.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” she insisted. “You know TGEA is my top priority. No thing and no one will ever compromise that.”
“Good to hear that because I was afraid you’d called me here to ask me not to pull the plug on loverboy.” Randi’s brown eyes met hers and didn’t waver. “That’s not why you called me to lunch, is it?”
Randi knew it was.
Last night Mandy Sims had given her the creeps. Every instinct within her said following through with this case was a mistake. Jude didn’t fit the TGEA mark profile. Well, he did, but he didn’t. Oh, that didn’t even make sense to her.
“Because you know as well as I do to not follow through on a mark would be the beginning of the end for TGEA. We made a pact with each other and that pact is sacred. All for one and one for all.”
Avery swallowed the bile burning the back of her throat.
TGEA was family. Jude was a mark.
“No, that’s not why I called you to lunch.” She picked up a menu and pretended to study the items. “I wanted to find out if you’ve heard from Courtney.”
“Yeah, she’s on a plane back to Nashville and will see us tomorrow night.”
“Everything go okay in Boston?”
“You know Courtney. She served the guy’s balls up for his old lady to stomp on and left her normal calling card.”
Sounded like Courtney. A smile played on Avery’s lips. Courtney left a memento of her visit with each of her marks. A mouse trap clamped over the tip of a rubber penis. On the back read, “Vengeance is only a snap away, so be good.”
Avery couldn’t remember why or when Courtney started the tradition, but for as far back as she could recall, Courtney left that unmistakable keepsake as a reminder.
“The P.I.?” Avery asked mostly to keep the conversation from returning to Jude.
Randi took a sip of her soda. “What about him?”
“Did she mention him?”
&nbs
p; A reddish-gold brow lifted. “Should she have?”
“No, I suppose not.”
The waitress showed up and took their lunch orders.
Randi complained about BigBen and that they’d played Day of Reckoning long into the night without either of them defeating the other.
“You know BigBen is probably some brilliant twelve-year-old who’s kicking your ass?”
Randi frowned. “Nah, I don’t think so.”
“You mean you haven’t hacked into his system to find out?”
Mischief crept into Randi’s eyes. “I’ve tried, but so far natta. His firewalls are some of the best I’ve come up against.”
“And that makes you think he’s hit puberty?”
“More like the comments he makes.”
“What kind of comments?”
“When we’re competing against each other, he,” Randi toyed with her straw, “says things. Grown-up things.”
“Kids have pretty dirty mouths these days.” To prove her point a couple of teenagers who probably should have been at school rather than a diner slid into the booth behind them. Their conversation would make the rowdiest sailor proud.
“Possibly, but BigBen isn’t a kid. Once I get the finishing touches on next week’s agenda, I plan to get inside his system and find out for sure.”
Next week’s agenda. Avery would be working on a case in Phoenix. A doctor who’d been taking advantage of his female patients. The law had found him innocent because they couldn’t prove his guilt. More than one female had contacted TGEA and they’d contacted other patients, discovered that he had indeed done things he shouldn’t have. Avery had just the prescription for revenge.
But first, she had to finish up with Jude.
“About Mandy Sims?” Avery began, hoping to impress upon Randi that she didn’t trust the woman without raising Randi’s hackles. “I think we should run a background check on her again.”
“Av, you did her background check, checked out her claims. Other than being stupid enough to fall for her father’s right hand man, she’s not done anything wrong.”
Yeah, everything Mandy claimed had been verified, but she felt like she was missing pieces of the puzzle.
“We don’t have to like our clients, Av. It helps, but face facts, not all women are created equal. There are some who are witches. That doesn’t mean they deserve to have a man do them wrong.”