by Katee Robert
He paced the sidewalk, tunneling his fingers through his shaggy hair. “Seriously, what’s going on here?” he asked, so quietly she wondered if she was supposed to answer.
“Hmm, you kissed me. I responded. Now we go somewhere private and let nature take over.” She laid a hand on his arm, which he glanced at with open suspicion. From his expression, it might as well have been a deadly spider about to end his life. “You kissed me,” she reminded him when he continued to breathe heavily and say absolutely frigging nothing.
“I was proving a point.”
“That you can find my tonsils using your tongue?”
He grunted and pivoted away to stare across the parking lot. “You’re drunk. Hell, I’m drunk. Or close enough to cloud the issue. I wouldn’t have done this otherwise. I couldn’t have.”
“Were you drunk when you spied on me in my shower?” A passing couple gasped aloud and she waved her fingers at them, still buzzed enough not to care.
Landon glanced around, his discomfort patently clear. “I told you I was sorry. I really am. I know that was a shitty thing to do—”
“Nevertheless, you stood right outside my shower and watched me.”
“Keep your voice down. Do you want to damage my reputation?”
“If you’re going to continue to pretend you don’t understand what I’m saying, then yes. How’d you even get through law school being so thickheaded?” She marched over to his SUV, waiting while he popped the locks. She climbed inside and laced her fingers together, staring out the window as he started the vehicle.
“I’m not playing anything. I’m employing sense. You’re my friend, not just some one-night stand.”
“Why?” Outrage shaded the question. “Aren’t I attractive enough for you? Is that it? I’m fine to stare at covered in bubbles and okay to kiss when you want to stop me from being a pain in your ass, but when it comes to fu—”
“Stop it.” He slammed the truck in park halfway out of the spot. “What the hell’s gotten into you? This isn’t like you at all.”
“Shows what you know,” she said, bracing when he reached out and cupped her jaw.
And then he was kissing her again, and she couldn’t complain about his strong-arm tactics. He erased her annoyance and guilt and anxiety with one smooth slide of his tongue. Delving deeper into her mouth, he moved closer until they were pressed together in the front seat. His barrel chest mashed against her breasts, emphasizing how soft and feminine she was in contrast. But she could handle his rougher aspects, too. His rough hands, his rough kisses, even the rough strokes of his cock…
Steff arched, seeking more of his mouth. Chasing the sensations he built so effortlessly inside her. She was opening up under his touch. Flourishing. He made her feel so sexy. So wanted. If she had to take the lead, she would. She was kind of getting good—okay, not as bad—at it.
She framed his face in her hands to make sure he couldn’t escape as quickly as he had the last time. “You don’t have to worry that I’m seeing anyone. I’m as free as you are,” she said against his lips, breaking up her words with little kisses. Wet kisses, the kind that earned groans in response.
“Is that so?”
“Oh, it’s so.” Gathering her nerve, she cupped his cock, hoping he was still hard. “Damn,” she whispered, realizing that wish was tantamount to wishing hell was hot. She’d felt steel pikes with less definition.
Instead of chastising her or dragging her hand away, he let out a low laugh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, invoking her memories of the million other times he’d done that. “Guess that puts your concerns about me not finding you desirable to rest,” he murmured.
Not entirely, though she couldn’t deny it was a strong start.
And yes, she was potentially risking a friendship she treasured, but she already had. At least she could feel guilty about having sex with Landon as herself rather than some mystery woman if things went sour. They patently would not go sour, because she wouldn’t let them.
Steff tilted her head and gave him her flirtiest smile. “Drive, Hotshot.”
He shook his head and pulled back into the space. “You know, I think maybe we should walk. We both had a couple of glasses, and it’s only a few blocks away. Better safe than sorry.”
Jeez, she was so tired of that motto, but she knew there was no use arguing when he was in lawyer mode. Besides, he was right. It would be safer all around to walk.
Not that she’d let him off the hook that easily.
“Wow, I really do make you nervous,” she teased, popping open the door and climbing out before he could respond. “And the night’s not even over yet.”
Chapter Six
Steff didn’t breathe for most of the walk to her house. By the time she unlocked the front door and led a disturbingly quiet Landon to her bedroom, she was light-headed.
Being a seductress was great in theory. In practice, she’d need about three more bottles of wine to take the edge off. It had been different when she was in costume. The sexy getup had helped her take on the role with relish. But this was all her. Regular ol’ Steff.
“I have condoms. Lots of them.” She threw her purse on the bed, then tugged open the nightstand drawer to show him her stash. “And lube. Oh, and if you like it kinky, I have a mini pair of handcuffs that Craig gave me.”
“Craig gave you handcuffs?” Though she was the one suffering from oxygen deprivation, Landon sounded as if he couldn’t take in enough air.
“Yeah, he regifted them to me last Christ—” She fell silent when he flipped on the bedroom light. She’d already turned on the one in the hall, which gave them enough light to see by to keep from running into things. So this one was unnecessary.
Except he didn’t seem to think so.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, approaching her and resting his hands on her shoulders. He was so much taller than her, and right then, every inch seemed like a mile. She shivered as his lips skated over her temple. “You didn’t think I wanted to fuck in the dark, did you?”
His crude language only locked her spine. He rarely used that kind of language around her, but that wasn’t even the point. She was tired of being so unsure in sexual situations. When would she have a better chance to vanquish those nerves than tonight? Friday she’d started the job, this would finish it. In less than a week, she would lay her rep as a sexless kindergarten teacher to rest, if only in her own mind.
“It would be okay if you did.”
His jaw dropped. Literally. “What the hell’s happened to you this year?”
“People change, right?” She shrugged and started to pull off her jacket and sweater, then changed tacks. Better to show him her unnoteworthy breasts when he was already delirious with passion. She shed her skirt and kicked it aside. She wore plain blue bikinis beneath, but Landon’s eyes glazed as if she wore something made of strings and lace.
Glancing down, she realized why. There was a round, very visible wet spot on her panties.
Before she could stammer out something to fill the awkward silence, Landon dropped to his knees and pressed his mouth to her through the cotton. She gasped, stunned that she could feel so much even through the fabric. His warm, soft lips, the insistent flick of his tongue, the clench of his hands on her ass, dragging her closer.
“God, you smell good,” he breathed, and she knew she blushed straight down to her red-painted toes. He pushed aside the scalloped edge and snaked his tongue beneath to slide along her slit. “Taste good, too.”
The words were muted, but they might as well have been imprinted on her soul. So suggestive and powerful. As if she were any other attractive woman he saw as a sexual conquest, not boring old Steff. She did a mental fist-pump and grinned.
Then he speared his tongue into her and her grin disappeared on a moan so loud she worried her brother would hear it. She’d never had cause to worry about the thin wall between their apartments before, but she’d never had her best friend between her thighs before, either.
“You like that.” Landon gave her another erotic kiss. Other guys had gone down on her, but it wasn’t like this. His fingers stroked her, his tongue made maddening circles over her clit, his teeth skimmed her sensitive folds. And he talked to her in that low, mind-fucking voice that would haunt her dreams. “You’re so swollen. You’ve been like this since earlier, haven’t you?”
“Yes. God, yes. I can’t…” She shuddered as the finger he’d pressed inside her turned into two, grinding deep. “I want it so bad.” You. I want you.
“You want to come, baby?”
He sounded husky and carnal, as if doing this to her got him off, too. It wasn’t just a task for him to get through as fast as possible so he could get to the good stuff. This was the good stuff. He teased her without shame, his own sounds of enjoyment humming against her flesh.
She rocked her hips and sank her fingers into his thick hair, using it for balance while she pursued her orgasm. He found some spot inside her that sent an electric jolt through her system and he laughed like the sexy devil he was. “Mmm, look how wet you are. All over my tongue.” He flicked the object in question against her pulsing clit and she moaned in helpless agony, almost doubling over him. God. He twisted his fingers, jerking them in and out, and she toppled into a climax so strong that she couldn’t stop her breathless moan. Both the sounds she was making and the waves of pleasure went on and on.
He nuzzled her through it, bringing her back down as gently as he’d driven her up. When he pulled away, his mouth soft and sweetly abused, she nearly threw him down on the carpet and climbed on top of him right there. But that would’ve been difficult, since he shifted back to look up at her and whatever he saw had him retreating before she could move a muscle.
“I can’t do this. You’re still red from another man’s mouth.”
For an instant she had to stifle the urge to peer between her legs. Yeah, they’d been awfully…vigorous at the party, but that had been days ago. Surely the flush would be gone by now?
Then she remembered the hickeys and groaned softly as she covered her throat with her hand. He was as bad as she was—jealous of himself. At least he didn’t realize he’d been with her on Friday. “Oh, and I’m supposed to believe you’ve been a monk since I saw you last?”
He rose and dipped his hands in his pockets, looking anywhere but at her. When he finally met her gaze, she had to swallow hard to keep from telling him everything. Even if he hated her after, at least he’d have to accept how amazing things had been between them for one unforgettable night.
The night she’d been with him, and he’d been with her—no matter what persona she’d donned.
“Look, Steff, we’ll just chalk tonight up to too much wine and too much time apart and too—” He faltered. His eyes and mouth softened, but he still continued pelting her with words that hurt. “It’s just better if I go. We’ll move on from this. Somehow. Okay?”
No, it wasn’t okay. None of this was. Tears pooled, threatening to spill over her cheeks, and she turned away before he could see them. At least she still had some pride.
After a seemingly endless minute or two, he exhaled sharply. “Lock up after I leave.”
A slam of her front door later, he was gone.
Pulling her panties into place triggered a flood of embarrassment. Why had she done something as idiotic as trying to seduce Landon Grant as herself?
She must need the costume even more than she thought.
…
On the way back to the restaurant’s parking lot, Landon remembered the wine he’d consumed with dinner. He couldn’t drive home yet. So he walked, one of the benefits of living in a small town. Movement was difficult with the hard-on from hell, though he managed.
Exhaustion claimed him once he entered his own front door, but he didn’t sleep. Actually, he didn’t even go to bed. He knew lying in bed would only lead to him staring at his ceiling and replaying the night’s—hell, the week’s—events over and over again, so instead he worked out into the wee hours in his home gym, then took a long shower and watched the news. Lots of news.
By the time he arrived at his desk at Kenney and Kilborn on Thursday morning, his eyes were gritty and hot and he already dreaded getting through the day. Only one thing made the idea of work palatable—getting another crack at searching for his mystery woman. Every day that passed, the likelihood of finding her decreased. Truthfully, so had his interest in finding her. Steff had practically erased the mystery woman from his head.
Still, it wasn’t like anything would happen between him and his best friend. Anything more, anyway. He’d finally regrouped a little sense. Not counting her odd behavior in the bathroom, she’d been drunk last night. Hell, for all he knew, she’d had some wine before he came over. She took a nip or two in the afternoon sometimes if she had a rough day at school. Besides, she clearly had her own mystery lover and he had—
He stabbed the button for the elevator. Right now it felt like he had a whole boatload of nada.
He survived another morning of idle chitchat over the muffins and juice in the break room, though he felt no closer to figuring out his mystery woman’s identity afterward. Every question he’d asked during the last few days had come up empty.
Empty matched his grim state of mind. After last night with Steff, he felt hollowed out. No better than a husk.
Her smile flashed into his mind and he ground his fist into his thigh. Fuck, he couldn’t get her out of his head. She’d checked every column in his mind. Best friend, sexual partner, what next? Woman he lo—
The phone rang and he groaned softly, grateful for the reprieve from his thoughts. A round of tedious phone calls with clients followed. He’d begun sorting through his files for a summons and complaint when his door abruptly swung open.
“Christ, you look like hell.”
Rather than gaze at Craig in the doorway, Landon continued shifting through his paperwork. “I’m busy. Call back never.”
“Ha, as if your surly ways could ever scare me off.” Craig grinned and sprawled in the chair opposite Lan’s desk. “How’d it go with Steff last night?”
A grunt was his only reply.
“Man, you disappoint me. I know you’re stubborn, but I never thought you were stupid. You’re really going to let this continue with her? Is that what you really want?”
What I want is to make love to her all night long. What I want is to wake up beside her in her bed and laugh with her. What I want is for this to turn into something real. Permanent. To know that she trusts me to become the guy she needs, because she trusts me, period.
Landon rubbed his forehead. That had to be the sleepless night talking. Had to be.
Sighing, Craig gave up and took a new tack. “So, you coming Monday night?”
The week’s events probably were to blame for the gutter level of his thoughts, though they never rose much above basement range, anyway. He hadn’t come since last Friday night and that felt like a lifetime ago. Even the mind-blowing orgasm he’d experienced inside his mystery woman paled when compared with the wonder of kissing and tasting Steff.
Damn, if he’d actually gotten inside of her, he would’ve fucked them both senseless, then kicked his own ass afterward.
Steff was just testing her limits. In a couple of days—or when Hickey Guy returned for round two—she’d realize that Landon had done her a favor by backing off. She’d probably even thank him.
Whatever it took to get Steff off his mind, he would do it. Including instituting an all-points bulletin for a woman with a clip-on, furry red tail.
“No,” Landon pushed aside his stapler. “I’m not coming ever again.”
Craig laughed. “Extreme much?” He adjusted his silky silver tie and gave Landon a toothy smile. “Guess you never found your earring wearer, hmm?”
“Don’t start.”
“Just an innocent question. As was the one about Monday. You know Kenney’s been chomping at the bit for us to celebrate winning the Fielding case
last month. Fins and Tails is having a two-for-one on lobster tails.”
Considering Craig’s larger-than-life personality, Landon had always found his friend’s penny-pinching ways amusing. Craig was doing damn well—they both were, though Lan’s profits had slowed down with his specialty change—yet he still behaved as if he was the wrong-side-of-the-tracks kid who’d had to cobble together a package of loans, grants, part-time jobs, and scholarships for law school.
“You know I’m allergic to shellfish.”
“Party pooper. At least Steff’s excited about going.”
Landon’s head jerked up so hard his neck creaked. “Why is she going?”
“As my date. She’s come with me to the last few office functions, something you would know if you ever showed. Everyone loves her.” Craig crossed his foot over his opposite knee. He couldn’t sit still to save his life. “Kenney’s on the warpath about everyone bringing respectable dates to official company functions after that mishap with Tallerico and his fuckee a few months ago. So I figured who better than Steff to represent me, right?” He grinned. “She bought a smokin’ cocktail dress last weekend, and I can’t wait to see her in it.”
Jealousy bloomed hot and unwelcome in his chest. Was Craig her anonymous lover? Had Steff decided the best sex was with old friends, and she’d moved on to Landon after starting the trend with Craig?
Landon scraped a hand over his stubbled jaw. No, they were friends. Close friends who helped each other out. They didn’t hang out together naked, he was almost sure.
But just in case…
“I’ll see it myself on Monday.” Landon slammed shut the folder he’d been paging through and gave Craig a thin smile. “Since I’ll be there, too.”
“Oh, really? Thought you weren’t going.”
“I changed my mind.”
If Steff and Craig’s relationship had evolved to the point that Craig was toting around her shopping bags, it seemed like he was overdue in assuming his allotted space in their trio. He was not the least bit concerned, however, that Steff’s wing-spreading had extended to the man who could separate a woman from her panties in less time than it took to make coffee. That would be silly. He had no reason to be envious.