Clarissa caught her lower lip between her teeth, and Ace watched as she worried the pink flesh, her eyes flicking to the tattoo that decorated one side of his neck, down to his wrist. She’d probably never know that the tattoo covered half his upper body, since they were hired to protect her. This was business, nothing else. Now, he just needed to get his dick to agree.
Ace felt Kalen kick him under the table in warning, which he understood. For some reason, whether it was his tattoo or the way Kalen had approached her, Clarissa seemed frightened of them, and they needed her trust if they were going to protect her. She’d probably bolt if she could see his reaction to her.
He and Kalen weren’t given much information about this case. They were just told that someone was in danger, and their job was to make sure she was protected until another team found out who was after her. They were given her description and name, nothing else. Personally, Ace would have rather had the field assignment instead of babysitting duty, but sometimes that’s just how the cards fell.
“I’m Ace Connor, and this is Kalen Nash.” He didn’t offer his hand, thinking that touching her at this point might send her running. “Our supervisor, Jagger Malone, wasn’t able to explain much of your situation since this was a last-minute assignment. Do you think you can clarify some things so we know what we’re facing?”
“You’re Nobles?” Shock was evident in Clarissa’s voice, but for whatever reason, she slumped back into her seat with a relieved look on her face. “Oh, my! This is good. This is really good. My contact really did know what he was doing.”
She was talking to herself. Ace shared an amused glance with Kalen and, for a brief second, wondered if Clarissa wasn’t a little crazy. She didn’t wear makeup, not that she needed to. But her hair, well, it was a mess. She had curls everywhere, and where he could see she tried to keep them under control, Ace wondered how long her hair really was. He took in her jeans and navy blue sweatshirt that had a hole near the shoulder, a red purse that didn’t match, fingernails that were bitten to the quick, and she was a total disaster. She was kind of cute, though, in all that disarray. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a boring assignment, after all.
“How did you know we were Nobles?” Kalen asked, bringing the conversation back on track. “Do you know Jagger?”
Jagger was an ex-federal agent who had been given the task of overseeing groups of Nobles in their effort to help the government on special missions to protect their Homeland. Usually, this included flying overseas for some type of military excursion, but most recently included operations closer to home involving civilian cases. It wasn’t until fourteen months ago that the government shut down a secret division known as the Fray, originally created to wipe out their race due to fear of the unknown. The powers of the Noble race went beyond that of extraordinary, and the current President was wise enough to use their abilities for the greater good. It also helped that Jagger was married to Reese Matthews, the Deity of the Nobles, whom he shared with Theo McKay. Reese was the most powerful Noble alive, and both he and Kalen considered her and her men close friends.
“Not personally,” Clarissa answered vaguely, keeping her hands in her lap and her eyes downcast. “Just from what the media reveals. What are your powers?”
Why was she lying? It was clear as the light of day that Clarissa Worthing knew who Jagger was, the media having nothing to do with it. She was a terrible liar. Ace wasn’t sure calling her out on it now was such a good idea, seeing as they needed to obtain as much information as they could from her. Besides which, they were likely to be together for some time and the truth always managed to find its way out. Maybe that’s why they were given the babysitting duty, because Ace and Kalen were the patient ones. The others would have throttled Clarissa by now with her reluctance to share information.
“I’m an Immobilizer, and Kalen is a Feeler. Have you known other Nobles?” Ace figured if he tiptoed around the subject, Clarissa would eventually reveal what she was trying to hide.
“What does an Immobilizer and a Feeler do?” Clarissa seemed to be coming out of her shell and placed her forearms on the table. It was not the reaction he was hoping for. She leaned forward, her brown eyes sparkled with interest, making Ace uncomfortable with her enthusiasm. Yes, he and Kalen were constantly being questioned about their abilities, but this was different. He felt like he was under a microscope.
“Why don’t you tell us why you need protection,” Kalen interjected, and Ace leaned back to let him have the floor. Kalen was the smoother out of the two of them, and if anyone could get Clarissa to stay on track, it was Kalen.
“My job. I, well, I kind of—havesomethingsomeonewants,” Clarissa whispered, forcing her words out so fast, they became one. Clarissa leaned back against the booth and tucked one arm underneath her breasts. She used it to rest her other elbow on while she placed her index finger in her mouth and nibbled on her nail.
Visions of those smooth wet lips nibbling on his cock ran through Ace’s mind, and his dick hardened even more, making his zipper cut into his erection. A woman hadn’t affected him like this since he was a teenager, and she sure as hell hadn’t been this…pure. Ace shifted his hips, damning himself for going commando, and barked, “Stop biting your nails!”
Clarissa jumped and then glared at Ace, although she did take her finger out of her mouth. “If someone wanted to kill you, you’d bite your nails, too! Don’t yell at me!”
Kalen covered his laugh with a cough and then grunted as Ace elbowed him in the side. It wasn’t as if Kalen wasn’t affected by her innocence. Ace could see the evidence in the bulge of his jeans and took comfort in knowing he wasn’t alone. He always hated that Kalen was able to keep his emotions under control, whereas Ace was more apt to show his irritation at the slightest thing. He was sure Kalen got his reserve from his parents, who, when alive, never spoke of their powers and pretended they didn’t exist. Ace, on the other hand, had to deal with an alcoholic father. Although they were nothing alike, the one thing they did have in common was the inability to withhold their opinions.
This job was going to be a lot harder than he thought if they couldn’t get a handle on this attraction. At least with her little outburst, Ace knew they weren’t dealing with a wilting flower. She had some fire in her. “I’m not yelling at you. I’m just telling you it’s a bad habit.”
“What do you do?” Kalen asked, rubbing his side, clearly trying to get the conversation flowing again.
“I’m a scientist.” Clarissa placed her hands on the table and was now concentrating on the bitten nail. Ace could tell she was uncomfortable talking about her job, and again, that uneasy feeling that she was withholding something didn’t sit well with him.
“For which company? And what do you have that is so important someone would want to commit murder for it?” Kalen brought his bottle up to take a swig of beer. Clarissa watched with a look of horror, and Ace had to cover his mouth to keep his smile from breaking through. He wanted to tell her that he always limited himself to one, due to his father’s addiction to alcohol, but found he liked seeing her rattled. She was cute, in a naïve way.
“I don’t work for one company, per se. I’m sort of doing research on my own,” Clarissa divulged, waving her hand dismissively. Unfortunately, her fingers collided with her beer bottle and sent it slamming down on its side. The brown liquid leaked out of the bottleneck and foamed as it made a puddle on the surface, making Ace reach for the napkins. Kalen picked up the bottle and placed it on the end of the table, far out of her reach.
“Sorry,” Clarissa mumbled, grimacing at the mess while Ace placed the napkins over the spill.
“No worries,” Ace said, sharing a look with Kalen. For someone who was supposed to be a professional scientist, she certainly was clumsy. “You were saying?”
“I’m not at liberty to say what I have in my possession, just that I need to do more research. Well, it’s not that I can’t say as much as I need to be one-hundred-percent certain about wha
t I found before I turn it over. I can’t do that with someone trying to kill me. And before you ask, the answer is no. I do not know who wants me dead.”
As Clarissa continued to give them vague answers, she played with her nails and was now to the point that she was using her thumb to pick away at the chewed nail. Not able to take it any longer, Ace reached out and covered her hands with his. Clarissa’s gasp had him looking up, seeing her lips part as their touch created an electrical current. Ace knew he was a goner and cursed his luck. Never before had a woman’s skin had an effect on him like Clarissa’s. Whatever this attraction was, Ace needed more. This slight touch wasn’t enough, and Ace craved to see how wide those lips would part when he touched her nipples instead of her hand. Could he get her to moan when he stroked her pussy?
“Ace,” Kalen said in warning, making Ace turn his head, thinking he was about to be reprimanded for where his thoughts had traveled. Since Kalen could feel every emotion that people emitted, he was certainly getting a huge dose of arousal. But it was the look in Kalen’s eyes that indicated they had other worries besides being attracted to their client.
Two men had walked into the bar with black leather jackets on, and considering it was the middle of summer in Montana, they weren’t here for a drink. They sauntered up to the bar, not bothering to sit on the stools. Ace tightened his hold on Clarissa’s hand and leaned over the table, close enough to where strangers would think he was about to kiss her. In a low voice, Ace instructed, “Clarissa, when I give the signal, I want you to crawl underneath the table. Do not come out until I tell you it’s safe.”
Clarissa just stared at the men with a horrified look, clearly not hearing a word Ace said. He and Kalen did not need her freaking out on them. Ace released her hands and threaded his fingers through her hair, forcing her attention back on him. When he was sure she was listening, Ace asked, “Do you understand me? I need you to crawl underneath the table when I tell you to in case they pull their weapons before I can take them out.”
“I think we should sneak out,” Clarissa whispered, stealing another look at the men. “What happens if they kill you? I never thought of that. If you die, it would be my fault. I’m not good with guilt, you know. I—”
Ace kissed her. He didn’t know what else to do. In the short span they’d been in her presence, it was obvious she was caught up in her own little world. He wanted to describe her as naïve, but her gasp widened her mouth and gave him access to her taste, scattering his thoughts. Nothing that tasted this delicious could belong to someone who was naïve. She tasted like those little white mints he liked so much. He dipped his tongue in and touched hers, needing a little bit more. Slanting his head, Ace deepened the kiss and explored everything she offered. The moan she released into his mouth traveled directly to his shaft, causing a permanent ache. Surprisingly, Clarissa’s hands grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him closer, making his throbbing dick press against the table.
“Could we please focus here?” Kalen barked, pulling Ace back to their present problem. “We’ve got more important things to take care of than playing with our new client. And to top it off, she’s killing me, Ace.”
Ace knew what Kalen was referring to. If Ace couldn’t control his intense attraction to Clarissa, then she must have been putting out major vibes of need, especially if her ragged sighs were anything to go by. Kalen must have been getting slammed with passion and desire. Ace reluctantly released Clarissa’s curls and leaned in for one more quick kiss. They would definitely be taking this back up at some point. He was about to break their rule regarding mixing business with pleasure. Sitting back down, Ace gave Kalen a little shove to get out of the booth. “Let’s get this over with.”
“You expect me to walk after that?” Kalen complained, sliding out of his seat. “For one day, I’d love to exchange powers.”
“Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river,” Ace said, smiling. “Must be a drag to feel a woman co—”
“Have you forgotten that I’m right here?” Clarissa glowered across the table. “Or that there are two men over there who might be here to kill me? Could we take this a little more seriously?”
“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Ace promised. “If they were about to do something, Kalen would feel their adrenaline spike and I would use my ability. We just need to make sure they are here for you. The last thing we want to do is create an unwarranted situation.”
“Then what was that kiss for? A gentleman—”
“Honey, I’m no gentleman,” Ace declared, standing beside Kalen. “But kissing you did exactly as I intended and kept you from being terrified. Now, we’re going over to the bar to hopefully have a really calm discussion. If you see either one of us glance your way, I want you under the table immediately. You never know when things can go wrong.”
Chapter Two
“I want you under the table immediately,” Clarissa mimicked in a deep voice, bobbing her head side to side.
Clarissa would never admit, in a million years, that Ace’s kiss stopped her from panicking. As Ace and Kalen walked across the somewhat-clean floor, Clarissa lightly touched her still-tingling lips with her fingers. For some reason, she did trust them to keep her safe, and that made her wonder why. Logically, Clarissa knew that emotion shouldn’t rule the brain. They hadn’t earned her trust, so therefore she shouldn’t feel safe. But she did.
Her lips were still warm. The two men in her past that she had had sex with had never kissed her like that. Clarissa specifically made sure that she slept with two men to compare the experience, since the first one wasn’t up to par. It seemed like a good idea at the time to confirm her hypothesis. All the magazines she read precisely stated that an orgasm was like the Fourth of July. This was why she chose the second man. But since he couldn’t get her to that point either, Clarissa drew the conclusion that she was the problem.
Ace and Kalen had made their way over to the men and struck up a conversation. Clarissa’s eyes were drawn to their movements, loving the way Ace’s tattoo stirred whenever he moved his arm. And whenever Kalen clenched his jaw, like he was doing now, it was such a masculine effort. They both looked her way, and she gave a half-smile. That’s when it hit her. Oh. My. God. Maybe one of them could give her an orgasm! She had thought about purchasing a vibrator before, but never got around to it. Which one should she choose to help her out? That decision was going to be tough, but maybe since Ace was the first one to kiss her, she should stick with him.
Ace turned and gave Clarissa a pointed stare. There was no way he could know what she was thinking. Clarissa nibbled on her middle nail and really thought this through. It would be neither one of them. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by two men. They were hired to protect her and she really needed to concentrate on her research. If Clarissa was right, she was about to unlock the genetics code to the Noble race. The decision was made, and Clarissa felt much better. She didn’t have time to research sex. Maybe after completing her current examinations of their DNA, Clarissa could convince them to help her achieve orgasm. That is, if they weren’t too mad at her for not disclosing all the facts.
Kalen was now shooting daggers her way, and Clarissa almost looked over her shoulder to see if someone was standing there. It was a good thing she didn’t, or Clarissa wouldn’t have seen one of the men pull a gun. In a blink of an eye, Ace disarmed the guy and Kalen did the same with the other. Neither of the offenders was moving, and Clarissa suddenly understood what Ace’s ability was. As an Immobilizer, he could restrain the movements of people. It was amazing to witness them in action.
Ace and Kalen quickly made their way over to where she waited. Clarissa’s contact hadn’t steered her wrong, and she was thankful she had calculated the odds in his favor. They disarmed those men faster than any cop show she’d ever seen on television. She could trust them, and they would be able to keep her safe while she verified her Noble DNA data.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” Ace asked harshly, rubbing his
hand over the top of his head. He shouldn’t be so frustrated after having taken care of those men. Now they could call the police and find out who they were. “I thought I made myself clear! If we looked your way, you were to get under the table. How hard is that?”
Uh-oh. Clarissa felt her face flush and couldn’t confess why she ignored his request. She wouldn’t divulge her inner battle between having an orgasm and research. So what if she was a lacking in the social aspect of things? She spent the majority of her days in a lab, working with specimens, not people. She briefly wondered how her lab rats, Einstein and Newton, were doing. Clarissa stood up and simply said, “I knew you had it handled.”
When Ace would have said something, Kalen shot him a look and placed his hand on Clarissa’s arm to pull her out of the booth. She was grateful for his interference. Kalen seemed to have a better handle on his emotions. Ace certainly was an easy target to provoke, not that she was doing it on purpose. Grabbing her red tote with the other hand, he led her toward the door and said, “Save it, Ace. We’ve got to get her to a safe house and then check in with Jagger.”
“Wait. Shouldn’t we call the police?” Clarissa asked, trying to get Kalen to stop pushing her toward the exit. “Now that we have the men who tried to kill me, they can be arrested.”
“No,” Kalen answered. “We’ll send in a team to question them and they’ll take care of everything. Besides, they’re just hired thugs who claim they don’t know the name of the man who paid them.”
Clarissa saw that the patrons were starting to realize something was wrong with the two men at the countertop. The bartender, who was drying a glass, looked warily over at them. Kalen slammed open the wooden door, and the evening sun hit her eyes. Clarissa put her hand up to shade her face before asking, “How long do we have before they start to move? And aren’t you worried that the bartender will call the police before your friends arrive? If he does, we probably have five point seven minutes before they get here, since that’s the current response time in this area. So I guess our real worry is the men inside.”
Noble Sensations Page 2