by S. M. Butler
“I got this job,” she said, smiling wistfully. “I come from a very small town. There, you’ve got two career paths. Ranching or something that supports ranching.” She sighed. “I didn’t fit into that little box they wanted me in.”
There was obviously more to her story than that. Her demeanor had turned sad all of a sudden. Regretful. But he was in no position to push her to talk, and yet, he wanted to. He wanted to hear her voice, hear the story she had inside.
God, he needed to get real. Stick to the damn mission, he scolded himself.
Jordan leaned toward her, his hands out of sight under the table. His fingers slid over her knee, his thumb gently stroking her soft skin. Instantly, the air turned sexual, heated. She rolled her lower lip in, her white teeth biting down on the soft flesh. “I’d love to see you in a vet’s lab coat. In fact, I’d love to see you in nothing but that lab coat.”
Her cheeks turned pink. He loved that blush on her. He wanted to keep it there. Forever.
But he didn’t have forever with this one. He had one night. If he was any sort of decent, he’d find the key card and do what he came to do, then leave her alone for good. But that intoxicating vanilla blended lavender scent of hers… it binded him, tied his hands so all he could do was stay there in her presence.
“Does it bother you that I speak so crassly?”
She shook her head. “Your honesty is actually refreshing.”
Stab. She didn’t know it, but ouch. He was doing nothing but lying to her right now. Though he’d lied to dozens in his past, to their faces no less, lying to her felt worse. Maybe because he’d conned a lot of women that weren’t as innocent as her and she had no crime other than that she worked for the wrong man and had the right access to something his boss needed.
“Then we should finish eating so I can show you exactly how much I want you,” he said out loud. He pushed the doubts in his mind out of the picture, concentrating on the woman sitting in front of him. Under the table, he reached out to her, sliding the tips of his fingers along her bare knee up toward her thigh. She made a little squeak of surprise that was damned adorable.
She recovered quickly, which was impressive to him. She smiled as she lifted her taco back up to her mouth. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “It doesn’t make it any less true.”
“You live close?” she asked.
“Hotel about ten minutes away,” he said. “You?” Like he didn’t already know exactly where she spent her nights.
“Twenty minutes out.”
“My place, then?”
She nodded.
“You. Me…” he lifted up his taco in a mock cheers with hers, “And tacos.”
4
Penny’s heart was racing, pounding so hard that she was afraid Jordan would be able to hear it as they walked in the silence of the night. Not too far off, music from the club next door boomed out into the night, followed by the shouts and laughter of drunks coming and going.
She was breaking all the rules she had for herself with Jordan, and yet, she couldn’t muster enough to care about it. Bottom line was she wanted this man, craved his touch, and fuck it, she only turned twenty-one once in her life. She should have fun.
The night air had a cool breeze sliding through her legs, cooling the overheated apex between her thighs. She hadn’t expected him to touch her so boldly inside a restaurant, but she couldn’t deny her attraction to him. She wanted him and by god, she’d have him tonight. The good news was that he was on board with that plan.
As they cleared the restaurant and entered the alley that led out to the street where they’d meet the car he’d called, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. She stumbled into his chest, gasping, as her free hand went to his chest to steady herself.
He kept hold of her hand, planting it behind her back level with her hips and walked her backward. Maybe she should have been scared. This man that she barely knew, that she didn’t even know his last name, was walking her into the dark of an alley. Her back hit the wall.
“Tell me you want me,” he whispered as he dipped his head to hers. He stopped, mere centimeters from her. “Tell me. I need to hear it.”
Her breathing was ragged, but only because he was stealing all the air. His bright tropical eyes were focused intently on her.
“Penny,” he whispered. “Tell me.”
“I want you,” she purred out.
He let out a groan that sounded almost like relief and closed the distance. As he kissed her, he closed his hand around her thigh, sliding up under her skirt until his big hand came in contact with the flesh of her ass, with only her soft underwear between his hand and her skin.
The action turned her into an inferno, a moan escaping her even as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, sliding along hers.
They broke apart, both gasping for breath, but they stayed intertwined together. Penny smiled up at him, even as darkness passed over his gaze. But it was fleeting and gone within a few seconds, like it never had been there. He brushed his fingertips over her jaw.
“Bet that car is looking for us,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers. The act was so gentle, so tender that she had the urge to move her arms up to his neck and hold him close.
But that wasn’t what they were doing was it? It was about sex. It was about her being adventurous on her birthday.
She nodded and stepped clear of him. “We should go.”
“You sure you want to come back to some random hotel with a man you just met?”
She smiled tightly. “I’ve done worse things.”
His frown deepened but he moved back so she could step clear of the wall. He took her hand, waited as she smoothed her dress back down into some form of modesty. He seemed preoccupied, but he quietly led her out of the alley to where, in fact, the car was waiting for them.
~*~*~
They found their ride impatiently waiting for them when they emerged from the alley. Jordan opened the back door for her and got in beside her. As he gave the driver the address to the hotel he was staying at, Penny suddenly felt a little out of her league. The hotel he’d mentioned was one of the most expensive in the city. Was he truly a mechanic? Or had he embellished a little? Made himself out to be less than he was? Maybe he owned a chain of garages or something.
God, he was gorgeous. So incredibly gorgeous. When he touched her body, her entire being turned to fire beneath his palms. The feel of his hands on her body still lingered, the ghost of them still hot against her skin, though he hadn’t really touched her directly without clothing barriers.
As he settled back in the seat, he put his arm around her and pulled her against him, her head against his chest. He let out a contented sigh as his fingertips played against her shoulder. She ran her hand against his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscles beneath that incredibly weird bird shirt. As her fingers hit something—maybe a scar? —he placed his hand over hers, trapping it against his sternum then ran her hand down his chest to the front of his pants.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” he murmured into her hair. “I can’t wait to feel you around my dick.”
He was definitely hard, and his size was impressive. She glanced up at him and smiled as she closed her fist around his cock through his jeans, running her hand the length of the hard bulge. He groaned.
“We’ll take care of that soon,” she promised.
He tilted her head up and kissed her, long and leisurely, like he had all night to taste her. She supposed they did. She had to work in the morning, but she’d buy an energy drink on her way into work. The torture through work tomorrow would be well worth what this man was bringing, if his touch now was anything to gauge by.
Entirely not soon enough, they pulled up to the hotel, much to Penny’s relief. Jordan paid the driver and they got out. The doorman nodded and held open the door for them as Jordan took her hand and led her through the lobby. He was like a tank with a one-tra
ck mind, pulling her at almost a run to get to the elevator.
As they entered, another couple got in too, so they had to stand there, both of them seething with sexual tension. Long minutes passed, a lifetime until that couple found their floor and exited the elevator.
As soon as the door shut, Jordan pulled her into his arms, lifting her up by her ass. She wrapped her legs around his waist as their mouths met. He turned on his feet and her back slammed into the wall of the elevator.
“Can’t wait…” he breathed as she gasped, taking a rare breath before his tongue snaked into her mouth again. Then he dropped light kisses down her throat, along her collarbone. On the other side, she could see their reflection in the mirror.
Her cheeks were tinted pink, whether from desire or the heat they were generating, she wasn’t sure. His back was tensed, and she enjoyed watching his muscles flex beneath the shirt that was stretched across his shoulders. His hips pressed against hers, rubbing against her heat, even though they were both still dressed as he pushed against her like he was already inside her.
Her core ached to feel that hard shaft penetrate her. His lips trailed down her neck, pressing against the column of her throat. She groaned as the elevator dinged and opened. She didn’t want to stop, almost considered the idea of taking another trip down and then back up in the thing, but he pulled away, taking the choice from her.
He barely set her down before they were both rushing down the hall, his hand pulling her along for the ride. He fumbled with the key card to the door and pushed the heavy thing open to the darkness. As it shut behind them, he flipped on the light, bathing the room in a soft warm glow.
Penny stared at the room, which was more suite than hotel room. There was a sitting area directly in front of them, a wooden coffee table stained mahogany in the center. A cream-colored sofa was on one side and matching armchairs around the ends of the table. Beneath the furniture there was an area rug that was looked so soft she debated laying on the floor just to feel it.
“Jesus,” she whispered, trying hard to keep her mouth from unhinging in awe. “This place is beautiful. I’ve never been anywhere like this.”
“The company I work for pays for it,” he admitted. He seemed just a little annoyed by it, but the reaction was fleeting. He took her purse and hung it on a coat rack by the door and then led her to the couch. “Have a seat. Want a drink?”
She nodded as she took a seat on the soft sofa that probably cost more than her entire apartment did. He poured something behind her, the glass clinking against glass.
But the room had an effect on her. It slowed down her libido, pulling her right to a stop, like she was suddenly sober. Jordan really was out of her league, if this room was any indication, and she was fairly sure that he had to be more than just a mechanic. Maybe he owned several? Like a chain of them?
Whatever. She wasn’t looking for forever. She was looking for a good night and that was exactly what she was going to give herself tonight.
5
Jordan poured the whiskey generously, his back to Penny as he stood at the mini bar. The small white-filled vial was warming his palm, ready to do its duty to knock his little mouse out. After that, his mission would be easy. Wait for the sedative to knock her out, get the keycard from her purse and make the copy. Then get gone. In the morning, she’d assume she’d had too much to drink.
Easy.
But he’d be lying if he said that was all he wanted from her. Her delicious taste, those cute little gasps and cries… he wanted it all.
If they’d been able to meet on other terms, Jordan would have loved to… but that wasn’t possible, was it? For one thing, if he’d seen her on the street in his past life, he probably wouldn’t have even slowed down to spare her a second glance. Not because she was unattractive. That wasn’t it at all. But she wasn’t a rich widow or a young gold digger unhappy with her ancient husband’s inability to perform. That was his old M.O. That was his father’s legacy to him. That was the only thing he’d ever been good at.
He pocketed the sedative away without using it. That wasn’t how tonight was going to play out. He hated that Bridget Muldoon had put him in this situation, but the woman hadn’t been wrong. This was exactly his specialty. Seduction. Manipulation. Stealing someone’s entire life in the span of a few hours.
Maybe Penny would end up hating him. Maybe she’d never put it together that he was the one who took her key card. If all that was going to happen, he could at least give her the best birthday night she could have, right?
Hell, he was being selfish more than anything. Because he had had a taste of her, and he couldn’t get enough now.
He took both drinks to where she sat and held out one toward her. She smiled as she took the whiskey from him. “How did you know I like whiskey?”
Because it was his job to know these things. He shrugged and gave her the sharp, confident smile he didn’t feel. “You don’t look like you’re a margarita girl.”
“I drank one in the bar,” she protested.
“Yes, but you said you’re from a ranch town. Girls there drink whiskey.”
She snorted. “Is that so? That’s quite the generalization.”
“Or maybe I just want to get you drunk and take advantage of you,” he replied, “And this is faster than feeding you drinks that are mostly sugar and very little alcohol.”
She downed the contents of the glass, gasping with the burn of it as she set the glass down on the table in front of them. Her voice turned low, almost like a purr. “You don’t have to get me drunk. I’m already here.”
He followed her example and slammed his drink back, then set the empty next to hers. He slid his fingers along her collarbone then dipped them under her sweater. He pushed the material off her shoulders, watching it slide down her arms to her elbows.
Her cheeks were flushed as he cupped her neck, his thumb brushing along her smooth jawline. “God, you are maybe the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” His voice was rough as he ate up every inch of her with his gaze, memorizing every part of the supple skin he was dying to taste. As she shuddered out a ragged breath, he murmured, “Come here, sexy woman.”
She obeyed easily enough, folding her body against his as she let the sweater fall to the floor. He bent his head, mashing his lips against hers as her breasts pressed against his chest. He groaned as her leg slid over his lower body, so she was half-straddling him. His cock slammed to full mast inside his pants, desperate to find the warmth she promised.
Now that he had her alone, no bar, no prying eyes outside of the alley, or in the car that drove them here… he wanted to taste every inch of her. Touch every inch of her.
Her dress was already riding up, revealing the bare flesh of her thighs. Without breaking contact with her lips, he flipped off her shoes, barely hearing the thump as they hit the carpet. Then she was straddling him, her knees on either side of his thighs as that hottest part of her rested against his erection. Her fingers slid down his chest to his shirt and started working the buttons.
He groaned, then covered her hands with one of his, stopping her progress. Too fast, too much. The sensations were overwhelming. She was overwhelming. And those delicate, slender fingers were inches from all that shit on his chest he’d rather forget was there.
“Too many clothes,” she moaned as she tried to pull free of his grip.
The scars interlaced with the tattoos on his chest never usually bothered him much, not when he was simply banging women for the money or the one night, never to be seen again. For some reason, he didn’t want her to judge him for his past and wasn’t that the biggest WTF ever. He wasn’t going to see her again after this night. But yet, he still cared enough that she not see the scars left behind from that night.
“Let’s take this to the bedroom, darlin’,” he whispered.
Begrudgingly, she moved off him. Jordan never lost contact with her, his hands gripping hers as he led her into the back bedroom. From here, he’d been able to see the g
allery, to watch her and learn her routines. He’d been able to see Reilly’s men as they tailed her home unnoticed. He’d seen the secret iron grip Reilly had on his little mouse.
He was fooling himself if he thought completing the mission would do nothing to her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as he closed the bedroom door, blanketing them in the darkness where he was comfortable. Thanks to the Reaper matrix, he could see the outline of her, the uncertainty in her expression.
God, he needed to get himself together.
Pushing away thoughts of the mission and Reilly, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Without even needing to look, he found the zipper to her dress and slowly lowered the thing down until her dress loosened enough to reveal tantalizing peeks at the flesh she covered.
Though likely she couldn’t see much, he could see all of her. He released her so he could watch as the dress hit the floor.
Jesus. She was gorgeous.
She had a strapless bra and bikini panties, both completely made of black lace. And that bra left nothing to the imagination. Her nipples were hard, pressing against the lace. His little mouse wasn’t a mouse but a tiger in hiding. Even in the dark, those eyes watched him with a hunger of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and she was going to get it.
Then she smiled and crooked one slender finger at him. Without even a heartbeat’s hesitation, he went to her, pulling her into his arms as his lips closed on her neck, sucking on the soft flesh until a moan fell out of her mouth. Together they backed to the bed until her knees hit the mattress, and then he lowered her to sit on the edge while he knelt before her.
As she started to back up to get further on the bed, he stopped her with strong hands on her thighs. “Wait.”
“I need you naked,” she purred. “Now.”
“Patience, love,” he murmured as he got in between her legs and kissed the top of her right breast, pulling at the cup so all of her flesh was revealed to him.
God, wasn’t it perfect. A pretty little bead of dusty rose against silky smooth cream. He dipped down and took that nipple in his mouth, moaning in unison with her as her fingers tangled in his short hair and fisted large chunks of it. He actually liked how hard she held it, liked the pain she gave him as she moaned out his name in pleasure.