Virtually Perfect

by Samantha Hunter

  When he looked at her, she drew back, shocked by the sharpness of his eyes.

  “No—you listen.” He leaned in. “I don’t like someone breaking into my networks, I don’t like them harassing you or anyone else, I don’t like that the cops can’t do crap about it, I don’t like the way that cop looked at you, and I don’t like that prissy little tone you always use when you think you are calling all the shots.”

  Unsure of how to respond to his litany of complaints, she tried to control the fact that she felt a little breathless, and went for the easy one.

  “I do not have a prissy tone.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Oh yes, you do, princess. And you use it whenever someone steps on your pretty little toes, or gets closer than you want them to. Like now. Like the morning we woke up together. Remember that, Raine? Remember how we made love, how hot it was? Do you remember how I felt inside you, how I made you come?” He gripped the steering wheel a little harder. “God knows I think about it every day. Every night.”

  He watched her lips part as she caught a breath and simply stared at him. He liked reminding her of what they had shared, didn’t want it leaving her thoughts any more than it had left his. She wasn’t so cool and prissy now, he thought.

  He turned and reached out, cupped her cheek in his palm, rubbing his thumb over her silky skin. She flushed and went hot under his hands. He saw the flash of desire in her eyes, and knew that she remembered every detail, just as he did. He smiled, satisfied, and gentled his tone.

  “We’ll go back and work together for a while, okay? I want to help, Raine. Let me.”

  She nodded, and turned her face into his palm, rubbing her mouth against his skin. When he drew his hand away, she could see that it wasn’t steady, and she smiled.

  9

  SPICY SCENTS OF GARLIC and ginger filled the office, and little white Chinese food containers were scattered everywhere. Raine had not had Chinese food in a very long time; they’d practically bought half the take-out menu, and had been quietly working and eating for the last several hours. Stopping her research for a moment, she picked up a container and scraped out the last of the lo mein noodles at the bottom, feeling sated and relaxed for the first time in over twelve hours.

  It was almost nine-thirty at night. Time to leave, she supposed. She watched Jack, lost in deep concentration as he tapped away on the keyboard of his laptop, occasionally grunting or cursing to himself. She hated to interrupt him, to break the easiness they had fallen into. She enjoyed the happy hum of work that had settled over the office.

  She never really worked with anyone around and had thought she would find it distracting, but they were enveloped in a companionable silence that was not the least inhibiting. In fact, there was something about working together that helped her get into a better groove. She wondered if it would be that way with anyone, or if it was just that way with Jack.

  Jack heard Raine shove away from the desk, and out of the corner of his eye could see her beginning to pack up. He had mostly been puttering, contacting some friends about his quandaries about the network break-in and cleaning up some bugs in a program he was testing. After checking over the entire network, he couldn’t find anything wrong—not even the little oddity he had been struggling with before.

  “Here, let me help with that.” He got up and helped her fit all the small containers into one larger bag for disposal. Raising an eyebrow, he surveyed the desktop. “Wow. We actually ate all that? No leftovers. Damn.”

  “Why? Are you still hungry?”

  “God no, I just like Chinese leftovers—good snack at three in the morning.”

  “Or for breakfast.”

  He nodded, grinning at her. “Oh well, maybe next time.”

  Raine felt a little squeeze in her chest—did he mean next time they ordered Chinese? Next time he ordered Chinese? Or next time they had midnight snacks or breakfast together? Although technically they had never had snacks or breakfast. She took a breath and stopped the whirl of overthinking—bad habit, analyzing everything. It had probably just been a meaningless comment. She was a little overwrought.

  Out in the parking lot, Jack chucked the garbage into a Dumpster and then walked to his car, reaching in to start it, before closing the door and turning back to her, snowbrush in hand. A light layer of snow had fallen, and everything around them sparkled.

  “I’ll follow you.”

  “Hmm?” She had been too busy watching his lazy, sexy walk to pay attention to what he was saying.

  “Home. I’ll follow you home. We can check your place, make sure everything is okay, and then I’ll head home.”

  Raine started to protest, then realized she wasn’t really completely comfortable going back to her dark house alone, and felt relieved he’d offered. She took a deep breath, hating the situation. She had never been afraid to go home. Her little house was her sanctuary, and now she had to be paranoid about walking in the door. Hopefully, it would be over soon.

  “Okay. So you remember where it is, in case we get separated?”

  “Yes. But we won’t.”

  She looked at him from underneath soft lashes, her eyes a mix of emotions. “Thanks, Jack—you are being way beyond nice to me. But I am thankful. It would be hard to go back there alone at this time of night.”

  Jack nodded, considering.

  “Maybe you should take Delaney’s advice and move out for a while.”

  She shook her head definitively. “No, it may be a little creepy to think I have to watch my every step for a while, or be careful about things I take for granted, but I am not being driven out of my house by some lunatic who may or may not even be around here.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself, looking around them into the cold, stark night. “Besides, where would I go?”

  “You are friends with Gwen, right? Good enough friends to stay with her?”

  “Oh yes—Gwen is one in a million. She would probably sleep on the floor and give me the bed. But she has a small apartment, just one bedroom. And she is, you know, involved right now.”

  “Yeah, I saw that, with Neal Scott.” He smiled at her surprise that he knew. “I caught them in a, um, clinch in the office a few nights ago.”

  Raine smiled. “Yeah, Gwen is crazy about him. Though I never would have thought of them as each other’s type. Considering the circumstances, my staying there would be a painful inconvenience for her, and I don’t think the situation really merits it.”

  His eyes turned very serious. “Raine, until we know exactly what the situation is, you should just be extremely careful. I’m sure if Gwen and Neal want to fool around, they can go to his place. They didn’t seem to care about using the office floor the other night.” He smiled, but saw she wasn’t going to bite.

  Her voice brooked no argument. “No, I want to be home. In my home. I am not going to let this situation get to me any more than I already have. It’s already disrupted my work life, and I am not going to let it make a shambles of my home life.”

  Jack grimaced, but understood and admired her resolve. Still, he wished she wouldn’t be quite so independent at the moment.

  “Then I guess you will have to get used to me dogging you home every night. And if I can’t, I’ll make sure someone can.”

  Raine observed the stubborn set of his chin, the glint in his eyes that was just short of begging her to argue with him, but she decided to take a different route this time.

  “Okay. I think I can handle that—if you will let me make dinner for you one night when you—how did you put it?—dog me home.” She grinned, feeling absurdly happy, given the discussion and the situation.

  Jack felt everything inside him melt as she looked up at him with a smile that he couldn’t have imagined in his dreams—she was like pure sunshine, and, for that moment, standing here in the bitter cold, he was warmed.

  As she looked up at him, her features softened and her eyes became pools of clear green. He didn’t know if she leaned into him, or if he pulle
d her close, he only knew he couldn’t wait another minute for her. He leaned forward, offering a soft kiss, licking the spicy taste of dinner from her lips. Then he covered her lips more fully with his, gently at first, but when she sighed into his mouth, he plunged as deeply as he could. He’d forgotten how passionate she was—no, not forgotten, heaven knew—but his memory had not quite served the reality justice.

  When she dragged the tip of her tongue along his lower lip, he pressed her closer, and she felt him, hard and ready, rubbing against her hip. Her body responded, and she felt her lower abdomen tighten and ache. They stood in a fog of heat and car exhaust that was piping out into the cold air, oblivious to everything but each other.

  She buried her hands in his hair, forgetting reasons and reasonableness, wanting only to lose herself in him. The man had a mouth like none she had ever known, and he knew how to use it. She felt her knees quiver when he nipped her lightly.

  He burrowed into her neck, biting a tender spot, then moving on to another. Raine swallowed, her breathing ragged. She knew she wanted him, but she didn’t know what else she wanted from him.

  She wanted to be safe—and right now, Jack was safe. She wasn’t sure how much of one was combined with the other. He had been so good to her all day, so helpful, and she was, when she thought about it too much, frightened. It was easy to misunderstand one need for another under these circumstances.

  “Jack, we shouldn’t—”

  He inhaled the scent of her hair and perfume and knew he wasn’t backing off—not this time. He wanted her in his bed, and maybe in his life. The unbidden thought shook him, but he pushed it aside. For now, bed would suffice—or the back seat of his car, as luck would have it.

  “Raine, just be quiet.”

  He didn’t wait for a response but kissed her again and wound her arms tightly around his neck as he reached to the side and opened up the back door. To be honest, he felt a little thrill but also a little apprehension—it had been many, many years since he had had a woman in the back seat of his car. He hoped he was up to the challenge.

  He disengaged from her slightly, and met her bemused stare as he began to unbutton her coat. Her eyes widened. He finished unbuttoning the coat, unwound her scarf and pushed them both from her shoulders.

  “Get in before you get cold.”

  Shivering once, she slid into the car, but eyed him warily.

  “Jack, seriously…”

  His own coat was off and thrown down on the seat, and he was glad to find the car toasty warm. They were alone in the parking lot, and the windows were nicely fogged. Perfect.

  “No, Raine…absolutely no seriousness. Let loose a little—remember online you told me you have never had sex in the back seat of a car before, and wondered what it would be like? Let me show you.”

  “But…”

  He somehow slid his hands under her butt and pulled her up next to him, then shifted and settled her over his lap, where she could feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against some very sensitive places. She wriggled a little to get comfortable, and he moaned and lifted his hips up.

  His kiss was so hot she started to break into a slight sweat. He murmured against her lips, words no one had ever said to her before. Things he had only written on the screen of a computer were now coming to passionate life.

  “I’m so ready for you, Raine. I’ve missed this so much…how hot you are…”

  She replied with a vague sort of “me, too,” but he didn’t seem to care much what was coming out of her mouth, he was too busy doing other things.

  Her head swam, and she lost track of exactly what it was she was going to say. As she tried to remember, his hand was slithering up inside her sweater, and closed over the warm skin of her breast, kneading and pinching until she couldn’t think at all.

  Sighing in pleasure, she gave in and slid her hands up inside his sweater as well, hungry fingers remembering the shape of his body. She put her hand over his heart, and felt it pumping madly.

  “That’s better, baby—just let go.”

  His voice was rough with need, and she joined him in frantic touching, kissing and biting. They laughed as they fumbled in the confined space, pushing her skirt up, his jeans lower, until his hot, velvet shaft sprung free and jutted against her.

  He closed his mouth tightly over her nipple, drawing hard as he worked one hand between them, rubbing and stroking her sex quickly with his able fingers, applying just the right pressure, knowing just where her most sensitive spots were, hardly letting her take a breath as she rocked into his touch and she shuddered against him with one of the fastest, sweetest orgasms she had ever known. He continued to stroke, his hand hot and wet next to her skin, probing and stretching her tender nether lips.

  She felt his hand move away, and looked down to see him closing it over his huge erection, rubbing her glistening juices over himself. She felt her insides liquefy as he touched himself, and she licked her lips, meeting his hungry, dark eyes with hers.

  “Raine, I need you, I can’t wait…”

  She didn’t want to wait, either, but couldn’t form the words. Straddling him, she moved up close, steadying her hands on the back seat, and took him inside in one smooth move. He groaned, lifting up underneath her sharply until he was buried to the hilt, and she dug her fingers into the material of the back seat as her body found a seductive rhythm of its own. His hands gripped her ass firmly, squeezing and guiding her as she rode him hard and fast.

  His head was thrown back on the seat as he gave himself over to her, and she felt a swift rush of power she had not experienced before. She was still sensitive and shivering from her own climax as he slid in and out. She wanted to give him as much as he had given her, and focused on how she could make this as good for him as he had made it for her. He was panting, his head was thrown to the side, and she smiled, loving how it felt to have this hot, needy man underneath her.

  She ran her hands over him lightly, teasing, and took his mouth in a wide-open, wet kiss as she thrust against him, taking him whole each time, squeezing tight. Suddenly he cried out her name and his entire body stiffened underneath her. She didn’t let up, but adjusted to his body’s movements, sliding her body along his as he trembled with release. He stroked her back, emptying himself utterly, until he simply sighed and let his head fall forward, his face buried in the hollow of her neck.

  His voice was muffled when he spoke.

  “Okay, you killed me. Call nine one one.”

  She smiled again and kissed his temple, and he lifted his face to see her looking at him with satisfied, happy eyes. It was a look he could get used to. He felt himself go flaccid, leaving the warmth of her body, and hugged her close.

  “They would have to bring two stretchers. One for each of us. I’m not sure I can move—they could find us here in the morning.”

  He smiled and laughed lightly, not wanting to let the moment pass, not knowing what to expect when it did. Would she just dismiss him, the way she did before? Would he be even more addicted to her now, had he gotten himself in too deep? As if he had a choice. She was all he could think about—all he had been able to think about for months. She was everything he wanted—fantasy and reality all rolled up into one. Now all he had to do was convince her of that. His heart sank a little, as she was the one to disengage first, her voice light.

  “I guess I’ll have a hard time explaining this skirt to the dry cleaners.”

  She was tugging her clothes back into place, smoothing her hair, making a light joke. He did the same, pulling up his jeans, searching the front seat for his jacket. She smiled at him, looking shy. He touched her face, and kissed her, not saying anything. Maybe things were best left unsaid for the moment. This was better, he knew, than last time, when she had kicked him out—but still, it was less than he wanted—not that he could define what that was.

  “You stay here, let me get your car warmed up, then I’ll follow you home.” It was on the edge of his tongue to ask if he could stay when the
y got there, but he bit down. Too much too soon, and he wasn’t even sure how she was going to react to this once it set in.

  Heading out into the cold, his body was still so hot from their lovemaking that he barely needed his coat. It was snowing harder now, and it took him a few minutes, but he found her car and started it. When he opened the driver’s door, she was there, waiting.

  “You’re all set.”

  She nodded, and stepped forward, seeming awkward and unsure. He marveled—this woman who had just ridden him with such confidence and intention that he had almost spontaneously combusted underneath her was now uncertain about what to do next? He met her halfway, and slipped his arms around her, pulling her close, and sighed a deep breath of relief when hers went around him as well. They stood like that for a quiet moment, and then she pulled away gently, and gave him a warm look before getting into her car. He went to his, and followed her out of the lot.

  Neither of them noticed that by the corner of the magazine’s office building, a figure in a long dark coat stood watching, deftly sliding into the shadows as they drove by.

  THE NEXT MORNING, any hopes Raine might have had about the stalker going away were leveled. There was a message on her desk to come down to Duane’s office immediately, and without so much as turning on her own computer, she headed straight there.

  The news was not great. She had not been able to deal with her reader correspondence for more than a week, due to the chaos in her life, and had been planning on taking care of it that very day. But apparently the stalker decided to take care of it for her. Raine sat in shocked silence as Duane explained.

  “Somehow, he got into your e-mail, and got hold of all your reader notes—and responded to them. The responses were insulting or sarcastic. He used every offensive word in the book, Raine. I’ve had phone calls and e-mails flooding in nonstop complaints, demands to cancel subscriptions, and we’ve been explaining that there’s a problem and giving the readers an extra year for free to convince them not to cancel.”