Seduced

by Angel Payne

  Bella actually squirmed a little. “Uhhh…”

  “He’s really good at logistics.”

  Ethan made a mental note to thank Z for the well-timed insertion.

  “I’m good at them too.” Ava seethed it this time. She tried to get past him again.

  Ethan almost laughed as he slid around for the second block. Get it through your head, woman. I’m not giving up.

  Their cat-and-mouse dance wasn’t lost on Bella. With a flirty toss of her head and another perfect smile, she ventured, “You…don’t want to stay and watch me act, babe?”

  Ethan scooped up her hand. “I’ve already seen you act, babe. Lots of times.” He tapped his head with his other hand. “You just said it perfectly. Some memories aren’t easy to shirk.”

  “Thanks,” she muttered. “I think.”

  Zeke slammed his hands together. “Cool beans. It’s settled, then. We’ll see you at Bella’s house tonight, Runway. Toss me your room key. Ray and I will run past the hotel on our way back to Ava’s, and I’ll grab your swim trunks.”

  Bella went even more quiet, which made him sense that his victory was near. “You were always so sweet about helping out on things.” She wrapped her hand around his arm again and pressed herself close. The smell of expensive perfume made a full frontal on his senses. “Thank you.”

  “Welcome.” Surprisingly, he got it out without a sneeze or a grimace. The smile that followed wasn’t so hard. In an hour, he’d be miles from that perfume. He’d have Ava alone again. For the whole day. That made all the sneaky tactics worth it. Sometimes a guy had to bend the rules to achieve the mission objective.

  Now, all he had to do was convince Ava that her aim was the same. Judging from the glower on her face when they met at her car ten minutes later, that was going to be easier said than done. The woman was clearly passionate about all her feelings, including total ire about having her day upended and her job description hijacked, not to mention Ethan’s involvement in both. That was okay by him. In his own line of work, patience and tenacity were side-by-side partners. He was ready for this.

  Including, if he had to, a little bit more than “bending” the rules.

  Chapter Four

  Ava forced in a deep breath. Another. Like they did any damn good at diminishing her ire at the man this time.

  Actually, she was shocked she hadn’t lost it sooner with the bastard. She’d sure as hell punched herself enough times for lingering too long at the set, inviting disaster to happen—an offer disaster certainly hadn’t refused. It happily obliged by plunking her here, alone in her boss’s villa with the man who’d pulled the audacity card in a move that still had her jaw heading toward the floor in shock. Yeah, the same man who shared a past of “unshirkable” memories with Bella—and with whom the starlet clearly wanted to create a few new ones tonight. That hadn’t stopped him from charming himself into an invitation for the whole day, had it?

  Ay! The ass! It seemed the Special Forces were giving their soldiers some extra training in balls-out boldness these days.

  That was as far as she dared go in thinking about Ethan’s crotch. As for having a face that could make even the most jaded casting agent stop for a second look? Probably not a Special Ops job necessity, though the man knew how to work that angle when he wanted as well—to perfection. For the last five hours, she’d been close to hurling more at him than her glower. Every time, he’d stopped her cold by flicking a charming wink of those piercing blues or lifting one side of his mouth in a deliberate grin. Knowing what he was doing to her with the looks. Watching every drop of her blood heat from livid ice to aroused flames because of it. Taunting her with what she couldn’t have and shouldn’t crave—especially now.

  That wasn’t even the worst of it. The hardest moments had been ones like this, where she walked into the room, this time the dining area between the open-plan kitchen and the sprawling living room, and caught him unaware of her stare at all. The rapt look on his face was beautiful as he listened to the lively chatter of the villa’s two housekeepers, as well as the lead maintenance team man. The maids went on in rapid-fire Spanish, though the dialect was thicker than the Spanglish Ava had grown up with so she couldn’t follow completely. Isko, the engineer, seemed to share her impediment, though he understood enough to insert some comments to the exchange. He used another language completely, but Ethan nodded and chuckled in comprehension of the man’s insertions too.

  Ava curled a hand to her chest, acknowledging the somersault of her heart. When he laughed, he went from beautiful to breathtaking. His eyes sparkled like the ocean outside the open patio doors. His thick hair fell forward, teasing his high temples. Subtle crinkles formed at the corners of his mouth. Her chest made room for the somersault to become a full floor routine.

  What the hell was wrong with her?

  “Seven months,” she whispered. “That’s the only thing wrong with you, chica. It’s been seven months, and you’re just…not used to this.” Not used to him.

  And if it had been only seven days, would she be? Seven hours?

  Getting “used” to Ethan Archer…to his effect on her skin, her nerves, her libido. Right. And California was going to slide into the ocean next year. And an animated movie would win the Academy Award for Best Picture. And somebody would make a sexy heel that didn’t double as a torture device. Some things belonged permanently on the ridiculous list.

  Suddenly, he looked up. Directly at her.

  Ava retreated, mounting the half dozen stairs to a landing that overlooked the area, pretending “dust” on the wrought-iron rails had become the most fascinating thing in the world. She waited for one of his brows to lift in question, or his knowing smile, or his brash sideways smirk…

  None of which came.

  He simply stood, gave a quick gracias for the staff’s time, and then put those long legs to work on a path straight toward her. Once at her side, he scooped both her hands into his. His gaze left no inch of her face untouched by its power. As it did, his mien did a slow burn from surface casual to deeply concentrated.

  “What is it?”

  Clearly the question he’d put on the phrase was a formality. The words were a demand, plain and simple. Ava squirmed, feigning interest in that dirt again, trying to break from his hold…from the piercing force of his eyes. “Besides the fact that you’re gawking like I’m going to vanish into thin air any second?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.” He readjusted his hold to weave their fingers into each other. The struggle to get free of him was officially stamped with No Dice. “You still didn’t answer the question. What are you thinking?”

  She gave him a long moment of contemplation before rendering a quiet reply. “Honestly? I’m thinking that those three have been working in this house for two years, and in that time, Bella hasn’t talked with them as much as you just did.”

  The revelation didn’t seem to surprise him, though dropping Bella’s name darkened his gaze. Whether that was a good thing or bad thing, she couldn’t determine.

  “Pity,” he said at last. “They’re good people. Paloma’s daughter graduates from high school next week. Valedictorian. Dory wants to get back to El Salvador to see her grandmother before the woman dies.”

  “And they’ve been having problems with a goose in the swimming pool?”

  That set free a new chuckle from him. “Not a goose. Just a duck. Apparently Bella hates the thing, but it really likes her. She’s ordered Isko to kill it, but he doesn’t have the heart.”

  She let a smile rise. “He’s a good guy.”

  “Sure is.”

  “He wasn’t speaking Spanish.”

  “No shit.” He beamed a teasing grin. “It was Tagalog. He’s from Batangas, in the Philippines. Wants to move back too, but he’s come to the States for a woman. Doesn’t know if he wants to put a ring on it, though.”

  Her smile dropped into a surprised gawk. “You got all that out of him?” After he shrugged and nodded, she press
ed, “How many languages do you speak?”

  “Fluently? Four. Working on five, but fuck, Chinese is hard.”

  Ava gazed at him with renewed fascination. She wondered how many other secrets the man was hiding under all that beautiful hair—and, more prominently, if she’d really uncovered a person who charged at their goals more passionately than her. She wasn’t just allured. She was aroused.

  Lethal thinking. She couldn’t do this. Not with him. Especially not after what she’d learned this morning—and what she’d seen. The certainty in Bella’s grip on his arm. The possessive flecks in the woman’s almond-shaped eyes. Pendeja. Lusting after the boss’s new toy was Stupid, capital S. Technically, “new” didn’t even apply. Bella had played with this one before and now wanted another turn with the improved model. This Ethan was bigger, bolder, and more beautiful thanks to the very job that should have Ava stamping a skull and crossbones across his forehead to remind her of a few things. Danger. Poison. Stay away.

  “Hello? Earth to Ava?”

  Of course, it was easier to push toys away when the damn things cooperated. Like not kicking up a lopsided smile that made a girl want to kiss them and punch them in the same moment. “Ethan,” she blurted, “I still have a lot to get done, okay?”

  Her renewed effort at escape got a tighter squeeze of denial. “And you’ll accomplish it all better if you take a break.”

  “No. I’ll accomplish it all if I do it all.”

  “Shut up.”

  Despite the crack, he got benevolent and let her have one hand back. No, not benevolence. Ulterior motive. He used her free hand to pull her toward a small outside balcony. Ava sighed but didn’t protest. What would be the use? Besides, it was a beautiful early June afternoon. The typical coastal haze had been burned off early. The breeze was sharp, with a hint of summer’s approaching warmth. It was nice and bright out here. Sunny and safe.

  She turned her face up into the golden rays before asking him, “So, did you give Isko any advice? About the woman and the ring?”

  Amazingly, Ethan let her have her second hand back. He leaned an elbow on the rail and gazed past Bella’s Italianate terrace, peacefully taking in the slope of Catalina Island toward the south and the larger silhouette of Anacapa Island toward the north. “I told him to go home.”

  She felt her brows jump. “Just like that? After only knowing him a few hours?”

  He cocked his head back toward her. The sun flashed in his eyes, and the wind danced in his hair. Just like that, all traces of his casual mien were gone. “I could’ve told him that after a few minutes.” At the are-you-nuts glare she refused to hide, he asserted, “A man usually knows what he wants, sunshine. If he has to question wanting it, then it’s not worth dicking around about.”

  The words dropped between them like grenades, bursting open with plumes of new meaning and thick resolution. His resolution.

  A gulp thudded its way down Ava’s throat. “Oh.”

  Ethan took her hand again. He guided her fingers up, sliding them beneath his hair until they pressed against his nape. He circled his other arm around her waist, dragging her close until her body was locked inside the frame of his unflinching muscles. His grip was as fervent as the sun but as merciless as the sea wind, urging her closer until she saw nothing but him.

  “I’m not dicking around about you, Ava.” With steady surety, he slid his hands until he cupped the swell of her ass. A gasp erupted from her throat before she could control it. Another followed as he squeezed her there, sending a thousand jolts of awareness into every tissue between her thighs. “I never was,” he went on. “Since that first moment I saw you, both of us tangled in all that wedding shit at Sage and Garrett’s…”

  “When you thought I was a terrorist?”

  Her attempt at levity didn’t work. “I would’ve been less scared if you were,” he uttered. “I… Fuck, I was in such deep trouble. It’s been a long time for me, doing all this…feeling all this. That day, just from rolling with you on the floor like that…”

  His face tightened as if he were in pain. She ached from watching his brow furrow and his lips twist, until he lowered his beautiful mouth to her cheek, brushing her skin with heat as he continued in a harsh whisper. “That night at Hawk’s bachelor party, all I could think of was how many ways I wanted you in my bed.” He worked his way to the edge of her ear. Ava dipped her head back, giving him better access to her neck. “Yeah, even the kinky ways,” he whispered. “Christ, I tried to be good…and I was…until we were in the forest the next day, and you begged me to pin you tighter to that tree, and—”

  “And it felt so right.”

  Shit.

  Why had she let the words slip out, instead of letting him be responsible for them? And why, oh why did she finish them by scoring his scalp with her nails, urging his mouth harder against her skin, letting him bend her back over the balcony’s edge so he could plunge his tongue lower, into the V of her shirt, leading down between her breasts? Why didn’t she stop him from twisting buttons loose and pulling the fabric open, exposing the lace-edged cups of her bra to him? Why wasn’t she pushing him back instead of moaning from the searing pleasure of it, reveling in the feel of him against her? Ah Dios, his body was so big. His mouth was so urgent. His touch was so electric. Her skin sizzled. Her senses reeled.

  So much for the damn balcony being safe.

  He didn’t stop unbuttoning her at a few holes. The pearl discs fell free beneath his fast twists until her shirt fell open, revealing her waist and the top of her hips. He smoothed the flesh with his long fingers before following the same path with his lips, nipping at her skin, wetting it enough so when the wind moved in after, delicious tingles washed through her. She swallowed hard, struggling not to be riveted by the sight of his dark head against her bare flesh, fighting not to love it.

  Before she could get a grip on herself and move, he rose and covered her again. His body fitted to hers. His mouth delved into hers. He didn’t waste time on subtle pretense with the kiss now. His assault was full and consuming, a hot barrage designed to melt her mind. The next moment, she knew exactly why.

  “It’s still right, sunshine.” He grated it against her mouth. “Goddamnit, it’s so right.” He lifted a hand and gripped her cheek, compelling her to stay focused on him…to witness the steel blades of determination in his beautiful gaze. “I refuse to let you deny it this time.”

  Her breathing faltered. Conflict whipped at her soul. Saying no wasn’t going to be as easy as deleting a text or ignoring a phone call this time. Or, God help her, even thinking about Bella and her implied claim on the man. Bella wasn’t here right now. She wouldn’t be for hours. The caterers were prepping the meal in the kitchen. The terrace was pristine. The house was being readied. There was nothing to think about, to surrender to, but this stolen gift of time with the man who’d stalked her thoughts and haunted her dreams since last fall. Ethan. Ethan. His effortless strength. His single-minded passion. His primal need for control.

  I refuse to let you deny it this time.

  She sifted her fingers in his hair and gazed deeper into his eyes. “This time,” she repeated, “I don’t want to deny it either.”

  His mouth twisted in sinful satisfaction. She struggled to dredge up the slap he should get for the look, but all she felt was joy that she’d pleased him so. His shadowed stare swept to her lips again, as if considering another brutal kiss. Instead, he dragged her back inside without a word. The second they cleared the door, he made a sharp left into the villa’s wine room. The space was Bella’s idea of a tribute to her name, with décor that looked like Caesar’s Palace had been invaded by Bernini’s ghost: marble statues, velvet couches, dark-tile floors, chilled air—not that Ava even noticed the latter. She burned for his touch again already. Yearned to get her hands on him in all the same ways too.

  He couldn’t pull her in, slam the door, and trap her back against it fast enough. The dim lighting of the room, compared to the brilliant sun
shine on the balcony, temporarily blinded her. She didn’t care. She found him with her hands. Learned his sculpted beauty in a whole new way as she scraped her hands beneath his T-shirt and over his back while he fused their mouths again. When he groaned in approval, she traveled her fingers around, sliding down over every hard ridge of his eight-pack. By the time she got back to his waist, he had let out a harsh grunt before simply tearing off the shirt. The silencers on his dog tags clunked as he tossed the shirt aside and then advanced on her again.

  His hands, rigid and tight, felt amazing on her shoulders. His kiss, hard and consuming, turned everything outside the door into unreality, unimportance. He shoved her shirt off next, unhooking her bra as he did so it fell to the floor too. In the aftermath, she stood still, letting her lungs heave, watching the shadows of the room play across his face as he took in her bare, erect nipples.

  “Beautiful,” he finally grated. “More incredible than I could have imagined.”

  “You too,” she whispered back. “Oh, Ethan…”

  He stopped her by pressing a thumb against her lips. “I need to be clear. I want you, Ava. I want to be inside you. I want to watch your face when I command you to come and your body shatters around mine. I haven’t had anyone else, haven’t dreamed of having anyone else, for seven months.” With his other hand, he guided her grip to the front of his jeans. Her fingers stretched around the black fabric, which was hot from the press of the flesh beneath. “If you stay in here with me—”

  “I’m staying.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. With a whip of her head, she captured his thumb and sucked it into her mouth. He hissed as she rolled her tongue around the length of it. The sound became a growl when he finally yanked it away from her.

  “I should spank you for that.”

  “Promise?”

  “Goddamn.” As his breaths escaped in heavy huffs, he pulled her close and sank his mouth to hers again. Her breasts mashed against the broad planes of his chest, rubbed and teased with friction that shot straight to the center of her body, now soaking wet with sexual need.