Deadly Potential

by Jennifer Carole Lewis

  She responded eagerly, kissing him hungrily. Her arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Part of him wanted to just haul down her jeans, and sink into her, but she deserved better than a quick penetration against a wall. Especially for their first time. He might not be a playboy, but he had a certain sexual pride in his skills. Besides, the rest of him had no intention of missing the opportunity to explore every inch of her.

  He slid his hands up her waist, skimming underneath the loose flowing top she’d worn. Ever since they’d left the arena, his imagination had been driven wild by how easily he could slip inside to touch her bare skin underneath. His hand closed over the full globe of her breast encased in a smooth bra.

  She exhaled softly against him, arcing back to push herself more fully into his hand. Her nipple pushed through the padding, hard and tight. He brushed his thumb over it, and it grew even firmer.

  He wanted to taste it. Pull off the top. Yank down her bra to fill his mouth. From the way she reacted to his light touch, he could tell that she was sensitive. Could he bring her to orgasm with only her breasts? The challenge appealed to him.

  She tilted her head back, inviting him to feast on the long line of her neck. He took his time, pressing nibbling kisses from chin to clavicle.

  Her hands pulled back from him, and he immediately stopped to check in. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, and her eyes were smoky from passion. She grabbed the hem of her shirt. When she pulled it off, it revealed her black fitted bra with her nipples standing proudly erect through the padding.

  He eagerly followed her lead, stripping off his jacket and T-shirt. She ran her hands along his bare chest, her fingers dragging through the light dusting of dark hair.

  Reclaiming her mouth, he pushed her bra strap off her shoulder, and peeled back the elasticized cup to free her breast. One hand explored her hip through her jeans while the other rolled and teased her large peach nipple with his thumb. She moaned against his lips.

  Her hands went lower, exploring his erection before sliding around his back to pull him even closer. His hips ground against hers, lifting her.

  She released his mouth to gasp, a quick inhaled hiss of a breath. Kissing along his jaw, she worked her way to his ear. She took his earlobe gently between her teeth, lightly scraping the skin as she released it. “I want you to fuck me.”

  The six whispered words nearly dropped him to his knees. He wasn’t a big fan of cursing or dirty talk, but coming from her lips, it was the most incredible turn on. As his grip loosened, she pulled free, and sashayed toward the bedroom.

  “Come on.” Her sultry smile over her shoulder left no doubt about her eagerness to participate. She dropped her hands to undo the clasp of her bra. It slid off her arms, and she tossed it aside. She winked at him as she stepped over the threshold.

  It was refreshing to not need constant check ins. Usually new lovers required slow pacing to make certain that all parties were still okay. It was incredibly sexy to see a woman so confident and open about what she wanted. He had no doubt that she would be equally open if he approached an uncrossable line.

  Closing the bedroom door behind them, he reclaimed her for a fiery clinch. Hands and mouths explored their newly exposed skin in a frenzy. He held on to his control with mental fingernails, not wanting to miss an opportunity in his eagerness. She encouraged him at every step, pulling him closer, and moaning her enthusiastic participation.

  He collapsed into the bed with her straddling his lap, putting her magnificent breasts at the perfect height to sample. He tasted her sweet skin in a series of soft kisses, moving down her neck, and into the promised land of plenty below. She arched into him as he tongued a generous nipple, and sucked it into his mouth.

  “Yes,” she breathed, her fingers tightening on the back of his skull. “Harder.”

  Her breasts filled his hands as he rapidly alternated his attention between the two. She gasped out heated directions as he flicked, teased, and suckled. Her legs trembled and squeezed as her moans grew higher and breathier. To his surprise, being directed ratcheted up the heat.

  One of her hands slid down from his head, trailing along his chest. She cupped his erection briefly through his jeans, sending a control-challenging wave of heat through him. Then her fingers pulled back, and dipped behind the waistband of her own jeans.

  He traced her arm down. The button unsnapped easily, and he pushed his hand beneath the fabric. Her fingers were deep inside her damp curls, stroking the swollen nub as she strained to push more of her breasts into his mouth. He caught her rhythm, and matched it, pushing his finger into her slick folds.

  Her inner walls clenched hard around his finger. She cried out, and looked at him with passion-dazed half-lidded eyes.

  “More?” He steadied her. His rock-hard cock ached with the desire to be inside her, making him feel half-drunk. Intoxicated, that’s the word. Intoxicated on the taste of her, on the sweet promise of what was to come.

  “Yes,” she panted, squirming against his hand.

  “God, you’re so tight.” He added a second finger. “This is going to be amazing when I’m in you.”

  “Make me come now, and I’ll ride you until dawn.”

  Her wanton promise spurred him on. He finger-fucked her, making sure to catch her clit on every stroke. It only took a few thrusts before she shuddered in his arms, crying out in ecstasy. Her body clamped down on him, writhing in orgasm.

  Slowly, she softened in his embrace. She exhaled against his cheek, and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. “Mmmm.”

  Languidly, she eased off of him. Crawling on her hands and knees across the queen-sized bed, she reached into a small carry-on bag. He heard the distinct crackle of a foil condom package.

  She held up the brightly colored disc, and gave him a sensuous smile. “Come over here. Let’s get you into costume.”

  He shed his constricting pants and underwear, leaving them in a heap on her floor. She relaxed on her pillows, still wearing her jeans with the fly undone. Her hair was tangled in a sensual mass, and her expression was that of a woman enjoying what she saw very much.

  “Seems to me you’re still over-dressed.” He ran his hand along the denim hiding her leg. “Maybe I can help.”

  “Maybe you can.” She flipped the condom between her fingers like a magician’s coin.

  He hooked his thumbs into the waist, and stripped away the intrusive layers. She was just as magnificent naked as he’d imagined, all long legs and sleek curves.

  “A promise is a promise.” She rose up on her knees, and gently pushed him into a semi-reclining position against the pillows. He stole another kiss as she ripped open the packet, and smoothed the condom over his erection.

  She earned his eternal gratitude by not drawing out the teasing any longer. Straddling him, she slowly lowered herself onto him. She was still wet enough that he slid easily into her. It was even more incredible than he’d hoped.

  He gripped her hips as they moved together, matching her rhythm. Slow at first, taking the time to slide and grind, savoring every inch. Then he increased force and speed, adjusting his hips for more friction, and to drive deeper inside. She panted, clutching at his shoulders for balance.

  Faster. Harder. He gritted his teeth, holding himself back as she gasped and moaned again, building to her second climax. Just a little more.

  This time when she clenched and spasmed, it sent him into blind exhilaration. Nothing else existed except the magnificent woman in his arms, and the transcendent crescendo vibrating through him.

  Chapter 18

  A terrific crash woke Katie out of relaxing unconsciousness. The warm arm around her waist vanished, and the mattress dipped alarmingly.

  Aggi’s voice drifted in from the other room. “What the—?”

  Katie blinked at Ben standing beside the
bed, naked with his gun pointed at the door. Memories of the previous night brought a warm flush to her cheeks and groin.

  “Katie? Are you okay?” Aggi’s voice got closer, accompanied by an odd skittering sound.

  Katie’s brain snapped out of the sleep-and-sex-haze to recognize it must be the stones from the booby-trapped door.

  “I’m fine. Give me a minute.” She threw back the covers to climb out of bed.

  Ben lowered his weapon, and bent to pick up his discarded jeans.

  She mouthed the words good morning at him, and got a pleased smile in return. If he’s still happy to see me when my hair is a rat’s nest, and there’s drool residue on my face, then he hasn’t been entranced by my looks. The sight of his dimple made her wish for enough time to indulge in a proper morning-after. Not that Aggi would stay away for more than a few minutes.

  “Do you want to order room service—oh.”

  Or possibly less.

  Aggi stood in the doorway, her face bare of makeup, and her hair in a single braid. Her mouth gaped as she stared at Ben. It snapped shut quickly.

  She grinned. “So breakfast for three? I bet you’re a bacon and eggs kind of breakfast guy.”

  “Out.” Katie firmly escorted her sister from the room, ignoring the only partially-concealed thumbs up of approval. She shut the door. “I’m sorry.”

  “At least the alarm worked.” His eyes lowered to the denim in his hands. “Do you want . . . privacy or something to talk with your sister?”

  “I thought you were going to be my ever-faithful protector.” She twined her arms around his waist. “Never leave my side, and all that.”

  He dropped to pull her closer, caressing her bare skin.

  She rose on her tiptoes to steal a kiss. The back of her mind wondered if the night before had consumed their explosive chemistry.

  When their lips touched, the contact was just as fiery and combustible as before. If her sister hadn’t been waiting, Katie would have pushed him back onto the bed to satisfy her aching cravings.

  Reluctantly, she broke the kiss. “Will you come back tonight? I’m not finished having you guard my body.”

  “I’ll be there,” he growled, his forehead pressed to hers, and his hands gripping her hips.

  She snatched one more lingering kiss before regretfully leaving his embrace to get dressed. Ben pulled on his clothes from the day before, then insisted on sweeping the other room before allowing Katie to emerge from the bedroom.

  Aggi waited impatiently by the bar, toying with the pebbles from the homemade alarm. “I already ordered. I thought you might want to keep your strength up.”

  Ben ran his hand over his scalp. “Thanks. I’m going to check in with Ray. Don’t let anyone in, not even room service, until I’m back.”

  Katie promised. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Aggi eagerly leaning to follow his progress out the door. When it clicked closed, her sister pounced.

  “Details. I want details.”

  “There’s not much to say.” Katie yawned, ready to crawl back into bed for another five or six hours of sleep.

  “Oh, come on. My ex-boyfriend is still spilling his made-up sex secrets to the media. I need vicarious true romance. Please don’t make me beg.”

  “Trevor’s still pushing the kinky sex story?” It felt like a lifetime ago, but in reality it had only been two days. “I guess Razel hasn’t been helping. I planted a few counter-rumors. I heard plenty before he got kicked off his movie set.”

  “Like what—no, wait, don’t change the subject. I want to hear about last night. Pretty please?” Aggi plopped on the couch, and did her sad-puppy pouting face.

  Moving on automatic pilot, Katie pulled yogurt and strawberries out of the minifridge, dumping them in the blender. “It was surprising. Guys are usually intimidated by me. He wasn’t.”

  “Very promising. And from the dopey grin on your face, he doesn’t suck in bed.”

  “I knew we’d get fireworks, but . . .” Katie made a circular motion with a strawberry. “It was like hearing this mega-produced dance song, and then realizing under the effects and layers, there’s a poignant soul-touching ballad. I got more than fireworks. But maybe it was one-sided.”

  “I don’t know. If Kevin Costner had watched Whitney Houston the way Ben watches you, that movie would have made ten times what it did.” Aggi paused, and frowned. “Wait. What are you doing?”

  Katie paused as she added the vanilla into the blender. She bit her lip, annoyed at herself for moving on automatic pilot. Guess the cat’s out of the bag. She put down the vanilla, and fired up the machine, just as she’d done every other morning on this tour. “I’m making us smoothies.”

  “How long—” Aggi sighed. “Never mind. Long enough to do it automatically. When I said I’d like a strawberry smoothie in the morning, I didn’t want you to have to make them yourself. Why pretend you were ordering them? It’s California. There must be a dozen smoothie places within a five-minute walk.”

  “Probably. But those places may or may not use organic ingredients. Or they might not be willing to deliver. Or you might not like what they use for flavoring. Doing it this way is just easier.” Katie poured the finished mixture into glasses, and brought them to the couch. “You get what you want, and I don’t add smoothie research to my to-do list.”

  “Well, thank you. You could have just told me what you’d decided,” Aggi said pointedly. “I’m not a difficult diva.”

  “No, you’re not. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Katie offered her glass for a solemn clink.

  “You’re always protecting me. From problems with the tour, issues with the press . . . and my mom.”

  Any reply would only cause more problems. Katie kept her lips sealed.

  Aggi leaned forward. “Patrick told me about the forged check. Mom’s never been good at thinking about other people, but I thought she was getting better. She seemed to like hanging out with me at the studio, and she was proud of my latest album and the tour. Do you think she was lying?”

  The hurt in her sister’s eyes broke Katie’s heart. She would give anything to transform Bernice into the mother that Aggi needed and craved. Her sister was a kind and generous person at heart. It was child’s play for anyone to take advantage of her. She wrapped Aggi in her arms, holding her the way her own mother had. The way Bernice should have held them both.

  “Am I too stupid to see the lies?” Aggi continued. “I believed Mom again and again. I didn’t see what Trevor was doing.”

  “It’s not stupidity to see the best in people.” There was nothing Katie could do except tighten the hug. “It’s part of who you are. I wouldn’t change it even if I could.”

  “I wish Mom felt the same way. I want to take care of her, but I have to be careful with my money. There’s no guarantee I’ll have a career like Cher or Madonna, and be able to tour for decades.” Aggi sniffed, resting her head on Katie’s shoulder.

  “It’s not about the money or understanding. She’s an addict.” Katie had never said the words out loud to her sister before. “She can’t get healthy on her own.”

  “Patrick wants to change the locks on her condo, and send her a formal notice of eviction.” Aggi shivered, holding on as if they could be ripped apart at any moment. “She’s seeing conspiracies everywhere. She thinks you’re ruining my career. That you want to go solo. She’s scared of you. You know all the skeletons in our family, and you’ve got a crazy-huge amount of talent.”

  The accusation wasn’t a surprise. Bernice couldn’t control Katie, and there were only two types of people in her stepmother’s world. The controllers and the puppets who danced on their strings.

  Aggi stared into the pink swirls of her drink. “I’m tired of being sucked into her drama. I offered to send her to rehab, but I told
her I wouldn’t give her the money.”

  Katie blinked in proud surprise. “You stood up to her.”

  “I had a good role model.” Aggi smiled shyly. “And a great big sister who’s always supported me.”

  They hugged again. Katie swallowed against the lump of tears welling in her throat. Her shoulders loosened, relieved of the terrible weight of coping alone.

  “I’m still worried,” Aggi continued. “She looked scared and desperate when she left. She said that if I didn’t give her the money, she’d make sure I’d regret it.”

  Sounds like Bernice.

  “I’m sorry, Agatha.”

  Aggi wiped at her eyes. “When you came to live with us, I thought nothing could be worse than losing your mom. Now I feel like I’ve lost mine, even if she is still walking around.”

  Katie refused to dismiss her sister’s pain with platitudes. Those statements were designed to reassure the person talking, not help the one listening. As much as her heart broke to see her sister hurt, the best option for healing was hugs and support.

  The door opened, rising Katie’s pulse into feel-the-burn levels. Ben and Ray entered, and her heart sank. Their faces were drawn and sober. Whatever they’d learned wasn’t good news.

  “We sent the footage from last night’s concert to our expert. After reviewing it, she knows what kind of occulata we’re dealing with,” Ray explained. “A spectre.”

  “Like a ghost?” Katie asked.

  “Not quite.” Ben stared out the window with his fists curled into white-knuckled knots.

  “Spectres can blur perceptions.” Ray sat down with his elbows resting loosely on his knees. “It’s similar to how people don’t pay attention to what’s around them when they’re in a familiar environment. The more powerful spectres seem to affect the brain’s ability to transfer information to long term memory. Even if they’re seen, they’re forgotten a second or two later.”