Don't Play With Odin (Trouble For Hire Book 2)

by Cynthia Eden

  He headed for Clay’s house.

  She grabbed his arm. Pressed her body against his. “But is this legal?”

  “Of course, not.”

  “Odin…”

  Now she seemed all nervous. “You don’t have to come in with me. I can do a sweep on my own.”

  “No, I am definitely coming in with you. But if we get caught, I’m taking the fall, got it? This is all happening because of me. So if we set off some sort of alarm or if the cops catch us—or anything like that, I’ll take full responsibility. I will not drag you down with me.”

  Cute. He lightly ran the back of his knuckles over her face. As if she’d have to drag him anywhere.

  She leaned toward him. “I’ve never committed a B&E before.”

  Hardly surprising. The woman screamed sunshine and baked cookies and innocence. Meanwhile, hell, he’d had all too much experience with the darker side of life. “Just stay close to me. I’ll take care of you.”

  She did stay close. Stuck to him like glue as they slipped inside. There was no security system at Clay’s house. No exterior cameras. There had only been two keys on the fob—the key to the car and the key to the house. Taking it had been easy. Everything about the set-up was easy, and that very easiness sent off warnings in Odin’s head.

  Did he want me inside? Had everything been a set-up?

  A quick search was showing no obvious clues that could help them. Not like Odin expected a giant red sign that would shout EVIDENCE, but it would have been nice. Instead, the man’s house was stocked with only the smallest bit of furniture. His clothes were haphazardly tossed into his closet and onto the floor of his bedroom. Odin turned up no weapons. No body disposal items, nothing that would—

  He heard an engine.

  “Uh, Odin?” Maisey bumped into him. “Did you hear that?”

  He’d heard that and he was peeking through the blinds to see— “He’s back.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” Back and heading toward the house and dammit, maybe this had been a clever set-up. The guy was rushing back to catch them in the act. But…

  No time to get out. Just protect Maisey. He grabbed her hand and pushed her toward the open closet.

  He also deliberately dropped the key to the house. Let it fall to the floor, after he did a quick wipe with his shirt to smudge any would-be prints.

  “Wait!” Maisey cried. “We need to get—”

  He slid into the closet with her. Pulled the door shut.

  “Oh, this is tiny,” Maisey murmured. “Or maybe you’re just really big. Yes, that’s it, of course. You’re super big, so you make small spaces seem even smaller and—”

  Maisey talked when she was nervous. She was obviously super nervous and her talking was going to be a problem because they’d left the front door unlocked and now Clay was back inside. The hardwood floors were groaning beneath his feet.

  “He’s going to find us. I’ll take the blame, just like I said, but, if he’s the killer, he will—”

  Odin kissed her.

  Chapter Four

  Odin’s mouth was against hers. His lips were warm and firm and his hands had curled around her hips as he brought her closer to him. Maisey’s heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t hear anything but the mad drumming. Her lips were slightly parted, and her tongue slipped forward to tease Odin as—

  What in the hell am I doing?

  Her body jolted. She tried to jerk back, but even though Odin’s mouth lifted from hers, he didn’t let her go.

  “Not yet.” His voice was barely a breath.

  Not yet? Why not—

  Then she heard the slam.

  “Now,” he said. Again, his voice was still low. “He got the key and left.”

  He’d left? But they’d only been kissing for a few seconds and— “This is one hell of a place for a first kiss.”

  “Sorry.” A rasp. “You talk when you’re nervous, so I was trying to help settle you down.”

  Settle her down? “Excuse me?”

  “That was…not the right thing to say.” Another rasp. “We should get out of here. Before your neighbor decides to come back again for shits and giggles.”

  His hold fell away. She shivered. Odin had been warm. Wonderfully warm. And now she felt a chill even as he inched open the closet door.

  “He realized he was missing his key. Came racing back for it. I’d deliberately dropped it on the floor, just in case that was the reason why he was charging back.”

  She latched onto his arm, stopping him before Odin could leave the closet. “How do you know that was why he came back?”

  “Because he came in the bedroom cursing about the key.”

  He had? Maisey didn’t admit to not hearing that part. Telling Odin that she’d been so stunned by his kiss that she hadn’t heard anything but the frantic beating of her own heart wouldn’t come off as all cool and collected.

  Then again, she’d never, ever been the cool and collected type.

  Odin, obviously, was. Ice cold. The kiss had been nothing for him. Only a way for him to settle her down.

  “Are you all right?” he asked quietly.

  Dandy. “Why?” she choked out.

  “Because you just growled.”

  She barely stopped herself from growling again. Settle down, her ass. She’d show him some settling down—once they were out of Clay’s place. The search had been a bust, and the sooner they got out of there, the better.

  ***

  Maisey didn’t speak as they made their way back to her house. Odin checked, but there was no sign of Clay or his red Mustang. The road was dead quiet.

  Once they were inside her home, he figured she’d head for her bedroom. Maybe crash. He’d go back to his uncomfortable position on the floor. Stare up at the ceiling. Think about her mouth.

  “You could try saying…‘Be quiet.’”

  He’d just secured her door. Odin turned around, pressed his back against the wood, and studied her.

  “You could have put a finger to my lips. That’s like, a universal signal for being quiet. And, yes, I talk when I’m nervous. That’s why I am talking like crazy right now.” She huffed out a breath. “You don’t settle someone down by putting your mouth on said person. You don’t—”

  “I lied.”

  She took a fast step toward him. “You did what?”

  “I could have handled it better. Should have. If you want the full truth, I actually thought Clay was going to bust into the closet and catch us.”

  “Wait…what?” Another fast step.

  “And if he came in and found us making out, I thought it would catch him off guard. Confuse the hell out of him. Whatever. You don’t expect intruders to stop for a make-out session.”

  “No, you don’t.” Maisey shook her head. “What is happening right now?”

  He was trying to explain the situation to her. Wasn’t that what she wanted? “While he was caught off-guard, I would have attacked.”

  “That was your strategy?” Once more, she shook her head. “It sucks. Terrible strategy.”

  A shrug. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

  But her eyes narrowed on him. Her delicate nostrils flared. And she stalked toward him. “Liar.”

  Hadn’t he just admitted—

  Her hand lifted, and her index finger jabbed him in the chest. “You kissed me…because you wanted to kiss me.”

  He didn’t remember denying that point. He’d wondered how she’d taste ever since they first met.

  “You acted on instinct. I was talking. You were thinking about my mouth. Then bam, you kissed me. And it didn’t settle down either one of us.”

  She’d flipped on the lights as soon as they’d entered her place, so Odin could see her features perfectly.

  She waited. Lifted a brow.

  Was he supposed to say something? There hadn’t been a question in her words. With his track record, keeping silent was probably the best course of action.


  “Are you denying it?” Maisey demanded.

  Ah, now there was a question. His lips parted.

  “Or are you going to act like you don’t feel this attraction between us?” Then she seemed to hold her breath.

  Her gaze darted down to her poking finger. Her eyes flared as she yanked the finger back.

  But he caught her hand. Closed his fingers around hers. “I deny nothing.”

  Her stare slowly rose until her incredible gaze was on his.

  “I want you.” Maybe it would be better to just get it out in the open. So he didn’t hold back. He let the words tumble forth. Screw it. He held back with everyone else. Always watched his words as carefully as he could, but with her…

  Maybe he’d try something new. Maybe she’d run from him as fast as she could. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t.

  “I wanted you from the first moment I saw you in my office. You were standing in the doorway, one hand pressed to the frame. And I thought you were the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.”

  Her tongue swiped across her lower lip.

  “You wanted to hire me as your PI. I wanted to get you naked.”

  A swift inhale. “Is that why you took the case? Because you want to…have sex with me?”

  “I took the case because you need help. Because when we got to your place, someone had broken in. Me wanting you—that’s something I have to deal with. I can keep my control. Don’t worry about that.” He’d learned early in life how important—how necessary—control could be. When you were bigger than everyone else, stronger, when one punch from you could send an enemy—or a friend—staggering to the ground, you learned that you didn’t get to be wild. That acting on impulse wasn’t for you.

  His life was ordered. Regimented. That was how he made sure no one ever got hurt. That he didn’t hurt anyone.

  “You can keep your control. That’s just wonderful to know.” She shivered.

  Odin realized that he was stroking the delicate skin along her inner wrist. He stopped. Let her hand go. For a moment, her hand just lingered in the air, then Maisey slowly lowered it back to her side.

  “I did kiss you because I was trying to come up with a distraction—both in case Clay entered the closet and because you were…stressed.” He’d wanted her focus on something other than her fear. “I shouldn’t have done it. Next time, I’ll try something else.” He hoped that reassured her. “You can get some sleep.” His voice turned gruff. “No one will come inside tonight. And I’ll get the new security upgrades started ASAP.” There were some folks in the area who owed him favors. He’d call in those favors.

  She turned away.

  His breath eased out.

  She took a few steps toward her bedroom door. Stopped.

  Every muscle in his body seemed to tighten. Go to bed, Maisey. Keep moving. One foot in front of the other. One foot—

  She whirled back toward him. “My turn.”

  What was her turn?

  But she was striding back his way and his muscles just went tighter as she drew closer.

  When she finally came to a stop, she was right in front of him once again. “I want to try again.”

  “Try…what?”

  “I was scared and the bad guy was right on the other side of the door and my heart was beating like a million miles an hour.” Her shoulders squared. “I want to try the kiss again.”

  Bad idea. So very bad.

  “You’re Mr. Control, aren’t you? So it’s not like it should be a big thing. And you just established that anything personal between us has nothing to do with the case.”

  He’d established that? Odin tried to mentally run back through his words. He didn’t really remember—

  “You kissed me before. I think, in the interest of fairness, I should get to kiss you now. Then we’ll be all even, and we can go to bed.” Her cheeks sucked in. “Separately. I mean for us to go to bed separately. Me in my room. You in your—um, spot on the floor.”

  She was nervous again.

  She was also inching ever so much closer. Her hands moved to press to his chest. She rose onto her tiptoes.

  She wants to kiss me. And he damn well wanted her mouth. “If you really want to make this work, how about I give you a hand?” Odin closed his hands over her hips, lifted her up with zero effort, and turned to press her back against the nearby wall. Now they were on perfect level. She’d give him a quick kiss. He would not lose his control. Then they’d go to bed.

  Separately.

  But he didn’t anticipate that she’d curl her arms around his neck. Didn’t anticipate that she’d curl her legs around his hips.

  “I do like this position,” Maisey whispered.

  Fuck, so do I.

  And Odin definitely didn’t anticipate that when she put those silky, soft lips of hers against his, when she dipped her tongue into his mouth—

  I want to devour her.

  He didn’t anticipate the rush of frantic, consuming desire that swept through him. Because, hell, yes, he’d enjoyed the kiss with her before. But he’d also been worried about the creep on the other side of the door and how to deal with him. This time, the only thing he thought about was her.

  Maisey and her sweet mouth. Maisey and her wicked little tongue. Maisey and the way she pressed her body against his.

  Her curves. Her scent.

  Her.

  His mouth opened wider. The hands on her waist tightened. His cock shoved hard against the front of his jeans as he pushed against the juncture of her thighs.

  Maisey moaned again, and he greedily swallowed the sound. His tongue slid against hers. Took. Tasted. And with every second that passed, he just wanted more. More.

  Everything.

  His heart thundered. Heat and lust burned through him. His fingers shoved underneath the t-shirt she wore, and he touched her smooth, warm skin. He wanted her clothes gone. He wanted to strip her. To fuck her right there against the door. He wanted—

  What in the hell?

  Odin wrenched his mouth away from hers. His breath sawed out, heavy and hard. Hers did the same as she stared back at him. Her lips were red, still parted, and he found himself starting to dip back toward her for another taste—

  No. Stop. Red flags were flying. Because this situation—fuck, he wanted her. He wanted to sink as deeply into her as he could go. He wanted Maisey’s soft pink nails to rake down his back. He wanted to make her scream for him. He wanted—

  Control.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  Wow, indeed. Same damn thought he had. Kissing her had been incredible. He wanted her mouth again. Wanted that t-shirt of hers to get tossed across the room.

  “You really do have impressive control.” Her lashes flickered.

  A pang of unease stirred within him. Had that been a hint of pain in her voice?

  “Guess you can turn things on and off easily, huh? Good to know.” She gave him a quick smile. Her dimples didn’t even flash because the smile barely curved her lips. But her hands did push against his arms. “You can put me down now. I’d say we’re e-even.”

  Was that what they were?

  But she’d asked to be put down, so he slowly lowered her until her feet touched the floor. As soon as his hands lifted from her, Maisey bolted away from him.

  He took a quick, instinctive step after her, but then stopped.

  She’d wanted to be even.

  I just want her.

  She didn’t look back, so she didn’t see that his hands had clenched into fists at his sides. She didn’t see that his gaze was locked on her. That his jaw was clenched. That his cock shoved hard against the front of his jeans. She didn’t see that he was freaking practically drooling after her.

  Her bedroom door closed behind her with a soft click.

  ***

  Her eyes squeezed shut as Maisey’s back pressed to the bedroom door. She could still feel his mouth against hers. Could still feel the hot strength of his body against hers. She’d been rubbing and archi
ng against him, lost to every single thing but the way Odin made her feel.

  Then he’d pulled back.

  Stared at her with a hard gaze and expressionless face.

  She’d been about to go up in flames, and he’d been pulling away. Not like she’d ever been the type to inspire a guy to go crazy with lust, but…

  I think I went crazy with lust. A first for her. She’d been ready to crawl all over him. Wait. Okay. Fine. She had been crawling all over him.

  Her PI. Her partner. The man she’d be seeing again first thing in the morning.

  Her eyes cracked open. She stumbled for the bed. Kicked off her shoes. Then just kinda fell face-first onto the bed. The pillow muffled her embarrassed groan. Maybe by tomorrow, she’d be able to look at Odin without fantasizing about ripping off his clothes.

  Maybe. Maybe not.

  ***

  The bedroom light at 104 Azalea Lane flickered off first. Five minutes later, the light in the den turned off.

  Interesting.

  A big shadow had been moving in the den before the light died away.

  Maisey’s new friend.

  Had he returned to the bedroom with her? Or was he sleeping in the den? Just how close of a friend was he?

  And would he be a problem?

  The house near Maisey’s was quiet. Completely dark. 106 Azalea Lane waited in the darkness. Maisey had been in that house. So had her friend. What had she been searching for? And, more alarming…had she found it?

  Chapter Five

  The rest of the weekend had been dead quiet. True to his word, Odin had gotten a top-of-the-line alarm system installed for Maisey. He’d gone over all the bells and whistles for her. Ever-so-professionally. Not even mentioning the kiss—the two kisses—they’d shared. Then he’d told her that he had some digging to do on her neighbor. He’d promised to let her know as soon as he had any updates.

  And she hadn’t heard from him since then. It was Monday evening. Monday. Maisey had tried being patient. She got that maybe Odin had weekend plans. And, sure, he’d given up his Friday night and a big chunk of the day Saturday to do her alarm system. She was appreciative. She was grateful.

  But…

  But—what? Why was she having this issue? Intellectually, Maisey knew she couldn’t be his only client. Not like she expected him to give her some magical twenty-four, seven attention. Though, sure, that would be awesome.