“Wait up. I’ll drive you.” He followed her to the hallway. Nikki’s unmistakable snicker sounded behind him.
“I don’t need a ride.”
“It’ll save time. You’ve been staying at the apartment, haven’t you?”
“I crashed the last couple of nights because we were working late. It’s not like I moved in or anything.”
“It wasn’t an accusation.” He led the way to his car. “I don’t care that you’ve been there. It was part of the reason we rented the place.”
“All right, but I really can get there myself.”
He held the car door open for her. “We have some unfinished business.”
Once he was seated behind the wheel, she looked at him with a smirk. “I was pretty well finished.”
“I like a woman with a good sense of humor.” He drove to the apartment, his brain racing.
“In all seriousness, I have work to do. I have to find a way to get Nikki more time.”
“I’m all for the job coming first. My dick doesn’t call the shots. Nikki has London helping her. I can help you.”
“Help? Is that what we’re calling it?”
“Two heads are better than one.” He laughed.
“You’re juvenile.”
“And yet you like me. What does that say about you?”
“I’m desperate?”
“I doubt that.” He enjoyed the easy banter they shared. No pretense about who they were or what they wanted.
At the apartment, she slipped into hacker mode faster than he could lock the door. She sat in front of the computer running algorithms and rewriting code for more than an hour. He made a pot of coffee, opened a new package of Oreos, and sat with her. Although he thought he might be of some help, he began to doubt it. She ignored his presence.
When she finally got up and stretched, she looked a little defeated.
“Not working?”
“Not enough. I can’t figure out how to steal more time.”
“Take a break. Switching gears might be the way to go.”
“Maybe you’re right. Wanna play a video game?” She went to the TV and game system and booted everything up.
Not quite the break he’d been hoping for, but he’d take it. Rolling up his sleeves, he asked, “What are we playing for?”
“Why can’t we just play for bragging rights?”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“A hundred bucks,” she countered.
“I don’t need the money.”
“What do you want?”
“You. Naked.”
“Strip gaming.” She rolled her gaze to the ceiling in thought. “We’d need some rules.”
“How about if I kill your character, you get naked?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she echoed. Stepping closer, game controller in hand, she pressed it to his chest. “How about for every enemy I kill, you pay me twenty-five bucks, and for every one you kill, I remove one article of clothing?”
“Ten bucks.”
“Twenty.”
“Bring on the weaponry.” He sat on the edge of the couch determined to have her naked within the hour.
* * *
Man, did she love it when a guy assumed she would suck at playing video games. Jay made it almost too easy. He was going to pay her to destroy him.
At least that was the plan. The little horny voice in her head tempted her to let him win a few battles, but the greedy part of her brain won. If she came out on top, she’d be able to call them even on the money he’d given her for rent and possibly even have a little left over.
“Set up your character,” she said. “Mine is already saved.”
“How many hours have you played with Nikki?”
“Not that many. When I’m here, I’m usually working.”
“Or drinking.”
She slid him a look. “Once.”
“What was that about anyway?” he asked as he scrolled through the menu of character selection.
“Had a bad day.” She went to the kitchen, started another pot of coffee, and grabbed a couple bottles of water. It was going to be a long night.
When she returned to the couch, she set a bottle of water in front of him and used the controller to log in.
“Not willing to say what the bad day involved that caused you to get drunk?”
“Are you spilling details about your life?”
“Depends on what you want to know.”
So many questions flitted through her mind, but she couldn’t ask. Doing so would invite him to ask her, and she wasn’t the sharing type. Nikki had caught her in a weak moment. “Let’s play.”
Their characters on screen moved through a battlefield, or what was left of one after previous teams had rolled through. Within seconds she had rapid-fired and killed two enemy combatants. “Forty bucks in under a minute. Maybe I should forget hacking and just play video games against you for a living.”
He didn’t respond because he was busy making two of his own kills. “Start stripping.”
“I’m not stopping to take things off in the middle of the round.” But then she had second thoughts and kicked off her shoes. “Two items down.”
“Better watch it. Seeing your socks might have an overwhelming effect on me.”
His sarcasm was dry and she found herself wondering what would’ve happened if she’d taken off her shirt instead. Keeping her eyes on the screen, they battled it out for more than a half hour, yelling and cheering and slapping the occasional high five because they were teammates after all. When the round ended and they totaled their scores, Jay had six kills and Audrey had ten.
“Two hundred bucks. I think I like this.”
He didn’t even bat an eye. He opened his wallet and set two crisp one hundred dollar bills on the table in front of them. Did this man only have hundred dollar bills? Who did that? Staring intently at her, he said, “Your turn. Six items.”
“Uh, only four more. I already took off my shoes.” She peeled off her socks. “That makes four.” Then she thought about her options. Which two articles made the most sense?
With a smile, she stood and took off her jeans. Jay barely moved, just a slight shift forward, watching. When she straightened, her shirt hung low enough that she was still covered. Then she reached under her shirt and removed her bra.
She tossed it at him and said, “That makes six.” Pointing at the money, she added, “Put that toward what you gave me the other night.”
Why she thought it was a good idea to walk past him to get to the kitchen, she didn’t know. Maybe it was her subconscious wanting to toy with him.
“I don’t think so,” he said, and yanked her back down to his lap, her shirt flying up a bit. “We have more unfinished business.”
“I’m aware. I was about to get a cup of coffee and get back to work.” Her words made sense, but she had no idea how. Her heart thudded and her lungs worked overtime with his hands on her. One strong arm anchored around her hip, the other lay innocently on her bare thigh. But it was deceptive because she knew that hand was not innocent.
That hand had the ability to get her off, take her mind away from the problems she faced.
“Not talking about work,” he answered, his voice low and a little growly.
“No? What then?” She squirmed on his lap.
His fingers pressed into the flesh of her thigh to stop her movement. “Be careful of the games you play.”
She twisted on his lap until she straddled him. “Who’s playing games?”
Lowering her head, she kissed him, the heat of his mouth turning her on even more. His hands held her hips in place, nestled on top of him, in full contact. The hard ridge of his dick pressed against her. He slid his hands until his fingers eased under the edge of her underwear.
“No more games. Are we doing this?” he asked.
“Hell, yes, we’re doing this.”
He kissed her deeply then, tongue toying with hers while he kneaded her ass. She unbuttoned his shirt so she could feel skin. If they were doing this, she wanted it all.
They touched and nipped and sucked at each other and then Jay suddenly broke away.
“This isn’t going to do.”
“What?” she asked breathlessly. Her body throbbed with need.
“Sitting on a couch when Nikki might come in. I want to spread you out and enjoy myself.” He stood, dislodging her from his lap and holding her steady as she got her legs under her.
“Where do you suggest we go?”
“There’s a spare bedroom, remember?”
Bed? That made it seem like they would spend the night together, which was way more than she’d bargained for.
He pulled her by the hand toward the room. He stroked the inside of her palm with his thumb, gentle circles, and while logically, she knew it shouldn’t have an effect on her, in reality, little zings of pleasure zipped up her arm. Inside the room, he closed and locked the door behind them and removed his shirt.
She stepped back and watched him undo his belt. Something about the action fascinated her. Maybe because she couldn’t remember the last man she had sex with who wore a suit. And she hadn’t known that guy well enough to stand and ogle him. Jay? He just smirked as his pants hit the floor.
As much as she might not want to give him the satisfaction, he had reason to smirk. She whipped her shirt off and he closed the small distance between them. He trailed kisses over her neck and down to her breasts, pausing to suck each nipple into a stiff peak. She ran her fingers through his short dark hair, looking to hold on to something, anything.
“Please tell me you have a condom,” she whispered.
He grunted and stepped away. For a moment, she thought it was over. Then he held up his pants. Offering her a look that said he couldn’t believe she asked, he fished a condom from his pocket. “I’ve been carrying one with me since the first time we kissed.”
“So in your head, this was inevitable?”
“Absolutely.”
She snorted. “Kind of full of yourself.”
“Not at all. If you weren’t interested, we wouldn’t have gotten far. Nowhere in our conversations or flirtation did you tell me to back off. So yeah, we were going to end up here eventually.”
The steely look of lust in his eyes sent a thrill racing up and down her spine. She slid her underwear off while he watched.
“Get on the bed,” he said sharply, the command putting her back up.
But as he stalked closer, she did it, not because she felt she had to, but she wanted to see what awaited her for doing so. She lay down and he followed, trailing openmouthed kisses up her body. He slowly dragged his fingers through her slick heat before circling her clit. Her brain fogged over in a haze of lust and pleasure. She vaguely recognized the sound of the condom wrapper.
Then he hovered over her, close to her face. “Open your eyes.”
She hadn’t even realized that she’d closed them. Forcing her lids up, she stared into his stormy dark eyes.
“What’s your name?”
She felt him pressing at her opening and she was close. She wanted this, needed it. “Why?”
He gripped her chin in a firm but gentle way. “Because I like to know who I’m having sex with.”
“You know who.”
“You’re right. I know you. But I want a real name.”
She debated briefly.
“Am I supposed to believe you haven’t told Nikki your name? I don’t think you’ve been this close with her, have you?” The head of his dick prodded her, rubbing up and down, keeping her on edge. He bumped her clit and she almost whimpered.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“Nikki and I are...” She didn’t know how else to explain the weird, cautious trust they shared. “We’re alike. We’re criminals.”
She used the word, even though she rarely felt like a criminal. She was simply doing her job. She didn’t consider the right or wrong of it.
“And I’m not? We’re stealing a freaking painting together.”
“You’re not like us and you know it.” Her chest rose and fell, barely touching his on each inhale. The hair on his chest offered an additional point of pleasure.
“And that means I’m not entitled to at least know your name when I’m going to be inside you? Fucking you. Hearing you scream my name.”
Her blood pounded as he spoke. Part of her worried he might walk away and she didn’t want that. She didn’t even know why she was holding out. In that moment, looking into his eyes, she felt like it was okay to trust him. It was just a first name after all. So she whispered, “Audrey.”
He reached under her knee and lifted her leg. He slid into her saying her name.
It was barely more than the whisper she’d given him, low and close to her ear. The sound sent a chill down her spine. Jay was fully seated in her, filling her, but not moving. Her blood pounded through her veins. She needed the release he’d promised.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, she bucked her hips. All he offered in return was a slow glide out of her. He was tormenting her, so she slapped his ass.
“We don’t have all night.”
“I don’t need all night. Not this time anyway, but I’m not rushing either.” He grabbed her right leg and pulled it up on his shoulder. Then he sank deeper and rocked.
He braced above her, propped on his arms, muscles flexing, as he created a slow, torturous rhythm that felt so damn good. He shifted again and lowered his mouth back to her nipple and sucked on the stiff point. She saw stars.
For the first time in a long time, Audrey was on the receiving end of being cared for and the realization clogged her throat.
Chapter Thirteen
Something shifted in Audrey’s demeanor and Jared paused. “Everything okay?”
She nodded. She didn’t look upset, but something wasn’t quite right.
“You sure?” He brushed her hair away from her face.
“I’d be better if you kept moving.”
Her voice was still quiet and thick, but with the simple snarky response, she was back. He took her direction well, thrusting and moving, kissing and licking. He stroked every part of her he could reach until she was trembling in his arms. Then she would have none of him controlling when she came.
She slapped and bit her way to her first orgasm, leaving him on the brink, but he wasn’t ready to go. He wanted to enjoy more of her, but her body pulsed around him, begging him to release, so he slowed again. With every grip of her pussy, he wanted to sink deeper.
“Everything okay?” she echoed back at him.
“Just savoring each moment.”
“Savoring, huh?” She bit into his neck again. “That gives me an idea.”
She pushed him off her and before he even knew what was happening, she’d stripped the condom off and took him in her mouth.
“Fuck,” he groaned.
With a hand on his chest, she gave him a shove. Following her direction, he lay on his back. She sucked him and stroked him, driving him every bit as crazy as he’d tried to do to her. She knelt over him, and from his position, he could just barely caress her ass. So he did, allowing his fingers to fondle the crease of her thigh, the outer lips of her pussy.
Without missing a beat, she shifted closer, giving him access to touch her. He slid two fingers in and pressed his thumb against her clit. She moaned against his cock and he was in heaven. Her hips rolled to meet his hand while she cupped his balls.
“Come here,” he said gruffly. He grabbed her thigh and pulled her close enough that she could straddle his head. He wanted to taste her
, needed to feel her come again.
As soon as his tongue made contact with her, she paused in her own ministrations and laid her forehead on his thigh.
He chuckled. “Thought you were good at multitasking.”
She nipped his thigh and resumed sucking. It didn’t take too much time before she was shaking and trembling around his head. Her mouth moved faster and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out. He thrust up into her but she wasn’t deterred.
“I’m gonna come,” he warned.
“Fuck. So am I.” She ground against him and rode his face, while swallowing down everything that shot from him. Spurt after spurt, she just kept going.
For a full minute, she lay on top of him, both of them doing nothing but breathing heavily.
Jared couldn’t move. His heart continued to race.
Having sex with Audrey had been explosive. He’d thought it would be quiet and soft like her, but she wouldn’t have it. She wasn’t a timid lover. Every time he learned about a different part of her, he liked her even more. Bits and pieces of her surprised him and he knew time spent with her would never be boring.
She rolled off him, turning so they lay side by side. Her eyes drifted closed and he simply watched her at peace. No wariness or stress filled her face. He wanted to pull her close and hold her, but he wasn’t sure if she would be receptive. The debate bounced back and forth in his head. Make the wrong move and he’d lose her and the chance to do this again.
Suddenly, Audrey popped up like a piece of bread flying from the toaster. Where the hell had that energy come from?
“I got it.” She scrambled off the bed.
“Where’re you going?”
“I have an idea to get Nikki more time.”
He forced himself up on his elbows. “We have phenomenal sex and you’re thinking about Nikki?”
She stepped into her panties and tugged her shirt over her head. Then she came back to the bed and crawled over him. “Like you said before, switching gears was just what I needed.”
Her grin lit her entire face. She began to slide away, but he caught her.
“Okay, Audrey.” It was like he couldn’t get enough of saying her name now that she’d entrusted him with it.
It Takes a Thief--A Heist Romance Page 12