Ghost of a Chance

by Cynthia Eden

  “How about this…I haven’t lied to you yet. And I won’t.”

  “That sounds like a lie.”

  He turned over her hand. Began to trace a light path over her palm.

  She shivered.

  “Ask me anything. I won’t lie. It will be a new experience for me. Being completely honest with someone from the very get-go.”

  She had no idea where the driver was taking them. Tess didn’t remember hearing James give any instructions to the fellow. “Where are we going?”

  “My place. We’ll have complete privacy, and you can tell me all about your bad day.”

  Her head shook in a quick, negative motion. She didn’t want to talk about the kid she’d lost.

  “Or…” Another slow trace on her palm. Since when were palms so sensitive? “Or we can have crazy, wild sex and you can scream my name while you come over and over again.”

  Her breath choked out. “Option two sounds like a winner.” Ding, ding.

  He laughed. “See? Us being totally honest with each other is working out great so far.”

  He was so different from anyone she’d met before. “You’re not, like, secretly a killer or anything, are you?”

  He stopped his pattern on her palm.

  “Who are you really, James Smith?”

  His gaze held hers. “I’m a former assassin turned club owner. I also dabble in the personal protection business with a new semi-friend I have. You should know, I don’t make friends easily, but I do seem to create enemies every other minute. In fact, I have enemies all over the world. I can kill a man in a thousand different ways without batting an eye, but I swear to you, I won’t hurt you. I will keep you safe, give you pleasure, and you will never need to fear me a day in your life.”

  He was…

  Laughter broke from her. Light and free, and it felt so good to laugh after the sorrow that had surrounded her. Former assassin turned club owner. Sure. Like she believed that one. He was getting her back for her oversharing the night before when she’d spilled out everything to him. “So much for total honesty.” The smile lingered on her lips.

  He didn’t smile back at her. “I meant what I said.” James lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a kiss to her palm. Then nipped, lightly, and she jolted. Heat flooded through her body. “I will give you more pleasure than you can stand,” James promised, “and I will not hurt you.”

  “I won’t hurt you, either,” she whispered. Emotions weren’t going to be involved. Just sex. They’d play it safe, and no one would get hurt. As for pleasure… “I don’t have lot of experience.” A stilted, painful confession. “So I’m not sure how, um, good I can—”

  He gave her palm another nip. “You’re not just good. You’re going to combust with me.”

  That was a bit of pressure. And combusting sounded painful. She didn’t exactly remember her other lovers going wild with her and them burning any sheets. School had been her life for so long. She’d graduated high school early, gone straight to college, and been far younger than the others in her class. The guys hadn’t glanced at her. When she’d gone to med school, that was when she’d dated some. But there had been so much work and studying, the relationships had fizzled fast. The sex had been okay. Nothing to make her scream, though.

  She’d like to scream.

  She’d like to make him go wild. “I’m a fast learner.”

  Oh, God, had she just felt his tongue lick her palm?

  She stared into his eyes and got lost. Focus, woman. “I’m a fast learner,” Tess said again. It was true. “You show me what you like, and I’ll make sure you enjoy me.”

  He slowly lowered her hand. “Baby, I have no doubt that I will enjoy you.” He leaned forward. Kissed her. And it was exactly like before. His mouth touched hers, her lips parted for him, and her whole body went molten. She burned and ached and wanted.

  She didn’t think about death or failure or being alone.

  She thought about him and about all of the things that they were going to do together.

  “I am going to enjoy every single fucking inch of you,” he promised against her mouth.

  ***

  She’d come back to him. He’d hoped she would, and yeah, he’d even had the limo ready, just in case. Why not be optimistic? He’d known she felt the same red-hot attraction that he did.

  But James hadn’t been sure of Tess. And the more he’d discovered about her, the more uncertainty had chipped away at him.

  She was so fucking out of his league. He shouldn’t have his blood-stained hands on her, much less plan to do all the dirty things he imagined.

  Barnes had been fast with his intel. He was a great hacker, after all.

  Tess Barrett. Age twenty-four. A freaking certified genius. She’d blown through school early. Graduated college and med school with a ton of honors. And now she was working as an ER doc in town.

  She saved lives.

  He fucking took them. How twisted was that? He’d tried to warn her. In the limo, he’d been one hundred percent honest with her. That shit had felt good. He’d never been one hundred percent honest with anyone before. Not that his doc had believed him. Why would she?

  Assassin turned club owner. Hell, that sounded like bullshit. Being a club owner wasn’t exactly his long-term goal. He wanted to get fully into the protection business, and he’d been working that angle hard lately, trying to convince the right people that he could be trusted.

  But it was hard, considering his reputation.

  When the world thought you were the bad guy, no one wanted to let you get close.

  Right then, Tess turned toward him. A faint smile curved her full lips. “I love your place.”

  He loved looking at her. She was freaking beautiful. Did she get that? Her hair was up in a bun again, and a few tendrils had escaped. Her nose was small and straight, her jaw curving, and her cheekbones high. She had the sweetest little dip in her chin. A dimple that he wanted to lick.

  Hell, who was he kidding? He wanted to lick every single inch of her.

  “Did you ‘collect’ this place, too?” Tess asked as she tilted her head.

  Actually, he had. People paid for his special skills with all sorts of things. He didn’t just kill. The assassin job was in the past, and he’d friggin’ done that work for Uncle Sam. A dirty and twisted career path that he didn’t like to remember. “I did.” He rolled one shoulder. Glanced around at his new home. Exposed brick lined the walls. He loved the brick. It was sturdy and lasting, and it stood strong against the world. They were on the second floor of a building he owned. The bottom floor was empty, for now. The second floor was pure freaking open concept. Yeah, okay, so maybe he watched home improvement shows to relax. Who didn’t? He’d torn down some walls here just like he had at his club. Pounded the shit out of stuff and put in a ton of windows to look out at the city.

  Turned out, his hands were good for more than killing. He could make things, too.

  Tess carried a small bag with her, and she slid it onto the nearby chair. She gazed at him a moment longer, as if thinking things through, before she moved toward the nearby floor-to-ceiling windows. “The view is incredible.”

  He had one killer view, all right. He could see her completely. Tess was clad in her jeans and a loose sweater. Though she looked good in her outfit, he wanted her clothes gone. Wanted her naked. And in the bed that waited.

  But she seemed nervous. He could tell by the way she rocked forward onto the balls of her feet every few moments. And by the way she still had on her clothes. The clothing was a dead giveaway. If he’d had his way, they both would have been naked five seconds after walking through the doorway of his home.

  “You want a drink?”

  She rocked forward onto the balls of her feet again as she kept gazing out the windows. “No, thank you.”

  Right. She’d told him the night before that she didn’t drink. He scrambled for something to say.

  “Uh, James, you’re not going to li
ke…pull out any bondage stuff, are you?” Now, as if she’d gathered her courage and come to some decision, she spun to face him. Bit her lip. “No handcuffs?”

  He had some in the bedroom. Tools of his trade. “You want them?”

  “No! I was just, you know, making sure. Making sure we were not going to use them.”

  It took considerable effort not to smile at her. Sometimes, she was so freaking adorable. And sexy. “Don’t knock the cuffs until you try them.”

  Her eyes widened. Her tongue swiped across her lower lip. Well, well, was that a bit of interest?

  Mental note. Come back to that one day. He locked down his muscles. Breathed slowly. And tried to ignore the fact her vanilla cream scent hung in the air and tempted him. “I’m not pressuring you for anything, baby. If you want to walk away, I can get my driver to take you home.”

  Once again, she rocked forward onto the balls of her feet. Forward, then back.

  He waited for her. He wanted to reach out and lock his arms around her. Pick her up and carry her to his bed.

  Never let her go.

  Whoa. Where the hell did that thought come from? This wasn’t about keeping her. They’d just met. This was…

  She gave a determined nod. Her hands went to the bottom of her sweater. She yanked it up and over her head, and dropped it on the floor near her feet.

  Fuck, yes. She was gorgeous. Her breasts pushed against the black bra that she wore—looked like it was made out of satin, but he’d bet her skin was softer than that material.

  Then she kicked off her shoes. Tossed away her socks. Her hands went to the front of her jeans—

  He hurried toward her. Caught her hands.

  “Wh-what’s wrong?”

  The little stutter made his heart surge in his chest.

  “You’re in front of the window. It’s dark out there but every light in this area is on bright.”

  “Oh, no.” Horror filled her gaze.

  “And I don’t really want to share you with any lucky sonofabitch who might be strolling by outside, so…” He scooped her into his arms. Just like he’d wanted to do. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  Her arm looped around his neck. “You’re strong.”

  “And you’re sexy as fucking hell.” He put his mouth on hers. Tasted her nice and deep and wanted so much more. “I need you,” he growled. “Now.”

  He hurried toward the bedroom. Pretty much ran. Since when had he been that desperate for a woman?

  Since her.

  “Yes, let’s do it fast,” she whispered. “Before I lose my nerve.”

  Dammit. She said the most honest things, and if he’d had a heart, James would have sworn that it softened a little bit. For her. He carried her into his bedroom and carefully lowered her onto the massive bed. He wanted to reach for the waist of her jeans and yank those things off her. But, instead…

  “You can tell me to stop at any time, and I will.” She needed to understand their situation completely. The rest of the world could say he was a fucking nightmare, but he was more. She needed to understand that she would always be safe with him.

  Her breath came faster. “I don’t want to stop.”

  “What do you want?”

  She reached for the waistband of her jeans once more. Undid the snap. Lowered the zipper. “I want you.”

  “And I want to hear you scream for me.” He caught the jeans. Dragged them off her legs. She was wearing black, satin panties to match her bra. He put a knee on the bed and leaned over her. His fingers slid over the satin. Nice and soft. His fingers eased on down, moving between her legs. She spread her legs more for him as his fingers stroked her sex through the panties. “You ready?”

  Tess nodded.

  He curled his fingers around the top of the panties, then tugged them down her legs.

  “I’m not, um, super into foreplay, so we can just get straight to—”

  He put his mouth on her.

  She sucked in a sharp breath as her hips bucked up against him. “James!”

  He licked. Kissed. Stroked her with his fingers and tongue, and he’d been so right. She was way softer than the satin, and she tasted divine. He could lap her up all night long.

  But the more he licked, the more her hips rocked against him. Her hands grabbed for his shoulders.

  To push him away?

  He lifted his head.

  She was staring at him, all wide eyed, flushed, and freaking gorgeous as she said, “Please, don’t stop!”

  Hell, yes. His mouth went back to her. Back to devouring her because she was delicious, and he could feel her body tensing up with her pending orgasm. His dick shoved against the front of his jeans, long and hard and fully erect. He was so damn turned on, and he kept licking her. Kept driving her higher and higher until she came.

  “James!” Her voice was high and pierced with pleasure.

  The climax rocked her body and he wanted it to last and last so he kept right on going with his mouth and fingers. The first orgasm had been only the start. Sort of a…break-the-ice situation.

  Now he was ready for the real show.

  His fingers stroked over her as he lifted his body.

  Her breath was panting out. The lamps were on in his bedroom—the curtains were pulled closed, so no chance that anyone was looking in the windows—and he could see her perfectly. She still wore her bra. He got rid of it in an instant. Her pink-tipped breasts thrust toward him. Her nipples were tight and he just had to take a taste. A quick lick.

  She tipped back her head and moaned.

  He licked again. Sucked harder.

  He was positioned between her spread legs, and his eager cock wanted to be in her. Buried balls deep. He wanted to feel the contractions of her release around him when she came again.

  “You still have on your clothes,” she panted. “How do you still have on your clothes?”

  He almost smiled. Even though he wanted her more than breath, he almost smiled.

  Until her hands reached between their bodies. Until her fingers stroked his cock through his jeans.

  Then he forgot about smiling.

  He’d been holding tight to his control but—

  She unsnapped his jeans. Pulled down the zipper. He was a commando kind of guy, and his cock sprang toward her. She wrapped her hot little fist around him. Pumped once, twice, and then she said, “I can lick you, too. I’m a fast learner, just tell me—”

  The image of her mouth on his cock sent him over the edge.

  Yeah, he was fucking her. Right then and there.

  He pulled away from her long enough to kill the lights and ditch his clothes. He grabbed the condom. Ripped that bitch open and had it on in record time. He lunged for the bed—for her. She reached for him with greedy hands and he took her mouth, driving his tongue past her lips because he needed to kiss her again before he took her body.

  He fucking loved her mouth.

  He positioned his cock at the entrance to her body. Lodged the tip right there. He needed to plunge hard and deep, but he held back, locking down his muscles because he didn’t want to hurt her.

  She tore her mouth from his. “You are driving me crazy! I want you inside, now!”

  He plunged inside. Sank into the tightest, hottest heaven of his life. She moaned, he let out a guttural groan, and he kissed his control good-bye. “Hold on,” James gritted out.

  Her legs locked around him. Her hands curled over his shoulders, and her nails bit into his skin. He withdrew, thrust—and was lost.

  His thrusts were frantic. Deep. Her moans and gasps drove him on. He was insane, totally swept away by her. He could feel his orgasm building, growing stronger and stronger, but he needed her to come again before he exploded. His hand snaked over her body, moved to her clit where he stroked her ruthlessly, driving her need higher and higher until—

  “James!”

  He loved her scream. Loved the way her sex clamped around him and sweet shudders shook her whole body. He let go and the pl
easure took him, gutting him in a release that went on and on. When it finally ended, fuck, he was barely holding his weight off her. He wanted to crash down and hold her tight.

  Never let go.

  No, no, that shit didn’t happen. He didn’t cling to anyone. Didn’t want to keep anyone. That wasn’t how his life worked. He collected things. Not people. People came and went.

  He unclenched his jaw. Slowly withdrew. She gave a little gasp, and he stilled instantly. “I’m sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?”

  “No. That was awesome.”

  He smiled. In the dark, she wouldn’t be able to see his smile. Or the marks on his body. There was a reason he’d turned off the lights before he’d stripped. He didn’t want his scars to scare her.

  He’d grabbed her hands whenever she’d tried to run those soft fingers of hers over his chest and back, so she hadn’t realized how damaged he was.

  Damaged. Such a good word. Because he was damaged—on the inside and out.

  He eased away from her and padded to the bathroom. He didn’t need a light. Hell, he could see damn well in the dark. A trait that had come in handy more times than he could count. So it was easy to get in the bathroom. To ditch the condom. To grab some jogging pants and a t-shirt and return to the bedroom to find—

  Tess, rooting around in the dark. Swearing when she stubbed her toe on the bed post. He stood near the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and then flipped on the light.

  “Gah!”

  She jerked upright, blinking owlishly. God, she was sexy. Her hair had come out of the bun, and the thick, dark locks tumbled over her shoulders. Her breasts bounced toward him, well, they bounced until she yanked her sweater over her head and tugged it down to her thighs.

  Then she dove for her jeans. Put them on in a flash. Grabbed for her shoes—

  “I’m getting the impression that you’re in a hurry,” he murmured as he kept his pose against the wall.

  “I, um…” Her hands fisted at her sides, after she put on her shoes. “You went to the bathroom without saying anything so I thought that meant we were done.”

  Not even close. They were only getting started.

  “I figured I’d get dressed and hurry out so I wouldn’t be in your way.”