Bind (Manhattan Lux Book 1): Manhattan Lux (9 page)

“You’re inspired tonight. I can feel it. Whatever you have in mind. I’m in. Go for it.”

“Go for it.”
 Jane had said that in the dressing room too, when she’d been encouraging Jinx to explore this chemistry she had with Wyatt.

Jinx wanted to. God how she wanted to. But still, there was something. Something in the back of her mind, some small hesitation or apprehension that she couldn’t quite nail down, couldn’t get her head around.

“Well, whatever.” Aiko’s words broke through her thoughts. “What you did, it worked.” Aiko leaned back in the desk chair and crossed her arms. “That boy was amped. Totally hot for you. Wound tighter then a…a…” She waved her hand in the air. “Something that’s typically wound really tight.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m envious. Of the boinking you’re going to get tonight.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But not in a weird incesty twin sister way. Just in a normal friend jealous of another friend’s hot boyfriend sexy time way.”

“Uh-huh.”
Boyfriend?

“Did that sound weird?”

“Stop talking.”

“Yeah, you’re right, that was weird.”

“No, Wyatt’s in the hallway, so shut the fuck up. I don’t want him to hear—”

“Hear what?” Wyatt popped his head in the doorway and grinned, his gaze flitting from one twin to the other. “Aiko, angel, tell me you have good news?” he said.

“I’m still sifting through the data, Wyatt.” Aiko sighed, stretched, and did some kind of knuckle cracking thing that Jinx had literally never seen her do before, so it had to be for Wyatt’s benefit. Then she put her feet up on Jinx’s desk. Again.

“Gonna be here alllll niiiiggghhhttt,” Aiko said. “Remember?” She tilted her head at Jinx and delivered the world’s most unsubtle wink ever. “You two kids shoo.” She waved her hands at them. “Go, have fun. Malcolm and I will close up, and there won’t be any more breaches tonight, I’m sure of it.”

“How?” Jinx said.

“They’ve never tried more than once a night,” Wyatt said.

“I don’t usually leave this early,” Jinx said. “And especially not in the middle of something like this.”

Wyatt had been in her life for a matter of hours, and already he was turning it upside down. This flirtation between them was moving fast, and weren’t they supposed to be focusing on catching some bad guys anyway? Now she was leaving early for what? Navy SEAL nookie?

Wyatt looked at his mobile, tapped at the screen a few times, and then looked up at Jinx.

“I had Danny tailing a guy, but he left, and Danny was able to get some good shots of him on the surveillance cameras. He’s going to give them to Aiko so she can try and figure out who he is. There really is nothing more for us to do here tonight. C’mon, there’s a time for work and a time for rest. We did good today.”

“Jinx we close in a few hours,” Aiko said.  “Go on, get out. I’ll find the baddie and save the day on my own.”

Wyatt crossed the room and extended his hand to Jinx.

“Fair lady,” he said. “Can I escort you home?”

J
inx scowled
at Wyatt as he strode into the elevator behind her and punched a button. Leaning up against the far wall, he squinted, studying her, and his lips curled slowly into a smile.

“What’s so amusing?” Jinx snapped. Her sister and this man, her new
whateverthefuck
he was, had just manipulated her into going home early. They’d teamed up, effortlessly, like they’d been doing it for years, and they’d handled her ass right onto an elevator.

“You.” Wyatt grinned. “You’re sexy when you’re annoyed with me. It’s hot.”

“What was that?” she demanded. “Downstairs? Fair lady? Honestly.”

“Well I was trying something new,” Wyatt said. “You didn’t much like ma’am, and mistress made you scary, so I figured I’d go old fashioned, see how that fit. Looks like not too well.”

“Fair lady.” She scoffed. “No, I’m not Rapunzel, sitting up in her goddamn tower waiting to be saved.”

“No, that you are definitely not.”

“I can take care of myself.” Jinx frowned. “I can take care of my club too.”

“I know it.”

“Do you?” Jinx stared him down, her breath hitching when he moved abruptly across the elevator, closing the space between them in an instant.

“Yes,” he said, stroking the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “I know how well you handle yourself. I know how well you can handle me, when you want to.”

“Mmmm.” Jinx met his gaze and held it. “Not sure I want to,” she said.

“Yes you are,” Wyatt said, his thumb tracing the line of her lips. “You’re just fighting it.”

“And why would I fight it?”

Wyatt raised his free hand over her head and braced his palm against the wall, caging her body with his own.

“You’re fighting it because it wasn’t your idea. I’ve known about you for weeks. You just found out about me today. That hurts your pride.”

He was so right it was scary, but she kept her gaze steady, didn’t give him any sign that his words had hit home.

“Still,” Wyatt continued, dipping his head to nibble on her jaw. “You felt it. The minute you tied me up in your ropes, you knew, same as me.”

“What did I know Wyatt?”

“This.” He took control of her wrists, pinning her arms against the elevator wall as he pressed his hips into hers. “That we’d be electric together. Like a house on fire.”

Her body was aflame, her lips aching to touch his, so infuriatingly close to hers but not close enough. He was teasing her again, toying with her. She knew this game. He was afraid she’d shut all the way down, back out of that whispered promise she’d made when he had her pinned against a pillar in the club.
“Tonight,”
she’d told him.

Tonight was now.

She let the air thicken between them, heavy with their breath and the tension of what was to come next.
Let him squirm
. It would throw him off. Not a lot, just enough so she could get her feet back under her, get control of her breathing, her head, her emotions, and her—

Wyatt let go of one wrist and slid his hand up her waist. She was still wearing the lycra bodysuit, and the way his hand glided over the satiny surface sent a shiver up her spine and a tremor to her lips that she tried to turn into a smile, lest he saw it, lest he take it as the truth that it was.

She wanted him.

His fingers ghosted over her breast, then slipped between the edges of the plunging neckline, groping, searching. Finding one nipple, hard, eager for him already, he pinched it, rolling the bud between his fingers as his mouth descended over hers, sucking all the fight right out of her.

Thank God for that kiss, that kiss that stole the breath from her before she could make a noise that gave away how desperately she wanted him right now. How much she needed the feel of his hands on her, how much she wanted this to happen between them.

The elevator door dinged, slid open, and Wyatt pulled back, steadying Jinx with firm hands on her waist.

“Wait,” she said, brow furrowing as she looked out the door. “This isn’t my floor.”

“Nope.” Wyatt beamed. I hit the button for 30.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because you live right above the club. And I like elevator kisses. A ride from the first to the fourth floor is not enough time for elevator kisses.” Wyatt waggled his eyebrows. “I enjoy a good long ride, kitten.”

Jinx laughed, crossed to the panel of buttons and pushed the one marked four.

“Hard too,” he added. “Now that I think of it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. Turning back to face him, she wiggled her eyebrows too, and added, “Cowboy.”

* * *

T
hey made
out all the way back down to her floor. Fevered and a little sloppy, with her hand down the front of his pants, and his up under her bra, groping each other like they were both in high school.

She fell against her front door with Wyatt right behind her, pressing her up against it with his hips, murmuring in her ear that he could take her right there, in the hall, if she was up for it. A giggle bubbled up from her throat and she slapped a hand over her mouth, half horrified, half delighted.

“Shhh,” she laughed, keys rattling against the door. “If we wake the dogs we’ll never make it to the bedroom.”

“Mmmmm,” Wyatt sucked one earlobe into his mouth and bit down gently, the gravel in his voice sending shivers up her spine. “Don’t worry, me and the guys, we have an understanding.”

“Oh you do, do you—”

Jinx opened the door, and they were set upon by four fuzzy blurs. Jumping, licking, tail-wagging, and one stealthy attempt at leg humping made it clear that ‘the guys’ expected to be able to visit and play with their new best friend before he would be allowed to do anything else.

“Buds! Seriously?” Wyatt said. “We discussed this. I’ve got plans with your mom tonight, we can hang out tomorrow.”

Head tilts, eyebrow gymnastics, ear perking. Clyde smiled wide and Inky barked once.

“Shit. Bro code dudes. Uncool.” Wyatt had his hands on his hips, staring down at the little rascals like he was tempted to ground them.

Jinx laughed and patted Wyatt on the shoulder. “You tire them out. I’ll make us something to eat.”

Forty minutes later the dogs were settling into their beds for the night, and Wyatt had joined Jinx at the kitchen island for spaghetti and wine.

“Oh my God,” he said, around a mouthful of spaghetti. “Carbs. Delicious carbs. Thank God, I need to get my energy back up after the WWF match those monsters just put me through.”

Wyatt winked at her.

“Yeah.” Jinx nodded and took a sip of her wine. “Looked like they were really giving you a work out.”

“Clyde plays dirty.” Wyatt pointed at her. “I’ll tell ya that much. Sucker faked me out three times.”

“You’re so good with them.” Jinx twirled her fork through the noodles, stealing a glance at Wyatt as he reached for his own wine glass. “They took to you right away.”

Wyatt gulped, wiped his mouth with his napkin and dove back into his food. She watched him, her own fork paused in mid-air, stopped halfway to her mouth by the sudden realization that she wanted this man more than anyone she’d ever wanted in her life. Wanted him like air, water, the only cure to a disease that had plagued her for years, and she hadn’t known she was infected until she met this man.

Aiko would have a name for this affliction, no doubt. Something stupid. If her sister could read her mind right now Aiko would say that Jinx had been suffering from
lackofwyattitis
for years. She’d quip about the treatment. “Obviously an immediate injection of Wyatt is the only cure for
lackofwyattitis
.”

Obviously.
Jinx snorted, and Wyatt set his glass down, arched a brow at her.

“What’d I miss?”

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

“Yeah y’are, I can
hear
the gears turning. What’s up?”

Jinx pushed noodles and sauce around the plate with her fork. “What is this?” She asked, looking up at him. “Less than 24 hours ago I had you tied up in my office, convinced you were a bad guy. Now we’re sitting here, sharing a meal, soon to be sharing a bed…”

Wyatt put down his fork and reached for her hand, brushed his thumb over her knuckles.

“If you’re not—” he began.

“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m all in. And that surprises me.” She squeezed his hand. “You surprise me.”

Wyatt pushed his plate away and stood up. Brushing her hair back over her shoulder he pressed her hand against his chest and leaned in close.

“Jinx, I took this job with two missions in mind. Get the bad guy, and get you.”

“Wow,” she said, shaking her head.

Wyatt cleared his throat. “I’ve never really believed in that whole ‘at first sight’ thing,” he said. “But, the minute I met you, something came alive in me. Like I was hit by lightning.”

“Well I
did
Taser you.”

“It wasn’t that,” he laughed softly. “I’ve never,
never,
felt something like that before. I spent the past few weeks waiting for the moment when Jack would let me bring you in on this, not just so we can figure out whatever’s going on at the club, but so that I could see you again. So if I surprised you, well you surprised me too.” His smile was soft, his gaze unguarded. “The night we met.”

“Literally.” She smiled.

“Nah,” he scoffed, and positioned himself closer, wedging his hips between her knees. “Aiko warned me. Besides, I heard you sneaking up behind me. Figured you probably had mace or a frying pan or something.”

“Didn’t count on the rope huh?” Her gaze moved to their hands, watching his fingers trace little heated circles over her skin.

“No,” he laughed. “The rope was…unexpected.”

“Well, I thought you were a bad guy,” Jinx said, her gaze meeting his. “Thought you were there to rob the club or set it on fire or something.”

“No you didn’t.” Wyatt grinned. “You knew something crazy was going, but you didn’t really think I was a bad guy, not completely.”

Jinx tilted her head, considering his words. “You have a point. You could’ve stopped me, fought back. But you didn’t. I remember thinking that was strange.”

“I would have had to hurt you to do it,” he said, his expression grave. “And I could never do that.”

“No,” she said. “You wouldn’t.”

She could see it now, recognized in retrospect what she’d sensed in him from the first. Goodness. That stranger in the dark had smiled at her from under a black mask, kept his voice calm and reassuring even as his arms were bound to a chair, his eyes red-rimmed and weeping from pepper spray.

“You spoke to me,” she said, and heard the awe in her own voice. “I don’t think I remembered that clearly until just now. You said—”

“It’s okay,” he said, repeating his words from that night. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe. I promise. I’m here to help. I’m here at Jack’s request. Please call him. He’ll explain.”

“I didn’t hear anything after
‘I promise’
,” she said. “Sorry, I’m just not in the habit of giving burglars an audience.”

“Nope, you left the room, and I
hoped
you were calling Jack. When I heard you talking, the tone of your voice was still urgent, angry, so I knew you were talking to the police.”

“I wish I had called Jack.”

“No way,” he said. “You did your job. Granted, that decision meant I had to get out of there quick, since Jack didn’t want anyone to know about our little investigation.”

“Yeah, again, how did you get out of my ropes?” she asked. “Did you have a knife hidden?”

Wyatt grinned, the sparkle in his eye hinting at a secret.

“How?” Jinx pushed against his chest.

“Hey I may not be able to tie a Ushi-ushi-taka—”

“
Ushiro Takatekote
,” Jinx said.

“Yeah that. Thank you.” Wyatt lifted her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss, and locked his gaze on hers. “But you’re not the only one with a fondness for ropes.”

* * *

W
yatt had never been
on a bedroom walk quite like this one. She’d kissed him in the kitchen after his joke about ropes, hooked a finger in his belt, and led him down the hallway. The look she threw him over her shoulder gave him half a chubby on its own.