Code Name Desire (6 page)

“You look ready to turn into an ice statue,”
said Teague.

“I had hoped to go to the hotel.” She had to
stay at the manor? The director would be thrilled. She, on the
other hand, didn’t know if she’d make it through the night
intact.

“That’s not going to happen.” He walked her
to the study. “I recommend you make yourself at home.”

She strolled into the familiar, welcoming
room. When he didn’t follow, she asked, “Aren’t you going to join
me?”

“In a moment. I’ll fetch you something hot to
drink from the kitchen first. Something tells me you’re not up for
any more brandy.”

She grimaced at the thought. She waited for
the sound of his footsteps to fade before moving to his desk. If
she had to stay, she may as well use her time to best
advantage.

The computer enticed, but she resisted. She
had mere minutes. Trying the drawers, she silently opened each and
discovered nothing but pencils, stationery, and sundry forms and
statements…until she came to the last one. The deep file drawer to
the right of the chair refused her entry.

From the long center drawer, she collected
two large paperclips and uncurled them. With practiced ease, she
worked them into the top and bottom of the lock, bending and
crimping as needed until they wiggled into place.

Footsteps slapped on the marble of the
hallway floor. She went still.

Leaping upright, Jaeda turned to stare out
the window directly behind the desk.
Damn it!
She’d have to
get the paperclips out of the lock later. With hardly a movement,
she slid her palm-sized flip-phone from her coat's hidden
pocket.

“Here we are,” said Teague. “How does it look
out there?”

Removing her trench coat, she faced him and
slung it over the desk chair. She offered him a bright smile and
joined him before the fire. “Worse, as if that was possible. If it
doesn’t let up soon, we could be snowed in for the weekend.”

He extended his hand toward the couch,
indicating he wanted her to sit. “Would that be a bad thing?”

Yes.
“No. I suppose not.”

“What with the more thing and all.” He handed
her a steaming mug.

Grateful for the heat of the cup and the fire
in the fireplace, she eased onto the sofa and settled. “Exactly.
The more thing.” The aroma of sweet chocolate and cream filled her
nostrils, and she took a sip. “Delicious.”

“The hot cocoa or me?”

“Both,” she said with a smirk.

“I’m actually glad you’re back. I didn’t like
the way you left – feeling as you did. Had I known you’d react so
badly to the brandy, I’d have never given it to you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t know, either.
I’m not really a drinker to begin with, and I’ve never had more
than a sip of brandy. So you see? Even
I
didn’t know I’d get
so tipsy.” With the storm raging outside and the house quiet, the
only threat remaining now sat at her side. Teague hardly gave her
cause to wear stabbing gear on her feet. Slipping off her shoes,
she sighed and wiggled her toes at the flames.

“I’ll be sure to remember it. I rather liked
you slightly intoxicated, if you want to hear the truth. You’re
really quite funny. And extremely earnest. It was the most you’d
talked of yourself all night.”

“I hardly remember what I said.”

“Nothing of great import, really. But I
enjoyed it, nonetheless. I think you hide your true personality
under this calm exterior, but I got a glimpse of it and I like it
very much.” He moved curls from her cheek and tucked them behind
her ear while a tender smile played about his lips.

His expression created a miniscule tingling
under her bellybutton. “Tell me more,” she said

He chuckled. “You were extremely gracious to
Caster after he explained. I could tell by the look on your face
that you weren’t thrilled to be back.”

Jaeda shrugged. “He didn’t do anything wrong.
What kind of person would I be if I faulted him for thinking of my
safety?”

“You’d be surprised. I’m sad to say I
associate with people who would do just that. They don’t like it
when they can’t have their way.”

“Hmm. Shows a lack of character, don’t you
think?” She took a large swallow of the cooling cocoa and set it on
the table nearest her end of the couch.

“I
do
. And I also believe you’ve shown
a strength of character tonight. It makes me want all the more to
know you better.” He slid off the sofa to the oriental rug. “Come
down here where we can be closer to the fire.” He chose a large log
from a stack on the hearth and squatted while adding it to the
flames.

Taking advantage of his turned back, she
slipped her phone under the rubber grip of one of her thigh-highs.
Holding the hem of her skirt to her knees, she scooted to the edge
of the leather cushion then lowered to the floor. The rug’s fibers
felt softer than she expected. Skimming a palm across the pile, she
let the fire’s warmth wash over her.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Mm-hmm.” She had to contact the agency to
let them know her location and situation. “Is there a bathroom I
could use?”

“Across the hall,” he said, resting his head
against the sofa’s seat cushion.

Leaving her shoes in the study, she padded to
the hall and closed the door behind her. In the bathroom, she
opened her phone. No bars. In case of a chance, she auto-dialed the
hotline anyway, but the call didn't complete. Damn.

She checked her face in the mirror and
groaned. Black smudged under her eyes, and a clump of hair bunched
on the side of her head. She must have slept harder in the car than
she realized. And Teague hadn’t said anything or indicated in any
way that she looked less than presentable.

She wiped away the smudges of mascara then
combed fingers through her curls. After using the toilet, she
checked her reflection while washing her hands. She shook her head.
Her hair looked great. The English weather definitely did wonders
for it. Now she needed some color in her face.

Pinching her cheeks until they glowed with
pink health, she drew a long breath. “Round two,” she said aloud.
She could do this. Teague acted interested and glad she had
returned. How hard could it be to capture his heart?

In the study, she found him watching the
storm out the window next to his desk. Her breath caught in her
throat. The paperclips still protruded from his drawer lock. If he
saw them, he would know she had tried to snoop.

Using a ruse of joining him, she went to his
side and blocked any view he had of the desk drawer. “It’s not
slowing, is it?”

“I’m afraid not.” He turned and gave her a
hungry look. “You’ve improved. Did you get pretty just for me?”

“Of course,” she said with a grin.

Without warning, he pulled her close and
kissed her hard. She squealed against his lips then relaxed as he
gentled. Her heart thumped against her ribs, and her stomach
quivered with a thrill as his arms snaked around her waist and held
her tight.

Chapter Eight

His thighs, thick and hard, pressed against
Jaeda's. Teague had her so close she felt each button of his shirt.
She wanted him. Nothing tasted sweeter than forbidden fruit, and he
was just that – the enemy in a well-built package.

She returned his kiss, grazing her thumb down
his abdomen where their bodies met. The firm ridges she felt made
her melt. The man must look amazing under those clothes.

He lowered a hand to the flare of her hip and
lifted the other to cup her cheek. His sweet but possessive gesture
weakened her further. Her knees promised to buckle. Wrapping her
arms around his neck, she touched the tip of her tongue to the
crease of his lips. He didn’t disappoint her.

They opened at the same time. Their tongues
met in a passionate clash. She couldn’t get enough of him, and he
seemed mutually engrossed. She sent her fingers into his hair and
massaged his scalp above the sexy dip where the spine in his neck
nestled between thick muscle. Nothing about him felt soft but his
lips and hair. It made her want to tear off his clothes.

Am I so desperate?

He groaned into her mouth as his hand rode
the curve of her waist to find and cradle the side of her breast.
Her nipple hardened in anticipation of his caress. A quiver began
low in her belly before traveling lower to spark a throb between
her thighs. Her knees gave out altogether.

Yes. I’m so desperate.
For him. For
his touch.

Without releasing her mouth, he bent and
caught her behind her knees. His kiss became soft and searching as
he held her against his chest and carried her to the couch. Laying
her on the cushions, he went to his knees and his lips became
savage.

She met every thrust of his tongue with a
thrust of her own, and she gripped the back of his head. His face
tilted over hers, first one way then the other, as his desire
fueled hers. She didn’t want him kneeling on the floor beside her.
She wanted him on her, weighing her into the sofa, making love to
her.

“Please,” she begged against his mouth.

He moaned. His fingers found the hem of her
dress and pushed it upward until he found bare skin above the edge
of her hose. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

“Higher,” she whispered.

He grazed his nails over the crotch of her
panties, and the throbbing increased. Moisture slicked her
crease.

“Teague, please,” she said on a moan. Lifting
a knee, she issued an invitation.

He accepted. Cupping her, he used a finger to
press satin into her folds then stroked the hood covering her
clitoris. She cried out as wetness seeped from her opening. Jaeda
rolled onto her hip and placed a hand to the bulging front of his
pants.

She gasped, shocked by how badly she wanted
him inside her.

“Oh, God,” he said on a groan, his voice so
thick she didn’t recognize it. “We have to stop.” His ragged
breathing stirred her hair as he withdrew his hand and lowered her
dress.

She wanted to protest. To ask why. But she
still clung to the faintest glimmer of lucidity and realized he was
right. If they didn’t stop, they’d come together on a couch in the
study. It would simply be sex – meaningless and empty. Her
assignment couldn’t afford such a slip, and she commended him for
wanting more than a trivial encounter. In his eyes as he sat on his
heels, she recognized loneliness. The same loneliness that
strangled her.

Nodding, she sat and raked fingers through
her hair to get it out of her eyes. “Are you tired?”

“A little,” he said. He scrubbed his hands
over his face.

With a shy smile, she asked, “Show me to my
room?”

“Certainly.” He stood and offered her a
hand.

“One moment.” Jaeda checked to ensure her
phone remained in her thigh-high's rubber grip then crossed the
room as fast as her wobbly legs would carry her.

Pretending to fix the folds of her coat
before retrieving it from the desk chair, she bent and yanked the
paperclips from the drawer lock. She shoved them in a coat pocket
then gathered it over her arm. At the couch, she retrieved her
shoes from the floor, letting them dangle from two fingers.

Teague held her hand as he led her out of the
study, along the hall and through a door near the foyer. She
couldn’t shake the sensations coursing through her body from his
lovemaking. Stepping onto cold, hard floor helped some, but not
much. Though she couldn’t see much more than shapes and shadowed
expanses, she could tell they made their way through a cavernous
space.

A dim orange glow caught her attention high
above. Then she discerned two lamps turned low on a wall at the top
of a massive staircase. Gripping his large, warm hand, she
regretted leaving off her shoes when she set foot on the first
step. Cold stone sent a chill up her leg, jarring her. Clenching
her teeth, she climbed the stairs to the second level. By the time
she reached the top, she had lost the urges he had easily stirred
downstairs in the study.

“Are you okay?” he asked, pausing on the
landing.

“Fine,” she forced past stiff lips. A shiver
raced up her spine. When they continued and her feet met with
padded carpeting, she went limp with relief for a moment.

He led her along a hallway lit at regular
intervals by dim lamps that looked like miniature lanterns. So many
doors stood closed on either side along the way, it reminded her of
walking a hotel hall.

He stopped at the end in front of a
double-door entrance that took up most of the hallway’s end. “This
is my room. If you need anything during the night, don’t hesitate
to knock.” Showing her to the door nearest his, he said, “You may
stay here. It’s quite the best guestroom in the house.”

“Thank you.” Did he have to put her so close
to his bedroom? She would have a difficult enough time getting
through the night staying under the same roof as it was.

She let go of his hand and gripped the
decorative knob and opened the door. She immediately smelled
bergamot mixed with sweet lavender – a clean, pretty fragrance. Her
feet sank into plush shag. After flipping on a light switch on the
wall, she could only stare at her accommodations.

Purple. So much purple of every shade. And
white. White walls. White canopy bed. White tables. White carpet.
On the bed, a comforter and profusion of pillows sported purple
flowers and plenty of frills. Draperies, the canopy overhead, a
loveseat, and two puffy chairs were done in fabric matching the
comforter. Jaeda imagined any little girl would be thrilled with
such a room. She, on the other hand…

“What do you think?” Teague asked from the
doorway.

You would have to ask.
“It’s so
quaint. I’ll be very comfortable here.”
As long as I keep the
light off
.