Nautier and Wilder (19 page)

“Hold onto my shoulders, Elena, and let me,” he said, keeping that contact with her
eyes as his fingers slipped inside her panties.

She gasped and dug her nails into his shoulders.

Jed’s lips curved and his eyes went dark. “Yeah, like that.”

His hand was warm despite the breeze blowing in through the car windows. Her nipples
were aching, throbbing tight points of need. She wanted him to suck them into his
mouth and make her scream, but she couldn’t form words because his hand was inside
her panties.

“You’re hot here, Elena. And wet.”

She rose against his hand, not sure whether she wanted to escape or grind against
him. Her pussy quivered, her clit a tight knot of nerve endings so close to bursting
it was embarrassing. She licked her lips and his hot gaze watched every movement of
her tongue, making her wish they were naked and sprawled out on her bed so she could
taste every square inch of him. She wanted to lick his skin, to feel his cock in her
mouth.

And when he slid a finger inside her, she whimpered.

“You need to come. Your pussy is tight around me, trembling. You want me to make you
come, Elena, right here on the beach, in your car?”

She fought through the rising haze of need and desire to nod her head.

He pulled his finger out and used her moisture to coat her aching clit.

“Tell me,” he said. “Tell me what you need and I’ll make it happen for you.”

She had to swallow to coat her parched throat. Her heart thrummed and beat so hard
she was afraid it was going to explode.

“Touch me. Make me come.”

He drew her head down to his, kissed her and cupped her sex with his big, hot hand,
his fingers tucking inside her pussy at the same time he ground the heel of his hand
against her clit.

A fiery explosion of sensation burst inside her. She moaned against his lips, sucked
on his tongue and came, rocking against his hand. He shoved his fingers inside her
harder and she rode them, feeling every thread of her orgasm in every part of her
body. It made her light-headed and giddy and it felt so damn good she never wanted
it to end.

Jed took her down easy, kissing her lightly, licking at her lips and rubbing gently
at her pussy until she felt like she could breathe again. When he removed his fingers,
he licked them, his gaze riveted to hers. She shuddered and sat down on him. He was
hard as stone, reminding her that only one of them had been satisfied.

He looked at her, smiled at her, the heat still evident in his eyes.

But he lifted her and put her back in the passenger seat and started up the car.

“Jed. We’re not finished.”

He slanted a grin her way. “No, we’re not. But I’m not going to push my luck by lingering
out here too long.”

He drove them back to his condo and got out, opened the door and came around to her
side to open the door for her.

He wasn’t going to come to her apartment. She didn’t understand.

Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply,
then pulled away with a smile on his face.

“I’m going to smell you on me all night, remember what you looked like when you came.”

Her nipples tingled. She laid her hands on his chest. “We’re not finished here.”

“No, we’re not, Elena. We’re just getting started.”

* * *

The first thing Jed did after he got back to his condo was check on Elena’s place
using his surveillance equipment. Everything was locked up tight. He watched her use
her alarm code to get in and rearm it once she was inside.

Her apartment was clear, too, and when he ran through the tapes of the area from when
they were gone, nothing came up.

He undressed, turned off the lights and got into bed, staring up at the ceiling. The
crash of the waves outside didn’t help him drift off to sleep. Nothing would, since
his cock was throbbing and his balls ached.

He could have taken Elena home and gone upstairs to her apartment. She wouldn’t have
balked. He’d seen her look of surprise when he’d driven to his condo instead. But
something stopped him.

He didn’t want to push things with her, didn’t want her to think he was only after
sex.

What a joke. This wasn’t a relationship. This was an assignment. He wasn’t dating
her, for Christ’s sake. Once Grange found Elena’s mother, he was outta here. So what
the fuck did he think he was doing? He was supposed to stick close. Sleeping with
her was as close as he could get, even if it wasn’t part of the assignment.

He got out of bed and stared at the laptop, watching Elena in bed.

What a sick voyeur he was. She was asleep, the covers pulled up over her.

He could be in bed with her right now. And she wouldn’t be sleeping.

He didn’t need to be a nice guy. He hadn’t been a nice guy earlier when he’d had his
fingers inside her.

God, she’d been hot and wet and smelled so damn good. His dick had been pounding so
hard he was surprised he hadn’t come in his pants. He wanted to be inside her so bad
he’d ached with it.

He still wanted it. His cock was hard, throbbing, demanding release.

He walked away from the image of her sleeping and lay down on the bed, closed his
eyes, and thought about Elena, her sweet body writhing on top of his as she came.

He fisted his cock and squeezed, stroked it slow and easy, imagining her delicate
hands surrounding the shaft as she sat next to him, her lips parted as they’d been
earlier tonight when she’d been so hot and turned on. She’d kept the connection between
them, left her eyes open while he’d slid his fingers inside her and made her come.

He brought his hand up, let his thumb slide over the crest of his cock. Fluid spilled
from the tip and he swept it over the head. He ached, his balls tightening. He was
so primed, so pumped with the need to let go that he could come right now. Images
of Elena arching against him pummeled his senses as he got a stranglehold on his cock
and pumped it up and down, wondering what it would feel like to have Elena’s hot,
sweet mouth sliding over the head of his dick.

He groaned, arched his hips and propelled his cock into his fist. Her mouth would
suction over the head, tight and wet, her tongue swirling over him as she took him
in, inch by inch, sucking him deeper until she had a mouthful of him.

He wanted to grab her by the back of the head and feed her his cock, pump against
her tongue, feel the soft velvet rasp of it as she squeezed his dick with her mouth
until he couldn’t take it anymore, until he was ready to shoot his load right into
her willing mouth.

“Fuck!” He let go, thoughts of Elena sucking him prominent in his mind as he shot
come all over his stomach.

He went to the bathroom to clean up and came back, doing one more check on her. She
had rolled over and kicked off the blanket, showing off her fine ass covered only
by a pair of black panties.

Dammit, he was going to have to stop looking at her or he’d get hard again.

And then he’d never get any sleep tonight.

SEVEN

I
t was a joy to reopen the store the next day. Elena’s regular customers came in by
the droves to check on her and make sure she was all right and that the store hadn’t
suffered too much damage after the burglary. Really, they came to gawk and gossip,
which was fine by her. She loved her clients, and she and Marco enjoyed catering to
them, because they typically bought a lot.

They didn’t disappoint today, either, obviously thinking she’d been robbed blind and
would be out of business within a week if they didn’t help her out. Who was she to
tell them otherwise? She couldn’t think of a single client who hadn’t left the store
with something.

Business was booming today. She should get burglarized more often.

Okay, maybe not.

She hadn’t seen Jed today, or heard from him. Not that she missed him—much. But after
last night’s incendiary interlude in her car, followed by his quick exit, she wasn’t
sure what the next step was going to be.

Then again, he did give her a hot kiss good-bye. But he hadn’t called her last night.
Or this morning. Or showed up.

She rolled her eyes. He had a job, a new business that he was trying to get off the
ground, and a pocket full of business cards from the meeting last night. He was probably
on the phone or in person marketing those contacts today, like he should be. And since
when was she so interested in a guy?

She’d always vowed never to let a man become front and center in her life. That was
her mother, not her. Her mother chased men, chased dreams like they were wisps of
smoke. Elena’s life was her business and staying grounded in reality.

She was never going to follow love. She would never become her mother.

Work settled down after three. Marco had a doctor’s appointment, so she sent him off
for the day. The shop stayed fairly busy until about an hour before closing when she
finally grabbed something to eat and had a chance to sit down behind the counter.
She nibbled on some fruit and cheese, then went to work on the day’s receipts while
she had a few quiet moments.

She figured it was going to be a slow last hour, unlike the rest of the day, giving
her time to catch up, when the door chime signaled. She looked up and two men came
in. Biker types in leather chaps and jackets. She came around the counter and headed
toward them.

“Hi, can I help you?”

They split the counters, one going one way, the other the opposite direction. Neither
said anything, or even looked at her, just observed the art on the walls and the sculptures
scattered around the shop.

Her radar went up immediately. She took a step back and let them observe. Not everyone
was a talker. They were probably just in there to browse.

She stood by, hands clasped behind her back, when one of them lifted his head. “Tell
me about this.”

He was referring to the glass wave sculpture in the case. “Sure.” She came over to
the case. “This piece was made by one of our local artists. She’s very popular for
her use of a mix of colors.”

“Let me see it.”

“All right.” She went behind the counter and unlocked the cabinet, conscious of the
man’s friend on the other side of the counter.

These guys made her nervous. Not because they were bikers, but because of their demeanor.
She wished Marco were here to help her keep an eye on them.

She placed the thick velvet presentation mat on the counter, then deftly pulled the
piece out of the cabinet and laid it on the overlay.

“As you can see, it’s quite spectacular.”

“Uh-huh. How much?”

“Eight hundred.”

He didn’t look up at her, didn’t blink, didn’t balk at the price. She half turned
to see what the other guy was doing. He was inching closer to the front door at a
very slow pace, still not making eye contact.

She didn’t like this. Her stomach knotted. She needed her phone. She suddenly wanted
to call Jed.

She kept her focus on the guy moving toward her front door. “Are you interested in
this piece, or can I show you something else?”

“Show me something else,” the guy said.

Reluctantly, she turned her gaze back to the customer. “All right. What would you
like to see?”

“This one.”

She tucked the glass piece to the side, ready to smash it and use the shards as a
weapon if need be. She pulled out the shell.

That’s when she heard the distinct click of the lock at her front door. Her gaze snapped
to the man at the door. “Hey!”

She dove for the glass and came out with it in her hand, ready to break it over the
counter and stab the asshole nearest her.

“Hey yourself, babe. What’s going on here?”

She sagged with relief at the sound of Jed’s voice. He sauntered in from the back
of her shop. How he’d gotten in that way, she had no idea, and frankly didn’t care.
All she knew was the look on his face was lethal, and his right hand was resting on
the butt of the gun tucked into his pants, sending a clear message to the two guys
in the store he was ready for whatever they had in mind.

“I don’t think we want anything today,” the one by the door said, quickly unlocking
the door.

The two of them left in a hurry.

Jed was at her side in two seconds and she sagged against him.

He took the glass from her hand. She hadn’t even realized she had a death grip on
it.

“Hell of a weapon here.”

“It could be if I’d broken it.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you. Who the hell were those guys?”

“No idea. I didn’t like their vibe from the second they walked through the door. No
eye contact, and I could tell they weren’t really interested in any of the inventory.”

He tipped her chin up with his fingers. “They were interested in you.”

“I guess.”

“You’re shaking. You need to sit down.”

He took her to the back of the shop and put her in the chair.

“I’ll be right back.”

She nodded.

He was right. She was shaking. She clasped her hands together and tried to force the
tremors to stop, but every time she did, the thoughts of what could have happened
with those two men came barreling at her, and the shivers started again.

“Okay, come on. I’m taking you upstairs.”

Her head shot up. “But the shop—”

“Is closed. Locked up tight. It was almost closing time, anyway.”

She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. She’d be useless to her customers
right now. Dammit.

He helped her up and on shaky legs she climbed the stairs to her apartment, where
she collapsed on the sofa.

“Got any coffee or tea?”

“Both.”

“Tea would probably be better for you.”

“Far-left-hand cabinet. I don’t need you to wait on me. I’m all right.”

He shot her a disbelieving look from the kitchen. “Yeah, you look all right. If you
stood up, you’d probably fall over. Just sit there and I’ll fix you something.”

“Fine. And I’m not helpless, you know.”

“Never thought you were.”

“I was ready to bean that one guy with the glass sculpture. I also have a pretty decent
right arm. I would have pitched the coral at the door guy, and would have likely hit
him, too. Or at least injured him enough to go for the alarm. Or I could have hurt
or disabled them both enough to give me time to run upstairs and lock myself in the
apartment or gotten to my phone in time.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure you could have taken them both down single-handed.”

“Now you’re making fun of me.”

“Am I?”

Jed handed her the cup of tea. She looked up at him and smiled, then took it with
shaky hands.

“Thanks.” She took a sip, and the warmth spread throughout her body. She’d needed
this.

He kneeled down beside her. “You’re pale.”

“I’m tougher than you think.” Or maybe she was just trying to convince herself so
she wouldn’t be scared out of her mind.

“Obviously. You had an entire plan in mind to kick their asses. You didn’t need me.”

She put the cup on the table beside her. “I so did. You’re my hero. I might have had
a plan, but who knows if I would have been able to carry it out. At the time I was
terrified.”

“Hey, you didn’t fall apart like most people would have. I give you a lot of credit
for that. You weren’t a babbling baby and you held yourself together. I’m sure you
would have executed whatever you had in mind with precision. I’m just glad I showed
up and made them change their minds about whatever it was they thought about doing.”

“What do you think they had in mind?”

He shrugged. “No idea, but whatever it was wasn’t good.”

She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her herself, feeling suddenly chilled.

Jed reached behind her for the blanket and laid it over her.

“Thanks, again. And how did you get in the shop?”

“I was on my way over to see you. Saw the dude flip the lock and knew something was
up, so instead of busting your front door in or shooting the lock, I came around back
and used the code to get in.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot I’d given that to you.”

He swept his hand over her hair. “You can change the code if you want to.”

“Are you kidding? You saved my life today.”

He sat on the sofa next to her. “I don’t know about that, but I’m glad I could be
here for you.”

“It was handy timing. My shop seems to have been targeted.”

Or Elena was the target. Jed wasn’t sure. He’d been in the condo, and once he spotted
the two guys pulling up in front of her store, he’d zeroed in on them. They’d waited
until Marco left before going inside, a sure sign they were scoping her out. He’d
hightailed it out of the condo, got a scan of their bike tags and headed for the front
door. That’s when he saw the one lock it, so he’d hurried around the back and used
the code to slip inside.

He wasn’t sure if these guys were part of the burglary ring going around, or if they’d
been after Elena. He intended to find out, but his first priority was making sure
she was safe.

He stood, went to the window and looked out. Lots of bikes cruising by slowly, some
appearing to look into Elena’s shop. A few people walking by stopped at the door,
then walked away. There was no way to tell if they were just shoppers or if anyone
was dangerous.

“You can take off now,” Elena said, drawing his attention away from the traffic outside.
“I’ll be fine. I really should reopen the shop.”

He leaned against the windowsill. “Not a chance.”

She pulled her legs up behind her. Yeah, she didn’t look ready to run back downstairs
and open that door.

“I can’t stay closed, Jed. I have a business to run.”

He knew she was right, but he’d stick closer from now on. “You’re still pale, and
it’s almost dinnertime. How about I fix dinner?”

She raised a brow. “You cook?”

“Uh, by fixing dinner, I meant we could order a pizza or something.”

She laughed. “I like pizza.”

“That’s good, because I don’t really cook. I can make eggs and bacon and toast. And
I fix a mean bowl of cereal.”

She laughed. “I’m a great cook.”

“Then I might just have to keep you around so I don’t starve to death or blow my budget
on take-out food.”

She directed him to her stash of take-out menus and he ordered them a pizza. Thank
God the woman liked to eat. They agreed on a pizza loaded with sausage and pepperoni,
and they each got a salad to go with it.

While they waited for the pizza to arrive, Elena went to change clothes. Jed sent
a quick text to Grange, letting him know what happened along with the tag numbers
of the two bikes. He told Grange he was sticking close to Elena. Grange texted him
back and told him he’d check up on the bikes and get back to him.

Jed really wanted to go after those bikers, but he couldn’t be in two places at one
time, and his main job was to keep Elena safe.

Normally he liked the action—chasing down the bad guys. He’d left his job at the FBI
because there hadn’t been enough of the action. Too much time in the office, too much
research work. Now he was stuck inside with Elena—protection duty basically.

Yet for some reason he didn’t mind, and he knew it was because he was attracted to
her. He was going to have to pull back on the attraction and do his damn job, quit
letting his dick rule the mission.

“That’s better.” She came out in a white tank top with some skimpy other strappy thing
underneath it in pink, and some black yoga pants that came to her knee. The whole
ensemble shouldn’t have been sexy, but it was, because when she went into the kitchen
and rose up on her toes to grab for paper plates, her top rode up and gave him a glimpse
of tanned, flat stomach.

And his cock noticed.

His cock could just damn well remember that Elena was a mission, not a potential fuck
buddy.

He went to the window instead of ogling her.

“Something interesting out there?”

“Yeah. The pizza guy. I’ll be right back.”

After he fetched the pizza, they sat at the kitchen bar. He liked watching her eat.
She didn’t put much dressing on her salad, but dove into her pizza like she was starving.
He liked a woman who ate actual food as opposed to pushing food around on the plate
and pretending to eat. He’d dated women like that before—the stick-thin variety who
thought men liked to date women with the figure of a twelve-year-old boy. He wasn’t
that kind of a guy—he liked a woman to look like a woman. He never understood the
whole starvation thing.

“So how’s business going?” she asked.

“Uh, good.”

“Did you make some contacts from the business association?”

He hadn’t called any of those people. Didn’t intend to. And she could verify that.
“Not yet. I had some other people I’d gotten in touch with, so I have some alarm installs
I’m working on with them first.”

“Oh. That’s great. Sounds like you’re pretty busy.”

“Yeah.” He bit into his pizza and tried not to say too much. He was going to have
to dance around his cover and hope she wouldn’t send anyone else his way.