Only Skin Deep (3 page)

When her expression changed and her body melted, he bit the
inside of her thigh, brushing just momentarily over her clit with his tongue.
Her skin felt so soft under his hands. Jason lifted her leg, kissing the back
of her knees before positioning himself at her center and sliding in just as
she began to protest. Even with the barrier of protection, heat scorched him. A
groan of satisfaction left his mouth as he pushed, inching his way deeper into
her channel. He watched her back arch off the bed, and his arousal heightened
at her sweet sounds of pleasure.

With each pump of his cock in her core, her breasts shook. Up
her leg he stroked, grabbing the flesh of her hips as he ground his pelvis to
hers, then soothed the skin he’d handled roughly. “Such smooth skin should be a
crime.” He bent over her body and let go of her leg to tweak her nipple with
his mouth.

“Mmm. Don’t stop that.” Taleena released the crumpled bedding
and ran her hands up his chest. “I love hair on a man.” She brushed her palms
across the sparse hair on his chest and pinched his nipple.

Jason cupped her breasts, rolling his hands around them while
looking into her eyes.

He loved everything about her, from her saucy mouth to her
pretty painted toes.
However, he
wasn’t stupid enough to voice his thoughts. He did the next best thing, kissing
her breathless again, then eased her from the edge of the bed to the middle,
laying his full weight on her. On his forearms, he stroked her hair and slowed
his thrusting to a calmer pace, bringing the tip of his cock out and rubbing
her inner lips.

“What?” She moved up, meeting his thrusts.

Jason kissed the tip of her nose and drew his thumb down her
jaw line.
“Should’ve kissed you long ago.”
Around his
cock, her pussy pulsated and contracted. She’d become so wet, he threatened to
spill before he was ready. He made ruthless love to her mouth and body, taking
his sweet time with a clenched jaw as sweat dripped from his brow. Each
mewl
and shudder brought him closer, his balls tightening.

“Jason,” she cried out, her hands gripping his arms.

“Oh yeah,
Leena
.”
Her climax pushed him to fuck her harder with her body trapped under him. The
bed heaved under him, creaking on its legs. Her sweet haven drew him in. He
grunted with the exertion of holding back his own pleasure. Under him,
Leena
bucked and turned her head from him. “I want to see
you come again.” He brought her eyes back to meet his and got lost in her
chocolate gaze. Her eyes fluttered and her body tensed. He stroked faster, his
pleasure cresting with hers, his seed filling the small reservoir of the
condom.

Her quickened heartbeat matched
his own
frantic pulse. He blew out a breath and placed kisses along her jaw. “You
okay?” He shifted off her body, collapsing on his back beside her.

“Mm-hmm,” Taleena moaned as she rolled over and pressed her
head into his shoulder.

Jason caressed her hair. “I need to clean up.” He eased out
from under her and walked to her bathroom.
Get
a grip.
Intense sex brought on trouble.
Emotions.
Needs.
Future.
He snapped out of
his thoughts and pulled the condom off his cock. With an irritated grunt, he
tossed the rubber in the trash and turned on the water to wash his hands. One
look down told him he hadn’t gotten his fill of his co-worker. Hands pressed against
the granite counter, he stared into the bathroom mirror and erased all thoughts
of having a relationship from his mind. It wasn’t that Taleena wasn’t prime
girlfriend material. Business and pleasure simply didn’t mix well.

“
Leena
,” he called out. Unsure of
what to say, he headed back to her bedroom. He witnessed her innocence in
slumber standing at the door. Instead of rousing her and taking her again, like
he wanted, he dressed quietly and left.

Chapter Two

“Motherfucker.”
Taleena woke up to
find Jason gone. Fumbling around on her nightstand, she picked up her cell
phone only to find no calls. Anger set in. She hurried out of bed and ran to
her kitchen. The magnets on her fridge remained unused, and her table clean of
clutter. Jason hadn’t left a note, not a message, nothing. After giving her
steamy sex, he’d simply left.

How mortifying and un-fucking-believable. Believe it,
sister,
she chided herself for becoming a new booty call.
So much for knowing someone.
Two years of working next to the sexiest man since time began, and look what it
got her. The drought she’d recovered from had opened up a new flood of need.
Her body still hummed from the workout he gave her, her limbs aching. Sore and
annoyed, she took a quick hot shower, hoping to erase the night from her
memory. His touch was everywhere, his scent all over her room. Angry with
herself more than Jason, she got dressed in her plain uniform. Her gaze drifted
to her crumpled bed linen as she stormed out of her room and snagged her keys
off the table.

Taleena’s
fury didn’t abate.
Sitting in front of her apartment was the car she’d left at the party. Instead
of being thankful she didn’t have to call a cab, she gritted her teeth and
drove to work. He couldn’t just expect her to act like nothing happened between
them, could he? No. That would be cruel.

Before she knew it, she’d pulled into her parking spot.
Living a few blocks from work didn’t help matters.

I can do this. I can
walk in there and be okay. Last night was fun, but this is my job. I won’t let
one night of hot sex affect me. I won’t give him the satisfaction of my
attention.

She opened her car door, got out, and shut it. The
twerp
of her car alarm activating hit
her ear. Head held high, she walked into St. Bartle’s Armored Services and
clocked in. As usual, the team was assembled in the meeting room with the daily
job itinerary.
Taleena
checked her weapons and belt
and slipped into her seat. Despite her bravado, she felt a flush steal over her
cheeks.

Officer Bradshaw began the meeting. “We have our normal
pickups today plus two additional ones. Flannery Jewels has a case for us to
collect and deliver to their bank vault. We also have a piece of art to cart to
the museum.”

Bradshaw put down his clipboard. “Jason, your team will do
the normal route and pick up the art. Marvel, your team will do the banks
downtown and get the jewelry.” He paused and then said, “Dismissed.”

Taleena
ignored the curious glances
sent her way.
So much
for stepping outside my comfort zone.

“Hey, girl, you looked hot at the party.” Caleb smiled at her
as he filed out of the room.

“Uh, thanks.” She blushed again catching Jason undressing her
with his eyes. She turned her back to him and walked out, hoping he choked.

“
Taleena
, stop.”
Jason grabbed her arm and spun her to face him.

“What? Now you have something to say?” she all but whispered,
thankful the rest of the crew was not in hearing distance.

“Let me explain.”

“Tell it to someone who cares. I have
work
to do.” She brushed past him, forcing him to let go of her arm, and headed for
their work truck.

* * * *

From that point on, the day went to complete shit.
Taleena’s
head hurt from the boiling indignation. Having to
ignore the thick tension between her and Jason as it blanketed over them all in
the back of the work truck had her nerves standing on end.

“You okay, doll?” Caleb asked.

She forced a smile. “Just have a headache.”

Caleb frowned as they waited in the truck for the holding
compartments to be brought to them. He moved behind her and settled his hands
on her.
“Neck tense?”
He brushed her hair out of his
way and began kneading her shoulders.

“Oh, that feels so good.” Taleena moaned as the tension begin
to ebb. “How did you know?” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

“Used to do this for my girl and my mama.”
Caleb stroked with sure but soft presses on the knotted muscles causing her
migraine.

“
Mmmm
.”
She
dropped her guard and relaxed.

Caleb began massaging her temples. “The guys wanna know if
you’re available to date.”

“Why?”

“Well, after the work party, do you honestly have to ask
that?”

“All I did was dress up.” Taleena tilted her head to the
side. “That feels wonderful. Your ladies are lucky to have you.”

“You did more than dress up, girl. You came out of your shell.
Damn sexy of you to do that.”

“So now that I’m sexy, people want a date—Oh yeah…right
there…” She squeaked just as Jason opened the door with their goods.

“You two need some privacy, or are you on duty?” Jason
snapped and slid into the back with their cargo.

“Sorry, sir.
I’ll log it in and call
out our departure.” Caleb exited.

Taleena clenched her lips tight and watched from the back as
Brandt climbed in the driver’s seat with Caleb in the passenger’s side. She
heard their muffled speech but couldn’t decipher what they were saying. All she
noticed was the smell of Jason’s cologne and the sound of his haggard
breathing. “What’s your problem, Jason?”

He locked in the cargo and took the seat opposite her, anger
riding in his eyes. “You let him feel you up?”

“It’s none of your business,” Taleena snapped. She wasn’t
about to tell him he was the cause of her distress or that Caleb took away her
pain, if only for a few minutes.

“Damn that. Anything and everything, especially on company
time, is my business.”

“And off?” she taunted.

“We’ll discuss that, later.” He sat back. “Buckle up, we’re
departing.”

She secured her seatbelt and sighed. “You have no right, not
after you just left.”

Jason leaned forward.”I’m sorry I left you.” He sat back and
snapped his own. “Trust me, if we weren’t in this truck and on company time,
I’d show you.”His harsh stare out the windshield and white-knuckled grip made
her question pushing him to his breaking point.

“Tonight, then.”
God, what a
wuss
she was.
I’m
sorry
and chocolate eyes begging for a second chance, and she was sucked
right back in. At least she took it that way, although he didn’t look like the
begging type. She needed to justify her quick forgiveness.

“Tonight it is.”

* * * *

Dayum.
Sweat dribbled down Jason’s back, and
Taleena couldn’t avert her fixation on his body. The drop of the ball hitting
the hot pavement did little to distract her from following the sweat gathering
between his flexing shoulder blades. The moisture’s path down his lower back
brought a sigh out of her lips. What she really wanted to do was play towel
girl, using her tongue to lick him dry. With a sigh, she watched him land a
three point shot. She turned her gaze to
Donato
begrudgingly
appreciating how well he countered her man for every move.

Then her brain went from him playing basketball to the night
of their big blowup. Nothing turned her on more than the memory of him getting
her home and proceeding to show her just how well he could apologize.

Fresh roses stood in a beautiful blown-glass vase. He’d placed candles
all over her apartment and cooked her favorite dish. She was touched he’d gone
that far in his apology, but it didn’t stop there. He’d turned her living room
into a massage parlor and brought out the glow in her skin by using his hands,
lips and cock—and after he’d brought her mind-blowing pleasure, he’d asked her
to be his woman. No
engagement ring
just yet…not after
just one night, instead a beautiful start to a new relationship.

Now, sitting in the gym, she realized a membership was by far
the best perk of her job. Taleena took a drink from her water bottle and leaned
back against the bleachers. A shadow blocked her line of vision.

“Welcome back.” She smiled at
Nadja
.
“
Donato
is losing.”

“That’s too bad.”
Nadja
grabbed the
spot next to her.

“What’s your plan?”

“I don’t have one. I’m missing that
go get him
gene in my personality,”
Nadja
said.

Taleena sighed.
“Nothin’ like a sexy,
sweaty man.
He’s into you. Jason told me.”

“I just don’t know how to get his attention. He’s the hottest
bouncer at the bar. Girls look at him and I bet they just cream instantly.”

Taleena pulled her attention from Jason to look at
Nadja
. “Girl, you’re an entertainer. You gain male
attention by the flip of your hair, or the gyration of your hips, and then you
have that soul seduction voice that would make the sirens in the oceans envy
you. Go! Get your man!”

When
Nadja
sighed with that
resigned look on her face, Taleena also sighed. “Come on, let’s go. You need an
intervention.” Hell, if she could get past the
no dating within the company
rule, her friend could too. She took
one last glance at her man dominating the court, and then tossed her water in
the trash. Taleena draped her arm around
Nadja’s
shoulder and headed out of the gym with her, a surefire plan formulating in her
mind.

Flaws and All