Wild About The Bodyguard (8 page)

She felt her
eyes go wide. “You want me to go down on you now?”

When he
nuzzled, she felt his lips warm against her neck. “I was thinking
the other way around.”

Sammy had an
even better idea.

She led Chase
through to the downstairs bathroom and turned on the faucet so that
water ran on the warmer side of cool. He unsnapped her bra and they
stepped into the cosy cubicle, locking together while streams
curled over their heads and around their joined mouths.

She didn’t
object when Chase found the soap and slid the bar over her back,
across her bottom then gently between her legs. While he kissed her
in a totally absorbed way, she let her palms splay over the broad
expanse of his shoulders, then down the epic contours of his arms.
She fanned fingers over the dark hair dusting his chest, and when
he began to pay attention to the nub glowing at the top of her
folds, she hummed against his lips, letting him know she approved.
She dragged her fingers up the thick, hot column of his neck, over
his raspy jaw and in through his drenched, silky hair.

As the heat in
her belly built, Sammy slid her mouth away from his and slipped
around in the wet circle of his arms. With her back resting against
his hard trunk, she tilted her pelvis and gave herself over to his
skill as he continued to tease and lightly rub.

When his mouth
found a spot an inch below her ear, she groaned at the tickle of
his warm tongue on her skin. His other hand scooped up the side of
her waist, stopping to weight one breast before plucking the tip
with the same rhythm he used to stimulate her down
below.

He murmured
against her ear. “Are you ready?”

She sighed
and smiled. “
So
ready...”

Then he was
turning her around, easing her up against the glass at the same
time he hunkered down. Clutching his big shoulders, she let her
head tip back. She had never gone this far with anyone she’d known
such a brief time. Call her shy, or slow, but she usually saved
this level of intimacy for much later.

But she’d been
the one to open this door. Chase had simply taken the lead. And as
he got comfortable, she gripped his shoulders harder, shut her eyes
tighter and promised herself to relax and enjoy.

She imagined
him measuring her with his eyes, and then felt his breath warm on
that ultra-private part of her. She thought she felt his smile as
his lips oh-so-lightly brushed that tingling spot. His lips brushed
again and then drew a small select circle. Over the steady hiss of
the shower, she felt his fingertips expose that part of her even
more.

When the tip
of his tongue flicked that spot, the sensation ripped up from her
toes to her core. Then the warm wet oval of his mouth locked over
her and his tongue swirled before he tasted her fully with such
tenderness and talent, Sammy thought the top of her head might come
off. When a finger slipped inside of her and began rubbing in just
the right place, she wondered if any woman had ever felt this on
fire.

Then his teeth
nipped—so light, so right—and the kernel pulsing low and deep
inside of her began to throb. With his fingers and tongue stroking
her, she bit her lip, hunched her shoulders and, without meaning
to, tripped over that wire again. If she’d been able to put a
thought together, she’d have been embarrassed at her lack of
control.

As rolls of
pleasure swept through her, Chase didn’t let up until she was
spent. Even then he stayed close to dot soft kisses either side of
her thighs. Out of breath and heartbeat booming, she gazed down at
him, ran her fingers through his hair and let him know her
mind.

“
I want you
inside of me again.”

He pushed to
his feet, blocking the shower spray as he stood before her. Two
large palms planted on the glass either side of her head. His
telling smile made her throat thicken. He looked so contented and
absurdly masculine. No one could ever feel as adored as she did
this minute.

He drew a
fingertip around her dripping chin. “No protection, remember?” He
cocked a brow. “Good news is there’s always next time.”

She slotted
her arms around his neck.
Next time
couldn’t come soon enough.

“
In the
meantime...” He rested his forehead on hers. “Want to go see a game
later in the week?”

Baseball?
“With you?”

He laughed.
“Yes, with me. We can grab something to eat at the stadium,” he
circled the tip of his nose around hers, “then maybe go back to my
place for something sweet later.”

Her heart
doubled in size. She pinched his scratchy chin and then dabbed a
kiss on the spot. “Dessert sounds good. What’ve you got in
mind?”

“
A
surprise.”

“
Can I put in
a request?”

His lips
twitched. “As always, I appreciate your input.”

“
I don’t care
what the toppings are,” she tugged his head down to whisper in his
ear, “as long as dessert takes all night.”

As excited as
Sammy was about finally moving forward with their investigation,
she was just as excited about the idea of spending time with Chase.
He was intelligent, had a sense of humor. Best of all, he was
hot—
sizzling
, as
a matter of fact. She couldn’t wait for their date tomorrow
night.

But, after
he’d dried off and left, Sammy forced herself to focus on
organizing a meeting with Ann, which she’d cleared with
Chase.

The next day,
before driving to her sister’s pristine two acre property in St.
Helena, Sammy phoned ahead. Ann preferred to be forewarned of
visitors, even ones who couldn’t care if the best dinnerware was
out or whether the wine complemented the dish. Sammy enjoyed
spending time with her sister—just hanging and talking and feeling
close...preferably without Rick the Dick around. She was interested
to hear, via Chase, that Jacob McPherson hadn’t been a fan of Ann’s
husband, either.

Had her shady
brother-in-law lifted the ring all those years ago? Although she
hoped for everyone’s sake that wasn’t true, Sammy wouldn’t put it
past him. She’d always felt he was hiding something.

When Sammy
exited her car and trotted up the porch steps, Ann was there, arms
opened wide. While they hugged big, like they always did, Sammy
breathed in her sister’s expensive scent and remembered back to a
time when they’d made their own perfume with wild flowers and
water. They’d even packaged and sold some to friends. Their mom had
told them both she was just so proud.

Now Ann
announced, “You look amazing. Any calls? You had a soap audition
lined up, yes?”

“
That’s next
week. I’m not sure yet how to play the part.”

“
Any way the
director says.” With an arm hooked around her little sister’s
waist, Ann led the way inside the immaculate abode that Sammy
secretly referred to as The Palace.

Mirror
polished furniture, elegant swags, tasteful art—water colors in one
room, oils in another. Although losing that ruby ring so soon after
losing their mom had been a huge blow, the insurance money had made
a vast difference to both their lives. Ann had scored the funds to
start up her own business, a health-based cafe, which had evolved
and certainly grown over the years. Sammy had been able to attend
her college of choice. Immediately they’d moved to a better part of
town. Those days of constant struggle were behind them.

In the
sparkling, chef-equipped kitchen, Ann poured two tumblers of
ice-water. Sammy would have preferred a soda or beer. For a long
time, Ann had been healthy to the point of obsession. She’d been on
a glutton-free, fat-free, taste-free diet for years. Sammy wondered
if her sister’s fixation with physical and mental wellbeing was a
result of their mother’s illness. A fear of cancer.

“
How’s your
tattoo friend,” Ann asked, inspecting a hanging basket of ripe
pomegranates when they moved out onto the veranda.

“
Laycee’s
good.”

“
I’m so glad
she hasn’t talked you into getting one of those things.”

Sammy didn’t
bother to explain again. Laycee was proud of her profession—she
took it seriously. She did not, however, cajole, pester or push
people into getting inked.

Taking a seat
at the spotless outdoor setting, Sammy filled her lungs and got on
topic. “I need to speak with you, Ann. About the ring.”

Ann’s hand
slipped away from the hanging basket at the same time she eased out
a breath. “Oh, Sammy. You’re still not going on about that, are
you?”

“
I need to
know how that woman, Mrs. Garfield, came to own it. I’ve shown you
the blowups from the net. It’s identical.”

“
Nothing’s
original anymore.”

“
Mom thought
that ring was. I do, too.”

In her
designer linen pants and cream silk shirt, Ann took a seat and held
her sister’s hand. “I hate to see you wasting energy chasing
butterflies. It was all so long ago.”

Sammy squeezed
her sister’s hand. “Ann, I went to the police.”

Ann
recoiled.

Sammy got it.
Her sister didn’t want people knocking on her door, stirring up
memories. Anne was pissed that her sister could possibly put her in
this position after all these years.

Sammy
explained. “They said they’d look into it. Thing is…they
haven’t.”

Ann’s
manicured fingers scooped back a gleaming blond wave. “That’s that
then.”

“
Not quite.”
Sammy sat back. “I met someone.”

Ann’s flawless
face lit up. “Someone nice?”

“
Someone who
wants to help me track down the ring.”

“
I don’t
understand. A new boyfriend?”

“
A private
investigator. Ex, actually. But he must think there’s something
there or he wouldn’t waste his time asking questions.”

Ann’s mouth
tightened. “This man…is he taking your money in exchange for his
services?”

Sammy shut
her eyes.
Oh, Christ.
“It’s not like that.” Chase wasn’t a scam artist.

Ann’s voice
lowered. “You’re sleeping with him then.”

“
That has
nothing to do with it.”

“
Have you
considered that he might be humoring you—”

“
I’m sure he
isn’t.”

“—
because I
don’t like to think of anyone taking advantage of my baby
sister.”

Sammy’s hand
bunched in her lap. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

Tipping
forward, Ann cupped her sister’s cheek. “Honey, you’ll
always
be my kid sister.
I’ll always want to look out for you.”

Sammy knew it.
But that wouldn’t stop her from following through on her own
choices. Making her own decisions. Especially where the ring was
concerned. She squared her shoulders.

“
I’d like the
insurance papers, please.”

Ann’s eyes
narrowed before she got to her feet and, moving back to the basket,
focused on her pomegranates. “I’ll see if I can dig them
up.”

“
You’re the
most organized person I know.” Ann knew precisely where those
papers were. “I won’t take them. I’ll make a copy.” When Ann’s lips
tightened, Sammy pointed out, “It was my ring, Ann.”

Her sister’s
eyes suddenly rimmed with moisture. She inhaled deeply and then let
it out on a sigh. “It all makes me feel so…”

“
Helpless. I
know.” Sammy joined her sister, held her cool, perfectly manicured
hand. “We can’t bring Mom back but maybe we can find a way to right
that other wrong.”

Ann considered
the roll of vintner fields unfolding in the distance.

“
This friend
of yours,” she finally said. “Is he good at what he
does?”

Detective
work? “I get the feeling Chase is very good.”

Ann held her
sister’s gaze for a long tense moment before a thin smile kicked up
one side of her mouth and she nodded.

“
Okay. I’ll
get the papers. And then, young lady,” she bopped Sammy’s nose,
“I’ll fix you some lunch. And Sammy? Try to be nice to Richard. He
really does like you, you know.”

At that
moment, Rick appeared, edging out onto the veranda. “Hey, Sammy,”
he said with a weak smile tacked on his face as a breeze tugged
through his scanty hair.

Sammy forced
her own smile while Ann piped up. “We were about to fix
lunch.”

“
None for
me,” Rick said, thrusting his hands in his pants pockets. “I have
business in town.”

Ann looked
disappointed. Sammy was too. She’d wanted the chance to quiz Rick.
But if he knew anything, if he was, in fact, responsible for the
theft...what then? Would she actually press charges? She and Ann
weren’t as close now as their mother would have liked, but they
were still sisters. How could Sammy haul her brother-in-law into
court? That would devastate Ann.