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  “I want to touch every part of you.” She lowered herself to her knees. Her fingers made a wavy pattern as she slid them upward, touching his calves. His knees. His thighs. When she reached the base of his penis, she stopped. “Maybe I should just leave this part of you alone,” she said. Even as she taunted him, his penis grew bigger. Harder.

  “Jessie. That feels so good.”

  She loved teasing him this way. When had she become a tease? Cole had given her the freedom.

  No. This fling had given her the freedom.

  Jessie lightly traced a pattern up his cock, circling around the head, then back down again.

  “Does that feel good?” she asked. Not waiting for a response, she went on. “Now I’ll do the same thing, but with my lips. And my tongue.”

  A deep, low moan was his only answer.

  Slowly she stood, rubbing her body against his. Jessie shoved at his shoulder and he fell onto the bed, taking her with him. She leaned over him, mashing her breasts against his muscled chest. The perfect fit. Stretching, she licked the sensitive skin of his wrist, then drew a line up his arm with her tongue. Only stopping when she swirled it below his ear.

  With a surprising jerk of his hips, he rolled her over onto her back. He loomed above her, his intent to drive her wild clear in his eyes. So bad boys didn’t just grow up to be bad men. They became very bad men. Delicously bad.

  He reached for the red straps of her bra, pushing them down her arms until her breasts were freed. Finally showing him what the material had only hinted at. The straps captured her arms at her sides, making it awkward for her to move. Had he done that on purpose?

  His mouth sought her breasts, drawing the tips into its wet warmth. She forgot all about wanting her hands free, because what he was doing to her felt amazing.

  “You’re the sexiest woman,” he said against her skin. His words and warm breath sent shivers through her body. “I almost dragged you down to the floor in there when I saw those red panties.”

  His lips followed the line of her rib cage and lower. He circled her navel with his tongue, then traced the red thong with his mouth. The softness of his lips shooting desire through her. She wanted him. Craved him.

  “I want these off you now.”

  She couldn’t agree more. “Yes,” she said.

  Cole didn’t waste a moment, nipping the elastic of her panties between his teeth and dragging them down her thigh. He switched to the other side, his lips at her hip. She sucked in a breath when she felt the gentle graze of his teeth on her skin. Then at the thin material. Then nothing. She raised her pelvis to meet him.

  With a deep chuckle, he wound his fingers around the small triangle between her thighs and pulled the panties out of his way. His fingers a caress against the sensitive skin of her thigh, her inner knee, her ankle. “Leave your shoes on.”

  Jessie’s eyes met the hunger burning in his.

  “I want you with those shoes on and nothing else.”

  She shivered. Something about his request made her feel utterly decadent.

  She lifted herself up on her elbows. “Wait a minute. How did I end up flat on my back? I’m supposed to be doing the interrogation. I see I’ll have to take more forceful measures.”

  Jessie rolled out from under Cole, pushing him to the bed with a playful shove. After drawing the belt from her coat, she reached for his wrist. Her breasts were even with his lips and he kissed her.

  “Try all you like, I won’t be dissuaded,” she told him as she loosely tied one loop of the belt around his left arm. “But keep at it.”

  He circled the tip with his tongue, making her gasp. She tied his right arm with the other end of the belt. “That should keep your hands to yourself.”

  Then she straddled him. Although they were both in a playful mood, she paused for a moment. Closing her eyes at the pleasure. The hardness of him against the slick heat between her legs.

  “I want you now,” he demanded.

  Jessie made a tsking sound. “So soon? I haven’t explored all your best parts with my mouth yet.”

  Cole moved his hips, positioning himself closer to the wetness of her body, sending a tiny shock through her. “In agony, are you?” she asked, feeling a little of that agony herself.

  She slowly reached for the condom she’d left in her coat pocket, drawing out his wait, drawing out his tension. Jessie wanted him aching for her. Like she was for him. Her nipples were needy. Her clit throbbed for his touch. Inside, she was slick and ready for him.

  “Here’s my first clue. What should I do with it?” she asked as she moved against him. So wet he slid easily against her.

  “Jessie,” he growled, “I will get my revenge.”

  A thrill of erotic sensation pooled between her legs. This game was fun and something she’d fantasized about on those long, boring stakeouts. He was in the TV business. Did his fantasies involve lights? Maybe a camera?

  She moved away from him as she opened the package, then rolled the latex down the long, hard length of him. He groaned when she got to the base of his cock.

  “Untie my hands.” His voice was a command. As an officer, she’d always followed orders. As a fiancée, she’d always complied with her man’s requests. As a lover…not so much.

  “I don’t think so. I like you like this. And I like playing the bad girl too much,” she told him, as she straddled his hips once more. Jessie reached for him, teasing herself with the tip of his erection. His soft, smooth head shooting a thrill through her.

  Cole lifted his hips, seeking entrance. “Ride me, Jessie.”

  The carnal urging in his voice made every pulse point ache to have him inside her. Jessie lowered herself on him. They both groaned when he was fully seated inside her.

  “Ride me hard,” he instructed. His eyes were closed, his jaw set. His voice, his whole body testified to the strain he felt.

  Jessie was desperate to comply with what he implored in that deep, sexy voice. He was temptation. She lifted from him, only to slam down over and over again on his cock. Her movements became more frantic, more urgent. He surged higher into her, hitting every spot that made her writhe.

  Suddenly, her inner muscles gripped and held him. Wave after wave of heat assailed her most intimate parts. Cole tensed below her. His big body shook as he pounded up into her and came with a roar.

  She collapsed against him, her every muscle weak. The heaviness of their breathing filled the bedroom.

  He pressed a light kiss to her temple. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.” He sounded awed. Reverent.

  She lifted her head and looked down into his eyes. “Maybe you should give up control more often,” she teased, her voice all erotic suggestion.

  “Who said anything about me losing control? As I recall, I had to take over with the strokes there at the end.”

  12

  JESSIE SLID TO COLE’S side and snuggled against the long length of him. Breathing in his minty citrus scent. He also smelled a lot like her, which brought a smile to her face. Since she was determined to keep this thing between them a fling, she should probably be thinking of leaving right now.

  “You going to keep me tied up like this?” he asked.

  She laughed, brought his arms from above his head and untied the belt from his wrists. The knots were pretty loose. Jessie gave him a narrowed look. “I think you could have gotten out of those puny restraints yourself.”

  He winked, his eyes fully hazel now. “Seemed important for you to keep me hemmed in.”

  She shifted away. Jessie couldn’t meet his gaze. He was right. She wanted to be in control. She needed to have the power. There wasn’t even any pretending that they were on some kind of equal level when in bed. Certainly, they hadn’t been a few moments ago.

  Cole’s fingers sank into her hair, and he maneuvered her head so it rested on his shoulder. She relaxed against him, still lost in thought. Cole hadn’t even cared she wanted to be the dominant partner in bed. Based on the satisfied l
ook on his face, he’d reveled in her feminine power.

  He stretched and switched the bedside light off, plunging the room into darkness.

  Okay, apparently she was supposed to sleep with him, which officially violated the first rule of a fling. No sleepovers. Yet lethargy pulled at her muscles. Cole’s deep breathing lulled her into joining him. She was a night person. She did her best work after eleven. It couldn’t be much later than that now. She shouldn’t desire sleep.

  Of course, she had exerted a lot of energy. His warmth was so tempting. She’d allow herself a quick nap. A power nap. In fact, she’d wake up, then awaken Cole. This closing her eyes made a lot of sense.

  But the sun woke her up. With a quick start, she rolled over. Cole was on his side, facing her. Playing with a strand of her hair. His expression thoughtful. He was bright and shiny and very, very good to see in the morning.

  She squinted, and her breath came out in a laugh. “Did you dress up special for me?”

  He met her eyes, looking confused. “What?”

  “You realize you’re covered in glitter, right?”

  Cole sat up, and his fingers immediately went to the short dark strands of his hair. His feet hit the floor, and he stalked to the bathroom, careless of his nudity. But then, his particular brand of nudity was incredible. The daylight played along the strong muscles of his back, his ass, firm and round, as he walked.

  Jessie picked up his discarded T-shirt from the floor, and flipped it right side out. She took a moment to breathe in his scent, then pulled it over her head. That kind of intimacy wasn’t forbidden by the fling rules, although it probably should be. Her heartbeat quickened. She followed him to the bathroom, and leaned against the wall. A smile tugged at her lips as she watched him examine his hair in the mirror.

  “It’s the girls. My sister bought them glitter lotion. They both jumped on my jacket. Some of it must have rubbed onto my hair.”

  “It looks fantastic.”

  He turned and faced her. “Don’t laugh, you have it all over you now.”

  “Ha. I’m a girl. I’m supposed to have it on me.”

  His eyes trailed down her form. Her nipples hardened, poking at the thin material of the T-shirt. His gaze coasted lower still, pausing where his shirt ended at the top of her thighs. Her skin warmed under his gaze.

  Then his eyes met hers. “You’re some girl.”

  The way he said it. His words stretched out and low. As if he relished how much a girl she was. Keith had always made her feel stupid. You run like a girl. Are you going to cry now? Stop being such a girl. Hell, she was stupid to have stayed with such a jerk for so long.

  Tonight, she’d jog like a girl. She’d do girl push-ups. She might wear some glitter.

  She wanted to laugh at how good she felt.

  You’re supposed to be with someone who makes you feel good. Not bad.

  Her father had told her that. Somewhere along the line she’d forgotten it. Now she recognized it as one of the best pieces of advice he’d ever given her. She wouldn’t forget it again.

  She’d wanted the kind of marriage her parents had. Maybe they spoiled her. Thirty-five years and they were still in love. Jessie thought she’d chosen someone like her father. A police officer just like her dad, but she’d been so wrong. Strange how Mr. Outwardly Upstanding turned out to be a jerk, while the bad boy had apparently grown up into a man a woman could count on.

  Cole made her feel better about herself. She finally felt healed from the pain Keith had caused in her life. Oh, she’d have gotten to this point all on her own. Cole had just sped it up a bit with the way he gave to her.

  He didn’t always have to be the one in charge. With the darkening of his eyes, and the sexy sounds he made when she became assertive between the sheets…that was all the encouragement she needed. Cole was a man who appreciated her, and that made him very, very sexy.

  Her throat tightened. Tears began to form in her eyes. Girlie tears.

  Who the hell cared?

  Except flings didn’t involve emotions. She’d have a celebratory cry in private. She glanced around the bathroom, eyeing anything that would distract her focus from crying.

  On his sink counter she spotted his cologne. “That’s what it is. You wear Valorous.” She lifted the top and inhaled deeply. The scent made her toes curl against the cold linoleum of his bathroom floor. “It’s like an orange that brushed its teeth.”

  “Good. That was exactly what I was going for.” Cole appeared disgruntled as he took the bottle and lid from her fingers and replaced them at the back of the sink.

  He turned the spigot of the shower, then faced her. “Anyone ever tell you the male ego is a fragile thing? I think I can only handle one macho image knockdown a day. I’ve already had two, and I’ve not even had coffee.”

  Jessie examined his face. He didn’t really seem embarrassed or even annoyed, just a little…let down.

  He reached around and shut the door behind her, allowing the room to heat from the warming water. Soon steam began to rise above the shower stall.

  She’d made him feel bad.

  Cole had given her so much that was good last night. And this morning she hadn’t returned the favor. Her pulse almost hummed because she wanted to make Cole feel very, very good.

  He rolled the shower door back, stepping underneath the spray.

  “Cole.”

  His name on her lips stopped him from closing the glass door. His hazel eyes met hers. Waiting. He did want something from her.

  “I think…I think you’re the most stunning man I’ve ever seen.” Her voice sounded shaky but full of truth.

  Something flickered in his eyes. Something she didn’t want to see. Didn’t want to acknowledge. They had a history. One they’d both been avoiding. Hiding behind a fling would mask the intimacy building between them for only so long. Getting naked in front of him now, in the daylight and when reason and clear thought was the order of the day would be a mistake.

  Then he held out his hand toward her. “Prove it,” he said.

  She swallowed and glanced down at the strong fingers reaching for her hand. For her.

  What was she, crazy? Jessie crossed her arms and all but tore that shirt up and over her head. She took his hand, allowing him to pull her beneath the warm water beside him. He slid the glass door into place.

  The water poured over her head as his lips descended to hers. She’d be happy to prove how beautiful she found his body.

  AFTER SPENDING WAY TOO much delicious time in the shower, Cole had to rush off to work. He’d told Jessie to stay as long as she needed, then lock up. After finding his robe on a hook in the bathroom, she strolled around his apartment. She wanted to let her hair dry naturally. Since Cole didn’t possess anything even remotely resembling conditioner, she wanted to avoid the dryer.

  She had absolutely no qualms about looking through his personal items. She followed vampire rules, and Cole had invited her in. Plus, she was a private investigator. He should know she’d snoop. Hell, that was probably why he’d told her to stay. On some level, he wanted her to snoop. At least that’s what she told herself.

  Her fingers trailed along the kitchen countertop as she debated which drawer to pull open and which cabinet to sneak a peek inside. But then, who hid stuff in their kitchen? The bedroom. The bedroom was where all the best stuff was concealed. Jessie pivoted on her heel and headed in the direction Cole had carried her last night.

  She didn’t have many choices. Beat-up nightstand. Old garage-sale chest of drawers. Nothing appealed. Nothing spoke to her. Her heart just wasn’t in it.

  After unlooping the belt, Jessie flung his robe off her as fast as she could. She had to get out of here. Her heart wasn’t into being nosy? What was wrong with her?

  She found her red panties wadded up by the bed, her bra nearby. She had them on in seconds. Thrusting her arms through the sleeves of the trench coat took only moments. With hopping steps, she slipped into her shoes on the way out the do
or.

  It wasn’t until she was halfway to her house that she remembered her hat. Oh, well.

  Once she was at her own place, she quickly donned her routine work attire, and instantly felt more herself. She reconciled her books on Mondays. Making sure clients were billed and no payments had been missed.

  Jessie ran her finger down the column, pausing at the name of Brock.

  Something niggled at the back of her mind. Their check had cleared. Nothing seemed out of sorts.

  It was the incident at the park. The other photographer.

  Although, maybe she was being paranoid? Mr. Brock had hired her under the pretense of an infidelity investigation, but the two were married. Some people liked to spice up their sex life with a little public lovemaking. Others liked to photograph or film their intimacy. The Brocks apparently liked to combine both. Just like the Talbarts.

  She was paid to take photos of the Brocks in the park, not to investigate their lives. Still, something wasn’t right. She reached for their file and found their phone number. Voice mail.

  Jessie hung up without leaving a message. What was she supposed to say? “Anything else weird going on in your lives besides making whoopee in public places?” No way. But being an investigator, would she take another route to find out the answers she sought? No. They’d paid her for her services. These services were rendered. Case closed.

  She closed the file and returned it to the cabinet.

  By the afternoon, her accounts were settled and she’d confirmed all standing appointments. If business continued on this level, she could hire an administrative assistant. That would be a huge help.

  Her phone rang and Jessie answered it while shutting down her computer. “Huell Investigations.”

  “Hi.”

  Cole. Despite her warning her body not to, it reacted. Her heartbeat quickened and her neck flushed.

  “Hey,” she said. Brilliant, scintillating conversation. She toyed with the strand of hair he’d played with earlier.

  “What are you doing?”