B017GCC62O (R) (21 page)

“Yes, we have six new guys lined up. We’ll see if they’re stupid enough to show. Maybe we’ll find some new talent. We found you a few months back,” she says all possessively. Her eyes roam hungrily over Emma. I don’t like it one bit.

Emma takes hold of the drink and throws her head back, gulping the shot down. She grabs at her throat and gasps for air. Yeah, she’s clearly not used to drinking. 

“Tequila,” I offer the name of the drink she just downed so desperately. “It comes with salt and lime.” I hand her a slice of lime so she can at least get rid of the after-taste.

Our fingers touch lightly as she takes the slice, and her eyes jump back to mine. I’m sure she felt the spark. Her eyes are huge as she looks from the slice to me, and my blood rushes another beat faster – she has no idea what to do. Just how innocent is this girl?

I lean in, placing my arm behind her again. “You need to suck it,” I say, and as soon as I’ve said the words, I realize just how bad they sound.

With flaming cheeks she nods. “Uh-huh.” She brings the slice to her mouth and I freeze. Pulling back is no longer an option as I watch her lips part and a perfect line of white teeth bite into the soft flesh of the lime. Breathe, I remind myself to breathe, because damn, that’s hot.

I zoom in on Katia’s finger as she reaches to wipe a lone tear from the corner of Emma’s eye. Emma flinches back slightly, and it puts her face inches from mine, her arm brushing against my chest. I have to force myself to sit still. I can’t make a move, yet. I have to wait for this thing to play out, as much as I hate it. If Emma makes a move I can do something, but I can’t interfere with Katia. I’ll blow my cover.

“Not used to drinking are you, princess.” Katia leans in to Emma, and I know for a fact as her eyes focus on Emma, she’s going to try something. Emma will either freak out and run, or play into Katia’s hands. For some reason I don’t want to see either of the two happen.

My heart starts to beat faster and I swear I’m going stop breathing any second. But then Emma surprises the hell out me as she turns right into me. Her hand clasps my thigh, her fingers digging into the muscle. The blood rushing through my body is about all the encouragement I need. She surprises me even more when she slides her other hand up my neck, sending streaks of lightning down south. I tell myself it’s an act of self-preservation.

Her breath is hot in my ear. “Aiden, dance with me, please,” she whispers, but the panic is there, and this is what I do. I help people because I’ve been raised to. It’s in every drop of my blue blood to save people.

I tell myself this as we slip out of the booth and Katia glares at us. I tell myself this as I take her hand and walk to the dance floor. I tell myself I’m going to dance with Emma out of duty, to keep her away from Katia. And I pray real hard I’m not flushing all our work down the drain.

The second I pull her body against mine and her fingers dig into my shoulder, the second her curves align with mine, I forget about praying, and tighten my hold on her. She feels so damn good. How can a foreigner feel this good in my arms? I’m a Southern boy. My whole family is from South Carolina. Emma sounds British. Her accent doesn’t come through as heavy as some of the ones I’ve heard before, but that doesn’t make her any less foreign.

Never in my life did I think I’d like a foreign girl. Maybe it’s because of that mystery of something new, something you have to have, and once you’ve had it, your world settles again.

The air tightens between us, and I feel every muscle in my body tense as her body keeps brushing against mine. And I do mean every muscle. I slide my hand up her neck and into her hair. Dammit, it’s as soft as it looks. She moves her hips with mine, and her breath warms my shirt. It’s not helping right now. It’s been two years since I’ve held a woman. Her hand starts to tremble lightly in mine and I bring it in, holding it against my chest.

“Aiden,” she says, and I lessen my hold on her so she can look up. The look slams hard into my gut and other places I shouldn’t be thinking with. She looks really anxious, vulnerable even, and again it makes my protective side flare to full capacity. “Sorry I grabbed hold of you back there.”

I smile. “Katia can be a bit overwhelmin’,” I say to put her at ease. I should stop right there, but for some reason my mouth is not properly wired to my brain anymore, “and I really don’t mind. I’d rather be dancing with you than sittin’ over there.”

Her eyes leave mine, jumping to my chest, another nervous action. And then it hits me - she’s not nervous about Katia, it’s me, and I haven’t been out of it that long to know that it’s a sign that the attraction is mutual. I struggle to keep from smiling, knowing she’s all flustered because of me. 

“I want to ask you something,” she begins, “I don’t want you to ask me any questions and I won’t ask you any. I was wondering …” She swallows hard. “You look like a pretty decent fellow and I’d like to get rat-arsed without Medusa over there.” Medusa, good one. “Then … well, I was wondering if you would like to shag … as in a one night stand. No strings attached of course. Do you think you could do something like that?”

Fuck me!

I stop moving and people start to bump into us. It’s the last question I expected from her. Right now my mama would smack me upside the head. My brother would high-five me, and Zac would sigh with relief.

Without thinking, I grab her hand and drag her out of the bar. Once we’re outside and I’m sure we’re alone, I turn to face her. “Do you have a death wish, Emma?” I snap. The detective in me takes over, because shit, I care about what happens to people. I’ve seen too many women assaulted and murdered to just walk away and not care. “What if I’m some psycho?”

“You…” She looks shocked. “You’re not,” she says, and then glances away from me. She can’t even look at me. She sighs miserably and I hear it catch in her throat, and then she just starts to walk away.

“Hold on one damn minute there.” I take hold of her arm. “Why ask the first guy you see to go to bed with you?” She flushes a deeper shade of red. I frown, I can’t be wrong about her. I’m not wrong about people. I’ve done it for too long.

“You’re not the first bloke I saw. There were some odd blokes and then you.” She still won’t look at me. This is all about that stupid “wanting to experience things” for her.

I shove my hands through my hair. I can’t just let her go. I’ll worry myself to death whether her face will pop up on my screen tomorrow as one of the missing ones. “You’re being damn near stupid woman,” I snap. I wish I could just talk some sense into her but I’ll blow my cover and I can’t risk that. Damn it all to hell.

Then I remember about the getting drunk part. “And you want to get drunk?” I should be angry at her for being so careless with something as precious as her life, but I’m not. I’m just damn-well frustrated.

She nods, still looking determined. I can’t fucking believe this.

“Why?” I hate the fact that I now sound like her dad.

“I’ve never been drunk. I want to know what’s so fancy about it that people keep doing it.” The look in her eyes makes me take a step closer. It’s not pain or heartache, it’s something else. “I’m not looking for a big brother. I have one of those. Tonight is all I’m giving myself. Sloshed, wonky, a shag, all of it.” Her eyes pin mine back for the first time. “Are you in or are you leaving?”

Dammit! I can hear it now.
Hey, Mama, I just wanted to let you know I did the noble thing and got a girl drunk. Then, I slept with her so no other guy would.
It just doesn’t sound right. Maybe I can still change her mind.

“Fuck … okay,” I agree. “I’m in.”

She smiles brightly. Damn. Maybe she’ll change my mind.

~*~

Not even one hour.

Four drinks.

And a few more attempts from Katia to grab hold of Emma in some way.

That’s all it takes for Emma to grab my hand and drag me outside. She’s drunk all right. I was hoping to have more time to convince her otherwise. The nights are still warm even though it’s fall. Yeah, I’m trying to think of the weather and shit like that, but it all goes south when we get outside and Emma swings around. She slams hard into me and lifts herself up on her toes. I feel every curve of her body press into mine and my pulse speeds up, racing a mile a minute. Her mouth presses hot on the corner of my lips. I think she was aiming to kiss me, but missed.

“Let’s get you to a bed.” My voice comes out raspy, and I clear my throat as her hands slip down my chest. My muscles tighten under her touch as she drops them lower. I settle my hands over hers to keep them from going too low. I am a man, after all is said and done; I am still just a man.

My new roommate is only coming in on Sunday. I’ll let her crash in his room for the night. But she doesn’t pass out as I hoped she would, on the drive over. She’s really cute, walking to the wrong side of the car, and her eyes go huge every time a car comes at us. She must still not be used to driving on the opposite side of the road.

I stop outside the apartment block and watch her tug at her seatbelt as if it will just spring loose on her command. Like I said, real cute.

“Let me get that for you.” 

I reach over and unsnap her, but before I can pull back her hands are soft on my face and slip into my hair, pulling me in. Oh Fuck!

“Wow, they do get more intense when I touch your face,” she murmurs against my mouth.

“What?”

“The tingles,” she admits with her new-found drunken bravery.

I meant to put her to bed. I meant to be a gentleman. But there is only so much a man can take.

Her hot mouth presses against mine and she teases me with those full lips I’ve been staring at. The second her tongue slips over my bottom lip, I grab for her hips, pulling her to my side of the car. I bring her leg over me so she’s straddling me. Just a little taste. I’ll allow myself a small taste of paradise.

Then she moans and opens her mouth, and I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of heaven’s bliss. I thought I‘d been to heaven and back before, but this is different. She has me standing on the edge of the unknown, and when our tongues meet, I want to just free-fall. I dig my fingers into her hips, tugging her closer, and another moan drifts up her throat.

I slip my hand up the back of her shirt, brushing her soft skin. I nip at her bottom lip. I’ve wanted to do that since I spotted the tiny freckle Katia tried to wipe off earlier. I should thank Katia. If it wasn’t for her unwanted attention, Emma wouldn’t be sitting on my lap right now.

The thought makes me hold her tighter, pressing her body into mine. She hums her approval as my fingers trail up her smooth skin towards her neck. Her shirt inches up with my arm, and I bring my other hand up to her exposed ribs. She feels so good.

I should take her up. I should put her in bed. I shouldn’t touch her. I shouldn’t kiss her.

She pulls away and takes hold of my hand resting on her ribs. Now there’s a lot I should’ve done and there’s a lot I shouldn’t be doing, but when she slips my hand under her shirt and presses it hard against her breast, it’s game over.

Just one more slip of my hand and the slight piece of lace is no longer in my way, I have full access to all that soft flesh of her breast. The warmth of her skin, the hardening bud, coupled with her grinding her pelvis down into me, is unbelievably erotic.

“Dammit, you’re hot,” I growl, before crushing my mouth against hers.

She kisses me back with the same maddening frenzy, then she grabs my shirt, slipping her hands in underneath. I take hold of her hair, tilting her head. I break the kiss so I can taste her neck. Her skin is all creamy, and I start beneath her ear, working my way down to her neck. She moans and I feel the vibration against my lips.

Then she surprises me by trailing her hands down and taking hold of my pants. She grinds down real hard into me, making my vision blur for a second. This is not good, I’m definitely not going to be able to keep control of anything if she goes down there.

Her fingers slip just in, brushing my overly sensitive skin, and the world spins out of control around me.

Her mouth brushes my ear, making my body ache for her. “Do you want me to beg?” she whispers, and it’s just about the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.

“Hell no,” I groan.

It takes me mere seconds to get us out of the car and up the stairs.

It only takes one second to cool us both right on down.

“Aiden! Oh, good, you found Emma.” Ms. Jessie. There is nothing like Ms. Jessie to sober you up, cool you down and put you back on the straight and narrow. It’s like your grandmother walking in on you.

“I found Emma?” I’m completely lost. As I stand with my arm around Emma, I feel her whole body stiffen next to me.

“Your roommate. She came early and I let-” Ms. Jessie’s eyes widen and we hear a garbled ‘pardon me’ before Emma runs for my door.

I see her take the key from her pocket, and really it should all start making sense by now.

Miss Jessie continues making no sense at all. “I went and got it wrong on the application. You see, she’s a girl and not a guy like I’d gone and thought.” 

Wait? Emma’s my roommate? Emma is E. Walker?

Why didn’t I see that one coming? Damn, all kinds of dammits, just … fuck!

~*~

Dark
Boundaries

A Boundaries Novel

Prologue

Kristine~

As I come to, I find my world spinning.
I feel a hand on my side and pain shoots through my ribs as I’m pushed. And the world starts to spin faster as my body goes round and round.

I’m hanging from something and can’t reach the floor to stop my body from swinging.

“I always wanted to take up kickboxing. You know, like
Van Damme
in that movie
Bloodsport
. It’s one of my favorites.” Ice flows through my veins at the sound of Warren’s voice.

It all comes back to me how Warren came into the hospital room, as if he was some long lost relative. I tried to call for help but he covered my mouth and whispered the words that made me leave willingly with him. “If you don’t come peacefully I will go and kill that redhead, or the blackhead, which do you prefer? Oh wait, maybe I should kill your master?”