Caught in the Act (7 page)

She leaned into him. “I know. At home, I could do something. I could look for her, or at the very least, be there if she came back. Work, keep myself busy,
something
…Here all I can do is think about the worst. I don’t even have my phone. I don’t know if she tried to call. What if she tried to call me last night for help, and I didn’t know?”

“She could have called 911, too. And there’s no record of that, so don’t jump to conclusions, okay?”

Gina nodded. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“We have to trust that the cops will do their jobs and Tracy will be okay. You said yourself that she has a strong self-preservation instinct.”

“That’s true,” she murmured.

“As for keeping busy, I think I can try to take your mind off your worries,” he said with a smile, nuzzling the enticingly soft spot below her ear.

She sighed, lifting her hand to stroke his cheek, but shook her head, moving away. “How can I even pretend to enjoy myself? We can’t just go along as if this is a vacation. It’s not…right.”

“I know. I understand. I’m worried, too. I also can’t ignore that I want you, and that we’re here alone. This morning, when those men were coming after us, well, we might not have walked away from that.”

He saw her shudder, and closed his hands over her arms gently, rubbing up and down.

“There’s nothing we can do right now. But we’re here together. We have this time we might never have had, right?”

“With surveillance cameras all over the property,” she reminded him primly. “Don’t forget we’re being watched.”

“I asked about that. They’re trained on the entryways and at strategic spots around the property, but not in private rooms, like the bathrooms and bedrooms.”

“Oh,” was all she said.

“Listen, let’s get out of here. We’ll get some food and some supplies, take a look around town.”

She frowned. “My shoes are a mess from the wet lawn, and I really can’t wear these clothes out.”

“Okay, listen. You jump in the shower, and I’ll use the car in the garage to run into town…Good thing they left us some kind of transport. I’ll pick up some clothes for you. You can have a nap, too.”

“What about you?”

“I’m okay. Lots of all-nighters in my world, and I won’t crash for a while. Maybe I’ll grab a few z’s when I get back. Do you want to write down a list, things you want, or sizes, that kind of thing?”

He watched how she pensively bit the corner of her upper lip before fishing a notepad out of her purse. She jotted down a few things and handed him a slip of paper.

“Thanks. Well, I guess I’ll go grab that shower.” She turned to leave and stopped by the foot of the stairs, looking unsure. “You won’t be long?”

He understood her apprehension at being left alone, even though they were safe here.

“I won’t be long, promise.”

She nodded with a small smile, and he was sure she had no idea how much her eyes were telling him. His heart squeezed a little in his chest as he watched her walk upstairs, those shapely hips moving in a rhythm that mesmerized him.

As he drove into town, he got an idea.

Maybe they wouldn’t go out tonight. He’d pick up food, and they could cook, stay in the house, where they were out of sight. At least for now.

Mostly, he wanted Gina to himself. She seemed to come out of herself when they were in costume, when she was fantasizing. He’d said no games, but if there was ever a time when they needed to fantasize and leave reality behind, it was now.

G
INA WALKED INTO THE ROOM
, pleased to see that Mason had left two bags of clothes and sundries on the bed, some things he’d bought for himself mixed in. It was weirdly intimate, but their entire relationship so far was far from normal.

After what had happened between them thus far, it seemed stupid to sleep in separate rooms. If she were honest, maybe it wouldn’t be bad to forget reality for a little while in Mason’s arms. He had a point. Feeling guilty about Tracy wasn’t helping the situation, so she shoved those feelings aside.

Digging into the bags, she blinked when she didn’t find the jeans or sneakers she’d asked for. Instead, she pulled out a gauzy, Grecian goddess dress that fell to the knee with a deep V in the front and crossing straps on the back. It was a casual, summery dress, but exotically feminine at the same time. A small white box offered two broad gold armbands that she guessed went with the Greek theme of the dress.

Okay, so Mason had gone his own way with the shopping, it appeared.

Her eyes went wide as she pulled out a short leather skirt, as well, a soft black halter top, some shorts, a few sexy tank tops and a sassy hat. She hadn’t worn a halter since high school! Searching to the bottom of the bag, she discovered some lingerie that she picked up and stared at in disbelief.

A pair of strappy sandals nestled in a second bag, along with a pair of soft pants that flared out more like a dress and some tank tops. It all looked comfortable enough, but it wasn’t her usual style at all. Still, as her eyes fell over the beautiful champagne color of the goddess dress, she couldn’t help but touch it again. She’d never owned anything so completely feminine.

Between that and the shorts and black halter, she figured she had a choice of being a goddess or a hooker, and couldn’t smother a grin. Mason apparently liked variety. He was obviously extending their little fantasy into their stay here, and that idea took on more appeal as she checked out the clothes in the mirror.

She slipped on the leather skirt and the halter, pleasantly surprised to find that at thirty, her breasts looked good in the daring top, and the skirt seemed to downplay her hips and accent her waist. The leather was comfortable and soft. The feel of it, snug against her skin, was sensual, seductive.

There was a reward from doing those daily sit-ups that she didn’t usually see in her normal clothes; no food reviewer could avoid exercise and expect to stay healthy. The fringe benefit was that the skirt fit perfectly
on her ass, and she found herself blushing while staring in fascination.

Maybe Mason knew what he was doing. The outfit screamed sex, but it was comfy, too.

“What the hell?” she said to herself with a smile, putting on the sandals and heading downstairs to look for Mason. There was a spring in her step as she walked, no doubt the effect of her new sex-kitten clothes.

“Mason?”

She stopped, hearing a strange noise, and held still, listening.

Snoring.

Mason’s long form was stretched out on the sofa where he was sacked out, still in his clothes from the night before, sawing wood like a champ. For some reason it made her grin. There was something so gentle and open about his face in sleep, making him sexier than ever.

A bolt of hot desire ripped down the center of her body and suddenly the idea of cuddling up close to Mason was irresistible. Competing desires to seduce him awake or take a nap battled in her mind until she simply slid down to the sofa and nestled into his side, fitting herself along the warm length of his body.

“What? Huh?” he muttered sleepily, and she stilled him with a hand on his shoulder before he got up.

“Go back to sleep. I need a nap, too.”

“Mmmm,” was all he said, pulling her in closer and shifting so she was cuddled into the comfy cocoon of his body.

It was mere seconds before she fell into a deep sleep; she had no idea what time it was when her eyes opened again. She was still wrapped in Mason’s arms, but now he was fully awake and staring at her.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said softly, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Hey. How long were we out?”

He looked at his watch. “Four hours since I slept. I only intended to take a quick power nap,” he said with a grin. “Guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“Me, too.”

“I see you found your new clothes,” he commented, his eyes lingering on where her breasts pushed up beneath the material of the halter top. Her nipples pebbled in response, and warmth flowed through the rest of her as she detected the telling hardness pressing against her abdomen.

“Yes, you got creative.”

“The only stores open today were some specialty shops, so I had to improvise. Besides, you’re a sexy woman. You should be wearing sexy clothes,” he said, his fingers toying with the material where the halter tied at the back of her neck.

Gina blushed. “I’m used to dressing more simply, I guess. Though I will admit, what you picked out is nice…different.”

“Different how?”

He leaned in to nuzzle her ear, sucking in her earlobe and she gasped, the sensation from that simple
kiss shooting straight to the
ohhhhh
-zone between her legs. Damn.

“I, uh, I feel more sexy, I guess. Like with my cabaret costume…when I dress differently, I can pretend I’m not my boring, everyday self.”

“The outfits allow the real you to come out and play?” he asked as he licked along the shell of her ear, making her shiver.

“Maybe more that they let the real me fall to the background and I can pretend to be someone else. Act out a fantasy, you know?” she said, unsure if she was making sense under the onslaught of what he was doing to her ear and neck.

As if on automatic pilot, her hands found their way lower on his body, rubbing the erection beneath his pants.

“Mmmm…that feels nice. You taste incredible,” he said, dipping in to take her lips in a quick, hard kiss that left them both panting and staring at each other, a silent request on his part being met with absolute approval on hers.

“I want you, Gina. I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you on that stage, my sexy siren….”

She bit back the impulse to remind him that the woman on stage, the woman who’d seduced him in his office and who’d tied him to the bed, wasn’t really her.

Gina Thomas was jeans and T-shirts, not black skirts and halter tops, but at the moment, did any of that matter? Shouldn’t she just take was he was offering and enjoy it? Annette could be his sexy siren of the night.

“I want you, too,” she admitted honestly. “I should let you know, though, I’m not very…experienced. I mean, I know the basics, but with everything that’s happened, with the clothes, the party…you might think—”

“I don’t think anything except that I love how you touch me,” he said. He pulled the tie at the top of her halter to remove it, but she grabbed the string.

“Wait, not yet,” she said, smiling at his bemused expression.

She stood, backing away from him as she retied the knot. She let her sexy image take over. She was Annette, not Gina. Annette had no fears, no regrets. Annette took what she wanted. Annette lived out every fantasy she could, starting right now.

Swaying back and forth slowly as she stepped back, never losing eye contact with Mason, she let the music play in her mind and closed her eyes, finding the rhythm. She forgot who she was, where she was, and everything but the man watching her intently from the sofa.

When she sang the first line of the sultry lyrics of Norah Jones’s “Turn Me On,” the mood of the song and the heat in his eyes drove her doubts away. She was his siren, tempting him, making him want her like he’d never wanted another woman. As much as she wanted him.

She put her soul into performing for her audience of one, slowly turning her back to him as she reached behind and undid the halter tie once more, letting it fall
to the floor. It was liberating, daring. Excitement danced over her skin.

She heard him groan in appreciation as she put her heart into the second verse, shimmying the skirt down her legs and kicking away the sandals, completely nude as she turned back to him, finishing the song on a powerful note, and walking back to stand before him.

He looked up at her reverently, his eyes caressing every inch of her naked form. “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said, his tone thick with desire. “I’m almost afraid to touch you, in case this isn’t real.”

She smiled and reached down to run the backs of her fingers over a beard-roughened cheek. “It’s real enough,” she said, straddling his thighs and sitting down on his lap, taking his mouth in a hot kiss, every bit the seductress.

As heat flared between them he turned the tables and took control. His hands slid up and down her firm thighs then dipped between to stroke her wet heat until she was moaning into his mouth.

Her internal muscles coiled, her legs squeezing his hips as arousal coiled tighter, begging to be set loose, but he seemed to know how to keep her from going over the edge. His strong, warm fingers stroked back and forth, back and forth, until she was on fire. The pleasure continued to build, but never fully released, driving her insane.

“Please, Mason, make me come,” she panted, breaking the kiss and reaching down to unzip his pants. He steadied her as they stood, shucking his clothes quickly
and letting her take in his fully aroused, amazing body until her exploring gaze met his eyes.

“At your service, beautiful,” he whispered. The sex in his tone melted her bones. Unwilling to wait, she stepped forward and reached out to stroke his cock, but he stopped her.

“No, I want to be inside you,” he said roughly, catching his breath. “Let me grab a condom.”

Gina didn’t want to wait or to have anything between them. All she wanted was Mason, and grabbed his elbow to stop him as he turned away. “Mason, I’m on the pill…and as you know, I haven’t been very sexually active…so, you know…” She let the sentence hang, feeling awkward, but hoping he wouldn’t say no.

He paused, and she watched his breathing, deep and heavy. The wonderful muscles of his chest expanded and contracted as he took in what she was saying. “I’ve had lovers, Gina, but I’m always careful. I’m healthy, too, if that’s what we need to get out of the way.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” she said coyly, stepping forward.

He was there, next to her, gathering her in and kissing her until neither of them could breathe. The encompassing pleasure of his touch, his kiss, became her world, and she barely realized they’d moved back to the sofa. Mason sat fully against the back, inviting her to sit on his lap again. Gina considered falling to her knees and tasting that lovely, velvety hardness between his legs and licked her lips. He read her mind.

“Later. Now, come here,” he said with just enough impatience in his voice to make her smile. She moved slowly, though it was killing her, and straddled his hips, bracing herself on the back of the sofa, raining butterfly kisses over his face. If he could tease, so could she.

“This is fun,” she said with a giggle, lifting enough to slide his cock along her slick sex, but denying him entry even as he lifted up, straining, groaning.

“If you are into torturing me with pleasure until I explode, sure, it’s fun,” he said on a rusty chuckle, gasping as her breasts rubbed along his chest. “Enough is enough,” he said decisively, taking her hips in his strong hands and lifting her and lowering her over his shaft. He pushed up slowly, filling her until she trembled with the sensation of being slowly, completely stretched and full.

“Oh, Mason…Oh, my…this is so…
ohhh
.”

“I know,” he whispered, and tipped her chin until she opened her eyes and they watched each other. He cupped her buttocks and urged her to move. When his hand found its way between her legs to stroke her clit, she cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders as her orgasm claimed her, taking him with her as they flew over the hard, fast edge of release together.

It was fast. It was also mind-bendingly sweet and intense in a way she’d never experienced. It also wasn’t over, she knew, giddy as Mason arched his powerful form beneath her, nearly raising her knees right off of the couch. He was buried so deep that she came a second time, finally falling limp against him.

They stayed locked together as she wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders and buried her face in his neck.

Had she actually just done a striptease for Mason and jumped him on the sofa?

Oh, yeah
, she thought, grinning to herself as she hugged him and closed her eyes at the wonderful sensation of his powerful hands stroking and massaging her back.

“That is nice,” she purred. “Everything is so
good.
I had no idea it could be this good,” she admitted plainly.

“I bet it can be even better,” he promised as she disentangled herself and tipped her forehead to his.

“I doubt anything can be better than that.”

“Ah, you challenge me, woman.”

Gina chuckled and kissed him, pushing thick hair back from his forehead and looking into his eyes. “If it feels any better, I’ll pass out.”

“You’d be surprised how much you can take under the right circumstances,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Next time, it will be slow and I’ll take you places you can only imagine.”

Gina’s body tightened at the thought, her crotch turning hot and silky, her nipples pebbling against his chest. Was she turning into some kind of insatiable sex maniac? She was embarrassed about her quick reaction to him in spite of the fact that they were sitting here naked and fresh from sex.

He didn’t seem to mind, reading her body’s signals
correctly and murmuring his approval as he bent down to suckle at her breast, sending sharp waves of desire straight through her.

She knew then that she had no need to be embarrassed, and slid her hands to the back of his head, stroking the coarse smoothness of his hair as she held him against her.

Isn’t this what they both wanted? The fantasy? Not the reality of inhibitions or doubts.

Like that first night in his office, he wanted
that
Gina. The Gina who wore sexy clothes and seduced him.