Dangerous to Know (3 page)

What an experience he'd be, too …

She looked past him to the motorcycle, an image of him clasping the mean-looking machine between his thighs surfacing. “I believe you.”

“Does that mean the pepper spray will stay in the bottom of your purse?” he asked in a slow drawl that made her shiver again.

She laughed, the sound husky and full of heat in a way she couldn't recall feeling in a very long time. There was no buildup, no warning from her better judgment to establish a stronger foundation for trust. There was just need, hot, burning need. She wanted it satisfied. Now. It was the intensity of her reaction to him that made her dig her heels in. A protective instinct rising above the flood of pheromones trying to drown her common sense.

“Nothing personal but we're strangers.”

His gaze lowered to her chest and came back up. “Why don't we change that? Let's go for a ride. As you noticed, I'm still sober, and not interested in dulling my wits.” His eyes narrowed and homed in on her lips. “I'm in the mood for highs that don't require mind-numbing chemicals.”

Oh hell yes …

Her mouth went dry and her body pulsed with excitement. Lust chiseled away at her resolve, pushing her toward the impulse to do exactly what she wanted without a care for the regrets that might show up at sunrise.

“Ah … I shouldn't.”

But I sure as hell want to …

His grin was gone, pure intent shinning in his eyes. “Why not? It will be more fun than standing here waiting to drive your friend home. I promise you that.”

And his voice dipped down, loaded with suggestive possibilities. Ones she was all too tempted to entertain.

“Careful,” she warned him. “I don't desert my friends.”

He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I can respect a lady who keeps her word.” His voice dipped down again while something flickered in his eyes that looked like victory. “But you're no baby and neither of us came out tonight because we wanted to drink. I think your friend would understand if you altered your plans. She struck me as confident enough to arrange a cab ride home all by herself.”

“So why not be impulsive?” Her darker side was gaining the upper hand and the words spilled out, part of her longing for any excuse to just give in and indulge. To challenge the boundaries around her and be wild.

“Exactly.”

His tone deepened, becoming something almost too decadent to resist. She gave in to the urge to look down the length of the man teasing her. Below the six-pack, his leather pants outlined a bulge promising her exactly the sort of ride she'd been thinking about.

A deep chuckle pulled her attention back to his face. He reached out and stroked her cheek. She shivered in response, the feeling of his skin against her own nearly explosive.

“Like what you see, baby?” His hand moved to cup her nape, gripping it just enough to send another ripple of need through her. “I do.”

He planted his free hand on the wall next to her head as he maintained his grip on her neck. The lights from the parking lot were blocked out when he leaned over and kissed her.

Oh hell …

She twisted in his embrace, overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. No kiss had ever affected her so deeply. He followed her, pressing a hard kiss against her mouth. More than a kiss, it was a challenge, but that only drove the heat index up another few notches. It shouldn't have. She'd never been a fan of overbearing men, but a moan surfaced from her chest as she reached out for him.

No sweet, sedate, agreed-upon kiss had ever set her blood on fire, either.

His chest felt as good as it looked: a feast for her fingertips. She moved closer, kissing him back with the same intensity his mouth was applying to hers. Lust became need, her body begging for less clothing and more skin. He pressed her lips apart, and the tip of his tongue teased her lower lip before slipping inside her mouth.

She shivered, her body alive with a thousand different points of awareness. Her nipples contracted and her clit throbbed with need so intense she pushed him away. She reached up and shoved her hand between their lips to separate them. It was a desperate motion, one driven by the knowledge that she was in way over her head.

“Just … back off a second.” She didn't recognize her own voice; it was too sultry, too needy to be hers. Mentally toying with being reckless was far different from doing it. Consequences were often 100 percent unforgiving. She needed to think but her brain felt frozen.

“Why?” His hand slid down her neck, across her shoulder, and down her chest until he cupped her breast. He thumbed one hard nipple without hesitation, sending a little jolt of hard pleasure down her core.

Shit!

How in the hell did his touch make her feel so good? She should have taken a swing at his face. Instead she bit back a husky sound of enjoyment. His gaze homed in on her lower lip, victory flickering in his eyes.

“You're just as interested as I am, baby. Let's take a ride and feed our appetites. No games, no meaningless chitchat. Blunt … honesty.”

She actually thought about it. The passion smoldering in his eyes was too hot to ignore. He teased her nipple with his thumb, sending a rush of heat through her belly. It was so intensely carnal her hips jerked, moving without any sort of decision. Part of her really wanted to know just how the ride might be with him, for no other reason than that she was pretty sure she'd never been so turned on in her life.

“That's right.” He slid his hand farther down until he was cupping her hip. He moved in closer, pressing against her lower body while his mouth landed back on top of hers. “It will be explosive,” he whispered against her lips. “Better guilty of being impulsive than missing out.”

She opened her mouth to say something but her mind went blank. There was only the touch of his lips against hers, the scent of his skin filling her senses, and the pure desperation to get another taste of him brewing inside her.

This time she was overwhelmed. The wave of desire washed across her and swept her into its powerful surge. He guided her hips closer to his, until the hard bulge of his erection was pressing against her belly. Her clit pulsed and her passage ached. Sex had never been so necessary before. Tonight she actually hurt with yearning. Her body quivered with it, hunger ruling her as he thrust his tongue down into her mouth. The hold he had on the back of her head was harder than she liked, or thought she liked, because that little taste of his strength sent her common sense flying in favor of following her impulses. Her pride didn't care for it but the intensity of her desire was like a drug she was addicted to. She'd do anything to experience the high.

“Let's get out of here. I need to get you naked.”

His voice had a ring of authority that didn't sit well with her. It was the splash of cold reality she needed to grasp at the shattered remnants of her self-control.

“Look … I'm sorry … but … no.”

She wished she sounded more convincing. He'd stepped back from her but frowned and made to close the space between them again.

“I mean it … no, I'm not that kind of girl.”

But I am tempted …

She planted one hand in the middle of his chest. She really didn't have the strength to hold him off if he decided to kiss her again, but he flattened his hands on either side of her head, caging her but granting her enough space to hold on to rational thought.

Maybe.

“Married? Boyfriend … lover?” His voice was low and rough with frustration. “If you were devoted to him, you would be in his bed instead of here. If he was smart, he wouldn't be letting you roam. Or leaving you hungry.”

I have an appetite all right.

There was a flicker of something in his eyes that looked like jealousy. And no matter how absurd it was, she felt a tingle of respect for him. The guy wasn't a douchebag.

“My reason doesn't matter. I told you to back off.”

His lips twitched up but it wasn't a pleasant expression. “It matters, all right.” He cupped her nape again, massaging it, and sent ripples of sensation down her body instantly. “Do you really want to play the dating game? Neither of us is a teenager.”

She pushed harder against his chest, but he only lifted one dark eyebrow. Her temper flared up; he was too damn smug. “That doesn't mean I jump into bed the second a guy snares my attention. That's also a result of no longer being a teenager. It's called self-control.”

“Bull.” He delivered the word like a whip crack. He threaded his fingers through her hair and closed his fist until she felt the delicate strands pull just enough to send prickles of pain across her scalp. But he somehow managed to keep the pressure perfect, leaving her balanced on the edge of true pain. It fanned the flames of lust again. His smile grew before he leaned toward her and tilted his head so she felt his breath against the side of her neck.

He is an animal … deadly when he decides to claim what he wants.

“What do you really want, baby? Honesty?” His lips grazed the delicate skin of her neck, sending ripples of pleasure down her length. “The honest truth is, you turn me on. My cock got hard the moment I saw you, and you couldn't keep your eyes off me, either.”

He lifted his head and released her hair. A second later he stepped back, giving her the space she'd demanded, but no relief showed up. Instead disappointment sliced through her like razor blades.

“Sexual arousal isn't enough—”

“Enough to trust me? If I wanted to rob you, it would be done.” His eyes narrowed. “Same thing goes for rape. The music is loud and you chose a dark corner to take that call in. I'd already have used you and been done if that was how I got my rocks off.”

His tone was blunt and cutting, his eyes full of confidence in his ability to overpower her. The fact that he was boldly letting her know he was aware she was at his mercy made her tremble. The problem was, she wasn't afraid of him and she really should have been.

As in, really, really should have been.

Foolish …

He stepped back farther and pulled a pair of riding gloves from his pocket. They were black leather and he shoved his hands into them with hard motions before tugging the tension cord around the wrist tight. No Velcro to announce his movements. The man was definitely lethal.

He extended his right hand toward her, palm up, the invitation clear.

Well, challenge actually.

“I'm not into bars, so if you want to get to know me, let's go someplace we can explore personal details about each other.” Arousal flashed in his eyes. “I'm real interested in doing that. The hard points of your nipples tell me you are, too.”

They'd be naked before she learned his full name.

She wanted to.

Hell, she felt like she needed to. The heat was still swirling around in her belly so intense, it felt like her skin might blister. But she shook her head.

“Sorry, it's still not my style.”

His gaze lowered to where her loose top was just revealing the very tips of her hard nipples. She shivered again because he had such a commanding presence; it was so tempting to let him call the shots. Bending beneath that arrogance would be a very convenient way to sidestep guilt.

Zoe straightened her spine; she made her own choices and shouldered the load. She wasn't going to turn into a woman who blamed her lover for everything. When she had sex, it was her choice. No excuses. No playing the blame game.

“Not tonight,” she insisted.

He frowned, looking like he wanted to argue, but he pulled a key from his pant pocket.

“Later then.”

A tiny chill touched her nape. He didn't sound like he was saying good-bye to her, which didn't make any sense because she could see the hunger blazing in his eyes. Hunger she wasn't going to be satisfying.

A man like him wouldn't have to search very far to get what he wanted. But there was something in his gaze that made her think she'd see him again. He walked toward the bike, taking a moment to strap on a helmet before swinging his leg over the machine and kicking the kickstand up. He revved the thing only once before letting the sleek machine glide across the parking lot.

He was an animal.

Zoe took a deep breath and felt her desire turning into an unsatisfied ache guaranteed to hound her for the rest of the night.

I could have gotten lucky …

She scoffed at her inner voice. Yeah, she could have thrown caution to the wind but she hadn't. Maybe it was the wiser choice but she felt like cussing.

“Oh, tell me you did not let that man get away?”

Roni's heels clicked on the walkway. Zoe felt her friend's gaze on her face and watched her eyes narrow.

“I am so jealous,” Roni announced with a huff. “How did you get a kiss out of him so fast? I could barely get a once-over from those devil-dark eyes. He must taste delicious.”

“He didn't…” Zoe rolled her eyes when she realized she was trying to cover up. What was she? Sixteen? “So he did. Big deal.”

Roni chuckled. “Oh, that man was a big deal, and I'll just bet he is big everywhere it matters.”

“Maybe.”

Her friend clicked her long fingernails together, warning Zoe that Roni was in the mood to pick apart her responses.

“Don't start, Roni. Even you have to admit riding off with a guy whose name I don't know isn't a bright idea.”

“Oh man … he offered to take you for a ride on that machine of his?”

Among other things …

Zoe dug in her pocket for her keys. “That's it, we're leaving. We are rapidly exiting reasonable, logical thinking land. You know, that place where we”—Zoe gestured to the pair of them—“live because we're not pathetic enough to need to score with intoxicated dudes.”