Strong and Sexy.2 (14 page)

But... but.

She couldn’t stay. It was eight o’clock, she had to get to work. But mostly she had to get out before her heart engaged any more than it already had.

One time.

She’d promised herself one time, and she’d already had more than her fair share. Way more. Unfortunately, whatever she’d promised herself, the man really did it for her. The way he touched her, how he moved... In the shower, she’d nearly lost consciousness from the sheer pleasure of their movements, the slow slide of their bodies, how deep he went, how he’d held back, waiting until she panted out his name in desperation.

And she had panted his name.

And then cried out his name.

Sighing in bliss at the memories, knowing she’d remember these past few hours forever, she slipped out from beneath him.

He let out a long breath and she froze, but he didn’t move again. Her eyes were gritty from lack of sleep. What she’d give to just slip back into that bed with the sexiest, most amazing man she’d ever met, but there was that promise—one night.

She couldn’t fall for him.

Knowing it, repeating it, she tiptoed into his bathroom and found the clothes she’d left there last night. Then tiptoed toward the living room, which was where he’d removed her panties—just the thought brought a dreamy smile.

Maybe she hadn’t fallen for him, not yet, but damn, she was dangerously close—

Splat.

That was the sound she made tripping over something big and furry. Sprawled in the hallway, she lifted her face, and then was licked from chin to forehead. By a dog. By a sweet, happy, slobbery dog who didn’t care about morning breath or the fact that she was naked. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Which got her another lick.

“Yes, good morning to you too, but if you could move—”

Bella moved. She rolled to her back, wriggling enthusiastically for more petting.

And panting. Lots of panting.

This was accompanied by enthusiastic tail wagging, a big heavy tail that whacked the wall with a thunk, thunk, thunk—

“Shh.” Dani tried petting her, but that got Bella even more excited. Dani sighed and sat up, reaching for Shayne’s phone, which she used to call a cab while Bella whined.

“No more,” Dani whispered. “I’m sorry, but as soon as I find my panties, I’ve got to go.”

Bella snuffled, then let out one small, encouraging, hopeful bark.

Oh, God. “Shh,” Dani begged, petting her some more out of desperation while she searched around for her panties. “Look, you let me out of here and you can sleep on the bed with him tonight, okay? What do you say?”

Bella cocked her head as if actually considering it.

“Good girl.” Dani clutched her clothes to her naked body while turning in a circle—where were her damn panties? Oh, this was not good. She glanced at Bella, who’d made herself at home on the couch. “What if I have to leave my first one-night stand without my panties?” she whispered, horrified.

Bella snorted and licked herself.

“Thanks.” Moving around the couch, Dani bent to peer beneath it, because hadn’t he thrown them in this direction? Since she’d been a bit busy at the time, she couldn’t be certain.

“Now that’s a view to wake up to.”

On her hands and knees, Dani froze. No. It wasn’t really Shayne standing behind her while she was still on her hands and knees, head down, naked, providing him with a view she’d rather not think about. It wasn’t him, because he was still fast asleep in his bed. She’d just imagined him, because if he was really there, she’d have to die of embarrassment—

“Dani? You okay down there?”

Jerking upright, she whipped around to face him. “Um, hi.”

“Hi.” His voice was rough with sleep, but his eyes were filled with heat.

And that wasn’t his only reaction.

Oh, God, oh God. She leapt to her feet and clutched her clothes to her chest. “I was just looking for my underwear.”

“Ah.” As naked as she, and clearly utterly and completely at ease with that, he took a step toward her. “Did you find them?”

“No.”

“Sorry.”

But he didn’t sound sorry as he stroked a finger over her jaw. “You didn’t get much sleep.”

He had an erection, a really big one, and he stood there as if she couldn’t see it bouncing in the morning air, brushing low on her belly, making her entire body beg her brain for one more condom...

“Hi,” he whispered again, and with a wicked smile, brushed his mouth along her jaw, making its way to her ear.

And now her own body began to give her away but hello, she was naked. In the unflattering light of day.

And so was he!

Normally, she would love his lack of self-awareness, love the easy confidence, but now she only wished she possessed even a fraction of it as she took a step back while trying to shove her shirt over her head. “I was just trying to get out of here before I woke you.” Damn, she’d put her shirt on inside out.

As she ripped it off and righted it, he reached for her, but she took a step backward, pulling the shirt back on, shaking out her jeans, and she couldn’t help it, her eyes glued onto the part of him that was the happiest to see her. “I—I thought you’d be hard—” She grimaced. “I meant fast. I thought you’d be fast asleep. Th-that you’d want to sleep some more.”

He grinned.

“Seriously,” she said desperately. Damn it, he was gorgeous. Gorgeous and cute and... she took a peek... yep, still ready for more action. Her body reacted to that without her permission, but she ruthlessly pulled on her pants. Without the damn panties.

“Dani.”

“Yeah.” She whirled around, looking for her purse. “I’ve got to go.”

He halted her frenetic movements with a hand on each of her arms. “Go? As in home? Where someone tried to break in last night?”

“No, not home. Work.”

“Oh, okay. The place where you were shot at.” He nodded agreeably, easily, but nothing in his hold was easy and agreeable. “Perfect, then.”

“I really have to go.” Didn’t she? “I do.”

“Your car isn’t here. Let me get dressed—”

“I called a cab.”

“Oh.” He had some serious bed-head, and still looked amazing. Really, really unfair. And then there was that body, which she couldn’t even look at because her own kept reacting to just the sight of it, like it belonged to her.

As if. “I have to go.”

He stood there, naked, sexy, hot, with a bemused look on his face. Maybe no woman had ever left his bed before, at least not with him still in it, and she had to admit, she was crazy for doing so.

Crazy.

She definitely needed a new word. But the fact remained, she couldn’t stay. She already felt her heart tug hard every time he so much as breathed, and that was not good.

So not good.

He’d told her himself, he was not a long-term bet. And she’d put money down that he wasn’t a good middle-term bet either. Or a short one.

Yeah, she needed to get out now. Heading toward the front door, she squirmed at the feeling of wearing her jeans without panties. “I’ll just...” Be seeing you? Because she didn’t believe that. She’d seen his business card. She knew that he was far more than a pilot, and the fact that he still hadn’t told her so spoke volumes.

She wouldn’t be seeing him. “Let myself out.”

“What about breakfast?”

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. What was he doing? Why wasn’t he just letting her go? “No, thanks.”

“Dani—”

“Look, Shayne.” Damn it, she went with frustrated to hide her sadness. “Just go back to bed, okay? And pretend you don’t hear me leaving.” She faced the door. Stared at the door. “It’ll be a lot easier if you do that.” Feeling him come up behind her, she closed her eyes. Shayne...

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

His mouth just barely grazed the sensitive skin beneath her earlobe. Which meant the rest of his fab bod was nearly touching, but not quite. She could feel his heat and had to tell herself not to press back and absorb it. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

As if on cue, the cab pulled into his driveway and honked.

“You might want to do a panty sweep before your next sleepover,” she told him.

“Dani.”

“Bye, Shayne.” She pulled open the door. Yep, that was her. A mature one-night stand. With her shoes in one hand and her purse in the other, she smiled over her shoulder at him, albeit a weak one. “Have a good one.”

And before she could weaken and give him one last kiss, which might result in her taking off her clothes again, she shut the door behind her.

In the cool morning, she gulped the air for courage and got into the cab, catching sight of herself in the rearview mirror. Her hair? Rioted. Her skin? Dewy and glowing. All of it pretty much screaming that she’d just had sex, and lots of it. She wasn’t exactly looking her best, which of course directly contrasted with the fact that she felt her absolute best.

Two hours later, Shayne got out of bed for the second time and into his shower, acknowledging that he’d rather it’d have been a shower for two instead of solo. It was just that last night, with Dani, had been so unexpectedly amazing.

Which sounded as if he hadn’t expected her to be amazing. But truthfully, he’d been so busy trying to hold back that he hadn’t had any expectations at all.

That had been his mistake. And now, he felt something else unexpected. He felt... alone.

But then Bella nudged the bathroom door open, woofed a quiet “hello,” one that had “feed me” all over it, reminding him that life went on. He had to feed the dog and get into work for a noon flight to Santa Barbara. “She dumped us, Bell,” he said, soaping up. “Can you believe it? I’ve been dumped.”

Unconcerned, Bella turned around in circles on the mat and plopped down with a contented sigh.

He rinsed off, trying to get his mind wrapped around the fact that it’d happened. He’d lost his touch with women. Even the crazy ones didn’t want him. Getting out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and his phone, and called his brother.

“Yo,” Patrick answered. “I was just going to call you. The gun Dani allegedly found?”

“She did find it, in her pocket.”

“Whatever, dude. It’s not registered.”

“Which means?”

“Illegal purchase. We’re trying to trace the bullets now. Still no leads on who shot at you last night.”

“They were shooting at Dani.”

“Yeah, well, I’d stay away from her.”

“Wow.”

“Wow what?”

“You’re a cop, telling me to stay away from someone who’s obviously in danger?”

“I’m a big brother telling my little brother to watch his back. Look, she was just a girl at a party, Shayne. Let her be someone else’s concern. Let her be my concern.”

Which made complete sense, given who Shayne had always been and how he’d lived his life. He steered clear of attachments and all that entailed, always, so of course Patrick would suggest he do the same now.

Except he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t walk away this time, not while he knew she was in danger.

“Shayne? You’re going to leave this in the hands of the police, right? In my hands?”

That wasn’t the cop talking, that was the older brother, the one who’d bullied him and pushed him around most of his childhood, only to grow up and still think of him as the screwup.

“Shayne?”

“We’re friends. I’m not walking away from her.”

“Friends?” Patrick laughed. “Come on. You just met her. Besides, you don’t do friends, not with women, not unless you’re planning on having sex with her.”

“Jesus, Patrick.”

“What? Are you telling me you don’t want to have sex with her?”

Shayne just rubbed his eyes.

“So you’ve already done the deed.” Patrick laughed again. “Well, damn, that was fast. Even for you.”

“Go to hell.”

“Sorry. I’m too busy. I’ll call you if I get anything else. Be smart, Shayne.”

Shayne hung up. Be smart? Well no doubt, the smart thing to do was exactly as Patrick had suggested.

Walk away.

Hell, Dani had even helped him out in that area, by walking away first.

But damn, he’d been the black sheep of his family too long to listen to reason now. So he picked the phone back up. Yeah, he was going to call her, which was crazy all by itself, never mind the implications of wanting to call her. By doing this, he was sending far more than a “how are you after all the amazing sex” signal, he’d be sending a “I want to do you yet again” signal.

Which he didn’t need.

Never needed.

But somehow he’d dialed her cell and the phone was ringing in his ear, and then her voice was asking him in that sweet, slightly halting tone to please leave her a message and she’d get back to him as soon as possible.

“Hey, Dani,” he said, his mouth apparently having completely disconnected from his brain. “Missed you in the shower this morning.” Christ, was that him? Telling her he missed her? He cleared his throat and found his balls. “Anyway, just wanted to make sure you made it to work okay. Have a good day.”