Too Close (8 page)

It was then that she realized that the Private night wasn’t for a BDSM crowd, but a gay one. “I got you in the door, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be of much help with anything else. This isn’t the type of crowd that will be open to me.”
   

Kane’s face tightened even more when it became clear to him what she’d meant. His neck turned red, but that was the only outward sign of his discomfort.

“I see several women here. Let’s have a drink anyway. I was told there’d be a bondage demonstration and I want to see who does it.”
 

Kane’s hand burned at the small of her back as he steered her toward the bar. The second they were there he removed it and she bit her lip. There was obviously something on his mind, something that made him pull away from her, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.
 

This was why relationships sucked. She’d pretty much laid herself out for him, and he closed her out. What was the point? The sex was good. Okay, it was great, but was it worth the pain that was creeping into her heart?
 

They sipped their drinks silently. A couple of guys eyed Kane boldly as they passed – he did look yummy in a black t-shirt that molded to his muscles and loosely fitted jeans – but no one approached them.
 

Then a pretty redhead came over and asked Vanessa to dance. Kane’s silent treatment was starting to piss her off, so she accepted the woman’s invitation, and headed out to the dace floor without a word to him.
 

Vanessa closed her eyes, let the music roll over her. Her pulse pounded in time to the beat and she let herself go. In her mind she was dancing for him. She felt his gaze on her as she moved. When the redhead danced close and did a bump and grind against her hip, Vanessa turned away, but kept on dancing. She tossed her head back and closed her eyes, letting her own hands run over her body. Skimming her curves, cupping her breasts and dipping between her thighs suggestively. When she felt a female body press against her from behind she knew it wasn’t the redhead. This body felt different. It felt good. It felt… erotic.

Another pair of hands started skimming her curves, hot breath feathered across her neck and Vanessa’s nipples hardened. She spun around and faced her dance partner.
 

She had long blond waves, smooth skin and dark brown eyes that held a sexual awareness Vanessa had not seen in many.
 

“Hi,” she whispered, her voice husky and raw.

“Hi.” Vanessa replied.

They moved together perfectly. For the first time since she was teenager, Vanessa though about another woman in a sexual way. She lifted her hands and placed them on her partner’s hips, enjoying the feel of the supple leather and the way it hugged the woman’s curves. Her nipples ached and her pussy heated. The blond moved in, and Vanessa let it happen.
 

Their lips touched softly. Breath mingled and tongues reached out, rubbing, dancing against one another.

The music change, the beat shifted and the kiss was over almost before it started. Vanessa opened her eyes and gave the enticing blond a small smile. “Thanks for the dance.”

She left the dance floor and walked toward Kane. He was watching her with glowing eyes that heated her already hot blood to a boiling point and any doubts she’d had about him fled.

When she stopped in front of him his eyes went over her shoulder and the heated lust in his gaze changed to heated affection.
 

“Fancy seeing you here, Lexy,” he spoke softly, but loud enough to be heard over the music.

Nessa turned sharply and saw that her blond dance partner had followed her off the dance floor.
 

“Kane, I wonder who’s more surprised to be found here, me… or you?” A secret smile played at the blond full lips.

“You two know each other?” Something mean and green stirred to life deep inside Vanessa at their obvious affection.

“We’ve worked together on occasion,” Kane said. “You working tonight, Lexy?”

“Yeah. Used to be a women only had to worry about her man cheating with another woman. Not the case anymore, as I’m about to prove to a very unlucky lady.” She glanced at Vanessa, but her question was for Kane. “You?”

“Yeah…”

Kane kept talking, but the roaring in Vanessa’s ears drowned him out. She’d expected him to say no, or at the very least, a little business a little pleasure. But he hadn’t even looked at her, and he’d said yes. He was working.

Everything slammed into place in her head then. The way he hadn’t been able to find the time to see her in the last two days. The way he’d kept his distance from her that night. He hadn’t even been able to touch her for any longer than was absolutely polite.

He was working the case. He was working
her
.
 

“Excuse me,” she muttered and pushed past them.
 

She spotted a glowing red exit sign and headed for the back hallway. She had to get out of there. Now!

“Vanessa! Stop already.” Kane left Lexy at the bar and caught up to Vanessa in the short hallway, at the bottom of the stairs. She’d almost gotten away. “What’s gotten into you?”
 

Her heart in her throat she met his gaze. “You think it’s me, don’t you?”

His mouth snapped shut and he let go of her arm. Shit. This wasn’t how he wanted to confront her. He hadn’t even decided if he
would
confront her. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, he wouldn’t lie to her.
 

“You’re very good at using your sex appeal to distract men from what they’re really after.”

“When have I ever tried to distract you from your case? I’ve only ever offered help!” A rosy blush started at her chest and rose up her neck and into her cheeks.
 

God, she was beautiful, even in her anger.

Heart pounding he ignored the stirring in his groin. “You’ve distracted me from the moment I met you.”
   

“If you think I’m the thief you’re after, at least have the balls to admit it.”
 

Her sneer cut through what was left of his patience. “All right. You are on my list of suspects. Right at the top actually. And I’m not happy about it. You think I want you to be the thief? You think I want to arrest you and put you behind bars?”

“Why not? Since you’re only real interest in me is as part of your investigation, why not question me? Why not arrest me and try to put me away? Oh, right!” She threw her hands up and gave him a mocking look. “It’s because you have
no evidence
.”
 

He grabbed her arm before she could walk away, and spun her around. When he had her back against the wall, he pressed the full length of his body against her. He cupped her soft cheeks in his hands and stared deep into the flames of fury in her eyes. “I haven’t done any of that because I’m afraid of the answers. I don’t
want
it to be you!”

He should’ve walked away right then, but he couldn’t. So he kissed her.

His tongue thrust between her lips and claimed her mouth. Vanessa fought for control of her emotions and lost. Her anger turned to lust and she kissed him back.
 

Their lips met, their tongues danced, their harsh breathing blending, filling each other intimately. She pressed her body against his, reveling in the feel of his hardness against her softness. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, the feel of it silky and soft, a complete contrast the hardness of him. His hips pinned her to the wall, his cock teased her, taunted her. Made her ache to spread her legs and be filled.
 

She tore her mouth away, a whimper of want escaped only to be followed by a gasp as Kane’s mouth worked its way down her neck and his hands cupped her breasts. He tugged at the top of her satin corset and her bare breasts filled his hands. He tugged at her nipples and pleasure zinged straight to her clit. He continued to roll one nipple between the fingers of one hand while he offered the other one up to his mouth. With no hesitation, he laved the rigid nub then pulled it into his mouth and suckled.
 

Vanessa tossed her head back and forth, her body writhed, she ached to spread her legs, to wrap them around his waist and feel him grind against her, but he wasn’t having any of it.
 

Kane was suckling, nibbling and licking at her nipples, first one then the other, and he wasn’t going to stop. She felt his hand slip under her skirt and snake between her thighs. “Yes!”
 

A long finger slid inside and her pussy clenched. He pulled it out and entered her again, two fingers this time. Vanessa writhed against the wall, her eyes closed her hands clawing at him, pulling him closer to her. He wiggled his fingers inside her and pressed his palm against her clit. He rotated it, sucked on her nipple, pinched the other and her body jerked, an orgasm ripping through her. Her juices flooded his hand and her thighs, yet still her insides spasmed. Wanting more. Needing to be filled. “Please,” she gasped.

“Please what?” He demanded hoarsely.

“Please fuck her already, mate. I can’t wait to see what’s under that skirt.”

Vanessa grabbed Kane and held him tight to her. Their eyes met and she saw murder in them. With a small shake of her head she reminded him where they were. “Leave it. We were putting on a show, let’s just take it home.”

She saw the struggle in him. Felt it in the tremors of anger that went through the arms holding her. She also felt when he got control of himself. He pulled her corset back up, covering her nakedness before he stepped back and offered her his arm in a courtly manner.

“Ahh, mate, you can’t tease me and leave me like that! I’ll stay quiet. I promise.”

Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief when Kane ignored the intruder and led her up the stair and out the door.
 

They were silent during the drive to her house. The whole time she ranted to herself.
 

She shouldn’t be doing this. She should’ve told Kane to fuck off. Yes, that’s what she should’ve said. Instead she’d said,
let’s go home
. Vanessa gave her head a shake. How stupid was she?
 

She deserved whatever she got after this.
 

She stared out the window at the passing cityscape and listened to the sexy rumble of the powerful engine as Kane turned onto her street. It had surprised her to see him pull up to her house in a sleek black Charger. It shouldn’t have though. Chargers were beautiful, strong cars. Powerful in a very subtle way. Much like Kane himself.
 

He wore his fancy silk suit, and had the clean cut good looks of a conservative businessman, but underneath… he was powerful… primal.

And a threat to her.

Yet there she was. Her mind racing as fast as her heart, her thighs sticky from the orgasm he’d given her, and the hunger for more urging her on.

“Are you coming in?”
 

She didn’t look at him when she asked. He should say no. He knew that. It was completely wrong to get involved with suspect. Fuck, it was time he stopped kidding himself. He was already in too deep with her to walk away.
 

All he could do was hope to hell he was wrong. That Vanessa and RR weren’t one and the same, and that he wouldn’t have to arrest her.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he replied and turned the car off.

He jogged around to open her door for her but she beat him to it. With out waiting for him she strode up the walk and climbed the three steps to the front door.

He watched as she fumbled with the lock and felt a surge of satisfaction that she was just as unnerved as he was by the whole thing.
 

She opened the door and entered the small bungalow style house. He followed her, pulse racing, cock throbbing. He closed the door and gave the living room a cursory glance. He should take a closer look. There’s a lot to be learned by see what a person surrounds themselves with. But he only had eyes for the woman in front of him. She glanced over her shoulder and turned down a hallway, leaving him to follow once again.
     

  
She led him to her bedroom. He stepped inside and was surrounded by the scent of Vanessa. The clean womanly scent that he’d always associate with her. The big double bed was made, with a maroon down comforter for a cover, and a shit-load of pillows at the head. She’d turned a small bedside lamp on and the room had warm seductive glow.
 

With her gaze locked on his she reached under one arm and unzipped her corset. So that was how the damn thing worked. His dick swelled and pressed against his zipper in a painful way. When she dropped it on the floor and reached back to undo her skirt, Kane reached for the snap of his jeans.
 

Her skirt dropped to the floor and she stood before him in nothing but high heels. “Make love to me, Kane. Give me this one night.”

Kane stripped his clothes off in record time and stepped forward. When he gazed into her eyes his heart swelled and he knew that, no matter what happened, he wanted more than this one night with her.