Body Image (Body Heat Series Book 2) (2 page)

“
Y
ou can’t be serious
,” I say.

“As a heart attack,” she responds.

I pretend to ponder my options. There’s no way either of her suggestions are going to happen, but she’ll see right through me if I don’t at least pretend to be agonizing over her proposition.

“I’ll take you back to your place.” I fish my keys out of my pocket. As tempting as it is, there’s no way I’m fool enough to sink balls deep into her. But she’s used to getting what she wants, and I know that turning her down will only escalate the situation. So I play along. For now.

“I knew you’d see things my way,” she says as she wraps her arm around mine and follows me to my gunmetal gray Audi. I pop the passenger door open and ease her inside before climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Don’t you need your phone?” The amused smile on her face kills me. Part of me wants to protect her like a perfect gentleman. The other part wants to bend her over the hood of the car and teach her a lesson she won’t soon forget.

“You keep your ass in that seat,” I say. “I’ll be right back.” I let out a sigh as I heave myself out of the car and hustle in the general direction of where she tossed my cell. I quickly spot the metallic rectangle on the blacktop and silently give thanks for the nearly indestructible case I purchased four months ago.

I half expect to see an empty car when I return, but she’s still settled in the passenger seat, looking pleased as punch with herself.

“Where do you live?” I turn the key in the ignition and the engine roars to life.

“Head for Highcastle Pines,” she says. I roll my eyes. Of course she lives in the ritziest neighborhood in the city. Probably gets a hefty trust fund payment every month.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me, big guy?” A smile plays on her lips.

I chuckle. Not much ever got past her. I’d forgotten that, too. I don’t respond.

She turns away and looks out the window. “I see you still have that chip on your shoulder.”

“I see you still get whatever you want,” I say. “Just snap your fingers and it appears.”

Her laugh is a harsh bark. I burn out of the parking lot as she proceeds to tear me a new one. Turns out she’s also just as feisty now as she was back then.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I got whatever my father wanted. What I wanted never figured much into things.” The color rises in her cheeks as she dresses me down. To say I’ve hit a nerve is an understatement. “I thought you would have grown a little as a person since I knew you last. I’m disappointed to see you’re still obsessed with your classist bullshit. Especially since it looks like you’ve done pretty well for yourself.”

My fingers clench around the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip. “You never had to do without money. That’s why it’s no big deal for you. Try skipping a few meals and see if you still feel the same way.”

She settles back into her seat as she considers this. “You’re right, Bayne. My parents always provided for me. I always had food on the table. I had nice clothes. I went to nice schools. And yet, there are plenty of things I’ve had to do without over the years.”

“What have you ever wanted that you haven’t gotten?”

“True affection. I haven’t had much of that since my mother passed. I know you think my dad is a true American hero, and he is, but he’s also the guy who sent me off to boarding school when I needed him the most. I needed warmth and tenderness and I got dropped off at the airport.” She stares straight ahead as she talks. “And it wasn’t just him. I never knew if people were just being nice to me because of who he was and the money we had. I never knew if they actually liked me.”

Shit. Now I feel like a little bit of an asshole. “I always liked you,” I say.

“You acted like you hated me!” She leans in and rests a hand on my arm. “I tried to talk to you, but you were all business.”

“That’s because it
was
business. Looking after you was my job. The other guys on your detail were already watching me because I was the youngest and we were so close in age. I had to keep things professional. And you sure didn’t make it easy.”

She moves her warm hand to my thigh and squeezes. “Good thing we don’t have to keep things professional tonight. I was mad about you back then. Now I finally get to live out my fantasy.”

“Not until we get to your place.” I remove her hand from my thigh and place it back on her own lap. Because it felt just a little too good. Warm and eager. I imagine it cupping my balls and stroking up and down my shaft.

“Maybe I’ll save you a little time and get myself warmed up first.” She slides her hand under her tiny skirt and rubs herself. Her hips grind against the leather seat and a throaty moan escapes her lips. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to keep my eyes locked on the road. I won’t give her the attention she wants.

“Don’t you want to look?” she says. “I’ll let you take a peek.”

Fuck!
I do want to look. I glance away from the road and take her in. Her skirt is bunched around her waist and she’s pulled her tiny thong to the side to give me a better view. And the view is amazing. Her pussy is bare and already swollen with desire. Her fingers move in lazy circles over her clit. I want those fingers in my mouth so I can take in her scent while I suck them clean.

I wasn’t going to let her get to me, but with one glance I’m rock hard, straining against my trousers. It doesn’t escape her notice.

“Oh, is that for me?” She reaches over and trails the pads of her fingers up and down my length. Her touch is maddening.

“Not until we get to your place,” I repeat as I push her hand away. “Anyone could see us out here.”

“I certainly like what I’m seeing.” She eyes my bulge up and down. “And I’m pretty sure you did, too.”

“I’m only human, Caroline.”

“I’m going to need to investigate further before I believe you on that count,” she says. “When we first met, all those years ago, I thought you were part robot. Always so proper and controlled. Always said the perfect thing, did the perfect thing, acted with decorum.”

“And you rarely did,” I say. “Sneaking out to parties. Climbing out of windows in the middle of the night.”

“That’s what high school and college kids are supposed to do,” she says. “Are you telling me you were never wild and crazy?”

“Not like you were.”

“Well, then I feel sad for you,” she says, “because I had some great times back then.” She motions for me to turn and then points to a stately colonial that looks like it could house 20 people. The circle drive curves around the lighted fountain that adorns the front yard. Even in the dark, I can tell every inch is meticulously maintained.

“You’re tensing up again.” She looks at me with a raised eyebrow as I lock up the car.

“It’s a gorgeous little starter home.” I try to keep my tone light and teasing, but even I can hear the bite of resentment just beneath the surface.

“Why, that’s just what I thought when I first saw it,” she says, doing her best Scarlett O’Hara impression. She unlocks the front door and ushers me inside.

“What, no butler to greet us? Who’s going to take my coat?”

“I gave the staff the night off. I guess I’ll just have to fetch our nightcap myself.” She strolls into the kitchen and it takes me a moment to realize she’s kidding.

I don’t intend to stay, but I don’t want to be rude either. I perch on the oversized beige sofa and look around the room. “It’s very charming,” I say. Because it is. The restored hardwood floors warm the entire room. And the décor is the perfect mix of masculine and feminine. The leather ottoman, giant wood coffee table, and refined wool rug would be too heavy, but a vase of fuchsia flowers brightens the space, as does the vibrant art that adorns the walls.

“You’re very sweet,” she says as she returns with drinks for us and sinks into the sofa next to me. “I had a lot of help with the decorating.” She hands me a cut-crystal highball glass and then takes a sip of her own.

She sets her glass carefully on the coffee table and moves closer to me. Time to make my escape.

“It’s getting late and I need to get back to the club,” I say. She takes my tie in her hand, wraps it around her fist and pulls me closer to her.
Stand up
, I tell myself.
Get off the damn sofa and walk toward the door. You can’t do this.
But the message never gets through. Her big brown eyes lock onto mine and I’m under her spell, like the hapless audience member called onto stage during a hypnotist’s show. I’m utterly bewitched.

Her lips brush mine and then her mouth is devouring me, greedy and searching. I kiss back just as hard. My tongue parts her soft lips and thrusts into her mouth, tasting every inch of her. I know I have other responsibilities, but fuck it. The club can wait.

I
know
he thinks I’m a spoiled rich girl. I didn’t realize he thinks I’m stupid, too. A man as uptight as Bayne Carter would not agree to come home with me as easily as he did. He never gave me the time of day back when he guarded me; he only talked to me when he absolutely had to. There was never any warmth to our interactions. God knows I wanted there to be something between us, but he made it clear that there wasn’t.

And that’s how I know he had no intention of following through on his bargain. A leopard doesn’t change its spots, and I don’t believe for a second that Bayne has morphed into a careless ladies’ man in the space of a couple years.

But I’m going to pull out all the stops to get what I want. And what I’ve wanted, since well before I was 18, is him.

He was the hottest man in my protection detail. I’ll never forget the day he strolled into my life with his broad shoulders, perfect ass, and model-beautiful features. I spent more than one Friday night with him on my mind as my hand worked frantically between my legs. The college boys I met always seemed so immature compared to him. I would have slept with any of them, but I would have been thinking of Bayne the whole time.

I almost fell off my chair when I saw him in Body Heat tonight. Seriously, I go to a sex club for the first time in my life, determined to lose my V-card once and for all, and the man of my dreams just happens to be there? Everyone else disappeared the moment he walked into my life again. Looking damn fine, as usual, with the same chiseled cheekbones, sandy brown hair, and warm brown eyes that kept me up at night. He obviously still had his gym membership as well. His narrow waist, firm ass, and shoulders that appeared to have been carved from granite all attested to that.

He felt something, too. I know he did. I saw his double take when he spotted me. The way his mouth hung open in shock. And the way he hustled me out of there? He has to feel something for me. You don’t cause that much of a scene unless you care.

I was a girl when we first met. Now I’m a woman, and he’s not getting away.

I know he’s about to make his excuses and bolt, so I go for the win. No time for demure pecks. I lay one hell of a kiss on him, and triumph surges through me when his tongue seeks out mine. I slide my hand onto his lap until I feel the bulge in his pants. It’s so big it worries me a little. But being in his personal space feels so damn good. He smells woodsy and clean. I want his arms around me, holding me close. But, instead, he pulls away and rises from the sofa.

“We can’t do this,” he says.

“The hell we can’t.” I jump to my feet and struggle to get close. He holds me back, his strong hands wrapped around my biceps. I won’t win in a battle of strength, but I just might win a battle of wits. I step away and he releases his grip on my arms. My hands fall to my sides and grasp the thin material of my dress. I pull it over my head and toss it on the floor. Bayne might be an uptight hardass, but he’s still just a man. And I’ve been around enough men to know how they’re hardwired. I just hope that I’m pushing the right button when it comes to my badass bodyguard.

My stiletto heels show off the muscle tone in my legs, and the tiny black thong barely leaves anything to the imagination. I skipped a bra tonight; my breasts are generous but plenty perky. My rosy pink nipples are hard little nubs desperate for attention. His attention. I put my hands on my hips and show off my physique.

I hate every damn minute of working out, but I still force myself to the gym at least a couple of times a week. I stretch my arms above my head as I turn around in front of him, giving him a view of my curvy ass. I’m secretly glad I recently added an extra set of lunges when I see his gaze linger there.

Will he break? God, I hope so. He’s trying to control his breathing but I can see his chest heaving. His face is flushed and beads of sweat form on his brow. I have to stop from smiling when I see his hands clench into fists at his side. Still, he makes no move for me. Damn him and his sense of honor and propriety. He may have known me when I was a kid, but I’m damn sure not a kid anymore. Maybe I need to remind him of that. I slowly approach him again. I cup my breasts and rub my nipples against his dress shirt. I feel his warmth radiate, and I grind against him.

I tilt my face up to his. “Don’t you see how much I need attention there?” I offer my tits to him, but he doesn’t move. I ache for his touch, but he denies me. He just stares at me with wild lust in his eyes.

“I guess I’ll have to tend to my own needs.” I close my eyes and tease my nipples with the whisper-light touch of my fingertips. I massage the sensitive flesh before pinching and plucking at them. I can’t stop from groaning as I do so.

“Stop it, Caroline,” he says, and there’s a hard edge to his voice.

“Is this not how a lady’s supposed to behave, Bayne?” I remove my hands from my chest and let them drift lower. I run my hands over my torso and then knead my meaty ass. “Then I guess I’m not a lady.” I massage my upper thighs before sliding one hand between my parted thighs, rubbing my swollen pussy in lazy circles. “You can pretend you don’t want me, but I see how hard you are. I see how your cock twitches when I touch myself. And I see that little stain of precum on your pants.”

“I have urges like everyone else,” he says. “I just don’t have to give in to them.”

“But wouldn’t it feel nice if you did?” I rest my hands against his chest and look up into his face. “Your big cock is so hard right now. Wouldn’t it feel good if I reached down and freed it from those tight pants? I could wrap my hot little hand around it and stroke you any way you want. Or I could sink to my knees and suck you off right here.”

His eyes are glazed with lust, and I know I’m close.

“I mean, you’re a guy, so I know you’ve imagined me on my knees, sucking the cum out of your cock. But now it could really happen.” I reach up and kiss his neck. A moan escapes from his lips. “I’d use every inch of my lips and tongue and mouth to taste you and tease you until you empty your big sac of all that sweet cream down my throat.”

I kiss along his jawline as I whisper more dirty entreaties.

“I’d swallow every last drop. And beg for more.”

I nuzzle my face against his neck before moving my lips to his ear.

“And then you can take me back to the bedroom and show me what it feels like to be taken by a man. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To be the first hard cock in my tight little pussy. To have something that no one has ever had before?”

A raspy groan escapes his lips, and it’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. I feel his warm hand at the small of my back and he leans into me. I know I’m close.

“You’ve never had a man before?” It’s practically a whisper.

“You chased them all away. And don’t pretend that wasn’t part of your job.” He smiles a little at that. “Nobody would come near me once you flashed that menacing stare of yours.”

“None of them were good enough for you.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m the one who spent some my prime years rotating between my fingers, the hand-held shower head, and a world-class collection of vibrators.”

He looks a little shocked.

“I’m a virgin, not a nun,” I say with a small shrug. “Maybe this once, you can pretend to be one of us mere mortals and give your body what it wants.” I lower my hand to his straining erection and rub against it. The wet stain is getting larger, and he leans into my touch and grinds his hips against me. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

He moves so fast it startles me. He has me over his shoulder, hand resting on my ass, kneading and massaging it. I smile with triumph as he carries me down the hall.

“No, princess.” His voice is gruff. I can hear the lust and passion, and I love it. “Tonight I’m going to take care of
you
.”