Hidden Heat: Hauberk Protection, Book 4 (7 page)

“Maybe he’s been busy covering for that guy who got shot.”

The news that Chad had been shot still made her nauseous. At least he was already out of the hospital and due back at work in a couple of days. The news that his ex-wife had returned and had moved in with him had the office grapevine buzzing more than usual.

“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s that.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “I don’t understand. He made me come so hard I could barely walk afterward. Yet here he’s pretending it never happened.” Everything in her body softened at the memory of his head buried between her thighs and the orgasm he’d driven her to. “What am I supposed to think? Do you think I was a pity fuck or whatever that was?

“I know he was turned on too. His hard-on was pretty hard to ignore. But all he said was ‘not tonight, sunshine’ and then he walked out.” She leaned back, letting out a huff of frustration. “So now I have no idea what to think. Does that mean he wants to get together again? Or that he wasn’t interested in
me
in the first place?”

Jazz flipped the top on the ketchup and squeezed the bottle. “I doubt he would have gone down on you if he wasn’t interested in you. And for a guy to walk away from a guaranteed night of sex? That’s really weird. But he called you sunshine. That’s got to mean something.”

“Why does that mean anything? I always figured it was what guys called a woman when they couldn’t remember her name.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never had a nickname from anyone. If a guy called me something sweet like sunshine, it would make me feel…I don’t know special.”

Wow. If that’s all it took to make Jazz feel special. Sandy shoved her speculations away from Jazz’s love life and back to Troy.
 

Jazz grimaced as she removed the pickle from the hamburger’s bun. “So is he in the office today?”

Sandy snagged the discarded dill slice from Jazz’s plate. “I know he was there when I got in but by the time I finished going over the morning agenda with Sam, Troy’s door was open and his office was empty. So I haven’t a clue if he’s coming back or not.”

“Maybe he had a meeting.”

“Maybe. But he didn’t have any meetings scheduled on his calendar for this morning.” Sandy frowned at the turkey club she’d ordered. She should have ordered the salad instead. At the very least she should have had them hold the mayo. “Do you think carrying me might have turned him off? Maybe he hurt himself because I was too heavy. Am I too fat?”

Jazz shrugged. “You’re curvy, but you’re not, like, fat or anything. Stop obsessing about it. Maybe he just had somewhere else to be, or he didn’t have a condom or something.”

Sandy didn’t point out that she had a stash in her bedside table. Somehow she didn’t think that was Troy’s reason for walking away. “So what do I do now? Do I say something? Or let it die a quiet death?”

“That’s easy. Next time you see him, go into his office, get down on your knees and give him a blowjob that’ll have him seeing stars.” Jazz took a big bite of her hamburger.

“Can you say that a little louder next time? Sheesh, Jazz.”

“No one heard. The place is too noisy.” At least Jazz did speak quieter this time, probably because she’d had to speak around the mouthful of burger. She swallowed and continued, “You’re the one who said you wanted to get down and dirty, who got turned on spying on Sam and Rosie when they were getting it on in his office.”

Sandy glanced around to ensure no one might be listening; at least there was no one in the next booth who might have overheard. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean Troy is interested in—”

“Girl, you said you overheard that he belongs to that super-secret sex club, right?”

“Sssh. It’s supposed to be a secret, remember? I could get in trouble for telling you that.”

“Oh, honey, this is Washington. I’ll bet half of D.C. knows about that club. Besides, with Sam’s history, it’s not like it’s a secret that he’s into kinky crap like bondage and stuff. The newspapers were filled with that assignment he’d had at that club where his partner got shot when he was with the FBI.” Jazz finished her hamburger and wiped her fingers on the paper napkin. “I’m telling you, walk into Troy’s office, drop to your knees and blow him.”

“Have you ever gone down on your boss?”

“I’ve done what I’ve had to do.” A hard look flickered across Jazz’s face. “Look, you’re the one who is always spouting off about not wanting to sit on your ass until you’re old and grey, regretting all the opportunities for adventure you let slip past you. This is your opportunity. Have some fun. Just next time you decide to leave with a guy, phone me? That damned text didn’t arrive until the next day. I was worried about you.”

“I will.” Sandy stared at the two uneaten sections of the turkey club left on her plate. “So are you seeing Mitch again? He seemed nice.”

“Yeah, he is. He’s going to come over tonight. He says he knows how to use that new video editing software and has promised to teach me so I can finally work on those videos we took at the Renaissance Festival.”

“Oh, that’s great. Then when he’s done teaching you, you can teach me.”

Jazz grabbed a twenty-dollar bill from her purse and tucked it on top of the bill in the faux-leather folder the waitress left on their table. “So what are you going to do about Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious?”

Sandy hung up her coat in the closet then walked into Troy’s office and shut the door.

“Be right with you.” Just like before, he didn’t even look up from the keyboard again, damn it. What did she have to do to get his attention? Strip naked? Probably not. After all, it hadn’t worked completely unsuccessfully last time, had it?

Her resolve firming, she walked around to his side of the desk. Conscious of the hum of voices outside his closed door, of the possibility anyone could walk in and discover her, she pushed him back from the desk. “Why are you avoiding what happened the other night?”

“Because it shouldn’t have happened.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious, Sandy. I’m not good boyfriend material. You know my job and how I’m here one day and gone the next. I’m not a great catch when it comes to stability.”

“Bullshit.” She folded her arms and glared. “I like you. And more? I trust you. I don’t invite just anyone to stay the night with me, you know.”

He caught her hand and pressed a fleeting kiss to her fingers in a move so smooth her knees weakened. “You shouldn’t trust me, sunshine. I’m not who you think I am.”

“Bullshit,” she repeated, softer this time. “I know more about you than you think I do. I’ve read your file, remember? And I know stuff that isn’t in those files.” She knelt in front of him and stroked her cheek against his knuckles, noticing a trace of gun oil staining his shirt. So he’d not left the building, simply gone to the firing range. “I’ve seen how you worry about your agents. About Scott. You’re a good man. As for you not being here a lot, that’s fine with me. I’m not looking for marriage. I just…”
want to come so hard I see stars, the way you made me come the other night.
“I think we’d be good together. I’m not looking for forever.”

From the doubt in his eyes, she knew he wasn’t buying her explanation.
“This is your opportunity. Have some fun,”
Jazz had said. Wasn’t that the whole point of leaving Minnesota?

Troy’s eyes widened when she skated her palm along the inside of his thigh and tugged on his zipper. “What the hell are you doing?”

Wasn’t it obvious?

“Since you show no sign of taking the initiative, I figure I should show you that you’re not the only one talented in the bedroom. Or the office.” Not giving him a chance to object, she slid her hand into his briefs and wrapped her fingers around his rapidly hardening cock. His fingers clamped onto the arms of his chair, the knuckles white; his breath quickened to match hers.

With her heart beating as fast as if she’d just run a mile, she licked her lips then lowered her head. A groan rumbled through him when she swirled her tongue around the head of his cock. God, she loved how he smelled, how he tasted of warm, spicy musk. The thick, dark hair at the root of his cock crinkled against her fingers, tickled her nose.

“Sandy.” A warning? Or a plea?

She slid her lips down his shaft, her fingers reaching beneath the fabric to cradle his balls. His hips lifted off the seat slightly, pressing his cock deeper into her mouth; his fingers stroked her hair as he curved his fingers around
the back of her head. Not a warning then.

“Oh fuck, that’s…” His fingers tightened in her hair giving her the bite of pain she loved. She squirmed, pressing her thighs together at the warm moisture gathering between them.

She sucked harder, deeper, rocking until the head of his cock bumped the soft palate at the back of her mouth. What a pity he was still wearing his pants. She’d give anything to see him butt-naked.

Next time
. And there would be a next time, she vowed. The carpet did little to cushion her knees but she didn’t care. She pulled back, the pressure of his hand controlling how far she could withdraw. God, yes, she loved a man who wasn’t afraid to control her like that. The room filled with the sounds of her slurping his cock, the creak of his chair as he arched his hips, moans and sighs from them both. She lapped the head, savoring the taste of the creamy liquid that leaked from the slit.

“I’m going to blow down your throat, sunshine, and you’re going to swallow it all.”

He pressed on the back of her head until her nose touched the hair at his groin and thrust up. When his shaft swelled against her tongue, she moaned, thrilled at how she’d made him lose control. The first hot splash of come spilled over her tongue.

“Fuck yeah.” His snarl caused her pussy to pulse, wanting to be filled instead of her mouth.

Breathing through her nose, she swallowed each pulsing jet. Once it eased, he released his hold on her. She stayed in place, her tongue gently stroking the sensitive tissues around the softening head, catching the last drops and swallowing them too before she sat back on her heels.

Sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip, his lids heavy as he stared at her. “You have two choices, Sandy. You either stand up and walk out of this office right now and never come near me again, or you accept that you will never date another man while you’re with me.”

“I told you,” she said softly. “I don’t casually invite men to stay the night with me. I knew what I wanted when I walked in here. But you should know I’m not looking for a wedding ring or any sort of commitment. And other than in the bedroom, you don’t control me.”

“You want me to believe you want a relationship based just upon sex? Tell me another one, sunshine.” A muscle along his jaw twitched, a sign she knew betrayed his agitation.

“No, I like to be friends with my lovers too. To watch movies on the couch. Or football games, though I warn you I am a die-hard Vikings fan. And yeah, I like good sex, and what you did the other night? That was fantastic. Incomplete, but fantastic.”

“Sandy…”

“I’m not joking here, Troy. No commitment. When this is over, we’re both free to walk away, no questions asked.”

What the hell was her game?
Troy tried to wrap his head around what had just happened. Sandy had surprised him by kneeling in front of him, but when she’d reached for his zipper, she’d knocked him for a loop. She’d given him one of the best—and most unexpected—blowjobs of his life and then that little speech about not wanting a long-term relationship? What the hell was he supposed to think?

A week ago, he’d have bet big money that she’d never go down on her knees for a man she barely knew. Disappointment rippled through him. It took him a moment to realize its source. All those times he’d faced gunfire, or assigned others to face bullets and bombs to protect clients, it had been her image he’d imagined they were protecting. He’d liked that image. Knowing there were things in life worth protecting. Pure. Good. Wholesome.

Now she knelt there, looking up at him like a fallen Madonna. Or perhaps the proverbial cat who had gotten into the cream. As if to punctuate that thought, her tongue darted out and licked a lingering drop of his come from the head of his cock.

I don’t casually invite men to stay the night with me.

Before he could say another word, there was a knock on the door that opened immediately afterward and Sam stuck his head in the door. “Hey, Troy, have you…”

His question trailed off, his gaze fixing on Sandy and where she was in relation to Troy.
Aw, shit.

Sam’s eyes narrowed and he shot him a hard look. “When you get a moment, you want to come into my office.” Not a question but a command. For an ass-chewing most likely.

“Be right there.”

Troy waited until the door closed behind Sam before daring to look at Sandy. The blush filling her face told him that she’d realized Sam knew exactly what they’d been doing.

“Was it worth it?” He couldn’t stop the sharpness of his tone. Nor did he want to. “Was it worth losing your dignity?”

Sandy pushed herself to a stand and stared back at him, the blush fading, her gaze calm. “I suppose that depends on you, doesn’t it?”

Without another word, she walked out of his office and sat at her desk. While his brain scrambled to keep up, she booted up her computer and calmly pulled out her notebook.