Layers Crossed (9 page)

“Pointless?”

“Exactly. Not
that you weren’t amazing and beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone as
gorgeous as you.”

The memory of
her glistening body revived those long forgotten primitive
needs.

Emma let out
an exasperated breath as if she was about to bare her soul to me.
“Thank you. You’re very kind. Cross Enterprises is a serious
business I’d known I’d be part of ever since I can remember. I
mean, you’ve met my family. They’re my everything. I guess
sometimes I just feel like doing things no one will expect me to.
Doing them because I choose to. Whether it’s a bet or a dare – I’m
still the one who’s making that final choice. And don’t get me
wrong, I love my job, but the work I’ve been assigned thus far
didn’t exactly fulfill my need to do something more worthy and
important. My brothers get to chase the bad guys all the time. They
got to go undercover for all sorts of assignments when they were
younger; why can’t I? I’m trained just as well.”

“But you’re a
woman,” I blurted, immediately regretting my words. There was no
way Emma would take to any kind of male chauvinism.

“Seriously,
you’re gonna go there? I know you’re from the country, Cowboy, but
this is the twenty-first century, where a woman can do whatever she
wants, whenever she wants, and
whomever
she wants.”

That last part
nearly caused my balls to contract. Her forward nature and strength
would definitely take getting used to, yet was so stimulating. And
most of all, I loved how easily we could carry on a conversation,
taking my attention away from the fact that we were going at ten
times the speed of an average car. I leaned in, tucking the stray
hair behind her ear.

“I bet there
are things women still prefer done the old-fashioned way,” I
countered.

“Like what?”
She swallowed nervously. The evident pulse at the side of her neck
drew me closer to her, until the sweet smell of her breath reached
my face.

“Like opening
car doors for ladies, pulling their chair out when getting ready to
sit down to dinner, or letting her know politely when the button on
her shirt has popped so she can cover herself up.”

I gently
touched the hem of her shirt where her breasts spread the fabric
outward, revealing the see-through laced bra underneath. Even if
I’d already seen much more of her body, this way, a little bit
covered up, was much sexier.

My finger
brushed the curve of her cleavage, and she held her breath. I
lifted my other hand toward the shirt and fastened the misbehaving
button. Sitting this close to her was infuriating. The smell of her
floral perfume filled me from the bottom up, propelling my pulse to
rush. Her scent was that last ingredient needed to drive me over
the edge.

“Thank you,”
she whispered.

“You’re
welcome.” I leaned back in my chair again. This would be one hell
of a week. Could I really be the gentleman I was taught to be? With
Emma around, all bets were off. She was like a drug I needed. I
longed to hear what would come out of her intelligent mouth next.
Some men would call it a smart mouth, but I found it clever and
intriguing. The need to protect her from the work she sought grew
with each second. As much as I didn’t think the job I’d hired her
for was dangerous just yet, with my past and what John Huntz was
capable of, it definitely had the potential to be.

“So you’re
seeking adventure?” I asked.

“Yeah, I guess
you could say that. Can you give me that adventure, Cowboy?”

“Maybe, if you
stop calling me Cowboy.”

“What’s wrong
with Cowboy?” She rolled her eyes.

“Please don’t
roll your eyes at me.”

“Or what?”

“Or I may need
to force you to close them for long enough not to roll them.”

“And just how
would you do that?”

Like a tease,
she rolled them again with a devious smirk. If I couldn’t stop her
from doing that, I’d go nuts. And so I turned my head toward her
and leaned forward. With our noses nearly touching and mouths a
shiver away, her sweet breath was too much and not enough at the
same time, and when she closed her eyes I knew I succeeded, but I
wanted more. Much more. I wanted her lips, her entire mouth, her
tongue – I wanted her everything – and I knew she’d give it to me –
not because she was easy or someone looking for a fling, but
because the attraction between the two of us could no longer be
contained.

Still, I’d
only take as much as she allowed. I wouldn’t push it – because I
couldn’t push her away – ever.

I touched my
lips to hers, taking them into my mouth, stroking the bow of her
upper lip with my tongue before dipping in. Her mouth was so small
and so warm and she worked it so well, moving her lips with mine. I
tilted her head slightly, holding her steady because if I didn’t, I
was afraid I’d lose my patience. Slowly tracing my hand to her
neck, I held it there, smoothing my thumb over her pulsing vein.
Her skin felt silkier than I expected. And when her tongue moved
against mine, rubbing and teasing, inviting me even deeper, I knew
she had me in the palm of her hand. She could ask me anything, and
I would give her everything.

When I pulled
away, I pressed my forehead against hers, breathing heavily. This
was not an ordinary kiss. This was pure lust.

“Will this be
a problem for you, Emma? Me wanting you so badly and being your
client,” I asked.

“Consider this
a service with a cherry on top. Besides, you’ve kissed one guy,
you’ve kissed them all.” She shrugged and pulled away.

Playing
hard to get,
I thought.

I could see
through her lies so easily. Her tiny nose wrinkled up and betrayed
her. And her body language was another story. The way her breasts
swelled when we’d kissed, and the feel of her pumping jugular
underneath my thumb as I traced her neck told me I’d affected her
as much as she’d affected me. And she was still panting. If her
goal was to push me away or seem nonchalant, she’d have to try much
harder than that. As much as she wanted to deny the truth – or
maybe she was afraid of the truth? – she was mine the moment I’d
laid my eyes on her a few nights back.

“And how many
guys have you kissed, exactly?”

“Enough.”

“And have they
kissed you back the way I did?”

“Why are you
asking all these questions, Cowboy? It was a good kiss, I can’t
deny it. But did it knock me off my feet? Did it make this plane
come down? Nope, still sitting.”

“Then let me
correct my mistake, my lady.” And I pressed myself to her again,
this time with nearly my full strength, keeping a little back so
that I wouldn’t crush her completely. Devouring her mouth like she
was my life-line, taking every breath from her lungs into mine, I
molded myself into her curves. I pushed a button to recline the
luxurious leather chair, making her lie beneath me, her soft body
writhing under my muscles. And once she was down, I couldn’t help
but feel every luscious curve of her body, sliding my hands up her
sides and along the outline of her breasts. Her hips were in full
motion, grinding against my length. The feel of her pubic bone made
me even harder for her. And her delicious mouth fit in mine so
perfectly, I couldn’t get enough. At that moment, I knew that no
matter how long or how often I kissed Emma, it would never be
enough. And as much as I wanted to join the mile-high club on my
virgin flight, this wasn’t the right time.

When we pulled
away I traced her lip with my thumb, kissing her gently once more.
Her eyes were wide open now, her heart pounding against mine so
profoundly. I smiled and she smiled back, and I knew that this time
I’d done it right. I gave her a kiss worthy of acceptance – even
though in all honesty, the first one wasn’t bad either.

“I won’t make
the plane come down and kill us both, but you’re definitely not on
your feet, Emma. And there is much more where that came from,” I
whispered, getting up and straightening her clothes, as well as
fastening the three buttons which had now popped on her shirt.

She didn’t say
anything, but the obvious flush on her cheeks told me I’d succeeded
in knocking her off her feet.

Emma remained
quiet for the remainder of the flight. She opened her laptop and
began searching through a database. With a sidelong glance I caught
Huntz’s name on the screen. He’d apparently made his way to Mexico
quite often, but always returned to a different town you could
barely find on a map. But there was only one little nest he’d come
back to more than once. Emma focused her search on that part and
was now reading through a page. I closed my eyes for a moment,
trying to clear my head. If I was going to get the answers I sought
while keeping her occupied for more than a couple of weeks, the way
I’d promised, I needed to make sure Emma could concentrate. There
was no way she could find Huntz earlier, could she? If I was going
to keep my promise to Hunter, kisses like the one we’d just shared
would have to be postponed. The question was, how in the world was
I going to do that?

C
HAPTER
9

Emma

I hadn’t been
able to recover from the way Eric kissed me on the plane. The
passion that curled through me from his mouth and the way he’d held
me against him left me breathless.

No man had
ever kissed me that way, and I was afraid I was getting more
involved with him than I should. After all, he was a client, and I
didn’t fool around with clients. Yet what was happening between us
was more than just playing around. The attraction was like a
sparkling current of electricity igniting midway between our
bodies. It didn’t surprise me that both my brothers and their wives
had been suspicious.

And then there
was the guilt. Knowing how much Eric had affected me brought back
memories of someone else who had once drawn similar emotions from
my body. The one person who made me feel like the world belonged to
us. I was his and only his: laughing, crying, sharing secrets and
making plans for the future. He’d moved from Vienna to be with me.
Dropped everything that he loved and planned to open a bakery in
New York just so that he could wake up next to me in the morning.
And he was taken away so quickly. It had been two years since David
died, and it was my fault. For months I couldn’t even say his name.
I’d moved out of our apartment at my parent’s guest house, leaving
everything behind. And when I finally began dating again, I knew
the moment I agreed to a date that it wouldn’t last longer than a
week. I hadn’t been able to let go of the past with anyone.

Eric was so
much more than I’d expected him to be. That first kiss spun my
head, and the second one had me nearly climaxing as I rubbed myself
against his erection. And whatever piece of jewelry he sported on
his nipples – I wanted to see it, to lick it and play with it with
my tongue. First it was the tattoo, and now his piercings? Pressed
against him, the abrasive metal rubbed on my cleavage with
excruciatingly delightful force. If he didn’t pull away, if he
didn’t stop, I was sure I’d melt underneath him and start removing
his clothes. I was all ready to rip that shirt off him when he
pulled away. With my mind finally free, desperately trying to
return to earth, or at least back to our flight, I’d lost myself in
my work.

If Eric was
able to fry my mind with a kiss, what would happen if… No, I
couldn’t think about being in his bed, his naked body above me, him
slamming into my wet core, burying himself deeper and deeper with
each thrust, driving me mad with the way his hands would roam my
body, as he caressed my curves with his divine mouth. Oh, God, what
was his mouth capable of, exactly? I shook my head. My lecherous
thoughts had me soaking between my legs.

How would I be
able to resist him? Thank God I was staying at a nearby motel. That
way I could keep my distance and focus on the job.

Once we
landed, I gave Eric the directions to the motel I’d booked, and
watched the farm fields roll by the side. The little time I’d had
to research Eric’s town, which was only a few miles away, hadn’t
turned up anything out of the ordinary. The information about John
Huntz was another story. This man wanted to stay hidden. Not only
that, but it appeared he had made his way back to Ogden every six
months or so without anyone knowing. How he’d stayed concealed in a
town that small, without anyone seeing him or hearing from him,
surprised me. I had a feeling his daughter, the only relative he
apparently had, would know more – who else would he have been
contacting? I didn’t want to share that information with Eric yet.
He’d freak out that the man who had kidnapped him and his sister
had made his way back to the little town. My gut told me there was
something in Ogden he wanted, and what that was would remain a
mystery for a while longer.

As we pulled
up to a house, my attention came back to where we were.

“This isn’t
the motel,” I said.

“Welcome to my
ranch, Emma,” he replied, opening the car door for me.

I stepped out,
and with my hands dropped to my sides, I took in the picturesque
log home and its surroundings. To the right, an enclosed area
stretched as far as I could see. Far in the distance a group of
horses grazed the fields. I felt as if I’d just stepped onto a
movie set for
Legends of the Fall
.

Turning
around, I noticed the pathway we’d taken to drive up to this
beautiful ranch. Tall willow trees lined its sides, with white
fencing running all the way through, beyond which I assumed Eric’s
horses frolicked. How did I miss this? I’d been so busy thinking
about the case that I hadn’t seen any of Eric’s home.

“This is
yours?” I asked in awe, suddenly aware that this stopover wasn’t
where we were originally heading.