Leave Me Breathless (18 page)

B
en paced fast and furious across Callie’s living room rug. She waited for him to wear a path right through to the cement underneath. She understood. When the adrenaline pumped that hard and every cell in the body got that keyed up, coming down took something extra. Good thing her body volunteered for the duty of helping Ben relax.

“Ben?”

He spun around and snapped. “What?”

Well, not until he knocked that shit off
. “Okay, I know you’re upset, but yelling at me is only going to get my shoe in your shin.”

“Sorry.”

“Speaking of which.” She kicked off her high heels, and her arches sighed in relief. “Much better.”

Ben’s hands went to his hips. “Why are you so calm about this?”

“The dress looked bad with flats.”

“What?”

“Aren’t we talking about my shoes?” She knew they weren’t, but Ben needed idle conversation to help him deal with the emotions surging through him.

“Rod threatened you. Twice.”

So much for subterfuge. “I’m aware of that.”

“Most people would be pissed off about something like this.”

Callie was…sort of. The whole Rod-as-stalker spiel wouldn’t compute in her head. Until she saw the compelling evidence, she refused to jump on the conviction bandwagon. The kid made hating him easy and believing in him hard. But nothing about him said killer to her.

“Would you like me to get all huffy and puffy like you are?” she asked.

“Actually, yeah.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Maybe you’re used to people treating you like shit, but I don’t like it.”

Since she had zero idea what that meant, she ignored it. “I see you’re not ready to stop fuming.”

“No.”

The man made it hard to seduce him. Right now she toyed with the idea of smacking him. “How about being an ass? You almost done with that part?”

“Don’t you want to figure out what’s going on?” Ben asked, his judge voice clicking into place. “You are the one who pegged him as the stalker.”

“I offered his name as a possible suspect.”

“Oh, please. You all but dragged him down to the jail. Shouldn’t you be celebrating? Maybe bombarding me with a round or two of ‘I told you so’ or something?”

“Would that really make you feel better?”

“I just want to see some kind of reaction. Hell, I almost twisted that kid’s head off in that room. And why? Because of you. Because he threatened to hurt you.”

The simple honesty gave her hope. She’d never heard anyone say something so lovely in such a hard voice before, but she got the underlying meaning. He gave a shit about her. She mattered to him.

Yeah, she wanted a piece of Rod, too. She burned with the need to punch the crap out of him but not until after she understood the story. In her mind, none of this made sense. Rod as the overwrought kid with an outsized ego problem? Oh, yeah. She noticed that about ten seconds after she met him. But running around blowing things up to get Ben’s attention? She didn’t see that at all. The kid idolized Ben in a butt-kissing way, not a psychopath way.

Peeking in on Mark’s interrogation would give her a chance to dig into all of her theories and concerns, but she knew Ben couldn’t be there. So, she slipped from work mode into girlfriend mode. Earlier Ben tried to lecture her on how the species acted. Even though the girlie gene missed her, Callie didn’t need a lesson in partner behavior. She knew exactly how someone who loved Ben would act, because she did.

Quiet and without warning, the falling thing fell. This wasn’t just a matter of being attracted and wanting to spend time with him. Their relationship had progressed far past that for her. She wanted him, loved him, ached for him.

The quick trust was so foreign to her. She waited and dissected in relationships. She didn’t give up her dreams for a roll in the sack nor did she back off from what she believed in to satisfy any man’s tender ego. With Ben she wanted to dive in, body and mind. To share her hopes and unload her burdens.

In such a short time, he’d taken her messed-up world and offered her a purpose again. She loved him, his life, his decency, and even his jackassery.

For now, though, she’d soothe him the best way she knew how. Until she knew he returned her feelings, she’d use her body to take away the edge of his temper. “Sit.”

His eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

She smiled at his natural fall back into hoity-toity land and pointed to the couch. “You. There. Now.”

“I don’t want to sit, Callie. I want to—” His voice cut off when she hiked her dress up right to the edge of her panty line. Or what would have been her panty line if she were wearing any, which she wasn’t.

“Yes, Ben?”

He swallowed hard enough for her to see it. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting ready to climb on your lap, but you’re going to have to sit down and make a lap for my plan to work.”

“My lap?”

The poor man lost the power of speech. Now that was pretty damn flattering. “Right on your legs. Yes.”

“Now?” He tried to play it cool, but the anger in his voice morphed into pure heat. The tight fists uncurled, and his hands slid down his sides.

“It’s the only way for you to see what I have on under this dress.”

His gaze shot to the shadowed junction where her thighs met. And didn’t wander away again. He squinted as if trying to see what she hid under the bunched material.

Exactly according to plan.

She stripped, and his mind focused solely on her. On this, Ben proved wonderfully predictable.

“You need to burn off some energy. I need you inside me.” She scrunched the silk in her palms and lifted the dress another half inch. Any higher and the mystery would be gone because a great deal of her would be out in the open.

“Wow.”

“I see you’re finally getting me.”

“The plan sounds good.” His stare locked on her legs.

“Then I need you to touch me.”

“Really?”

“Actually, I’m going to make that a requirement of this exercise.”

“Fine.” He threw off his jacket and dropped down on the couch.

“That’s a good boy.” She straddled him, placing one knee and then the other on the outsides of his thighs. The position put them eyes to breasts. With her hands braced against the top of the couch, she eased down and pressed his erection against her through his dress pants.

With his hands on her sides just under her breasts, he leaned his head back and stared up at her. “When do I get to see underneath the dress?”

“You’re an action type of guy. Why don’t you let those long fingers go exploring and find out?” She dragged his hand to the very heat of her.

“You’re naked.” The second his fingers touched her bare wetness his body hummed with excitement. Shaking overtook his hands. He shifted to get a better angle, to ease two up inside her.

“Not completely. I’m still wearing the dress.”

“But that’s it.” He slid his fingers higher.

“You are quick.”

“Please tell me you took your underwear off when we got home. That you weren’t walking around the courthouse in this state.”

“Well, no. This is my reception outfit. Except for the soaking-wet part, of course.”

“Male lawyers were drooling over you. If they had known…”

“This is only for you.” She leaned down and brushed her lips against his ear to calm him back down when his mood got all riled. “Watching you made me hot. I knew I’d be ready the second we walked in the door.”

“Jesus.”

She drew her dress up higher so she could watch his hand, see his fingers disappear inside her and then pull out slick before entering again. The back and forth mesmerized her. She watched him touch her. Felt the insistent caresses. The combination took her body from ready to flaming fire.

“You feel so good.” Her groan of satisfaction filled the room.

“I was about to say the same thing about you.” His free hand slipped around to her lower back, guiding her as she rode his hand.

The moment was for him, but she stole some time for her. With her head thrown back, she closed her eyes and gave in to the sensations rolling through her from his probing. It wouldn’t take much for him to set her off. The promise lured her.

She inhaled a few times before dropping her mouth to his. The kiss lingered as his fingers worked. He pumped. His lips conquered.

She lost the battle.

Giving up the fight to the rhythm, she let her building orgasm rock her hips. Her body sucked his fingers deep inside as she gasped for breath. Then her lower half bucked. Waves of pleasure crashed over her until he gentled his touch against her sensitive folds.

When she finally fell against his chest, her mouth pressed against his neck. Her muscles turned to soup.

“Beautiful woman.” He whispered the word against her forehead.

“Talented man.”

He chuckled. “One who’s hard as hell and sick from wanting you.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I didn’t mean it to be. Kind of was asking you to hurry up before my underwear catches fire.”

“Let me take care of that for you.” He didn’t argue as she slid off his lap to sit on the floor in front of him. “My, those pants do look mighty tight.”

He plowed his fingers through her hair. “They sure are now.”

“You poor thing.”

“I’ve had a rough night.”

“Maybe this will help.” She cupped him through his pants and felt his cock jerk in response.

“Definitely.”

With his deep breaths as an invitation, she eased the zipper down, listening to the steady clicks as the front of his pants came undone. “Where were you hiding this at the party?”

He brushed her hair off her neck and stared down at her fingers. “I was too busy trying not to kill the men who tried to get a peek down your dress.”

“Mmmm.” She lifted his penis out of his boxer briefs and squeezed her palm around him.

He groaned as his hips shifted forward on the couch to meet her mouth. “Yes. Just like that.”

She gave him what he needed. Her tongue circled his tip as her hand moved up and down on him.

The torment had his hand clenching in her hair. “Harder.”

Her pace stayed steady as she took him deep into her mouth. Warm and hard, he slid down the back of her throat, growing thicker with each stroke. She caressed and licked, pumped and enticed. When his body tightened and his words shifted to grunts instead of words, she knew she had succeeded in making him forget about anything but her.

Two hours later Rod sat with his very high-powered father across from Mark at the conference table. With the accusations shooting at him, the kid had been smart enough to ask for a lawyer. Unfortunately, the lawyer in this case meant his wealthy dad, Dale. Which was even worse.

The only good part was that Dale wanted Emma in the room. If it wasn’t for the request and the very real possibility the kid would have stopped talking if Mark refused, Emma knew she’d be at home. Alone. Mark never would have let her stay. Acquiescing grated on him. She could see it in the hard edge to his jaw. As it was, he agreed but limited her access to standing and keeping quiet.

“I was set up.” Gone was the panic and yelling. Rod acted calm and in control now. Having Daddy right there ready to pull the plug on the questioning made Rod’s chest puff up.

“You were caught on camera.” Mark’s smile promised retribution. “Didn’t know we put those in, did you?”

“You saw him standing in a room. In an office he works in, I might add.” Dale looked at Emma. “We all know that is not evidence of anything. And I suspect if you watch the full video, you’ll find your real suspect walk in and out before Rod ever got there.”

Mark tapped his pen against the table. “Why were you in there, Rod?”

“I was told Callie wanted to see me. To have it out over some of our disagreements. Once she arrived at the party, I went upstairs to wait. Figured she’d flirt and mingle before joining me.”

“You’re changing your story.”

Rod looked at his dad. “That’s not true.”

“Earlier you said Callie was the one who told you to go upstairs.”

Rod traced an invisible pattern on the table. “I thought the message was from her.”

Dale put a firm hand on his son’s shoulder. “Just tell them who gave you the message.”

Rod glanced at Emma. “I’m sorry.”

She knew the accusation was coming. Felt it before he said the name. “Don’t play games. Just tell me.”

“Scott,” Rod said.

Dale stood up. “There you go. As you can see, you have the wrong clerk. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to take my son home and forget this evening ever happened.”

“Not quite.” Mark motioned for Dale to sit back down.

The man balanced his palms against the table and stared down Mark instead. “Mr. Walker, it’s time you admit you made a mistake here. Rod is willing to move on, with apologies from you and Judge Walker, of course, along with some other concessions, including a stellar recommendation and some help with landing him an associate position wherever Rod thinks is best after his clerkship. This questioning, however, must stop right now.”

Mark screwed up his mouth. “How nice of him to let us set up his life for him.”

“Mark—” Emma stopped talking when he sent her a look of pure fury.

He turned back to Dale. “I’m not convinced of Rod’s innocence, so I think you can imagine how long he’ll need to wait for those apologies.”

“You were wrong about me,” Rod said.

“We have your computer records and know what you’ve been checking out, Rod.”

“Nothing bad.”

“Bomb making websites. Combine that with your background in science and we have a problem. An exploding kind.” Mark leaned back, his demeanor cooler and more in control. “I’m just trying to figure out the motive.”

“For his degree?” Dale asked, obviously stunned that Mark had added the facts together and come up with attempted murder.

“I planned to go to med school.” Rod’s voice grew louder with each syllable. “And the website stuff is not true. You can’t lay that on me.”

Dale touched his son’s arm, opting for maturity over Rod’s hot temper. “That’s enough.”

“You sure? It was just getting interesting,” Mark said.