Master of the Game (Rush Series Book 3) (5 page)

She
darted her eyes up to his before saying, “No, not that I know of. Like I said,
I was just being foolish. I was being a total girl.”

He
blinked at her answer. For whatever reason, he knew she was lying to him. Why
would she lie about being followed? His thoughts were interrupted when the
waitress arrived with their drinks. They each picked up their glass and sipped
accordingly.

“So,
how long will you be in Mexico City?” he asked her.

“I’m
not sure, maybe as long as a month,” she replied.
“How about
you?”

“For
the same,” he said. Seeing that her hand still trembled as she held her glass,
he reached out his own and placed it over the one lying on the table. “You
don’t have anything to worry about,” he promised. “You’re safe here.”

With a
quick shake of her head, she let out a humorless laugh. She wished that was the
case. But she doubted she’d ever be safe again. The last glimpse of her
mother’s face filled with stark terror flooded her mind. To ward off thoughts
of things she didn’t want to think of, she took a too big gulp of the brandy
and coughed as it burned all the way down.

Alex
laughed. “Slow down, little
Taz
. There’s more where
that came from.”

Her
eyes watered at the burn but she managed to give him a small smile. Liking the
warmth that invaded her body from the brandy, she tipped the glass back to her
lips and swallowed the rest. Catching the eye of the waitress, she pointed to
her glass before angling her eyes to him, but he shook his head. Looking down,
she saw his hand still covered hers. She blinked up at him, staring into his sea-foam
green eyes. “I think you
are
a very
nice man, Cowboy.”

He
cocked his head to the side. “I agree,” he said with a wry twist of his lips.

She
shook her head at him, and a smile that had been lacking appeared for just an
instant on her face. “Never mind, I take it back.” she declared, with mirth.

He
studied her for a long moment. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on
here, Little Devil?”

“
Ahh
, I’ve gone straight from
Taz
to devil in the span of five minutes? It usually takes much longer for people
to discover that,” she said in a way of misdirection.

“So,
you
aren’t
going to tell me,” he
said, all question removed from his voice.

“There’s
nothing to tell,” she replied, meeting his eyes evenly.

“Who
was in the parking lot?”

She
shrugged her shoulders and took a drink.
“No one.
I
told you, I just got spooked. I mean, I am a single girl out on my own.
Wouldn’t it be even odder if I wasn’t a little apprehensive? What’s with all
the questions?”

Alex
sat back in his seat and brought his glass to his lips as he once again studied
the paradox in front of him. The brandy had had the desired effect and she was
calmer and most of the tension had been released from her body. He watched the
play of shadows on her face. She was a beautiful woman. Her nearly black eyes
were rimmed with equally dark lashes which matched the heavy curtain of her
hair. As he watched, her tongue darted out to lick against the remnants of the
brandy. His body tightened at the thought of that tongue used against his body.

Devon
felt his stare but didn’t want to meet his eyes as he seemed to see things he
shouldn’t. Nevertheless, she felt herself drawn to him. He was her complex
opposite. He was strong while she felt weak. He was confident while she felt
insecure. He was aggressive and obviously went for what he wanted, while she
was hesitant and felt restrained. He felt safe… he made her feel secure… wanted
in a world she didn’t feel particularly wanted in at the moment. She didn’t
want to be who she was anymore. Just for a little while, she wanted to be free.
Free from fear. Free from pain. Free from grief. Free from control. Free to
enjoy what she wanted.

Alex
rubbed his forefinger around the rim of his glass as he watched the play of
emotions cross her transparent features. He didn’t know what was going on with
her, and really, he didn’t have time to deal with her issues. He was reaching
into his pocket for money to throw on the table for their drinks, when after
taking a huge gulp of the
brandy,
she lifted her head
to stare into his green eyes levelly. Alex was surprised by her next words,
which came in more of a question than his demand from earlier. “Dance with me?”

Alex
picked up his glass and studied her as he drank. He tapped his forefinger
against his bottom lip as if he needed to consider the situation before
committing to it. “Okay,” he finally said before rising.

The
other dancers faded away from her consciousness as they swayed in their midst.
When he’d once more settled his hands comfortably on her hips, she bypassed his
biceps in favor of sliding her hands up his magnificent chest and slowly
encircled his neck, effectively drawing their bodies intimately closer. She
inhaled his spicy, woodsy cologne and sighed, her face buried in the crook of
his neck. He tensed slightly when she pressed her lips softly against his skin.

Letting
out a long, slow breath, he murmured, “Little Devil, don’t start something you
can’t finish.”

She
shivered at the touch of his lips against the shell of her ear. She swallowed
as she warred with herself over the needs of her heated flesh and her ability
to act on it. She lifted her needful eyes up to his. There were so many things
bouncing around in her head, as well as in her body. She desperately wanted the
ache she carried in her heart salved by this beautiful stranger – a man whose
name she didn’t even know.

He held
her gaze steadily. “What do you want?” he asked softly as she seemed to be
teetering on the edge of something monumental.

Blowing
a breath through her lips, she licked against their sudden dryness and
whispered quickly before she lost her nerve, “You.”

He
inhaled the breath she’d just let out and tugged her hands from around his
neck, holding them instead within his own. He pressed soft lips against the
backs of her fingers as he contemplated her. “Why?”

She was
forced to look away from his intense stare, her confidence falling away from
her. Looking at their joined hand, she asked, “Do I have to have a reason?” She
fumbled on in a rush when she glanced up and saw his eyebrows knit together,
knowing she was losing him. “I just… I don’t want … I want to be…” she stopped
before she said the word
free
,
instead she added, “with you.” Color rushed up into her already alcohol heated
cheeks. As doubts and insecurities rushed to the forefront, she gave a small
shake of her head at her own foolishness and jerked her hand out of his. “No…
never mind… I just… I… I don’t know…” she trailed off, embarrassed.

Without
another word, he tugged her along behind him as he threw some bills onto the
table and grabbed her suitcase. They wove their way around tables and bodies
dotted throughout the bar before making their way to the elevator. Alex stepped
in and pushed the button for his floor and watched as she leaned back against
the wall of the elevator. For someone who’d just told a man she wanted him, she
seemed nervous and uncomfortable. While the lush curves of her body called to
him, it’d been a long time since he’d had to woo a woman into bed. He smiled
when she jumped as the elevator doors pinged.

She hadn’t
realized how tightly wound she was. She glanced up to meet the intense gaze of
the handsome man across from her. The mint of his eyes was intensified by his
light hair and tanned face. The thought crossed her mind that he was opposite
of her in looks as well, where he was light, she was dark. Where he was hard
muscles, she was soft curves. She glanced down at his hands which were holding
her suitcase. He had strong, capable hands. She knew without a shadow of a
doubt she’d be safe within them. Confident in her decision, she stepped out the
elevator and waited as he led them toward his room.

Alex
swiped a hand across his lips as he led the complicated woman down the hallway.
To say he didn’t quite understand her game was like saying a room of
kindergarteners didn’t understand quantum physics. Being able to discern what a
person was about was what he did… who he was. The ability to size up a
situation and react accordingly had been what had made him successful in his
chosen career path. Every bell and whistle was going off in his head that
something was afoot, but still he wanted to follow this thing through. He
wanted this woman and he planned to have her, but a tingle of unease coursed
through him. He didn’t like not understanding something. The last time he’d
turned a blind eye, it’d ended up with him attending his wife’s funeral.

Alex
withdrew his keycard from his back pocket and slid it soundlessly through the
electronic scanner. She stood close behind him without touching him as he
unlocked the door. From where he stood, he could smell the floral scent of the
shampoo she used as well as the slight musky scent of her skin. He turned and
watched the vein on the side of her neck as it jumped erratically. He stepped
aside to allow her to enter ahead of him and he waited a beat before following,
catching the door with his foot as it began to close. He set her suitcase down
just inside the little alcove leading into the bathroom before following her
further into the room. He silently leaned his back against a partition wall and
watched her for several long moments, not moving, but giving her an opportunity
to change her mind without any pressure from him. He’d sensed her desperation
in the elevator.

She
stood several feet away from him… waiting and wringing her hands.

Pushing
off the wall, Alex said simply, “Well.”

“Well,”
she parroted as she struggled to control her heightened emotions.

He
sauntered slowly toward her, tilting his head as he studied her intently. “So…
this is my room,” he said with a grin.

“Where
all the magic happens?” she quipped, his mocking grin putting her more at ease.

He
stood towering over her and stared down into her upturned face. He lifted a
hand and brushed her hair over one shoulder. Her dark eyes were sultry and
warm, her naturally tanned skin glowed a caramel-color in the low lights of the
room. “Just like Disney World,” he said as he traced her lower lip with his
forefinger.

The
muscles in her neck worked as she swallowed. “Who doesn’t like Disney World?”
she whispered inanely. “It’s the happiest place on earth…” she trailed off in a
breathless rush.

He
smiled knowingly down at her. As slow as molasses, he moved his lips toward
hers. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes as she waited for the contact
of his mouth on hers. Feather-light his lips brushed against hers. She gasped
at the electric feel of it and moaned in dissatisfaction of the brevity of the
caress when he pulled away. She blinked her eyes up to his.

“What?”
he questioned softly.

“More,”
she whispered as desire swirled low in her belly.

He
smiled in that knowing way she was beginning to recognize. “I don’t know if
you’re ready for more.”

Her
chest rose and fell as sensations swamped her. She wanted him in the worst way,
but it didn’t seem like he was going to make it easy for her. So what in life
was easy? At this moment in time, she didn’t want to be disciplined or sensible
- she wanted to be crazy and spontaneous. She wanted to feel something other
than fear and despair. She wanted this man she didn’t know, and who didn’t know
her, to take her someplace else. How she knew he had the ability to do so, she
wasn’t sure. Without giving herself time to think about it, she launched
herself against his chest. He stumbled back into the wall, his arms
automatically surrounding her waist to steady them. She leaned into him and
pressed her lips aggressively against his. Momentarily taken aback, it took
Alex a few seconds before he tightened his arms around her and plunged his
tongue between her teeth. She pressed her lush body up against his as she
struggled to get close enough. Adrenaline flowed through her, causing her blood
to boil.

 
Her inability to control other parts of her
life caused her to demand control in this heated moment. She wanted him. She
refused to deny herself anything ever again. She’d been living the life of a
fool, a life where she thought she’d been in control of things. She’d found out
well enough that she was powerless. She wanted to forget about Miguel, Jorge,
Lex
, about everything except for this blonde-haired
American, who was sexy and knew nothing about the half-life she now had - the
life where she was forced to lie about who she was and where she came from. A
life where the phrase ‘a matter of life or death’ was truer and more terrifying
than anything she’d ever imagined. She wanted this stolen moment, and
afterwards, she’d walk away, never to see him again. In the frightening days
ahead, she wanted to be able to look back and remember the feel of his skin
sliding against hers… pushing his body into hers until she screamed out.

She
curled her fingers into the short hair at the nape of his neck. She gasped when
he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and nipped it almost to the point of
pain – but not quite. They broke apart slowly each drawing in short, pants of
air.