Murder List (35 page)

She knew her touch pleased him, but she wanted more. Ever so slowly her fingertips circled his navel and then moved lower. Her hand slid down between his thighs. His deep indrawn breath told her how much he liked what she was doing to him.

She became more demanding. She wrapped her hand around him… and sent him right over the edge.

He grabbed her hand, rolled on top of her, and kissed her passionately. His tongue rubbed against hers as his hands caressed her. He moved lower, and when he began to kiss her breasts, she arched up against him and let out a ragged sigh. He told her he was going to kiss every inch of her body, and then he set about proving it. He tickled her navel with his tongue, then moved lower still until he was touching the very heat of her.

The pleasure was exquisite, consuming. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades and she cried out.

Alec’s control was in tatters now, and he was desperate to be inside her.

“Alec…”

“It’s okay. I just need to protect you.”

He reached down and grabbed his trousers. Regan rolled on top of him and was fervently kissing his shoulders while he fumbled in the back pocket for his wallet. He found what he was searching for and gently rolled back until she scooted off him.

When he was ready, he grabbed her hands, stretched her arms high above her head, and held her there. And then he once again began to make love to her with his mouth, his tongue, and his fingers.

The first tremors of ecstasy caught her unaware. It should have ended there, but it didn’t. The pleasure was gathering, building, so intense she almost couldn’t bear it. Terrified of what was happening, she struggled to stop it.

“It’s okay,” he whispered as he continued to stroke her. “Just hold me and let it happen. It’s okay, Regan.” He moved between her thighs, and with one swift plunge, he was inside her, deep inside. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw tight for the pleasure was almost too much to bear. She cried out and arched up against him, then drew her knees up and wrapped her legs around him.

His control snapped. She felt so wonderful he couldn’t make himself slow the pace. Her passion more than equaled his, and her response to his touch was wild, uninhibited.

She lifted her hips to meet each hard thrust, and when at last he climaxed inside her, she was there with him, screaming his name as she came apart.

She thought she just might die from the sheer ecstasy shimmering through her. Alec collapsed on top of her and buried his head in the crook of her neck. It took him several minutes to calm his labored breathing.

It had never been this good, no, not good, perfect before. She had overwhelmed him, and he was staggered by his need for her.

He slowly regained enough strength to move. He lifted up and looked into her eyes. “You okay?” His voice was no more than a raspy whisper.

She was still reeling from what had just happened. She’d read about it. She’d heard about it, but until tonight, she had never experienced it.

Amazing, she thought. Simply amazing. And beautiful. There weren’t enough words to describe what had happened to her. She still felt a warm glow all over. Could he feel her heart pounding against his?

Did he have any idea what he had done to her? Had he experienced the same splendor? Or was it different for a man? The wonder of their lovemaking stunned her, and she couldn’t stop trembling.

“Regan?”

“Yes, I’m okay.” That had to be a gross understatement.

He kissed her once hard then rolled away from her and went into the bathroom.

His abrupt departure startled her. She didn’t want him to leave, not just yet anyway. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and whisper all the romantic words she longed to hear.

She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes. Oh, God, not now. Don’t let me cry now. She took a deep breath, groaned, and then pulled the sheet up and rolled onto her stomach. His scent was on the pillow. She had the urge to pick up that pillow and bury her head under it. She couldn’t believe how vulnerable and self-conscious she was feeling. What was the matter with her? She had started this. What had she expected? For him to drop down on his knees and tell her how much he loved her? That was the stuff of fairy tales.

A tear spilled out on her cheek. She impatiently wiped it away. Tonight was driven by lust, not love…

for him, anyway. She groaned again. She wasn’t going to regret tonight. Her heart was too fragile to ever let it happen again, but she wouldn’t be sorry.

She didn’t hear Alec walk back into the bedroom. She felt him when he sat down on the bed beside her. “Move over,” he said.

She rolled onto her side to face him just as he tried to yank the sheet down. She held tight. “I thought you were getting dressed.”

“You didn’t notice my clothes are all over the floor?”

“No, I didn’t notice.”

They were involved in a tug-of-war with the sheet. He won. He stretched out beside her and pulled her to him. “I should go.” He began to nuzzle her neck. “Yeah, I should go. How come you smell so good?”

“I bathe.”

He laughed. Then he pinched her backside, and she yelped.

“How come you’re so soft?”

She kissed his neck before answering. “I’m a girl.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

She couldn’t stop touching him. She loved the feel of his hard muscles beneath her fingertips. They glided over his shoulders and his chest. His body was warm and hairy and sexy. She wrapped her arms around his waist and decided she was never going to let go. He was going to have to peel her off of him.

That image made her smile.

“It was better than my fantasy,” he said.

“You’ve thought about it?”

“Oh, yeah. You did too.”

She didn’t deny it. “Yes.”

“Was it as good as your fantasy?”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “It was… so-so.”

He laughed. Then he pushed her onto her back and leaned over her. “So-so?” he repeated.

He looked a little worried. She realized then that there was a thread of insecurity hidden under all those layers of arrogance. She was stunned. How could he not know how much pleasure he had given her?

She cupped the side of his face. “It was perfect.”

He leaned down and kissed her. He thought it would be a see-you-later kind of kiss, but as soon as his mouth touched hers, everything changed. His tongue rubbed erotically against hers. He kept telling himself he just wanted a little bit more and he’d be satisfied. How come he couldn’t get enough of her?

She moved restlessly against him. “Alec?” she whispered.

“You want to go again?”

Her eyes widened. She pushed his shoulders. “Go again? What kind of pillow talk is that?” She honestly didn’t know if she wanted to yell at him or laugh.

Then he grinned and laughter won out. “I can do pillow talk,” he boasted.

“Prove it.”

He got sidetracked by the devilish way her lips curled up. The dimple was interfering with his thought process too, and so he looked into her eyes. It seemed to hit him all at once, the reality of what had just happened. This beautiful, sweet, perfect creature had taken him to her bed.

She nudged him. “I’m waiting,” she whispered, and then she batted her eyelashes at him.

He laughed again. “Okay. Here’s what I think we ought to do.” And then he explained in the most graphic detail how he wanted to make love to her and what he expected in return.

By the time he’d finished, her cheeks were bright pink. “What kind of women have you been hanging out with?” she asked. She tried to sound shocked.

“Gymnasts, acrobats. Why do you ask?” His hands moved down to her hips.

“Alec, what are you doing?”

“It’s called multitasking. I’m talking and touching at the same time.” He slowly moved down her body, and his mouth and tongue were driving her wild. “We could try something new,” he said. He kissed the valley between her breasts and then whispered, “But why mess with perfection?” Chapter Thirty-six

Alec wouldn’t spend the night. She tried to entice him, but she couldn’t get him to change his mind.

He was far more concerned about protecting her good name than she was. She put on a blue silk robe that didn’t quite reach her knees and sat on the side of the bed while Alec got dressed.

Her legs distracted him from what he was doing. When he realized where his thoughts were taking him, he turned and walked into the living room.

“What’d I do with my phone?”

She followed him. “It’s in your coat pocket.”

He turned around to tell her good night. She stepped closer and buttoned his shirt for him while he clipped on his holster and flipped the leather snap in place over his gun.

She stretched up on tiptoes and kissed him just below the jaw. “Sleep over,” she whispered.

“No.”

His harsh tone didn’t bother her because he was kissing the side of her neck while he refused her.

“Don’t you want to?”

“Of course I want to,” he said. “And if the circumstances were different, I would.” His hands slid inside her robe. He couldn’t get enough of her. Not good, he told himself. He pulled his hands back. “The whole world is watching you, and I don’t want anyone talking…”

“The whole world? Surely not.”

“You’ve got the police department, the security team, the hotel staff, and your brothers watching your every move. Did you forget there’s a policeman standing outside your door? I don’t want anyone speculating about you or gossiping or teasing…” She was kissing his neck and tormenting him with her tongue. “Stop that.”

After giving the order, he put his hands on her shoulders with the intent of making her step back. He pulled her up against him instead. His chin dropped down on her head.

“Am I the only one worried about your reputation?”

“Apparently so.”

He laughed. “Damn, you’re sweet.”

He tilted her chin up and kissed her. If she hadn’t been so hot, he might have been able to give her a quick good-bye kiss. Regan wasn’t just sweet and sexy and hot, though. She was enthusiastic and demanding. She could turn him into Jell-O if she kept kissing without a hint of reservation. The little whimper she made in the back of her throat triggered a primitive response.

When he ended the kiss, she collapsed against him.

What had happened to his self-restraint? His discipline? Regan could turn him on faster than he could snap his fingers. Man oh man, she was getting to him, and he had to somehow put a stop to it. He was leaving, and nothing was going to change his mind.

“Listen, Regan. This can’t happen again.”

He waited for an argument. He expected her to be upset. Their lovemaking had been pretty incredible, and he had the scratches on his shoulders where her nails had dug in to prove that it was perfect for her too. Yeah, of course she would argue.

“Yes, I know.”

“What?”

“I agree,” she said. “It can’t happen again.”

A pang of disappointment went through him. “I’ve got to get out of here. Lock the door after me.” His hand cupped the back of her neck and he jerked her close so he could kiss her again.

And then he was gone. Regan flipped the dead bolt in place and fell back against the door. Alec had clearly worn her out. She was still trembling. She dropped her robe on her way back to bed. The sheets were still warm from the heat of their bodies. She wrapped herself in them and closed her eyes.

She was determined not to think about the future, but that was easier said than done. Tears streamed down her face. What an idiot she was. She was falling in love with him. No, she wasn’t falling, she was already in love with him. She would never have been able to let go the way she did tonight if she hadn’t loved him. She knew exactly when she realized it too. She and Henry had been sitting in the hotel bar watching as Kevin poured his heart out to Alec, and the compassion she’d seen in Alec’s eyes had been her undoing. Oh, yes, she’d known it for a while; she’d just been too stupid to admit it.

Besides his compassion, there were so many things she loved about him. He was a man of honor and integrity. She’d figured that out after spending an hour with him. He was also dedicated to his job. He was fiercely loyal to those he cared about, and he had the most wonderful sense of humor.

He did have flaws, but at the moment she could not remember any. She let out a loud groan. Don’t think about the future, she told herself. Don’t think about the day he leaves.

She couldn’t turn her mind off, and the more she told herself not to think about him, the more she did.

Regan buried her face in the pillow and cried herself to sleep.

It was a new day and Regan had a new attitude. While she showered and dressed, she gave herself a lecture. She was a big girl; she could handle a broken heart. Sure she could. She would survive when Alec left, and she vowed he would never know how she felt about him.

Alec wasn’t outside her door. She’d already looked through the peephole. The same young policeman who’d come on duty when she and Alec had left for the country club last night was waiting for her. She hurried because she knew the policeman had to be exhausted. She’d just pulled on her jeans and slipped into her sandals when her phone rang. Spencer was on the line. He told her he was in her office, but she’d already guessed that because she could hear the television blaring in the background.

“Want me to come up there after the game, or do you want to come down here?” She didn’t ask what game because there was always some game playing. “I’ll be right down,” she promised.

“Aiden’s here.”

“Is that a warning?”

“Maybe.”

“Yeah, well, you need to warn him. Time has not softened my attitude, Spencer. I’m still out for blood.”

Spencer laughed. “I can’t wait to see that.”

The second she hung up the phone, she started sneezing. Maybe she was allergic to her brothers. The ridiculous thought made her laugh. She went back into the bathroom, took her allergy medicine, then grabbed her keys, stuffed them into her pocket, and opened the door.

The policeman escorted her to her office. She tried to coax him into coming inside and relaxing on the sofa, but he refused. He’d been told to stand guard in the hall, and that’s what he was going to do.