Red (8 page)

Oh yeah, she was his. No doubt about it.

No doubt about it, Red really knew how to kiss. She allowed herself to enjoy the feel of him, the taste of him, the earthy scent of him. He was all man and he definitely knew what to do with a woman.

Trisha was oh-so-tempted to let him take all her worries away—if only just for a little while. She was out from under the watchful eye of her family and free to be with this gorgeous specimen of manhood, if she so chose. Not that she didn’t indulge from time to time when she was at home, but being in a city hundreds of miles away, out of touch and out of sight, it was a lot easier.

Not to mention the fact that she’d never been so attracted to a man. Steve Redstone did something for her libido no man ever had. She’d seen him coming for her through that raucous bar brawl and that had been it. Her switch had been flipped by the raw power of the man. The dangerous prowl that announced to the world, in no uncertain terms, that he was a predator. And she most definitely wanted to be his prey.

At least for a little while. And then she wanted to do her own pouncing on him. She wanted to jump his bones so bad that she squirmed to get closer to him, running her hands over his hard muscles. She dared his tongue to duel with hers. She wanted so much…

And then her phone rang, shattering her peace. She knew that ring. It was the one she’d assigned to her brother Deke.

“Son of a bitch!” she swore, drawing away from Steve.

“What’s wrong?” He seemed just a wee bit fuzzy and it made her smile. She’d made the blade lose its edge just ever so slightly. She’d done that. It made her feel powerful and feminine all at once.

“That’s Deke. What am I going to tell him? He always knows when I’m lying.”

“And if you let it go to voicemail?” He leaned back against the counter top while she reached for her purse and the phone it held.

“He’ll just call back and then grill me about why I didn’t answer it the first time he called. And before you ask, if I don’t answer a third call, he’ll send out the militia. In this case, I bet that would be you. He’ll be calling you next if I don’t answer. That said…” She had succeeded in fishing her phone out of the small bag and hit
CONNECT
. “Hi, Deke. How’s it going?” She braced herself for the worst.

Deke was pleasant at first but then the interrogation began. He wanted to know what they’d been doing since arriving in Las Vegas and she knew she had to tread lightly. It was close to midnight and he had no doubt timed his call to check up on her.

“We went out to a club and some of the girls had a little too much to drink. We left early and they’re sleeping it off. I’m just doing a few things before I turn in myself. How are things at home?” There. That was nothing but the truth—just a sanitized version of it.

Deke seemed to take her words at face value and told her a little bit about his day, then he signed off with a pleasant goodnight. He sounded pleased that his little sister had been sensible enough not to overindulge like the others and was going to bed early—and alone. Little did he know she’d probably be having sex with his friend Red on the counter top right now if not for that badly timed phone call.

She put her phone away just as another phone buzzed. It was Red’s.

“He doesn’t waste any time. I bet he’s calling you now to confirm what I just told him. Nosy bugger.” She grumbled while he reached for the small phone he wore on his hip.

“No, it’s my brother, not yours,” he said with one of those killer half-smiles of his, moving a few feet away to take the call.

She watched him while he talked with his brother, liking everything she saw. He was taller than her, which was important. She was usually on eye-level with most men. It was nice to have to look up a little bit. It was nice to feel small and dainty by comparison.

Sure, she felt that way with the men in her family, but this was altogether different. This was a man she was interested in—in a very earthly, sexual way. And if she was being totally honest with herself, she knew darn well she was going to do her best to get him into her bed before this visit to Las Vegas was over.

There was the sticky wicket of her brother to consider. Deke and his buddy Red, as he called him, were thick as thieves. They had a bond that went beyond mere friendship and into realms that only men who’d put their lives on the line together shared. It might not really be fair of her to expect Red to break that bond by having sex with her. Surely sleeping with your best buddy’s sister was some kind of no-no in those circles, though she didn’t know for certain.

Still, she wanted him. Really
wanted
him. In a way she’d never wanted a man before. It was almost a
need
. That was a startling thought, because if someone had asked her yesterday if she ever thought she’d
need
a man in her life, she would have laughed in their face. But yesterday she hadn’t met Red—or Steve, as she tried to remember to call him. With five brothers all sharing the same last name, using part of it as a nickname was bound to be confusing. Everyone she’d met so far who knew him had called him Steve. She had to remember to do the same.

He ended the call and came back over to her as she reached for the bottle of water she always had at her side. She took a sip and felt refreshed even as her temperature rose watching him pace toward her.

“Slade’s got some news. We should go back if you’re done here. There’s an escort waiting outside to make sure we get there in one piece.”

“You guys think of everything, don’t you?”

“It’s my job, Trisha. We’ll have an escort wherever we go until we figure out who was targeting your group and why. I also want to know who, exactly, within your group was being targeted.”

“Marcia—” she began, but he held up one hand, palm outward, and shook his head.

“That’s the easy answer, but there are things you don’t know that might have some bearing on the
real
answer. That’s the one we need. The one I won’t stop until I have.”

“What is it I don’t know?” She was perplexed by his words.

Steve sighed and ran one of those calloused hands over his hair in a gesture of frustration. “Honey, there’s a lot that falls under that category, and I’m afraid it’s going to be mostly up to me to enlighten you. But before I do, I want some reinforcements present. At least for the initial briefing. I think Kate could be of some help here. I’d like to defer the rest of this conversation until we’re safely back at the house, if it’s okay with you.”

Intrigued, she really didn’t want to let it go, but she saw how careful he was being about his words. Something was really bothering him. If it was bad news, maybe she didn’t really want to hear it. Not now. Not while the feel of his kiss was still running like fire through her veins.

And that was another thing.

“I’m sorry Deke interrupted us.” She felt a resurgence of the glow of arousal as she thought about that tempestuous kiss. It was a good distraction from the problems she still had to face…later. For now, she wanted to think about pleasanter things for a just a little while.

Steve stepped closer. “Are you really?”

She accepted the challenge of his movement and stepped right up to him, placing one hand on his shoulder and one on his chest.

“I am. Really.” She leaned upward and nibbled on his chin and jaw, enjoying the feel of the sandy stubble on his cheeks against her lips. “If he hadn’t interrupted us, how far would you have allowed this to go? I mean, is there some sort of guy code of honor when it comes to your friend’s sister, or would you have given me what I wanted?”

He seemed to choke at her whispered words and she had to hide a smile. She was getting to him, and it was a lot easier than she’d have guessed.

“Honey, I knew from the moment I saw you in that bathrobe that Deke was going to have my head on a pike. I’ll give you all you want and more. Anytime. Anywhere.” He claimed her lips one more time, but this kiss was different. It was less explosive but just as passionate, only in a different way. It was more deliberate. More like a claiming than just a mere kiss.

When he drew back, they were both out of breath. She looked up into his golden eyes and made a decision. Reality could wait a few more minutes. This moment, right now, would never come again. She decided to grab onto it with both hands.

“How about here? And now?” she whispered as she reached to unbuckle his belt.

He stilled her hands by covering them with one of his. She looked up to meet his gaze, surprised he would call a halt. But the message in his eyes didn’t say
stop
. No, it held something even more disturbing.

“If we do this, I need you to know it’s more than just a moment out of time. It means something to me. If it doesn’t mean anything to you, then I’d rather wait.”

Wait? Was he kidding? When had a man ever asked to wait before having sex because he wanted it to be
meaningful
? She tilted her head and looked deep into his eyes, seeing the seriousness there.

“You really mean that, don’t you?”

“With all my heart.”

She sensed things were being said here without the actual words being spoken. If she had sex with him tonight, a line would be crossed. Things wouldn’t be the same between them. Between him and her brother. Between her and her brother, for that matter. So the bottom line was, it had to be worth it.

Did she really think it was worth it? So much change to be with one man she’d only just met?

Her heart leapt in her chest and she knew the answer was a resounding yes. She didn’t know all the changes that making love with Steven Redstone would create, but she could guess at some of them. Big changes. Was she ready for that kind of upheaval?

She’d have to be. Because the alternative—walking away without knowing his lovemaking—was untenable. Unthinkable. Truly impossible.

She needed him like she needed to breathe. She didn’t understand it, but she knew it in her heart. And Trisha was famous for following where her heart led. Leaping before looking was her usual mode of transport, so why should she change now?

“It means something,” she told him, whispering her words in the darkened stillness of the lab.

They were most likely alone in the building. She hadn’t seen anyone on the way in. There was a naughty aspect to having sex in an office building that appealed to her wilder side.

“I don’t understand it,” she went on, holding his gaze as she spoke the words that would decide her fate. “I only just met you, but there’s a…connection, I guess you’d call it. Something draws me to you. Something profound and bigger than just the two of us. I don’t want to deny it. I want to give into it. To embrace it. To know what it’s like to be with you.”

“Thank God.” He looked heavenward only for a moment and then returned to stare deep into her eyes. His hands went to her shoulders and caressed her through the thin fabric of her sparkly top. “You feel it too, don’t you? You feel the bond. I didn’t think it would be possible, but somehow…” His words trailed off as his lips claimed hers. The kiss they shared was fierce, protective and claiming all at once. Like a wild animal staking his territory, keeping it safe from all others.

She went back to working on his belt buckle, pausing only when he lifted her stretchy top over her head. She was glad she’d packed her best undies for the trip. She knew the black lace of her bra showed off the creaminess of her skin to best advantage. He certainly seemed to appreciate it, making a sound deep in his throat that almost sounded like a growl. The smile that accompanied it told her he liked what he saw.

His belt buckle out of the way, she opened the fly of his pants, pushing downward, gasping when she discovered—much to her delight—that he wore no underwear. His hips were narrow and muscular and his cock was hard, long and nestled in a neat thatch of golden hair only a shade darker than the stuff on his head.

“Commando?” she teased, taking hold of his erection as he sucked in a breath.

She met his gaze and raised one eyebrow as she smiled. His expression held amusement and a heavy arousal that spurred her on. They were definitely on the same page. This wouldn’t take long, at least not the first time.

“Saves time,” he said shortly, releasing her bra clasp with one hand.

Now that took talent. She didn’t want to think how much practice he’d had undressing women, but she was thankful when he pushed the straps down her arms and freed her aching breasts.

She was even more thankful when he cupped her in his palms, rubbing gently. He wasn’t grabby. She liked the way he savored her skin, touching gently at first, watching and learning how she liked to be handled. She returned the favor, moving her hand over his cock in slow, squeezing motions.

“You’re beautiful, Trisha,” he whispered against her lips as he closed the space between them.

She was forced to let go of his cock, but he seemed intent on learning her curves with his mouth. He trailed his lips down over her breasts, pausing to lick and then suck, driving her arousal higher with each gentle nip. He opened the zipper on her short skirt and pushed it down and away, leaving her in the garter and stockings she’d chosen to wear, along with the black lace panties that matched her discarded bra.