Return to Me (28 page)

Unable to resist staring at the lovely creature before him without touching her, Noah pulled away and crawled to the end of the bed. Picking up a slender foot, he began the agonizingly delicious task of nibbling and tasting her tender flesh.

She was having the most incredible erotic dream of her life. Samara knew she was moaning and twisting on the sheets, making all sorts of naughty sounds, but she refused to open her eyes. She couldn’t bear it if the dream ended. Big, hard calloused hands tenderly caressed her legs, while male lips nibbled as if she were a delicacy. The stubble of his beard rasped against the inside of her thighs, zinging electricity through her and causing a flood of warm moisture to pool between her legs. Without conscious thought, Samara opened her legs wider and thrust upward. A sexy, laughing growl brought her eyes open wide.

“Good girl. Now that those eyes are open, I can do all sorts of wicked things to this beautiful body and not feel the least bit guilty.”

“I thought I was dreaming again.”

A tender smile tugged at his mouth. “You dream about this, too?”

“Every single night.”

His eyes darkened as he leaned forward. “Let’s see if we can make reality better than the dream.” Pressing his mouth against her sex, he kissed her. Samara opened her legs wider, held his head to her, and gave herself up to the most glorious oral sex of her life. His tongue licked at her, then went deeper.

Sobbing screams escaped her and Samara put her hand over her mouth to stifle her cries. Noah raised his head and growled, “Take your hand away. I want to hear how good it feels for you. Tell me how it feels … if this is what you want, if you want more.”

Samara stared into his glittering eyes. “I’ll wake the neighbors.”

“You let me worry about the neighbors.” He pressed a finger on the swollen aroused nerves at the top of her sex. “I want to hear your pleasure. Understand?”

His demanding voice did something to her … set free a wildness she didn’t know she had. Unable to articulate this strange phenomenon, she could only nod her head in agreement.

Noah lowered his head and started all over again. His tongue licked and plunged, his teeth nibbling at her clit, then his mouth covered her sex and sucked. If he hadn’t been holding her hips, Samara would have come off the bed. Orgasm hit her like a bullet and nothing mattered but expressing the experience in the way Noah wanted. She screamed everything, how good it felt, how much she wanted him, and then, when the final shattering release hit her, she screamed her love for him … giving him everything he asked for and more.

Shuddering and sobbing, Samara barely realized Noah had pulled her into his arms and held her against him. She’d had orgasms before—he’d been responsible for some spectacular ones—but this went beyond orgasm into a realm she never knew existed.

“Shh.” Noah held her tighter and pressed quick kisses all over her face. “Tell me those were cries of delight.”

Swallowing one last shuddering sob, she managed a trembling smile. “Delight doesn’t even come close. I’ve never felt anything like that in my life. It was spectacular.”

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction and need. “Let’s try for beyond spectacular.” He pulled her over him to straddle his legs. “Take me inside you.”

Her gaze locked with his, Samara pressed down onto his hard length, welcoming him into her body. She took him slowly at first, not wanting this moment over too soon. Noah had other ideas. With a growl, he pulled at her hips and seated her fully.

“Now. Ride.”

Samara started a slow, easy rhythm until, with his command to go faster, she picked up speed. Sobbing again in need and hot, wanton desire, she exploded around him. Noah pulled her down and held her as he thrust over and over, finding his release.

The rest of the night passed in a hazy, surreal sexual smorgasbord. For every sexual fantasy she’d ever had, Noah gave her the reality and it was richer, sweeter, and far sexier than anything her imagination could ever dream up.

Finally, at dawn, he released her one last time. Holding her quivering body in his arms, he fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. Samara closed her eyes against the emotional tears. Never would she have guessed herself to be this ravenously sensual being. Noah had given her this … freedom to express herself sexually.

Snuggling into his arms, she fell asleep and dreamed about how wonderful their future would be together.

Samara sat in a chair at her bedroom window and stared out at the dismal scene of her rain-drenched parking lot. Waking in Noah’s arms had been heaven and hell. Heaven, because she wanted a lifetime of mornings like this one. Hell, because it couldn’t be. Cold reality had slammed into her just a little after dawn, forcing her to pull out of his arms. She bitterly resented having to leave them, but she needed to think. Last night proved that thinking rationally in Noah’s arms was an impossible feat.

He had wrapped her tight in a web of sensuality and eroticism she thought only existed in books and erotic fantasies. Every part of her body tingled and zinged with life and a fierce, bone-deep satisfaction. Out of bed, away from him, things were clearer and coldly stark. Three issues had reared their ugly, truthful heads and she couldn’t hide from them.

First, Noah had seduced a promise from her to stop working with the Macklin group. With embarrassingly little coercion, she had agreed to stop something she’d become enormously proud of over the last few weeks. His manipulation incensed her. Her weakness infuriated her.

Second, she screamed her love for him over and over during the night and not once had he even issued anything remotely similar.

Third and most telling, the last time they made love, right before he fell into a deep sleep, he whispered something. She hadn’t understood the significance of the words until she’d woken, but now, their meaning was heartbreakingly clear. “At night, when you’re alone, I want you to think about how good it feels to have me inside you.” His voice, low and sexy, had caused shivers to cover her body and curl her toes, which was probably the reason she hadn’t paid attention to what he’d said.

When you’re alone
, meaning, he wouldn’t be with her. God, she felt so stupid. Of course he wasn’t here to declare his love. He hadn’t come here to tell her he was wrong and beg her to come to Paris, marry him, and work with him at LCR and share his life. That was one fantasy destined not to be reality and she’d missed it completely.

He’d come to Birmingham with one purpose, to convince her to stop trapping online predators. And, since he was here, why not get in some hot sex? Samara had no doubt he cared for her. … Noah might be a jerk, but was actually a very caring person. He didn’t want her to get hurt. Yes, he wanted her body and as willing as she was to spread her legs for him whenever he was around, why the hell shouldn’t he take advantage of the opportunity? She’d never in her life been an easy lay, but with Noah, that’s exactly what she was.

She had started her job with the Macklin Agency because she thought she could make a contribution. There had been another reason, too. She’d wanted to prove herself to Noah. Had wanted to show him that she could take care of herself, that she would be a good LCR operative. That she could share a life with him. Samara closed her eyes in shame. … She’d wanted to prove herself worthy of Noah.

For the first time since they’d become lovers all those months ago, Samara realized that her fantasy of Noah coming to his senses and admitting his love for her was nothing more than a silly dream. One he’d probably laugh at if he knew about it.

“Mara.”

The low, husky voice caused an immediate reaction in every erotic nerve in her body. Noah knew them all, where they were and how to turn them on. Gripping the arms of her chair, she forced herself to stay seated, fighting every emotion-filled instinct telling her to forget pride, take any and everything he could give, and be grateful for it. She snarled at those instincts to back off. They’d had their fun last night. Now cold, sane reasoning had to take over.

“Why are you here, Noah?”

Whether it was her cool tone or words, she didn’t know, but Noah shot up in bed and stared at her.

“What?”

“You came to see me for a reason.” She shrugged slightly. “I’m assuming it wasn’t just to screw me. So, what’s the real reason?”

Frowning, Noah leaned back against the headboard and stared at the woman who only hours before had been like hot, molten lava in his arms. Now if she got anywhere close to lava, she’d turn it to stone immediately. Never had he seen such a cold, almost mean look in her eyes. What the hell had happened?

“I saw your interview on television. I don’t want you involved in this kind of life.”

“What right do you have to tell me what I should or shouldn’t be involved in?”

“As your friend, I have every—”

“You’re not my friend. Where did you get that idea?”

Well hell, so much for his idea of spending the day in bed with her. “Why are you so pissed … because I actually care about what happens to you?”

Samara stood. She’d covered herself with a soft, cotton robe, and almost more than he wanted to breathe, he wanted to pull the robe from her body and take her again and again. From the expression on her face, he was destined to be disappointed.

“I don’t need you to take care of me.”

“Mara, I have to—”

“You don’t have to do anything. What I choose to do with my life is my business, not yours. Just because we’ve had sex gives you no right to—”

“Dammit, we’ve had more than sex.”

Standing in front of him, hands on her hips, she looked arrogant, furious, and so damn beautiful. “What else, Noah? Tell me what else we have.”

Shit. Noah dropped his head back onto his pillow and blew out a harsh sigh. She was right. They had nothing else. He could feel her eyes on him, waiting for an answer he couldn’t give.

“Go home, Noah.” A sad weariness coated her words.

His head shot up again. “You made a promise last night.”

“Correction. You seduced a promise out of me.”

“Like hell.”

“Don’t try to deny it. You’ve manipulated me for the last time. Go home and leave me the hell alone to do my work.”

“Mara, you’re not equipped to handle these kinds of creeps. You wouldn’t even be doing this if it weren’t for me.”

“I’ve been doing pretty damned well for almost three months now, and what the hell do you have to do with it?”

“You’re putting yourself at risk because of what you went through.”

“I won’t deny that, but how is it your business?”

“It’s my fault. Before I asked for your help, you never would have considered doing anything like this.”

She blew out a snort of disgust. “You give yourself way too much credit … as always. I’m doing this because I’m good at it and I’m helping people.”

“And yourself, too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve seen it too many times not to recognize it. You were helpless, vulnerable … at the mercy of some very bad men. Now you feel powerful and in control.”

“Stop psychoanalyzing me. I’m doing this to make a difference and you make it sound like it’s a power trip.”

“Not a power trip. A need to prove yourself.”

“Prove myself to who?”

“Yourself. Me.”

“My God, does your ego have no bounds? You think I’m trying to catch Internet predators and pedophiles to impress you?”

“Not to impress me … more like to show me you could be an LCR operative.”

Flashing eyes narrowed, challenged. “And why couldn’t I be one?”

“You’re not good enough.”

A cold, distant expression crossed her face as her beautiful eyes dimmed. He’d hurt her with his blunt answer. Better for her feelings to be hurt than for her to be dead.

“This may surprise you, Noah, but there are other organizations who do good things other than LCR.”

“Dammit, I know that.” Shit, this was getting them nowhere. “Mara, you’ve been through enough. Let someone else—”

“Why? Why should I let someone else? Why am I not equipped to handle a job like this? What makes me so damn special that I shouldn’t do this, but other people can? Tell me.”

Hell, now she was insulted and he’d only been trying to protect her. “Because, you’re too gentle, too good, too pure to …” He trailed off at the look of fury and hurt in her eyes.

“Stop trying to protect me. … I don’t need it.”

“It’s all I have to offer you.”

He saw in her expression that she comprehended the exact meaning of his words. A dull, lifeless look entered her eyes and his chest ached for her.

She turned her back on him and walked into the bathroom. “Leave.”

As the door clicked shut, Noah saw an end to something he never could have had. With full knowledge of what he’d done to her, used sex to manipulate her, once again hurting her, he didn’t blame her for hating him.

To spare her any more grief, Noah threw his clothes on and was out the door within minutes. He pulled out his cellphone and called a taxi to take him back to his rental car. As he waited, he made another call. She wouldn’t like it, but she’d given him no choice. He had to keep her safe.

  Ethan Bishop sipped on his fifth cup of coffee for the evening. Since he hadn’t slept a full night in years, caffeine was a nonissue for him. As jobs went, this had been his easiest by far, but also his most boring. Not that his mark didn’t stay active. If she wasn’t taking self-defense classes, going to the shooting range, or tracking down sexual predators, then she was picking out paint, curtains, and other shit for her new house. He’d take hearing the grunt of a body being slammed into a mat or the familiar blast of a Smith & Wesson over decorating crap any old day.

He remembered his orders clearly … from the big man himself. Specific, but agonizingly vague. “She thinks she can protect herself. I don’t want to take that self-assuredness away from her. She’s fought damn hard for it.”

“But?” Ethan had growled, already knowing what was coming.

“She’s not as prepared as she thinks she is. She’s too trusting, too innocent. Your job is to make sure nothing happens to her. Don’t interfere with her life, get in her way, or stop anything she does. Just make sure no harm comes to her.” Black eyes had seared him. “No. Matter. What.”