Risking it All (13 page)

her legs spread, she knew the dampness

he’d created was visible on her

underwear. Maybe after what had just

happened,

modesty

was

a

little

ridiculous, but she attempted to pull her

skirt down anyway.

“Don’t even think about it. It makes

me hot as fuck to see what I did to you.”

He smoothed his palms over her breasts,

then yanked her tank top and bra down in

one swift, almost angry motion, exposing

her to his eyes. She’d never shown a

man her naked breasts before, but had

always wondered what it would be like.

Her fantasies didn’t compare to the lust

on Bowen’s face. His eyelids dipped as

though he couldn’t hold them up, tongue

snaking out to wet his lips. “I can’t have

your pussy, but I’m going to make these

mine. Right now.” He gripped his

arousal and began to stroke. “Play with

your nipples, Sera. Tease me.”

Seeing how she affected him made her

feel so desirable in that moment. Their

surroundings had faded into nothingness,

leaving only Bowen and his deep,

hypnotic voice. She traced her fingers up

her

rib

cage

slowly,

excitement

blooming once more as she watched his

mouth fall open, letting out a groan. As

she’d only ever done by herself, she

pinched her nipples, tugging them a little

between her thumb and forefinger.

Between their bodies, the pace of his

stroking accelerated along with his harsh

breaths.

“Tell me you wish I’d fuck you,” he

demanded. “Tell me you want it bad.”

“I…”

“Say it, baby.” He sucked in a breath,

eyes beginning to look glassy. “We both

know it’s true.”

He was right. She
did
want him. In a

way that startled her. But once she said

it out loud she wouldn’t be able to take it

back. Still, the words climbed her throat,

wanting to escape. She desperately

wanted to see him climax. To be the

reason he lost control.
Let go, Sera. Just

once.

Keeping her gaze locked on him, she

squeezed her breasts tight, then let them

fall out of her hands and bounce. “I wish

you’d fuck me.” She leaned down,

bringing their mouths close. “I want it so

bad, Bowen.”

“
Oh, God
.” His body reared up, hips

pumping, a growl erupting from his

throat. He worked his length up and

down so fast his hand became a blur,

then she felt warmth between them,

coating her throat and breasts. It

shouldn’t have turned her on or filled her

with feminine pride, but it did. Seeing

the physical result of her touch, her

voice, it made her feel powerful. Sexy.

Two feelings she’d never experienced

until now. With Bowen.

When his body stopped shuddering, he

looked at her through hooded eyes that

coasted

down

her

body

with

appreciation. Then stopped. As if a

switch had been flipped inside him, he

jerked upright and began wiping her off

with his T-shirt.

“Dammit. You make me crazy, Sera.

You know that?” Color still high on his

cheekbones, he shot her a look, half

disbelief, half amusement. “By the way,

I didn’t think you’d actually say it.”

Heat crept up her neck. “It worked,

didn’t it?”

His lips tipped into a smile. “Yeah,

Ladybug. It worked.” He dropped his T-

shirt, then leaned forward to press a kiss

to her mouth. “What the hell am I going

to do with you?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

Just then, the door at the top of the

stairs began creaking open. In a split

second’s time, Bowen wrapped his arms

around her and jerked her into a

protective hold. With her face pressed

against his throat, she felt his neck turn

to see who’d interrupted them. When she

heard Connor’s familiar voice, she

sagged into Bowen.

“Jesus, Driscol. Control yourself,

huh?”

He only drew her closer. “What do

you want?”

“A couple of Hogan’s guys just

walked in. I don’t think it would be wise

if they saw you two coming out of here

together.” Bowen tensed at Connor’s

warning. After a moment, Connor added,

“They’re not going to care that you just

came down here to mess around.”

Keeping her blocked from Connor’s

view, he tried to fix her clothing, but she

slapped his hand away and did it herself.

After giving her a look, he relented and

pulled his own T-shirt back on,

seemingly

unconcerned

about

the

dampness at the hem. “Do you have a

suggestion or did you just come down

here hoping to get an eyeful?”

Connor snorted. “There’s another

staircase leading to the hatch we use for

deliveries. Down the hallway, past the

office. Use it.”

They were already on their feet,

moving down the stairs.

“Thank you, Connor,” she said,

pausing at the bottom, watching a silent

communication pass between him and

Bowen.

Connor nodded. “Listen, Driscol?”

“Yeah.”

“This is my last favor.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sera woke up staring at the scales of

justice painted on the guest room ceiling.

In another time or place, the irony of it

might even be funny. Right now, mere

hours after allowing one of New York

City’s most notable criminals access to

her body,
ehh
, not so much. To make

matters worse, she’d actually been

disappointed last night when they came

home and he didn’t try to touch her

again. He’d told her to make herself

something to eat, then closed himself in

his room without another word. She’d

stood at the kitchen counter and eaten a

bowl of Cheerios before reciting her

nightly ritual of Our Fathers before

heading to bed.

She should have been grateful for time

to think and regroup. Instead, she’d

found herself staring at the door, willing

it to open. This attraction she felt for

Bowen didn’t seem possible to control.

It was getting in the way of her

investigationçlouding her judgment,

distracting her. Last night, after finding

her brother’s name in Hogan’s ledger

book, she’d welcomed that distraction,

but in the light of day, hiding wasn’t an

option. Colin had to have had a solid

reason for taking payouts, and now her

job would include finding it. Otherwise,

bringing down Hogan could mean

incriminating her brother in the process.

Last night, she’d gone down to

Hogan’s office seeking answers, but

today she only had more questions.

Bowen’s easy acceptance of her cover

story still made no sense. Unless, of

course, her first theory still proved true.

Knowing they would dispose of her once

Hogan returned meant it didn’t matter

what she knew. It would follow her to

the bottom of the East River or wherever

they planned to dump her. But she

couldn’t reconcile that outcome with the

Bowen she’d spent even a short amount

of time with. He wasn’t a callous man, at

least when it came to her. On the

contrary. She thought back to the tender

kiss he’d given her after their encounter

on the steps. The penetrating way he’d

looked at her. Could he spend a week

with her, then hand her over to Hogan?

Just the idea of it hurt.

Not good, Sera.

Even more baffling than Bowen’s

behavior? Connor had assisted them last

night. Yes, they’d formed a fledgling

friendship while she’d been attending

his injury, but he was related to Hogan.

Why would he
help
them?

She pushed her hair out of her face

and sat up in bed. When she swung her

legs over the side, something caught her

eye. Just above her pillow, a white oval

had been painted. No, not an oval. A

halo. She couldn’t remember if it had

been there yesterday and she just hadn’t

noticed. How could she have missed it?

After a final curious glance, she left the

room and went to shower.

Twenty minutes later, she’d showered

and changed into leggings, an oversize

button-down shirt, and ballet flats. She

sat on the windowsill staring out toward

Manhattan, piling her hair into a bun,

when Bowen walked out of his

bedroom, wearing nothing but a pair of

partially unbuttoned jeans. Immediately,

she noticed his body had been marked in

several places. Fresh bruises, faded

scars, all layered over rough-cut muscle.

Powerful
. After she managed to drag her

gaze away from his distracting physique,

she

registered

immediately

how

exhausted he looked. Stubble darker than

his hair covered his jaw; dark circles

formed half moons under his eyes,

telling her he hadn’t slept well. Even

after the pep talk she’d just given herself

about holding herself back from him, lest

she forget why she came, Sera wanted to

go to him. Run her fingers through his

hair…and see if her touch could get him

to sleep.

Whoa, don’t get too racy with the

fantasies, Saint Sera.

She ignored the sarcastic voice in her

head and waved. “Morning.”

He walked toward her as if

compelled, not stopping until he stood so

close, she couldn’t inhale without taking

in the masculine scent emanating from

his skin. The way he looked at her

would have been unnerving if she hadn’t

already witnessed his intense nature. He

scanned her from head to toe, as if to

reassure himself she was in one piece. It

made her want to laugh and cry at the

same time, but she had no idea why.

“Hey,” he said softly. “How’d you

sleep?”

She answered honestly. “I dreamed I

was scuba diving.”

His quick laugh seemed to surprise

him. “Oh yeah? How’d that go?”

“Not good. They dropped me into the

water and tossed instructions at me.

Only, the instructions dissolved the

minute they touched the water. I tried to

tell them I didn’t know how to scuba

dive, but my words came out sounding

like Charlie Brown’s teacher.”

He shook his head at her. “What did

you eat before bed?”

“Cheerios.”

“That explains it.” He crossed his

arms over his broad chest. “Cheerios

made you think of life preservers. Life

preservers made you think of the ocean.”

“You’re good at this.” She tilted her

head. “How do you explain the Charlie

Brown voice?”

“Oh, that just means you’re weird.”

They shared a laugh, the sound intimate

in the stillness of the morning. “What

were you thinking about when I walked

out here?”

The gruff quality of his voice made

her shiver. Knowing she couldn’t tell

him the whole truth, she went with an

adjusted version. “I was thinking I

haven’t been anywhere in the last two

weeks. Apart from here and the club.”

She glanced back out the window. “I’m

officially an indoor kid.”

He ran a hand through his sleep-

mussed hair. “Well then, we need to get

you out of here, baby.”

Oh, God, until he’d agreed, she hadn’t

realized how badly she needed to get

some air. Bowen’s apartment was a

million miles from her tiny room above

Rush, but the possibility of getting

outside and stretching her legs sounded

like heaven. She stood, smiling so big it

hurt. “Really?”

For a moment, he just stared at her,

before visibly shaking himself. Stepping

away from her, he reached into his back

pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes,

lighting one. “Let me grab a shower. I’ll

take you anywhere you want to go,

Ladybug.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Anywhere?”

Cigarette clamped between his teeth,