The Professional (13 page)

He’d be lost. There’d be no him without her.

Her melting brown eyes caught his and clung. Desire, hunger, fever and something else, something tender and gentle—affection, maybe?—glinted back from him, reflected in her gaze. A soft smile shaped her lips and she sighed as she arched up and pushed herself against him.

“I need you,” she said, her voice anguished, desperate. “Please.”

I need you…

Not just want, but
need
.

And need he understood, because he needed her as well. He had to have her. It wasn’t optional. It never had been.

With a guttural groan and a sigh of relief, Jeb pushed into her, slid home, burying himself to the hilt in her heat. Sensation rocked through him, the balls of his feet tingled, his stomach shook, every hair on his body stood on end and his chest squeezed so tightly he could scarcely draw a breath. The world dimmed to black and white, then zoomed back into colors so bright he wondered if he’d ever really seen them before.

She tightened her feminine muscles around him and rocked up, drawing him farther into her body. Her breasts grazed his chest, her soft hands slipped over his back, greedily eating up his skin, and she bent forward and kissed him, her mouth soft and inviting.

She was gorgeous, simply, heartbreakingly beautiful. And above all else, she was
his
.

12

O
H
,
HALLELUJAH
, Sophie thought as Jeb, hovering above her like a Greek god, poised at her center, the silky head of his penis sliding against her weeping folds.
At last
.

Though it had only been a few days, it felt like she’d been waiting forever for this moment, that her whole life had hinged on the next few seconds, the instant his body met hers.

His tortured gaze bored into hers, pinning her thoroughly. Desire had dilated his pupils, making his eyes a glorious midnight blue and the way he was looking at her, the possessiveness she saw in his gaze as he stared down at her as though she were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen…

It was enough to make one a little emotional and she found herself blinking back tears, her throat tight.

She’d begged. She’d said please.

And she wasn’t ashamed.

With a low moan that sounded as if it had been wrenched from his soul, he pushed into her…and the rest of the world faded away. Sophie sucked in a breath, instantly tightening around him, holding on to him.

He felt magnificent. Right.
Huge
. She arched her hips, meeting his torturously slow, rhythmic thrusts, savoring every thick inch of him as he invaded her body. He bent his big blond head and suckled her breast, pulling at her nipple with his lips, licking it with his tongue. And with every determined sensual assault against her breasts, he plunged into her, seemingly trying to sever the invisible chord that ran between the two.

“You have damned near driven me crazy,” he said, thrusting into her over and over again. She could feel the rug at her back, his hot body at her front and her breasts bounced on her chest, absorbing the impact of his magnificent frame as it slid repeatedly into hers. “I’ve wanted you since the instant I saw you,” he confided, as though it were somehow her fault. “Then the want turned to need and I knew—I
knew
—that I wouldn’t be able to help myself. That nothing would keep from taking you, having you.”

She wrapped her arms around him, bent forward and licked his male nipple, anchored her legs on his hips so that he could come closer, hold her tighter. “I’ve wanted you, too,” she said. “Needed you, too. I looked at you and…melted,” she said, laughing softly. “I wanted to lick you from head to toe, fantasized about sucking on your bottom lip.”

He moved faster and faster, pistoning in and out of her, his tautened balls slapping against her tender flesh. “Do it now,” he said, lowering his head so that she could do just that. She pulled that sulky lip into her mouth, slid her tongue over the soft, plum-like skin and sighed with satisfaction as another wave of sensation bolted through her.

Fire licked through her veins, burning her up from the inside out and she bucked frantically against him. She could feel the first quickening of release as it sparkled deep inside her and every thrust of his body acted like a bellows, fanned the flame, building it higher. She clung to him, arched into him, whimpered and thrashed as she came closer and closer to the inferno that waited for her. And then, without warning, the blaze swept through her, sucking the oxygen out of her lungs, tearing a long, keening cry from her throat as she convulsed around him.

Jeb pounded into her, milking the release, drawing every bit of pleasure from her body. His lips peeled away from his teeth, his beautifully muscled chest heaved and then suddenly, she felt him tense, felt every muscle in his body atrophy as his seed flooded her womb. It pulsed inside of her, spasm after spasm, triggering belated delight deep in her core. He angled deep, held steady, his shoulders shaking as the orgasm broke over him.

He bent and kissed her, his eyes soft, his smile sated and her heart gave an involuntary little squeeze.

“Definitely the perfect woman,” he said. He carefully rolled off of her, grabbed a few tissues from the top of Marjorie’s desk and handed one to her. Decidedly moist, she appreciated it and did a quick clean-up job, then tossed it into the trash can conveniently located near her head.

The thought made her chuckle.

“What’s funny,” he asked, dropping down beside her. He propped up on his elbow and peered at her through the darkness.

She gestured to where they were. “Just this,” she said. “It’s not far off from how I imagined we’d, you know,” she trailed off.

She could see his eyes twinkling in the faint light, the dimple in his cheek. “Really? How did you imagine the first time?”

“With my back against the wall, dress around my waist, your pants around your knees, at the dance last night. I kept thinking about it the whole time we were dancing. How I just wanted you to grab hold of me and take me until my eyes rolled back in my head.” She rolled her head toward him, smiled and lifted a brow. “Turns out I’m a proper slut.”

He swallowed, his jaw a little slack. “You are not a slut,” he said. “You just find me irresistible, that’s all.”

She laughed. “Oh, is that all?” she said drolly.

“It is,” he said. “But don’t worry, because I’m suffering from the same affliction. While you were thinking about me pinning you up against the wall, I was thinking about dragging you under one of the tables. I’d say that makes us about even, wouldn’t you?”

“It makes us crazy,” she said. She turned and peeked at him beneath lowered lashes. “But I kind of like it.”

“Do you know why I really wanted that chocolate cobbler?” he asked, his hand coming up to play with her breast. He circled her nipple with his thumb, making goose-bumps pebble over her skin.

Sophie released a faltering breath. “Why?”

“Because I want to paint you in it and lick it off. I want to put it here,” he said, circling her breast. “And here.” He slid a line down to her belly button. “And here,” he added, sliding a finger down her cleft, over her still-sensitive clit. His gaze tangled with hers. “Any objection?”

She shook her head, quivering in anticipation. “N-none at all.”

* * *

T
HANKFUL
THAT
HE
’
D
put his phone on silent, Jeb checked the display and shook his head.

Atta boy. My spidey senses are telling me this one is special. Really special. My congratulations, brother. I like her.

He’d missed another message as well, this one from Charlie. A simple “Call me ASAP.” Evidently she’d found something, Jeb thought, wondering what sort of information would require an “as soon as possible” response. His gaze slid to Sophie, who was bent over putting her shoes back on.

Good Lord, had anything else felt as wonderful as being inside her? Had anything ever made him feel more powerful? More alive? More…everything.

She was utterly and completely remarkable. She was sweet and kind, full of fire and loyal, hardworking and…adorable.

This one is special, his brother had said.

Mild understatement.

This one wasn’t just merely special—she was a game-changer. She was it. His undoing. He couldn’t imagine taking another step forward, ever again, without her by his side. Was he in love with her? Honestly, he didn’t know. He’d never been in love before, so he had nothing to compare it to. He only knew that he needed to breathe the same air she did. He needed to be near her. He needed to hold her. To protect her. To ensure her happiness.

She looked up and caught him staring and a slow smile slid over her kiss-swollen lips. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he lied. “I just like looking at you.”

“You’ve got to quit saying stuff like that,” she said. “You’re going to ruin me for other men.”

“Good.”

She blinked, seemingly startled.

“It’s only fair, don’t you think?” he asked. “You’ve ruined me for other women.”

Another one of those refreshing blushes painted her cheeks. It was mind-blowing, genuinely remarkable that she didn’t recognize her own appeal. That she didn’t know how astonishingly fabulous she truly was. Humility was a little thin on the ground these days, but Sophie O’Brien had it in spades.

Or was it doubt? he wondered, his belly tightening. Had her father done such a number on her that she was incapable of seeing her true value? Had her confidence been undermined to the point that she didn’t know that she was the most amazing creature he’d ever clapped eyes on?

“Did you want to look at anything else here before we go?” she asked.

Jeb shook his head. They’d already gone through the files she’d reviewed last night and made pictures with his cell phone of everyone’s pertinent details. To his surprise, she’d even started a file on him. She’d noted his name, his “adoptive” relationship to Foy, who had evidently explained things to her with that little white lie, that he was a former Ranger, but present employment was unknown. She’d notated his social style, his affable ability to start a conversation and his height, which she’d dubbed “substantial,” along with the added note, “Would look good in my happy place.”

Jeb had about choked when he’d read that little tidbit and Sophie, to his delight, had become quite annoyed on his behalf.

“How dare she think she could chain you to a wall and whip you and do…other things,” she’d finished, unable to go on.

“You going to shoot her?” he’d teased.

“Please,” she’d said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not going to jail for a man, even one as hot as you.”

Careful to make sure that they’d destroyed any evidence of their visit, Jeb took one last look around the office. The desk was tidy, the USB tucked safely away in his pocket, her chair was in its place. All of their clothing was on and accounted for, though there had been one frightening moment when Sophie hadn’t been able to find her panties and they’d discovered them hanging from a low branch of an artificial ficus tree.

They were thongs. Who knew?

Satisfied that everything was as it should be, he made his way over to Sophie, who was staring at the aquarium, a line furrowed on her brow.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Something’s different,” she said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something isn’t right.”

Jeb glanced at the aquarium. He’d never looked closely at it before, so he couldn’t say whether anything was different or not, but he knew enough about instincts and heeding them, to give her a minute to let her take a proper look.

“Ethel’s not supposed to clean this either,” she added. She bent down, looked closer. “Marjorie has a company that comes in to do it for her. I’ve seen their van here before.”

That’s right, Jeb thought. He’d seen the notation on her financials.

“Do you know what coulrophobia means?” she asked.

“Not off the top of my head, but I can look.” He withdrew his phone, loaded the dictionary app. He chuckled. “It’s the fear of clowns,” he said. “Why?”

“Because Marjorie had noted it on Ethel’s file. And…” She was thoughtful, considering.

“And what?”

“And I found a red clown nose under Marjorie’s desk when I noticed the nail polish.”

Jeb cocked his head. “What would one have to do with the other?”

“I don’t know, but it’s too odd to be a coincidence, don’t you think?”

Yes, he did. He just didn’t know how they could possibly be connected. He bent down and watched the fish circle the tank, their pale pink bodies glimmering in the artificial light. Water bubbled from an air filter in the back and ornamental grasses swayed with the current. Coral formations provided cover should the pair wish to hide and a white castle and bubbling treasure box rounded out the décor.

Jeb’s gaze narrowed as something caught his eye. His stomach clenched and his fingers tingled as he drew closer, peered at the treasure chest. It had been moved recently, the gravel beneath it disturbed and it hadn’t closed properly, because something had gotten in the way.

“Sophie, could you describe Lila’s necklace to me please?”

“Sure,” she said, shooting him a look. “It’s a diamond and sapphire choker. Each little piece is set like a flower, a pansy, I think, and very closely set.”

Jeb chewed the inside of his cheek, pointed to the treasure chest. “Like that, you mean?”

She started, her eyes rounding, then bent down and followed his finger. “What?” She inhaled sharply. “Yes,” she said. “Exactly like that. Oh, my goodness,” she breathed. “Look at that. I bet it’s all in there.”

He’d bet it was, too. Jeb found a long glove in the compartment below the aquarium—wet from recent use—and pushed his hand into it so that any germs that were on his skin wouldn’t get into the water and harm the fish. He reached in and snagged the treasure chest, then carefully opened it up.

Sophie’s breath caught. “Lila’s necklace, Rose-Marie’s brooch, Nanette’s diamond earrings, Pearl’s string of pearls.” She held up the last item. “Annie’s ring. Oh, Jeb,” she sighed, disappointment weighting her shoulders. “Why would Ethel do such a thing? Why would she take these things and then plant them in Marjorie’s office?”

He didn’t know, but it was past time to find out. “Let’s call Marjorie,” he said.

“Call Foy, too, and let him know that you’ve got it. We can alert the others after we’ve talked to Marjorie, but Foy…” Her face crumpled with sympathy.

Jeb nodded. “You call Marjorie and ask her to come down here. Tell it’s urgent, but nothing else. I’ll call Foy.”

The old man answered before the end of the first ring, indicating that he’d been waiting by the phone. “Jeb?”

“I’ve got it,” he told him. “It’s safe. I’ve got to tie up a few things here first, then I’ll bring it to you.”

“You’ve found it? You’re sure?”

“Positive. And we’ve found everyone else’s things as well.”

“Well done,” Foy told him, his gruff voice thick. “I knew you had it in you.”

“Thanks, Foy,” Jeb told him, though he didn’t feel like he’d actually done all that much. It was pure dumb luck that they’d come back tonight and heard Ethel in the aquarium. Had they not broken back into Marjorie’s office, it could have been weeks, possibly months, before they’d had any sort of significant break in the case.

His gaze slid to Sophie, who just ended the call with Marjorie. A wondering smile slid over her ripe mouth as she stared at her friend’s jewelry and something about that smile hooked him right in the heart. He felt it snag in his chest and tug. This was good, right?