Page 41 of Live a Little!

“No. You didn’t get him killed. He made his own choices, just like I did. And nothing’s going to happen to me. I won’t snoop anymore. I promise.” She went to him, reached out a hand to touch hisarm.

He pulled away. “It’s late. Get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He started walking toward thedoor.

“Don’t go.” Her heart ached for the grief she felt emanating from him. Grief he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, share. Even though he halted, he didn’t come back to her. “I’m sorry about your friend,” she said softly, going to him once more. She wrapped her arms around historso.

He remained stiff and rigid in her arms. “I have togo.”

“No, you don’t.” She cupped his cheek with her palm, rubbing the abrasive, shadowy stubble; his jaw was like iron, but as her thumb passed below it she felt a pulse jump in hisneck.

He needed her, and damn it, she needed him. That knowledge gave her the courage to rise on tiptoe and feather her lips over his. It felt like kissing a stone statue. “Stay with me tonight,” she whispered against his rigidlips.

“No.”

“Yes,” she said softly, and ran her tongue along his lower lip. It trembled. The stone beginning to crack. Tenderness washed over her as she felt his need for comfort breaking through the rigid control. How had she ever let this man frighten her? He was strong and noble, fighting for what was good in theworld.

“Stopit!”

There wasno bloody way Jake was going to let her do this to him. The fact that they’d found nothing suspicious tonight only added to the fury that had churned within him from the moment he heard about Hank. If he didn’t find some hard evidence soon, Hank’s death would stay unsolved, his killers free. Miss Fun and Games wasn’t turning this intoRaunchscenario number fifty-three.

“I can’t be some friggin’ magazine fantasy for you tonight. I’ll hurt you.” He grabbed her shoulders, knowing he should push her away, but loving the feel of her warm flesh in hishands.

“No, youwon’t.”

He stared down at her. Her big green eyes were so wide and trusting. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing rapid—she was still high on the adrenaline reaction. But she didn’t know what he was capable of—that as much as he’d like to give her what she wanted, he might hurt her in the mood he wasin.

There was some powerful stuff sizzling in the atmosphere between them: anger, lust, guilt, need. He should go home and grab a cold shower while he still could. He made a move to pull away, but even as he tried to sever the warm connection, he found hecouldn’t.

He made a sound between a growl and an oath, and yanked her, not away from him, but towardhim.

His lips slammed down on hers like prison doors, trapping her in the angry passion that consumed him. He ravaged her mouth with need rather than tenderness, nipping at her lips, invading her mouth with his tongue, plundering her sweetness. Doing his best to warn her off, he grabbed her hips and ground himself against her so she could feel the strength of hisarousal.

And if she wanted to call a halt she’d better do itfast.

Instead of pulling away from him, she seemed to match his mood, holding him tight and rubbing herself intimately against hiserection.

Now that he’d let himself go, he literally ached for her. “I need you,” he admitted on agroan.

“Yes.”

He didn’t bother with any more talk, just picked her up bodily and carried her into the bedroom, where he tossed her on the bed, then went to work unbuckling his belt. Once more he warned her, “I can’t be a gentlemantonight.”

“I know.” The emotions running in him were explosive, and he needed to bury himself in her soft heat as much as he needed to drag in the next raggedbreath.

He watched her, his innocent vixen, as her trembling fingers reached for the buttons of herblouse.

“Forget it. Get your pantsoff.”

He thought she might refuse, tell him to go to hell. Instead she whimpered, deep in her throat. Her eyes held his gaze as she hiked up her hips and pulled off her jeans and underwear in a jerky way that should have been awkward, but instead looked bone-meltinglysexy.

His black denims flew across the room and then he was on top of her. “You make me crazy,” he muttered, grabbing her knees and pushing them up against her chest so her blouse caught between then, the silk warm from her body. Then he plunged into her and couldn’t think anymore. He could onlyfeel.

It was like diving into molten honey. Slick, hot and tight. He thrust savagely into her, as though he could drive his demons out where they’d perish in hersweetness.

He kissed her, a deep, devastating kiss that left him longing for more. He couldn’t get close enough, thrust deepenough.

Beneath him, her body was going crazy, rocking up against him to take him even deeper, getting hotter and slicker by thesecond.

She offered up everything she had. Giving him comfort in her body, kissing his hurts better every time their mouths met, stroking, touching him everywhere as they pushed each otherhigher.

She cried out, her body arching against him, her head thrashing on the pillow, and he was gone, swirling into the black current that sucked him into itsdepths.

And something amazing happened. As his release flowed into her body, as he stared down at her heaving chest, still clothed because he’d been in too much of a hurry to undress her, he felt some of his anger dissipate. Gently, he kissed her lips in gratitude, and a feeling of tenderness washed through him. She seemed so fragile, but she wasn’t. She was strong and gutsy and incrediblygenerous.

He wanted to say “thank you” as he collapsed at her side, damp and breathing raggedly. He wanted to tell her…but before he could finish the thought or form words, he wasasleep.

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