Audra didn"t know what to say. She felt the same. Her feelings about Jesse, her reactions to him, were all new to her.
But she"d learned when she was young to guard her emotions, to keep those vulnerabilities to herself. After all, she"d tried that relationship thing once. But then she"d realized that she just didn"t have it in her to change enough to make another person happy. Even though Jesse"s honesty inspired her to share the same, she couldn"t. Maybe that made her defective, or just overly cautious. But she couldn"t open her heart. Couldn"t let him peek into her soul.
Not out of any sense of privacy. No, Audra could admit to herself it was fear, pure and simple. Fear that if anyone ever saw into her heart, into her soul, they"d find out there was nothing really there.
Instead, she fell back on the tried and true, gave him her s.e.xiest smile and leaned in close. With the softest brush of her lips against his, she whispered, "If you thought that was good, you ain"t seen nothing yet."
Jesse laughed, and the air cleared of all that heavy emotional expectation. Relieved, Audra winked and gestured to the couch. With a flip of a couple switches, she dimmed the lights and cued the music. A low, bluesy tune wailed softly through the tiny speakers in the corners of the room.
"Get comfy," she suggested again. She waited until he settled on the couch before she made her way to the dressing area. "Do me a favor. Think of those outfits you picked out. Try and imagine me in each one. Picture what it will cover, what it will show. How the light will shimmer as it touches my skin. Imagine how the lingerie will look on my body. How it"ll feel as you run your hands over it. Over me."
She watched his eyes dilate, grinned and slipped behind the curtain.
"Be right back."
JESSE SHIFTED on the couch, guilt making him wince. d.a.m.n, could he get any lower? A snake would look down on him in contempt, with good reason. on the couch, guilt making him wince. d.a.m.n, could he get any lower? A snake would look down on him in contempt, with good reason.
This kind of thing-a s.e.xy suspect, questionable circ.u.mstances-had been tools of the trade for his father. Diego Martinez"d had a reputation for breaking his cases by using any method at his disposal, especially romancing the ladies.
Because of that, Jesse"d long ago promised himself never be in the position to borrow any pages from his father"s book.
So much for promises.
Granted, he wasn"t overly experienced with fieldwork or working face-to-face with suspects. But Audra simply didn"t seem crooked. She was hot, s.e.xy, sweet as h.e.l.l. She might be aggressive and a little wild, but those things didn"t make her a criminal.
Jesse shoved a hand through his hair and sighed. Since he"d already landed in a typical Diego Martinez situation, his father"s philosophy was screaming in his head. The more innocent they looked, the guiltier they were. The more innocent they looked, the guiltier they were.
Disgust with himself churned through Jesse"s stomach. He didn"t want to break the case this way. Audra wasn"t a means to an end. Even knowing she was guilty, he was dangerously close to falling into serious l.u.s.t with the woman. Bad business.
On top of that, she knew nothing about the p.o.r.n connection. He"d do better to focus his investigation on Dave Larson. If he left now, he could get home in plenty of time to cruise the online p.o.r.n sites Larson frequented, try and connect with the guy. He had a few other lines he could tug, too. Such as hacking into Larson"s computer and finding a trail to his backup system. Jesse knew there had to be a backup system. The trick was to find it.
Either way, there was plenty Jesse could be doing. None of which included the torture of sitting here while Audra got naked behind that curtain. He couldn"t even see her bare feet, but just knowing she was on the other side of that flimsy barrier-slipping those jeans down her long, sleek legs, unsnapping that leather bodice to free her lush b.r.e.a.s.t.s-was killing him.
He should skip out now, before she came out and gave life to one of the many fantasies he"d envisioned as he picked out lingerie. He could claim to be sick, to get a call, a forgotten emergency. Anything.
He"d tell her he"d call in a couple weeks. Go solve this case, arrest Larson, break up the Du Bing Li Du Bing Li triad. Maybe by doing so, he could find a way to help Audra out of the criminal organization. triad. Maybe by doing so, he could find a way to help Audra out of the criminal organization.
Jesse stood up. Just as he started to yell to let her know he"d had an emergency and had to run, she flipped aside the curtain.
His breath caught in his throat and his body went from semierect to rock-hard in three seconds flat. G.o.d help him. He couldn"t walk away. h.e.l.l, he"d be lucky if he could even even walk, as hard as he was. Standing before him, Audra made him want to weep. Hands down, she was his ultimate fantasy. walk, as hard as he was. Standing before him, Audra made him want to weep. Hands down, she was his ultimate fantasy.
From her red velvet choker to the black satin corset with red lacing up the front, her look screamed wild s.e.x. Golden flesh peeked through the crisscrossed laces, and the red satin ends hung loose, untied. A promise of easy access to the heaven beyond.
The skirt, some sheer material that gave him tempting glimpses of the outline of her legs, flowed to her calves. And beneath it? The one thing guaranteed to send Jesse into a drooling mess of testosterone. Boots. Knee-high, black suede, lace-up-the-front boots.
She"d fluffed her hair, done something to make her skin sparkle in the soft lighting. His gaze followed the glittering trail down her throat, over her collarbone and watched where it sank between her cleavage. He wanted to take that same path with his tongue.
Jesse groaned.
Audra gave him a saucy grin. Pure female confidence, she stepped up onto the platform and pressed a b.u.t.ton on the wall. The music changed from soft blues to the quicker, heavy beat of rock and roll.
Her gaze locked on his, Audra danced the length of the platform.
"You like?"
"I like very much."
Audra nodded as if she"d expected nothing less. She danced, totally unself-conscious, her moves both s.e.xy and graceful.
"You have good taste. This is one of my favorite outfits. I call it Dominate Me. It"s about the edgiest design we carry. It"s turned out to be one of our best sellers."
"I can see why," he said, his vision glazed with desire. "You look good enough to make me hand over a whip and ask you to punish me, mistress."
Audra"s brows winged up, a wicked grin curving her full lips.
"I like the way you think. Very s.e.xy. I"ve never met such a s.e.xy computer geek before." She sauntered off the platform, her hips swaying in hypnotic time to the rock beat. "Maybe you can take a look at my PC sometime? It"s been acting funky lately."
"Sure," Jesse said with quick enthusiasm. It was all he could do to not jump up, grab her by the hand and run from the room. "We could do that now. Let"s go."
Audra stopped, inches in front of him, and gave him a puzzled look.
"Now? You"re kidding, right?"
Jesse"s gaze swept the delicious feast of flesh encased in smooth black satin and tried not to groan. h.e.l.l, no, he wasn"t kidding. He didn"t know how he could stay here and resist touching her. Tasting her. He needed to get out of here, fast.
"Why not? Your computer is here?" Since the tickets to China had been purchased through Simply Sensual it was feasible any connections she had with Davey or Du Bing Li Du Bing Li would be on the company computer. Give him a half hour with that PC and he"d have all the evidence he needed to nail her. He just hoped it was enough to push her into turning evidence on Davey and the gang. would be on the company computer. Give him a half hour with that PC and he"d have all the evidence he needed to nail her. He just hoped it was enough to push her into turning evidence on Davey and the gang.
"Nah, I don"t have a personal computer here. Natasha handles all the books and business stuff on one. But I rarely use it. It"s better that way. If I started thinking of computers as workhorses, I"d never play with one again."
She took a step closer, and Jesse almost swallowed his tongue. Just centimeters away, he could feel the heat from her body. He could see the outline of her nipples beneath the midnight satin. Her perfume, something musky and evocative, enveloped him. His mind fogged, and thought dribbled away like water between his fingers.
"My computer is at my place. Maybe we can go look at it later."
"Later?"
"Mmm-hmm. Later. We"re busy right now. After all, you don"t want to miss any of the show, now do you?"
AUDRA HELD her breath, waiting for Jesse"s response. Her s.e.x appeal on the line, she wasn"t sure what she"d do if he said he"d rather check out her computer than her body. her breath, waiting for Jesse"s response. Her s.e.x appeal on the line, she wasn"t sure what she"d do if he said he"d rather check out her computer than her body.
Any other guy, she"d have flicked him off, sent him on his way at the slightest hint he wasn"t totally into her. But Jesse? She couldn"t help it, but she was mortally afraid she"d do whatever it took to get him-keep him-interested.
Lucky for her, those gorgeous brown eyes of his glowed with heated interest, and he gave her a slow, sweet smile.
"Show, huh? I did like that dance. You have a way of moving that makes a man want to give thanks."
"I have a few other moves you might like to see."
Jesse"s eyes darkened to a deep, rich chocolate and muttered what sounded like a prayer before he reached out to pull her toward him. One hand flat against the small of her back, he combed the other through her hair to tug gently, holding her head.
"I"ve got a few of my own. Why don"t we share?"
"Why don"t we," she murmured just before his mouth took hers.
It was like a wildfire. The heat had been there already, swirling between them. But the touch of their lips set off the spark, sending those smoldering embers of desire into flames. Engulfing, life-changing flames that Audra welcomed like nothing she"d ever felt before.
She gave herself over to the kiss. Every slide of their tongues, nip of their teeth, fanned the flames hotter. She ran her hands down his arms and gave a shiver of delight at the clenched muscles beneath his shirtsleeves. Nothing turned her on more than a dude with a hot bod. She wanted to see just how hot Jesse"s was.
She slipped her hands between their bodies and worked the b.u.t.tons of his shirt loose. He released his hold on her head and, oh baby, cupped her breast instead. Audra paused on the b.u.t.tons to fully give herself over to the pleasure of his fingers working her nipple beneath the slippery satin.
He pulled his mouth away and with two quick steps, swung her around so that she lay beneath him on the couch. She shifted so one leg wrapped around his and cupped him between her thighs. The feel of his hard flesh pressed against her swollen, aching center made her moan. Audra moved against his leg in a subtle, easy rhythm to enjoy the slow climb to ecstasy.
Jesse buried his mouth in the curve of her neck and slid his fingers up her thigh. She could feel the heat of his hand through the silky smooth stockings and waited, a half smile on her face. She let her head fall back, eyes closed to heighten the sensations, as he discovered her thighs were bare above the elastic thigh-high stockings. Her thighs and everything else.
He slid his body down just a bit, and she moaned as the movement put more pressure on her wet, throbbing nub.
"More," she demanded breathlessly.
Jesse used that oh-so-talented mouth to tug at the laces between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Loosened, the bodice fell open and she heard his hiss of pleasure at the sight. With her free hand, she reached up to cup one of her own b.r.e.a.s.t.s, offering it up for his pleasure. Then she felt his mouth on her flesh. He used his tongue to lightly circle her nipple, teasing, taunting. Audra wanted to scream. She needed more. Needed pressure.
He must have read her desperation. In a deliciously quick move, Jesse took her nipple in his mouth. He suckled it deep as he ran the tip of his finger over the wet, straining folds of flesh between her thighs.
Audra felt the climax building, a tight coil of sensation. She tried to pull back. It was too fast, and while she was all for selfish pleasure, she wanted more with Jesse.
But he wouldn"t let her. With a gentle sc.r.a.pe of his teeth over her nipple, he worked her c.l.i.toris and sent her flying over the edge.
Audra gave a keening moan of pleasure and shuddered as the o.r.g.a.s.m took her breath away. Lights flashed behind her closed eyes and she felt as if she were surfing on a wave of delight. Her body clenched, shuddering as the climax rippled through her.
While she floated somewhere in a cloud of bliss, Jesse gathered her close and shifted so that they lay side by side on the couch.
Her hand still clenched on his bicep, Audra slowly opened her eyes to see him staring down at her.
He winked and raised both brows. "I know it was just an opener, but I"d say that had to rate at least a six on your scale."
She stared blankly for a second, then burst out laughing. "At least a six. Probably even a six and a half. I can"t wait to see what you do when we"re naked."
Before she could make a move to find out, a tinny chime rang out. Jesse started, then looked around in confusion. A few notes into the tune, and Audra grimaced.
"Isn"t that the song from Pinocchio? Pinocchio? What"s it called?" What"s it called?"
""When You Wish Upon a Star,"" she muttered, not meeting his eyes.
Five solid seconds of stunned silence was more than she could handle, though. She glanced up from his chest to see the look of bafflement in his eyes.
"Disney? Your cell phone rings Disney?"
"Well, not really."
He squinted at her.
"I have ring tones programmed in for some of my friends. That would be Isabel, and it"s a joke. Sort of."
"Sort of?"
Audra sighed. Why did she have the feeling she wasn"t going to get his clothes off without an explanation?
"When we were kids, Isabel had a habit of acting like that annoying little cricket."
His frown faded, and he laughed. "Your conscience?"
Give the man points for being quick. At least on the uptake. She"d bet he took his slow, sweet time with other things. Impatience rippled through her, since she wanted to get back to finding out.
"Right. And since she has a freakish record for interrupting me when I least want her to, I haven"t changed it." Audra shifted and her still-sensitive nipples brushed against the hard planes of his chest. She sucked in a breath, then let it out as she pressed herself closer.
"She"s gone now, so let"s get back to more important matters. Like if you can top six and a half."
Impatient to find out, she shifted so she could undo the remainder of his shirt b.u.t.tons.
Jesse"s hands folded over hers. Audra looked up with a frown and tilted her head in question.
"We need to stop," he murmured. Regret shone in his brown eyes, still hot with desire.
"What? You"re kidding, right? You just gave me one sweet little o.r.g.a.s.m, but that"s just an appetizer. I won"t be satisfied unless I get the whole meal." Brows furrowed, she brushed a soft kiss over his mouth. "I want you to get the whole meal."
He gave a strained laugh and rested his forehead against hers. Sweet pleasure, something on another level than the physical release she"d just experienced, rushed through Audra.
"I"m sure it"d be one h.e.l.l of a meal, at that. And I want to. You have no idea how bad I want to. But...I can"t. I just can"t."
"Why? What is it? You have a condom. I saw it. I even have a box of them here. Is there another reason? The phone call? Did you lose the mood?"
She shifted against his still straining hard-on and grinned. "You definitely didn"t lose it where it counts."
"No, it"s not that."
"What, then? Something physical?" A million thoughts ran through her brain, all of them a little gross.
He looked blank at first, then screwed up his face in denial. Relief surged through Audra.
"No! I mean, it"s nothing physical. It"s just...well, as insane as this sounds, I"m not that kind of guy."
All she could do was stare, her mind blank with shock.