Catch 'n' Kiss (Are You Game?) (9 page)

Her pulse beat a rapid cadence that reverberated through every nerve—every cell. Just when she thought he’d go deeper, he eased back, took them to soft nips and tender licks until he pulled away completely, leaving her panting for breath and wondering what was wrong. Before she could ask, he placed his lips on her forehead in a quick peck.

“Good night, Jody. Sweet dreams.”

And then he was gone. Disappearing into the darkness as the moon slid behind a cloud. The lack of light left her feeling cold and bereft, or was that from the sudden lack of Dan’s heat?

Dan lay beneath the covers listening to Jody breathe. She’d fallen asleep not long ago. Before that she’d tossed and turned. He’d been on the verge of going over there and pulling her into his arms when she’d stopped fidgeting and her breathing had evened out as she drifted off. He wished he could find sleep now she’d settled. Unfortunately, his mind wouldn’t quit. The discussion about her marriage and ex had been enlightening. She hadn’t revealed all that much, but what she had—coupled with what little he’d gleaned from Luc and Cassie—was enough for him to draw some very sad conclusions about her life up until now.

He was relieved to know she had the girls even though they tied her to the man who’d obviously taken her for granted. She’d at least had their unconditional love and affection. There was nothing he could do to improve her past, but he’d do everything in his power to make her future a happy one. If she’d let him.

Turning over, he stared out the window and watched the sky light up as a storm rolled through the valley. The weather matched his mood—dark and brooding—and he couldn’t help the gloomy thoughts he had about her ex. Dan hoped Luc had given the man what he deserved at some point, except what he knew of Jody told him his wish had probably gone unfulfilled. She wasn’t the type to take revenge or even want it. Her lack of hostility towards the man who hadn’t given her any of what she deserved spoke volumes. He figured he’d have to learn to hold his tongue about her ex if he wanted to be a part of her future.

It wouldn’t stop him from thinking bad thoughts though. He smiled. He’d definitely make her ex pay in his mind. Over and over again.

Chapter Seven

Jody let out a deep breath as she slipped into her room. Damn, it had been a long, long day. Six hours had seemed like sixty, and she was looking forward to the next four hours off to recharge. This was her first corporate event and she had to admit they were more strenuous than the usual adult’s and kid’s parties she dealt with. She’d coped with the program fine. There was never a point where she’d thought otherwise. It was being the centre of attention that she found draining. Usually she stayed behind the scenes and let the parties unfold. Today required constant input from her. Not to mention a couple of the men had been a little too friendly and attentive.

She’d soon nipped that in the bud, and Dan’s scowl at morning tea had proven a major deterrent that had them backing right off. Unfortunately, she’d still had to deal with Keith Mooney’s unrelenting interest. His pursuit had been anything but flattering towards the end, and she’d had to pull him aside and lie about being involved with someone so that he’d leave her alone. The fact he’d immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was Dan she was seeing had her troubled. Jody had no idea what would happen if word got back to Cassie.

She slipped off her shoes and kicked them aside before making her way to the mini-bar and a cold drink. She’d popped the top and had just collapsed into one of the chairs on the terrace when she heard Dan come through the door. Twisting around, she leaned over and peered through the doorway back into the room. He walked towards her, his stride purposeful as he stalked over and yanked her out of her seat. Barely a protest left her throat when his mouth slammed down on hers.

There was nothing gentle in his kiss. He took. Conquered every inch of her mouth without remorse. She couldn’t catch her breath. Couldn’t think beyond the man holding her so close the name badge on his shirt dug into her chest. Just when she thought she had a handle on it, when she sought to meet his demands, he pulled away. Ripping their mouths apart, he pushed her to arm’s length. His chest heaved with each ragged breath and his eyes—greener than she’d ever seen them—studied her with such intensity her heart skipped.

“Do you have any idea how badly I want to smash Mooney’s face in?” Dan’s words were spoken through clenched teeth and razor sharp.

Jody shook her head. She wasn’t following the conversation. Not when her mind was still lost in the darkness of that carnal kiss.

“I saw him put his hands on you and I wanted to break every one of his fingers. Slowly. One. By. One.”

She swallowed. The violence vibrating in his words sent a quiver through her belly. She should be appalled by his confession—should be disgusted with the brutality of it. Instead, a thrill of excitement shot straight to her core. She’d never inspired such intense emotions in anyone.

He loosened his grip then slid his hands up and down her arms. “Sorry.”

Jody shook her head, confused by his apology. “For what?”

Dan smiled, although it wasn’t a happy one, more a twist of his lips. “I was rough with you.”

Funny. She hadn’t thought so. “Were you? I didn’t notice.” Jody stepped closer and brushed the backs of her fingers along his jaw. “Want to talk about it?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Whether you’re into the whole alpha man thing.” He let her go and moved away to retrieve a can of drink from the fridge. “Basically, some guy put his hands on the woman I think of as mine.”

She nodded. “I get that.”

His gaze met hers. “You get that you’re my woman?”

Laughing, she said, “No, I get that you
think
of me as yours.”

“Ah, I can think it but it doesn’t mean it’s true, is that it?” He popped the top on the can and liquid sprayed the front of his shirt as the drink fizzed and bubbled out. “Shit!”

He brought the can to his mouth and sucked the overflowing soda. Her gaze was drawn to the splash of brown covering the front of his white shirt and she immediately thought about the stain that would be impossible to remove if he didn’t do something about it now. “You’ve got it all over your shirt. Take it off and I’ll soak it in cold water so the stain doesn’t set.”

Dan arched one eyebrow. “You’re telling me to take my clothes off now?”

She smiled. “Just your shirt, smartarse, and only so you don’t ruin it.”

Dan hadn’t waited for her to finish speaking. He’d put the can down and whipped the shirt over his head before the last word left her mouth. Muscles rippled in his arms and torso, and she ogled his chest with barely concealed desire. The trail of dark hair bisecting his abdomen and disappearing into his pants drew her gaze. Jody swallowed, her throat constricting with the burst of lust zipping through her system. Holding out her hand, she waited for him to pass her his top.

Once he did, she just about ran inside to avoid the temptation of touching his smooth skin. Heading straight to the bathroom, she ignored the man following her and concentrated on taking care of his shirt. She removed his name badge then turned the cold water on in the sink and shoved the stained area beneath the flow. When she was satisfied she’d removed all she could, she stuck the plug in the drain and let the basin fill up until it covered all the material.

“There. We’ll leave it ’til later then rinse it again to make sure it’s all out.”

“You know I could just send it to be laundered by the hotel.”

“Nonsense. No point wasting money when I can fix it for you.”

She was drying her hands when he moved in behind her and slid his arms around her waist. “You know a guy could get used to being looked after.” He nuzzled her nape, his lips warm and soft against her skin.

“D-don’t get too used to it.” A shiver rippled down her neck. “I’m not your mother.”

Dan laughed as he let her go and stepped away. “You most certainly are not. She’d have boxed my ears for spilling the drink and told me to wash my own shirt.”

Jody turned to see him reach into the shower recess and flick on the water. “W-what are you doing?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Jumping in the shower to rinse the sticky Coke off my chest, then I’m going to make use of the hot tub.”

Before Jody could blink, he popped the button on his pants and slid the zipper down. She quickly turned away and started out of the room only to catch sight of Dan’s naked arse in the mirror as she did. The view stopped her in her tracks. He had the best arse. She’d always been a butt girl. Something about a taut male behind did it for her in a big way, and Dan had a world class rear end.

“Wanna join me?”

Her gaze darted up to meet his in the mirror. “What?” she squeaked. God, she’d actually squeaked.

He grinned at her. “In the hot tub. Although if you want to join me in the shower…”

Before she could be tempted to answer yes to either, she made her escape, closing the door behind her. The timber barrier did nothing to silence Dan’s laughter.

Dan sighed as he sank into the warm bubbling water. Jody refused to join him and had found some busy work to do in their room. He wouldn’t force her to take a break, but he planned to tempt her until she did. He’d start by letting her know how great it was.

“God. This feels amazing. You really should try this,” he called out.

“I didn’t bring my swimmers.” He turned to find her standing in the doorway, her fingers twisting together in front of her and her teeth biting into her plush bottom lip.

“Well, I’d be more than happy for you to jump in naked, but I doubt you’re up for that, so why don’t you just wear your undies and bra. They couldn’t be any more revealing than a bikini.” He slipped lower in the water and leaned his head back on the side of the tub, his eyes closing on a moan. Damn, it really did feel good.

He could hear her moving around but he stayed where he was—head back, eyes closed—as his body relaxed by slow degrees. The day hadn’t been particularly taxing. Watching the men fawn all over Jody had though. How he’d managed to get through the last few hours without punching anyone Dan would never know. To her credit, she hadn’t encouraged any of them, and the fact she’d lied to Mooney about the extent of their relationship showed him just how much she’d disliked the other man’s advances.

Mooney had pulled Dan aside to apologise for poaching on his territory. At first Dan had been confused, clueless as to what the other man was talking about. It didn’t take Mooney long to impart the necessary words to enlighten him. Dan wasn’t sure what surprised him more—Mooney’s apology or Jody’s outright lie.

Lost in thought, Dan was surprised when the water surged up over his chin. Opening his eyes, his gaze connected with Jody’s. She’d slipped in on the opposite side of the tub. The churning water came all the way to her neck so there was no way tell if she was in her underwear as he’d suggested or if she’d been brave enough to climb in naked. Either way, his cock stirred at the thought of her lush body all slippery wet and within touching distance.

He smiled. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

She nodded as she watched him warily.

His smile grew. “So are you naked over there?”

Her eyes rounded and her lips parting on a gasp as she dipped lower in the water.

Dan laughed. He loved teasing her. “Don’t answer. I might not be able to control myself if you do.”

“Are you always so direct?” she asked.

“Yeah, don’t see any point playing games—especially when it comes to getting what I want.”

“And that’s me?”

He stretched his arms out along the edge of the tub. “Yep.”

“Why?”

“Why do I want you?” For someone who didn’t want to play games, he couldn’t seem to come up with a straight answer to that question. He shrugged. “Who knows why we’re attracted to each other. All I know is it’s there and I plan to act on it. With your consent of course.”

“Good to know I have some say in it.” Her smile softened the seriousness of her words.

Dan forgot all about keeping his distance—forgot about not crowding her—and reduced the space between them to zero. He put his hands flat on the bench seat beside her thighs and brought his face a breath from hers. “You will always have a say in this.” Then he slanted his lips over hers.

He captured her gasp on his tongue as he dove into her mouth. Within a heartbeat, she caught up and tangled her tongue with his. Dan didn’t touch her with anything except his mouth, but that didn’t deter Jody. Her hands landed on his shoulders, her fingers digging in for a moment before she trailed them down his chest. She dragged her nails over his nipples and the flat discs instantly pebbled rock hard beneath her rough touch.

She splayed her hands and swept them lower. His stomach clenched, every muscle going taut with the anticipation of where she was headed next. He didn’t have to wait long to find out. With feather-like caresses, Jody stroked the area between his hips, the stretch of skin where the waistband of his pants would normally be. Yeah, he’d chosen to climb into the tub naked, and right now he was thankful for his penchant for nudity.

She pulled her mouth from his when the back of her hand brushed the head of his cock. “You’re not wearing any pants?”