Deadly Obsession (5 page)

Even his own happiness.

Tonight, he’d have dinner with Lauren to discuss business. Tomorrow, they’d finish the photo shoot. Then he’d fly back to L.A. And never see Lauren again. Excellent plan.

Yeah. It was great. So why did he feel like shit?

CHAPTER 3

Lauren couldn’t tear her eyes from the front-page photo of her and Nic locked in a heated embrace. As she read the accompanying article, her cheeks burned and anger replaced shock. Her dreams of a better future for her son flashed before her eyes.

No matter how much she wanted to slink home with her tail between her legs, she had to grow a spine. Jason deserved better than what she could give him with her small pension and meager salary.

She had to hope that when Vivian released the photos Lauren had taken of Nic, people would recognize her talent. Her fresh and riveting poses captured the essence of the dark, brooding, sexy hero. She needed someone to give her a break, to give her a chance to show what she was capable of doing. The article couldn’t be further from the truth. She hadn’t even kissed another man since Todd died.

Except for Nic.

And, although he had rocked her world, it was hardly front-page news. The doorbell rang, making her heart race. Were the paparazzi here to hound her?

Get a grip. You’re a department store photographer, not a movie star
.

The photo had made the news because of Nic, not her. The paparazzi were probably camped in front of his door right now.

“Flower delivery for Lauren James.”

Who would send her flowers? After a glance through the peephole, she opened the door. A delivery man juggled a pad and a large bouquet of apple blossoms and miniature yellow roses, barely managing to hold onto both. “Are you sure this isn’t a mistake?”

He handed her a delivery slip and pointed to her name. After signing the receipt, she handed him a few dollars tip. The door banged shut as she read the card she’d plucked from the buds.

Ma chère Lauren,

By now, you’ve seen the photo in the papers. Please believe I never meant to hurt you. I hope you aren’t too angry to have dinner with me this evening
.

They had to share the blame for this fiasco. Although maybe it
was
his fault for being such a damn good kisser. Her chest tightened as she finished reading the note.

Give me a chance to make it up to you. I’ll be waiting in the lobby.

Nic

Like her, all he wanted was a chance. How could she refuse to hear him out? After a third reading of the note, the sweet scent of apple blossoms distracted her. She pulled a sprig out of the bouquet, gently cupped the fragile blooms in her hand, and inhaled deeply. How had Nic discovered her love of apple blossoms? Even after years of marriage, Todd hadn’t.

Nic was more like the boy she’d known in high school than he let on. The note showed sensitivity and an endearing vulnerability that drew her to him now as it had drawn her to him then.
Did anyone really get over their first crush?

Her spirits buoyed by the note and flowers, Lauren turned on the radio and danced her way to the closet. She changed into a light gray business suit and pink sleeveless turtleneck sweater. Julie had dragged her to a boutique, insisting that if she wanted to be taken seriously as a photographer and a business woman, she needed to look the part. And Julie had been right. The feminine cut of the jacket molded Lauren’s curves beautifully and defined the indent of her waist, resulting in a perfect mix of professionalism and sophistication. Her mood lightened even further as she sprayed on some DKNY perfume.

Her feet, however, needed work. As Lauren stood in her stockings, she contemplated her choices: her sturdy iron gray pumps or the black leather stiletto boots Sandra had coerced her into purchasing along with a matching long coat. She slipped on the stilettos. After all, she was meeting Nic The Lover, not Nic The Accountant.

Not normally a wearer of make-up, Lauren fiddled with the blush she’d bought for this trip, alternately sucking her cheeks in and puffing them out again. The instructions stated that if applied properly, the three colors would make her appear to have actual cheekbones. She shook her head and sighed. Clearly, she needed more practice.

But lip gloss, now
that
she could handle. Her lips curled into a girlish smile as she spread it on. The taste of her cherry gloss on Nic’s perfect lips—soft yet firm on top, full and plump on the bottom—had driven her wild. Maybe she’d get another taste tonight. At the thought, she shivered and felt a sudden dampness between her legs. Laughing at her own naughtiness, she air-kissed her reflection.
Get over yourself Lauren. This is a meeting, not a date.

A man leaning against the check-in counter, speaking with a pretty young hotel employee, caught Lauren’s attention as she entered the lobby. The man, whose back was toward her, wore faded blue jeans and heavy black biker boots. His wide shoulders filled a black leather bomber jacket. If his front looked even half as good as his back, he’d be some serious eye candy.

The man turned around and she stopped breathing. Although Nic looked fantastic whatever he wore, this look, straight out of
Darkness Rising
, was her favorite. As Sandra liked to say, it revved her engine. Several moments later, she managed to suck in some air and get her feet moving again.

He didn’t say a word or move from his spot at the check-in counter as she approached, but his intense eyes followed her. When she reached him, a wide grin spread across his face and he pushed himself off the counter. “
Bonsoir
,
chérie
. You look breathtaking.” He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

As it had the day before, the old-fashioned gesture caused her cheeks to flush with pleasure. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” If understatements were dollars, this one would make her very rich.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on each cheek. She breathed in the fragrance of his cologne, combined with his own masculine scent. Something deep inside her awakened, and she barely resisted the urge to hold his cheeks in her hands and kiss him senseless. This was a
business
meeting after all.

They said good night to the desk clerk, and Nic escorted her out of the hotel. He stopped beside a sleek black motorcycle with Triumph written on the side and handed her a helmet.

“Oh, no.” Lauren shook her head. “I may be wearing leather, but I’m not a biker chick.”

“Come on,
chérie
. It’s a great night for a ride. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Don’t you have a car? It doesn’t have to be a Porsche; even a Prius would be okay.”

His smile faded. “I should have asked you first. Let me call a taxi.”

Feeling like she’d kicked a puppy, she took the helmet from his hands. “Promise you’ll go slow?”

“
Chérie
, I’ll go as slow as you need.” The heat in his eyes when he spoke curled her toes.

Oh, God. She was really going to have to do this. But what could be hotter than Nic on a motorcycle? She climbed on behind him and fastened the helmet.

“The only thing you need to do is lean when I lean,” he advised her over his shoulder. When she nodded stiffly, he smiled. “Relax and hold onto my waist.”

No problem
. She wound her arms around him.

Nic coughed and then chuckled. “Maybe not so tight…”

Lauren groaned and snatched her hands back. Instead of impressing Nic The Lover with her sexy sophistication, she’d turned into a freaking boa constrictor. Why was she doing this again? Ah, yes. Because she couldn’t deny him anything.

Reaching back, he took her hands and laid them across his stomach. Lauren could feel the hardness of his muscles even through his jacket. With a small pat, he let go and started up the bike.

True to his word, he drove slowly down the busy city streets. But even then, each time he turned a corner, she had to muffle her screams against the back of his leather coat. He’d told her the restaurant was nearby, but instead of staying on the local streets, he drove up a ramp onto the Beltway. She tensed and clutched at him as their speed increased. After a few miles, she realized that while the Beltway meant going faster, it also meant no more turns. Relaxing, she leaned against him and began to enjoy the ride.

Pink, orange, and mauve colored the sky as the sun began its descent. A few times, she’d risen early enough to photograph from her living room window the sun rising over the Cascade Mountains, but had remained a mere observer to the overwhelming beauty of nature. Tonight, as they sped along the Beltway surrounded by the colors and the descending night, she felt at one with the beauty of the sunset. No longer was she simply viewing the world through a camera lens. She was out in it, part of it. All too soon, the lights on the streets and in the houses turned on, one by one, twinkling like tiny stars in the darkness.

Nic took the next exit and stopped at a traffic light at the bottom of the ramp. “I’m going to head back to town so we can go eat. Having fun?” She gave him a quick squeeze, and Nic drove across the overpass.

Todd had been the wild one, the adrenaline junkie, not her. She never drove past the speed limit, never rode motorcycles, and definitely never hugged a gorgeous man on the back of a bike as they sped along a highway. But she was loving the ride. Closing her eyes, she marveled at the sensation of her breasts pressed against Nic’s back, her hands on his stomach, his butt against her thighs, the vibrations of the powerful bike between her legs.

Sometime during the ride, her hands had worked their way under the edge of his jacket, but they were still a little cold. Without thinking, she unclasped her hands and slowly scrunched up his shirt until she touched his bare skin. Nic sucked in a breath as she spread her frosty hands across his abdomen. His hard muscles rippled, and she shivered.

What was wrong with her? Maybe it was the vibrations, or the handsome man in her arms, or the feel of his hot skin, or the vivid fantasy from last night. She shouldn’t be touching him like this, but no amount of self-recriminations could get her to move her hands. Gone was the sophisticated professional. Five years of celibacy had turned her into a slut.

If they didn’t get to the restaurant soon, she’d come on the back of Nic’s motorcycle.

The tight knot in Nic’s gut began to relax at the sight of the Thailand Delight restaurant. Thank God the ride was over. Another few minutes of
that
and he would have disgraced himself. What was wrong with him? He was Nic The Lover, not some overeager teenager. He pulled into a parking spot in the small strip mall, turned off the motor and kicked out the stand. Sighing deeply, he braced himself on the handlebars and hung his head.

Even though they were no longer moving, Lauren was still plastered against him. Her breasts and stomach warmed his back while her thighs cupped his butt. Her arms remained around his waist, and her hands… Her hands had not stopped massaging and caressing his stomach. Nic shivered in pleasure as one hand began a downward path.

A slow sensual swirl of a finger around the sensitive rim of his navel sent waves of sensation rippling up his spine. Her hand hovered mere inches above the bulge in his jeans, but then she pulled back. Although his cock was practically begging for her touch, her reaction pleased him. Too many women felt that because he was a public figure, they somehow had a right to his body.

“Ready,
chérie
?”

Her body stiffened and she jerked her arms away, losing her balance. Nic twisted around and steadied her as she scrambled off the bike.

“I’m so, so sorry about… that!” Blushing furiously, she indicated his chest with a wave of her hand. “Maybe I should go back to the hotel.” She averted her gaze.

Nic couldn’t help but be flattered. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not offended. What man wouldn’t want the touch of a lovely woman on a night like this?”

She shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself before looking up at the night sky. “I never imagined a motorcycle ride could be so magical, so exhilarating.”