Silk Confessions (7 page)

A blouse? Some kind of lingerie top like he’d seen strewn all over her apartment? Or nothing at all?

Aside from the sexy mystery of the jacket, her clothes now weren’t all that unlike the ones she’d been wearing
when they first met. Maybe it was the setting today, or just her attitude that seemed more cool and in-control. But there was a definite difference in her.

“I wanted to see if anything had turned up missing at your place now that you’ve had more time to look around.”

“Nothing.” She crossed her ankles beneath her chair, her weekend running shoes replaced by camel-colored leather pumps. “I don’t think anything was stolen. All the intruder’s effort seems to have been geared toward destruction.”

Wes didn’t like that one damn bit. “All signs point to the break-in being a threat, probably perpetrated by someone who has a particular beef with you. We didn’t find any prints but yours around the apartment, so who ever trashed the place took time to cover their tracks.”

Perhaps he’d finally succeeded in scaring her be cause she nodded with jerky movements, her fingers smoothing the scarf at her neck.

“I won’t work at the studio anymore until the security is installed. I usually sleep at the family house during the week anyway.”

“Good.” He hated upsetting her, but there could be no help for it. “And hopefully we’ll have some answers soon on MatingGame. I’m trying to set up a time to meet a date tomorrow night and we’ll see if the service works as advertised.”

“You’re going on the date?” Color returned to her cheeks, her twitchy fingers stilling over her scarf.

“Since your Web mistress never got in touch with me, it’s the fastest way to get the answers we need.”

“Apparently Bliss Holloway’s mother has been in poor health and Bliss is out of touch. I’m sure we’ll hear
from her soon.” Tempest sounded aggravated and looked downright mad.

She couldn’t be upset about the date? Maybe she was just annoyed he continued to check into her company, because his brain refused to consider that she could be…jealous?

The idea fanned the slow heat that had been building inside him all weekend long.

“Until then, I guess I’m going on a blind date.” He looked back through her office toward her locked door. They were utterly alone, the conference room inaccessible to anyone else. Wicked thoughts came to mind. “Too bad
we
couldn’t have enjoyed that kind of anonymity.”

She stared back at him blankly for a moment until her honey-colored eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, wouldn’t it have been fun if we could have met under different circumstances?” He eased out of his seat at the head of the table and closed the distance between them, propelled toward her by a deep hunger he didn’t fully understand. Halting a few inches away from her, he dropped into a swivel chair right next to her. “What would it have been like between us if I wasn’t the cop investigating your company and you weren’t a woman I needed to protect?”

Her fingers splayed on the mahogany conference table, her red nails as shiny as the richly polished wood. She stared down at her hand on the table for a long moment before meeting his eyes.

“It might have been very interesting,” she admitted, voice soft with sensual promise.

Or was that hopeful thinking on his part?

The air around them turned warm and heavy. The raindrops that had soaked his hair and his coat seemed to
evaporate in a slow hiss of steam as their bodies inched closer.

He reached for the length of yellow and blue silk around her neck, gently tugging the scarf from her jacket in one smooth, deliberate motion. She sat perfectly still as he watched the fabric uncoil from her skin.

No blouse beneath.

Just incredible cleavage and creamy smooth skin. Savoring the warm scent of the scarf that had shielded her breasts, Wes rubbed the fabric between his fingers and allowed a darkly erotic idea to take shape in his mind.

A way to accommodate their wish for anonymity.

“Maybe we can still have our own blind date,” he whispered the suggestion that had been hovering around his brain, urging him to find a way to be with her. Skimming the silk up her cheek, he twined the material around her eyes. “A few stolen moments with no identities attached if your schedule allows.”

When she didn’t move so much as a muscle, he al lowed himself to secure the cloth behind her head, tying it in a lazy knot.

While he waited for the full import of his suggestion to sink in, he studied the way she looked with the impromptu blindfold wrapped around her eyes. Wild brown curls escaped from beneath the fabric, the bright color of the scarf highlighting the pale perfection of her cheek. But as he watched, a tinge of hectic color brightened the exposed portion of her face. A rosy blush? Or the sensual flush of a woman slowly becoming turned on?

Her lips worked silently for a moment, as if she couldn’t quite come to terms with what she wanted to say. The gesture drew his gaze, and sent a rush of heat southward. He thought about what it would be like to personally lick
off every last bit of her lipstick before he explored her mouth, the unique taste of her, for hours on end.

“I’ve got appointments today,” she finally managed, although the sighed sentiment didn’t sound much like a protest. She wound her finger in one loose end of the scarf that draped carelessly over her shoulder.

“I warned your assistant my business with you might take precedence over everything else.” Laying his finger along her lower lip, he stroked the soft fullness of her mouth. “And I locked the door.”

The nutty almond fragrance she wore seemed all the more intense as the heat between them cranked up. Tempest nipped his finger before drawing it into her mouth and swirling her tongue around the digit.

His eyes were already crossing when she finally nodded. “Maybe you’re on to something with this anonymous thing. But
you’re
not wearing a blindfold.”

Lowering his damp finger to the valley between her breasts, Wes traced a wet line over her ample curves.

“That’s okay. I’m getting off on watching you wear one.” The trace of moisture on her full lips was killing him. “And by now I’ve already forgotten everything we were talking about except how much I want you.”

A hum of pleasure escaped her lips before she came up out of her chair and landed in his lap, her knees straddling his thighs.

The heat that had been on slow burn inside him all weekend roared into a full-fledged blaze as her compact curves and creamy legs arrived within reach. Her acquiescence was an unexpected gift. A tempting treasure.

An unbelievable freaking moment he wouldn’t ever forget.

And he planned to savor every square inch of her, starting right now.

T
HERE WAS
no stopping her now.

Tempest’s bravado seemed to have increased tenfold the moment Wes wrapped the silk scarf around her eyes, relegating her world to a place of touches and tastes. The scent of his rain-dampened skin, the feel of his hands skating over her hips, drove her to the point of no re turn.

She’d been daydreaming about this an hour ago, and now that he was here, in the flesh, she planned to fulfill her fantasies just this once. Her appointments could damn well wait until another day.

Palms sliding beneath her jacket, Wes smoothed his thumb over her bare waist. She’d always been self-conscious of her curves, even more so after a candid photo of her dancing at a friend’s wedding ran in the social pages with a caption implying she must have really enjoyed the bride’s cake. But her admittedly ample curves didn’t seem like such a bad thing when Wes got hold of them. His fingers sank into her softness, urging her closer to his lap and all the enticing male heat waiting for her there.

“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” Wes’s voice wove through her steamy thoughts, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke. “I don’t want to cause a professional flap for you.”

She wouldn’t allow him to stop. Not now when her mind swam with sensual imaginings, her body more in tune to his touch than it had ever been for any other man’s.

“I dedicated twenty hours a day to this company for months on end after my father died.” She didn’t regret the time since it had given her a chance to finally understand the man who had always been too busy for her when he was alive. She’d come to peace with Ray Boucher in that time. But she wouldn’t bury her own needs for the sake of the company forever. “I’m entitled to a few hours of downtime.”

If she hadn’t been blindfolded, her increased senses might not have picked up the low rumble of approval that went clear through Wes. His body practically hummed with anticipation now, and she couldn’t quite believe she possessed so much power over the man.

Consumed with the need to fulfill her daydream visions, she edged backward on the chair, ready to drag him with her toward the conference table. But then his hands found her thighs, his thumbs sliding upward on the inside of her legs until she remembered exactly how much of a barrier stood between her and Wes now that she’d straddled him. Only a tiny triangle of peacock-blue satin shielded her from his wandering touch.

Maybe she could wait to tackle him onto the conference table. Right now, she could only think about what he might do when he discovered the decadent lingerie beneath her conservative suit. Heat licked tiny tongues of flame up her thighs as he nudged the nubby cotton tweed hemline higher and higher.

Cool air breezed between her legs before his fingers touched her. She held herself still, sensing his gaze on her now exposed hips.

“You’re gorgeous.” His whispered reverence soothed any wounds left by unflattering photos or the occasional broken zipper on her skirts. She delved beneath his suit jacket to touch him through his crisp blue shirt. Fiery
warmth radiated from his shoulders, a wealth of heat she couldn’t absorb fast enough.

“You just caught me on a good day.” She knew she was a far cry from celebrity-perfect, but he made her feel beautiful.

“I’ve been dying since Friday trying to picture you wearing this kind of stuff.” Wes’s finger traced the out line of one satin strap holding her delicate G-string in place.

Part of her wanted to whip off the blindfold to see his eyes on her, but somehow it seemed easier to be bold and adventurous this way. With the scarf to keep her in the dark, she could be as brash as any daytime TV diva determined to have her own way.

Licking a kiss along his jaw, Tempest whispered in his ear. “You know I’ve got lots more where this came from.” She gave her hips a little shake to make sure he knew what she was talking about. “If you please me today, maybe you’ll be seeing more in the future.”

Hooking his finger into the satin strap, Wes tugged gently but didn’t pull the panties off. “I’d like that.”

“I’d like more of you, Detective.” She tugged at his tie, savoring the slide of hot silk between her fingers as she undid the knot. “You seem to be getting all the visuals here.”

Nimble, quick fingers went to work on her skirt but tons. “You can’t get a visual when you’re blindfolded anyway. Why not let me worry about what to see?”

“Only if you let me worry about what to touch.” She dropped her hand to his fly, amazed at her audacity. She’d never been this way with a man.

Her palm fluttering over the ridge in his trousers made his fingers move faster on her skirt. And then she lost track
of his touch at her waist as all her attention narrowed to the hard heat of him.

She shoved his coat off his shoulders and felt him shrug out of his suit jacket. Clothes peeled off them in every direction, her skirt slipping to her feet, her jacket falling open to expose the peacock-blue satin bra with sheer lace insets.

He sucked in a breath and she almost envied him the ability to see. But she wasn’t ready to leave the safety of her blindfold yet, not when it infused her with so much delicious daring. The heat steaming off her skin warmed her perfume and supercharged the light, almond fragrance she wore.

“Like what you see?” She tugged on his belt, while he remained still

“Incredible.” His voice hit a hoarse note as she care fully unbuttoned his pants around an erection that would have made any woman’s mouth water.

Although it wasn’t her mouth going damp right now.

“I’ve been thinking about you today,” she confided, easing his zipper down until his cock sprang free. “Even though I didn’t want to.”

He rolled the straps of her bra down her shoulders with his palms before lowering his lips to the curve of her neck. “I think I’m insulted.”

“Don’t be. In these fantasies of mine, you were very good.” She shuddered as his lips roamed over the tops of her breasts, the low rumble of normal office conversation on the other side of one wall reminding her what a risk they took, although she knew no one would disturb her while her door remained closed. And no one would be able to hear her and Wes except maybe her office assistant.

But still…the others would know she’d been closeted
with this sexy cop for hours and they would probably wonder.

“Then it wasn’t a fantasy.” He flicked off her bra and captured a nipple in his mouth. The hot sensation of his tongue swirling over her nearly brought her to her knees. “That must have been a premonition.”

He shifted against her and there was a rustling sound before he picked her up and deposited her to sit on the conference table.

Squealing in surprise, she soaked in the feel of the cool mahogany surface beneath her, providing a stark contrast to the hot, lean muscles bending over her. His cock brushed her thigh and she could tell he must have discarded his trousers along the way. He stood in front of her, poised between her thighs.

She wanted him, wanted this, so badly. Part of her longed to tell him she’d like to see him stretched out on the conference table beneath her, but even with the blindfold she couldn’t find the words.

Knowing she’d spent long enough in the dark any how, Tempest reached for the silk scarf around her eyes and nudged it up and off.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the bright fluorescent lighting overhead.

And oh.
Ooh.

Wes naked was a sight to see. The carved muscle and flat abs appealed to her sculptor’s eye, but the weapon he was carrying…yipes. His shaft was pointed her way and looked very ready to strike.

Scooting toward the edge of the table she made her way closer, her greedy flesh hungry for a taste of him. He reached for her panties and snapped the skinny elastic straps, rendering her naked with a flick of his wrist. She
leaned back on her arms to support herself, desperate to feel him inside her.

Her finger brushed a paper—no, a foil condom pack age he must have left on the table. Falling on it grate fully, she ripped it open with her teeth while she silently applauded his foresight. She was so far gone now, she wasn’t entirely sure she would have remembered to be careful.

Rolling on the condom, she savored the length and size of him. He gripped her thighs, lifting her off the table until she slid her arms around his neck to hold on. He guided her closer, finding the perfect angle, and gently thrust his way inside.

Stretching around him, her body worked to accommodate his. He eased her back down to the table, settling her there so he could free his hands to touch her.

Eyes falling closed as he spread her with his fingers, Tempest shuddered from the wave of pleasure, a tiny foreshadow of the completion she knew would follow. The skill of his touch amazed her, his finger zeroing in on her clit again and again, even as he moved inside her with long, devastating strokes. She opened her eyes to see his burning into her with enough heat to singe her very soul.

Confusion and pleasure tangled inside her, startling her with how much she wanted this man. He was giving her everything he had, his deft touch taking her swiftly to the highest of sensual peaks, and yet she wanted even more…

Sealing her mouth to his, she kissed away her doubts, her fears, until only the heat remained. Her fingers sank into his skin, clinging, as he played between her thighs. His hips ground against hers, filling her so completely she thought she’d fly right apart.

Waves of pleasure crashed over her, pummeling her
with their intensity. Her thighs locked, squeezing him tight to her until his release claimed him, too. Their shouts mingled, breathless and raw, bodies seizing with aftershocks. Lights danced behind her eyes, a star-studded spectacular just for her. She’d never had an orgasm like that. Not even close.

She almost hated to open her eyes and end this moment in case she never felt that way again. A depressing thought.

Wes’s arms coming around her waist saved her from having to make that decision, however. He readjusted her, lifting her off the table where she’d somehow fallen back in a slump, his hands cradling her from the hard mahogany surface.

“Are you okay?” His voice, filled with more tender concern than she’d expected from a man of hard edges, warmed her insides.

She knew that kind of thinking was downright dangerous. As a closet romantic nursing a hunger for soap operas, Tempest knew that real life didn’t operate the way she wanted. Therefore, sexy, honorable men like Wes Shaw could never be expected to fork over a bouquet of daisies and start a courtship just because they had wild sex on her conference room table.

Far from it.

The man who had run at the first hint of too much publicity was probably already busy looking for the door. Forcing herself to keep things light between them, she drew in a stabilizing breath.

“Just a little dazed, I think.” Smiling with as much composure as she could manage, Tempest pried her eyes open. “That was something else, Detective.”

H
ELL YEAH
it was something else. Something out of this world and off his personal record books. Something
completely unexpected and mind-blowing. It also happened to be eye-crossing, bone-incinerating and brain-scrambling.

Not that he planned to share any of that with Tempest.

“Damn straight it was.” He kissed her, more than happy to allow the heat between them to do his talking for him. “You think anybody heard us?”

“Only Rebecca. And I didn’t hire her because she can type fast.” She eased up, her naked body brushing his and making him want her all over again. “She’s my assistant because we went to school together. I’ve never had a tryst in my office before, but I trust her to keep all my secrets.”

Prying himself away from her before he pushed her back against the table all over again, Wes scouted around for clothes. Did it make him an awful person that he was grateful for the office setting that prohibited intimate post-coital conversations? Not that he wouldn’t have appreciated the chance to hold Tempest’s body against his a little longer. But the level of their sex connection had thrown him for a major loop.

“Good.” He tossed her a skirt while he zipped up. “I meant what I said before about not wanting to cause a stir for you. I didn’t expect things to get so…out of hand here.”

“Yet you arrived bearing prophylactics.” She shrugged into her jacket before retrieving her scarf. “You were well-prepared for a man who didn’t expect to get carried away.”

Busted.

“Okay. Correction—I
wanted
something to happen, but I didn’t think it would happen in the middle of your conference room.” He watched her wind the scarf around her
neck, carefully tucking the ends into her jacket to cover those incredible breasts of hers. Desire slugged through him as hot as if he hadn’t just held her naked in his arms. “Nice view, by the way.”

She glanced up, brown eyes wide.

Jerking a thumb toward the wall of windows high above any other building nearby, he dragged his gaze away from her centerfold curves to the panorama of downtown. “You’ve got great offices here. I can’t imagine many buildings in the city rivaling this kind of view.”

“You’re full of it.” She fluffed her dark curls around her face and then pushed a few strands behind one ear. “But thank you.”

Her tone seemed different. Remote. Wes watched her, searching for a clue to her mood. She shuffled through some papers on her desk before slamming her appointment book closed.

“I guess I’m done here for the day if you want to walk down with me. I’ll have to make up my missed appointments another day.”

That was it? They’d just had the best sex of his life and now she wanted to dismiss him like one of her employees? He knew he had no right to be insulted since he’d been wondering how to avoid awkward after-sex conversations himself, but damn, even he wouldn’t have tried rolling out the door that fast.

Still, he didn’t have any intention of letting her out of his sight just yet.

“I’ll walk you down. Better yet, I’ll give you a lift back to your family’s home.” He would make sure she didn’t try to stay at her apartment tonight, not until the security system was up and running. “You said Park Avenue, right?”