“Sure.”
“Do you think that car was trying to hit me?”
An uneasy look flitted across Liam’s handsome face before he hid it behind a warm smile. “Why would someone want to run you over?”
“I—I don’t know. I’m just—” Ellie waved her hand, then set the mug down beside the tub. She stood and nervously refolded a bath towel and hung it on the rack.
Liam came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Ellie tipped her head back and sighed as he softly massaged the tension from her neck. His touch felt so good, strong and sure. She moaned softly and focused on the warmth of his fingers as they skimmed across her shoulders and back. But when he pushed aside the strap of her camisole and pressed his mouth to her shoulder, she froze, her breath caught in her throat.
Then, as if all the fear had been suddenly washed away, Ellie turned to face him. She stared up into his eyes, with their indescribable mix of gold and green. Her gaze drifted down to his mouth and she remembered every kiss they’d shared, how exciting and exhilarating it had all been. She wanted that again, something sweet and soft to occupy her thoughts.
Ellie pushed up on her toes and touched her lips to his. But a brief kiss wasn’t enough and she decided she wanted more. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her, her mouth meeting his with a clumsy bump.
But Liam didn’t seem to mind. He pulled her against his chest and gently explored her mouth with his tongue, teasing and tasting, lingering over her lips. Ellie knew she shouldn’t let it go any further. They barely knew each other. But in the past days, she’d learned to trust Liam with her life. How could a man who’d saved her not once but twice possibly turn around and hurt her?
His hands slipped beneath her camisole and spanned her waist as he deepened the kiss. She’d wanted the taste of him to drive all the worry out of her head, but it was also sweeping her common sense right along with it. She’d made a vow to stay away from men for at least a year. She’d kept that vow for sixty-seven days and about six hours, and with just a few incredible kisses she was ready to throw it all aside.
Liam Quinn was not Ronald Pettibone. Nor was he Brian Keller, the stock analyst she’d been with before Ronald. Nor Steve Winston, the business consultant. Or any of the others that she’d thought she’d loved. Liam was…different. He was a man she could depend upon.
“I read this book once that said that people who have near-death experiences sometimes become more passionate in the aftermath. Do you think that’s what’s happening here?”
“I don’t know. Is that a bad thing?”
Ellie shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s just the author’s observation.”
“Maybe we should stop.”
She reached for the hem of her camisole and slowly pulled it up. “Maybe we shouldn’t.” Ellie gazed into his eyes, waiting for a cue, anything that would tell her that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He slid his hand up along her rib cage and cupped her breast, stroking his thumb across her nipple and bringing it to an aching peak through the soft fabric.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “From the moment I first saw you, I thought about this.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “You were dancing a—” he paused “—around me with that—that phone in your hand, dressed in your nightgown.” He grinned. “You know, when you stood in front of the light, I could see right through it.”
“You looked?”
“I couldn’t help myself.”
She pulled her camisole up a few more inches, until it was bunched beneath her breasts. “I’m lucky I tied you up,” she teased. “I didn’t realize how dangerous you were.”
Liam chuckled softly, then brushed her hands away. “You like dangerous?” He took the soft cotton knit in his hands and slowly dragged it up and over her head. Then he tossed it aside.
This time when his hand touched her breast, the contact was electric, sending a shockwave through her body. “I do like dangerous,” Ellie murmured. “Very much.”
With a low growl, Liam reached down and grabbed her, pulling her up until she sat on the edge of the bathroom sink. He covered her mouth with a deep and shattering kiss and Ellie had no choice but to respond. He seemed to know exactly what she wanted. Every place he touched and kissed ached in the moments before his lips moved there.
She couldn’t deny that she wanted him, but it was a need that was irrational. With every other man, the weeks or even months that approached this moment had been measured carefully, as if following some prescribed schedule. But now she didn’t care. So what if she’d only known Liam for ten days? So what if he’d probably seduced a string of beautiful women? That didn’t matter.
For now all that mattered was that she wanted him. Ellie reached for the buttons on his shirt and fumbled with them until they were undone. Then she brushed aside the soft cotton and smoothed her hands over his chest, lost in the pure masculine beauty of his body.
His chest was broad and finely muscled, a thin line of hair leading from his collarbone to beneath the waistband of his jeans. She trailed her fingers along that line as if it were a map to the next spot in their seduction. When she reached for the button on his jeans, Liam pushed her hands aside.
He worked the zipper on her jeans until they loosened around her waist. Then, lifting her, he pulled them down her hips, skimming her panties along with them. As he set her back on the countertop Ellie didn’t care that she was completely naked and he was still fully dressed. Somehow it made the moment seem more wicked. But she really didn’t realize how wicked it was about to become.
She expected him to start on his own clothes next, but instead he slowly explored her body with his lips and his tongue. Perched on the edge of the sink, she felt as if she might slip off at any moment and tumble onto the floor. But his hands were on her body, strong and sure.
Liam trailed his tongue from her nipple to her belly and then paused, gently parting her legs. Ellie sucked in a sharp breath as his mouth found its next destination. The pleasure was so intense that if she moved, she was certain she’d dissolve into a puddle on the floor. Her limbs became weightless and she couldn’t keep a rational thought in her mind. All she could do was experience the pleasure he gave her.
Ellie ran her fingers through his hair, arching into him with every sensation. She wanted to hold back, afraid to allow such vulnerability in herself. But the ache inside begged to be relieved. Second by second, she came closer, his tongue testing her limits. And then, as if something inside her burst, Ellie cried out.
Spasms of ecstasy rocked her body and she clutched the edge of the sink, certain that if she fell, she’d tumble into oblivion, destroyed by such an incredible orgasm. But Liam brought her down slowly and gently, until she felt completely relaxed and sated.
“Feel better?” he murmured, pressing his mouth against the curve of her neck.
A shiver of desire raced through her. “I guess the book was right,” she murmured.
“Are you ready for your bath now? The tub is almost full.”
Ellie didn’t care about a bath. Right now, she wanted to drag Liam Quinn into her bedroom to continue what he’d started, making wild and crazy love for the rest of the afternoon. But she wasn’t sure how to ask for what she wanted and, in the end, simply nodded her head.
“A bath would be nice.”
C
ANDLELIGHT FLICKERED
against the walls of Ellie’s bathroom and she sighed softly as she sank back into the steaming water, submerging to her chin. Liam watched from the doorway, a glass of wine in his hand.
She looked so beautiful, so relaxed, he was almost tempted to carry her from the tub to her bed and make love to her. But Liam had stopped just short of that for a reason. Though he’d wanted nothing more than to pleasure Ellie, he knew that if he lost himself in the same pleasures, he’d be taking a risk that might prove costly in the end.
Over and over again he’d had to remind himself that he was still working for Sean. He had a job to do, and no matter how intense his feelings ran for Ellie, there was a chance that she’d committed a crime.
But was that really what he was afraid of? In his heart he knew she wasn’t capable of such deceit. But she was capable of something much more dangerous. She could steal his heart, make him fall head over heels in love with her. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Liam slowly walked to the tub and squatted beside it. “Here,” he murmured.
Ellie opened her eyes and turned to look at him. She smiled then took the glass from him. “I guess my tea got cold.”
Liam nodded. “The wine will relax you.”
“I don’t think I need to be any more relaxed,” she said. Ellie sat up, the water skimming off her breasts and leaving her skin slick and shiny. She set the glass on the tiled floor, then reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m fine,” she said.
“You’re sure?”
Ellie nodded. “It was just an…accident. Nothing more. He didn’t see me, I didn’t see him. It was stupid. I should have been paying more attention. And from now on, I will.”
“Good,” Liam said, leaning forward to drop a kiss on her damp lips. “I can’t come riding to your rescue all the time.”
But Liam knew that he wasn’t going to rest until he knew exactly who had been driving that car. The windows had been tinted, but he was pretty sure he’d gotten a decent shot of the license plate. If there was any connection between the driver and Ronald Pettibone, he’d find out—and he’d make Pettibone pay.
“Would you like me to wash your hair?” he asked.
Ellie nodded.
Liam levered to his feet, grabbed the mugful of tea and dumped it in the sink. When he returned to the tub, he reached down and scooped up some water, then carefully poured it over her head. Ellie handed him a bottle of shampoo and, after her hair was drenched, he squeezed a small bit into his hand and massaged it into her hair.
He’d never really indulged in such tasks with a woman. There was an undeniable intimacy found in waiting on her, in the simple act of helping her bathe. In a way, it all seemed more intimate than what they’d shared earlier. That had been about desire and need, but this was about comfort and affection.
The phone rang and Ellie opened her eyes. “Do you want me to get that?” Liam asked.
“No,” she said. “Let the machine pick it up.”
“All right,” Liam murmured. He moved his fingers down to her nape and gently scrubbed. After four rings the answering machine picked up and they listened as her outgoing message echoed through the empty apartment. Then the beep sounded and a male voice replaced hers.
“Hi, Eleanor. It’s Ronald. Listen, I was just calling to apologize about the other day. You just took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to feel…well, what I wanted to say was that I really need to see you again. Soon. We have to talk. I’ve got some contacts at a few banks here in town and…well, we’ll discuss that when we see each other. I’m at the Bostonian. Room 215. Call me.” The answering machine beeped again at the end of the message.
Liam’s fingers slowly dropped to her shoulders. Ronald Pettibone? Damn it, when had she seen Ronald Pettibone? He’d been with her almost constantly over the last ten days. And when he hadn’t been with her, either he or Sean had been watching her.
“I guess that wasn’t about a job,” Ellie said with a light laugh. “How embarrassing to have one man call me when I’m in the tub with another.”
For a while he’d almost forgotten what had brought him and Ellie together in the first place. And now, sitting in her bathroom, her naked in the tub, he realized what a colossal mess he’d made of it all. Sean had warned him and he’d refused to listen, certain that he had everything under control. But he should have realized from the very moment he’d first seen Ellie that he was in trouble. If not then, their first kiss should have been a big clue. He should never have let it get this far.
He cleared his throat and hoped that his voice would sound indifferent. “Who is Ronald?” Liam already knew the answer to that question, but it was a logical one to ask considering the circumstances.
“You remember. I told you about him. He’s a co-worker from New York,” Ellie explained. “Well, more than a co-worker. Not anymore but—” She twisted around until she could look into his eyes. “We used to be…an item.”
“Is that another way of saying you used to be lovers?”
“Yes. But nobody knew. We kept it a secret. Ronald was afraid that everyone at the bank would find out and it would hurt our careers. Then he dumped me and I figured that he never really cared for me anyway.”
“And now he’s in town?”
“Yeah. In fact, you saw him that day outside the coffee shop. He was talking to me when you came out, remember?”
Liam slowly let the breath seep from his lungs. God, how could he have been so stupid? Ellie hadn’t looked a thing like her picture, why had he expected Ronald Pettibone to resemble his photo? Maybe it was all part of the plan, Liam mused. A new life, a new look. But Ellie was living her life out in the open. She was looking for a new job and making new friends and in no way trying to hide her identity. Not the behavior of someone just one step in front of the law.
But could the same be said for Ronald Pettibone? Not for one instant did Liam believe his appearance in Boston was coincidental. He’d come to her for a reason and either it was the money they’d both stolen or it was Ellie herself. Whichever it turned out to be, Liam wasn’t going to be a happy man.
“Maybe you should call him back,” Liam suggested.
“Now?”
“Not this minute. But after you get out of the tub.”
Ellie slowly swirled her hand around in the water. “It’s all over between Ronald and me. I don’t want you to think that—”
“I don’t,” Liam interrupted, already learning to hate the guy’s name. Ronald. Ronald was the name of the weaselly kid who was the tattletale in grade school. Ronald was the name of the brainiac in high school who always got a better grade in English. And Ronald was the kind of guy you just wanted to punch in the nose.
Liam grabbed the mug and began to rinse the soap out of Ellie’s hair. For a long time they didn’t speak. He wasn’t sure what to say. Hell, he knew Ellie had a past with men, far fewer than the number of women he’d had in his life. But Ronald Pettibone wasn’t just any old boyfriend. If he and Ellie had pulled off a crime together, then they shared a connection a little deeper than just physical attraction.