Red-Hot & Reckless Read online

  “Oh!” She gasped, feeling every panic alarm go off all at once.

  “MMM. THE CONTESTANT’S very lucky, indeed,” Alex murmured against Nicole’s ear.

  The scent of cinnamon candy, subtle yet distinctive, teased his nose, while certain strategic areas teased other parts of his anatomy.

  Damn, but she smelled good. Clean, spicy and overwhelmingly sexy. Alex couldn’t resist resting his chin against the hair curving against the side of Nicole’s neck as he steadied her with his hands on her hips.

  “Seems we keep bumping into each other,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The touch of nerves humming just below the surface made it sound like a purr. He idly wondered if she might be part cat. Such feline characteristics would be an advantage in her chosen profession. One had to be light on her feet to be successful in this business. And, of course, it didn’t hurt to have an extra life or two in case you lost one along the way.

  He skimmed his fingers down her bare arm, feeling her shiver against him as he eased the small, customized pistol she held from her warm fingers. He looked at it. “Cute.”

  He heard her swallow. “Effective.”

  He chuckled quietly, keeping in mind that the other thief they were watching thought he was alone on the second floor. “Only if you draw a bead on your opponent before he draws one on you.”

  “Mmm. Yes, that does help.”

  Was it possible she’d sensed his identity straight off? Or was it the sound of his voice that had given him away? Either way, he was pretty sure she knew who he was.

  He also noticed that she was regaining her composure with each second that passed. He slid the palm-size gun into his tux jacket. She wriggled to free herself from the grasp of his other hand.

  “Shh.” He tightened his hold on her hip, then pressed his mouth against her ear. “Hold still or we’ll miss the show.”

  Alex watched over her shoulder as the thief entered the third guest bedroom and closed the door after himself.

  For long moments he stood still, listening to Nicole’s uneven breathing, taking in her unique scent, and wondering where in the hell she’d gotten the blond wig. It had taken him a full minute to realize that it was her after her transformation. She’d disappeared into a restaurant bathroom then emerged a short time later looking like she did now, her usual attire presumably tucked into her black tote. A tote she’d cleverly hidden in the bushes of a neighboring house before joining the Theisman party.

  “The show appears to be over,” she murmured.

  Alex slowly blinked, realizing he had yet to release her. And that she had yet to make another move to free herself. “Depends on which show you’re referring to.”

  He glanced down at the pale expanse of shoulder left bare by her black dress. The moonlight streaming in through the window kissed her skin, making it glow dimly while the rest was cloaked in shadow.

  “How long do you give him?” he asked, drawing the back of his index finger up her arm. She didn’t shiver this time, but she did shift, moving until her hot little bottom pressed more insistently against the front of his slacks. He sensed the move was far from accidental.

  “If he’s good, five minutes.”

  “And if he’s not?”

  “Enough time to hang himself.”

  Alex grinned. “Of course it helps when the lady of the manor gives you the combination to the safe.”

  Nicole stepped away then faced him, staring at him in the dark.

  “Ah, didn’t figure that one out, huh?” Alex tried to ignore the way his body missed her heat. “I caught our friend having a little chat with the very young Mrs. Theisman out back.”

  “Maybe she was complaining about the paté.”

  He dropped his gaze to the vee of her bodice, then down farther to where the hem hugged her legs. With those gorgeous gams he wondered why she always hid them under all that black leather. “If she was, then she was giving him a mouth-to-mouth taste of it.”

  “Hmm. Interesting.”

  “No. Predictable.”

  “I didn’t see it.”

  “Now that is interesting,” he commented.

  Nicole seemed to consider the shoes she still held in one hand.

  “So when were you planning on snatching the loot?”

  He caught a glimmer of humor in her eyes. “Snatch the loot?”

  “Grab the goods. Steal the stash. Rob the robber?”

  She tucked a strand of the platinum-blond wig behind her ear. “New York. Queens. Robbery/homicide.”

  He grimaced as she stepped a short way away.

  “Excuse me?” he asked.

  She held his gaze. “That’s where you’re from, right? Queens?”

  Oh, she was good. Almost too good. And downright dangerous. As well as provocatively sexy, which made her even more dangerous. He’d do well to remember that.

  She twisted her lips. “What I can’t get is what you’re doing here.”

  Alex crossed his arms, as much to keep from touching her as in a defensive maneuver. “Astoria. Insurance investigator.”

  “Mmm. Maybe now. But you used to be a cop, right?”

  “Detective.”

  “That’s what I thought.” She turned back toward the door to look out the crack. “And Astoria is Queens.”

  Alex’s gaze dropped to her pert bottom and the way it jutted out just slightly as she inclined to look into the hall. He stifled a groan. A stubbornly clever woman with a killer body. He felt the weight of the pistol in his pocket. She was also a felon that he should be arresting.

  “Are you here to guard the Theismans’ insured property?” she asked in that husky whisper that felt like the caress of a woman’s fingers.

  “No, I’m watching you.”

  She turned from the door again to look at him.

  He couldn’t resist a grin. “Surprised you.”

  “Yes…you could say that.”

  “I just did.”

  He caught her smile before she reached down and began putting her shoes back on one by one.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Leaving.”

  “Going to position yourself to ambush the thief?”

  She gently shook her head. “No, I think I’ll call this one a bust and go home.”

  “Not because of me, I hope.”

  She smiled.

  “And here I thought you’d stick around at least long enough to find out what I’m really doing here.”

  A creak of a door.

  They both swung to watch the thief exit the guest room across the hall. He clutched a black velvet bag in his hand. But rather than making a run for it, his attention was on another door. Namely the one Alex and Nicole stood behind.

  Alex eyed the woman standing in front of him. He hadn’t known how much he had been hoping for just such an opportunity until he hauled one very wily, supremely sexy Nicole Bennett into his arms. She stared up at him in naked shock. Then he slowly lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, absently thinking that she tasted like cinnamon candy, too.

  3

  SO…TALL. SO…HARD. SO…HOT.

  And far too slow.

  Nicole kept her eyelids cracked open, watching Alex’s finely honed features as he launched a mock attack on her mouth. Only there was nothing mock about her instant reaction to it. She heard the door creak farther open behind her, but immediately forgot about it as Alex moved his hand up the outside of her leg then slid his fingertips under the hem of her skirt. She dipped her tongue into his mouth just as he found out that she had absolutely nothing on underneath the classy shift. She drank in his expression of first shock, then pure wicked pleasure. Ah. Just her type. The kind of guy capable of compensating for any surprise thrown his way. That assessment was quickly confirmed when he traced the line of her clean-shaven pubis.

  Nicole’s knees buckled at the rush of instant and overpowering heat caused by his intimate touch. All the while, his mouth continued to slowly explore hers.

 
Too slowly.

  Deciding to ratchet things up a notch, she tunneled her fingers wildly through his hair then pushed her mouth almost painfully against his, swirling her tongue against his teeth like a starving woman. She was rewarded with a small groan…and the feel of his hand circling around to her bare bottom where he clutched her roughly to his growing hardness.

  Mmm. The long, thick ridge she felt under his trousers felt…promising. She wiggled her hips to get a better sense, then smiled as she recklessly kissed him. Very promising, indeed.

  Things escalated very quickly. One moment Nicole was trying to speed things up, the next she was dizzy from the quick pace. She forgot about the house, the jewels, the thief that could still be watching them. She tunneled her fingers into the front of Alex’s slacks, desperately needing to touch the silken length of him. The only thing she knew was the accumulating need to go as far as she dared with this man—a man with the power to put her behind bars, yet who set her on fire with a simple, well-placed touch.

  Alex caught her fingers just as she touched his hard heat, then broke free from their spiraling kiss.

  “I…think he’s gone,” he said raggedly, his breathing irregular, his hair gorgeously tousled from where she’d restlessly played with and tugged on it.

  “Who?” she whispered, blinking as her gaze traveled from his hair to his eyes then his decidedly decadent mouth.

  “Who, indeed,” he said, his eyes darkening.

  Nicole gasped when he shoved her against the opposite wall, then followed, sandwiching her between the wall and his heat. A picture frame tipped back and forth and a chair toppled over as Alex kicked it out of the way, then sweet heaven descended as he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his hips, pressing his hard arousal against her soft, exposed flesh.

  Nicole had always gotten a rush out of stealing. And she couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t love sex. But when the two of them crashed together, it nearly sent her plummeting right over the edge. She couldn’t seem to get enough of Alex fast enough. She pulled at his tie, shoved his suit coat down over his arms, then dove for his belt buckle and the zipper beyond. She heard the ripping of material. Namely that of the strap of her dress where Alex was trying to gain access to her breasts. She smiled at him through their kiss.

  “Sorry,” he rasped.

  Nicole ripped open his shirt, sending buttons ricocheting around the room. “Not a problem.”

  She took in the wide, hard planes of his chest. No donut-induced middle about this ex-cop. He was a pure, undiluted hottie with a chest that could make a grown woman cry. She pressed her palms flat against his nipples, then dragged her fingers down over his taut, rippled flesh. Damn. She hadn’t seen a guy this hot since she’d dated the captain of the football team back in high school. Maybe she’d been going after the wrong guys. Maybe the jocks were where it was at.

  She gave a soft laugh at the twisted thought even as she wriggled her hips to get the room she needed to free his erection. She finally held his long, hard length in her fingers. Impressive. Very impressive, indeed. She’d heard of extralarge condoms being available, but had never actually had the cause to buy one.

  Speaking of condoms…

  Alex fastened his mouth over her right breast, chasing the air from her lungs and causing her to throw her head back against the wall and groan. God, but he had a great mouth. Tiny tendrils of fire licked along her nerve endings, ending in a throbbing pool of molten electricity right between her thighs.

  “Rubber,” she said breathlessly. “Give me a rubber.”

  Alex froze.

  Just froze.

  His mouth still rested against her breast.

  His erection still pulsed against her too hot flesh.

  But he wasn’t moving anymore.

  And Nicole didn’t want to know the reason why.

  He finally pulled back enough to look into her face. She didn’t have to ask. The answer was right there in his tortured expression.

  Nicole felt the tremendous urge to hit him.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” she whispered, uncrossing her ankles behind his back and sliding her feet down to stand on her own. “You don’t have a rubber?”

  “The tux is a rental.”

  “Your wallet?”

  “Contains my ID and cash.”

  “No condom.”

  He shook his head, looking as frustrated as she felt. “No condom.”

  Nicole sagged against the wall, feeling the incredible, confusing urge to cry as sexual frustration pressed from the inside out. She wanted release. But for her there was only one way that would really do it for her. And that was feeling Alex deep inside her. Oral sex wouldn’t do. Petting, no matter how heavy, could never lessen the need.

  She swallowed hard, just then realizing that Alex was staring as hardly at her as she was at him.

  “Wait a minute,” she whispered, looking toward the large bed they had purposely avoided.

  She brushed by Alex, the tips of her breasts rubbing against his wide chest as she made her way to the nightstand to the right of the bed. She opened and closed the three drawers there, then rounded the bed and checked the drawers on the other side.

  No condoms.

  What kind of hosts were the Theismans, anyway?

  She felt Alex’s heat against her back where she stood staring at the nightstand. She wanted to scream with the frustration of it all. Until she felt something cold encircle her left wrist, then heard the unmistakable sound of metal teeth ratcheting against each other.

  “Sorry,” Alex said into her ear. “But once I say what I have to, I think you’ll understand.”

  Handcuffs.

  Nicole turned and watched as he fastened the other side of the handcuffs to his right wrist. Not to the bedpost.

  Not that it made a difference. Without a condom, sex was out of the question. She loved sex, and seriously wanted to indulge in some major mind-blowing sex with Alex, but she wasn’t stupid. Intimacy without a rubber was like playing Russian roulette with half the chambers filled.

  She collapsed to sit on the mattress and sighed. “You don’t have a condom, but you have handcuffs,” she said absently, considering the heavy metal weighing down her wrist.

  She blinked up at him. “You seriously need to reevaluate your priorities, man.”

  He chuckled softly then took out his cell phone and called a taxi.

  “Where are you taking me?” Nicole was afraid he was going to say the nearest police station. Although she knew that he had nothing on her, and she certainly didn’t have any stolen goods on her person, that didn’t mean he didn’t intend to have her arrested. After all, he still had to tell her what he was doing watching her.

  He slid the phone back into his inside jacket pocket. “Home.”

  FIVE HOURS and a plane trip later, Alex cursed his decision not to stop at the nearest drug store to stock up on, um, certain supplies before taking Nicole to his recently and very roughly renovated loft in lower Manhattan. Just seeing Nicole handcuffed to the headboard of his old iron bed made him hard as a rock, despite the majorly annoyed expression on her face as she tried to cross her arms over her chest but could only cross one. A loud thwap sounded when she slapped her free hand against the mattress. “This really stinks, you know.”

  Didn’t it just.

  Never had been the time that Alex had regretted who he was. But in that one moment, he’d have given his pension not to be an insurance investigator. Instead he wished he was a regular guy free to do what he would with the walking sexpot looking at him with barely contained rage.

  Then again, if he were a regular guy with no professional interest in Nicole, he wouldn’t be standing where he was, either, essentially having kidnapped Nicole Bennett. If anyone knew the repercussions of his actions, he did, no matter how desperate he was for her help. Although he sensed Nicole would be the last one to press charges.

  He hated catch-22s. The problem was that lately life had turned into
one huge catch-22 for him.

  Standing at the end of the bed, he dragged toward him Nicole’s ever-present black leather backpack, which he’d retrieved from the Theisman’s neighbor’s shrubs before leaving the wealthy Baltimore subdivision in a taxi.

  Nicole sighed and rolled her eyes to stare at the ceiling.

  Alex ignored the stretch of elegant neck she presented him with, and the way one side of her dress dipped dangerously low from where he’d torn the strap. He looked down at where he was pulling items out of the pack. A small bag of toiletries. Black leather pants, vest, coat and boots and…God was that a leather thong? He let the scrap of material hang from his index finger and decided that it must be. He looked at her. She glared back.

  “Interesting.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m sure I could find an interesting item of clothing or two if I went through your stuff, too.”

  He checked the empty bag. “No pajamas?”

  She hiked a brow. “You’re holding them.”

  Alex let the thong drop to the bed.

  His gaze slid up to where she had her long, long legs crossed at the ankles on the bed, lingering around the hemline and the bare area in question just beyond.

  Oh, boy. This wasn’t going exactly the way he planned.

  He stuffed her things back into her bag then tossed it to a nearby chair. Moments later, he threw a pair of lightweight summer pajamas to her from his top drawer.

  Nicole picked them up. “Are these for me or you?”

  “Both,” he muttered under his breath, thinking he should have cuffed her to the dormant radiator. “You.”

  “They still have the tags on them.”

  That was because his mother had bought them for him and, like Nicole, he wasn’t much of a pajama man.

  “They’re new,” he told her. “Put them on.”

  She tossed them to lay on top of her bag across the room. He had to give her credit for her aim. “I’m not doing anything until you tell me what’s going on.”

  Alex grinned. There it was. The demand he’d been waiting for since he’d snapped the cuffs on her in Maryland.

  Throughout the two taxi rides and a plane flight back to New York, he had waited for Nicole to ask the question. She hadn’t, of course. Instead she’d sat like a she-cat, alternately glaring at him then licking her lips in a way that made him forget his own name, much less what his objective was.