The one man a stubborn private investigator can’t handle is the only one who can save her life in this fan-favorite tale from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

PI Celia Carter has learned the hard way that when it comes to men, her judgment is almost fatally flawed. Determined to bury the past and never repeat the same mistake again, she throws herself into an undercover assignment that might be the riskiest of her career.

Dark, dangerous and hell-bent on seduction, Alec Sharpe has had Celia in his sights for a long time…but when she willingly puts herself in jeopardy, he knows it’s time to take action. So he gives her two choices: back off the case, or accept his help to continue it. Either way, it’s time for Celia to face the heat between them—but as their passion rages out of control, can he convince Celia to trust him before the enemy closes in?

Wanton
Lori Foster

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

To Ashley Carter.

What a wonderful, sweet and very beautiful young lady you are.

I’m so glad you’re a part of our lives!

Love ya,

Lori

CONTENTS

Cover

Back Cover Text

Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

CELIA BIT HER LIP. She felt naked in the tight, flesh-toned dress, too made-up with the cosmetics that had spent more time in her drawer lately than on her face. She was very aware of her bare thighs, of her exposed arms and cleavage. Though the air-conditioning hummed, she felt warm with embarrassment.

Heads turned appropriately as she sauntered through the dim interior and took a direct path to the bar. She didn’t want to look too closely, but she was sure Mr. Jacobs, the slime, was here. She had his description and knew this was his prime picking ground. This was where he chose the women. Hopefully, he’d choose her as well.

Slowly sliding onto a bar stool, she worked to gain his attention. Her heart pattered rapidly. Though she couldn’t deny the underlying fear she felt, she also relished the excitement, the anticipation…the end satisfaction. It had been laughably easy to leave her old proper life behind, though her relatives were still having a hard time accepting it. They expected her to show up at the company office any day, dressed in a business suit, hair neatly tucked away in a functional, professional style, begging for her old job back. Ha.

It didn’t matter that no one thought she could do this. All she had to do was prove to herself that she was capable, that she wasn’t too pristine or squeamish to see the job through. That she could make a difference in some other woman’s life. She’d do that tonight.

It was a nice enough bar, she thought, smiling at the bartender as he took her order. They made idle small talk, and she slipped in the fact that she was a woman alone, new to town, without relatives or friends in the area. He lingered, subtly, politely, asking her more questions. How long would she be in town, did she have a job. He cautioned her to be careful, and she almost laughed. He worked with Jacobs, she was sure of it.

Sipping at the drink she didn’t really want, she watched him walk away. Cool air from a ceiling fan brushed her bare thigh where her dress had parted at the side slit. Ever since they’d locked her fiancé away for crimes too horrific to think about, she’d done all she could to forget her carnal appetites, to deny an overly sensual nature. Yet here she was, prepared to do her damnedest to get a man’s attention by using her body.

Surreptitiously, she glanced down the length of the bar to the small round table located there, situated in the far shadows. The man occupying the table, blond and very good-looking, perfectly matched the description she had been given. It was easy to recognize Jacobs; he had the same classic, refined, golden-boy appearance as her ex-fiancé, a look she now recognized as slick and phoney.

It took all her control to keep from reacting as he surveyed her through narrow, contemplative eyes. His gaze skimmed over her from her loose tousled hair down to her high-heeled sandals. Not wanting to be too obvious, to look too anxious, she turned her head away and flipped her hair over her mostly bare shoulder.

Seconds later her pulse jumped, then raced wildly as she sensed the approach of a man. She didn’t turn to look but she could feel the tingling awareness of him, could detect his male scent, not in the least subtle. Yes! He was going to take the bait. Her palms began to sweat in nervousness but she ignored it. She felt him brush against her while taking his own stool, and that brief touch felt electric, making her jump in surprise. She struggled to moderate her accelerated breathing. He was looking at her; she felt the burning heat of his gaze as strongly as a firm stroke of flesh on flesh.

Mentally rehearsing the speech she’d prepared, she turned to face him, her smile planted as she leaned slightly forward to display as much cleavage as possible, given her small size. Her gaze slowly lifted, met his, and she froze in horror. “Oh no.”

“Hello, Celia.” The low, barely audible words were said in a familiar growl through clenched, white teeth.

“Oh no.”

His smile wasn’t a nice thing and sent gooseflesh racing up and down her spine. His eyes locked onto hers, refusing to let her look away, and his lips barely moved when he spoke. “Close your mouth, honey, or you’re going to blow your own cover. And I don’t feel like fighting my way out of here tonight. But then again, seeing you in that dress, a fight might be just what I need.”

She snapped her mouth shut, but it wasn’t easy. The eyes looking at her weren’t blue, weren’t admiring, and didn’t belong to the man she was investigating, the man still sitting a good distance away, now watching curiously. These eyes were too familiar, a cold, hard black, and at that moment they reflected undiluted masculine fury.

Her heart raced even faster, urged on by new emotions, new sensations. She felt nearly faint, and collected her thoughts with an effort.

Forcing a shaky smile that actually hurt, Celia whispered, “Just what are you doing here, Alec?” She tried to make it look as if they were merely conversing, getting to know each other. She needed to maintain her camouflage, damn him, and Alec knew it.

Rather than offer an answer, he tossed back a handful of peanuts from the bar and watched her. His black hair—taken to curling toward the ends—hung loose tonight to touch his wide shoulders and reflected the glimmer of colored bar lights. Those same lights shone brightly in his narrowed eyes, eyes that made many a man back up in nervousness without a single word being spoken. His sharply cut, ruthless features seemed etched in stone, accurately reflecting his mood. He even smelled of danger, a hot, spicy, masculine scent that appealed to the senses, even as it amplified her nervousness.

Everyone in the bar seemed to be looking at them, waiting, but then Alec often got that reaction. He exuded menace, and people picked up on the silent threat quickly. He was a man who wore his tiny gold hoop earring and tattoo without artifice; the small decorations merely seemed a part of the overall man. His requisite jeans, scuffed boots and black T-shirt weren’t exactly appropriate dress for the upscale bar, but Celia doubted anyone would be brave enough to ask him to leave.

She was brave enough. “Look, Alec—”

His dark, devilish gaze did a slow burn down the length of her body, effectively stifling her protest. He paused on her small breasts as they rose above the neckline of the dress, thanks to the wonders of the push-up bra. She shifted uneasily.

He smiled, not a reassuring sight, and his attention snagged again on her tummy. She felt that look inside herself, then more so as his intense scrutiny lingered on her exposed thigh.

She wanted to smack him for rattling her so, but then she always wanted to smack Alec. He confounded her and angered her more than any man she’d ever met. But worst of all, he made her feel the undeniable reactions of a woman just by his mere presence, and she resented it. She didn’t want to want him, not when something inside her was a little afraid of him. He wasn’t an easy man, wasn’t domestic in the sense of the average male in today’s society. When he looked at her, when his black eyes met her own, she sensed a certain degree of savage wildness, of primal masculinity that couldn’t be tamed. She always hesitated to push him too far, and that angered her more than anything.

“Answer me, Alec.”

His smile was again more taunting than comforting. “I suppose I’m here to save your stubborn little behind, though to tell you the truth, that’s not my first inclination. At least, not where your posterior is concerned.”

She sucked in a startled breath as heat flooded through her. What in the world did he mean by that? She couldn’t quite tell if it was a threat of physical punishment, which she could easily ignore, or a sensual promise, which would be impossible to ignore. Alec did that all the time, made those suspicious little comments that stirred feelings she didn’t want to acknowledge. Her one liaison of a romantic nature had ended in tragedy, and made her determined to ignore her baser instincts. They had overruled her common sense once, but never again would she put the people she loved in danger. Now she wanted to help protect women from bastards like her ex-fiancé. But her experiences with him, while making her wiser, hadn’t in any way prepared her for a man like Alec Sharpe.

When they’d first met, he’d made his interest in an affair, and his disinterest in marriage, well known. Celia wasn’t inclined to indulge either one, so she’d done her best to disregard his attentions—not at all an easy feat considering Alec was an impossible man to disregard on any level. But then she’d left her family’s company and joined her brother’s private investigations firm where Alec worked. He’d had a fit, appointing himself as her bodyguard, dogging her every step. Nothing had been the same since. Especially not after she’d gotten him shot a couple of weeks ago.

Celia winced, her guilt still keen. “Uh, should you be out and about on your leg already?”

His eyes narrowed, the obsidian depths almost hidden by long, sooty lashes that she envied every time she looked at him. “That’s right, this is the first time I’ve gotten to see you face to face since that bullet hit my leg. Were you worried about me, sweetheart?”

That purring undertone had her defenses rising. Alec ruthlessly used every available opportunity to wear her down, to point out her shortcomings. She shook her head and feigned a casual interest in the bar. “Not at all. Your hide is as tough as nails and Dane said it was only a flesh wound.”

“Yet you’ve still been avoiding me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve just been…busy.”

Alec reached out and caught her chin, bringing her face around so she had no choice but to witness the seriousness of his gaze. Her heart tripped, her senses coming alive with the simple touch. “That bullet was meant for you,” he said, his tone low and rough, rubbing along her raw nerve endings. “If I hadn’t been there, you would have been shot. I thought you might have learned your lesson then, but obviously you’re not as bright as I first figured, considering you’re here now.”

That was an insult she couldn’t let pass. She started to jerk away, then remembered her audience. She desperately wanted this case, wanted to prove she could handle herself while helping others, and if she got into an argument with Alec now, her cover would be blown. Dane had taught her that was the most important thing, the strongest safety measure. She had to remember to stay in character or she put not only herself at risk, but also the client and the other agents—in this case, Alec.

So she leaned toward him instead, seeing his nostrils flare and hearing his indrawn breath as her lips came within a millimeter of his own. Her heart thumped heavily with her daring, but she was getting sick and tired of him playing caretaker, constantly checking up on her. She still thought it was mostly his own fault for getting shot. He’d distracted her by his unexpected presence, otherwise she would have seen the threat before it became a reality.

She felt his incredible heat, smelled his musky, male scent, and felt his breath brush her parted lips. She stared into his dark eyes point-blank and a sense of sheer feminine daring filled her, almost obliterating her nervousness. It was like facing down a wild beast, exhilarating but also terrifying, making mush of her insides.

Against his mouth, she whispered, “I’m smart enough to know you have no say over what I do or don’t do, Alec Sharpe. So why don’t you just pretend you’re not interested in me tonight, and head on back wherever you came from so I can get on with my business?”

Rather than backing off in anger as she expected, his long hard fingers slid from her chin to the back of her head where they tangled with her hair and wrapped around her skull, locking her firmly in place. She saw his small, satisfied smile before his lashes lowered, hiding his eyes. In response, Celia’s own eyes opened wide in alarm as she belatedly realized his intent. Too late.

His mouth, hot and deliciously firm, closed over hers.

Slow, softly biting, inexorably consuming, the kiss obliterated all thought. The world seemed to come to a shuddering standstill as his mouth devoured hers, hot and easy. She didn’t hear the quiet droning of the bar, no longer felt the bar stool beneath her or the cool air-conditioning on her skin. She lost awareness of the man she was here to investigate. Nothing penetrated her fogged mind but Alec and what he did to her, how he made her feel.

Good grief, the man could kiss.

His teeth teasingly nipped her bottom lip, and when she gasped for breath, his tongue licked inside, then plunged. She moaned in sheer surprise and excitement. He tilted his head, fitting their mouths more surely together and she thought she might have helped him with that, reaching blindly for him. The kiss seemed to go on and on before he finally pulled back, releasing her by slow degrees with soft, tiny kisses meant to appease. She was so stunned, he had to pry her clutching hands from his shoulders and put them in her lap. Her first reaction was regret that he’d stopped—but it was quickly followed by the hot lash of shame.

It had been a long time since she’d been kissed, forever since she’d been kissed like that, and she’d responded as if starved. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to deny the truth about herself, but she couldn’t. She had hoped the awful ordeal with her fiancé had cured her of her overly passionate nature. But Alec, a man who didn’t care for her, who relished insulting her and tried to bully her at every turn, had gotten an even stronger response from her. How could she have kissed him back like that, losing all sense of time and place and purpose? Where in the world was her pride?

It took her precious minutes to get her bearings again, to hide the embarrassment that threatened to bring her low. And when she did, Alec was helping her off the stool. He had her purse in one fist, had paid her bill, and was leading her out. He walked behind her, automatically protecting her back, she knew, constantly nudging her forward.

Oh no. She hadn’t accomplished a thing yet! She stiffened, but Alec’s hand came around her waist and curved over her belly. The thin material of her dress was no barrier against the hot hardness of his large palm. His long fingers spread, spanning her from hipbone to hipbone. She sucked in a startled breath in response and retreated backward, attempting to pull away. But that only brought her up flush against the front of Alec and she felt his tall, hard body all along the length of her back. His erection, so blatantly obvious, pushed against her bottom. She felt a new, wilder rush of heat and she locked her knees against the tightening curl of desire.

Alec bent and his lips brushed her ear. To the onlookers, it appeared to be foreplay. To Celia, it was a sizzling threat. “Don’t look back or you’ll give yourself away. Every man here, including the ones who count, figure I just made arrangements with you for the night. That was your objective, and for the moment, keeps you safe.” He pressed his mouth to her temple in a strangely tender kiss, then added, “From them.”

From them. Meaning she still had to deal with him and that was much more alarming than what she’d faced in the bar. But she knew he was right. For now, there was no salvaging the night. She could come back tomorrow and hopefully her ruse would be validated by Alec’s actions. Mr. Jacobs, the blond, blue-eyed villain she’d been trying to meet, would see her as a desperate woman alone, an easy pick-up.

Celia forcefully snuffed out the small voice in her mind that claimed the ruse a reality. The kiss with Alec was a mistake; she wouldn’t let it happen again. She wasn’t desperate, or easy—not anymore. She was only determined to see the job done. One way or another, she’d keep her overheated sexuality under control, and she’d nail the man who was ruthlessly ruining young women’s lives.

Mr. Jacobs picked up women who seemed to be alone, telling them he wanted them to model for him. Some of their photos might even make it into a small-circulation magazine or two. But that wasn’t what he really wanted. And Celia intended to prove it. She only hoped she’d made an attractive enough picture to draw his notice. Combined with the conversation she’d shared with the bartender, she hoped to have left enough bait.

Forcing Jacobs to show his true colors, exposing him to the authorities, would be an absolute pleasure. But her first priority, for now, was saving one young woman in particular. She couldn’t forget that; she couldn’t forget Hannah.

As Alec led her to his truck, she thought about what she would say to him. The night air was warm and humid in mid-July and the sensual haze lifted while she felt her skin grown damp beneath the slinky dress. He was still behind her, still pressing her forward, and she wanted to run. Alec Sharpe, her brother’s number one agent, had kissed her senseless. He had curved his big hand over her belly and she could still feel the imprint of it there though he’d moved it away when opening the door. She felt like an animal.

“I can get home on my own.”

Without explaining how he knew it, Alec said, “You didn’t drive, and I’m damn sure not letting you get on a bus or wait for a taxi.”

She twisted to face him. “You have no say in what I do.”

His eyes flashed down at her, then skimmed her body once again. “Wanna bet?”

They waged a silent battle for all of three seconds, but Celia knew she didn’t dare cause a scene so close to the bar. Anyone might see, and then questions would be asked, questions she couldn’t afford if she wanted to handle this case without complications, without embarrassing Hannah further.

Taking her silence for acquiescence, Alec opened the truck door, lifted her by the waist and plopped her inside. He dropped her purse on her lap then slammed the truck door, and without a single care, strode to the driver’s side and slid in.

Damn it, she’d known since the day she met him he was trouble. It didn’t matter that her brother, Dane, trusted him more than any other man he knew. It didn’t matter that her sister-in-law, Angel, actually let him baby-sit her sweet, innocent little son. It didn’t matter that he always got the job done, that he had never hurt her, that he had in fact taken a bullet meant for her on the last assignment she’d botched.

What mattered was that he was lethal to her senses. He had kissed her, and she’d liked it. But his kiss had been meant to remove her from the bar without fuss. He’d used that kiss against her, just as her fiancé had used her sexuality against her. And it had worked.

She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let herself get involved with him. For the past year-and-a-half, she’d effectively put her sensual, prurient nature under wraps, and she wanted to keep it that way. As soon as she got home, she’d call Dane and make him intervene. She hadn’t wanted to do that because it felt too much like tattling, like using her relationship with the boss to get special favors. But this was crucial.

She had sworn off relationships after her last disastrous attempt at finding romance. Lust had blinded her to reality then, and the shame was still a part of her. But she was now older and wiser and determined to forge a new life for herself while making amends for past mistakes. Without sexual involvement.

Dane was going to have to make Alec leave her alone. That was all there was to it.

CHAPTER TWO

“PUT ON YOUR SEAT BELT.”

Alec was aware of her unease, but he wasn’t ready to comfort her yet. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d issued his less-than-subtle threat to her posterior. When he’d found her in that bar, playing at being a damn tramp and looking ripe for the part, he’d wanted more than anything to turn her over his knee. But he figured if he ever did have Celia Carter in such an interesting position, punishment would likely be the last thought on his mind. He knew he could never hurt her; hell, he’d taken a bullet rather than let her be hurt. But all other possibilities were still wide open. The things he did want to do to her were numerous, and driving him nuts.

Especially since she seemed to make a career of telling him no—about everything. As a result, he was learning to live with constant frustration.

He could almost feel her gathering her courage. She did that a lot with him and it amused him. Grown men had been steering a wide path around him since his late teens, but not Celia. Right from the start, she’d tried her best to stand up to him, but always there was a touch of fear in her mellow hazel eyes. She’d rail against him, give him hell, but with obvious nervousness. To him, the fact that she stood up to him despite her fear indicated a hell of a lot of guts and he admired that in a woman. In fact, he’d admired a hell of a lot about Celia Carter since first setting eyes on her.

What he didn’t admire was her impetuous race for adventure that had kept her on the edge of danger ever since she’d left her family’s secure company and joined up with Dane. He still couldn’t figure that one out. So her fiancé had turned out to be a grade A bastard? There were plenty of them in the world to go around, and it certainly wasn’t Celia’s fault that she’d been too innocent to see through Raymond’s scam. Alec had already been working with Dane to nail Raymond for numerous crimes, not the least of which was the murder of Dane and Celia’s brother. At the time, they hadn’t known for certain that Raymond was the culprit, but they’d had their suspicions. In the end, Celia was the one who’d saved the day, sneaking up on Raymond and clobbering him with a crowbar while he’d held Dane and Angel at gunpoint. Celia had more than vindicated herself in everyone’s eyes.

Everyone’s but her own.

Alec knew Raymond had hurt her tender feelings, trying to use Celia as a pawn in his schemes. It was the worst emotional insult a man could deal a woman, using her that way. She obviously felt horrible for having ever believed in him. In truth, Alec wondered what the hell she’d seen in Raymond. He’d disliked the man on instinct the moment he’d met him. But then he was good at what he did, and he’d been doing it a long time. The same wasn’t true of Celia. For the most part, and despite her loud claims to the contrary, she was still a wide-eyed innocent.

So why the hell did she want to risk her damn neck day in and day out trying to prove something? The anger washed over him again, fresh and raw, and he growled, “You’re not going back there, so you can stop your scheming right now.”

Her head snapped around toward him and she glared. “I’m going to talk to Dane. You’re not my boss and I want you to quit acting like you are.”

Primal satisfaction settled deep into his bones. With this one woman, he wanted every advantage he could get. “Now there’s where you’re wrong.”

He felt a return of her wariness. He was so painfully attuned to her and her feelings, he always seemed to know what she was thinking and feeling. It unnerved him, even as it turned him on and made him more determined to have her. There was a link between them that she did her damnedest to deny. He wouldn’t let her do that much longer. When she was lying naked beneath him, he’d see to it that her thoughts were centered solely on accepting him and the incredible pleasure he’d give them both. There’d be no room for doubt or denial.

“What are you talking about?”

He tightened his hands on the wheel, pressed his foot to the accelerator and relished this moment of proper balance between them. He hadn’t liked it worth a damn that Dane was her ultimate boss, leaving him no say-so in what Celia did or which job she chose. That had finally changed, and not a moment too soon, given where he’d found her.

Luckily, the darkness hid his smile, but the satisfaction came through in his tone. “With Angel pregnant again, Dane’s decided she needs an extended vacation. He’s rented a house in the Carribean and he’s taking the family there for a month. While he’s gone, I’m in charge.” He slanted her a look, saw her shock and decided to clarify just to make sure there were no misunderstandings. “So you see, Miss Carter, I am your boss.”

“No.”

He took great pleasure in nodding. “Afraid so.”

“I won’t have it!”

“You, Celia, have no choice.” Her hands fisted, her entire small body going taut in automatic rebellion. He wanted to pull her close, to cuddle her and reassure her; they were soft urges he hadn’t experienced with a woman in fifteen years and he didn’t welcome them now. He firmed his resolve, blocking out all the weakening, tender emotions. Protecting Celia was for her own good, so he’d do it whether she liked it or not.

“Listen close, honey. If I find you even thinking about that particular case again, I’ll fire you in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, from here on out, I’ll personally give you which assignments I want you to have. And you can bet they won’t include dressing like a hussy and putting your sweet little ass on the line.”

He finished that grand statement with a flourish, pleased with himself and his implacable stance. But when he slowed the truck for a turn in the road, Celia unsnapped her seat belt and opened the door.

Cursing, Alec slammed on the brakes and tried to steady the wheel. The truck shuddered to an immediate, bone-jarring halt. Alec saw red and reached for her, the idea of getting her over his lap more appealing by the moment. But she was already leaping out, her own anger giving her the advantage of speed. She landed awkwardly on her high heels, fell to her butt, then jerked quickly to her feet again. If his reflexes hadn’t been so good, and he hadn’t stopped the truck so quickly, she might have broken her neck. Waiting for the truck to actually stop hadn’t seemed like a concern to her.

A middle-aged couple who’d been walking by on the dark night stopped to stare. Alec saw Celia dust herself off, nod at the people, then start briskly on her way, limping slightly.

He quickly maneuvered the truck to the curb, jerked out his keys and trotted after her. Damned irritant. Her brother was sharp as a tack, reasonable, calculating. There wasn’t an impulsive or careless bone in his body. Dane always knew what he was doing, and how he was going to go about doing it. He and Alec worked perfectly together, both of them practical, methodical, sensible. So where the hell had Celia gotten her foolhardy, damn-the-consequences attitude?

Alec grabbed her arm and held on while she tried to jerk away. She swung her purse at him and he dodged it. “Just settle down, damn it, before you hurt yourself.”

“You bullying behemoth, get your hands off me!”

The names she called him usually made him grin. But not this time, not when he had an important point to make and already knew how resistant she was going to be. He clasped both her arms, effectively immobilizing her. Through clenched teeth, he growled, “Just this once, Celia, will you please use your head?”

“I am using it,” she insisted, her eyes and cheeks hot with temper. “I’m going to go to the corner and hail a cab, and from here on out, I want nothing to do with you. You think you’re going to fire me? Ha! I quit.”

The pedestrians, still enthralled by the drama taking place in front of them, moved on quickly enough when Alec’s darkest, most threatening glare shot their way. He pushed Celia into a small storefront doorway, out of the path and view of anyone else out wandering the streets on this blacker-than-pitch night. The corner streetlamp didn’t quite reach them, and they were isolated by the darkness.

He forced himself to take three deep, calming breaths. Her statement that she wanted nothing to do with him had cut like a knife and left him bleeding. Damn her, she would not shut him out. Not anymore.

“You’re being unreasonable,” he finally said, doing his best to keep his tone calm, to hide his own anger. No one, man or woman, had ever set him off like this, but then it had always been that way with Celia. She elicited more emotion from him, in all forms, than anyone he’d ever known. She could make him furious with a word, amuse him with a burst of temper, or arouse him to the point of pain with a simple shy look. He didn’t like it, but more than that, he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it, and feeling helpless was something he hated above all things. The only way he could see to get over it was to finally have her, to sate himself on the scent and feel and taste of her. He could easily spend a week doing just that, and he eventually would. But first he had to insure her safety.

“Do you want to get hurt?” He shook her slightly, both hands now holding her bare shoulders. He was careful not to bruise her, but he wanted her attention, needed her to know he was dead serious. “Do you realize what could have happened to you last time if I hadn’t gotten in the way of that bullet?”

She lowered her gaze and stared at his shirtfront. He had the almost overpowering urge to press his lips against the part in her fair hair. She was so damn baby soft all over. Soft hair, soft skin…soft smell. His chest suddenly felt tight, his muscles rigid, and he fought against it, against the effect she had on him. The need to kiss her, to eat her alive, was strong. He wanted to make her a part of him so she’d quit fighting so hard.

He gave her another quick, careful shake. “Celia?” he demanded in a growl.

“That was an accident,” she muttered, her voice quavering slightly. “I thought the guy was just jumping bail and that he’d be easy enough to bring in.” She peeked up at him, her hazel eyes wide and vulnerable, swallowing him whole and making his hands shake. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

His fingers flexed on her shoulders, stroking, relishing the tender feel of her warm flesh. A slow burn started in his gut. “Celia…damn it, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t know enough yet to get involved in cases like that. They’d grabbed that guy on petty theft, and he was small-time, but he knew bigger, more dangerous guys and you bumbled right into their dealings by following him without backup. You didn’t wait for a partner the way you’re supposed to and you didn’t call the cops when you should have.”

She swallowed. “Does…does your leg still hurt?”

It wasn’t his leg bothering him. He thought about lying, pondering whether his injury would have any effect on swaying her to stay away from danger. But he doubted it. She was so damn headstrong and unreasonable. “No. It’s fine.”

“Nothing keeps you down for long, does it?” She peeked up at him again. “You’re so invincible.”

Hardly. His hands tightened again, because around her he felt like a naked baby in the woods, but damned if he’d admit it.

“I just wanted to prove I could do it,” she whispered, reacting to his anger.

Her words made him want to explode. “Why?”

She drew a shuddering breath, and his attention was diverted to her breasts. He wasn’t sure how it was done, since understanding the working of women’s underwear wasn’t high on his list of accomplishments, but her small breasts were fairly bursting out of that damn dress. They taunted him, when usually it was her pert behind that grabbed his undivided attention. That and her unwavering stubbornness, which he admired even as he resented it.

“You wouldn’t understand, Alec.”

Probably not, since he’d forgotten what the hell they were talking about. He wanted to pull the plunging neckline of the dress two inches lower so he could see her nipples. Would they be pale pink, or a dark dusky rose? He could almost taste her in his mouth, her sweet flesh puckering tight. His erection strained against his jeans. Lord, if just thinking about kissing her breasts made him shake with lust, he wasn’t sure he’d actually be able to survive being inside her. He closed his eyes in self-defense and swallowed hard. But shutting out the reality of having her in his grasp only allowed him to dwell on the fantasy of getting her beneath him, warm and soft and ready.

He groaned.

“Alec?”

He forced his eyes open, saw her worried gaze, and frowned. With one fingertip, he tipped up her chin. “What wouldn’t I understand, babe? Explain it to me.”

She licked her lips, leaving them wet and shiny. “I need to make a difference. I’ve screwed up a lot in my life, hurt a lot of people.”

Her self-recrimination did a lot to dispel his lust and clear his brain, so that her words held all his attention. He started to correct her, to tell her how wrong she was, but decided to let her talk it out instead. Later, he could set her straight.

“I almost lost Dane, and I did lose Derek because I was too dumb to see Raymond for what he was. My entire family was hurt, the company was hurt. Innocent people were victimized. The only way I can live with myself now is if I help someone else.”

Alec smoothed his fingers over her cheek, tucking a blond strand behind her small ear. Her hair was soft and fine, with natural curl. “Hooking up with Raymond was a mistake, but we all make them. You can’t expect yourself to be exempt. And you can’t undo the past.”

“I can try to make amends.”

“To who? Dane knew what he was getting into, and you couldn’t have helped Derek even if you’d known. You didn’t even meet Raymond until after Derek had died.”

It was an awful situation, one Alec knew she still hadn’t come to terms with. She’d only been a stepping stone in Raymond’s plot against her family, but of the survivors, she’d been emotionally hurt the worst. Raymond had started with industrial espionage, and quickly advanced into more deadly crimes. It had taken all Alec’s fortitude to allow the law to have him, rather than utilizing his own sense of justice. He could have taken care of Raymond without an ounce of remorse.

Celia turned her face away. “I feel like I betrayed them all.”

His heart twisted, and the pain was so unfamiliar, he jerked. Slowly, his hands flexed on her smooth shoulders, pulling her closer, which made the pain less noticeable. “Celia,” he whispered, the word a reprimand breathed into her ear, “you know that’s nonsense. Dane loves you, so of course he doesn’t blame you. And Angel adores you. You’ve become her best friend, a godmother to little Grayson.”

Her small hands lifted to his chest and lightly rested there. Her forehead touched his sternum. “I can’t believe she’s forgiven me. It’s because of me that Raymond was able to threaten her.” She tilted back to stare up into his face, and her belly pressed against him. “She could have been hurt—”

“Hush.” He laid a finger over her lips, fighting the urge to taste her again. That first kiss, meant as a showdown, had made him hard, and being near her had kept him that way. She’d tasted sweet, like cherries, but now her lip gloss was gone and he found her naked mouth even more appealing. “You’re not responsible for Raymond’s actions, Celia. And the truth is, you saved Angel by showing up when you did and wielding that crowbar like a pro.”

He smiled and she managed a skimpy smile in return. “Regardless of what you say, Alec, I know I hold part of the responsibility. And it…it disgusts me so much, knowing I was engaged to that animal, that I might have married him, that I did sleep with him.”

Alec froze, not wanting that image to invade his mind, but it was never far from there anyway. The thought of Celia having sex with Raymond sickened him and filled him with a killing rage. He dropped his hands and took a step back, trying to distance himself both physically and mentally. He didn’t want to care who she’d slept with, as long as she slept with him, too. But it wasn’t that simple and he knew it.

He loomed over her, ready to intimidate once again. “You won’t change anything by getting yourself killed. Do you think Dane deserves that right now, after he’s finally found happiness with Angel and the baby?”

She wrapped her arms around herself, holding tight. “I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll be extra careful from now on. But when I saw this case, I knew I had to do something.”

“Damn it, Celia!” His frustration exploded, but he recognized her stubborn look and knew there’d be little chance of changing her mind.

She glared at him, her chin jutting out at an obstinate angle. “Well you just refused it without even giving Mrs. Barrington a reason why!”

In her pique, Celia no longer looked so vulnerable or so small. She stood barely five-foot-six in her heels, a good ten inches shorter than him. But when she gave her anger free rein, she reminded him of an Amazon.

She clutched at the front of his shirt. “Do you know she thinks her daughter is involved in prostitution? That she’s been forcibly coerced into it? Hannah thought she was joining a modelling agency, but now—”

“Spare me, Celia,” he said in disgust, his anger rising once again. “I read the case and I interviewed Mrs. Barrington myself. Her daughter was a spoiled brat who left a very loving family behind to chase the limelight. I’ve heard it before. Hannah wants to be famous, and she’ll likely do whatever it takes to see it come true. Mrs. Barrington just can’t believe her precious daughter would willingly stoop so low. But it happens. There’s no one to save this time, and Hannah likely wouldn’t appreciate your intrusion into her cozy little life-style, anyway.”

Celia thumped her fist, still tangled in his shirt, against his chest. She looked outraged and appalled. “You’re not even willing to check it out?”

“I just told you, I already have.” He covered her hand with his own, holding it tight against him. “Trust me on this. I know more about it than you ever will and I have eons more experience.”

“What does that mean?”

Damn it. He swiped his hand through his hair, unwilling to tell her just how much experience he had with a situation such as this. Even thinking that far into the past made his head hurt. He narrowed his eyes and made his tone deliberately cold. “You’ve wasted your time coming here. Now let’s go. We’ll stop at the room you rented so you can pick up your stuff, and then head home. No reason to spend another night here.”

He had her halfway to his truck before she dug in her dainty heels. “I’m not going with you, Alec.”

His patience was at an end. He turned to her, then bent down until his nose was almost touching hers. “Yes you are. If I have to haul your stubborn hide over my shoulder and tie you in the damn truck, so be it. But one way or another I’m taking you home. Now.”

Her small body practically vibrated with anger, her eyes hot with it, and then her eyebrows lowered ferociously. “All right. I’ll come with you. But I’m not giving up this case.”

“Then you’re still fired.”

“I still quit,” she qualified, and slid into her seat. She didn’t look at him, but stared stonily ahead.

Alec braced one hand on the dash and the other on the roof of the truck. He leaned in close, using every intimidation tactic he knew. “When I inform Mrs. Barrington you’re no longer with the agency, do you think she’ll still be willing to pay your expenses?”

Celia curled her lip, for the moment too angry to be cowed by his excellent routine. One long manicured finger poked him in the chest with stinging force. “Fine. You do that and I’ll just work gratis. But one way or another I’m going to find out what’s going on with Hannah Barrington. I’m going to find out if her mother’s suspicions are correct. I’m going to help that girl. And you, Alec Sharpe, can’t do a single thing to stop me.”

Alec got out of the truck and slammed the door, afraid he’d strangle the little witch if he stayed that close to her a second longer. She knew how to push all his buttons. No one, male or female, had ever seemed to take so much delight in provoking him. Hell, most people were afraid to try! It wasn’t what he was used to, what he was accustomed to dealing with. Damn it, he wanted to see this at an end. He wanted Celia Carter kept safe.

He wanted her—period.

What a horrible situation to find himself in. He couldn’t do it, no matter how hard he tried, but he knew it would be best if he just stayed the hell away from her. From the day he’d met her, he’d seen all the signs. Miss Celia Carter was trouble with a capital T, and he had the bullet wound to prove it.

CHAPTER THREE

THE RIDE TO HER MOTEL was made in absolute silence before Celia decided she couldn’t take it anymore. Alec was being so boring, she was about to fall asleep. The quiet, along with the dark night and the breeze from the open windows were proving to be very hypnotic. She wasn’t even all that mad anymore. Alec couldn’t help being the way he was. His bossy arrogance seemed an innate part of his nature. And overall, she accepted that it was concern which prompted his temper. Concern for her. He was one of those incredible men who thought everyone smaller or weaker warranted his protection, and nearly everyone was smaller and weaker than Alec. Not that she would allow him to boss her, but at least she could understand why he wanted to try.

What had really kept her quiet for so long was the way he’d pulled away from her when she’d mentioned sleeping with Raymond. Evidently the awful truth of what she’d done, of what she’d allowed Raymond to do, disturbed him as well. But she couldn’t fault him for that, either. No one could disparage her horrid judgement any more than she did.

The quiet had given her plenty of time to think, though, and she’d come to several conclusions. She didn’t like it, but she was forced to face the truth. She needed Alec’s help.

Staring at his hard profile, she sighed. “So are you going to brood all night?”

“Yes.”

She almost laughed at that, her mood lifting slightly. He was such a big, dark, awesome man to admit to actual brooding. But she could see he was more relaxed now, too. That ever-present aura of danger that loomed around him like a thick black cloud had softened. His hands were no longer gripping the steering wheel as if he might snap it in two, and his jaw wasn’t as tightly clenched.

Celia smiled at him, hoping to cajole him into a more agreeable frame of mind. “I have a sort of ‘off the topic’ question for you.”

He gave her a suspicious look, his black gaze cutting over her features before he reluctantly shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“How did you know where I was? I made a point not to drive, to take the dumb slow bus instead so people would see my car in the driveway and think I was still at home.” She didn’t mention that the “people” she’d most wanted to elude was Alec. But as usual, he was one step ahead of her.

As she spoke, he pulled into the motel parking lot where she’d rented a room. Celia shook her head in amazement. “And how did you know I was staying here?”

He made an impatient sound and shut off the truck’s motor. “I’m a P.I. This is what I do.”

He shifted in his seat to face her, one long arm stretching out along the back of the seat, almost touching her. The darkness of the cab’s interior closed around them, relieved only by the lights of sporadic traffic. She could smell his scent, feel the warmth of his big body. His arm with the tattoo was closest to her, and she glanced at it. It was too dark for her to see it clearly, but she’d studied it many times and always wondered at the significance. A man like Alec didn’t tattoo his arm with a heart, pierced by an arrow, for no reason. She just didn’t have the nerve to ask him what that reason might be.

She shifted restlessly in her seat. “But how?” she demanded, going back to her original question. He narrowed his gaze, his look calculating, and she warned, “Don’t you dare lie to me, Alec.”

One finger touched her hair, twining around a loose curl, unnerving her further and filling her stomach with sensual butterflies. He watched his hand, his dark eyes glinting in the soft moonlight. She saw the moment he decided to tell her the truth. His shoulders lifted in a slight, unconcerned shrug. “I broke into your house and found your travel plans.”

Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in utter disbelief. She took refuge from his overwhelming nearness in the flash of anger that jarred her wits back. “You did what?”

Disgruntled, he released her and opened his door. Celia scrambled out her own side before he could circle the truck, then stepped in front of him, hands on hips, chin thrust out, blocking his way. “You broke into my house?” she demanded, injecting as much outrage in the words as she could. He ignored her and she had to quickly backstep since he didn’t stop, then was forced to skip to keep up with him.

“I didn’t do any damage.” He said it as if that would be her only concern, as if the invasion of her privacy was nothing at all. He glanced down at her, then added, “You need an alarm system. I’ll take care of it when we get back.”

Celia slung her purse strap over her shoulder and clasped both hands around the back waistband of his tight jeans as he started up the outside stairs leading to her second-floor room. She dug in her heels, but only got dragged in his wake. “Damn it, Alec, will you wait up a minute?”

“We can talk in your room, honey, while you pack up.”

She stumbled on the concrete steps and he reached back, disengaging her hands and pulling her up alongside him. He kept a solicitous hand at her elbow, offering her support in her high heels. “Did you hurt yourself when you leaped out of my truck?”

“No.” Nothing more than a tender ankle, and since he’d blown off the impact of a bullet wound to his thigh, she certainly wasn’t going to complain about something so minor.

“Good.” He continued dragging her along.

Celia seethed. She had no intention of packing up. In fact, she still had hopes of convincing Alec to stay and help her. Alec and Dane were forever claiming “gut instincts” to account for every hunch they had that couldn’t be explained, but proved true nonetheless. Well, she had a wrenching, screaming “gut instinct” right now, and it was telling her that Hannah Barrington was in big trouble and Celia was her only hope. She couldn’t, wouldn’t turn her back on Hannah now, no matter what. If she did give up on the twenty-year-old girl, she’d never again be able to face herself in the mirror. But she was smart enough to know her chances of actually helping Hannah would be much better if Alec lent his expertise. Getting him to do that would be tricky.

Especially if she killed him first.

When they reached the landing and circled to her room, Alec turned to face her. He reached for her purse and Celia knew a physical struggle would be pointless. He was coming in and since she hoped to convince him to help her, she didn’t want to cause a fuss about it. Still, she snatched her purse out of his reach and glared at him. “I’ll get the key. Just hold on a second.”

He was impatient, looming over her as if he expected her to pull out a gun instead. Ha! If she had one, she would already have hit him over the head with it. Celia thrust the key into his hand and said at the same time, “I can’t believe your gall. How would you like it if I broke into your home?”

He swung the door open and reached inside for a light. His voice was pitched low, with a husky drawl. “Anytime you want to visit my place, honey, you just let me know. The invitation is always open.”

Celia sputtered, annoyed at what she was sure was another sexual reference. Then the light spilled over them and Alec could suddenly see into her room.

For once his look was comical rather than terrorizing. “What the hell?”

Celia peeked around his shoulder, and flinched. She’d forgotten that she’d left the room in such cluttered disarray. The room’s dingy carpeting could barely be seen for the objects covering it. Alec slowly turned to stare down at her, one black brow quirked high. “What the hell have you been up to?”

“Exercising?” Her voice emerged as an embarrassed squeak. The personal goals she’d set for herself were just that—personal. She didn’t want anyone, especially Alec, to know about them.

He blinked twice, his look filled with skepticism, then again surveyed her room. He took his time, his gaze going over the padded floor mat, the ankle and wrist weights, the five-pound barbells, a jump rope, and finally landing on the expandable chin-up bar she had wedged open in the bathroom doorway. So far, she’d managed to get her chin over it twice. He shook his head, and his long hair skimmed over his shoulders. “Who the hell do you think you are? That crazy broad from the Terminator movie?”

Celia’s face burned and she reluctantly followed him inside, pausing beside the door. “I’m just trying to stay in shape. I was getting too soft.”

His gaze caught hers and held. Two heartbeats later, he slowly reached around her and shoved the door shut with the flat of his hand. His other palm landed on the wall next to her head, caging her in. She could feel his thick wrists just touching her bare shoulders as he leaned down toward her, angling his chest so close she inhaled his scent with every rapid breath she took. “Crazy Celia,” he muttered, nuzzling close to her. “I like you soft.”

She thought about ducking. She thought about running. Her body had other thoughts.

When his mouth touched hers, it was like tasting live electricity. She jerked, gasping at the same time and giving him the opportunity to sink his tongue into her open mouth. Her responding groan told him things she didn’t want him to know.

He ate at her mouth, big, soft, slow love bites that made her want more, made her chase his mouth with her own. She loved how he kissed. “Alec…”

“Hush, it’s okay, baby.” And then he gave her that killer kiss again until her arms were tight around his neck, their bodies fused together, rocking. He was so incredibly hard, so solid. She loved the way his breath was broken, how his hands shook, and the way his hips pushed rhythmically against her where she needed the pressure most…

His mouth moved to her throat, making her toes curl.

“I don’t want to do this,” she whispered, but where the words came from she had no idea. She hadn’t been touched like this in a long time, and she wanted him so badly, her body was with him every step of the way.

Alec growled, “Yes you do.”

Yes I do.

He skimmed one narrow shoulder strap down her arm while his mouth left damp, hot kisses over the sensitive skin of her collarbone, the hollow of her shoulder, the slope of her upthrust breast. She felt cool air touch her breast, then the incredible, contrasting heat of his rough palm as he slid his hand inside her bra. They both groaned together at the exquisite feel of it.

His forehead touched hers, his eyes closed as if in pain while he caressed her, gently learning the shape of her, weighing her in his palm. She could feel a subtle trembling in his entire body, could feel the harsh, rapid thumping of his heartbeat, echoing her own.

“Celia?” He continued to caress her, but his tone sounded strained, as if he held his control on a very tight, very fragile leash. He rubbed her belly with his erection, making certain she understood what he asked.

Tears threatened. Her body was screaming for her to say yes, to give in. It wouldn’t take much to send her over the top, to make her mindless with release. Just the way he cupped her breast, the rough rasping of his thumb over her tender nipple, had her on the verge of climax. She felt empty and hungry, every nerve ending sizzling and alive.

And that’s what upset her most of all.

Why did it have to be this way? Why was she so damn easy? She wanted to be ruled by her mind, by her caring and intelligence and pride. Not by animal lust. Alec had made it plain that he thought her incompetent, that he didn’t want a relationship with her, only sex. And her body didn’t care.

The sob caught her by surprise, shaming her further. Alec froze, going painfully still against her, and then he pulled his hand free and gathered her close and the emotions swelled inside her until they overflowed. She didn’t want to cry on his shoulder, but as usual, he wasn’t giving her any choice.

She struggled to get away from him, but his arms locked around her, not allowing so much as an inch between them.

“Shhh, it’s all right.” One big hand pressed to the back of her head and forced it into the notch of his shoulder. She knew her tears were wetting his bare skin; she could feel the hot, soft skin of his throat against her face. His other hand rubbed up and down the length of her spine, consoling her, comforting her, filling her with immeasurable guilt for letting things get so far out of hand.

After half a minute of fighting the inevitable she clutched him tight. It simply felt too good to be held, to be comforted. Through rough sobs and humiliating sniffles, she managed to choke out, “I don’t want to want you, damn it.”

He rubbed his cheek against her head and answered softly. “Yeah, I think I figured that out.”

She didn’t have room for much leverage, but she got a fairly decent thump of her fist against his solid chest. “Not y-y-you, dummy. Anyone.”

His hand paused in its stroking, then picked up the soothing rhythm again. “Care to tell me why?”

“No.”

“Celia.” His sigh blew over her damp cheek. He tried to look at her face, but she tucked it close to him and held on tight when he tried to tilt her back. She knew her makeup was ruined and she wasn’t done crying, so she had no intention of having him ogle her. “Honey, I have a hard-on that could kill, and it’s not going to be going away anytime soon. Don’t you think it might be nice if you just explained things to me? I really would like to understand.”

She shook her head.

“I know you wanted me.” Again he tried to look at her, wanting confirmation, and again she resisted. “I mean, with the way you were kissing me and moving against me. And your nipples were—”

She groaned, and quickly nodded.

“Then why not, honey? We’re both adults. I wouldn’t hurt you, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

She thumped him again, indignant. “I’m not afraid of you.”

She heard the smile in the way he answered. “Yes, you are.”

“Well, only sometimes.” She sniffed once more and wiped her eyes on his T-shirt, keeping her face close so he still couldn’t look at her. She wasn’t ready to face anyone yet, not herself, certainly not him. “You try to make me afraid.”

“No.”

“Yes you do. You try to make everyone afraid.”

His fingers tangled in her hair and began massaging her scalp. She still felt aroused, but now she felt sleepy, too, utterly drained and strangely protected. She hadn’t cried much since finding out her fiancé was a slimeball using her to hurt her family and hoping to get rich in the bargain. She’d refused to allow herself that luxury. But crying now had felt good, sort of cathartic and cleansing. She drew a slow deep breath, and ended up hiccuping.

Alec kissed her temple. “Celia, why don’t you want to make love with me?”

The way he said that made her want to throw him on the bed and do unspeakable things to his hard, gorgeous body. She started shaking again and he held her a little closer, lending his quiet support. Finally, unable to figure a way out of it, she shamefully whispered, “I’m not like most women.”

That gave him pause and she could feel him thinking, coming up with so many ridiculous, off-base ideas. She shook her head. “I don’t mean…I’m not physically different. Well, that is…”

“Just tell me straight out, honey. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”

A nervous, almost hysterical giggle escaped her tight lips. Oh, she had no doubt he’d love to deal with it. Raymond certainly hadn’t objected, though he’d occasionally taunted her with her weakness. After he’d been found out, Raymond had taken great pleasure in telling her how easy she’d been, how she’d offered no real challenge at all. Well, she would never be easy again, though Alec Sharpe surely did wear on her convictions.

Her mind froze up with that ugly, painful thought and she jerked away from Alec’s hold, turning her back and making a zigzag, awkward path around the cluttered floor to the bathroom. She paused in the open doorway, keeping her back to him. “I want you to leave now.”

Two seconds passed, and he said, “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

She straightened her back and lifted her chin. He was right, after the way she’d just behaved with him, he deserved the truth. Her throat felt swollen from her recent crying jag, and her head pounded as she forced out the awful words. “I have a…a sexual problem.”

Alec didn’t say a word. There was such complete suffocating silence that she couldn’t bear it. She darted into the bathroom and slammed the door, then leaned back against it and covered her face with her hands. Now he knew the truth. He’d likely leave in disgust, wanting nothing to do with her, and her chances of helping Hannah would diminish to almost zero. How could she help anyone else when she couldn’t even help herself?

A hard pounding rattled the door, making her spring away with a short scream. She whirled, one hand clutching her heart.

“Goddammit, Celia, open this door right now!”

She stared, unable to even blink. He was angry?

The door trembled again, threatening to splinter, as Alec hammered on it. She jumped back another cautious step.

“I’m giving you to the count of two, then I’m opening the door my own way.”

Celia gawked.

“One!”

He wasn’t going to give her much time to consider her options, she thought. But then, there was really only one option anyway. She reached for the doorknob.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.