25
Nightshade stoodat the head of the staircase, dressed in a sparkling black gown that hugged her figure like a second skin, held up by thin straps over her shoulders with a split from her ankles all the way up to her thigh. She'd never felt so decadent or distressed in her life.
Merc had to suspect something. There was no way that move she'd made on him could have remotely been instinct. It'd taken her years of training to perfect it. And as a trained special forces operative himself, Merc would realize that fact very easily. So why hadn't he called her out yet?
She gripped the balustrade, searching the crowd below for any sign of his tall dark head. But so far, the only hint of Merc she'd seen were Ranger and Aaron guarding the front door.
Senator Cotter stood behind them, greeting all the guests with a handshake or a hug and a smile. She should be down there with him, but she had no intention of actually participating in this farce. There was no way she could have studied every single person's file here to know Caroline's relationship with each. But there was one thing she did know – if Cotter was downstairs hosting a party, he wouldn't be upstairs giving her free reign to search.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and then she heard a voice from right behind her. A voice she'd been dreaming about and dreading.
“Why are you hiding up here?” Merc's large hand spanned her waist, and he tucked her back to him, pulling her back so that she could barely see the crowd below.
Instant heat sizzled down her spine. “Just not sure about going down there.”
“You should be happy they're here. Those are your kind of people, it's where you belong.” His hot breath fanned her bare neck sending a rash of chills across her shoulders.
Merc spun her around and the nearly savage ferocity on his face left her breathless, sucking her into oblivion.
She could get lost there, forget her teammates. Forget her mission. She found herself leaning into the hard muscles packing his chest beneath a tuxedo that fit him with stunning appeal. Merc traced her jaw, the magnetism of his touch stealing her will and she tilted her head into his palm. She licked her lips, frantically searching for the reason she needed to put some distance between them.
Merc thumbed her bottom lip, tugging her mouth open to slip his finger inside. The intimate touch paralyzed her with instant lust, and filled her mind with images of Merc standing over her. His hands in her hair, guiding her…
Shit. She had to get her traitorous body under control. With a will she hadn’t known she possessed, she tilted her head back, letting his finger fall from her mouth. “My people?”
She didn't belong down there with those fake socialites here to rub elbows with the senator and dig for the latest gossip on his traumatized daughter.
Merc gripped her chin in his hand, holding her captive for his perusal. Melting the small toehold of determination she’d managed to piece together. “You’d rather be up here with me?”
Yes! Yes, I want to stay here with you.
“I’d rather not have to choose.”
Merc slowly spun her back to face the crowd, snugging his chest up to her back. “Why don’t you take another look at what you’re missing?” He extended a long muscular arm over her shoulder pointing down to the doorway.
Her insides trembled as she fought for control.
“There’s your fiancée, General Rainier.”
“Ex-fiancée,” she breathed out. Thank God they were tucked next to a wall, which partially hid them from the view of people down stairs and the height that hid her body from the waist up, because Merc’s hand slipped inside the slit of her dress and rested on her thigh. A power move meant to establish his dominance over her body that left her hot and shaky.
“Glad to hear you think so. I’d hate to think you still planned on marrying someone else.” As if to punctuate his words, Merc’s fingers glided up the bare skin of her thigh, resting at the edge of her silk thong.
All he had to do was move his hand a half an inch over and he’d be touching her aching clit. Her body thrummed with awareness of every miniscule inch of him.
“Marriage is the last thing on my mind.” She had something so much more important than that on her mind, if only she could remember….
Merc dipped his head to place a gentle kiss on the curve of her shoulder. Chills raced up her neck and he followed them mercilessly, taking her sensitive ear lobe between his teeth. At the same time, his finger slid over and pressed hard against her nub through her panties. Her knees buckled.
Like a predator sensing her weakness, Merc pulled her backwards into the shadows and completely out of sight, spinning her until her back was pressed against the wall and his huge frame hid her from view. His gaze raked her, intense hunger exploding in his expression. “I can tell you what’s on my mind. I want to pull that dress down and suck on your pretty nipples.”
His words were a lightning bolt of desire that nearly took her to her knees.
“I want to strip you naked, and lay you out on the bed.” He balanced one arm on the wall over her head and leaned down until his face was an inch from hers. “I want to bury my face in your heat and lick you until you scream.”
Her knees did buckle then, and Merc grabbed her waist, keeping her body locked against the wall. Surrounded by him. Overpowered by him.
Aching for him.
