“Rub the back of your neck when you’re trying to work something out.”
Ash had this way of breaking down her guard without putting forth any effort. “I didn’t realize I did that.” She arched an eyebrow. “What are my other tells?”
“For one, your dilated pupils. You’re dying to kiss me hello…or better yet, you want me to kiss you.”
Busted. She bit back a smile. “You’re a cocky one, you know that?”
“Cocky, bold, brave, and your favorite: loud. Now, if you don’t spill, I’m going to spank you.” He winked. “Would you like that?” He started unbuttoning his shirt.
I might. She huffed out a breath, then retrieved the day planner. “This was in the secret drawer in my grandfather’s desk.”
“I haven’t seen one of these in a while.” With his shirt open, he leafed through the book. “Find anything worthwhile?” he asked before handing it back to her.
She slid her gaze from his bare chest. “His shorthand is hard to figure out. He had some late night meeting the night before he died.”
Ashton dragged his shirt over his shoulders and tossed it onto the sofa. As he knelt to untie his shoes, she couldn’t tear herself away from his flexing muscles. He peered up at her, the intensity in his gaze halting her breath. She knew his tells, too, and he wanted her. He toed off his shoes, then yanked off his socks. “Was his late night meeting atypical?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, struggling to concentrate.
He rose. “Who was it with?” His minty breath warmed her cheeks.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” She blinked several times. “But it can wait.”
“Are you sure? If you need my help…”
Her gaze roamed greedily across his chest, down his guns, and over his abs. She couldn’t wait to trail her fingers over his skin, kiss him breathless, and grind against him. “Let’s talk about tonight instead.”
“Right, so about that.” He curled his finger around a chunk of her hair. “Do you want me to take care of you on the cross? On the sofa? Against the wall? With penetration?”
Her lips parted and heat pooled low in her belly. I want all of that…and all of you. “Whatever it takes.”
He gave her hair a gentle tug before letting go. “I’ll take that as a ‘Yes’.”
Clearing her throat, she pushed past him and pulled out two chilled beers from the refrigerator. “We’ll know what to do when we get there.”
The ice-cold liquid tamped down on her white-hot heat. Trying to compose herself, she checked the tracking devices. “Kathy Internado is still in Richmond. With any luck, Georgy-boy might get an early jump on the evening.”
After a quick dinner, they got ready. When she sauntered into the main cabin, she spied Ash standing on the back deck, staring into the night, the harbor lights illuminating him in a soft glow.
Her insides heated while her heart took off in her chest. Ashton Hott was power personified. His black dress shirt and black slacks accentuated his hard body. Even the wig couldn’t detract from his charisma and intoxicating persona.
He turned. The intensity in his gaze ratcheted up the heat, and his moan confirmed his approval. She had dressed for him… and only him.
Maverick’s brain screeched to a halt at the same time his libido kicked into overdrive. “Whoa, baby.” Glossy black liquid covered Carly’s body, leaving nothing to his imagination. She’d blown way past sexy. She’d left sublime behind, too. Plain and simple, she rocked his world. The image of her in that outfit would be tattooed on his brain forever.
My God, she’s stunning.
One slow, deliberate step at a time, she slinked closer. He burned to touch her, to taste her, and listen to her whisper her sweet needs in his ear. A breath away, she stopped. Her eyes shone like lasers on the darkest of nights. He’d had so little to drink, but he was already intoxicated from everything Carly. For the next few hours, he would live out that fantasy as if it were reality. She would be his wife, his soul mate, his kink partner, his spy.
“You like?” The spark in her eyes turned him on, the subtle upturn of her sultry lips turned him hard. She stroked his shoulder, trailing her fingernails down his biceps.
His temperature skyrocketed. For all the crispness in the evening air, it might as well have been midsummer in the Mojave.
“Do I like?” Eager to touch her second skin, he ran his hands down the hourglass curve of her body. “‘Like’ isn’t a word I would use to describe you. Amazing, breathtaking, gorgeous. I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from seeing you in this.”
Her eyes bled black with desire. She stroked his cheek, tugged on his beard. “You, Mr. Black, take sexy to a whole new level.”
“No, Mrs. Black, it’s all you.” He kissed her, cherishing how her lips melded to his.
