Formula for Danger, page 15
part #6 of The Phoenix Agency Series
“Wet your fingers and coat your nipples.”
JL took a deep breath, licked the fingers of both hands then rubbed them lightly over her taut buds, now a dark rose color. Jesus! He moved his hips from side to side, letting her feel his hardness behind the denim.
Spreading his fingers against her hot flesh, he rubbed up and down, coasting each time over the tip of her clit. Touching, but never enough to give her what she wanted. She leaned into him while he petted and caressed and fondled her body. She dripped now, her cream thick on his fingers.
Sexy little noises rumbled from her throat, and her breathing ramped up. Cole increased the speed of his hand a little, then a little more. JL pushed harder against his touch.
“Legs farther apart.” He almost didn’t recognize his own voice, thick with lust.
She widened her stance even more, opening herself to his full touch. He dragged his hand back and forth over her clit, now moving faster, watching them both in the mirror. JL’s eyes locked with his as he brushed and petted and massaged, increasing the speed of his hand in small increments. She trembled now, and her legs shook the slightest bit. Cole banded one arm across her waist, holding her to him, steadying her. He could feel the pulse in her sex, now slippery to his touch.
“Please,” she begged. “Please, please, please.”
One hard stroke, then another and another, and she shattered, trembling as shudders raced through her. Her release washed through her, and a long moan of ecstasy burst from her lips. He pressed his hand against her, hard, as she came and came and came, touching her pulsing flesh until the last tremor subsided. Cole had to grit his teeth to hang on to his control. This was without a doubt one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen.
She still held her nipples in a tight grip, as if unable to release them, so he eased his hand from her shorts and lifted it. Very carefully, he removed each of her hands from her breasts and placed them at her sides. He kissed her shoulder, then gave it a tiny lick.
“Feel good, darlin’?”
“Mm-hmm.” She was still catching her breath.
“Did you like watching in the mirror? Did it make you hot?”
“Yes.” She barely spoke the word.
Her body was lax against him even as he felt it hum with unfulfilled need. Exactly what he wanted, her riding the edge until he could give her a deep, intense orgasm. He had big plans for tonight.
“Next time, we’ll do it with both of us naked.” He nipped her ear lobe. “But I promise you, right now if I’d taken my jeans off I’d have embarrassed myself like a sixteen-year-old horny teenager. You make me so hard and ready I could come just from looking at you.”
He turned her around and held her, kissing her forehead while her breathing steadied. Placing a soft kiss on her lips, then gently nipping her lower one and soothing the bite with his tongue. When he felt her relax in his hold, he slid his hands beneath her knees and lifted her in his arms. In seconds, he stripped the covers back on the bed and placed her carefully on the cool sheet.
He took in the sight of her naked body, a feast spread out before him. Pure lust heated his blood at her words. Time to get to the main event. With his gaze locked to hers, he stripped off his jeans and boxer briefs and tossed them carelessly to the side. His cock, relieved of its constriction, stood out swollen and thick. Standing beside the bed, he wrapped his hand around and drew it slowly up and down, drinking in the site of JL’s naked body.
She pushed herself to a sitting position and leaned forward, brushing away his hand and closing her own fingers around him. She gave a delicate slide with her tongue over the now ultrasensitive head, lapping up the bead of fluid sitting on the slit. Again an electric thrill seized him, and the heat surged through his veins and all the way to his balls.
He’d certainly had his share of women in his life, but with JL he’d learned the difference between having sex and making love. With her, every stroke was a caress, every touch a kiss, every joining a mystical experience. Whatever held her back from that next step in their relationship, he’d find a way to get past it. Because no way was he letting her out of his life.
In seconds, he’d dug a condom from the nightstand and rolled it on, then knelt between her thighs. She was so wet and slick, he practically glided inside her. When he filled every inch of her, he pulled in a deep breath to steady himself. Her sex was like a wet fist, holding him in a tight grip, her cream a hot liquid, scorching him through the thin latex.
Pulling in a deep breath, he began a slow, steady, in-and-out rhythm. As often as they’d made love, as much as they’d been together, every time with JL was new and exciting. He wondered if he lived another fifty years, would he ever get enough of her?
“Mmmmmm.” The sexy little hum danced over her lips as she arched and bucked and matched his movements thrust for thrust.
It felt so good, the grip of her and her searing, wet heat, that he didn’t want it ever to stop. But his release climbed its way up from deep inside him, warming his blood and sending his pulse racing. He reached for the edge of his control, but it snapped like a rubber band. He plunged harder, faster, his vision blurring as he pounded into her again and again. The muscles in his lower back constricted, and his balls tightened. He managed to slide one hand between them and rub her clit.
That was all it took for both of them. The orgasm roared up like a savage beast and shook them. Her inner walls pulsed and throbbed as he spurted into the latex sheath over and over until he felt as if every bit of his body had poured into her.
It seemed to take forever before his breathing and heart rate slowed enough that he could slide gently from her and lower her legs. He managed to move her so she lay completely on the bed, disposed of the condom, and dropped down beside her. Slick perspiration coated their skin, and neither of them was breathing too steadily yet.
Cole slid a hand up and cupped her chin, looking directly into her eyes. Slaked desire gave them a sultry look that would have had him hardening all over again if he hadn’t just ridden an intense climax. Her cheeks were still flushed with sexual heat, her nipples still darkened to a rosy brown. If he had the strength, he’d pull himself to his knees and lick her all over.
Idly, he stroked one hand over the dips and swells of her body, an affectionate rather than a sexual caress. He frowned when he saw the redness the stubble of his beard had created on her soft skin. He’d have to keep reminding himself how sensitive her skin was. Pushing himself up on one elbow, he sprinkled soft kisses over the abused area.
“Sorry about that.” He lifted his head so his face was close to hers. “I’ll try to remember to shave at night as well as in the morning.”
She curved her lips in a slow grin. “Actually, I kind of like it. I can walk around the next day reminded every minute of being with you. Making love with you.”
He touched his mouth to hers. “Good. I like being on your mind all the time. Same as you are on mine.”
“Cole?” Her smile faded.
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“You don’t really think any of these people would do anything drastic, do you? Unless you believe this elaborate security system is so much overkill, I’m beginning to get frightened.”
He chose his words carefully, not wanting to frighten her but needing her to understand the severity of the situation.
“Remember what Dan said? This is a good opportunity to test the system in a small, controlled area. It would take a week to install it at one of our corporate clients as opposed to one day here.” He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “That being said, your project, if it’s successful, could mean a whole shitload of money for someone. Greed is a devil, JL. It makes people do terrible things. I don’t know how far any of these people would go to get the formula when it’s ready, but I want to do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“We need to get those lunch meetings set up,” she reminded him. “I’m sure I’ll hear from the people involved again this week. I’ll stop letting the answering machine pick up, so I can talk to them. I never thought I’d have to use my ability to read auras to protect myself.”
As she spoke the words, pain bloomed in her eyes, but only for an instant.
“JL? What is it, baby?”
She blinked. “Nothing. Just—nothing.” The smile she gave him looked only slightly forced. “I think a hot shower is what we need before we fall asleep.” She chuckled. “But no funny stuff. You wore me out.”
He made himself smile back. “Then my work here is done.”
But standing under the hot water with her, soaping her body and feeling her hands on his, he knew he’d have to figure out how to learn whatever plagued her that still kept an invisible wall between them, albeit a shimmery one. That made her resent her gift so much.
JL watched Brian disconnect the call on his cell. He’d walked into the kitchen to take one call, then made another before rejoining her in the living room.
“Problem?” she asked.
“Afraid our dinner got put on hold, babe. That was Jerry. I’ve gotta go. Something just came up.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise to make it up to you.”
“Am I allowed to ask what it’s about?”
“It’s that drug case Jerry and I have been working. He got a tip just this second from one of our snitches that the drug dealer we’ve been stalking has a big deal set up for tonight.” He looked at his watch. “In about ninety minutes. The snitch only now found out about it.”
“Don’t you usually get word about this enough in advance to have plenty of backup?”
“Jerry said he’s already talked to the captain. Backup is rolling as we speak.”
Her stomach knotted, a dark foreboding sweeping through her system. “I want you to be very careful. I don’t like the feel of this.”
Anger lined his face. “Are you on that kick again?”
“Brian, I wish you’d listen to me.”
JL twisted her hands together. For a scientist, she was strangely undone. But then, having an ability for which she could find no scientific reason was enough to rattle her to begin with. She kept trying to turn it off, to put up shields the way she’d read in books. But this time it just would not go away.
Brian shoved his hands into his pockets. “I can’t believe you expect me to take this nonsense literally. I’m a cop, for God’s sake, JL. I deal in facts. In things I can see.”
“You also deal in theories,” she pointed out. “Call this a theory.”
“That my partner’s some kind of bad guy and I should be careful of him?” He snorted. “I don’t think so.”
“Something bad is going to happen.” She had to try and make him pay attention. The sense of foreboding grew even stronger.
“But that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with Jerry. Jesus, JL, we’ve been partners for five years. Don’t you think I’d now if the guy was into bad shit?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. And maybe he’s just good at concealing it.”
Brian paced, nervous energy radiating form him in waves. He stopped and glared at her. “You’ve got to get off this kick. Jerry’s a good guy. We’ve been through some tough shit together. I won’t let you mess that up.” He glanced at his watch again. “Anyway, he’ll be here in a few to pick me up, and I can’t be distracted by this.” He cupped her cheeks, tilted her face to his, and gave her a hard kiss. “I’m leaving my car here so you’ll know to expect me back. We may not get dinner, but you sure are good enough to eat. I’ll settle for that.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but the doorbell rang.
“That’s Jerry. He was getting a bite to eat not far from here when he got the call.”
“I’ll get it.” She opened the door to see Brian’s partner standing there. Tall, lanky, with blond good looks, he could be the all-American guy. Except for the black aura usually shimmering around him. Tonight, it crashed into her the moment she laid eyes on him. JL had all she could do not to slam the door and lock it.
Jerry frowned. “You okay, JL?”
“Yes. I, uh—”
“I’m ready.” Brian had come up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Thanks for picking me up, guy.”
“Sure.” Jerry grinned. “Looking fine as usual, JL.”
“Thanks.” She turned and, ignoring the man on the porch, dragged Brian’s head down to hers and gave him the hottest kiss she could manage.
“Hey, hey, hey.” He disentangled her arms. “This won’t take long. I’ll get Jerry to stop so I can pick up a pizza on the way back. We’ll open a bottle of wine, gorge on a late dinner and ourselves.”
“But—”
He pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips. “Gotta go. Everything will be fine. I promise.”
Before she could say another word, he was gone, down the walk and climbing into Jerry’s car. She stood there for long moments, hugging herself as if chilled before finally closing the door. She fixed a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, trying to calm her jittery nerves, but the feeling of dread would not go away.
They had been together for six months, she and Brian, the scientist and the cop. They’d met in a coffee shop where they’d both been getting their early-morning caffeine fix. It was crowded, someone jostled her arm, and she spilled her coffee, barely missing him. If not love at first sight, it was at least intense heat. But as they spent more time together, the love began to grow.
They were very private about their relationship. She had no close friends and only a couple of acquaintances. Her social skills had always taken a back seat to her focus on science. Brian told her he didn’t do much socializing with other cops, and he also lacked a circle of friends. So it was really only the two of them. He’d become her rock. Her anchor.
The first time she’d met Jerry, the black surrounding him had been so intense it nearly made her ill. Working up the courage to talk to Brian about it had taken some time and, of course, he’d thought her nuts. After all, he’d known Jerry longer than he’d known her, he pointed out. It became a continuous source of argument, so she finally dropped it. But tonight it was back, stronger than ever, reinforced when she saw Jerry surrounded by a black cloud.
The evening stretched endlessly. She tried reading but couldn’t concentrate on the words. She made an effort to watch television but finally turned it down low, just to have the noise in the background, poured herself a glass of wine, and settled down to count the minutes and hours.
At some point, she dozed off, awaking with a start and the alarming feeling something was terribly wrong. She peered at her watch, shocked to realize it was after two in the morning. Surely it hadn’t taken seven hours for Brian and Jerry to interview one person. If something else came up, he would have called. He always did, unless—
JL pressed her hands to her temples. She wouldn’t go there. But the man who had promised pizza and sex would not have stayed gone this long unless something terrible had happened. She chewed her lip as she paced her living room, finally grabbing her cell phone from the counter. She’d call him and let it ring twice. Two rings wouldn’t be so bad, right? He wasn’t undercover. If he didn’t answer, she’d hang up and wait it out.
But, right after the second ring, a strange voice answered.
“Brian Ward’s phone. Who is this?”
Nausea rose in her throat. “Who is this?”
“Captain Delahanty, Seattle PD. I want to know who called this number.”
JL had to swallow twice before she could get any more words out. “J. L. Mitchell. I’m a—a—” What exactly am I? “A good friend of Brian’s. Is—is he there?”
The long silence said more than any words could have told her. She clutched the phone to her ear, waiting. When Delahanty spoke again, his voice sounded pained and weary.
“There’s been—an accident, Miss Mitchell.”
Accident?
“Is Brian okay?” She tried to breathe. “Can I speak to him?”
More silence, although she heard murmuring in the background.
“Can you give me your address, please?” The kindness in his voice told her more than anything he said. “I’d like to send an officer to speak with you. I know it’s late, but—”
“Brian,” she said again. “Can I speak to Brian? What’s wrong?”
“Like I said, there’s been an accident. It would be better if I sent someone to your house.”
Oh God. She knew. Damn it, she knew. Someone was screaming, and it took her a while to realize it was her.
Then someone was shaking her, and she tried to get away.
“No, no, no, no. Don’t touch me.”
“Wake up. JL, wake up, darlin’. Come on.” Cole had a firm grip on her arms, trying to drag her out of whatever nightmare gripped her. The terror etched on her face was so blatant he felt his own fear rise up.
What the hell?
Finally, he pulled her against him and kissed her, hard, wrapping one arm around her and using his free hand to cup her head. After a moment, she stopped struggling, blinked, and stared at him, wide-eyed. He pulled back slightly but still kept his arm around her.
“W-what are you doing? Did you wake me up so you could kiss me?” She tried to push at him again, giving a shaky little laugh. “What’s going on, Cole?”
He brushed her tangled curls back from her face. “You were having a nightmare, sweetheart. I thought you’d scream the house down. Are you okay?”
Her face turned as white as the sheets, and she trembled in his grasp. He soothed her with his hands, petting her as you would a child. His own heart galloped, even as he tried to calm JL. She stopped trying to fight him and get away. He held her in the circle of his arms, stroking her back, smoothing kisses on her forehead until he felt more of the tension seep from her body. He wanted to get her a drink of water, or maybe some tea, but he was afraid to let go of her, afraid to leave the room. The scream that had woken him had been as shrill as a coyote, shaking him out of a sound sleep.
