Skin

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

She rose and gathered things from the counter and threw them in her bag. “You’re being obtuse.”

“All right, then here’s direct. Why the hell were you letting those men put their hands on you?”

“It’s my job.”

“If I remember correctly, last night you said you served drinks, which didn’t give them the right to manhandle you.”

“So I changed my mind. I made a fortune in tips tonight.”

Michael pulled out a hundred dollar bill. “Here’s another tip.”

Her breasts were practically spilling out of the front of the red dress. He slipped the bill down in the middle of her left breast and didn’t miss the fact that her nipple grew instantly hard.

A choking sound parted her lips. Luscious full lips that he’d barely tasted the night before. With one hand cupping the flesh of her breast, he snaked the other around her waist and pulled her into him. And then he kissed her. Not the light brush of lips on lips, but a deep exploration that involved open mouths and thrusting tongues. At least he thrust his into her wet warmth the way he wanted to thrust his aching flesh into her body.

Lilith moaned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, scraped the back of his neck with her nails. The sensation pulled all the way down to his groin.

Mindless with desire, he tugged her nipple in the same rhythm his tongue flicked hers. He pressed her back against the counter and ground himself into her until she spread her thighs. She shifted, and he felt her hand on him, stroking his length through his jeans. If he didn’t stop right now, he was going to come right there.

Only he wasn’t going to be the one to call a halt to this.

“Hey, you two, take it outside!”

Lilith stiffened in his arms, and Michael stayed directly in front of her to protect her from the security guard’s view.

“Give us a minute, and we’ll be out of here,” Michael said.

“You got sixty seconds.”

And when he heard the guy step out of the room, Michael removed his hand, stepped back and cursed himself for pushing this. Too fast. Too soon.

Her expression odd, almost wounded, Lilith straightened her dress and grabbed her bag and refused to look at him.

“Come back to my place,” he said.

“You have to be kidding.”

“Or I can come to yours.”

She tried shoving by him, but Michael stepped in front of her. “We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“I do, starting with you need to quit this place.”

Her eyes widened as she finally looked at him. “What?”

“You made yourself a target tonight.”

“I didn’t do anything the others girls don’t.”

“I don’t care what they do,” he said. “I care that what you did was dangerous.”

“I can handle it.”

“I don’t think you understand.”

“I can’t quit.”

“Why not?” He pushed to get her to admit the truth. “Why can’t you go back to your real life?”

“This is my real life. For now.”

With that, she shoved by him. Michael didn’t try to stop her, merely followed her out the back door and watched her get into a familiar Jaguar before zooming away.

oOo

LILITH WAS HALFWAY home before suspecting she was being followed.

Her thoughts had been wrapped up in Michael. In Gabe’s warning to be careful around him. In that hot kiss in the dressing room, a prelude to having sex with him if not for the interruption. She’d been so turned on that she would have done anything with him. So turned on that she couldn’t stop thinking about Michael after driving off.

Thoughts that nearly caused an accident, not with another car, but with a bike that shot out of nowhere in the middle of the night. She’d thrown on the brakes but had come inches from creaming the rider, who had given her the finger before riding off.

Lilith had been so shaken that she’d pulled over to the curb to regroup.

And had glanced in her rearview mirror to see another set of vehicle lights stop. The other driver pulled over, as well.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and, carefully watching the other car’s lights in the rearview mirror, she started off again.

The other vehicle slid away from the curb and stayed just far enough behind her that she couldn’t make out any details other than it was a dark-colored passenger car. Probably black.

She wanted to believe in coincidences. Wanted to think the other driver would turn off at the next light.

The other vehicle continued right behind her.

Her stomach knotted at the idea of someone following her. She had to be sure. She turned down a side street. And then another. And then a third. The lights stayed some distance back, but they were still there when she looped around to the arterial street.

Close to Hannah’s place now, she didn’t know what to do. If this was the killer, she would lead him straight to it. Then again, if this was the killer, he already knew the address.

If only she’d added Pucinski’s number to her cell, she could call him, but she couldn’t stop now to dig out the card and punch in the number.

At the intersection ahead, the light was about to change, and there were cars waiting to move on both sides of the cross street. She gunned the accelerator and made a run through the intersection. Brakes screeched and horns blared at her, but when she glanced up into the mirror, she was relieved that the other vehicle hadn’t been able to get through. She sped the rest of the way back to Hannah’s place. The Jaguar’s tires screamed as she rounded the corner.

A minute later, she left the car at the curb and ran for the front door. Faster than dealing with the garage. She got inside and engaged the dead bolt. Through windows cut into the wooden panel, she could see lights from another vehicle slowly approaching.

Her hands were shaking when she pulled out her cell phone and Pucinski’s card. She somehow managed to punch in the detective’s number. One ring… two… and then…

“Pucinski!” He growled. “It’s nearly 4 a.m. This better be good.”

“It’s Lilith Mitchell. I’m at Hannah’s place. Someone followed me from the club.”

“You’re sure?”

“I tried to lose him. He’s out there now.” She could still see the car idling in front of the building…

“Make sure the doors and windows are locked. I’ll call it in to get a squad out there, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Lilith was already checking the locks before she turned off her cell. Checking out the windows. The lights sat out there, unmoving. Was the driver still inside the car? Or was he just outside looking for a way in to get her?

He was playing games with her, trying to break down her confidence and make her question her own capabilities. And he was doing a fine job on her. While she’d learned all the skills necessary to defend herself, she’d never had to use them. Now she wasn’t certain they would be enough.

The fear-filled seventeen-year-old girl who ran away to school and left behind her little sister was still inside her.

Lilith realized how truly afraid the killer had made her — a gut-deep, painful, churning, awful fear that made her chest tighten and put a lump in her throat.

What if her plan failed and Hannah died?

Waiting for Pucinski to show, Lilith faced some truths about herself.