be looking for the job application so he could eliminate the new guy as a suspect.
But all he could see was Pandora, her hazel eyes laughing up at him. Her smile, so wide and amused. Her. Just her.
When had she gained so much power over him?
He had to get the hell out of here. Years of living on the edge of his nerves had honed his awareness razor- sharp. He knew when he was in trouble. He knew when he was in danger. And he knew when things had the potential to get freaking scary.
This situation? It was all three.
“Are you hungry?” Pandora asked, running her tongue over the fullness of her lower lip. “Did you want another…cookie?”
He didn’t think she meant those delicious chocolate treats he’d eaten earlier. But he didn’t care any longer. All he wanted was her. She was worth whatever problems he had to face-on the case, or with his conscience.
“I’m starving,” he said. Then he gave in to the desperate need and skimmed his fingers down to gather the material of her skirt. Inch by inch, he pulled it higher, baring the deliciously soft skin of her thighs. “Another round with my boots on?”
“It’s going to have to be, since I don’t think you’re going to have time to take them off,” she mused, trailing her hands down to his belt buckle and having her way with it.
Her mouth met his with fervor, her tongue challenging his. She had his jeans unzipped and his dick free before he could do more than groan.
Suddenly desperate, he grasped her waist and lifted her onto the desk. His fingers found her wet, hot core, stroking her through the soft fabric of her panties. Impatient, needing more, he ripped the material away.
Her response was half laugh, half moan. And all delight.
Not sure he could stand much more of her fingers’ wicked dance over his straining erection, he grabbed a condom from his pocket and sheathed himself.
His fingers returned to her soft folds, but she wasn’t having any of that foreplay crap. Pandora grasped his hips, slid forward on the desk and rotated her hips so her wet heat stroked him.
Losing his mind, Caleb plunged.
It felt incredible. Her body, the power of the passion between them, the need.
Desperate for release, his eyes locked on Pandora’s as he pounded into her. She didn’t look away. Even as her eyes fogged, as she panted and started keening excited cries of her orgasm, she kept her gaze on his.
It was the most incredible experience of his life. Passionate, raw and emotional.
Terrified and exhilarated at the same time, he gave himself over to the pleasure of her body. His orgasm slammed him hard, exploding out of control. He shouted his pleasure, then, his face buried in the sweet scent of her shoulder, he tried to catch his breath. And restart his brain.
Because while he might not have a clue what he was going to do about the case, he did know one thing for damn sure.
He was in trouble.
And he liked it.
Ten minutes later, Caleb still couldn’t think straight. He’d barely had the presence of mind to slip that job application in his pocket while she wasn’t looking. He could check into the new employee later, then slip it behind the desk tomorrow. She’d never know.
“Thanks for the, um, help with my books,” Pandora said with a laugh as she gathered her purse, keys and coat in preparation for closing up shop for the night.
He held her long suede coat so she could slide her arms into the sleeves.
“Ready to party?” he said, lifting the silky swing of her hair aside so he could brush a kiss over the back of her neck. God, he couldn’t get enough of her. She was like a drug, addicting and delicious. And as far as he could tell, without any debilitating side effects.
“I have to say I feel a little weird going to a party with no undies,” she said with a naughty glance over her shoulder. “Even weirder when it’s your dad’s party.”
He wanted to tell her they’d skip it. He’d much rather go back to her place. Or to his hotel room with that big claw-foot tub. He wasn’t a foofy bath kind of guy, but he could totally imagine Pandora lounging there, surrounded by steam and frothy bubbles.
But he had a job to do. He’d identified most of the dealers in town by now, so he needed to see if any showed up. And find out who they were hanging out with if they were there.
“We’ll just stop in. Thirty minutes, tops,” he said. That’s all he’d need to gauge the players and gather a few names. “And if we’re there too long, all you have to do is whisper in my ear a reminder of your lack of panties, and we’ll be out the door in an instant.”
Pandora’s laugh was low and husky, making him wish like hell that he could toss this whole mess aside and just focus on getting on with his damn life.
As soon as this case was solved, he was through. He had no clue what he’d be doing. He didn’t even know where he’d be doing it, although Black Oak offered some serious temptation. Not quite enough to allay the issues it presented, though.
“You sure you don’t want to just skip the party and get right to the lack of panties,” Pandora said, only sounding as if she was half teasing as she gathered her purse and gave the cats each a cuddle.
“I want to,” he said in an embarrassingly fervent tone. Caleb coughed, trying to clear the dorkiness from his throat. “It sounds crazy, but I feel like I have to stop in. I can’t figure out what I’m doing until I figure out where things are at with my father. Not just for tonight, but in the big picture, you know.”
Pandora paused in the act of pulling catnip-filled toys out a little mesh bag and tossing them around the room for Paulie and Bonnie to entertain themselves through the night. “Big picture?”
“Yeah.” Caleb felt like an ass, but still something forced him to say, “I figure it’s time we made our peace. Or at least found some neutral ground. See if we can both handle being in the same town for a length of time.”
An earless furry bunny dangling from one hand, Pandora pressed the other to her lips for just a second, as if she was trying to hold back a slew of questions. There was just as much worry and hesitation in her eyes as there was curiosity and delight. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.
“By length of time, do you mean the week left until Christmas?” she asked hesitantly.
While she waited, her eyes all huge and sexy, Bonnie, the black-and-white cat, padded across the floor and started batting the bunny with her paw. When Pandora didn’t respond to the command to play, the cat batted harder, sending the toy flying from Pandora’s fingers across the room. Both cats bounded after the furry treat.
“I’m…” He trailed off. How did he answer? He didn’t want to get her hopes up. He wasn’t the kind of guy who made promises. Not even ones he was pretty sure he could keep.
“Don’t,” she said, interrupting his mental struggle. She crossed over and took his hands. “Please, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I should warn you, though, that the town grapevine is working overtime and you’re the main topic. So if you stay, that’s only going to get worse.”
It wasn’t the town he needed to worry about, he realized as he looked into those heavily fringed eyes. It was Pandora. She was more dangerous than an arsenal of AK-47s. At least, she was to his once happily frozen heart.
“Sweetheart, I honestly don’t know where I’m going to be, or where I want to be, in two weeks. But I do know I’m exactly where I want to be right this minute.”
Pandora’s eyes were huge and vulnerable. He’d like to think it was because of his heartfelt declaration. But there was something else there, lurking. Something that made his gut clench. Because beneath the nerves and sweetness there was a fear. Like she was afraid of him sticking for too long. Afraid of what he’d find out.
“Pandora?” he prodded. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
He didn’t know if he was hoping more that she would, or that she wouldn’t.
“You’re exactly where I want you to be, too,” she finally murmured. Whether that was true or not, he didn’t know. But he was positive it wasn’t what she’d been thinking about.
But before he could push, she rose on tiptoe, and, even as nerves simmered in her eyes, brushed a soft kiss over his lips.
It was as if she’d flipped a switch that only she knew existed. His body went on instant hard-on alert, and his mind absolutely shut down. All he wanted was her. All he could taste, could think of, cared about, was her.
