“Hmm?” he asked.
“One night in Dubai, a man steps in to save me from two drunk Russians, and the next thing I know, I’m in bed with him.”
“Nah, not in bed.”
He was right. The first time
“The next thing I know, he’s shagging me against the wall.”
“It’s a miracle we weren’t arrested.”
True. But that wasn’t the point.
“Now, more than three years later, that same man steps back into my life and changes
He kissed her hair again. “Hey, all I did was open the door.”
“Oh, you did more than that.”
By some miracle, Laura felt almost whole.
He nuzzled her ear. “Well, I am pretty good in the sack—or so you’ve said.”
She smiled. “You’re very humble about it, too.”
Javier wasn’t just the most creative lover she’d ever had or the most confident, but he was also the most thoughtful. She’d seen that side of him in Dubai, but she’d come to appreciate it even more last night, perhaps because that was what she needed most this time. He’d been patient with her, getting her consent each time, making certain that she felt comfortable—and then driving her wild.
It amazed her to think that he was still holding back. If she’d just met him, she would have no idea how forceful he could be, how physical sex could be with him. As much as she treasured the gentleness he’d shown her, some part of her was beginning to long for the thrill of his more aggressive side—and the feel of him inside her.
She hadn’t found a way to tell him yet, still afraid that she would freak out the moment she felt him thrust into her. But the ache was there.
She wanted him—all of him.
But there was still time for that. In Dubai, they’d had only three nights and two days, and that had been magical. They still had more than a week to be together, and . . .
Her pulse spiked.
That was no time at all.
In the blink of an eye, this would be over. He would go back to the dangerous job that had almost cost him his life, and she would stay here in isolation, waiting for the cops to catch this killer, working at the paper, fighting to get Klara back. And God only knew whether they’d see each other again.
No, she couldn’t let that happen this time.
She decided to come right out and ask. “Can we stay in touch this time?”
“Are you asking for my phone number?”
“E-mail, phone number, address—and your grandmother’s, too.”
“You want to call my
“If anything were to happen to you, I would want to know.”
“Well, it’s kind of sudden. You’re talking about taking our relationship to a whole new level.” He kissed her cheek, his voice going soft. “You got it,
BY SUNDAY EVENING they’d made it to number seven. Laura knew it was humanly impossible to reach a thousand in the time they had, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t try.
Javier had made love to her with his mouth, his fingers, her massaging showerhead. He’d even made them both come by rubbing her clitoris with the hard length of his erect cock. They’d tasted each other on the bed, in the shower, on the table, on the floor, and still Javier kept coming up with ideas that were new to her.
Ice cubes. Side-lying sixty-nine. A dab of minty mouthwash on his tongue.
She was just finishing the supper dishes and thinking about the start of the workweek when she heard a buzzing sound. She turned to find him standing there, one dark eyebrow arched, her blue jelly vibrator buzzing and rotating at high speed in his hand. Heat flooded her face. “Oh, my God! Where—”
“You left one of the bathroom drawers open.”
She reached for it.
He angled his upper body away from her and held it out of her reach. “Hold on. I’ve got a right to check out my competition. Are you blushing? You are.”
She pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I don’t blush.”
He leaned in, still holding the vibrator out of reach. “The hell you don’t. Look—your cheeks are all pink.”
She lunged and tried again to grab it from him, torn between amusement and irritation. “Give that to me!”
“You want it,
She gaped at him, heat suffusing her face—and other parts of her body. “Fine. On one condition.”
“Sure.” He grinned, so sure of himself, so smug. “What’s that?”
“I get to use it on you, too.” The look of shock on his face made her laugh. “What’s the matter? Is the big, bad special operator afraid of a little sex toy?”
His eyes narrowed. “You got a deal.”
She hadn’t expected that.
Next time he was here, she would hide the damned thing.
He grinned again. “You didn’t think I’d call your bluff, did you? Now get on into the bedroom—and get naked.”
She walked to her bedroom, anticipation beginning to build despite her embarrassment, Javier one step behind her. She’d never imagined doing something like this, but then Javier had always managed to surprise her. She undressed, dropping her clothes on the floor. “Not sure why I bothered to put clothes on at all today.”
“You complaining?”
“Absolutely not.” She looked over her shoulder at him, then crawled onto the bed, teasing him with a view of her from behind. “Maybe I should just stay naked.”
“I like that idea.” He nodded, his gaze fixed right where she knew it would be.
She sat facing him and reached for the vibrator. “I’ll show you how to use it.”
“No, I got this.” Javier turned both switches on, activating both the vibration and the rotating steel balls. He ran a finger down the translucent blue shaft. “The dick part with the rotating balls goes inside you, while the part that looks like a bunny with long ears vibrates against your clit.”
Okay, so he had figured it out.
“Don’t look surprised. I know how to operate some very tricky weapons systems. I can even fly a helo if I have to. This”—he held it up—“is easy.”
Laura lay back on her pillows, expecting him to put the vibrator to work between her legs, but he didn’t. Instead, he brought it up to her neck, running the little buzzing rabbit ears along the tender skin there. It certainly wasn’t what she was used to doing with it, but it felt good. She turned her head to give him better access, the delicate sensation raising bumps on her skin.
He traced a line down her neck, across her clavicle, and down to her breastbone, amused curiosity mingling with desire on his face. He was having fun with this.
Laura felt her nipples tighten and wondered what the vibrations would feel like there. She didn’t have to wait long to find out. He made circles around one breast and then the other, tickling the sensitive undersides before touching it to her aching nipples.
She gasped, her eyes drifting shut as frissons of arousal skittered through her. The jelly texture tugged at her skin more than his tongue did, the heightened friction and the vibrations creating an intense new sensation. She felt herself grow wet, sexual need flaring to life inside her.
