Long, Lean and Lethal Read online

  Finally, accepting that round one was over and his wits seemed somewhat in order, Noah slowly lowered his mouth to hers.

  “Are you on birth control?” he asked when his lips brushed over hers.

  She laughed out loud, offering him a mouthful of teeth to kiss. “Is this how you seduce all women?”

  “I don’t seduce women.”

  “Bullshit. Slut,” she teased, her orneriness returning, although the fight in her had seriously subsided.

  “Who told you that?”

  Her lashes fluttered over her baby blues, which didn’t look as moist as they did a moment before. Something about being called princess bugged the shit out of her. He would remember not to call her that again, but he ached to know why the term of endearment bothered her.

  “I’m a damned good cop,” she whispered. “And … yes.”

  He moved his attention to the side of her face, pressing kisses over her soft flesh and tasting her as he dragged his tongue to her ear. “Yes, what?” he asked, moving his hand between them and finding the bottom of her tank top. He latched onto her earlobe and at the same time dragged her top up over her breasts.

  “Birth control.” Her breath was tight. “I’m on birth control,” she emphasized, and then hissed when he bit her earlobe and dragged his teeth across the soft, plump flesh. “Crap. Noah.”

  He’d found a spot on her. The way she tensed underneath him and her thighs pressed against his hips, Noah wondered what other spots on her body would make her sizzle like she did now.

  “I’m going to fuck you, Rain,” he whispered into her ear, and moved his hand over her breast. It filled his hand, firm and round, perfectly plump and so smooth and soft. He squeezed her nipple between his fingers, rolling the puckered flesh while he moved his mouth to her neck. “If you seriously don’t want this to happen, say so now, or it’s going to happen.”

  “Got rules, do you?” she growled, and then dragged her nails over his shoulders.

  She dug in, too, creating a heat that pierced his flesh and tightened every inch of him. “Actually, yes. I do have rules.”

  He lifted his head, feeling the weight of his cock and the burning pressure that filled his balls. He watched her stare at his chest, take in his body, while the heat swelling inside him created a sheen of sweat over his body. There was no hiding how desperately he needed to fuck her.

  Rain dragged her fingers to his neck and then to his face. Then pressing her palms to his cheeks, she held his face, staring up at him. “I’ve got rules, too, FBI man. This is sex. That’s it. You forget that for one minute and you’re going to get hurt. Hear me? We’re doing a job. Nothing more.”

  “If this is part of our job,” he began, pushing himself to his knees and enduring the pain in his groin while the throbbing of blood, pumping furiously inside him, made his ears ring. He stared down at her exposed breasts and damn near exploded. But if terms were being laid on the table, he would have his say in them. Rain wanted to play tough. But he’d bet damned good money her lecture applied to her as much as to him. “Then you better fuck me like a wife adoring her husband,” he said, taking off his pants.

  When her cheeks flushed, it confirmed what he already believed. Instead of waiting for her to challenge him again, he grabbed her shorts and lifted her hips off the bed when he pulled on them. Rain crawled backward, which aided him in sliding them down her long, thin legs.

  “Not every wife adores her husband.” Her response didn’t surprise him. The wall around her emotions wasn’t going to slip any time soon. “If I adored you, why would I want to go to a party to fuck other men?”

  He met her gaze quickly. God, life seriously wasn’t fair. A gorgeous woman lay underneath him, uttering the words he would have killed to hear Laurel say a few months ago. But Rain was right. This was their job. A murderer ran loose, possibly nearby, and it mattered more than keeping Rain’s firm opinion on swinging intact that they find their guy and put him behind bars. “Rain, couples don’t swing because they don’t love each other. Most swingers are very happy with each other.”

  “Oh really.”

  “It’s like the love of a sport. It’s something they do together and enjoy together.” An idea hit him and he tossed her shorts off the bed. “Before tomorrow night you’re going to check out swinger Web sites. Read what real swingers have to say about what they do. I think you’ll find, dear wife, that couples who swing do it because both of them love sex very, very much.”

  God. She was a vision to be adored. Rain moved to her knees and faced him, completely naked, or almost with her top pushed up above her breasts. There wasn’t an imperfection on her. Noah wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a more beautiful lady in his life. Laurel’s body was covered with freckles and her skin very white. Any time out in the sun burned her painfully, so she avoided any outdoor activities and as a result was never tan. Noah didn’t mind that about Laurel. She was gorgeous in her own right. He tried remembering when Laurel ever stole every thought from his head and made him forget to breathe the way Rain was doing right now.

  Rain’s breasts were more than a handful, her nipples rosy brown and big. Her body was firm, in good shape. Her waist was narrow and her hips round and perfectly shaped. But her shaved, smooth skin between her legs appealed to him, creating a carnal edge inside that burned hotter and with a rawness that would make it impossible for him to discuss the case or anything else with her as long as she was in front of him like that.

  “The only thing I want to find is the murderer.” Her gaze dropped as she spoke until it looked like she stared at the tent in his boxers.

  “We’re definitely going to do that.” He pushed his boxers down his legs and rose up on his knees, then stood at the edge of the bed and stepped out of them.

  Her gaze didn’t move and he saw her lips part when she saw him completely naked—again. This time, though, he was more than ready for her. She didn’t comment, and didn’t move her attention from his cock. Her silent praise caused the pressure inside him to swell to his chest.

  Rain could talk all she wanted about this being just a job. Noah knew without any doubt that he couldn’t fuck her if she didn’t appeal to him. If there was no strong attraction between them, they would simply, and contentedly, pretend to be married, holding hands or putting arms around each other when the moment called for it. What hung heavily between them right now existed out of mutual attraction. Case or no case, he would find Rain sexy as hell. And from the flush that spread over her cheeks while she licked her lips and gazed at him with a raw hunger that matched the burning need inside him, Rain felt the same way about him.

  Noah climbed onto the bed and watched her attention snap to his face. Once again she looked ready to take him on.

  “We’re done sparring,” he told her, and continued crawling onto the bed until he pushed into her, and then eased her back on the bed. “Or can you only enjoy yourself if you make what you’re doing into a battle?”

  She sincerely looked surprised and pursed her lips together, although he saw quickly that she fought to hide a smile.

  “Something funny?” he asked, adjusting himself between her legs.

  Rain stretched out underneath him, with her head finding the pillows and her hair fanning around her flushed face. “No fight left in you, FBI man?”

  “This isn’t a fight,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.

  “As long as you try manipulating my thinking and actions, it will be,” she said, turning her head to break the kiss before he could impale her. “I’ve read up on swingers ever since I took on this case. I’ll act like one of them, and trust me they will believe I’m a swinger. But if you try your mind-play shit on me one more time, you won’t have anything to swing with. I’m not changing my opinions, or values, for any man, regardless of the reason.”

  Goddamn, he didn’t want to change a thing about her. His heart constricted dangerously and he closed his eyes, grabbing her jaw and turning her face back to his. Finding her mouth was
n’t hard, and impaling her, plunging into her heat and quickly drowning in their kiss, seemed second nature. But with her strong, opinionated nature, letting her see for one moment how strongly he agreed with her would bring out the qualities inside her even more. He wanted to do that more than he wanted his next breath. For the sake of this case, though, he couldn’t let her see his true nature.

  Already Rain accepted how he said things would be. Even as he dragged his tongue down her neck and nipped at the soft spot above her collarbone, the fever raging inside him didn’t prevent him from seeing when she willingly opened up for him. She might refuse to call it submission, and he’d be the last to point out to her that’s what she was doing, but they were also bonding. A trust needed to exist between them that was strong enough an intelligent, psychopathic killer wouldn’t see through them and grow leery in their presence, and satisfying a craving that would have interfered with their investigation if they didn’t fuck each other soon eased them closer to that necessary level of trust.

  As Noah tasted her, and caressed her soft, warm flesh, the debate as to why they were having sex faded from his mind and the intense desire to enjoy Rain, watch while she came for him, and experience her heat wrapped around him consumed his thoughts. It didn’t matter anymore that they explored each other simply to appear familiar with each other in public. There wasn’t any thought to keeping the pleasure they shared together at a physical level, or so that they wouldn’t be obsessed with learning what it was like to be with each other. When Rain purred like a cat, arching into him as he sucked her breast into his mouth, all that mattered was taking her to the point where she exploded. Noah needed to see how she looked coming after he took her over the edge.

  Rain opened up to him, running her hands over his arms, his shoulders, and then down his back. She lifted her legs, offering herself, shifting until she was right where he needed her to be. Their bodies moved together, molding against each other without any awkward motions or hesitations. Rain was tall and shaped so perfectly that he could be made to believe at that moment they’d been created for each other. When she grabbed his head and then tangled her fingers in his hair, her mutual excitement to feel the passion burn to its highest intensity between them melted something inside him.

  “Kiss me, FBI man,” she drawled.

  “Bossy bitch,” he whispered into her mouth, giving her a roguish grin.

  “Don’t ever forget it,” she purred, rewarding him with a smile so genuine he would have done anything she asked of him at that moment.

  Rain brought his mouth to hers and encouraged the heat to flow between them, kissing him while raising her hips and brushing her moist heat against him.

  Noah growled, barely needing to shift before he pressed against her entrance. As he slowly slid inside her, sheathing himself with smooth, velvety warmth that instantly soaked him and created wave after wave of pleasure that about took him over the edge, a sensation hit him that he hadn’t expected.

  Noah filled her, burying himself deep inside her moist heat, and swore he’d come home. It wasn’t even a thought that came to him clearly. So many soothing muscles constricted and stroked him, easing his way as he created a rhythm between the two of them. The realization slipped into his head, settling there. Fucking Rain made sense. Not because they needed to appear familiar with each other. The act they shared wasn’t just physical. Something slipped inside, a shield or barrier that was installed so securely for so many years that when it shifted, feelings spread throughout his insides that took over his strength to argue with them. Being inside Rain was where he belonged. Because they wanted each other. Because in the matter of a couple of days the sparks that flew around them every time they were near were the creation of something stronger than just lust.

  It took him a moment before he realized he no longer compared her to Laurel. For three years he’d believed Laurel was for him. In a matter of less than a month, with a wedding date set, she’d exploded that reality in his face. But Rain, with her fiery temper and willful nature, her actions speaking louder than her words, was the woman he’d been looking for all his life. The swelling that threatened to implode around his heart made it impossible to take his next breath. He couldn’t have Rain. He couldn’t let her know how he truly felt. And he hated that knowledge as much as he loved sinking deep inside her pussy.

  Noah broke off the kiss but didn’t move his face from hers. She continued holding his head, her lips swollen and wet as she stared into his eyes. And that’s when he saw it. Impaling her again, thrusting deeper and harder, he couldn’t deny that she saw it, too.

  He held on to her gaze, drowning in those baby blues, and for the first time in his life prayed that it might take them a while to nail their guy. Rain was perfect—and not just physically. This wouldn’t be the only time he fucked her, it wouldn’t end their fighting, and it wouldn’t stop her from continually challenging him.

  “Rain,” he hissed, the knowledge that he wanted more from her, craved her even as she gave herself to him, exploded inside him.

  “Yes,” she whispered, tightening her grip in his hair, and opening her eyes wider as she stared into his. It was like she answered his thoughts, knowing and understanding what he felt.

  This was about more than work. It just became personal.

  SIX

  If she dropped the soap one more time she’d scream. As good as the hard pellets of water felt pounding on her back, the knot in her gut refused to allow her to enjoy the hot shower.

  What the hell did they do?

  She didn’t need to have sex with Noah to work this case. They could have easily played off being happily married during the investigation without fucking.

  “Quit lying to yourself,” she groaned, bending over and picking up the bar of soap. She stared at the gold band on her ring finger.

  What was it about Noah that made him so different from any other man who’d entered her life? Even after her father died, she’d been able to keep all of them at bay. How did Noah so successfully sneak around the barrier that she kept around her heart?

  “Rain?” Noah’s deep baritone was on the other side of the shower curtain, and she didn’t even hear the bathroom door open.

  She jumped, dropped the soap again, and cursed. His rich baritone chuckle pissed her off even more.

  “What?” she snapped.

  “Sorry to startle you. I’m heading out for a while.”

  “What? Where are you going?” She glared at the soap, which was sliding in a stream of suds toward the drain.

  “I won’t be gone long.”

  “What?” Rain stepped into the water, scrubbing her head furiously to get the soap out. “Where are you going?”

  “Stay here. Play the happy and satisfied wife. Paint or something.”

  “Wait!” she yelled, and then heard the bathroom door close.

  Rinsing as quickly as she could, Rain turned off the water and grabbed the towel. Then hurrying out of the bathroom, she wrapped the towel around her naked body while creating puddles up and down the hallway as she hurried through the house.

  “Noah?” she called out more than once. Like hell he would fuck her, telling her they needed to act married, and then walk out the door without as much as an explanation.

  She grabbed the door off the kitchen leading to the garage as Noah headed around the rental. “Where are you going?” she demanded.

  Noah turned. Standing in the garage with her still in the kitchen in the doorway put her an inch or so taller than him. His gaze traveled down her wet body, with only the towel wrapped around her, and her long hair dripping, creating puddles at her feet.

  “Want some more already?” he asked, slowly raising his attention to her face.

  When he reached for her towel, Rain stepped back but then grabbed the doorway to prevent herself from slipping. “I want to know where the hell you’re going,” she demanded. “Why are you leaving me here alone?”

  Noah climbed the one step into the kitchen
, quickly eliminating her height advantage. “Husbands don’t take their wives with them to work,” he explained, the sudden softness in his baritone making her wary.

  He moved in on her, and again Rain stepped backward, not willing to relax and let him off the hook that quickly for attempting to leave without an explanation.

  “But husbands say good-bye and where they’re going,” she informed him.

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” he said, grabbing her before she could move out of his reach. His fingers wrapped around the top of her towel and he tugged.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, covering her hand with his but knowing without challenging him she couldn’t stop him from yanking her towel away if he decided he really wanted to do it.

  “Saying good-bye,” he offered, twisting the material, which tightened above her breasts, and then dragged her to him.

  Noah pulled her into his arms, tilting her head and pouncing on her mouth before she could protest. What sucked was she didn’t want to protest. And she didn’t want him leaving her here alone all day while he went and did God only knew what while making a show of being at work. What the hell was she supposed to do without a car? It was impossible to present her case and argue it with him, though, when he damn near leaned her over backward, impaling her mouth with a kiss that robbed Rain of her ability to think.

  “I could get really used to that,” he warned her, his lips brushing over hers while he straightened her but kept his arms around her.

  Rain didn’t remember wrapping her arms around his neck but let him go and grasped her towel. It seemed the room remained tilted sideways when she stepped out of his grasp, grumpier than she was a moment ago now that he’d re-created a need in her as strong as it was right before he fucked her.

  “Where are you going?” She ignored his comment, knowing anything she said would make him late to this “job” he planned on heading out the door and going to.