Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) (14 page)

Alisha snuggled in closer, pushing her bottom against him. His hardness pressed against her, and she liked it. She liked knowing that he was as attracted to her as she was to him.

“Are you comfortable?” Mike asked, pulling her closer against his body as they spooned on the sofa. His arm draped across her waist and crossed over her chest. His head rested on a throw pillow that lay on the sofa.

“Yes,” she looked over her shoulder at him. “Are you?” She wasn’t sure about his comfort, but there was no denying his desire.

Mike smiled as his hand brushed against her breast. He hadn’t been this comfortable in forever. He didn’t watch much television, but if watching television with Alisha meant he could hold her like this, with her body melting into his, then he could definitely up the hours of television he watched. “I’m good,” he said, his voice deep and sexy.

If she asked him what they’d just spent an hour watching, he wouldn’t be able to answer her. His thoughts had not been on the television show but had been on the sweet body pressed against his. What he wanted to do now was turn her around, kiss her, pull her leg over his hip and slip inside her hot, little body.

“What time do you leave for work?” Alisha asked.

“Around eight.” He stroked his fingers through her hair.

“I should have brought my car.” She rolled her eyes in frustration. She hated asking even more of him. “Can you drop me off at school?”

Mike leaned up on his elbow so that he could better see her face.
What the hell had she just asked him?
She was under attack. Did she think she would go along with her life as if nothing was wrong?

“You can’t go to work tomorrow,” he stated with authority. “I have a few things I have to do, but you can hang out at Savage Securities. You’ll be safe there.” Clearly it was a good thing he was here to keep her safe since she hadn’t figured that one out.

Alisha barked a laugh. “No way!” her voice went up along with her determination. She shook her head, rolled completely over so she faced him, and leaned up on one arm so she was in a more upright position. “Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass sub plans are? Teachers go to school sick just so they don’t have to write sub plans. I have to be puking or leaking diarrhea before I take a sick day. There is NO WAY I’m NOT going to school tomorrow.”

Mike was impressed by the long diatribe, but she was wrong. She clearly was not thinking correctly, and he was determined to enlighten her. “That was a lot to say in a single breath,” he said. He traced his hand down her arm in an attempt to soothe her. “I’m assuming that means you really don’t want to miss work tomorrow.” He wasn’t sure how much to push her, but it was clear to him that she could not go to work. Now he just had to convince her. Hopefully she could put aside her emotions and think logically. “You shouldn’t be alone. This man is clearly unstable.” Mike tucked her hair behind her ear so he could read her expressions more easily.

“I won’t be alone. I will be surrounded by my coworkers and students.”

He didn’t like how this conversation was going. He didn’t want her to quash his idea simply to prove that he couldn’t tell her what to do. “Is it fair to put your students in harm’s way?”
Take that.
Surely she wouldn’t argue for endangering kids.

She narrowed her eyes on Mike, and the air around him chilled. He suddenly realized his chances for getting her in his bed tonight had dramatically decreased, but keeping her safe was his priority. Either way, it was still a win for him. Besides, she’d eventually end up in his bed.

“Nice try,” she said, irritated that he tried using kids to manipulate her. “This guy is a pervert. A pervert who doesn’t even have the balls to show his face. He’s certainly not going to attack me at school in front of hundreds of witnesses. There’s no way he’d ever get away with it. There are too many people around,” she huffed out.

Mike interrupted her. “Baby, perverts are dangerous, violent criminals.” She clearly didn’t understand what she was dealing with, but he did. He’d seen how evil man could be, and he wanted to shield her from that. He didn’t want her to get hurt. There are some things that you just don’t come back from. They follow you ‘til the day you die, and at best, you learn to live with their ghosts.

She inhaled and looked at the ceiling, trying to collect her thoughts. The blades of the fan turned slowly. She let out her breath with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to school tomorrow,” she stated emphatically. “I’m not giving up my life or my routine because of this man.” She sat up and drew her legs to her chest so that she balanced perilously on the edge of the sofa.

“Look, I’m not stupid. I know this man is dangerous.” She fidgeted with her fingers as they stayed wrapped around her knees. “But if I stop my routine, give up my work, then he’s won. He’s controlling me. I don’t want to let him control me. He’s already scared me out of my home.” She stared into the sofa cushions as if she were going to find the meaning of life stamped upon the leather. “I won’t let him scare me away from my work.” She didn’t want to be weak. She wanted to stand up to this whack job and not allow his behavior to bully her into submission, but how much of this garbage was she expected to take?

Mike knew it was the wrong decision. He’d sat quietly during her explanation, but he would never allow a client to behave so unreasonably. “Baby, I hear what you’re saying,” he softened his voice and rubbed her knee, hoping to soften her with kindness. “I understand that you don’t want to give up your job, but staying in the routine that he’s memorized is giving him power. You’re giving him the ability to predict your behavior and location. You’re playing right into his hands.”

Alisha felt a tear pool in her eye, betraying her emotions, and she hated it. She wanted to be strong, and hiding was admitting weakness or even defeat. She blinked, and the tear fell down her cheek.

Mike gently pressed his thumb against her face and wiped away the tear.

“What if we compromise?” she asked. “You take me to work and pick me up. I’ll be surrounded by friends all day. He won’t come for me in the middle of the day at a public place,” she argued. “It’s too dangerous for him.”

Mike’s gut churned at her words. He didn’t see how that was much of a compromise, and he knew that he shouldn’t agree. He didn’t want to risk Alisha or the kids. But the school
was
a public place and, for criminals who don’t want to get caught, may discourage a confrontation with her. But Mike wasn’t sure how stable this stalker was. The situation had already escalated into breaking and entering, and Mike was certain the pervert had stolen from her.

He took in a deep breath and let it rush over his lips as he exhaled. “I think he works with you,” Mike stated with confidence. He needed her to understand that she wasn’t just surrounded by friends at school. One of her coworkers was dangerously attracted to her.

Alisha scrunched her eyebrows together. That didn’t make sense to her. “I told you about the men I work with. None of them seem like a suspect to me. They’re either married or gay,” she argued.

“That doesn’t matter. This man has created a delusional relationship with you in his mind. Just because those men don’t seem like suspects to you, doesn’t mean they don’t fantasize about you.”

Alisha’s skin crawled at the thought that a pervert would fantasize about her and touch himself. That was just an overload of nastiness. She shook her head in disgust. “Please don’t say that.”

“Say what?”

“That someone is fantasizing about me. It’s creepy.”

Mike looked hard into her eyes.
In spite of everything that had happened, did she still not realize how serious this situation was? Had she not confronted the danger that she was in?
He thought she knew how serious this was.
Wasn’t that what brought her to the gun store? Was she going into denial now to save her sanity?

“This man is obsessed with you,” Mike started. “You saw what he did at your house. You know he is unstable. That is why I want you at Savage Securities tomorrow and not at school.”

“I’m not going to Savage Securities tomorrow,” she stated defiantly. She wanted to be brave, and that meant she would live her life on her own terms. “I’m going to work tomorrow. My kids need me.” Alisha pressed her finger against Mike’s lips to quiet him.

“I need them,” she said calmly. “I need to know that I am still in charge of my life.” She tilted her head and gave him a half-smile. “I’m not a client. You don’t get to order me around,” she stated. “If you aren’t willing to drive me, I’ll take a cab. I want you to know that you are not responsible for whatever happens tomorrow. Truly, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but the decision is mine.”

Every cell in his body, all his years of training, knew that this was a mistake. She needed to be locked down tight until they found this guy. Sending her to work without backup was insanely stupid. She might as well stand on the side of the road with a sign that read, ‘FREE – TAKE ME’. He scrubbed his hand over his face and stared at the ceiling. The fan blades lazily circled as his mind whirled. She was right though, and he hated it. He didn’t have control over her because she wasn’t a client. She was in charge of her life, even if her judgment sucked and her decisions were insane.

Mike tore his eyes from the fan and studied her. He was good at finding weak spots, vulnerabilities, and he saw too many of them when he looked at her. She was tiny, had little to no self-defense skills, was way too trusting, and had a heart of gold that may make it difficult for her to actually hurt someone if she needed to.
Would she really be able to pull the trigger if she had to?
He wasn’t sure she had it in her to kill someone, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, unless your life depended on it.

He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and protect her from this nightmare. He’d failed his sister, but he refused to fail Alisha. But she was right. She wasn’t a client. She was so much more. He wanted her to be the air he breathed, the happiness to greet him at the end of a day, and the sweetness on his tongue.

“You’re right,” he said soberly. “It is your decision.” He hated himself. He knew it would happen again. He’d lose someone he cared about because of his own weakness.

He ran his fingertips on the soft flesh of her arm. He wanted to forget about the danger that haunted her and focus on the closeness that they shared right now. He wouldn’t let that man to come between them.

She smiled and rubbed her hand across his chest. “Thank you,” she said.

He really wanted to switch gears. Their conversation had ruined the awesome buzz he had when she was in his arms, and he wanted that buzz back. He wanted her. He wanted to be in her, to feel her tremble and moan as he stroked her.

He leaned forward, placed his hand behind her head, and pulled her mouth to his. Brushing his tongue across her lips, she opened for him and he slipped inside. She tasted like the popcorn and chocolates they’d eaten earlier. When she moaned, he pulled her against him.

Alisha complied with his tug. She leaned forward, pressed her hands against his chest and positioned herself on top of him. Her legs straddled Mike’s, her chest was flush with his, and her hands were on his shoulders. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. Warmth and desire looked back at her as his heart beat against hers, the rhythm fast and urgent. “Am I too heavy?” Alisha asked.

He chuckled, and she felt the vibrations in her chest. “No.” He shook his head. “But I do need more of this.” He pulled her back to his mouth and swept her up in another kiss. His hands roamed over her body and tickled the flesh along the bottom of her shirt.

She squirmed as his fingertips brushed against her ass and lit her up inside. The heat of desire snaked its way through her body. One of his hands made its way under her shirt and blazed a path of pleasure towards her breast. His other hand slipped inside the elastic of her yoga pants and massaged her ass.

Alisha was melting into Mike. His gentle touches sent her heart racing. A sweet ache built between her legs, and she gently ground herself against him as they kissed.

Between the moan that escaped her lips as he tweaked her nipple and the sweet crush of her pussy against his jeans-clad erection, Mike was in paradise. There was only one way to improve this situation, and that was to take it into the bedroom where he could peel off her panties and feel her tender flesh in his hands.

“Baby,” Mike whispered, his fingers getting lost in her hair as he lifted her head to look into her eyes. “Do you want to take this to my room? We’ll be more comfortable.” His cock throbbed as he waited for her reply.

Alisha stared into those beautiful green eyes and studied the tiny scars that marred his otherwise perfect face. She could well imagine looking into that face forever. He’d shown how kind and brave he was since he willingly walked into the tsunami she called life. It was obvious that he was intelligent. People didn’t do what he did for a living unless they were intelligent. And although she hadn’t known him for very long, she felt as if she knew all the important stuff. Honor, integrity, and courage are not traits a woman finds every day.

A simple smile and head nod from her had Mike’s cock twitching with delight.

“Let me get ready for bed first,” she whispered, “and I’ll sleep in your room with you tonight. If that’s all right?” she added with a shy smile.