Dirty Delilah (11 page)
Authors: R. G. Alexander
A single long stride brought him halfway across the small room. “What if the smell is addictive? What if it smells like hunger and sex and the air after the rain? Would she want to know then?”
Yes, please.
“Maybe. But maybe before the flattery goes to her head she wants to find out why the supersniffing-police-of-all-things-magical kidnapped her in the first place. And why you’re so willing to let me go without a fight.”
He hesitated. “You’re unique and you were in my territory. I needed to know what you were. Who you were. It seemed simple enough, but I didn’t think it through. An issue that’s been occurring with more and more frequency these past few days.”
Because of you
, his look implied. She distracted him. Well, in that case, they were even. She sensed it as he spoke. The now-familiar feeling that told her she was about to do something without thinking it through. About to act impulsively on the desire she’d had since she’d first laid eyes on him.
“So if I
were
dangerous…” she lowered her voice and moved close enough to run her cell phone teasingly over his chest, “…and you wanted to know more about me, you’d—what? Clap me in irons?”
“Yes.” The rough texture of his voice scraped deliciously up her spine.
“Those irons? The ones above my head?”
“Yes.” He took her phone out of her hand. “What are you doing?”
Aziza wasn’t sure. But she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “What would you do after that? How would you get me to talk? To tell you whatever you wanted to know?”
She could hear the deep rumble as soon as it started in his chest. It made her blood heat. “Tell me, Brandon.”
“There is no
if
about it. You
are
dangerous. And I’m confused.” He moved closer until she could feel her breasts brushing against his shirt. “I thought you wanted to leave.”
“I did,” she assured him, her hands lifting to land on his stomach, feeling the ridge of muscles there and wishing she could lick them. “I do. I definitely do.”
Brandon raised the curved fingers of one hand to her cheek, tracing the line her tears had taken when she’d realized her friend was back to normal. It was a tender gesture. Unexpectedly gentle.
“Do you want me to leave right away?” she asked.
His response was swift and emphatic. “No.”
She took her hands off his body with a moment of regret for the loss of contact and lifted her arms in the air, clasping the handcuffs teasingly with the tips of her fingers. “Then show me how you’d make me talk.”
He inhaled sharply, his features, for a moment, looking more primal— animal—than human. A predator scenting his prey. “Don’t move.”
She kept her arms above her head as he disappeared from her line of sight. She could hear the scrape of metal against metal when he lifted the low bench from the far wall and carried it over, setting it down behind her. She’d have to stand on it, she realized, to fit into the cuffs hanging from the ceiling. She started to turn, but his words froze her in place.
“This is my interrogation, Aziza, and I told you not to move.”
“Yes, sir.” She shivered again. Visibly shaking and he hadn’t even touched her yet. Brandon moved to stand in front of her once more and lowered her arms down to her sides.
“You should think about this, you know,” he informed her. “I should think about this. Hell. The fact that I’m even considering…”
His words slowed to a halt when she shook her head of hair, still wild from her adventures, and her trembling fingers started working on the corset that now seemed too tightly laced for her to catch her breath. “You should take my advice and stop thinking. It ruins everything.”
“Keep it on.”
She froze and smiled in question. “Because you like the corset? Or because you’re not interested anymore?”
“I like it,” he groaned, gripping her hips and lifting her onto the bench.
From this position she was still barely a head taller than he was, and the chains would still make her body stretch to keep her feet on the bench. Perfection.
She watched as Brandon reached behind him and tugged his shirt over his head, realizing she might have used that word too soon.
He
was perfection. A mountain of a man carved from rock, just for her. A body etched in hard, jagged edges, awe inspiring to gaze upon, and something she wanted desperately to climb.
His tattoos were just as impressive. More than the usual tribal designs, the dark ink that covered his skin from his chest, over his shoulder and down to his elbow seemed to emanate power, its stylized symbols swirling around his flexing muscles like artistic armor.
She licked her lips, pouting when he didn’t take off his jeans.
Brandon noticed and gave her his first genuine smile. “You don’t have a lot of patience, do you?”
Aziza tilted her head, as if in consideration. She kicked off her shoes and— pulling him closer to use his bare shoulder for balance—slipped her leggings down and off her legs. “I suppose that’s true. I think I got out of the habit.”
She’d spent the last two years living in the moment, knowing she was going to die. There wasn’t time for patience. “Please don’t tell me you’ll make me wait. I’m not in to delayed gratification…and no one likes a tease.”
He took a breath and began to walk around the bench, taking her in. She saw him shake his head in wonder. “
Where
have you been hiding?”
Excerpt: Big Bad John
Bigger in Texas Series, Book One
By RG Alexander
Trudy smiled and hummed one of her older songs under her breath, promising herself she would visit the old woman tomorrow.
A low male sound of appreciation caused her to look up at the reflective surface of the window. John stood behind her. How had he gotten that close without her noticing?
“I’ve missed hearing that in person,” he murmured. “You’ve always had such a beautiful voice. A voice like that should be shared.”
Oh God. Between one breath and the next—that quickly—Trudy’s body reacted to the intimate tone. Her stomach fluttered and her bones seemed to melt, forcing her to lean against the large, stainless steel sink to keep upright. Watching him. “Thank you.”
He moved closer and reached around her body to grip one of her hands, still under the running water. His fingers twined with hers. “I didn’t mean for you to do this. You cooked, the least I can do is clean up after.”
She could hardly breathe. “I didn’t mind.” The heat of his body was burning her skin, the thin straps of her lavender tank top tight over her shoulders as she tensed. Waiting. Wondering what would happen next. “Is Jefferson settled in?”
John’s other hand came up to trace feather light circles on her shoulder, down the outside of her arm. His hands were rough from years of manual labor, making her feel soft and feminine. Everywhere he touched her was charged. Electric.
It shouldn’t still be like this. Intense. Intimate. They were strangers now. Why was her reaction so strong?
“John, we should talk about how we’re going to stop him from—”
“We have plenty of time for that. I don’t want to talk about your brother, Trouble.” His fingers tightened on her skin. “Or your news, as good as it is. And neither do you.”
“I don’t?”
“No,” he assured her, his voice low and rough. “I should let you get settled in, should wait, but you’ve been watching me all night, Trudy. Made it damn near impossible to keep track of what your fast-talking friend was saying. You’ve been thinking about kissing me again. Been wondering if, after all this time, there would still be sparks. If it would be as good as you remember.”
Trudy was a sucker for a confident man. This confident man in particular. But she couldn’t let her guard down. Not here. Not now.
She turned, her body brushing against his as she moved to face him. His cheeks were flushed, his blue eyes dark and seductive.
How was she supposed to think when he looked at her that way?
“And you’ve been spending too much time in the sticks, Big John.” She lifted her chin and raised her eyebrow in what she hoped was a condescending expression. “You don’t know what I’m thinking. Don’t know me. You haven’t seen me or talked to me in over ten years. What makes you think I have any desire to kiss you? That I’m not already taken?”
He gripped her waist with his hands and lifted her until she was sitting precariously on the edge of the sink, then took one more step until he was standing between her legs. “I know you better than you think I do,” he whispered. “Better than your fans. But if I’m off base, if it’s just me feeling this, then do me a favor…prove me wrong.”
Her arms hovered uncertainly in the air with the first teasing brush of his lips against hers. After his words, she’d expected an all-out assault. A demand. This was something different. His tongue stroked her upper lip and then he smiled. His teeth scraped her lower lip lightly…and then he withdrew.
“What are you doing?” she gasped softly when his breath puffed against her lips, though he didn’t move in to take what she knew he wanted.
“Waiting.” His reply was just as soft. “For you to admit what you want so I can give it to you. Right now, when your friend could come down at any moment. Right here, where anyone could see.” He skimmed her lips once more with his and groaned. “Prove me wrong, Trudy. Tell me you don’t want to know.”
Every word he uttered was a seduction, and every struggling breath she fought to take was one more step toward succumbing to it. She did want to know. Wanted to know if a decade of fantasy could be topped by the real thing. If her memory had made it into more than it was.
Her hands fell onto his shoulders and she wrapped her legs around his thighs, pulling him closer. “Kiss me then. I want you to kiss me.”
“There’s Trouble. Good girl.”
After that it was hard for her to think. His mouth was on hers, claiming her the way he had years before, when she hadn’t been ready. Hadn’t known that no one else would ever come close. Their tongues tangled and she tasted sweet barbecue and spice…and John.
She wanted more.
Her fingers reached for the buttons on his shirt but he stopped her, his hands reaching up to grip her wrists and lowering her arms until they were behind her back. Until her spine was arched and her breasts were pressing hard against his chest.
Oh God, she didn’t want to stop touching him but…oh God. How did he know? How could he know that what he was doing was only making her want him more? Pushing all her buttons. Turning her on. Arousal washed over her and the heat made her tighten her thighs, desperate for more contact. For the pressure she knew could help alleviate the ache inside her.
John leaned back, away from her questing mouth and chuckle roughly. “A kiss, Trudy. That’s all you asked for and all you’re getting tonight.”
“What?”
She struggled in surprise but he didn’t loosen his grip on her wrists. Didn’t stop smiling. “What the hell is this?”
“This is a taste of what’s coming. And a challenge.”
He knew she could never resist a challenge.
Damn it.
“I’m listening.”
“I hope you are.” His grip tightened momentarily on her wrists, making her gasp…making her wet. He bit his lip. “I don’t see the point in denying it when it’s clear we still have something between us. Unfinished business. You still want me. I still want you…”
And it was still an impossible situation. “John, I—”
“Hush,” he reprimanded lightly, leaning forward to bite her chin in a gentle warning. “Two weeks, Trudy. You’re here for two weeks. I know you feel the need to sort Jefferson out and you want to help your friend get her story. All while you get ready for your life to change forever. But other than that, for as long as you’re here…say you’ll be mine.”
“Yours?”
He nodded. “In every way. You’ll come with me wherever I want to take you. Do whatever I ask you to do, and unless you draw a line or tell me to stop, I’ll be asking for a lot.”
This sounded… “John, are you negotiating with me?” How did he find out? Had he talked to Caroline when she was with her brother? “Are you…are you asking me to…?”
“Give in. Submit.” His expression was hard and resolved. His free hand slid up her ribcage and caressed one heavy breast, as if he couldn’t help himself. She pushed into his hand instinctively. “I’m not asking for strings. This ends the day you leave and without any regrets. I’m asking you to give yourself to me, Trudy. The way we both know you’re dying to.”
Cocky, arrogant—irresistible. “Just sex?”
His smile was dangerous. “Oh no. This is going to be so much more than just sex, Trouble. I think you know it. The question is, after all these years, are you still brave enough to say yes?”
Other Books from RG Alexander
Fireborne Series
Burn Me Down
-
coming soon
Bigger in Texas Series
Mr. Big Stuff
-coming soon
Book 3
-coming soon
Children Of The Goddess Series
Wicked Series