On Jason's Watch [Paladin Protection Agency 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

She latched onto his shoulders as he stood up, carrying her as though she weighed nothing at all. “Jase? Where are we going?”

“Bed. I’ve got an idea.” He bowed his head, and she caught a glimpse of wicked determination in his expression, and then he was kissing her again and there was nothing in her mind but thoughts of him.

* * * *

He was taking a serious chance, and he knew it. The last thing he should be doing is seducing a client. This isn’t just seduction, he told himself.
This is something else, something more.
If anyone had told him yesterday that he was twenty-four hours away from falling head over heels for a sexy werewolf, he’d have had them committed. But here he was with Jazz in his arms, headed for his bedroom. He was in so far over his head right now he should be panicking, but he wasn’t. Anya, Paladin’s resident clairvoyant, had told him he’d be meeting his destiny soon. Unlike Sinjin, he wasn’t intending to fight his fate. Not when it looked so damned good.

He carried her into his room and set her back on her feet, already reluctant to let her out of his arms. She stared up at him, and he was stunned by the look of complete trust in her beautiful eyes. No one had ever looked at him like that before, and it hit him like a punch to the stomach. He wasn’t worthy of that kind of trust. He couldn’t be. Not after all he’d done.

She reached for him, and he caught her hands in his, drawing her in close.
I may not deserve her, but damned if I’m going to let her go.

He kissed her, enjoying her inexperience and her innocence. She had never been with a man. That much was obvious even if she hadn’t spelled it out for him earlier. He liked that he’d be her first. He’d never been with someone of her limited experience. Until now, he’d wanted a partner in pleasure, nothing else. Jazz promised to be something quite different, if he could help her to get past her fear.

He moved slowly, finding the catch on her zipper with his fingertips. Inch by inch he lowered it, keeping her distracted with his kisses. She rubbed up against him, and he had to stifle a groan as his cock thickened and pulsed, growing hard and heavy. He wanted her so badly it was almost painful, but he knew he had to be patient.

The dress nearly slid from her shoulders as he finished working the zipper open, and he caught a glimpse of red lace against her skin. Unable to resist, he pushed her dress further down her shoulders, trapping her arms to her sides.

“Pretty.” He stroked the lace trimmed edge of her bra, watching her breasts lift as she gasped in surprise at his touch.

“Thank Val and Tara. They packed it. Almost as if they knew I’d need them.”

“Tara is very insightful.” He tore his eyes from her breasts to smile at her. “She’s an empath and something of a mind reader. I think she had a pretty good idea how I felt about you by the time we were done at your house.”

“Oh god, really?” She blushed again. The sight of her golden skin darkening made him itch to have her naked so he could watch that blush flow up her body. “So you think this wasn’t an accident? I’ve never even worn it before.”

“Did I mention my favorite color is red? I think it’s safe to say she knew what she was doing.”

“I’m never going to be able to look her in the eye again,” she muttered.

“Trust me, she won’t pry. But if you don’t shield from her, she usually gets a pretty good idea of how you’re feeling. If you want, we can practice our shields together.”

“I’d like that.” She arched a dark brow at him. “So how
do
you feel about me? I think it’s only fair that I know if Tara does.”

“I feel that I really, really want to see the rest of that lace.” He ducked the question and deliberately tugged her dress down to her waist. As more lace appeared, he forgot about going slow and pushed the dress over the sweet curve of her hips and then let it go, watching as it slid down her legs to land at her feet.

“You were wearing
that
at dinner?” He could barely believe the vision in front of him. “Holy gods, if I had known that, we’d have never made it to the restaurant.”

He sucked in a long breath, trying to put the air back into his lungs. When he could speak again, he pointed to the bed.

“Get comfy. I’ll be right back. And don’t you dare touch that outfit you’re wearing. I haven’t finished admiring it yet.”

Chapter 6

She shouldn’t be here. She knew she should grab her clothes and hightail it to Jase’s spare bedroom before this went any further.
So why aren’t I moving?
She knew the answer to that question was blond, green eyed, and had just stepped into what looked to be a very spacious walk-in closet. She was staying because this was Jase. Because he wasn’t afraid of her, and because when he kissed her, he made her want more than she’d dared to try for in her entire life.

Instead of leaving, she picked up her dress and laid it on the dresser. It was the only clothing she had at the moment. So if she was going to have to do the walk of shame back into Paladin tomorrow morning, she’d at least do it in an unwrinkled outfit. She heard Jase humming to himself from the other room, and she couldn’t help but smile as she recognized the tune. She would have never pegged him for a Nickelback fan. She curled up on his bed, facing the closet he’d disappeared into, and waited, feeling very underdressed.

When he stepped back out again, the first thing she noticed was that he’d removed the shredded remains of his shirt. Every lean, muscled inch of his chest and torso was revealed to her gaze, and she couldn’t help but stare. She was distracted enough that it took her until he sat down beside her on the bed to realize he was holding several silk ties in his hands.

“And what do you think you’re going to do with those?”

“I’m going to make sure you feel safe,” he answered with a wink that did nothing to ease the knots that were suddenly twisting her insides.

“How are your ties going to make me feel safe exactly?”

“You’ll see.” He leaned down and kissed her, one hand molding to her breast as he moved her over, onto her back. She felt the warm weight of him shift above her, his leg resting between her thighs. She gave in to the need to touch him and ran her hands over his bare skin. Her eyes drank in every detail, and when she read the words imprinted on the skin of his right bicep, she couldn’t help but smile. “
Carpe Diem
. You really do have that tattoo.”

He lifted his head and glanced over to where her fingers rested against his skin. “I haven’t lied to you about anything, Jazz, and I’m not going to. There are times I have to lie for my job, but I never lie to the people who are important to me.”

She felt her breath catch in her chest. “I’m important to you?”

“Hell yes,” he whispered and kissed her again. “I don’t know what this is, but I do know it’s not a fling. So if you’re looking to use me and throw me over in the morning, I’ll be completely distraught.” He made his lower lip wobble and gave her an utterly woebegone look. “I may never recover.”

“You’re incorrigible.” She nipped his still-protruding lower lip. “I don’t know what this is either, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the love ’em and leave ’em type. Until tonight, I haven’t been the love ’em type at all.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m going to take good care of you.”

“I know you will,” she confessed softly. “I just hope I don’t hurt you.”

“That’s not going to happen.” He sat up just enough to regain the use of his hands, closing them around her wrists as he drew both of her arms over her head. He held them there as he leaned in and kissed her again, his tongue and lips distracting her from what he was doing. It wasn’t until she registered the cool slide of silk snugging up around her wrists that she realized what he was planning, and by then he was already securing her arms to the headboard.

“Jase, no.” She yanked at her binding, but it didn’t give way.

“Trust me. You’re afraid you’re going to hurt me. Well, you can’t if you’re tied up, right? No claws this way. And I tied it so that if you change, the knots will loosen off enough you won’t get hurt.”

“This is your idea of making me feel safe?” She thrashed on the bed, yanking harder this time.

“Lie still and trust me. If you really don’t want to do this, then I’ll untie you. But I think this is a good idea.” His gaze slid over her body and she couldn’t help but see the hunger in his eyes. “I take that back. This is an amazing idea. You’re gorgeous, a private feast laid out just for me.”

She managed a derisive and very unladylike snort and glowered up at him. “I feel more like a trussed turkey.”

“You’re one very sexy-looking turkey. Thanksgiving never looked this good at my house.”

She burst out laughing, and when she was done, nearly all her anxiety had faded away. “So, now you have me trussed up, what exactly was your plan?”

He settled his body beside hers and dropped a line of kisses into the valley between her breasts. “My plan was to make love to you until we’re both too tired to move.”

“And what if I—you know—change?”

“You’re not going to. But since you seem intent on worrying about this, here’s the deal. You use the safe word, and I’ll stop. No guilt, no questions.”

“Safe word, huh. And just what is this magical word I’m supposed to say?”

He lifted his head and grinned at her. “Turkey.”

She was still trying to form a good retort when his mouth closed over her lace-covered breast and she lost the ability to think. There was nothing but the heat of his touch and the gentle pinch of his teeth as he teased the fast-hardening bud of her nipple. She felt herself arching her back, pressing herself against his lips. His fingers stroked along her flank before moving beneath her, and she felt him release the clasp of her bra just as his teeth raked over her again. She cried out at the exquisite torment and arched higher this time, using the leverage of her bonds to lift herself. The silk ties were too soft and the fabric too wide to bite into her skin with any discomfort, so she wrapped her fingers around each silken length and hung on.

Jase bared her breasts and then cursed as he realized he’d tied her hands, making it impossible to remove her bra completely.

“Rookie mistake,” she heard him mutter as he slid the straps up her arms and over her head, leaving it to dangle over her forearms.

“Technical difficulties?” she asked, amazed she had found the wit to tease him.

“You just hush.” He sealed her mouth with a kiss that drove her newly returned wits back into hiding and made her pussy throb until she had to squeeze her thighs together to ease the ache. His tongue danced with hers and she forgot to breathe until her lungs burned and she had to break their kiss to gasp for air. His hands were on her breasts, stroking and teasing. She felt like she was vibrating, trembling on the edge of something new and wonderful.

He moved, and she wanted to protest the loss of his kisses, but then his mouth was feasting at her nipple again and she was moaning his name. Again he took her to the edge, and this time her wolf rose up to join them. She heard the changes in her voice, the way her words carried a low rumble that threatened to turn to a full-throated growl. She was about to stop him, to use the safe word he’d teasingly given her when she realized that nothing else had changed. She was still in control. The beast was present, but that was all.

As if he realized what had happened Jase moved again and kissed her, and this time she threw herself into her response. She let go, and nothing happened. The wolf didn’t take control. When his kiss ended, she grinned up at him. “Untie me, Jase.”

“Not just yet. I’m not done enjoying this,” he told her and rolled onto his back, making quick work of his clothing. Before she could see more than a tantalizing glimpse of his naked body and fully erect cock, he was back at her side, her bonds making it impossible for her to get a good look.

He started kissing his way down her body again, pausing to give each pert nipple a moment’s attention before moving lower. His mouth brushed over the soft mound of her stomach, and she twisted to one side, painfully aware of every imperfection and extra pound.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against her skin. “So incredibly beautiful.” He ran his tongue around her navel and then continued lower, blazing a trail of scorching kisses as he went. She felt his teeth close on the lace of her panties. She wanted to pull away, but the wolf pushed in her mind and she found herself arching her hips instead. His hands and mouth tugged at the lace, and she had to bite back a howl of frustration as every touch came so close to where she needed him but never quite made contact. He slid her panties down her legs, and then she was naked, laid bare to his gaze.