One Kiss More (24 page)

Being dead was the worst part.

When the doors opened to their floor, Emma politely excused herself as she slid past the other passengers. Landon stomped out behind her, each step pounding on the carpet as he followed her to their room. Crap. They hadn’t had time to get a different room. Or adjoining rooms as Landon suggested the night before. Well, tonight was going to be an absolute
blast
. He shoved the key card in the slot and cranked the doorknob so hard it was a wonder he didn’t break it off. Emma walked in behind him, closing the door and swinging the latch into place. Without a glance backward, he strode past the bed, jerked open the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the terrace, slamming it shut behind him.

Emma slouched down on the bed and grabbed the remote and a room service menu from the bedside table. She hoped the hotel bar delivered because she needed a drink.

Landon filled his lungs with cool air and held it there for a few moments before releasing it. Roiling thunderheads darkened the sky, making it seem much later than it really was. Closer to evening than only late afternoon. He took another deep breath and one more. No amount of fresh air was going to calm him down, though. He was about to climb right out of his fucking skin.

He’d never lost his grip like that before. Hell, he wasn’t even close to leveling out now. A cool breeze washed over him, and Landon gripped the wrought-iron railing and let his head hang between his shoulders. His nostrils flared as he took another deep breath in an effort to cleanse the anger from his system. Jesus, what in the hell was wrong with him?

“Landon?”

Emma’s voice slithered over his skin in a warm caress. It was like silk, smooth and soft and decadent. His gut burned as he thought of that piece of shit Luis blocking Emma’s path out of the warehouse, burying his face in that ridiculous wig and eyeing her like his next meal. Anger flared hot and fresh at the memory. Before this was over, he was going to beat that fucker’s smug face into a pulp.

“Yeah.” He couldn’t force out more than just the one word. And that even seemed like too much. It choked him on the way up, a harsh sound that caught on the knot that had formed in his chest.

“I . . . I um, haven’t eaten anything yet today and I’m starving. Is it okay to order room service?”

Landon locked his elbows and stretched out his back.
Can you be more of a dickhead?
“Go ahead and order whatever you want. But don’t answer the door when the food shows up. I’ll take care of it.”

“Do you want anything?”

Her sheepish tone cut straight through him, slicing every major organ to leave a path of bloody destruction. It was damned tough to hold on to his anger when she spoke to him like that. And really, who exactly was he pissed off at? Her for stepping in and virtually emasculating him in front of Sousa’s men? Damien for pulling him away from Luis before he took a .45-caliber bullet to the temple? Or himself for his own unchecked jealousy the second another man laid eyes on Emma? What. A. Loser.

“Just get whatever sounds good.” He was too wound up, too damned embarrassed by his childish, macho bullshit behavior to turn and look at her. He simply braced his arms against the railing like an idiot, head bowed. “And order as much as you want.” Because, since they’d emptied his bank accounts, you could bet that Crawford and the SOG were going to be covering his tab from here on out.

“All right.” Emma paused, and even though he couldn’t see her, he knew she’d taken a step closer. Could almost feel her at his back. “It looks like it might rain. Do you want me to bring you a coat?”

He snorted. Was it that she felt bad about stepping in between him and Luis and was trying to make amends for the virtual castration? If so, further coddling wasn’t going to improve his sour mood. “I’ll be fine. Remember, don’t answer the door. Got it?”

“Yeah.” Emma’s tone chilled from his curt response, proving that no matter how big of an asshole he could be, there was always room for him to sink lower. “Got it.”

The sliding glass door whispered shut, leaving Landon alone on the terrace with nothing but the sound of the rushing wind for company. Even in his humiliation, his anger, his damned stubbornness, he wanted Emma so bad that it hurt. A bone-deep ache that ate at his marrow and left him completely hollow.

He might as well be that stupid rookie kid again, lusting after the pretty girl. And what’s worse, she had so little faith in his ability to take care of himself, of them
both
, that she’d stepped in when she’d thought he was in over his head. With a vote of confidence like that, maybe he should turn in his badge and call it a day. After all, he could always ask dear old Dad for a job and make his family happy. Yeah, right. He’d rather gnaw his own arm off.

With a groan of frustration, Landon pushed himself away from the railing and spun around, leaning his ass against it so he could see inside the room. The drapes partially obscured his view, but it wasn’t like he wanted Emma to notice him watching her like some sort of creepy jerk. Still, the cityscape beyond, Puget Sound in the distance, not even the majesty and violence of the building thunderstorm held his interest the way the woman inside that room did. He could watch her for hours, even if she did nothing more entertaining than fold laundry.

She’d removed the blond wig, thank God, and let the dark curls of her hair fall down over her shoulders in a wild tangle. Her expression thoughtful, she puttered around the room as though looking for something to distract her. After a few moments, she settled on the bed, remote control in hand. She leaned against the headboard, legs crossed at the ankles, and her eyes drifted shut. Landon leaned forward as her lips parted, as though he could reach right through the glass and touch her. A raindrop smacked his shoulder. Another bounced off the top of his head.
Tap, tap, tap
. He couldn’t be bothered to notice when the rain picked up in earnest, pelting him with cold, wet drops. His attention was focused on Emma, her fierce beauty and commanding presence. How could he possibly go back to his life after this? After having kissed her, touched her. Each moment with Emma made Landon crave more. And despite his self-coached detachment, he was forced to admit to himself that distance was the last thing he wanted when it came to her.

Landon closed his eyes and expelled a gust of breath. The din of the rain drowned out everything, even his own ridiculous thoughts. He welcomed the void and simply listened as the pitter-patter of a light shower transformed into the deafening rush of a deluge.

“What are you doing?”

His thoughts exactly. What in the hell was he doing? It was ridiculous to want a woman he barely knew, or even think about pursuing a relationship with someone who was involved in not only a past case but a current one. Jesus.

“Landon. Get out of the rain. Are you crazy?”

Yes. He was abso-fucking-lutely crazy. He had to be, right? Was there any other explanation for his behavior over the past week?

“Landon!”

Warm hands cupped his face, and he opened his eyes to find Emma staring at him, her brow furrowed, expression pinched. Had she been trying to get his attention? Shit, he was so lost in his own thoughts he barely noticed. Droplets of water clung to Emma’s dark lashes, trickled down her face, and soaked her clothes through. When had it started to rain so damned hard? And what was she doing out here in this weather? She was probably freezing.

“Landon, what’s the matter with you?” Emma searched his face, her thumbs brushing his cheeks. “Come inside. You’re going to catch pneumonia.”

His emotions were still too close to the surface. The storm blowing around them was nothing compared to the one raging inside of him. With his control hanging on by a thread, even the slightest touch sent him reeling. He wanted her. Needed her more than air. And damn it, he was tired of suffocating.

Landon took Emma in his arms and crushed her to him. His mouth descended on hers, hungry, demanding, desperate in his ferocity. She melted against him, the cold of the rain dissolving under Emma’s heat. Her mouth slanted open on his, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers in a firm caress that only made him hungry for more.

The rain didn’t bother him, nor did the violent rush of wind that whipped at Emma’s drenched hair, sending the heavy curls this way and that. Landon’s brain short-circuited, along with any decent decision-making skills. His lust overtook everything else, and he released his grip on Emma for as long as it took to peel her wet shirt off of her body. The momentary separation was brief as their mouths found each other again and a gust of wind stole the garment from Landon’s grip. Where it went from there, he didn’t really care.

Emma’s enthusiasm matched his own as her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. She popped the last two in her impatience, and the urgency of her actions made Landon’s cock throb almost painfully. He wanted to be inside of her so badly he couldn’t think of anything else. She shoved his shirt down over his shoulders and he shrugged it the rest of the way off. Not wasting a second, she went for the button on his jeans, working it free with one hand while she pulled his zipper down with the other.

Her kisses were a drug, sweet, intoxicating, and instantly addictive. Landon couldn’t bring himself to stop even long enough to take a breath. She matched his fervor as their lips met again and again, tongues intertwined in a sensuous dance. His impatience mounted and Landon grabbed the cup of her bra, dragging it down to reveal one full, perfect breast. He cupped the weight in his hand, massaging as he brushed the pearled peak with his thumb. Emma arched into him, a low moan vibrating through him as they kissed.

Emma’s arms went around him, her palms traveling down his lower back and into his jeans to cup his ass. Her touch was electric, sending a rush of adrenaline through Landon’s system that reminded him of skydiving. An exhilarating free fall that made him feel so alive he wanted to shout his elation. She cupped his ass, her nails biting into his skin. He thrust his hips into her, his erection barely restrained by his open jeans and pressing against the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. One hand snaked around and palmed the bulge there and Landon’s breath caught in his chest. She stroked him through the fabric, and he thought he’d come right then and there, it felt so damned good.

She shivered as a gust of wind swept over them, and Landon came to his senses, albeit a little. As much as he wanted her right here and now, he needed to get her inside, where it was warm. Words were an inconvenience at this point, especially if it meant he had to stop kissing her for even a second. He wrapped his arms around Emma to steady her and slowly maneuvered them closer to the glass door. When it stayed their progress, Landon reached behind her to slide it open and eased them into the room, turning to slide the door closed behind them.

“Wow, that took some serious skill,” Emma murmured against his mouth. Her warm laughter traveled the length of Landon’s spine, and he took her bottom lip between his teeth before sucking gently.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He abandoned her mouth for her throat, and Emma tilted her head back to expose her neck to him.

“So far, you’re pretty impressive.” A slow moan followed on the heels of Emma’s words, and it was all he could do to keep from tossing her down on the bed and fucking her senseless. He nipped at the sensitive skin at the base of her ear, and she shuddered against him. A slow smile spread on his lips, and he repeated the action, this time dragging his teeth against her flesh slowly.

A loud knock interrupted the moment followed by a call of, “Room service.”

Landon cursed under his breath.
Of all the shitty timing . . .
“Be right there!” he called back, surprised at the thickness of his own voice.

“I forgot about the food,” Emma said with a laugh.

“I thought you were starving?”

Emma’s eyes were heavily lidded as a seductive smile spread across her lips. “I am. But not for food. Not anymore.”

Ho-ly shit.

Chapter Nineteen

“Stay out of sight, okay?”

Landon’s gaze raked over her in a way that warmed Emma from the inside out. She was dripping wet, wearing nothing more than her pants and a bra. He didn’t need to worry about her jumping out to say hello.

He waited by the door until she slipped into the bathroom. Once she was tucked out of sight, he opened the door and exchanged a pleasant hello with the hotel employee. As Emma waited, she touched her fingertips to her lips, skimmed the skin at her throat and trailed down lower between her breasts. From day one, Landon had been sending her mixed signals and it seemed as though interruptions like this one always sullied the moment and urged him to rethink his actions. Well, she wasn’t going to let that happen again.

Emma quickly unfastened her button and peeled the stretchy skinny-legged pants from her body. Holy crap, a cotton/denim blend was like superglue once it got wet and made contact with skin. After a brief struggle that sent her stumbling more than once, she managed to get her pants off and checked her reflection in the mirror. God, she looked like a drowned rat.

From the rack beside the shower, Emma grabbed a towel and dried her hair as best she could. If anything, it looked more wild and unkempt than before, but she wasn’t about to worry about it when there was a half-naked Landon McCabe waiting on the other side of the door. She was in the red zone and this was her Hail Mary. If she didn’t take a chance and drive in for the touchdown, she might as well call the game. It was now or never.

Emma waited for the sound of the door closing before she emerged from the bathroom. Her heartbeat sped like hummingbird wings as she tiptoed out into the room almost completely naked. Would Landon reject her yet again? Oh boy. She thought she could do this . . . but really, Emma wasn’t sure she could take another one of Landon’s cool dismissals. His back was turned to her as he arranged the plates of food on a small table in the far corner of the room.