Want Me (4 page)

Was just the sight of a man supposed to make her heart race? Supposed to make her sex clench? Because that happened. Just the sight of him…and that dangerous smile of his.

A smile that held no dimples.

Only deadly promise.

“Sophie will be with me tonight, Eastbridge,” Lex continued. He was now close enough for her to inhale his rich, masculine scent. “But still send your cops by. Maybe they can catch the SOB who tried to hurt my lady.”

His lady? She lifted her right eyebrow at him.

Bullshit.

But then he leaned toward her. His fingers brushed her cheek, just the back of his knuckles in a careless kind of touch.

Heat flooded her. Her nipples tightened.

No!
She was in a courtroom, for goodness sake! The ADA was frowning at her and—

Lex kissed her. A hot, deep, I-don’t-care-who-is-watching kiss. Totally unprofessional. Totally awesome. Totally
make-me-want-to-strip-him
.

When he pulled back, her breath was coming in pants. So was his. Maybe that kiss had been fake. For show. Maybe he’d kissed her to live up to his part of the bargain because she’d told him that she didn’t want others to know she’d hired VJS and—

“I missed you,” he told her simply.

He sounded sincere. Her stupid heart raced even faster. When had any guy
ever
said that he missed her? Said it and meant it? She forced her lips to curl a bit. Forced herself to say, “I missed you, too.” Only, as soon as she said those words, Sophie realized they were true. She
had
missed him. She’d caught herself thinking about him again and again during her court session. She’d wanted him near not because he was her hired protection, but because—

She wanted him.

Clark coughed. “I, um, think you have me at a disadvantage.”

He was at a definite disadvantage when compared to Lex.

Lex eased back. He kept a grip on Sophie’s wrist, lightly circling her with his fingers.

“You know me,” Clark continued. “But I have no idea who you are.”

Lex just laughed, but the sound was cold. “Of course, you do. Your boss hired me to run some protection work a few months back. When he started getting those death threats, and he didn’t think in-house security would cut it.”

She saw Clark widen his eyes. “VJS Protection. You—” He looked back at Sophie. “You hired him to protect you?”

Lex brought Sophie’s fingers to his lips. “Does it look like she hired me, Ace? You should be faster on the uptake, being an ADA and all.”

She felt the edge of his tongue slide over her knuckles. Her breath whooshed out.

She was pretty sure he was making her wet. She’d obviously gone way too long since having a lover. Her body was in an overdrive reaction.

“Sophie and I have been involved for a while,” Lex continued smoothly. “The fact that some jerk tried to scare her last night? That shit pissed me off. A lot. So until I catch him, Sophie will be staying with me.”

Wait, he sounded as if he meant that last part. Staying with him had
not
been part of the deal. She had her swank hotel room already booked. She’d thought about splurging for an in-room massage because the day truly had been a bitch.

There had been
no
plans to spend the night with Lex, tempting though the idea was.

“Then I guess Sophie and I won’t be having that drink tonight,” Clark muttered as he jerked at his tie.

“Not tonight,” Lex agreed easily. “Not any night that I’m around.” His dangerous smile was still in place. “I think you missed your window, Ace. She’s taken.”

“
She’s
right here,” Sophie said, pushed too far. Right. It had been her idea for Lex to pretend to be her lover. But no one had said the guy needed to go all caveman. Especially in front of the ADA! Jeez, something new for her to live down. Awesome. “And she’s ready to go.” She nodded briskly to Clark. “I appreciate your offer of the extra patrol cars, and I’d love for them to go around the brownstone. I also think…” She had to say it. “I also think that Daniel Duvato needs extra security. The man at my house threatened him. He said he was going to kill Daniel for what he’d done to me.”

A furrow appeared between Clark’s perfect brows. “And you believe him? I mean, he could have just been some nut job—”

“He could have,” she agreed. “But—”

“Duvato is already in maximum security. No one will be getting to him.” He hesitated. “But I’ll go by tomorrow, okay? I’ll personally check things out for you.”

Her breath expelled in a quick rush. “Thank you.”

Clark shook his head. “The guy tried to kill you, and now you’re working to save his hide? Careful there, Sophie, or your icy reputation will start to crack. People will see you for the woman you really are.”

No one ever saw her for the woman she really was—that was a good thing.

Clark took his bag and left, but she stood there a moment longer. A guard was near the door, but, otherwise, it was just her and Lex in the courtroom. The guard was too far away to overhear her. “What the hell…” Sophie demanded in a lethal whisper. “Was that about?”

He shrugged. “The guy wants you.”

“He’s the ADA! Half the time, I think he hates me, he—”

“I know the signs. I saw the way he was looking at you.”

Insane. “What way?”

“Like he wanted you naked.”

She rolled her eyes. Grabbed her briefcase. And marched past him.
Men.
She needed to be saved from men and their idiocy. When she passed the guard, Quincy gave her a slow nod. She inclined her head toward him. “Night, Quincy.” She liked him. The guy was a serious fixture at the courthouse—and whenever she could, she snuck him some gourmet chocolates.

And in return, he paid her back with gossip.

She kept up her fast march toward the elevator. She jabbed the button, every muscle in her body feeling taut as she waited and waited and—

The doors opened. She shot inside. Lex followed—more slowly—behind her. As soon as those doors closed—

“You don’t have to worry about the ADA wanting me. You don’t have to worry about any man wanting me,” she snapped at him. “I’m a grown woman. I am perfectly capable of—”

“Your stalker wants you. He’s clearly obsessed. He took your negligee, for shit’s sake.” Real anger quaked in his words. “You’re a sexy woman. Beautiful. A fucking walking dream.”

Wait, she was? Since when? Usually, she just felt like a nightmare.

“It was your idea for me to pretend I was your lover, remember?” He glared at her. “I could have just told Eastbridge the truth.”

She stood toe to toe with him. Her head tipped back as she glared just as hard—and tried not to feel the desire that kept pulsing through her. Anger was
not
supposed to be some kind of aphrodisiac, not even in her twisted world. “It wasn’t my idea to say I was staying with you tonight. That I was practically living with you!”

His eyes narrowed. “A psycho with a knife broke into your place last night.”

Like she needed that reminder.

“And you thought you’d just sleep there alone?”

“I got new security installed today.” Security that wasn’t completely done, unfortunately. “But no, I’d planned to stay in a hotel tonight.”

He swore. “Wonderful. A place with total access for the general public. Super secure.”

He was making her insane. “I was going to stay on a secure level.”
Because I’m not an idiot.

He locked his fingers around her upper arms. She almost forgot to breathe. That electric connection she felt when he touched her was just
so
not normal. Her whole body was overheating now. And she was actually inching closer to him. Wrong, wrong.
Wrong.

But he sure felt right.

The bad boys always did.

“You’ll be plenty secure with me.”

Her breath came a little faster. And his right hand rose to curl under her chin. She almost flinched away from him because his touch seared her too much.

“Are you afraid of me?” Lex asked her.

“No.” She was a very good liar.

“Then why are you scared to stay with me?”

The elevator doors opened. A quick glance showed Sophie that they were on the main street level. He’d dropped her off at the courthouse earlier, and she’d just assumed he’d found a garage nearby to park his car.

He didn’t move to leave that elevator. “Sophie?”

“I’m not afraid of you. Okay?” Ready to leave, she stepped to the right.

So did he. The guy was blocking her escape path. Annoying. She looked up at him and saw that determined glint in his eyes.

Sexy. Damn it.

Fine. If he wanted some sort of confession, she’d give him one. “I’m afraid of what might happen between us.”

He finally got out of her way. Good. She marched through the lobby and headed for the street.

He grabbed her briefcase.

“What are you—”

Lex held up his hand. “Easy. I’m just being a gentleman. Carrying your briefcase. That’s all.”

“I don’t trust gentlemen.” Her words were out before she could pull them back. But, hell, since she’d already said them… “I prefer men who face danger without flinching. Men who don’t mind getting dirty.” In more ways than one.

She strode forward. The sun had started to sink and the evening air definitely held bite. “Where are you parked?” Sophie asked him. They’d get to his car and get out of there.

Would they go back to his place?

Um,
no.

She’d have him drop her at the hotel. Because if they went back to his place, Sophie was afraid her control wouldn’t hold. She had one serious weakness.

Dangerous men. Fierce lovers. He was both.

No, it was better not to spend the night with him. Better to just get the guy to leave her at the sanctuary of the ritzy room she’d reserved and just not walk down that particular dark road.

She knew how destructive desire could be.

“This way.” His fingers took hers. Laced with her hand as if they were lovers just taking a stroll down the road. To onlookers, that was probably exactly what they appeared to be.

She didn’t pull away from him, though she did think about it. His soft laughter told her he knew, and he held her hand even tighter.

They stopped at the street corner. It was just the two of them, no one else close by while they waited for the light to change. She could see his car now, on the other side of that road. He’d lucked out and gotten a prime spot.

“I think you have the wrong idea,” Lex said, his voice low and intimately close. He’d bent his head, and his breath brushed lightly over her cheek.

She wondered if he was about to kiss her again.

She wanted him to.

“What idea is that?” Sophie asked him, aware that her own voice had gone husky. Sensual.

“You think I’m a gentleman. But, sweetheart, nothing could be further from the truth.” His gaze was on her mouth. “And I sure do excel at dirty.”

I don’t think you’re a gentleman. I know the truth about you.
It was way too hard to breathe. His mouth was so close. She wanted his lips on hers and—

“The light’s changed.”

What? Oh, crap. Damn him. Now he was looking all confident and cocky. She jerked away from him and started marching across the street. His laughter followed behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder, glaring, and saw that he was trailing a few steps behind her. “Funny, Lex, very—”

The roar of a car’s engine cut off her words. Her head jerked to the right and she saw a big, black SUV barreling toward them. Coming far too fast.

She screamed, an instinct, but in the next moment, Lex’s rock-hard arms were wrapping around her. He lunged forward, holding her tightly against him, and they seemed to fly through the air as that vehicle raced right past them, close enough that she could smell the rubber from the tires and feel the heat of its engine.

Then she and Lex were tumbling onto the cement. He took the brunt of the fall, cushioning her. Sophie’s breath choked out as she struggled to shove her fear back down.

Someone nearly ran us down! Right here! In front of the courthouse!

“You’re not hurt.” Lex’s voice. His hands ran frantically over her back, her arms, her legs.

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not hurt.” But she could have been. They both could have been. She looked toward the street. When Lex had grabbed her, he must have dropped her briefcase. Notes and papers littered the road where they’d been just moments before.

Moments.

She looked back down at Lex and realized that she was straddling him. When had she gotten into that particular position? Voices rose around them as others realized what had happened and rushed toward them. “You saved my life,” she said.

He smiled that dangerous grin and he sat up, but kept a hold on her so she couldn’t slip away from him. “Guess what?”

Was he serious?

His fingers curled under her chin. “There is no fucking way you’re staying alone in a hotel tonight.”

Then he kissed her. Hard. Frantic. Angry.

“Because he
won’t
hurt you,” he growled against her lips. “He won’t.”

She hadn’t argued again about the hotel. Lex figured a little hit-and-run could sure change a woman’s mind. But Sophie had insisted on stopping by her place so she could pack a bag. Lex had stayed by her side while she packed, not about to let any other danger come her way, then he’d raced them to his place.

A few moments before, Lex had lit a fire in his den. The flames crackled and danced, and Sophie stood just a few feet away, her gaze seemingly fixed on the fire.

He didn’t have a place directly in DC. His home was just outside of the city, situated for premium privacy. He didn’t like nosey neighbors. Didn’t like others in his space. They were secluded at his place. Secluded and… “You’re safe.”

She jumped, and he wondered if she’d actually forgotten that he was there. But then Sophie shook her head. “Safety’s an illusion. We tell ourselves that we’re safe every day, but we’re not. Danger is always out there.”

Danger had come far too close that evening. Close enough that the cement had torn through his clothes and scratched up his arms. When he’d heard that growling engine, he’d jumped toward her. Nearly fucking flown in his haste to reach Sophie.

In that one moment, he’d been afraid. Terrified that he wouldn’t get to Sophie in time.

As a rule, he didn’t normally fear. But because of Sophie, he’d felt the acid of fear eating at him twice within the last few months. That evening and also weeks before, when he’d found her crumpled body inside her brownstone.

“It’s a good thing ADA Eastbridge showed up on the scene,” she said, rubbing her arms.

Bullshit. There was nothing good about that guy.

“He’ll check the traffic cams for us. Hopefully, we’ll get a hit on the driver.”

Not if the driver hadn’t wanted them to track him. It was all too easy to steal a car and use that vehicle for your crime of choice. DC was filled with people. Too many people equaled plenty of opportunities for evil.

“I like your place,” Sophie said as her gaze stayed on the fire.

His brows shot up. She liked this? “It’s stark.” He should probably put some pictures on the walls. Maybe hang up a painting. Put down one of those expensive-ass rugs. Decorating had never been big on his to-do list. Her place, though, it had been fancy. Like something out of a magazine.

“You’re stark, so it fits.”

Was that an insult? He wasn’t sure.

“Warm and solid. Strong.” She glanced around her. “Wood furnishings, leather. A giant TV. Looks like a man’s paradise.”

With her there, it was.

“I should go to bed,” Sophie said as she shook her head. “It’s not like I slept much last night.” She turned and faced him.

“You’ll be safe here.”

“I know.”

He pointed to the hallway on the right. “Take the first room.” His room. The only one with a bed because he didn’t exactly have a lot of guests. He’d bunk down on the couch and try not to imagine her stretched out in his bed.

She started to walk by him. He hated to say it, but… “You didn’t tell me that you and Finn Scott were lovers.”

She kept walking. Headed for the hallway. “I don’t remember you asking.”

He locked his knees so he wouldn’t follow her. “I need to know all of your lovers, Sophie. If someone is obsessed with you, obsessed to the point of breaking into your home and coming at you with a knife, then it could be—”

“A man I fucked?” Now she did look back at him. But the only light in the room came from the fire, so shadows hid her expression from him. “It’s not like I had any deep, lasting relationships with my lovers. I don’t have deep relationships.”

“Finn seemed quite dedicated to you.”

“Because he was a lover once, but a friend much longer.”

Once?

“I didn’t tell you that I’d slept with him because I wanted you to be able to make your own judgment about him.” She seemed to hesitate. “Do you think Finn would do something like this to me?”

“I think the guy has a whole lot of anger issues, and I think he might not have clued in on the fact that he isn’t lover material for you any longer.” That damn photo had gotten on Lex’s nerves.

She laughed. “Oh, you’d be surprised. Finn knows me well.”

What was that supposed to mean?

She turned away, obviously done with her little share time. But Lex wasn’t done, not even close. So much for standing firm and not following her. He headed after her, and caught Sophie just before she entered his bedroom. “If you want my help, then you need to tell me
everything
about yourself. I need to know the names of your lovers. I need to know who they are so I can investigate them and make sure one of those bastards isn’t running around with a knife—or driving a black SUV and trying to mow us both down!”

She was silent.

He hated it when she got silent. “Sophie…”

“What do you think?” Sophie asked as she tilted her head. A lamp was on in his bedroom, so he could see the delicate lines of her profile. “That I have this amazingly long list of lovers that I’m going to share with you?”

“You said you had preferences when it came to your lovers.” Those words had burned into his mind. “You want a man who isn’t afraid of danger. A man who doesn’t mind getting dirty.” He’d love to show her how dirty he could be.

“I do enjoy men with a certain edge, but I don’t always indulge that particular need.” Her voice was soft, a seduction in itself. “I know it’s risky to let someone get close.”

He was close to her right then.

“Do you really need that list?” Sophie continued, seeming to hesitate. “To do your job?”

Yes
. “You can tell me or Dev will just dig into your past and find it out for me.” He shrugged. “Having you tell me on your own just seemed easier.”

“Dev,” she repeated the name, her voice slightly wooden. “He’s the one so good with computers, right? A few taps on the keyboard, and he finds all your little secrets.”

He wasn’t surprised that she knew about Dev’s skill set. A woman like Sophie would have done her research on VJS Protection.

“Has he already found some of my secrets?” Sophie asked as she stepped closer to Lex. Her tone was different. Angry. Desperate? She put her hand on his chest, as she gazed up at him. She still had on her heels. He didn’t even know how in the hell she hadn’t lost those things during the commotion on the street.

“He found some,” Lex allowed. Why lie?

“What did he learn?”

His hand rose and slid down her arm. He’d been playing nicely with her so far, but if the woman was determined to hold back on him, she was just putting herself in greater danger. He couldn’t allow that. To unmask her stalker, he needed to know everything about her. And, yeah, he had Dev hacking into her past. Dev
was
looking for her lovers. But Lex wanted Sophie to trust him enough to actually
tell
him about her past.

“What did he learn?” Sophie said again, her voice sharper.

His fingers slid over her. First her arm, then his hand curled around her hip. “When you were a girl, you spent a lot of time in the hospital, didn’t you?”

He heard her sharply indrawn breath, and he almost stopped.

Almost.

But her life was on the line. The bastard out there wasn’t just playing some game. He was a threat that had to be eliminated.

And I already told her that I’m no gentleman.

His hand slid up her ribcage. “Broken arms, broken ribs. So many accidents for such a young girl.”

She trembled beneath his touch.

“The police were called in a few times, weren’t they?” Lex asked her.

“The ER docs have to report,” Sophie whispered.

He leaned toward her. “Did those doctors think you were being abused, Sophie?”

Silence.

“They did, didn’t they? You were hurt so much.” And it pissed him off. “But the cops didn’t stop the pain, did they?”

“No one stopped it.” Her voice had gone flat. Completely cold.

“Who hurt you?” Lex asked. “Your mother? Your father? Both of them?”

“Stop it.”

“Someone was hurting you. For years. Dev got access to your medical reports, so we know what went down. The cops didn’t stop the abuse. You just kept being hurt.” Not just hurt, tortured. “Where was your good buddy Ethan back then? Why didn’t he help you?” Because he knew they’d grown up together. Sophie and Ethan Barclay. “Or good old Finn. I saw the photo of the three of you.”

She shook her head.

“You, Ethan, and Finn. You all looked barely eighteen. If both of those guys were there back then, why didn’t they help you? Why didn’t they—”

“Stop it!”

Exactly. “Why didn’t they stop it, Sophie?”

She shoved against his chest. “Don’t talk about Ethan, understand?”

Ah, and they were back to that. Her almost fanatical loyalty to the guy. “You’re so close to him, but Ethan isn’t here, is he? Why didn’t you go to him for protection?”

“I don’t want Ethan to know—”

“
Why the fuck not
?” His fury exploded.

“Because Ethan would kill for me!” The words came out of her as a scream and he knew her control had broken.

Sophie clapped her hand over her mouth.

But the damage had already been done.

“Did he kill for you before?” Now things made sense. “Your parents…their murders were never solved, were they? The cops had suspicions that you were involved, but they never pressed charges against you. Hell, how could they? You had medical reports a mile long. No jury in the world would have ever convicted you.”

But Ethan Barclay would have been another story. Had she covered for that man, all those years?
Because, judging by the passion in her voice, she absolutely believed Ethan would kill for her.

She pulled her hands from him. Straightened her shoulders. “You don’t know me.”

“Because you won’t let me know you.” Suddenly, what she’d said before made sense. “Once,” he said, throwing that one word back at her. “You said that you and Finn had been lovers once. You meant that. You only slept with him once.” More details started to click for him and he spoke faster, saying, “You told me…you just said that you didn’t let people get close, but lovers are close, aren’t they, Sophie?”

She backed up a step. “I’m done for the night. I’ll answer your questions in the morning.”

In the morning, her control would be back in place. In the morning, she’d have nice, pat,
safe
answers to give him. He didn’t want safe. He wanted real. And if he had to keep pushing her, so be it. Just more sins to add to his already blackened soul.

But she’ll be safe. I’ll know her secrets so I can protect her.

“You take dangerous lovers.” This was all info she’d revealed to him, but now he’d put the pieces together. “Because they’re men you won’t fall for, right? You seduce them, they seduce you—whatever the hell your game of choice is. But it’s just
once,
right? You don’t stay with your lovers long. Just—”

“Once,” Sophie said flatly. Her gaze glinted up at him. “That’s all I need. I’m not looking for some kind of forever. Some lasting love. I know that’s all just BS. But we all need pleasure every now and then, don’t we? We need to feel like we’re not alone in the dark.”

He stared down at her.

“You want a list? Fine.” Her voice was too brittle. “You already know about Finn. I was with him when I was eighteen.”

He’d pushed, but he didn’t want—

“Alec Farrell.”

His stomach muscles clenched.

“I think I was twenty-one then.”

He fucking knew the guy’s name. And he’d heard plenty about the man’s ties to organized crime.

“Kurt Allan.”

Another name that was familiar. The guy was a music mogul—one who’d crashed and burned hard after his brother was found murdered in Kurt’s hotel room.

Shit, had Sophie defended the guy in that case?
He thought she might have.

“Bruce Mitchum.”

Now he had to fist his hands. He actually knew that guy—personally. Bruce was an ex-SEAL, and they’d crossed paths more than a few times. Bruce had always struck him as a serious jerk—a man who sought out danger and said to hell with the consequences.

Yeah, she definitely seemed to have a type all right.

He waited for more names to come. He was damn well braced for them.

Sophie kept glaring at him. “Happy now?”

No, he was—“Wait, that’s it?”

She huffed out a hard breath. “I don’t like for people to get close, but sometimes, I just—I need, Lex. Dammit, I need, too.”

Then she spun away. Sophie’s hand flew out and he knew she was going to slam that door shut on him.

And it was too much. He’d pushed, but he hated the tremble in her voice. Hated the idea of her with any other man—

But me.

His feelings weren’t rational. He wasn’t rational. Lex didn’t care. He grabbed the door before it could slam on him. His fingers curled around the wood and he shoved it back. “You think you’re the only one who needs something in the dark? Someone?”

She stumbled back, then stilled.

She didn’t tell him to get the hell out.

Her mistake.

“You like danger, Sophie? The thrill that comes with the fast hookups?” Finn didn’t fit that bill—not exactly—but had the others truly just been one night stands for her? “I can give you that thrill. Right here. Right now.” It was wrong. They were both still riding the edge of adrenaline from that near run-in with the black car. He’d pushed too much. He’d—

Sophie tossed her blouse aside. “Right here.” She just stripped the garment off in a flash.

What. The. Fuck?

She had on a black scrap of a bra. Her breasts spilled forward.

“Right now.”

She pushed down her skirt. She had on thigh-highs—seriously sexy thigh highs that made his already erect cock surge even more.

“Once is always enough for me. Once, then we get back to life as normal.” She stood before him in her underwear, those insanely sexy thigh highs, and those make-me-beg shoes, and she was actually telling him that once would be enough.

No way.

He touched her, aware that his fingers shook a bit when he slid them against the smooth skin of her arm. When a man was offered a waking wet dream, a little shake was normal. “Once…” His voice was too rough. “Once will be one hell of a start.”