Page 13 of The Negotiator

“Meaning?” She silently hoped they’d finally landed on the same page.

“I’m here for whatever you need. Protection. Someone to listen.” His thumb slipped over her bottom lip. “Someone to touch you. A body to explore.”

Her breath hiccupped in her chest. She had to fight to find enough air to talk. “I’ve tried so hard to stay away from you.”

“Why is that exactly?” He leaned in until his breath blew across her cheek.

His hands moved to her back and his leg slid between hers. The roughness of his black pants seemed to penetrate her jeans. Her mind scrambled at the intimate contact.

“I don’t know.” Her breathy voice hung between them.

“I think you do.”

She didn’t want to talk about this. Not now. But something about the way he coaxed and supported had her spilling the secrets she’d kept locked inside. “Because I knew Carl was alive. I lied to the courts and anyone who needed to hear me say he was dead, but I knew.”

His lips skimmed her forehead then her nose. “There you go.”

Some of the Carl-related tension seeped out of her. “You knew that already?”

“You rebuilt a boating business and brought it back from bankruptcy, all while earning the trust of the men in your field and handling idiot clients.” His mouth hovered right over hers. “I was pretty sure you could identify a con man once it was clear he was one.”

“You were right.” She wanted to reach out, tip her head. Get closer. “I suspected all along. More than that, I could feel it. I knew he was alive and screwing with me.”

His hand slipped behind her neck, cradling her head. “I’ve been wanting you to say that since the first day we met.”

“I didn’t kill him.” She whispered the words because she needed him to know. “I rushed you out for a walk in the cold when you first got there, never letting you in the house. Someone might think that’s suspect but I need you to know I didn’t kill him and use you as an alibi.”

“I didn’t think you did.” He made a sexy little humming sound as he kissed her temple. “You are strong and have this thing where you stay quiet and assess and analyze from a distance.”

Her stomach dropped and she started to step back. “I’m aloof.”

“You’re a lot of things, Lauren.” Those strong arms held her in place. “You’re not aloof and you’re not a killer.”

She stopped trying to pull away. “And you’d know about the latter.”

“I’ve known a lot of killers.”

He’d dropped comments like that before but never followed up. She knew she should ask a bunch of questions but there was something comforting about the fact that he’d seen awful things and hadn’t changed. They didn’t harden him. For now, knowing that was enough. “That should scare me, but it doesn’t.”

“Further proof we’ll be good together.”

Her gaze dipped to his mouth. To that soft bit of sexy scruff around his mouth. “We should see.”

He answered by lowering his head. His mouth touched hers as his fingers plunged into her hair. One touch of his lips and any worries she had fell away. The kiss swept her up and whipped her around. She felt light-headed and almost drunk from the force of it. Heat raced through her veins and her fingers clenched his arms. She couldn’t get close enough or hold him tight enough.

She didn’t realize they’d moved across the room until her back hit the wall. The thud echoed through her. He reached down and slipped his hand over her thigh. It was all the coaxing she needed. She wrapped her leg around his and her ankle slid up and down his calf.

Heat thrummed off him. A growing bulge pressed against her. Need washed over her.

Their hands traveled and the blinding kiss roared on. Every muscle snapped to life. All that pent-up need exploded inside her. And when his hand went to her breast, cupping her, caressing her through her sweater, she fought to gulp in enough air.

Their heavy breathing floated through the room and a sexy little grumble sounded in his throat. When she arched her back and pressed her middle against him, the grumble morphed to a rumbling moan. She had never heard anything sexier.

His mouth slipped to her cheek then to that sensitive spot right behind her ear. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and yanked, desperate to touch skin to skin.

“God, yes. Lauren...” His hot mouth pressed against her throat, forcing her head back.

A rush of adrenaline had her pulling and tugging on his shirt. “Why are you still dressed?”

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