Page 142 of Sin With Me

Chapter8

Eric

I grippedthe arm rest of my seat. How in the world did I let this woman get me on a plane?

“It’ll be quicker this way.” Her words stung my ears because I’d rather spend ten hours in a car with her than two on a plane, twenty thousand feet above earth, without soil under my feet. And why in the world was I feeling weak in my knees? Maybe because as odd as it might have sounded, I’d never been on a plane before, let alone on a luxury private jet suitable for the President himself. From leather seats to couches and tables – the bathroom had a frickin’ shower and marble counter tops! Most people lacked half of those accommodations on ground.

“Ease up there, Cowboy, or you’ll rip these off.” She touched my hand, gently uncoiling my fingers, and my grip loosened as if on command. Her soft palm was so small compared to my large hand, yet so strong and caring and full of confidence. I’d never seen a woman with so much poise.

“Why do you keep calling me Cowboy?” I asked.

“Aren’t you one? I’m very perceptive. It comes with the job. And if you tell me you’re not, then that means you’ve hired the wrong person.” She grinned with certainty glowing through her eyes, knowing very well thatI was a cowboy.

“I am. I guess the hat and ranch and all would have been a clue,” I teased, slightly letting go of the flying nerves. “Not quite the city slick boys you’re used to dealing with, amI?”

I wasn’t ready for her next words. To say they surprised me would be the understatement of the century. Emma Cross seemed to shock me more often than I was usedto.

“No, you’re definitely not. You’re much better.” The hunger in her eyes was the same as the day we’d met at the strip club. She leaned in closer, her eyes nearly begging me to take her right on that seat. I might not have been a private investigator, but I knew a come on when I saw one. Up until now I’d tried to restrain myself. I wanted her like no other woman, but I didn’t want to push her too far, too early. While I didn’t want to scare her by showing what I felt for her (which I wasn’t too sure of either), I wouldn’t have been surprised if she reciprocated my feelings.

“So explain this to me. You’ve got a great job, looks like financial security, pretty much everything most women seek in life. Why would you dance at a strip club? Why such an outrageous bet? There’s plenty of stuff you could have done to feel free and alive and unrestrained. Getting naked on a stage seemed…”

“Pointless?”

“Exactly. Not that you weren’t amazing and beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone as gorgeous asyou.”

The memory of her glistening body revived those long forgotten primitive needs.

Emma let out an exasperated breath as if she was about to bare her soul to me. “Thank you. You’re very kind. Cross Enterprises is a serious business I’d known I’d be part of ever since I can remember. I mean, you’ve met my family. They’re my everything. I guess sometimes I just feel like doing things no one will expect me to. Doing them because I choose to. Whether it’s a bet or a dare – I’m still the one who’s making that final choice. And don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but the work I’ve been assigned thus far didn’t exactly fulfill my need to do something more worthy and important. My brothers get to chase the bad guys all the time. They got to go undercover for all sorts of assignments when they were younger; why can’t I? I’m trained just aswell.”

“But you’re a woman,” I blurted, immediately regretting my words. There was no way Emma would take to any kind of male chauvinism.

“Seriously, you’re gonna go there? I know you’re from the country, Cowboy, but this is the twenty-first century, where a woman can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and whomever she wants.”

That last part nearly caused my balls to contract. Her forward nature and strength would definitely take getting used to, yet was so stimulating. And most of all, I loved how easily we could carry on a conversation, taking my attention away from the fact that we were going at ten times the speed of an average car. I leaned in, tucking the stray hair behind herear.

“I bet there are things women still prefer done the old-fashioned way,” I countered.

“Like what?” She swallowed nervously. The evident pulse at the side of her neck drew me closer to her, until the sweet smell of her breath reached myface.

“Like opening car doors for ladies, pulling their chair out when getting ready to sit down to dinner, or letting her know politely when the button on her shirt has popped so she can cover herselfup.”

I gently touched the hem of her shirt where her breasts spread the fabric outward, revealing the see-through laced bra underneath. Even if I’d already seen much more of her body, this way, a little bit covered up, was much sexier.

My finger brushed the curve of her cleavage, and she held her breath. I lifted my other hand toward the shirt and fastened the misbehaving button. Sitting this close to her was infuriating. The smell of her floral perfume filled me from the bottom up, propelling my pulse to rush. Her scent was that last ingredient needed to drive me over theedge.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome.” I leaned back in my chair again. This would be one hell of a week. Could I really be the gentleman I was taught to be? With Emma around, all bets were off. She was like a drug I needed. I longed to hear what would come out of her intelligent mouth next. Some men would call it a smart mouth, but I found it clever and intriguing. The need to protect her from the work she sought grew with each second. As much as I didn’t think the job I’d hired her for was dangerous just yet, with my past and what John Huntz was capable of, it definitely had the potential tobe.

“So you’re seeking adventure?” I asked.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. Can you give me that adventure, Cowboy?”

“Maybe, if you stop calling me Cowboy.”

“What’s wrong with Cowboy?” She rolled hereyes.

“Please don’t roll your eyes atme.”

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