Читать книгу Seducing The Matchmaker - Joanne Rock - Страница 19

MARISSA WAS IN SUCH a hurry to be with Kyle that she bolted out the back door into the alley behind the nightclub.

“Wait up.” Kyle practically tripped her in his hurry to get in front of her.

He put his big, muscular body between her and the outside world. She didn’t mind that she stumbled into his back. He was fun to hold on to, for one thing. And for another, she thought it was kind of charming that he wanted to protect her.

“It’s okay.” She grabbed a railing on the landing outside the door where two steps led to street level. “I was just in a hurry to get to the hotel.”

“Me, too, but this is still a dangerous neighborhood.” He tucked her under his arm, keeping her body glued to his as he hurried her toward the limo. “You can’t just prance out into some dark alley alone.”

She might have protested the idea that she’d pranced anywhere. Except that she heard the worry in his voice. Felt his heartbeat racing under one ear where he held her against him.

Her chest squeezed with unexpected warmth. The driver opened the door for her and Kyle ushered her into a vehicle that could have held at least ten more people.

Kyle exchanged words with the chauffeur that were beyond her hearing. Probably instructing him to take them to the team hotel. Or hers. It didn’t matter to her where they went, as long as they excised this raucous heat that had been building inside her since the last time they were together. She just hoped being with Kyle eased the ache for him. The attraction that had started out so physical and out of control was starting to take on a new dimension.

He’d urged her to take this trip with him, insisting she’d be helping him out. But she knew darn well he could have hired a publicist to place an article in the paper a whole lot more inexpensively than what he’d paid toward her mother’s medicine. She would repay him one day. But it helped her so much right now. It touched her that he’d given her a way to accept his help without feeling too guilty. Obviously, Kyle had a giving nature, a trait that was apparent in the way he volunteered time to charity, sought ways to help underprivileged kids and even helped her mother. The warmth she was starting to feel for him didn’t have anything to do with garden variety lust.

“I told him to take us to my hotel,” Kyle explained as he slid into the seat beside her. “I’m on a floor away from the rest of the team.”

A smoky blues tune played on invisible speakers while white lights ringed the roof, dimming slightly once the driver closed the door. Shut behind blackout glass, Marissa felt her heart hammering wildly, and her skin tingled with the memory of how he’d made her feel earlier today at the carriage house. She’d been so busy since then—making plans for the trip, arranging care for her mother and contacting reporters—that she hadn’t had time to think about what this new shift in their relationship meant. But he’d been so good to her. So considerate and incredibly thorough when he’d touched her.

Kyle leaned forward and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. But he reached past her for a remote control on the seat beside her.

“Privacy window,” he said aloud before thumbing a button. “Locked.” The device clicked into place with an audible hitch. “Doors, locked.” Another electronic snap.

He’d sealed them into complete seclusion.

There were no club-hopping voyeurs here. No competition for his attention. But she felt a little embarrassed about the way she’d sprinted out to the street, so eager to be with him. All her barriers were falling away and she wasn’t doing a thing to stop them. She tried to steady her breathing.

“A story will make it into the social pages tomorrow, for sure,” she informed him, tugging absently at the silk wrap dress that skimmed her knees. “Shawna owes me from a long-ago private interview with my mother.”

The stretch limo eased away from the curb, crawling slowly through the dark streets. One blues song faded into another, but the sound Marissa was most aware of was her pulse pounding in her ears. Being alone with Kyle—heading to a hotel—made her light-headed with awareness.

Part of her wanted to act on the sensual rush, while the other part of her feared the emotions winding around the attraction, intertwining with them, making her feel too much.

“Thank you. But right now, I don’t want to think about tomorrow.” Kyle’s voice turned rough with a hunger she understood all too well.

His green eyes roamed over her freely, heightening the awareness she already felt.

“No?” She didn’t want to, either. She’d sent a text to Stacy to prepare her for the story that would run linking Kyle to Marissa, but she wasn’t sure how her former client would react.

“No. I’m just so damn glad I talked you into being here with me.”

His hand rested on the seat between them. Close but not touching. She swallowed hard.

When he lifted his hand, he smoothed a strand of her hair where it rested on one shoulder.

“Did I mention how fantastic you look?” He tugged gently on the strand, extending it toward a shaft of light from one of the overhead “stars” on the limo ceiling.

“I don’t usually go all out—”

“You don’t need to. You have no idea how attractive you are.”

She hitched at the skirt again, oddly self-conscious.

“It’s okay. I don’t need you to feed my ego. I know my attributes are more … understated. After standing in my mother’s shadow all my life, I understand that I didn’t win the genetic lottery or anything, but I’m comfortable with who I am.”

Kyle was already shaking his head.

“I don’t know where you got the idea that you ever stand in anyone’s shadow. You command attention, Marissa. You’re charismatic. Captivating.” He lifted a hand to cup her face and smooth over her jaw. “It’s the force of your personality, whether you know it or not. I think you have some of that famous Brandy Collins stage presence. People can’t take their eyes off you.”

The idea surprised a laugh out of her. “Definitely not. But I think it’s nice of you—”

“I’m feeling a long way from nice right now.” A growl rumbled in his chest as he pulled her against him, the sound so feral it vibrated right through her. “Believe it. Don’t believe it. It’s still a fact.”

She didn’t want to argue with him now, when her blood heated at his touch.

“I’m glad,” she murmured, her hands finding his broad shoulders and savoring the feel. “I have to admit I’ve been looking forward to seeing you ever since my plane touched down.”

Her heart pounded with the admission and the memory of the moment. His eyes darkened and he palmed her knee, his hand heavy on her leg. The high leather seats and dark windows created a cocoon of intimacy.

“I wish I could have seen you get dressed.” He picked up the remote control again and dimmed the overhead lights until they twinkled like faraway stars. “I would have liked watching you brush out your hair. Slide on the stockings.”

He traced the thin line up the back of her calf and she shivered, her skin tightening and tingling. She inched closer, her knees grazing his.

“I don’t think we would have made it out of the hotel if we’d been together.”

With one finger, he skimmed down the line of the stockings to her heel, then made a curving, slalom run back upward. His progress was slow and steamy, making her picture that same teasing touch in other places. Her bare stomach. Down her hip.

“Do you think we’re almost at the hotel?” She slipped her hands under his jacket to touch him through the thin T-shirt beneath. The warmth of his skin made her want to tear off everything between them so she could feel that heat on her flesh.

“No.” He edged her skirt dangerously higher, lifting it just enough to expose one clasp holding up a stocking. “How about you let me take the edge off for you before we get there?”

Tugging on the elastic strap, he shifted the lace of her garter belt, a phantom touch along the top of her panties. Pleasure cascaded over her skin, desire pooling in her belly.

The soft tremor of the tires made the seat beneath her vibrate, adding to the fever building inside her.

“Only if I can do the same for you.” She wanted to touch him as badly as she wanted to be touched.

Besides, being with him earlier today had only made her more hungry for him, as if she’d churned up some inner sex goddess who demanded fulfillment.

“You don’t have to—”

She climbed onto his lap and straddled him, ending that line of discussion. Denim rubbed against her legs, tantalizing her with the warmth of the man beneath.

“I want to.” She’d never been the sexually aggressive kind, but Kyle had been so gentle with her before that she found herself wanting to repay him. Lavish touches all over.

For a moment, he held himself so still she was afraid he wouldn’t agree. It was crazy to mess around in the back of a limo. But the doors were locked. And she wanted him so badly….

A bump in the road nudged her forward, her thighs sliding down his and bringing them deliciously close. His gaze dipped south, taking in their perilous proximity.

With a groan, he gripped her hips and drew her down on top of him, his erection branding her sex right through their clothes. Then, a frenzy began as they moved in synch, unfastening hooks and buttons, clips and buckles.

Mindless with need, she stripped away his shirt and unfastened his fly, rocking against him while her fingers worked the buttons. Finding the condoms she’d stuffed in her purse, she laid them on the seat beside him. Ready.

“I don’t know what’s the matter with me,” she whispered to herself as much as to him, confused and overwhelmed by sensations. “I’m burning up inside.”

“This will help,” he assured her, ripping open the condom and rolling it in place.

She stood up long enough to shed her panties, her legs trembling beneath her until she sat back down on top of him. He still had his pants on, but they’d freed him enough that she could touch him. Position him.

“Let me,” he told her hoarsely, clueing her into how much he needed this, too. “Come here.”

Fingers sinking into her hips, he edged her lower. Lower.

Her world narrowed to the moment, her breathing mirroring his, her body keenly attuned to every single place he touched her. Her eyes sought his, connecting with him in this crazy, urgent hunger.

For an instant, everything stilled. The car. Her heartbeat. His hands. Suspended in time, she felt something deeper than desire curl through her, an emotion so tender she didn’t dare touch it.

Then, as if she’d dreamed it, the world began again. He edged his way inside her, filling her so completely there wasn’t any room for thought. Dazed, she could only slide her arms around his neck and hold on tight while he created a rhythm sure to drive them both wild.

She felt the frenzy build again, the raging need that had afflicted her all day. Grateful to lose herself in the heat, Marissa let him lead her, the fire so hot now that the slightest bump in the road would set her off.

Biting her lip, she tried to hold back. Make it last for him. But when their eyes met again, she knew she was lost. Kyle breathed her name so softly she saw it more than she heard it. He relinquished his hold on her hips to skim a touch along the slick folds of her sex. Circling. Teasing. Coaxing.

The orgasm hit her so hard her back arched and her toes curled. A scream of pleasure ripped free from her throat, the release so powerful she collapsed against him, every nerve ending throbbing. Through the haze of lush fulfillment, she felt his release inside her, knew it as his hands fisted at her waist and his body tensed over and over.

She lay slumped against his chest, breathless and dazed. She shifted away enough to recline against him while they recovered.

When the car came to a stop again, she wasn’t ready to put her clothes back in place. Kyle had to unwind her limbs and help her rearrange her dress. Her panties disappeared into the pocket of his rumpled jacket.

“Are you ready?” he asked, waiting to unlock the doors with the remote.

With an effort, she shook off the sensual fog and smoothed his T-shirt, the scent of him still clinging to her.

Was she ready? Not even close. She’d just had sex in a limo. Her brain had obviously quit functioning when she met Kyle and she needed to talk to him about it. Did she really want to go back to life on the road with a superstar? To fade into the background and quietly manage behind the scenes, the way she had for so many years with her mom?

For now, though, she just needed to get inside the hotel. Think. Regroup.

Nodding, she lied through her teeth.

“Ready.”

STACY GOODWELL HADN’T intended to be an instant celebrity. But as she sat cross-legged at the hotel desk the next morning, staring at the stats for her new video blog, she had to admit, the new star status was kind of fun.

Overnight, her video had gone viral. After she’d uploaded the footage from the bus ride to Pittsburgh, she’d stayed awake in her hotel long enough to watch an amazing thing happen. The hit counter went nuts. A few college kids had stumbled on it and shared it with half their campus.

After that, the Diva No More blog had crashed twice and she’d been on the phone half the night with techy types who tried to talk her through reinstating it. But despite the hours that the blog itself had been down, the video had enjoyed more than half a million hits.

All in all, this success felt great as she lounged in her sweats at a cheap bed-and-breakfast that didn’t mind pets. Tink and Belle had made the trip with her—traveling under the bus driver’s radar last night—and they’d had their own turn in the limelight during the edited video of her adventures called “Leaving Home.” She hadn’t quite figured out how she could generate an income from the endeavor, but she would. For now, she still had her regular check from the newspaper and she could walk a little taller knowing she was calling all the shots—from her bank account to her love life.

A shrill yap from under her chair seemed to remind her she wasn’t having much luck with the latter yet. How was it a dog could detect a mood? She picked up Belle and snuggled her close, appreciating the empathy. Isaac Reynolds had laughed at the idea of being with her. Maybe it served her right that she’d gotten a reality check from a guy she liked after how many times she’d given the slip to men who’d hit on her.

She stood up and walked away from the laptop, wondering if she’d find another man who made her feel the way Isaac had. She’d met hundreds of eligible males since she was old enough to date. Not once had she felt so at ease with a guy and attracted at the same time. Now, peering out the window down to the street level, she debated how to solve her romantic problems—

What was her Caravan doing parked in front of the hotel?

Sure, there were other silver Caravans in the world. She’d tried to bust into one just the other night. But what were the chances one would be parked right outside her bed-and-breakfast? Suspicion growing, she grabbed a navy silk bathrobe covered with hand-painted Hawaiian flowers and marched into the hallway, the dogs click-clacking along the hardwood floors behind her.

She just knew that had to be her van down there and that her father was responsible. He must have followed her here. Fired up and ready for a confrontation, if only to point out she was doing fine on her own, Stacy nodded to her hostess while the woman vacuumed a carpet downstairs. Breezing past the registration desk, she levered open the main door and saw a man inside the van.

A very familiar man with thick dark hair and heavy eyebrows that, now that she thought about it, really suited him. A wave of heat rolled through her at the sight of him.

“Isaac?” She stopped in her tracks, realizing too late that she’d failed to put on real shoes. Her orange terry-cloth slippers looked out of place on the pavement.

The man she’d met two nights ago peered back at her through the window, his expression inscrutable. Was he surprised to see her? Or had he known she was here?

With most men, she wouldn’t have asked. Then again, with most guys, she wouldn’t have cared. But Marissa had told her that Isaac Reynolds was an internet marketing genius and a techno-whiz who’d made millions before he turned twenty-five. A kid from a poor Detroit suburb who took apart old computers for fun. Something about his quietly sexy charm appealed to Stacy like no other guy. Certainly not Kyle Murphy, who’d only been the decoy romantic interest. She’d been glad to hear that Marissa had made a move on the hockey star, and she’d texted her last night to tell her so.

Tink jumped at the driver’s-side door of the Caravan. Stacy lifted her fist to rap on the window when Isaac opened the door, swiveling toward her to step down to the street. His arms flexed as he moved and she remembered what those lean, wiry muscles felt like around her.

“Can we talk inside?” he asked. As if they were going to chat about the weather.

As if he hadn’t laughed it up over her foolish idea to ask him out just two days ago. It would be so much easier to be mad at him if he wasn’t so hot. What was it about his quiet, thoughtful stares that made her feel like an interesting, alluring woman instead of a replaceable hot babe?

“I don’t think so.” She folded her arms, silently urging her pets to show a little teeth. Maybe give a warning growl.

Instead, they seemed intent on circling him to death, chasing each other around his heels.

“Okay,” he agreed slowly, as if the word had to be dragged out of him. “But do you want to, maybe, put clothes on first?”

For an instant, she was genuinely scared she’d walked out onto the street naked. She wouldn’t put it past her to flake out and forget to dress. But no, she wore a perfectly respectable bathrobe over semirespectable pinstripe pajamas. They probably weren’t cut out for the commercial area growing up around a few old residential buildings. But she had to think the few folks living on this street must venture out to get their newspapers in a bathrobe now and then.

“No. I’m good, thanks.” Although, as soon as she said it, she wondered if the cool spring breeze might inadvertently press the fabric close enough to reveal a little too much.

Instead of arguing with her, Isaac reached back into his van and withdrew a black wool blazer. He handed over the jacket and stood silently.

She blinked back a wave of emotion. Her dad would have launched into conversation the second he saw her and not let up until he’d cataloged all the ways she could have handled the situation differently than storming outside in her pajamas. Isaac just covered her up.

But no matter how much she wanted him, she had to remember, he didn’t want her. She took a deep breath.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, the scent of his aftershave a pleasant musk in her nose.

“I followed you,” he said simply, flooring her.

“Excuse me?” She snapped her fingers ineffectually at the dogs, trying to quiet them so she could hear whatever scant words fell from Isaac’s mouth.

“I wanted to know more about you, so I looked you up online. I watched the video and respect what you’re doing.”

“You wanted to know more about me.” She didn’t ask why, although the question was burning to come out. But she wasn’t going to appear overeager with this guy and … oh, to hell with it. “Why? Why would you want to know more about someone you found lacking just two days ago?”

She snapped her fingers again at the dogs, unwilling to see them cozy up to Isaac. But they just barked at her vague commands, the tiny bells on their collars jingling with the force of their yippy protests. Traitors.

“I didn’t find you lacking. I thought you were spying on me.” He bent toward the adoring fans at his feet.

While Stacy tried to make sense of what he just said, Isaac scooped up a dog under each arm and juggled them easily until Tink and Belle settled happily against his chest. She imagined what it would feel like to trade places with the canines. To be back in the circle of his arms.

“Why would I spy on you? I didn’t even know who you were—” Although, come to think of it, she knew about him now. Some big-deal techno-gadget man. A discreetly wealthy graphics chip maker. “Did you think I was some kind of Gotham City villain out to steal the plans for your microchip? Maybe block out the sun and take over the town while I was at it?”

The sarcasm surprised her since she was usually frustratingly nice to guys even when they didn’t deserve it. Yet with Isaac—who still appealed to her more than any other—she said what came to mind. He would probably never understand why that was a good thing. But she’d lived with her nice-girl reflex long enough to appreciate the ease with which she spoke to him.

“It’s not a microchip,” he informed her. “But I’m flattered you looked me up after the awkward way we parted.”

Damn it. Had she given that away? Better not admit she’d also had a professional matchmaker check him out.

“I needed to make sure you weren’t a serial killer,” she said defensively, unwilling to reveal any more soft feelings for him after putting herself on the line with him last time. She wasn’t about to give up her newfound independence.

Some kids rolled past on skateboards, their heads swiveling to take in her outfit. She really should have dressed before storming out here. Her toes curled in her slippers as she sidled closer to Isaac.

“I looked you up, too,” he admitted, giving the kids the hairy eyeball until they rolled away. “I know you’re not a spy and I’m sorry for misreading the situation.”

For a moment, she was wooed by the sound of his voice, so warm and deep. But she couldn’t afford to get sucked in by him again. She needed to be more discerning when it came to men. Although he’d sure come a long way to apologize.

“How did you know where to find me?” She didn’t remember saying where she’d be staying in her video blog. “Did you honestly drive three hundred miles to find me?”

“Technically? I had my security team keep an eye on you after we met—”

“You followed me?”

“Not me personally—”

“No. Only your security team.” She grabbed the lapels of the jacket and squeezed them tighter, peering around the street for spies. “What threat could I possibly have posed to you with my hobbled ankle while I was lost in a freaking parking lot?”

She wasn’t offended, per se. Possibly, she was a little flattered to think she looked like a dangerous industrial spy. Before he could answer, she continued.

“I mean, it’s one thing to think I was up to no good back at that hotel the other night. But once you found out who I was, Stacy Goodwell the clumsy trust-fund baby—”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” His words were so sharp it took her a moment to realize he was saying something nice.

“You live in town. You must know how I’m portrayed in the social pages.” A double slap in the face since her biggest detractor was a fellow columnist at the paper. “I’m the one who’s always tripping and spilling things, talking too loud, making a spectacle of myself on the dance floor.”

“You’re effusive and passionate.” He said it with a straight face.

“Is that my problem?” she asked, scuffing her slipper along a crack in the pavement.

“It’s not a problem. It’s a beautiful personality trait. And I had you followed because you graduated summa cum laude from U Penn with a business degree. That alerted me you could indeed be working for a competitor. But after more digging, we knew that wasn’t the case. I told my team to leave you alone.”

Even the degree program had been at her father’s prompting. She’d wanted to pursue something more creative.

“I’m glad you don’t think I’m a spy anymore.” What might have happened between them the other night if he hadn’t been suspicious?

“I think the video blog is great, by the way.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” He lowered Belle to the street now that the dog had calmed down. How did he know she was the alpha female of the pair? Once Belle was happy, Tink jumped down, too. “It’s a compelling concept for a video blog, but better yet, it’s a good way for you to show your father you’re serious about taking charge.”

“I know the break is long overdue, and I feel like a coward for leaving town when the video hit to avoid facing him—”

“That’s why you’re in Pittsburgh?”

“In theory, I’m here to root for the Phantoms.” She stood beside him as they watched the dogs investigate patches of garden around a few row houses. “But I also wanted to put some miles between me and my dad so he didn’t end up on my doorstep for hours, explaining why I’d made another misstep.”

“In theory, I’m here to watch the hockey game, too.” He withdrew two tickets from the pocket of the jacket he’d given her to wear.

The slight touch of his fingertips against her hipbone lingered. A shiver tickled up her spine, and it didn’t have anything to do with the cold.

“But you have an ulterior motive?” Her heart beat faster.

“It’s threefold.” He lowered his voice as an older couple exited the bed-and-breakfast and strolled past them hand in hand.

“That sounds … well planned.” She stayed close to him to ensure she could hear him.

Okay, also so she’d be within easy reach if he decided to touch her. Maybe she could stumble into him again.

“First, I wanted to find you.” He ticked off the item on his index finger.

“You’ve accomplished that.”

“Second, I wanted to apologize for thinking you were a spy and missing my chance to be with you.” He turned toward her and suddenly she was the center of his intense focus. They breathed the same air, wrapped in the same moment that had turned heated.

“You’re forgiven,” she blurted, mostly because it was true, but also because she wanted to speed him along toward whatever else he’d come here to say.

The suspense was killing her.

“Three, I’d like to ask you to go out with me tonight. I understand you might wish to ignore the invitation in retribution for the way I misheard yours the other night—”

Stacy didn’t let him finish. She was too busy kissing him.