Suddenly Sexy. Susanna Carr
shouldn’t have carried on like I did,” she said with a grimace. “I’m sorry. You have enough to deal with.”
“It’s okay.” Eric slowly began to relax. Julie wasn’t going to make another argument to become a decoy. She wasn’t going to attempt to seduce him. He admitted he was slightly disappointed in that, but it was for the best.
Everything was all right now. Julie had finally come to her senses. “I want you to know that I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings,” he said.
“I understand.” Julie placed the water and aspirin packet next to his phone. She rested her hip against the edge of his desk, her leg almost grazing his. “You’re protecting me.”
Eric frowned. Did her mouth tighten with annoyance? Nah. It was a trick of the light.
“If you want to work on the case, I can have you help out with audio,” Eric said. He knew she wanted to feel as if she were part of the team. It was the best compromise he could offer.
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Julie crossed her legs and he heard the rasp of fabric. The turquoise wrap dress tightened against her hips and thighs, emphasizing her curves. He couldn’t help but notice her legs were bare and smooth.
Julie tilted her head. “You haven’t been getting enough sleep, have you?”
Her question gave him a start. He didn’t need a lot of sleep, but lately he had been spending more nights in the office than usual. “What makes you say that?”
Julie leaned closer. The V of her neckline gaped slightly, offering a glimpse of cleavage. “You look really pale.”
“I do?” He dragged his gaze from her neckline.
She reached out and flattened her hand against his forehead. Every muscle in his body locked in response. “I don’t think you have a fever,” she said softly.
Her hand felt good. It was warm and gentle. He imagined what it would be like if she stroked him with those hands. She could torment him with a light touch.
“I can’t tell,” she said.
“What?” He blinked as he tried to refocus. “Can’t tell what?”
“If you have a fever. Hold on.” To his surprise, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his forehead. His heart lurched at the touch of her lips against his skin.
She was so close. Too close. Eric swiped his tongue along his mouth as he stared at her throat. He wanted to lick every inch of it, and then he would brand her with a love bite so everyone would know she was his.
He shouldn’t think like that. Julie wasn’t his and never would be. Eric closed his eyes, but that didn’t help. He caught a hint of her scent. It was warm and sweet like cinnamon. He found it difficult to swallow.
“No, no fever,” she said and cupped his face with both hands. He opened his eyes just in time to see Julie peer at him intently.
He wondered what she saw. Was she scared by the darkness in his eyes? She should be. She should be running far away. Didn’t she know that he could pounce at any moment?
“Do you hurt anywhere?”
“Hurt?” he repeated. She had a tender expression that twisted him up inside.
“Any aching?”
Oh, hell, yeah. He was beginning to ache. Eric shifted in his seat. “Were you a nurse in a former life?”
There was a mysterious, almost bittersweet smile. “At one time I thought about it, but I decided I don’t like hanging around hospitals.”
“I know the feeling.” When he was on enforced bed rest from his knife injury he almost went stir-crazy.
“I saw how nicely the doctors sewed you up.” She reached out and brushed her fingertips along the side of his ribs.
He remembered how he’d woken up that morning. Half-naked with Julie, soft and warm underneath him. She had fit snugly against him. The memory made him rock hard.
“You probably haven’t fully recovered.” She continued to caress his scar, almost absently. “You should rest more.”
He scowled at her suggestion. “I’ve been resting for the past six weeks.”
“No, you haven’t,” she disagreed softly. “You’ve been working night and day to help Perry. I admire that about you. Not many guys would take the time to help their godfathers.”
“It’s the least I could do.” He was uncomfortable by the admiring gleam in her eyes. He wasn’t a hero because he was helping a friend. “Perry took care of me plenty of times when I was growing up.”
“I bet you were wild.” Her eyes sparkled.
“I was.” Had she moved closer or had he? It didn’t matter. He needed to break the spell between them.
She arched one eyebrow. “Are you still wild?”
His chest tightened. “Yeah,” he confessed.
“Good,” she whispered. “I like wild.”
JULIE’S HEART POUNDED against her chest as she grazed her mouth against his. She thought she would feel brazen at this moment. Instead, she was nervous, not knowing if Eric was going to reject her.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and deepened the kiss. He tasted good. Hot, male and dangerous.
Eric didn’t respond. She wanted one more taste before he pulled away. With the dart of her tongue, Julie traced the lines of his mouth, encouraging him to part his lips.
She heard Eric groan, felt the rumble in his chest. He reached out and Julie was sure he would push her away. Instead, he grabbed her waist, his hands bunching her dress in his fists.
Julie wasn’t sure why he wasn’t tumbling her into his arms or, worse, setting her aside. When she felt the tremor in his shoulders, she understood. He was trying to hang on to the last shred of restraint.
She understood it because she felt the same way. But she wasn’t going to hold back any longer.
Julie thrust her tongue into Eric’s warm mouth and boldly explored. When Eric sucked her in deep, Julie moaned with pleasure.
The sound of her voice shattered the last of his resistance. He vaulted from his chair and pressed her body against his. Eric speared his hands through her hair, holding her still before he plunged his tongue into her mouth.
His kiss made her knees buckle. She had never been kissed like this before. He dominated. Mastered. Claimed. She surrendered without a fight.
Julie grabbed the front of Eric’s shirt and pulled him down with her. She lay across his desk, disregarding the pile of papers and whatever it was poking against her. All of her attention was on Eric.
She felt the urgency rippling through him as he rubbed his hands over her hips and stomach. His fierce kisses left her breathless. It was all Julie could do to hang on, her senses going wild. She inhaled his heat, his scent, and found it intriguing.
Eric was hot for her. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. She thought her seduction would end with a few kisses. She never thought it would go this far … that he wanted more. The knowledge filled her with confidence. She reached down to the tie at her waist and yanked it boldly. Her dress sagged open.
Eric broke the kiss and lifted his head. She pulled at her dress even more and watched his eyes darken with pleasure when he saw the pale blue lace of her bra.
He brushed her hands away and grabbed her dress. With his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath, he peeled her dress from her body. Julie’s breath hitched in her throat. It felt as if he were unwrapping a special present.
A tingle of nerves washed over her. Did he like what he saw? Or was it going to end before it began? Julie was tempted to strike a