St Kilda Consulting 02 - Innocent as Sin

his glass on the side table set between the two chairs.The faint sound, glass on glass, was impatient. After Bertone is dead, I’ll …
    Yeah, fool. What then? Will you finally get your act together? Or will you still feel like you’re on the outside of life, looking in?
    Half dead and the other half lonely as death.
    Kayla’s silence finally registered. When he looked at her, he could see unshed tears magnifying her eyes.
    “Don’t,” he said roughly. “It was five years ago.”
    “Not to you. To you it’s here and now and as new as your next heartbeat.”
    “My problem, not yours.”
    “Yesterday you’d have been right.”
    Something in her voice caught him. “And today?” he asked.
    “Today I know that I could die between one heartbeat and the next. I know it. I don’t want to die regretting any more than I have to.”
    He waited, telling himself that she wasn’t saying what he hoped she was.
    She put her glass next to his, stood, and held out her hand. “I want you. I believe you want me.”
    He came to his feet like a hunting cat. “You know I do.”
    She smiled. “I know you make me feel…glittery, hot, different than I’ve ever felt with a man.”
    “It’s called adrenaline.”
    “It’s called lust. I’ve never felt it before.” She smiled. “I like it.”
    He pulled her close, licked her lips, tasted tears and liqueur. “So do I.” Then, reluctantly, he straightened. “Are you sure?”
    One of her hands lifted from his shoulder, smoothed down his chest, and slid over the front of his jeans. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure. And you’re interested.”
    His breath stopped as she stroked him through the denim.The humming sound of pleasure she made as she measured him just about brought him to his knees.
    “What do you have on underneath that robe?” he asked roughly.
    “Me.”
    His breath hissed out. “Bedroom. Now.”
    She looked over at the lounge waiting against the side of the patio.
    “No,” he said. “Too many guards. The fountains can’t drown out the kind of sex I want with you.”
    “I forgot where I was.” She made a ragged sound. “Sorry.”
    He felt the heat climbing her cheeks and wanted to howl. “So am I. So I’ll take a rain check on sex beneath the stars.”
    Before Kayla could decide on an answer, a sweep of Rand’s arms yanked the patio drapes closed.
    A night-light glowed like a candle on the bar.
    “I’ll try to make it good for you,” he said against her neck, “but it’s been way too long for me.”
    “For a guy, two hours ago is too long.”
    He gave a crack of laughter and pulled her closer, tugged at her lapel, and finally had a chance to taste the maddening tattoo that had been playing peek-a-boo with her robe.
    “This has been driving me crazy,” he said against her skin.
    She shivered. “The tattoo?”
    “Yeah. I wanted to lick it the first time I saw it.”
    “Then I’m glad I have two more.”
    “Where?”
    “One follows me everywhere.”
    “Show me.”
    Kayla pointed to her left hip.
    He licked his lips. “Show me.”
    “You mean…” Her hands went to the bow she’d tied in the robe’s sash.
    “Yeah. Strip.”
    “You first.”
    He toed out of his shoes while his fingers yanked at shirt buttons. It was way too hot in here for clothes anyway.
    “Jeans,” he said huskily. “I’ve got something in my pocket.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I haven’t fallen for that one since I was in second grade.”
    Rand laughed despite the need hammering in his veins. He wanted to think it was because it had been too long since he’d buried himself in a woman, but he didn’t believe it. Something about Kayla just flat turned him on.
    “Unless you want to go commando,” he said, shrugging out of his shirt, “you’d better get in my pocket.”
    “Commando?”
    “Bare.” His hands were on his fly. “As in no condom.”
    Her hands dove into the hip pockets of his jeans. She searched, squeezed. Nothing but hard man muscle.
    “You’re killing me,” he said, watching her smile.
    She moved to his front pockets. Searched, squeezed. More hard man muscle. Very hard.
    He groaned. “You’re a tease. Do it again.”
    Finally she pulled her hands out of his pockets. Foil packets gleamed. In one impatient motion he pulled off his jeans and underwear and reached for her.
    Condoms scattered from her fingers as he stripped her robe off, turned her around, and fastened his mouth on her second tattoo. He bit gently, then not quite gently,