“This, Steph. This isn’t a lie,” he said in a growl, in her ear.
“I know,” she said, gasping as he drove into her.
“This is the truth. The way we fit like this.”
“I know. Oh God, I know,” she said, her voice rising as he moved in her.
It was the purity of the connection. It was what brought them together in the first place. Here and now, on this balcony, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, with all the tourists below who had no clue diamonds were being stolen across the land, and hearts were being toyed with, and heists were plotted and replotted, he proved the one thing he could.
That this connection between them was real. It was honest.
It might not last. It might have an expiration date. But for now, as he thrust into her, this was as true as the sun blazing overhead. It was as real as the waves crashing onto the shore.
She rose up on her toes, bowed her back, and gripped the railing. He brought his hands to her hips, dug his thumbs into her bones, and took her hard. She panted, and moaned, and cried his name. Soon her cries were coming faster, and he was sure someone else in the hotel might hear, but there was no way he could care. Not as she clenched around him, rocked her hips, and whispered that she was coming.
She shuddered several times as he drove into her. He followed her there, his own orgasm tearing through him, blasting into every corner of his body. He found his release as pleasure whipped through his body, and the world winked on and off as he came.
Then he grabbed her hair and tugged it.
She yelped, a playful, satisfied sound.
“I guess you like having your hair pulled,” he growled in her ear.
“I do,” she said as he pulled out of her.
He disposed of the condom, then scooped her into his lap on a deck chair, and he held her. “I’m sorry someone broke into your room,” he said softly, then kissed her cheek.
“Me, too.”
“You’re safe with me. Know that, Steph. Just know that.”
“I do know that. And I do know you, and I like you.”
“Same here,” he said, then wrapped his arms around her.
He liked this contact, too, far too much for his own good.
CHAPTER NINE
They showered, and he washed her hair, then soaped her body. She savored every second of it as he moved his hands from her breasts, to her belly, down her legs. She was slippery and wet, and he couldn’t take his hands off her.
She liked it that way. She loved the attention. She was damn glad they’d moved past her doubts over him. Sure, she might be facing a whole new spate of them when it came to the case, but she was facing them head-on with him—a partner and a temporary lover. He excelled at both roles, she was learning.
“I’m hardly dirty,” she said as he spent more time than needed washing her calves.
“I know, but I can’t seem to stop touching you. Your fault for being so sexy,” he said, then he stood and dropped a kiss on her nose. She smiled and sighed happily.
She wasn’t wild about fighting, but a misunderstanding that led to hard, hot make-up sex and a tender moment in the shower was A-OK in her book. She grabbed the bar of soap and returned the shower favor, washing his arms, flat belly, and back. She shampooed his hair, too, loving the way the wet strands felt in her hands. She leaned his head back under the spray and rinsed the shampoo. Soon, they stepped out of the shower and toweled off.
Her stomach growled.
He arched an eyebrow in question.
“I think I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten since we had eggs for breakfast many moons ago. Want to take me on a date, roomie?” she asked with a coquettish jut of her shoulder, as if she were reeling him back in.
He shook his head, bemused as he finger-combed his hair. “You crack me up. You go from thinking I stole from you to wanting me to take you out for food?”
“I do,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows as she met his gaze in the mirror.
“Then I’m taking you on a date. Even though you’re a pain in the ass, but evidently that’s one of the things I like most about you. So get ready to be wined and dined,” he said, giving her an order.
She clicked her bare heels together and saluted. “Yes sir. May I have the lotion now? And a full report on your findings from the gallery, sir?”
“I’ve only been trying to tell you about it since I left, but you had your mind on other things.” He handed her the hotel lotion.
“I did, but now you’ve satisfied me, so I’m ready,” she said, even though she knew sex wasn’t what he’d meant.
As she rubbed lotion into her legs, he explained what he’d found at the gallery. “Here’s what happened. As soon as I got into Isla’s office, I knew Penny’s tip was wrong about the diamonds. I’m not saying she lied or anything. Just that whatever knowledge she had no longer applied. There were clearly no gems in Isla’s office at all.”
“I think she worked there a while ago, so maybe her info was out of date,” she offered.
He squirted toothpaste onto a brush. “Yeah, that’s probably what happened. Because the walls were completely bare. Not a damn thing on them. But, being the brilliant private-eye-slash-bounty-hunter that I am,” he said, tapping his temple, “I wasn’t going to squander my chance and cry in the chicken soup over the absence of frames. I did some digging.”
“Naturally.”
“Looked through some drawers. Pawed around the desk. Made sure she wasn’t hiding the diamonds elsewhere. And fortunately, Isla is quite organized. Did you know that?” he asked, then began to brush his teeth.