Body Heat (Simply 4)

“What’s that?” He was eager to put these unexpected emotions and thoughts out of his head and enjoy the time they’d agreed upon.

“I asked you to take me home and make me forget all my ridiculous fears. You really know how to satisfy a woman’s request.” She snuggled closer, and though his body warmed to her touch, his mind rebelled against everything she’d just said.

He’d planned to make her forget, but he hadn’t intended to suffer an amnesiac lapse himself. Yet he had. He’d come back to this apartment, made love to his fantasy woman, fallen so hard, he’d nearly lost track of all that was important in his life. A mistake that, if repeated, could cost him everything.

Including Brianne.

Louis was aware of Brianne. How or to what extent, Jake hadn’t a clue. But thanks to Brianne’s relationship with Jake—perceived or otherwise—she’d become a valuable commodity to Ramirez.

It was too late for Jake to protect her by outwardly pretending Brianne meant nothing to him in the hopes that Ramirez would back off. It was also too late to keep Brianne out of his life. Not only did he want what sacred, limited time they could share, but he needed her around to keep

her safe. Having her watched wasn’t enough. Jake needed to be involved in her life.

But he couldn’t level with her. Since he’d become privy to her painful past, there was no way in hell he could let Brianne in on the fact that, thanks to his job, a dangerous criminal was watching her…and probably planned worse.

The irony was glaring. As Jake had anticipated, his personal and professional lives had escalated at the same time. But he hadn’t planned for them to become irrevocably intertwined.

A PATHETIC WHINING NOISE woke Brianne. She opened her eyes and blinked hard. The morning sun shone bright, its golden rays basking her face in heated warmth. She found herself snug in her own bed, Jake curled next to her. They’d made love, and the experience had changed her forever. He’d become a part of her, and wherever she went she’d take Jake with her. Inside her heart, if not by her side.

Last night came back to her more clearly. She remembered them walking down the hall to her room. “Better your bedroom than my sister’s bedroom palace,” he’d said.

She’d already sensed his discomfort with the overly large and formal apartment, and she was glad to see his taste ran to the more mundane, like her own. She mentally kicked herself for caring what they had in common, when their differences were too great to overcome.

The whine sounded once more, and she realized Norton was closed out of the bedroom and probably needed a walk. She rolled over, glanced at the clock and bolted upright in bed. Norton wasn’t the only one who needed to get out of the apartment.

“I’m late.” She tossed the covers off her and started to rise, hating the air-conditioned chill but having no choice. Jake stopped her, catching her around the waist, and pulled her back into the downy, warm comforter. Back into his arms.

“Where are you running to?” he asked, nuzzling his nose into her cheek.

“Norton needs to go.”

“I took him an hour ago. He’s fine, just jealous.”

And she hadn’t felt Jake leave the bed? She must have slept more soundly than she realized. She was certainly more relaxed, more sated…The red lights on the clock caught her eye once more, and she groaned. “I still need to get to work.”

“Don’t go.” His palm came to rest on her stomach, his hand splaying wide, his skin hot and warm against her flesh.

Her pulse leapt and her insides coiled into a tight, tempting knot of desire. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve dragged myself out of bed because I couldn’t justify staying home?”

“I’ll give you justification.” He slid his hand downward, his fingers resting on her feminine mound. Slick moisture trickled between her legs, while a pulsing, pounding awareness started slow and grew until it enveloped her.

“Stay home with me, instead.” His husky voice echoed in her ear as his arm snaked out and he reached for the phone, dangling it in front of her eyes. “Come on, Brianne. Call in sick.”

She wanted to. She yearned desperately to shed the years of automated behavior and the obligatory need to follow a set schedule. She bit down on her lower lip. “I’ve never called in sick unless I was deathly ill.”

“Then, do it this once. Give yourself a well-deserved treat.” One finger dipped lower, teasing her with the beginning of the intoxicating waves he was so good at creating.

“People are counting on me,” she murmured, but the protest was weak.

“Then, how about a compromise? Call and say you’ll be late.” With one smooth move, he rolled on top of her, his naked body aligned and all but joining with hers. Though he wasn’t putting weight on his shoulder, the position had to be uncomfortable for him. “I’ll make it well worth your while.”

He grinned, and she couldn’t resist the sparkle in his eye, the warmth and temptation of his body or his willingness to put her needs before his own. Minutes later, her phone call was made and work was pushed aside. As she put the phone back in the cradle, she glanced down at her nightstand drawer and remembered the box of condoms Kellie had given her the other day.

Embarrassed but determined, she opened the drawer and pulled out a foil packet. Then turning back to Jake, she allowed the intimacy they’d shared to guide her as she drew a deep breath for courage and positioned herself on top of him once more. Her legs on either side of his waist, her femininity directly over his erection, she slid down against the length of him, teasing him with what could be. He was hot and hard beneath her, his enlarged member pulsing with desire. For her. Feeling him erect against her, she let out an appreciative sigh.

“Damn, but I like this position.”

“I can make it even better.” She held out the foil packet she’d retrieved earlier, and he snagged it out of her hand.