Nixie felt a blush creep up her cheeks and quickly forgot about the burglar comment. Had she really been that loud? “Well,” she sputtered, trying to make up for her lack of stealth. “You weren’t supposed to be here,” she accused.
“I’m not supposed to be here?!” Nick cried in disbelief. “Excuse me, Nixie, but I live here. You’re the one breaking and entering.”
“How do you know my name?” she asked with a gasp.
Nick’s lip quivered in amusement and he pointed to her chest. “You’re still wearing your nametag.”
Nixie looked down at her nametag in utter mortification. She’d worn her nametag to a crime. Only she would break and enter with her name emblazoned across her chest. “Like I said,” she mumbled meekly, “you weren’t supposed to be here. You had that charity dinner thing.”
“You mean the one that was last night?”
Damn it. She really needed to pay more attention to details.
“Please turn and put your hands on the nightstand,” Nick requested.
Nixie blinked blankly at him. “Huh?”
“Turn and put your hands on the nightstand. I’m going to pat you down. I’ve got to find out what else you’ve stolen,” he said accusingly, gliding across the room to her side.
“I didn’t steal anything!”
When he reached her, Nick flicked the necklace that was around her throat. “Then I guess this got here by magic.”
“No…I…”
“Face the nightstand,” Nick repeated, his voice letting her know there wouldn’t be any compromising with him. He would be searching her whether she wanted him to or not.
With a sigh, Nixie turned and placed her hands flat against the nightstand. A moment later, she gave an indignant yelp as his hands grazed over her hips. She went to move and he shoved a hand less than gently into the small of her back, forcing her to stay still. “You are violating me!”
“Not to sound childish, but you started it.” He stuck his foot between hers and kicked her into a wider stance. “I’m not letting you leave here until I’m sure you don’t have anything else.”
“Nick, I…”
“I don’t want to hear any stupid excuses. Please, just be quiet so we can get this over with without having the cops visit my house.”
Though she was annoyed at the fact he wouldn’t listen to her, Nixie felt relief flood through her. Being patted down like a common criminal might be humiliating, but at least he was going to let her leave. In the end, he’d get his necklace back and she’d get to keep her job. It was a good outcome for both of them.
Nick’s hands smoothed along her waist, looking for what she assumed were any unusual bulges. His hands slid around the front of her short denim skirt, running over the pockets.
Nixie rolled her eyes. “Do you really plan on finding anything there?”
“I didn’t plan on finding you rooting through my stuff,” Nick retorted, “so you never know.”
Nixie let out a huff of agitation. “This is really unnecessary, you know?” She was about to make a sarcastic comment when his body brushed against the back of hers as he leaned forward to make sure she didn’t have anything in her hands. She would have tried to stop it, but the small, sharp intake of breath happened before she could cover it up.
Damn it! Nicholas Morgan was a mean man who thought she was a no-good criminal. How dare her body betray her and get all hot and bothered by his pat down. It wasn’t like he was doing it to get a reaction out of her. Unless that reaction was fear.
Biting her lip, Nixie tried to prevent any more inappropriate responses.
* * *
Nick froze when he heard Nixie gasp. Had he hurt her? He quickly dismissed that. He was barely touching her. Then what had the noise been about? Was the little cat burglar afraid of him?
A thought hit him and made his eyes widen in disbelief. Was she enjoying this? Impossible. What type of burglar became excited about getting caught in the act and frisked? Crazy burglars with chipped, orange nail polish, that’s who.
Wanting to see if his theory was correct, Nick brought his hands to the back of her neck, running fingertips along her skin.
She stayed silent, but he felt her flinch at his touch, saw her fingers curled into fists on the nightstand. Huh. Either she was trying to hide her attraction to him or she was about to punch him. She was probably going to punch him, but it seemed like a question worth exploring.
Nick slowly, tentatively ran his hands down the center of her back, tracing the line of her spine. By the time his hand reached her lower back, he could tell she was having trouble controlling her breathing. She was getting hot over this.
With a wicked grin, he decided to indulge himself with a little bit of naughty touching. He crouched down behind her, slowly running his hands up the insides of her bare legs.
“Y…” She swallowed before she was able to continue. “You’re not going to find anything there,” she accused, “and you know it.”
“I don’t know,” he whispered, his breathing hot against the back of her thighs. “I’m finding a few things of interest.” He climbed very slowly to his feet, his hands rising as he moved. His fingers continued to inch upward, disappearing underneath that tiny skirt. Just as his fingertips were about to touch her most intimate parts, he pulled back.
He heard her disappointed little whimper and it made him want to push his luck just a little bit more. Hell, a lot more. He wanted to bend her over the nightstand and take her right there. It took every ounce of self-control not to do just that.
Instead, he returned his hands to her lower back and slowly slid her shirt up to expose her pale flesh. Bending down, he flicked his tongue across her silky skin.
* * *
When Nixie felt his tongue flick over her bare back, she nearly lost all control. Startled, she jumped, attempting to straighten.
Nick’s hand was suddenly in the center of her back, pushing her back down. In his movements to keep her still, he’d stepped in closer, pressing his groin into her backside.
Oddly in this encounter, despite the fact that it was Nick doing the searching, she was the one to discover an unusually large bulge. A soft moan escaped her lips and it took a great deal not to press back to feel the hard length of him against her.
That little moan seemed to encourage him because he slid one hand underneath her shirt along her back while his other palm inched along her stomach.
His fingers grazed over the back of her bra and she realized what he intended to do. “Nick,” she warned.
Not finding what he wanted, Nick’s right hand slid around her waist to the front of her bra to meet his left.
“Nick,” she whimpered breathlessly. “Please…” She wasn’t quite sure what she was begging him to do. There was an alarmingly wonderful ache between her legs that was making her knees wobble. There was also her insulted pride. Just what kind of girl did he think she was?
She was still debating on whether to demand him to let her go or beg him to have his way with her when the clasp in the front of her bra was unhooked. Her breasts came bursting free into his eagerly awaiting hands.
He gave them a gentle squeeze, drawing a moan from her lips.
She thought she might collapse with pleasure when he grazed his thumbs along her nipples, stroking and giving gentle tugs until they were harder than she’d ever felt them.
* * *
Savoring each little noise he forced from her, Nick continued to toy with Nixie, caressing along her tender flesh. He wasn’t hearing any objections, so he kept going. He would go as far as she would let him. Hell, he’d put a ring on her finger at this point if it meant getting into her pants. He was totally, absolutely infatuated with her. He was obsessed. It was sick. He knew that, but he’d give anything to have the feel of her naked skin on his. He was desperate for it.
He removed his right hand from her breast and slid it down her flat stomach. He continued downward, sliding his hand into the waistband of her skirt. Using his fingertips, he maneuvered himself into her panties. He found her wet and eager, leaving the tip of his finger slick with her juices. He ran the tip of his index finger over her, using a light feathery touch as he brushed over her clit.
She gave a sharp gasp, her breath coming short.
Her little, fervent noises were too much. Before she could realize what was happening, Nick tossed her to the bed. He quickly climbed on top of her, wanting to keep to a minimum the amount of time he was not in contact with her body.
With sure hands, he pulled her shirt over her head. He then helped slide her out of her bra. He gave a little growl of appreciation at having her half-naked. Without waiting for permission, he grasped her left breast in his hand and lowered his mouth to it. As his tongue danced around her nipple, his right hand slid down between her thighs. He pressed his thumb against her, rubbing in a slow circle. “I want to taste you,” he whispered.