Chasing the Shadows (Nikki & Michael 3)

An impish smile touched her lips, and her eyes twinkled. Trouble headed his way. And he very much suspected it was the sort of trouble he was going to enjoy.

"And people? Any one in the nearby vicinity?"

He let his gaze roam the foggy darkness. The red haze of life burned near the wharf, and in some of the shops that lined the street. “No one close."

"Good.” She stopped at a park bench and pushed him down on it. “Guess what?" She straddled his lap, and he slipped his hands under her sweater, caressing the aroused points of her breasts. “What?"

"I'm not wearing any panties."

He slid his hands past her waist and hips, then up the inside of her thighs until he discovered she was indeed telling the truth. The muted ache that had sprung to life in front of the hotel leapt into renewed focus. “Wicked wench,” he murmured. He gently cupped the triangle of her curls, delved carefully into their moist heat. She was as ready for him as he was for her.

"You did say anywhere, anytime.” Her voice was teasing, her gaze hot. She slipped back on his lap and undid the zipper of his jeans. “I think it's time to prove you meant what you said."

"This is a little too public for my liking. You'll end up getting us arrested.” But as much as he wanted to pick her up and run back to the privacy of their hotel room so he could love her more fully, he didn't move. Couldn't move. Not when every part of him quivered to be inside her. To feel her warm, moist heat wrap around him.

She shifted again, capturing him, thrusting him deep. He groaned out loud at the sheer pleasure of it.

"You'll sense it if anyone comes close, won't you?” She dropped tiny kisses from his cheek to his chin, her breath a sweet caress across his skin, but one that seared deep.

"With you sitting so snugly on my lap, I very much doubt if I'd sense a herd of wild elephants running past.” He caught the end of her sweater and pulled it gently over her head. Her skin gleamed in the misty night, nipples dark and erect.

Amusement and passion shimmered through the link. “I doubt you'd have to worry about that happening."

"This is San Francisco. Anything can happen.” Including him making love in the middle of a park for every passerby to see to the woman who held his heart.

"Just think.” She slipped her hands under his sweater, her touch cool compared to the fever of his skin.

“If we were a team in the full sense of the word, there'd be no more lonely nights, no more long weeks of frustration."

"But there'd be more distraction, which could only lead to more danger for us both.” He cupped her breasts, gently kneading the puckered nubs. “Don't think to use sex as a means to change my mind. It won't work."

"I'm not.” She began to rock, ever so gently. Heat slithered through the link, wildfire ready to rupture and blow them both into bliss. “I'm just intent on showing you what you're missing out on."

"I'm very aware of what I'm missing out on, believe me." The last three weeks in Ireland had certainly been hell. Loneliness was something he'd thought himself well accustomed to—until she'd stepped into his heart and made him dream of things he'd long thought impossible. Losing her would be like snatching the sunshine from the sky. He couldn't survive the plunge back into darkness. Wouldn't want to survive.

"I need you emotionally far more than I need you physically.” He cupped a hand around the back of her neck and drew her lips close to his. “And I rest far easier at night knowing you are safe."

"I'm not safe. Not really.” Her breath tingled across his mouth, her gaze holding his. “It's just an illusion you draw for yourself. Your work is your life. Either I'm a part of that life, with all its inherent dangers, or I'm out. Standing halfway between the two, like I currently am, is the most dangerous place of all."

"You're wrong.” He brushed a tender kiss across her full lips. “And what we're doing now is the true danger. Distractions can kill."

"We are lovers, Michael. Occasionally it's nice to act like it.” A teasing smile touched her lips. “But if you're really worried, just tell me to stop."

He slid his hand down to her waist and held her in place. “The Man of Steel wouldn't have the strength to tell you to stop right at this moment."

"Then stop worrying and just start loving."

"You are an extremely bossy woman, you know that?"

"And you are the most talkative male I have ever met.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “How about we concentrate on the business at hand before daylight comes and we really do get arrested." As you wish.

He kissed her hard and began concentrating.

* * * *

The harsh rap of knuckles against wood jerked Nikki awake. She kept her eyes closed, listening as her heart galloped in her chest. There was no sensation of danger, no hint of evil. The knock at the door echoed again.

The bed bounced as Michael rose, and she opened her eyes. The sunshine filtering past the hotel's curtains was warm and bright, so dawn had come and gone. She glanced at the clock. It was just after eight. They'd been asleep for a little more than three hours.