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Trying her best to ignore the twitch of curiosity in his brows, new determination inspired her.
“There’s probably one in the office,” he said, twisting to put the beer on the windowsill without letting go of her wrist. “We’ll check in the morning.”
“Morning?” she said, shaking her head when he got onto his knees and put one between hers. “No, I need one now.”
“No,” he said, easing her onto her back. “You need something else now… something I need too.”
Lying on top of her, he slid a hand up her forearm to link their fingers and pressed the back of her hand into the bed.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s no time for sex. Sex makes me forget; it relaxes me. I don’t need to be relaxed. I need…” He buried his face against her neck. The scent of his hair tickling her jaw was alluring. Safety. Oblivion. Companionship. “Danny…”
It wasn’t possible to be annoyed with him or even frustrated with herself. The sensation of his tongue trailing along her collarbone and across her throat was impossible to ignore. Ecstasy triumphed. Everything became about every place his body touched hers.
“Forget,” he murmured against her, taking a handful of her breast. “Forget everything and just be here, Little Red.”
His mouth descended to her cleavage; her eyes closed. No one had ever given her such a tempting invitation. That was exactly what Tess needed, and his permission pushed her over the edge. Fighting against temptation was too difficult. She wanted to feel. To forget and to feel only the physical.
Danny was offering her the simple life that she wanted, so for one night, she let herself give in.
SIX
“YOU’RE A STALKER,” Tess said, striding down the sidewalk, trying to outpace the guy-who-wouldn’t-quit next to her.
She was fast learning that her attempts to get away from Danny were pointless. His legs were longer; her hurry was his stroll.
“I’m taking you to breakfast,” Danny said, hands in his pockets, moseying along.
“I don’t want breakfast. I told you I don’t need breakfast. Don’t you have to go to work?”
A group of young women walking toward them noticed the man at her side. Admiring him, they pointed and whispered while giggling.
“Tomorrow,” he answered her, then tipped an invisible cap at the gaggle. “Ladies.”
More giggling and some flirtatious finger-waving. Yes, he was attractive. Tess knew that. Her libido had noticed when they first met. Stupid libido. While stoned he probably wasn’t on his A-game, but even without the drugs, he came across as loose and unthreatening. Just a glance identified him as a guy who’d be a good time. Hot, beyond fit, and approachable, he was a potent mixture that equaled virile man.
“Takethemto breakfast.”
Still keeping the pace, he twisted and dipped down to speak in her ear. “They didn’t suck my cock last night.”
“Danny,” Tess hissed, swatting his stomach, though he lurched back to avoid the blow. “I bet they would if you asked them.”
“Didn’t have to ask you,” he said, flopping an arm around her shoulders. “You just knew.”
“Stop stalking me, I’m going somewhere.”
“Russell Figgs, PI,” he said. “I remember.”
In the Buckhorn office that morning, the idiot had retrieved the Yellow Pages and loitered next to her while she looked up the PI. The open door to the back had freed a cacophony of male voices and laughter, putting a fire under her to get out of there fast. The last thing she’d wanted to face was any of Danny’s lewd tow-yard buddies. In her haste, Tess hadn’t registered that Danny was paying attention to the directory as she searched.
“I’m going in alone,” Tess said. “This is a private family matter.”
“Your mom leaving the card in the car like that is weird.”
Maintaining her pace, Tess closed her eyes to groan at herself. Last night had been as disastrous as it was incredible. The sex was mind-blowing. In the times in between, she’d talked and laughed more with him than with any other male she’d shared a bed with.
Though it was a unique experience, Tess hadn’t worried too much, figuring they’d part and never see each other again. That false assumption led to her revealing much more than she should have. Drinking more alcohol than was smart and relaxing into the illusion was irresponsible of her too.
She’d referred to him as an idiot, but she was a bigger one. His easy smile and skilled hands awakened her stupidity. Tess never thought of herself as a bimbo or a ditz until proximity to Danny brought out the apparently dormant qualities in her.
