His free hand slid down the front of her shirt, closing over the soft weight of her breast. Her nipple was bullet hard, pushing eagerly against his palm, and he tasted her startled gasp when he pinched it gently through the stretchy fabric. A gasp turned into a whimper as his fingers plucked and teased the hard tip, until her back was arching away from the couch as she sought closer contact.
His lips slid from her mouth, across her jaw, and down the length of her neck. Her skin was salty with sweat and arousal, the smell of her subtle perfume growing heavier in the sultry air of the summer night. His hand slid down one side of her waist, catching the hem of her T-shirt in his fingers on the way back up. He heard something rip as he tugged her shirt up over her breasts, and he cautioned himself to slow down. But sometime between meeting her yesterday and right this second, the skilled, always-in-control lover Ethan prided himself on being had disappeared.
Taking his place was a lust-crazed, out-of-control hedonist who wanted nothing more than to tear off Toni’s panties, shove his cock in her as deep as he could get, pumping and thrusting until he came so hard he couldn’t move. He tugged her shirt up over her head and flung it somewhere over the back of the couch.
He paused for a moment to enjoy the view and nearly came in his pants at the sight that greeted him. Toni was half reclining against the cushions of the couch, clad in tight jeans, and nothing on top but a creamy satin-and-lace bra that barely covered even creamier skin.
He tugged the cups down and covered her left breast in his hand, the plump, succulent flesh looking all the more delicious contrasted against his big, tanned hands. Her nipple was a rosy-pink, tight little bud peeking over his fingers, making his mouth water as he anticipated sucking it hard between his lips.
He’d been with more-well-endowed women over the years, but hands down, Toni Crawford had the prettiest tits he’d ever seen. Creamy white with tight, pink nipples that begged to be sucked. His breath exhaled on a groan as he bent down for a taste, meaning to tease her with his tongue, but instead losing all technique and finesse as he sucked her hard into his mouth. Her fingers twisted into his hair, and the little shock of pain was enough to make his cock harden another inch.
He shoved her back onto the couch and used his knees to spread her legs, and even through her jeans he could feel her heat as his stomach pressed against the sweet spot between her thighs. The smell of perfume and aroused woman filled his head. He wanted to move his hands and his mouth lower so he could explore the blossoming heat at her core. But he couldn’t get enough of her breasts. He sucked greedily at one while his hand played with the other, stroking the smooth skin, pinching the tight tip in his fingers.
Toni’s breath was coming in short, hot pants, her hips lifting and grinding against him. Ethan adjusted himself until his fly was perfectly aligned with her sex. The heat of her seared through the fabric barrier of his trousers as he began a slow, circling counterrhythm guaranteed to drive them both insane. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste and feel of her nipples against his tongue, the sound of her breathy gasps as he rubbed his cock against her, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. Her legs trembled faintly against his, her fingers gripped at the muscles of his ass.
God, she was hot, purely responsive, with no pretense or calculated moves. He could feel her body stiffening, every sinew going tight in preparation for the impending explosion. When she came, it was going to be so hard, so good. And when she came down off that high he was going to strip off their clothes and start the process all over again.
A shrill noise cut through the sounds of heavy breathing and smacking lips, accompanied by a vibrating sensation next to his balls. Ethan jumped like a cat and tumbled to the floor, groping at his pants as his sex-fogged brain realized that both the noise and the vibration were coming from his pocket.
He pulled out his BlackBerry, recognizing Kramer’s number as Toni pushed herself upright and pulled her bra cups back into place. She stared at him, dazed, as though she wasn’t sure where she was or what she was doing.
“Ethan Taggart,” he answered the phone, his voice only moderately more raspy than usual. He glanced up at Toni, silently cursing at Kramer’s unbelievably shitty timing. Her face was flushed pink, her pulse still thrummed in her throat. Her lips were swollen and parted as her breath came out in shaky gasps, and all Ethan wanted to do was throw the goddamn phone across the room and relieve the sexual frustration coursing through both their bodies.
But duty called. “Got your message,” Kramer said curtly. “You’re sure she’s in Vegas?”
Ethan stood up and turned his back on Toni, to give her a chance to compose herself and also because the sight of her, clothes half off and primed for one of the biggest female orgasms of the century, was playing way too much havoc with his concentration. “It’s the best lead we have so far. I was about to follow up with the detective assigned to Kara’s case when you called.” It was only a partial lie. But he didn’t think Jerry would appreciate the truth that Ethan was going to get back on the case only after he’d fucked Toni every which way he could think of.
Which was messed up. Ethan had never let sex interfere with work and he wasn’t about to start now. As much as his aching cock would argue differently, Kramer’s call was a blessing. He didn’t want to do Toni in some fast, furtive fuck on her couch. He wanted the time and the room to explore her at his leisure and find out what she liked. There would be time enough after they brought Kara home to explore chemistry that snapped, crackled, and popped every time he was in the same room with her.
“I don’t want to leave it to the police or anyone else. You go to Vegas. You get her back.”
Ethan stifled a sigh and took a look at his watch. It was already after ten. If he moved fast, he could be in Vegas by one a.m. “I’ll call you when I get there,” he said and hung up.
Toni hurried by, T-shirt clutched to her chest. He heard a door close behind him and water running as he willed his cock back into a semirelaxed state. What a fucked-up night. Two minutes ago, he was on his way to spending several hot, sweaty hours with a woman he wasn’t even sure liked him, and now he was flying to Vegas.
The fan hummed, stirring the hot air of the apartment. Ethan could detect the faint aroma of sex breezing by on its way out the window. Desire twisted in his belly, and despite all of his rationalizations, he wondered if he could possibly talk Toni into a quickie up against the wall before he had to go.
She emerged from the bathroom, shirt tucked tightly into her jeans, hair brushed into a sleek curtain. And judging from the grim set of her mouth and her tightly folded arms, hell would freeze over before she indulged in his up against-the-wall fantasy.
The wall was back in place, every brick cemented tight as she brushed past him to go to the kitchen.
“That was Jerry,” he said. “He wants me to go to Vegas tonight.”
Her head whipped around. “You’re going tonight?”
“As soon as I get the plane ready.”
Her eyes widened behind her glasses. “You have a plane.”
He nodded. “My father keeps it for business travel.” Not entirely true, but he wasn’t about to tell Toni that his father leased a jet so he could follow up leads about Ethan’s missing mother. Toni might have been ready to spill her deep, dark secrets, but he wasn’t up for revealing his.
Toni looked like she wanted to ask something but Ethan stared pointedly at his watch. “I have to get going.”
She went over to her desk and started shutting down her laptop. “Give me five minutes to get my stuff together.” She flipped her laptop closed, shoved it into a backpack, and carried the bag down the hall to her bedroom.
Drawers were open, and she was shoving clothes into her bag. His mouth went dry as his gaze caught on a scrap of pink lace dangling from a drawer. “You don’t need to go with me.” Seriously, five more minutes in close proximity to Toni and her Victoria’s Secret stash and he couldn’t be held responsible for anything he did. He grabbed her wrist to stay her hand as she reached for a brush. “I’ll call you as soon as I find anything out.”
She snatched her wrist from his grasp. “Are you kidding me?”
He looked at her determined face, knew she wouldn’t back down. Thinking about what she’d revealed about her sister, he couldn’t blame her. And he couldn’t do that to her—ditch her here, leave her to twist while he went after Kara alone.
“Fine. But bring something more appropriate for going out than what you’ve got on.”
She looked down at her T-shirt, dark jeans, and black Converse All Star sneakers. “What’s wrong with what I’ve got on?”
“Toby’s at one of the hottest hotels in Vegas. They won’t let you into any of the clubs looking like that.”
She rolled her eyes but rummaged through her closet, emerging with a fistful of silvery fabric and a pair of shiny shoes, both of which she stuffed into her backpack. “What about you, Ace? You’re pretty cute, but I doubt you’re what the bouncers are looking for.”
He gave her a tight grin. “We’ll stop by my place on the way to the airport. Looks like we’re going to Vegas, baby.”
Toni took a deep breath and sank deeper into the buttery-soft leather of the copilot’s chair of the twin-engine private jet. Frustrated desire still simmered in her core, and every nerve ending was on high alert as Ethan checked the instruments and communicated with the flight tower. Her skin was hot and too sensitive for the fabric of her shirt. Her satin bra felt like sandpaper against her nipples. And the idea of his piloting the plane was so ridiculously sexy, it made her squirm in her seat as she tried to keep her mind off the scorching feel of his lips and hands running over her naked skin.
If only they’d been able to finish what they started.
No, bad idea, don’t even go there,
she told herself harshly. Kara was missing, possibly in danger, and she was so busy lusting after Ethan she could barely keep her brain in gear. What was wrong with her? In the time she’d broken up with John, she’d met plenty of guys she could have been attracted to if she’d allowed herself. But she didn’t have time for a guy, a relationship, any of that bullshit. She needed to keep herself focused, first on finding Kara, then on getting herself moved back to Seattle and forgetting this entire unfortunate detour her life had taken after her mom died.
But Ethan had been so sweet, comforting her, a look in his blue eyes that said he understood what she was talking about when she’d told him about Michelle. His strong arms and big hands had felt so good, she’d just wanted to sink into him and stay wrapped up against his chest for a couple of weeks.
Ugh. So did every woman with a pulse. Like the bearer of the dark pink lipstick that had found its way onto Ethan’s ear.
That’s the kind of man you’re dealing with, Toni. A guy who gets lipstick all over him and is kissing someone else two days later.
She should have pushed him away the second he’d put his arm around her, and definitely when he’d leaned in. But he’d smelled so good and tasted even better. And the way he’d kissed her. So hungry, like he was starving for the taste of her. And his hands, rough but tender as they’d cupped and squeezed her breasts. Her nipples tightened at the memory.
And, she admitted to herself, feeling lame and weak and girly as she did, it felt so good to feel wanted. Especially by a man who looked the way he did.
It galled her to admit it, but she knew if Kramer hadn’t called, she would have been naked, on the couch, on the bed, hell, the kitchen table if that’s what Ethan wanted, legs spread wide as she eagerly took him inside her body.
Between her legs, her sex fluttered as though mourning for the climaxes that would never be. She crossed her legs, willing her libido out of hyperdrive.
Ethan had no trouble shutting it down, she thought, glaring into his back. She was a mess, but from the moment Kramer called he’d flipped like a switch, all business all the time, as if he hadn’t just had his lips on her breast and his hips between her legs, rocking her to heaven on her secondhand couch.
The man was dangerous.
But as she watched him adjust his headset and go through a final instrument check, she wondered if maybe some bed rocking, wall banging, no strings attached might be exactly what she needed. She’d never been one for one-night stands, but her body’s enthusiastic response to Ethan told her she’d missed sex a lot more than she’d realized. As long as she kept firmly in mind what sex with Ethan would and would not mean, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to give big stud over there a ride.
“What?” Ethan asked as they started to taxi down the runway. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
She was grateful that the dark hid her flush as she scrambled for a reply. “I was thinking how cool it is that you can fly. I don’t think I’ve ever met a pilot.”
“I was pilot in the navy for eight years. Fighter jets.”
“You were in the navy?” She couldn’t keep the incredulous tone out of her voice. Still, she was impressed. “You don’t strike me as a military type.”
Somehow, she couldn’t see Ethan, with his charming smile and devil-may-care swagger, fitting in with a rigid disciplinary structure. However, she could easily imagine how hot he must have looked in his flight suit.
“I did okay,” he said with a smile. “My brothers were, too.”
Now that was interesting. Several of her high school classmates had gone into the military as a way to afford college, but since when did the sons of
über
-wealthy businessmen voluntarily join the military?
As though he had read her mind, Ethan said, “We’re the fifth generation of Taggart men to serve our country.”
“And you were all in the navy?”
“Nope, just me. Derek and Danny both went to West Point and joined the army. Danny eventually went into the special forces, and Derek was a sniper. But I always wanted to fly.”
A family of warriors,
she thought with a delicious little shiver. Somehow, the idea that Ethan wanted to go fast and fly planes didn’t surprise her. “So you wanted to be like Tom Cruise in
Top Gun
?”