Arrested Pleasure (12 page)

Cassie's head lowered as she worked on his elbow, her dark hair falling forward to cover her face. He'd noticed earlier she didn't have her hair in a ponytail. Instead, it was in the same loose fashion he'd first seen her in. He liked the way the strands fell in a dark, silken sheen around her face. He'd wanted to feel the wisps of her hair brushing his chest.

As if she sensed him watching her, Cassie lifted her head and met his gaze. Her strokes softened, and her dark eyes grew darker. With desire.

He had to taste her. "Cassie . . . ." he murmured.

Her lashes dipped, masking the molten passion he'd glimpsed for a moment in her eyes. "I . . . uh . . . think I'll work on your other arm," she said.

He sensed the mood changing rapidly in the room. His cock pulsed back to life.

What had started out as a simple massage was turning into erotic heat rising faster than the sun coming up in the morning.

Gabe thought about getting up, weighing his options, reminding himself she needed to make the moves, not him. If she was guilty, he suspected it wouldn't be too much longer before she came on to him.

Gabe inwardly cursed. He'd let his urges get in the way of his job. He lay back down on the table. What could he report back to his bosses if it turned out he was the one who made the first advance on Cassie? Closing his eyes, he willed his body to stay calm.

The music segued into a soft melody of violins that filled and soothed his mind.

You're on the job, Banks
. Albeit undercover and barely covered, he had to keep his wits and do his job.

Soft hands drifted onto his shoulder. Gabe opened his eyes—and met Cassie's startled ones. She lowered her lashes, but not before he spotted the passion in them.

Damn. This was it. He couldn't help himself. She had to be innocent, he told himself. He could no longer resist what his body told him.

He wanted her and would kiss her if it was the last thing he did.

Cassie fixed her gaze on Gabe's face as he drew closer, well aware what his intentions were. He was going to kiss her. Part of her told her to back off. But the traitorous part of her body wanted him with mind-tingling desperation.

All during the massage, she hadn't been able to keep her eyes—or hands—off him. His body was hard, smooth, and rock solid in all the places that made her glad she was a woman. When he'd looked at her, she'd fallen into a vortex of uncontrollable desire for him. A man who caused her pulse to race and the spot between her thighs to moisten.

Cassie wanted him. The tightening of her nipples told her so. She tried to tell herself to remember he was a customer. Yes, they'd kissed once before that fateful day they'd met, and he'd touched her body in the most intimate of ways, but she also knew when she finally experienced his passion, she'd likely spiral out of control.

In the back of her mind, she told herself she needed to cling to what little control she still possessed. Her body said otherwise. It wanted him with a passion.

"Cassie . . . I have to taste you."

Her lips parted, yet she couldn't say no. Instead, she licked them.

Gabe lifted his hand, curving it around her neck and pulling her head down.

Their breaths mingled as his mouth touched hers, light at first and then more firmly.

Hot desire licked at the gates to her soul. She wanted more, not just one kiss. She opened her mouth, intent on deepening their contact, but met his hot tongue as he reached out to dampen the edge of her lips.

She jerked in surprise at the erotic touch. But surprise turned to desire as need hummed between them. When he pulled her up and over onto the top of him, she didn't protest. He kicked away the towel, and it slid off his body. She caught a brief glimpse of his jockeys underneath—and the bulge tenting the front of them.

Cassie's hair fell forward, the loose strands framing Gabe's face as she gazed down at him. His hazel eyes speckled gold—with hot, heated desire. Their bodies flush against each other, she savored the hardness underneath her.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, picking up a lock of hair and fingering it gently. "The moment I saw you the other day, I craved you like an addict craves drugs. I can't get enough."

She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation of his hand stroking her hair. "I wanted you, too, even though I recognized it was wrong to kiss someone I didn't know." She opened her eyes. "I'm not in a habit of bedding my clients, Gabe." She took a deep breath, aware she had to let him go in case he didn't want to continue. "I can't promise you anything more than right now, so please, don't ask me."

"I understand." His smile reached his eyes. "Let's forget what happened the other day. We got off on the wrong foot, but trust me when I say I'd pursue you even if I'd met you anywhere else than in my backyard that day."

Her body trembled with need at his words. An urge to touch him hit her. She feathered the tip of her finger across his jaw. He watched her, not moving, yet she caught the sensual gleam in his eyes. His mouth opened, and she slipped a finger inside.

His hand slid down her back, caressing her. She arched into his touch, savoring the hard thrust of him against her skin. Her insides began to thrum, while moisture pooled in the heated flesh between her legs.

With his free hand, he captured her plundering finger, placed it between his lips, and then started suckling the digit. Desire washed over her; all the while his hot gaze never left hers.

Cassie closed her eyes as Gabe drew her finger deeper inside his mouth. A tingling sensation coursed throughout her body. She moaned, leaning her head down to his shoulder before burying her face into his neck. Her heart raced, and she sensed a twinge of excitement as her yearning rose upward.

Gabe stopped suckling her finger, and she nearly cried at the loss. He paused in his caresses. Opening her eyes, she raised her head and stared down at him. Regret tinged his face. Did he now have second thoughts?

Even as she mulled this over, her own doubts rose to the surface. This was wrong. She couldn't have sex with a customer. She pulled her finger out of his mouth and started to shift off him, but when she tried to move, she couldn't.

He held her down, eyes blazing back at her, not letting her go. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I . . . we . . . need to stop," she told him, her voice almost sounding a whisper.

She craved his touch, the sensation of his mouth on hers. She wanted him in a way she hadn't wanted another man.
Ever.

"Why? We are alone, aren't we? And . . . besides . . ." He reached up and kissed her lightly on the lips. "We are consenting adults."

Her lips responded involuntarily to his kiss, while her heart skipped a beat. Her up and down senses sharpened as the realization tore through her like a hurricane slamming land.

"I thought . . . ." She let the words trail off, unsure how he felt at the moment. Did he really want her—or only for the sex?

Whatever he'd been thinking a minute ago had faded from his expression. "I've never had sex on a massage table." His eyes danced as he said the words. "I hope we have enough room."

She grinned and kissed his jaw, the slight scratchiness thrilling her to the core.

"Me either. So. . ." She wiggled her hips, pleased when his erection pulsated against her thigh. "I guess we'll both get to experience our first time here."

Surprise crossed his face at the revelation she'd never had sex on her table.

"While that sounds good, I want to enjoy every moment." He glanced toward the door.

"Does anyone have a key? One of your employees wouldn't decide to come back and—"

"No one will interrupt us," she said. "And if one of them came into the office, they'd still have to get past the locked door of this room."

"You're well prepared," he replied, a satisfied expression on his face She shrugged one shoulder. "I don't normally get involved with customers."

"But I'm different?" He paused while he waited for her answer.

"Yes. Because I know it'd get too complicated when it ends, having them as patients."

"Who says it has to end between us?" he murmured, his lips claiming hers again.

As his kisses grew more urgent, Cassie could feel his hand pressing her closer to the hardness of his body. She gasped into his mouth, the white-hot essence of desire flowing through her. She tingled in anticipation, wanting more. Hot, molten lava sent a steady stream throughout her veins, threatening to melt her into a puddle onto the floor.

Her body enjoyed the sensation of his arms around her, the feathery touches as he caressed her buttocks through the material of her jeans. She pushed where they were to the back of her mind—in her patient treatment room at Casa de Massage. Nothing mattered, because she wanted him and would do anything to have him.

Suddenly restless at the lack of skin-to-skin contact, she shifted, trying to get closer. Her hands reached for the bottom of her shirt.

"Hey, babe, hold on," he gasped, stopping her movements. "I don't think we should move around too much or we might roll off the table."

Cassie's eyes flickered opened at the recognition of their surroundings. She groaned, comprehending the tight space and awkward position, despite the enticing swollen bump of his cock pressed against her abdomen. "I can't have you end up hurt."

She wiggled her hips suggestively. "Although the position is nice."

He laughed. "You're bad." Then he pulled her up into his strong arms. "I'm more worried about your rolling off." He sent her a wicked look. "But seriously, is there any chance of a bed in this place somewhere? Or a bigger table? I want a little room to move around than this tiny one." He kissed her lightly on the neck. "I don't want my movements inhibited by a tight space."

She lowered her head and eyed him through her lashes. "We could go upstairs to my apartment. It has a bed."

"You have an apartment upstairs? You live here?" Gabe sounded surprised at the news.

She nodded. "Yes, it made more sense when I rented this to live on the premises since there was already an apartment upstairs." Though she rarely invited men to spend the night.

Gabe considered her invitation for a moment before he smiled. "Good. That'll work."

Grabbing her by the waist, he lifted her into his arms. "Gabe," she shrieked. "I'm too big for you to carry."

"You're a lightweight, sweetheart."

Her heart swelled at his words. With her height, she tried to stay thin, but she wasn't anorexic by any means. To have a man sweep her off her feet as if she weighed nothing left her feeling special.

"Lead the way."

She placed her head on his shoulder and smiled. "Down the hall there is a black door. It's unlocked."

He chuckled. "I'm curious what kind of bed a massage therapist has."

"Just a regular bed. I assure you. You can quit having this notion I'm an exotic dancer with a bed that vibrates."

" Any bed bouncing tonight will be manmade." He waggled his eyebrows.

Cassie gloried in the suggestive words. Usually she'd be embarrassed, but Gabe turned her on.

"This it?" Gabe asked as he stopped in the hallway. She nodded. He opened it without any assistance from her and entered the foyer.

She normally used this area for storage as well as it being the back entrance. A long flight of stairs led up to her place. He stopped and looked up, assessing the stairway.

Cassie wiggled and tried to get down. "You can put me down. I can make my way upstairs," she told him.

"No, I was just thinking how dark it looks. Is there another exit out of the building?" he asked her, looking around.

She pointed to their right. "That way. And it's only dark because we didn't turn the lights on." She indicated the light switch by the door they came through.

Freeing a hand, Gabe flipped on the lever, bathing the hallway in a soft, gentle light. "Good." He took the steps in short order, with no apparent effort. The door to her apartment was unlocked, so all he did was push it open and walk in.

He shook his head. "You really need to lock doors around here for safety reasons."

"Why?" she replied. "I've never had any problems. The backdoor is locked all day, and no one can get past us in the reception area."

"This is still Portland, sweetheart. Crime happens whether we expect it or not."

He got a serious look on his face. "I don't want something to happen to you."

She didn't respond, because she didn't see any point. She understood his concerns, but she'd lived here for a few years without problems and didn't anticipate any now.

He must've decided to drop the issue, because he carried her further into the room. The open layout of the room meant it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the only door in the apartment led to her bedroom. Gabe paused at the threshold to her bedroom. She followed his gaze as she tried to picture it through his eyes.

The walls of her bedroom were mauve and white. Frilly curtains fluttered as the lone window in the room stood slightly open. She'd opened it earlier, knowing the rain wouldn't get in. She loved the fresh air left behind by rain showers. There wasn't much in the way of decorative items in the room. She preferred to keep it simple and easy to clean. She spent most of her time downstairs anyway.

But in the middle of the room stood the one thing she enjoyed about the bedroom: a Rousseau Sleigh bed with a Victorian bed ensemble that stood out and drew you to its elegance.

"Perfect," Gabe murmured, as he laid Cassie on the bed. The soft, white satin comforter felt sensual against her back through her thin shirt. Funny how she'd never noticed this before.

She leaned her head back and gazed at Gabe, who was clad only in white briefs that molded his masculine power. Despite the number of minutes since they'd last kissed, it was apparent he hadn't lost his desire for her.

He must've had similar thoughts, because his hot gaze skimmed her body.

"You're overdressed." With his hands at her waist, he began to inch her shirt upward.

Cassie savored the touch of Gabe's fingers against her skin. He leaned down until Cassie caught the scent of his aftershave still lingering on his skin despite the lateness of the day. A hint of five o'clock shadow made his jaw darker than she'd noticed before. His hazel eyes glittered with a passion that hit her like a train at a hundred miles per hour.