Claiming Magique: 1 (14 page)

No.

She was going to let Tim and David
mount her in every way they could, making certain Hunt watched so he’d know she
wouldn’t be seeing him after this. They were through. They’d never begun.

As though she’d spoken her thoughts
aloud, a yearning look crossed his features. The kind a man wears when he’s
leaving for an extended period, perhaps never to return.

That desire and sorrow called to
Alexa
as nothing else had. She bit her lip and pushed Tim’s
hands away.

“Hey,” he said softly. “What’s
wrong?”

“Stop,” she ordered David.

He did immediately, looking up.

Alexa’s
cheeks were so hot they stung. She edged away from both men
until her feet got caught in her dress.

“Watch it,” David said. “You’re
going to fall. Let me help.”

“No.” She pulled her dress up and
struggled with the zipper, stopping when the damn thing refused to
cooperate.”I
don’t want to do this. It’s not what you paid
for.

“You’ll get your money back,” she
said to Tim, then spoke to Hunt. “You weren’t supposed to be here. I didn’t
agree to it.”

He left the bar. David and Tim
backed away as he approached.

“I told you I’d leave if you asked
me to.” Hunt stopped in front of her. “Is that what you want?”

She frowned. “It’s not what the
agreement was for.”

“I know that,” he murmured. “Do you
want me to leave?”

Yes…no. She turned away.

Hunt rested his hands on her
shoulders. It took all of
Alexa’s
will not to release
her weight into his hard body, allowing him take care of her until he decided
he didn’t want to do that any longer. How long would that take?
A couple of hours?
A full day?
A week, month, year, decades?

Waiting for the inevitable would
kill her. If he wasn’t going to leave, she had to.

He pressed his mouth to her
ear,
stopping her more easily than if he’d chained her to
the bed.

Alexa
trembled.

“Give me one night,” Hunt whispered.
“You and me.”

She turned her face from his.
“That’s not how it works.”

“Things can change.”

“No.”

“I won’t hurt you.”

Yeah, sure.
What guy didn’t say that when he wanted something. “I know.
I’m not going to see you again.
Nor your friends.”

Gently, he squeezed her shoulders.
“Just one evening with me,
Alexa
.
I won’t ask for anything more, I promise.”

He’d already asked for too much by
simply showing up tonight. “I told you, I don’t do one on one.”

“We won’t be alone.”

What? How was that possible, unless…
Alexa
jabbed her elbow into his gut. When he
straightened and moved back, she turned. “You want a repeat of this.” She
gestured to the room, his friends.

“That’s not what I’m saying. We
won’t be alone. However, no one’s touching you but me.”

Tim and David lingered near the
door, looking as though they didn’t know whether to take off or stay.

“They won’t be there,” Hunt said.

There? He’d already made his plans
and an appointment?
Surely not with Ronnie’s help.
Alexa
knew the woman wouldn’t ambush her like this.
“Where?” she asked.

“Say yes and you’ll find out next
week.
Unless you simply don’t want me.
Is that it?”

The words begged to be said, but
Alexa
couldn’t lie that well. She figured he’d know.

“Are you afraid of a good time?” he
asked.

She shot him a look. “You’re
kidding, right?”

“Guess I was.” He grinned. “I’ll
show you the fucking best time of your life.”

Her caution returned. “I didn’t say
yes.”

Hunt moved closer, forcing her
thighs and belly to touch his unless she stepped back. She opted for the
latter. He continued to approach. She kept retreating until the backs of her
legs hit the mattress, stopping her.

“Say yes,” he murmured.

She pressed her dress to her
breasts. Hunt reached around and pulled up her zipper with more ease than she’d
ever managed, as if he’d been born for the task. She wasn’t certain whether to
smile or cry.

With his cheek to hers, he said,
“What’s the matter? You think I can’t satisfy you?”

If her heart beat any harder, it
would explode. She had to stop herself from grabbing his arms, holding on to
him for support…or pulling him closer. She whispered, “That remains to be
seen.”

He eased back. “I’ll take that as a
‘yes’. Wallace will drive you to the location. Until then…”

He hauled her into his arms and
kissed her deeply.
Possessively.
His
embrace firm and unyielding yet also protective.
Alexa
surrendered as she’d never done in the past, slanting her mouth so it fit
perfectly against his.

She pressed her palms into his back,
drawing him closer.

Hunt drove his fingers through her
hair, cupping her head, keeping her from retreat.

They went at each other like rutting
animals or lovers caught up in something so new and unique, they couldn’t get
enough. For the first time this evening, she gave in, not caring what would
happen next, simply relishing the moment.

Too quickly, he finished the kiss.

Alexa
slumped against him, panting as hard as he did.

“You okay?” Hunt asked.

No. She was lost and wanting. With a
nod, she lied.

“Good. See you in a few days.” He
pecked the top of her head, gave her a wink,
then
led
his friends out of the room and the house, leaving her alone to think about
what just happened.

What she’d agreed to.

He could still smell her fragrance,
the hint of Guinness on her breath. His skin tingled,
then
grew hot as though her warmth was now an integral part of him. His mind
returned to their last kiss.

She’d pushed his tongue aside and
he’d done the same with hers, both of them trying to claim the other’s mouth.
He’d won, of course, and she’d sagged against him as though her bones had gone
soft from passion, her will yielding to his as it damn well should because—

“What are you doing?” Tim asked,
grabbing Hunt’s arm. “We’re over here.”

He’d gone two vehicles past Tim’s
Benz. Pulling free of his friend, Hunt retraced his steps to the car and went
around to the passenger side. David climbed into the backseat.

Hunt remained on the walk and turned
to the white brick house, staring at the second-floor windows still aglow with
light though it was fainter now.
Alexa
had turned off
some of the wall lamps. Why? So she could watch him undetected from a space
between the shutters, unable to resist getting one last look at him, as he
wanted to do with her?

“Hunt,” Tim said.

He didn’t bother turning to his
friend. “What?”

“Get.
In. The.
Fucking.
Car.”

“In a sec.”

The rat-a-tat-tat of Tim’s fingers
drumming against the vehicle’s roof filled the otherwise quiet night. “
Sec’s
over. Let’s go.”

Not until he was ready.

Tim muttered an oath,
then
sang the beginning lyrics of
When a Man Loves a
Woman,
belting it out even more painfully than Michael Bolton ever had.

Before
Alexa
or any of the other residents heard Tim’s caterwauling, Hunt yanked his door
open and got inside.

Tim started the car. David leaned up
in the backseat. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’ve driven this route a billion
times before,” Tim said, completing his U-turn. “I know my way around the
District.”

“Not you.
Hunt.
Are you sure about her—
Magique
,
Alexa
,
whatever—what you’re doing?”

Hunt watched the brick house getting
smaller and smaller in his side-view mirror. “Very.”

“Okay…what are you doing?” David
asked.

Tim took a right. The house was
gone. Sighing, Hunt leaned against his door and thought about that question. At
the very least, he’d have an evening with
Alexa
, one
on one, with no other guy daring to touch her even if they weren’t alone. He
smiled at how she’d looked when he’d made his case.
Poor
baby.
She hadn’t a clue as to how wicked the night would be, the extent
of what he had in mind.

If he were very lucky, he’d gain her
trust, convincing her that he’d never be indifferent as her father had been or
even remotely critical. She didn’t have to change a thing about herself as far
as he was concerned.
Except for not being
Magique
,
unless it was in their bedroom.
She was perfect.

The other side of him Hunt hadn’t
even realized he’d been searching for all these years. A woman he required in
addition to craving. He wanted to soothe her hurts, make her smile. Her laughter
was the most wonderful sound he’d ever heard. He might just die without it.
Crazy, Hunt knew, but he didn’t care. Even though he’d known her for such a
short time, no one had to tell him that they had a connection unlike any he’d
experienced. He’d felt it each time she looked at and touched him.

For some, love came through
friendship over many months or years. For him, he’d learned about her past
through an investigator, the same as she’d learned about his. They’d both used
shortcuts, but it didn’t make their bond any less intense.

Her expression when he handed her
the hand-painted flute was a moment Hunt already treasured. He’d surprised and
pleased her, giving her something she prized, letting her know she mattered to
him.

All he wanted was to do that
endlessly with her, with everything riding on their one evening together. The
outcome was so critical, he’d actually told Ronnie about his plan—at least the
romantic parts—that night he’d gone to her country house, needing her approval,
suggestions, whatever she could provide.

She’d remained silent, not giving
him
a thumbs
up or down.

“You don’t think it will work,” he’d
asked. “What if it doesn’t?”

“How often do you fail?”

More than he was willing to admit.
“Maybe you should put in a good word for me.”

“Do you really want that?”

Hell yeah, though he’d been too
proud to confess such a thing.

“Don’t know?” David asked, cutting
into his thoughts.

Hunt frowned. “Don’t know what?”

“What you’re doing with
Magique
.”

“
Alexa
,”
he corrected. “That’s her name. Use it.”

“Sure. Didn’t mean anything bad by
calling her—”

Hunt interrupted, “Yeah, I know what
I’m doing.”

“Okay…and what’s that?”

Tim answered.
“Wooing
her, fool.”
He made a left and rolled to a stop at the next red light.
“Lucky for Hunt you and I didn’t get any further with her.”

“Lucky for you,” Hunt countered, “or
you’d be bleeding all over your nice leather seats.”

Tim snorted,
then
sang the opening lyrics from
Love Story,
one of his grandmother’s
favorite flicks.

David sagged back in his seat,
laughing.

Hunt let them have their fun. He
kept reaching for his cell phone, antsy to call
Alexa
.
He had her cell number now, thanks to Ronnie. He also had the number of the
house he’d just left. Was
Alexa
still there or had
Wallace picked her up already? Maybe she’d called a cab. Would one have arrived
so soon? Would she be going to her home in the District or somewhere else? A
club to blow off
steam,
have a little fun.
An old boyfriend’s place to indulge in some unexpected pleasure.
The airport to flee.

Hunt’s skin went hot, then cold.
Shit. He couldn’t have freaked her out to the point that she’d go to Dulles and
catch a flight overseas. Would she do that?

He pulled out his phone, not certain
whether to punch in her number or not.

“Dude,” Tim sighed.

Hunt glared at the man until he
noticed Tim had pulled up to his apartment building and was waiting for him to
get out.

“You want to come with us to this
new place we heard about?” David asked. “Have a few drinks? Relax?”