Burning Intensity (6 page)

Finally her chin bumped against the wobbling head of his shaft. Opening her jaw, she flicked her tongue out, tasting his salty pre-cum.

“Oh, El, oh please, yeah,” he moaned.

Seeming lost, his eyes closed and his face twisted with bliss, James reached out and cupped her jaw, drawing her farther down his shaft. Eager to oblige, she relaxed her throat and swallowed him down as far as she could.

Hot and thickly erect, he filled her mouth and throat. The sheer power in him had her wet once again. El bobbed her head, sucking hard on him and pumping his cock with her hand. She gently played with his balls, the furred sac tight and high, warm with his seed.

Breathing hard as her own arousal rose, El moved over him, working her jaw, caressing him faster with her hands as pleasure bloomed through her. Small sounds of passion fell from his lips and she stole glances at him as he lost himself to her ministrations.

All too soon she felt the faint tremor, the rumble in his body as his muscles contracted, readied themselves for his release.

“Oh yeah, I’m almost there, El,” he warned her.

Craving to taste his essence, she pressed her tongue against his shaft, working hungrily, wanting to have everything. He shouted, a hoarse, strangled sound. His body seized up, muscles bunching as his hips thrust in hard, sharp bursts. He plunged his cock deeper down her throat, threatening to choke her.

El drew in a deep breath and relaxed. Hot gushes of seed pumped into her, filling her mouth with a musky, salty fluid. Swallowing, she took it all, repeating the gesture as he shot into her over and over again. The convulsive tightening of her mouth and throat as she swallowed massaged his stalk, urging him to continue until she’d wrung him dry.

James fell back against the couch, seeming replete. He panted, shuddering with deep breaths that proved to her how hard he’d come. El lapped at his shrinking cock, her hands still sticky but unwilling just yet to relinquish him. When she was certain that he’d finished, she lifted her head, tasting her lips and taking every last piece of him into her.

Bending toward him, she then pressed small, hot kisses against his flat belly. He groaned, though the sound had nothing to do with pain and everything to do with passion. She watched him as he squeezed his eyes shut, then cracked one open and glanced at her.

“You know what that does to me,” he chided her teasingly.

She grinned, not needing to say a word. Instead she naughtily kissed him again, this time scraping her teeth around his belly button.

Pressed against him, she could feel the twitch of his muscles and the stirrings of interest in his cock. Her grin became a wide smile, lust filled her and her heart sped up. Her pussy ached for him, needing to feel his thick length penetrating her once again, pulsing within her and possessing her body and soul.

She craved him.

“Insatiable woman,” he murmured, need and lust bright in his gaze. “Do you know how often I’ve dreamed of you? Of this? I’m going to fuck you harder than you believed possible. And then, once I’ve filled your pussy with everything I can, I plan to work around to that arse of yours. We never did get there last time, did we? I love that you’ve never had your anus reamed, El. It’s one hell of an experience, or so I’ve been told. A bit of preparation, some stretching or maybe a toy or two and I bet I can have you screaming for mercy and pleading for more.”

His words couldn’t have had more of an effect upon her if he’d electrocuted her. Desire, need, raw craving flooded her. The mental image he portrayed, of his cock thrusting up her arse, possessing her in the most intimate way imaginable, had her hot and ready right now. Words failed her. She could only gape at him, the sensual fantasy he wove intoxicating her.

James seemed to read her very well and his grin deepened, the twinkle in his eye now wicked with a sensual, vengeful lust.

“Oh yeah, El. I might even restrain you, gag that luscious mouth of yours, though maybe I’d prefer to hear your cries. Do you have any idea how perfect you look right now, aroused, mussed from our lovemaking and enticed by the forbidden? Do I need to swing by the pharmacy first, though?”

Her brain filled with naughty images of James fucking her up the arse, it took her a minute to piece together what he meant. Pharmacy? Condoms. She blinked the heady lust out of her gaze and focused on him. Before, they’d both shared blood tests and had moved on from using protection. She was on the pill, and so there’d been no need.

They’d both been celibate in the interim, so she didn’t see any issue from her perspective.

“I’m still on the pill,” she assured him. “So I’m okay with us continuing where we left off.”

James grinned, a devilish cast to his face that had her blood pumping faster.

“Well then,” he murmured.

She shrieked as the hand that had been cupping her arse moved to spread her cheeks. He ran one finger over her tiny, puckered anus and caressed her right there. A million nerves sang to life, sensitive places and erogenous zones she hadn’t even realized existed.

“I think—” A knock sounded at the door.

Instantly alert, El tensed as did James. El’s muscles contracted, ready to spring into action. The ancient fight or flight instinct rode her hard. Rob’s voice cut through the air and she relaxed. She felt the tension seep out of James as well. He wriggled his hands around her arse, as if finding a more comfortable hold. El’s senses remained on alert, lust simmering just beneath the surface.

“El? Waldron’s called. Are you all right in there? El?”

“Your bloody buggering partner and his poor sense of timing hasn’t changed either.” James sighed. He grinned wryly at her and El had to stifle a chuckle.

Rob’s timing had been…interruptive a few times in the past.

“El?” Rob knocked harder on the door. His tone had raised and she knew if she didn’t respond he’d start to worry.

Standing, it was only as her slacks started to slip down her hips that she recalled her state of disarray. Decadent satisfaction and mild amusement instantly transformed into agitation.

“I can’t answer the door like this,” she said, somewhat horrified. Her fingers were sticky with James’ juices. She was naked from the waist up, her pants unclasped. She didn’t even want to consider the mess her hair must be or the small marks from their intimacy that would be over her body.

“Uh, just a second, Rob,” she called out and raced to the sink. Turning the tap on, she washed her hands and scrubbed at her face, making certain the area around her mouth was clean. Even so, she feared Rob would take one look at her and spot something to indicate she’d just given an earth-shattering blow job to her thief.

Turning the tap off, she then got dressed super quickly. El rushed to where her bra and shirt were strewn and yanked them on. James still sat back on the couch, rumpled and mostly naked. El grinned at him even as she waved a hand at him to get up.

“You can’t answer the door like that,” she said in a hushed tone, hoping her partner couldn’t hear through the door. Even though less than a minute had passed, Rob had been suspiciously quiet since she’d called out. Her partner was incredibly intelligent, and she didn’t think it would take a rocket scientist to understand the delay. The longer it drew out, however, the more embarrassment she would suffer.

James stood and started righting his appearance. The lazy, satisfied glow, however, was not something he could just wipe off. Huffing out a soft laugh, El picked up her hair tie and ran her fingers through her long hair, pulling it back into a ponytail as she raced over to the door. Jerking it open, she tried to school her face into an innocent, vague look. Rob took one brief glance at her, then let his gaze slide past her to where James came up behind her.

“Waters,” he nodded.

“Hey, Stevens, how’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know,” Rob replied, “same old stuff. It’s good to see you, though. We should catch up over a pint some other time.”

Rob lifted a hand, waved his phone at her. The screen showed ‘Waldron’, indicating that her partner had just gotten a message from him. Rob’s smile was sheepish.

“Look I know I’m interr—uh, Waldron just texted me a few more questions about the painting. James, can I ask you a few things about it?”

El turned, noted that James didn’t have a clue what Rob meant but wasn’t keen to show it.

“Erm, which particular painting do you mean?”

Rob glanced from James to her. He cocked an eyebrow and the teasing glint of humor shone in his eyes. She didn’t need to see the cogs of his brain working at a crazy rate. She knew he was figuring the best way to tease her mercilessly over this. Despite the length of time she’d been inside, she hadn’t even managed to get to the point of their visit—or the supposed point—and she knew she’d be paying dearly in taunts for weeks, if not months, to come.

Before Rob could even open his mouth to start the jokes and comments, she jumped in.

“I was getting to that, I swear. It was the next thing I was going to say when you knocked,” she lied shamelessly. “What’s Waldron found?”

“You know what?” Rob said smoothly as he pocketed his phone. “I can just do a quick search online. I don’t need you to sit beside me and help with that. Why don’t you stay here and…erm…
talk
with Waters, explain the situation, and get back to me when you’ve plotted our next move? Don’t hurry, though. I can cover for you, no problems.”

“Rob.” El took a small step forward, but her partner held out his hand in a stop motion.

He smiled at her, a warm, genuine grin.

“Don’t, El. You’ve been miserable these last few months. This is the first time I’ve seen you happy, practically glowing. A few hours isn’t going to make or break this case. I’ll turn over a few stones. I can handle that on my own. Just…” Rob glanced from her to James, his grin widening though it was still friendly, not mocking. “Make sure you do actually explain the situation. I still think we could use the extra help.”

“You’re sure?” El scanned her colleague’s gaze and posture. She didn’t want to let him down, but the temptation to remain with James was strong. Nothing about Rob indicated that he was being anything other than completely truthful. She knew he wouldn’t have offered to cover for her if he had doubts, but that didn’t mean she took it lightly, either. She relaxed as she realized that Rob appeared more amused and pleased than annoyed at her unprofessional behavior.

“I’m sure. I’ll catch up with you later.” Rob lifted his hand and threw them a warm grin and quick wave.

“Do you think he was checking you were all right, or just giving you an out if we were screaming and shouting at one another?” James asked as they moved back into his flat and he pushed the door closed.

El chuckled.

“Probably a mixture of both. And,” she added after a moment’s pause, “possibly making certain I didn’t need help burying your body. Knowing Robert, it’s hard to guess how wild his imagination might have run.”

“He’d help you bury a body?” James asked, hoping for clarification.

El tilted her head. He sounded surprised, but not upset. She nodded. “Sure, or I believe so. I know I’d help him if the situation was reversed.”

She frowned in thought, studied James’ face, relishing the fact she’d been given another chance with him. Reaching out, she then rubbed her fingertips across his stubble, enjoying the roughness of his morning growth.

“You know, I’d almost certainly help you clean up a messy murder too,” she mused. “That way you smile at me, the blend of wicked and luscious, it makes me want to agree to anything you suggest, no matter how outlandish.”

“Like anal intercourse?” he murmured, his voice thickening.

She wrapped her arms around him, hugged him tightly before she pulled back, forcing herself to take a couple of paces and put some distance between them.

Just those three words had her body humming, the need building within her once again. She swallowed and reminded herself that much as she’d love to drag him to bed and shag him silly, to let him plunder her body and do unspeakably pleasurable things, they
did
have a case to work.

“I’ll put the kettle on, then we can sit down and I’ll tell you a story,” she said, ignoring the husky note to her voice.

Professional,
she reminded herself.
You’re a capable, rational woman. You don’t need to jump his bones again… Or not yet, at least.

“Give me five minutes,” James agreed, his grin still deliciously wicked. “I’ll grab a shower, change and we can get to work.”

As he left the room she watched his arse with a wistful sigh. Part of her would love to share that shower with him, but she had a feeling if she did that then anal play would pop right back up and it would be days before they surfaced again.

Trying to force her mind off that enticing fantasy, she turned to get that tea started.

Chapter Four

“I must be further out of touch than I realized,” James said two cups of tea later. “I haven’t heard a thing about the National Gallery, or the stealing of that Cezanne. No wonder I had a dozen messages on my phone when I checked it after my shower.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” El sat forward in her chair. She’d decided not to sit next to James on the couch. The close proximity, coupled with the faint scent of sex still in the air, could tip her back out of her working mode. She placed her empty mug carefully on the floor, out of reach of where she might knock it over accidentally. “Will people think you had something to do with its theft? We might be able to work with that.”

“I’ve only been dabbling over the last six to nine months,” James reminded her with a wry grin. “While I’m far from reformed, I have been…perusing other paths, shall we say?”

“Oh?”

“A gorgeous red-haired spy has been instrumental in my reformation,” he teased her.

She laughed.

“I’m still well in the game, but I’ve been very selective about the few jobs I’ve done. Using my skills for the greater good.”

“I can’t wait to get you over for dinner and ask more,” she said.

“And I can’t wait to have
you
for dinner, to lick and possess every last inch of that sinful body.”