Jaci Burton (7 page)

off, brushed her teeth and slid naked under the covers,

figuring it was late enough she’d fal asleep right away.

No such luck. Not with her body throbbing with the incessant

need for an orgasm. An orgasm she was denying herself.

Why, exactly? She’d certainly seen to her own needs

before, so why not tonight?

Because you’d had your chance to be with a rockin’ hot

biker guy, and somehow you blew it.

And that’s what bothered her the most. She didn’t know

what she’d done to turn him off so abruptly. Maybe if she found

out the answer, she could go to sleep.

She reached over and flipped on the switch for the lamp on

the nightstand, and stared down at the room number she’d

hastily scrawled on the pad of paper.

Room 238. Rick’s room. She picked up the hotel phone, the

dial tone screaming in her ear.

For God’s sake, Ava, it’s three-thirty in the morning. He’s

sleeping. What kind of a neurotic idiot are you?

Apparently a Class A Neurotic Idiot. She dialed his room

number, her stomach clenching as it began to ring.

“Yeah.”

He didn’t sound half asleep. “Rick, it’s . . . Ava.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. I’m fine. Were you sleeping?”

“No. What’s up?”

This had to have been the dumbest idea ever. She fumbled

for the right words. There real y weren’t any, so she might as

wel just come right out and say it. “Earlier tonight, at Joey’s . .

.”

“Yeah?”

“When we were upstairs in the bedroom. Alone.”

He didn’t say anything. Ava inhaled a breath of courage.

“When we were kissing, and touching . . . you stopped.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you tensed up when you heard a door close out in

the hal way.”

She frowned. “I did?”

“Yeah. I just figured you weren’t real y into what we were

doing. Or maybe you weren’t . . . ready. I didn’t want to push

you into anything you didn’t real y want.”

That was why he stopped? Because she tensed up and he

didn’t want to push her? Wow. Just . . . wow. He real y was

thoughtful. Or utterly ful of shit. She couldn’t tel .

“I wasn’t tense at al .”

“You didn’t want to be in that room with me.”

“Yes, I did. I was . . . very much into what we were doing.”

“Were you.”

He was smiling. She could tel . But was he laughing at her?

“Yes.”

“How much were you into it?”

Her body flushed with heat. “Uh . . . a lot.”

“Tel me, Ava. Did your nipples get hard?”

Oh, God. She did not have phone conversations like this.

Ever. But her nipples puckered. Damn him.

“Yes.”

“Did your pussy get wet?”

Oh. My. God.
She shuddered out a breath. “Yes.”

“Are you in bed right now?”

“Yes.”

“What are you wearing?”

She looked down at her breasts. The sheet had slipped

down to her waist, revealing tight, hard nipples.

“I stil have al my clothes on.”

He laughed, the rumbling sound touching her nerve endings.

“Liar. What are you wearing?”

His demand, spoken softly, made her want to tel him.

“Nothing.”

“You’re naked.”

“Yes.” She could barely get the word out. It was like she was

standing in the same room with him, showing him.

She heard a rustling on the other end, wished she knew

what he was doing.

“The thought of you naked makes my dick hard, Ava.”

Now it was her turn to rustle. She reached up and slid her

thumb over her nipple, then squeezed her eyes shut as the

sensation shot between her legs.

“Does knowing that make you wet?”

“Yes.”

“Does it make you want to touch your pussy?”

She didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to have this

conversation with him. And she didn’t want to hang up.

“Answer me.”

“Yes, it does.”

He inhaled and blew it out. A sound of frustration, of need.

She’d never heard anything more erotic in her entire life.

“Do it. Touch yourself for me.”

“Oh, God, Rick. Please.”

“Yes. Touch your pussy. You know you want to.”

She did want to. She’d wanted to for hours. And somehow,

doing it because he’d asked her to was like Rick putting his

hand there. She moved her hand under the covers and

cupped her sex, couldn’t hold back the gasp as sensation

shot through her.

“Feel good?”

“Yes.” But she needed more. Much more. “Rick.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you doing?”

“Stroking my dick.”

She squeezed her thighs together, images pummeling her.

How was he doing it? Was he naked, too, or were his jeans

unzipped, just his cock visible? She wished she could be in

the room with him, watching him touch himself.

“Do you like knowing I’m stroking myself while I talk to you?”

She swal owed. Her throat had gone dry. “Yes. Oh, yes.”

“Rub your pussy for me, Ava.”

She rocked her hand against her pussy. Her clit trembled,

the tight bud hard and aching for her touch. She split her

fingers, capturing her clit between them, feeling it swel and

burst with pleasure. It was so, so good. She couldn’t hold back

her whimper of pleasure.

“I love hearing the sounds you make. Does it feel good?”

“Yes.”

“Tel me what you’re doing.”

“Resting my palm over my pussy. Teasing my clit with my

fingers. Rick, I’m shaking al over. I’ve . . . never done this

before.”

“Good. Do it for me, then. I like listening to you. I like hearing

your deep breathing.”

She shuddered out a sigh. This was wicked. She pressed

the heel of her palm against her clit, and let her fingers dive

down along her pussy lips. She was wet, hot, anticipating

being fil ed. Sadly, al she had were her fingers, but she tucked

two inside. And moaned.

“Christ” was Rick’s reply. “What are you doing?”

Now she felt the power of what she was doing, and how it

affected him. She pul ed her fingers out and pushed them in

again, her hips rising off the bed to meet them. “Fucking

myself with my fingers.”

“Shit. Yeah.”

Now Rick was the one out of breath and making noises,

and she had to admit it drove her crazy. Because she couldn’t

see, she could only hear. And imagine. It drove her pleasure

higher, faster, made her so close to coming she had to back

off.

Not yet.

She was panting now, listening to the sounds Rick made,

straining to hear everything. She could swear she heard his

hand moving along his cock, the rhythmic stroking in tune to

his hard, fast breaths in the receiver of the phone. She’d never

seen a guy jack off before. Now she wanted to more than

anything.

“Ava.”

“Yes.”

“I want you to come for me.”

“Yes.” Faster now, she moved her hand, her fingers, digging

the heel of her palm against her clit and driving her fingers

deeper inside her pussy.

“Tel me what you’re doing.”

“Spreading my legs. Fucking myself. Making myself come.

Oh, God, Rick, I’m coming now.”

“Fuck. Yes. Come on.” He groaned, loud, a deep, guttural

sound and she knew he was coming, too.

Her orgasm splintered her, wild and fil ed with a crazy

madness brought about by this wicked thing they’d done

together. She went off like a rocket, bursting al over. She

bucked against her hand with the waves of her climax, yel ing

at Rick through the phone and not caring at al who she woke

up. Not when she was coming like this and it was oh, so good.

Spent, she dropped her hips to the bed and panted,

listened to Rick do the same thing, and closed her eyes,

wondering whether she should be laughing or utterly mortified.

“Damn, honey. You are good.”

She smiled, too satiated to be mortified at what she had

just done. “So are you.”

“Now get some sleep. I’l see you in the morning.”

Her smile died. She suddenly felt unsure.

“’Night, Ava.”

“Good night, Rick.”

He clicked off and she hung up the phone, went into the

bathroom to clean up. She stared at herself in the mirror and

shook her head at the sight she presented. Naked, her

nipples puckered, her breasts stil flushed with the aftereffects

of her orgasm. Her hair was in wild disarray, her eyes had this

...what? A passionate look, she supposed.

She didn’t look at al like herself.

But this week was supposed to be about doing something

different.

What she’d just done with Rick had sure as hel been

different, hadn’t it?

She turned off the bathroom light and climbed back into

bed, hoping this time she could sleep without thinking too

much.

And hoping she could face Rick tomorrow without

dissolving into a puddle of embarrassment.

R
ick had only slept a few hours. After he’d hung up the phone

with Ava last night, it had taken al his wil power not to throw on

his jeans, walk down the hal , bang on her door, and climb into

bed with her.

Reserved? He’d thought she was reserved? Cool? Hel ,

she was an inferno. Banked, maybe, but tapped the right way,

Ava was explosive. And he wanted his hands on her in the

worst way. So yeah, sleep had been damned hard last night.

His dick had been damned hard last night. Phone sex was

fun, but nothing like the real thing.

And now that she’d warmed him up, he wanted the real

thing.

He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn’t on

vacation, he wasn’t real y home. This was an assignment. She

was an assignment. And he had to cal Grange and give his

report. He dialed General Lee’s number. True to form, the

general answered on the first ring, his tone crisp and formal

as always.

“What?”

Rick smiled and shook his head. “Hey, Grange. Did I wake

you?”

“You know better than that, boy. What’s going on there?”

“I’m in the Hel raisers again.”

“Did your cousin buy your background?”

“I think so. They said they were going to check it out, though.

”

“Good. We gave you a solid history. Should be no

problems. Let me know what they say.”

“Wil do.”

“What about Ava Vargas?”

“I made contact with her last night. She actual y ended up as

my riding buddy while we’re here at bike week. Turns out her

best friend is Bo’s girlfriend.”

“Perfect. Have you found out anything yet?”

“Nothing much. She doesn’t seem to be a biker. Seems

green.”

“Which doesn’t mean shit. She doesn’t have to be an expert

to have something going on with the Hel raisers. Appearances

can be deceiving. You should know that better than anyone.”

“I know.”

“Then get close to her and stay that way. There are several

Hel raisers who’ve been busted in the past few months for

drug distribution. Senator Vargas is shitting his pants that his

daughter might be even remotely involved in this gang. And

DEA is getting a hard-on over it, too. If Ms. Vargas is dirty,

DEA wants to know about it.”

“I’m on it.”

“Good. Keep me updated.”

Rick hung up, satisfied that he was on the right track, even if

he did think the senator was being overly protective of his

daughter and the DEA was total y off base. Then again, like

Grange said, appearances could be deceiving and Ava might

be deeply involved in the Hel raisers up to her soft, kissable

neck.

But Rick had spent a lifetime trusting his instincts about

people. And his instincts told him Ava was a fish out of water

with the Hel raisers. He was going to have to find out just what

she was doing there, and why.

And that meant staying close to her, no matter what he had

to do to get there.

Hey, some jobs came with bonuses. And if he had to climb

in bed with Ava Vargas to do his job—wel , there were worse

things he’d done in the line of duty.

He checked out the clock on his phone—it was almost

seven-thirty. Would she be awake yet, or sleeping in? He went

to the hotel phone and dialed her number, though his first

thought had been to go straight to her room to see if he could

wake her up.

The tightening in his jeans told him that would be a great

way to start the day.

She answered on the second ring. “Hel o?”

“Did I wake you?”

She let out a soft laugh. “No. I just got dressed. I’m dying for

some coffee so I was going to head downstairs.”

“I’l go with you. Be there in a sec.”

He hung up, surprised to find himself eager to see her.

Which was probably just his dick talking. Anticipation and