TouchofTopaz

Touch of Topaz

N.J. Walters

Book seven in the Awakening Desires series.

Security expert and ex-Army Ranger
John Knight broke the cardinal rule of being a bodyguard—don’t get involved
with the client. One torrid afternoon of hot sex with Topaz Jewel was all they
had together before his job was done, and she’s been avoiding him ever since.
He’s been hired to protect her once again, and this time, when the job is over,
he’s won’t let her slip away.

Topaz is an independent
businesswoman with no time in her life for a permanent relationship, especially
not one with a man like John, who’s used to adrenaline rushes and danger.
There’s no denying their sexual attraction, but she’s determined to play things
smart.

John doesn’t take her home when the
job is finished, but to an isolated cabin. It isn’t every day that a bodyguard
kidnaps his client, but he knows they’re meant to be together—and he’ll use
their sizzling passion to prove it.

Touch of Topaz

N.J. Walters

Dedication

Thank you to my husband, who inspires me every single day of
my life. Thank you to my editor, Shannon Combs, for her tireless dedication to
making each of my books the best it can be. And last, but certainly not least,
thank you to all my readers who allow me to do a job I love. There are not
enough words to express my gratitude.

Chapter One

The damn woman was making him crazy.

John Knight stood at the back of the courtroom, ignoring the
legal proceedings and watching the woman on the witness stand instead.

Topaz Jewel lived up to her name. In her red power suit and
killer high heels, she shone in the dull courtroom like a beacon of light,
drawing the attention of everyone seated there. Her black hair was cut into a
short, sleek hairstyle, which framed her heart-shaped face. John liked it even
though he was usually attracted to women with long hair. Her golden-brown eyes
were serious and nothing the defendant’s attorney said or did could shake her
as she gave her testimony.

He was intimately familiar with her long legs and slender
torso. Her breasts were etched in his memory and the full, firm mounds with
pink-tipped nipples were enough to bring a strong man to his knees.

That’s exactly what had happened to him six months ago when
he’d first laid eyes on her. He’d broken the first rule of the job as a
professional bodyguard—never get involved with the client.

He still wasn’t quite sure how it had happened. Topaz was a
take-charge, confident businesswoman, who had made it abundantly clear she had
no time in her life for a man, especially one like him. If she dated at all,
she tended toward lawyers, CEOs and financial types, men in three-piece Italian
suits, certainly not an ex-Army Ranger who co-owned a security company with his
twin brother.

John dragged his attention away from Topaz and let it graze
over the crowded courtroom. It was his job to protect her, and he took his work
very seriously. He’d originally been hired to protect her when her sister
Emerald attracted a nasty stalker last summer. Now that same man was on trial
for his crimes, and the media hoopla surrounding it had brought the crazies out
of the woodwork, which was why her father had hired him again as protection,
much to Topaz’s objections.

Why couldn’t she have been from a normal family? That would
have made his life much easier. But no, her parents were Moon and Aloysius
Jewel, a famous folk duo from the sixties and seventies. The media was having a
field day with their past and that included their three daughters Topaz,
Emerald and Sapphire. Famous parents, three beautiful women and a stalker all
made for a great story and the media was milking it for all it was worth.

The fact that the sisters owned Sisters’ Jewels, an upscale
boutique in New York, only added to the hype. Since the trial started, none of
the sisters could go anywhere without paparazzi following them. Emerald’s
husband was looking out for her, but he and his brother Jake had been hired,
once again, to protect the other two sisters.

If only Topaz would cooperate. The woman gave new meaning to
the definition of stubborn. He’d lay odds that her picture was beside the word
in the dictionary. And he should know. He’d spent several weeks with her last
summer and almost a month this time. In the time in between, he hadn’t been
able to get her out of his mind, and he’d sure as hell tried.

Memories of that one hot-and-sexy tumble they’d shared on
the last day of the job this past summer were etched in his brain. He could
remember it as though it happened only yesterday…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Topaz pushed through the front door of her apartment with
John right on her heels. “You had no right to do that.” She slammed her purse
down on the antique sideboard that sat to the left of the door in the small
foyer.

“I had every right.” John shut the door and engaged all the
locks before resetting the alarm system. “Until your sister’s stalker is caught
you shouldn’t be making dates with strange men. Hell, you shouldn’t be dating
at all. The stalker could be someone you know.”

She shot him a glare and put her hands on her hips. Fire lit
her golden eyes and energy crackled between them. Every muscle in John’s body
tensed, ready for whatever the little hellcat could throw at him. In the back
of his mind, he realized he was actually looking forward to it. Anticipation
thrummed through him, his dick stirred.

Now was not the time for this. He tried to will his body
back into submission, but it wasn’t easy, not with Topaz standing there looking
cool and classy in a deep-blue sundress and tissue-thin, white summer sweater.
Her shoes matched the dress, a little detail that caught his eye. Didn’t matter
if she was hanging around the house, going to work or running errands, the
woman was always put together in a way that looked as though it took her hours.
But John could attest to the fact that it didn’t take nearly that long. Her
sense of style came easy to her, as easy as breathing.

“I hardly think that an investment banker is my sister’s
stalker.” She stood with her shoulders thrown back and a gleam of triumph in
her eyes.

John shrugged. “You never know.”

“Aarrggh.” She threw up her hands in disgust. “There’s no
talking to you. The man was simply asking me out for a drink and you had to go
all Neanderthal and intimate that we were a couple.”

And it hadn’t taken much to chase off the stuffy banker.
John didn’t let his grin of triumph show. He didn’t think Topaz would
appreciate it.

She stalked toward him and drilled her finger against his
chest. “You have to stop doing this. This thing has taken over my entire life.”

He felt sorry for her, for about two seconds and then
irritation took over. “Look, your sister has it much worse than you do.”

Hurt flashed over her features, and she ducked her head and
turned away. John immediately wished he could call back his words. Topaz
usually met all challenges head-on. He’d never meant to hurt her, only to take
her mind off the banker. “Topaz,” he began, but she waved him off.

“No, you’re right. I’m being bitchy. Just tired I guess.”

He dropped his hands on her shoulders and gave them a
squeeze. “No, I’m sorry. But it’s my job to protect you.”

She whirled around and his hands dropped back by his sides.
“I know I’m a job to you. I get that.”

His own temper flared. “You’re more than just a damn job.”
The minute the words were out of his mouth, he knew they were the truth. He’d
been watching her for several weeks. Hell, he was basically living with her.
They ate meals together, he went to work with her and they even shared a
bathroom. The only thing they didn’t share was her bed. And he’d spent many a
long, hot night lying awake in her guestroom, listening to the swish of her
sheets as she moved restlessly in bed. Topaz fascinated him with her quick
mind, her focus on her business and her killer body.

“Right.” She started to turn away, but he caught her and
spun her back around.

They stared at one another and heat flared between them.
Both of them were breathing heavy and he wasn’t sure which one of them moved
first. Their lips met and he groaned as he wrapped his arms around Topaz to
hold her close.

She tasted sweet and tart, like the lemonade she’d had while
they were out running errands. It suited her. He ran his hands over her spine
and down to her butt. She groaned and parted her lips, and he slid his tongue
inside, exploring her mouth, claiming it as his own.

His cock jerked hard and pressed against the zipper of his
jeans when her tongue touched his. Her fingers speared through his short blond
hair, holding him to her. Oh yeah, this was what he wanted. He didn’t want to
talk, only wanted to feel.

He ignored the warning bell clanging in the back of his
brain, didn’t need to hear it to know he was being stupid. But, for the first
time in his life, he didn’t care. He wanted Topaz Jewel.

It was a living, breathing need that had taken over his
entire life.

He cupped her first-class ass in his hands and lifted her
against his rock-hard erection. She was a tall woman and the heels she wore
added another few inches, bringing her up to a little more than six feet. He
was six-three so she fit against him perfectly.

She tore her mouth from his. “This is crazy.”

He turned so her back was against the wall. “It is.” He
dragged her sweater down her arms, letting it drop to the floor. The straps of
her dress were thin and he didn’t see a bra strap. His balls just about
exploded.

“Are you wearing a bra?”

A seductive smile crossed her lips, but before she could say
anything, he tugged down one of the straps. Bare skin met his gaze. Holy hell,
she’d been walking around all day without a bra. If he’d known, she might never
have made it out of the apartment.

His fingers made quick work of the three buttons at the
front of the dress. With each button he opened, he exposed more of her creamy
white flesh. His knees almost gave out when he folded back the flaps to expose
her magnificent breasts.

They weren’t too big or too small. They were perfect mounds
tipped with pale-pink, velvety nipples. He touched his fingers to one, feeling
it pebble beneath his touch. “You are so fucking beautiful.”

She made a small sound of pleasure in the back of her
throat. Encouraged, he leaned down and took a delicate nipple into his mouth
and sucked. Topaz moaned and clutched at the back of his head, her fingernails
digging into his scalp.

Oh yeah, she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Was there
any bigger turn-on to a guy? He didn’t think so.

He shoved her dress down to her waist and over her slender
hips. It pooled at her feet, leaving her clad only in a pair of silky
midnight-blue panties. The dark color emphasized the creamy white of her skin
and they also matched her dress. The woman never missed a trick.

He kissed his way up her neck and found her mouth, needing
her lips on his. He slanted his lips over hers, taking and giving at the same
time. He slid his hand over the curve of her waist and down her hip until he
hit the band of her panties. He toyed with the lacy edge for a moment before
dipping beneath it. The curls covering her mound were damp, but not nearly as
wet as the slick folds they protected.

He slipped two fingers over her labia, caressing her gently.
She hooked her right leg over his hip, opening herself to him. He took
immediate advantage and pressed his fingers into her tight sheath.

They both moaned with pleasure. Her inner muscles clutched
at his fingers and he knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer. His cock was
going to explode if he didn’t get inside her soon. He’d wanted Topaz for too
long to linger this first time. He’d buried his attraction to her these past
weeks, and now it was like a volcano simmering beneath the surface, ready to
finally explode.

“John.” His name was little more than a breathy gasp, but it
was more than he could take.

He withdrew his fingers and ripped at the opening to his
jeans. Her hands were busy with his shirt and several buttons pinged off the
walls, falling to the floor as she spread the fabric wide to caress his broad
chest. He almost lost it when her clever fingers found his flat nipples, but he
managed to get his wallet out of his back pocket and yank out one of the
condoms he had stashed there.

He had it ripped open and rolled on in record time. With a
growl, he hoisted her right leg high on his hip, positioned his cock at her
moist opening and pressed inward. She gasped, holding her breath as he pushed,
not stopping until he was seated to the hilt. Her pussy held him in an iron
grip that threatened what was left of his control.

“Don’t move,” he ordered. He buried his face in the curve of
her neck and took a deep breath. Big mistake. The seductive perfume of woman,
summer heat, sweat and her light, floral scent filled his nostrils.

Topaz canted her hips the slightest bit and he broke. He
gripped both her hips in his hands and began to thrust, his rhythm getting
faster and faster as he pounded into her welcoming heat. Topaz cried out, her
fingers gripping his shoulders, her breasts rubbing against his chest.

His balls pulled up tight to his body and John knew time had
run out. “Come for me, baby.” He circled his hips, grinding his pelvis against
hers. She whimpered and one of her hands grabbed his butt, yanking him closer.

John swore and managed to maneuver one hand between them.
His thumb found her clit and he pressed against the taut bundle of nerves.
Topaz arched toward him and called his name.

Her tight channel closed around his cock, squeezing it,
massaging it in moist heat. John yelled and pumped his hips several more times.
His orgasm started at his balls and shot up through his dick, and he emptied
himself into the condom.

Had sex ever been this good, this explosive with any other
woman? John knew the answer was
no
and swore under his breath as he gave
two final thrusts.

He leaned heavily against her, desperately trying to
catch his breath and order his chaotic thoughts. When he finally did, he realized
she was in just as rough a shape as he was. Calling on reserves of strength, he
slowly disengaged their bodies, hiked his jeans up, lifted Topaz into his arms
and carried her to her bedroom.

They’d spent the rest of the day in her bed until she’d
gotten the call to tell her that her sister’s stalker had been caught and that
Emerald was in the hospital. That had ended their day and his time with her.

She’d pulled her independent cloak around her and quickly
dressed and packed a bag. He’d tried to get her to talk to him, but she was
focused on getting to her sister. He respected that even if he didn’t have to
like it.

He’d called her when she’d come back to the city, but she
hadn’t returned his calls.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Thank you, Ms. Jewel.”

John’s attention snapped back to the room and he cursed his
inattention. Not only had he not been doing his job, but he also had a raging
hard-on that would have been impossible to hide if he didn’t have his leather
jacket lying across his lap. It was late March and an unexpected cold front had
hit the East Coast in the past few days. The forecasters were even predicting
it might snow.