Over the Edge

Then she lifted the other and began the process all over again.

“I assume you know how I operate, Jake.”

By stripping for potential clients until they’re horny idiots who’ll agree to anything?

“You try to infiltrate the system,” he said, managing to sound reasonably composed as she unbuttoned her fly and started rocking back and forth while pushing the khaki shorts over her hips. Down, down, down….

“There’s no try.”

“Excuse me?”

Bending over to drag the shorts away, she slanted him a glance from beneath her hair. “There’s no try to it. I infiltrate your system. Then I tell you where the holes are.”

“Always?”

She straightened, giving him a view of her in profile, and no matter how much he wanted to keep his gaze on her face, there was simply no way he could resist glancing down at the sleek expanse of her pale curves. Firm breasts were clad in white cotton, her trim waist playing peekaboo with all that shiny hair, her smooth stomach and gently rounded hips barely holding up a teeny white thong.

He swallowed hard.

He was getting hard.

No matter how deeply he breathed to dispel the tightness in his chest. No matter how much he reminded himself that he’d acquired restraint in the years since their last encounter. His reminders were nothing more than desperate, self-delusional bullshit while he stood staring at the tight curve of her bottom and those long, long legs.

“Do you believe in a fail-safe system, Jake?”

Her tone made it sound as if a fail-safe system was something out of a fairy tale. “As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

“Good. I hate to disappoint my clients.”

“I don’t see much chance of that if you conduct all your consultations in your bathroom, Ms. Hunt. In fact, it would explain your impeccable references. You have a lot of happy former clients out there.”

“Call me Mallory, please.” She chuckled, a low, silky sound that purred through their close quarters as if it were alive. “That’s because I’m good at what I do.”

Damned straight. This was a strip show of the highest caliber.

She gifted him with a full shot of her back, the fall of shiny hair, her heart-shaped bottom with that silky little strap disappearing between her cheeks. Leaning into the shower to turn on the water, she bent just enough to taunt him with a glimpse of exactly where that little strap was hiding.

Unfolding his arms, Jake braced his hands on the vanity, every drop of blood in his body rushing south so fast he actually felt dizzy.

For a man who hadn’t had sex in…he dredged his memory for the last time he’d been involved. Damn, had it been that long? No wonder he was crumbling under this assault.

Although he didn’t think anything could have prepared him for Mallory Hunt. No doubt she’d planned it that way.

Which led back to his original question…why?

“Shall we talk details?” She straightened and turned to him, dipping her head in a sexy motion, flinging her hair over her shoulder as she reached around her back….

Her bra sprang open and full breasts spilled out, pale, perfect, the deep-rose nipples aiming at him and proving that he wasn’t the only one affected by her well-aimed assault.

Jake supposed he should have felt some consolation. He didn’t. He found himself gripping the vanity instead, when she arched back to slide the straps down her arms.

The bra went whizzing by his face toward the hamper. It landed on the T-shirt and hung for a suspended moment before falling to the floor.

“I have some conditions that will have to be met before we can come to an agreement,” he said, amazed that he actually got the words out. “But please, ladies first.”

She inclined her head graciously and then fired the next volley…she bent over again.

This time she leaned forward as she slipped off her thong. She pushed the scrap of fabric down her thighs, along shapely calves. Her breasts plumped forward and her hair swept in front of her in a heavy fall of black silk, shielding his view for a tantalizing instant…until she retrieved her panties and stood up, unselfconsciously and quite breathtakingly naked.

Jake sucked in a breath of humid air.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help. Not when Mallory Hunt was a vision from a fantasy with the steam curling around her, airbrushing her slender curves with mist.

His heart pounded. His blood thundered in his ears so loudly that he almost missed hearing her when she said, “I’ll talk loudly so you can hear me above the water.”

No problem, as long as she did the talking. His voice was trapped somewhere below the breath that had solidified in his throat. It had been way too long since he’d had sex, and Jake made a note to pencil in a reminder on his schedule.

Find a date.

He’d been a fool to ignore his needs for so long that he could barely breathe when faced with a naked beauty who was bent on taunting him. While this wasn’t the first time he’d been forced to admit that he ignored his needs too often, it was the first time he’d ever found his control so seriously threatened.

He considered challenging her to see if there was an offer beneath her boldness. But Mallory Hunt clearly had an agenda and he wasn’t taking one step in her direction until he understood what it was.

This woman was fire, and he’d been burned before.

“Okay, Jake. Here’s the deal in a nutshell. You pick what you think is your most secure property. I’ll research your system, determine where the weaknesses are, prove my position by infiltrating your system and then submit a summary so you can address the problems.”

She slid the shower door open as he realized exactly what it was about her tone that he found so very intriguing.

There was no doubt in her voice. None. Mallory was completely confident in her abilities, just as she’d been while confronting him that dark night long ago.

He waited until she stepped inside and closed the sliding glass door before he played his hand. “I’ll pick my most secure property, you get inside and take me with you to show me how you do it.”

He saw her pause and experienced a surge of satisfaction that he’d surprised her. A definite first in their limited acquaintance.

She recovered quickly, though, and he heard her bubbling laughter over the running water as she stepped into the spray, tipping her head to wet that magnificent hair.

Until she responded, Jake had absolutely nothing to counter or debate, so he stood there and enjoyed the show.

Steam billowed around her, misted the glass and showcased her beautiful curves. The beige tile cast her pale body and dark hair in soft relief, drawing his attention to the graceful way she lifted her arms, reached for a bottle from a shelf.

He’d tried to anticipate every eventuality for today’s meeting. But of all the unexpected things he’d expected, playing spectator while this slim beauty showered hadn’t even made the list.

“I operate alone, Jake,” she finally said.

“You didn’t ten years ago.”

“True, but I’m in a different line of work now.”

Their encounter that night had sent both their lives spiraling off into entirely new directions. It had taken him a long time to make peace with the changes to his career plan. How had she felt about her own?

He didn’t ask, just said, “I insist.”

“Really.” No question mark.

“Really.”

“Why?”

A simple question, but one that surprised him. “I don’t trust you.”

He thought he heard her chuckle over the running water.

“But you contacted me, Jake Trinity.”

“Yes, I did. I researched your references and looked into your business dealings. I understand you operate a legitimate business now and your services come highly recommended. But I also discovered that most of your clients don’t realize how you honed your skills.”

“I’ve never kept my background a secret.”

He didn’t doubt her. This woman impressed him as someone skilled in turning disadvantage to advantage. She was manipulating the situation to her advantage right now and he didn’t know why. But she had a reason for putting on this show, for lathering her long hair with slow, sinuous motions, arms raised, body displayed through sheets of water and steamy mist.

She definitely had a reason for challenging him to combine business with the pleasure of watching her. His body was on red alert, and the conversation was the only thing helping him maintain control, forcing his focus on something other than the tumble of dark hair and lather playing over her sleek skin.

“Mallory, I’ll be hiring you to infiltrate a prototype of the Sentex 2000 that’s in place on one of my client’s properties. They’ll be allowing you to break in at my request. My reputation is on the line here. You must understand my need for caution.”

“I do. But I’m guessing you don’t have a clear idea of what it takes to infiltrate a security system. Trust me when I say it requires a skill that doesn’t lend itself to spectators.”

Here it was, and Jake went for it. “I don’t want to be a spectator. I want to assist. Show me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“You want a course in thievery 101.” Still no question mark.

“Yes.”

She only reached for a bath sponge and started a whole new show by working lather over her neck and shoulders. Jake followed her motions, the continued level of excitement wearing at his restraint. He found it increasingly difficult to concentrate when the memory of how she’d felt pressed up against him collided with the sight of all that bare skin. He struggled to stay sharp, because staying sharp was crucial to dealing with this woman.

“If I agree to your conditions, what exactly do you think you’ll gain?”

“A couple of things,” he said, shifting his position to ease up the seam that was biting into his crotch. “First is that I’ll be with you when you infiltrate my client’s property. I can offer them my personal assurance that their interests will be protected because I’ll be overseeing you personally.”

“And?”

“I want to see how you operate. You offer a unique perspective on security. I want to benefit from your experience and bring that knowledge with me when I design my systems.”

The soapy bath sponge continued a leisurely path down her arms, graceful swirls of motion that drew his gaze to the way her back arched slightly, thrusting those incredible breasts forward, the rosebud nipples spearing through the lather.

He shifted position again, trying to ease the pressure of a tight seam.

“Are you willing to pay my fee?”

“I am—even though you quoted me a number that starts forty percent above what you charged my competitors.”

She turned to face him, aiming another salvo with a fullfrontal shot of all that soapy skin, that smooth stomach and the barely-there dark curls peeking out between her thighs. “Inflation.”

Right. Even if he hadn’t heard the amusement in her voice, Jake knew better. Unfortunately, he was still no closer to understanding her agenda. With the dramatic decrease in both his willpower and IQ beneath her sexy assault, he wouldn’t be satisfying his curiosity any time soon.

“Does this mean you’ll take the job?” he asked out of sheer desperation to distract himself as that bath sponge wound a path between her thighs.

“Why should I? You’ve already told me you don’t trust me. Think about all the extra work training you will mean for me.”

He’d thought about it—long and hard, in fact. Her extra work meant his, too. He also thought about just telling her outright that she owed him, tipping his hand and letting the cards fall where they may.

But Mallory Hunt couldn’t know that she’d cost him his job on that long-ago night. Jake should have tripped the silent alarm. He hadn’t. He’d been too bowled over by her kiss. He’d been stumped as to why such a sexy young woman—and the instant their lips had met he’d known she was young—would participate in a burglary. Any logical explanation had been so far beyond the comprehension of his upper-middle-class value system that he’d been shellshocked into indecision.

The rational side of his brain had insisted he report the break-in. The more impulsive side hadn’t been able to get past the fact that sounding the alarm would have meant such a sexy young woman would likely end up in prison.

While the two sides of his brain had warred, fate had intervened and made the decision for him. Someone, he assumed the security guard, had sounded the alarm and the police had shown up and arrested one of the burglars—not her, he’d found out later.

The company president hadn’t wanted explanations. He’d wanted an employee who would put the company’s best interests first. Jake didn’t blame him.

As a result of meeting Mallory Hunt, he’d lost his job, his internship, his scholarship, a decent reference and any hope of a future with Innovative Engineering.

As his father had been golfing buddies with the company president, the real reason for his dismissal hadn’t become part of his permanent record. Mallory Hunt couldn’t know the details, and now didn’t seem like the best time to tip his hand. Erection aside, the rational half of his brain had brought him here today. He needed this woman’s expertise, felt she owed him a favor, but he didn’t want to show a soft underbelly by letting her think he held a grudge.

“You should take my job because working together will be mutually beneficial. TSS will be a strong reference. My business is well respected in the industry.”

She exhaled a laugh that was more exasperation than amusement. “What is it with you men?”

Jake didn’t know what other man she was referring to and he didn’t care. He wasn’t finished yet. “I was going to say that your endorsement of my new security system will be good for the Sentex 2000. See, mutually beneficial.”

Not the strongest of arguments, but the most logical to his way of thinking. Jake braced himself to counter her objections, mentally sifted through rebuttals that might establish his case.

What he didn’t expect was Mallory to say, “Okay. It’s a deal. You pay my exorbitant fee and I’ll infiltrate the system of your choice and take you with me as my assistant.”

She slid open the shower door, heedless of the drizzle spraying out from the wall jets as she extended her hand. Jake had the wild thought that the last thing in the world he needed to do right now was touch this woman, but reason wasn’t priority here—sealing the deal was.

Pushing away from the vanity, he swallowed hard when the seam of his slacks bit hard into his crotch. He schooled his expression and closed the distance between them.

But Jake knew before his fingers slid around hers that this was nothing more than a ploy. Mallory was testing his limits again, pushing him. To see if she could shock him? Or to get him close enough to…what?

He didn’t know. He only knew that with her hair slicked back he could see her features more clearly than ever before. He stared down into her face, the perfect forehead, the elegant slash of her brows, the creamy skin, the high cheekbones, and knew a hunger for this woman more intense than anything he’d ever known before.

Then she lifted her gaze to his. Despite the water droplets clinging to her lashes and the lush landscape of moist skin between them, the challenge in those clear green eyes was so reminiscent of ten years ago…

Only this time he kissed her.

3

JAKE TRINITY had known how to kiss ten years ago, but the past decade had honed his skill to the point where Mallory forgot to breathe. His mouth possessed hers with a serious deliberation that made her knees grow weak, made an eager tenderness fill her breasts and draw her nipples into peaks.

She’d intended to taunt the man until he’d lost control and couldn’t keep his hands off her. Well, his hands were on her now, but there was nothing about the fingers he angled beneath her jaw that suggested a loss of anything.

Jake Trinity’s kiss was all about hunger, all about resolve, all about taking what he wanted. Deliberate. Thorough. As though he’d spent ten long years deciding how he might kiss her if the opportunity had presented itself. As though he’d meant to make the most of the moment if it did.

Mission accomplished.

He’d scattered her thoughts so completely that it took him driving his tongue into her mouth for Mallory finally to pull her thoughts together enough to react.

The best she could come up with was a sigh, one of those lips-parting-in-abandon, open-mouthed numbers that always made her laugh when she saw them portrayed in movies.

She hadn’t believed women really felt that way.

Well, women like her, anyway. Confident, assertive women who didn’t have a problem taking what they wanted from life.

Or from a man.

But she felt that way right now. Boy, oh boy, did she.

She remembered exactly why she’d kissed Jake Trinity ten years ago instead of following the egress plan. Yes, she’d wanted to buy her dad time, but she couldn’t deny that she’d also noticed how gorgeous her unexpected intruder had been, which had inspired her particular method of stalling.

He’d reminded her of a lion with his dark-blond hair, tanned skin and brawny body. He’d been tall—but not too tall, about six feet she’d guessed—but that sense of power about his strong shoulders and wide chest had made him seem…solid. Yet he’d moved easily, gracefully, as though he had his size thoroughly under control.

Jake Trinity all grown up wasn’t what Mallory had been expecting. Nor was her reaction to him.

Water dripped from her face to flavor their kiss, bathing their tongues in liquid warmth that tasted of their mouths combined. A taste that had lingered in her memory barely remembered—until now when she tasted it again and realized just how firmly embedded he’d been in her consciousness.

Pressing her hands against his chest, she slipped her fingers beneath his jacket. She explored the feel of hard muscle through his shirt and traced the sculpted hollows as though she wanted to learn him by heart, uncaring that her wet hands and the shower spray were trashing his pristine dry-cleaning job.

And when she came across his tie, an accessory she’d thought conservative at first glance, she recognized the anchor it offered. Slipping her fingers around the expensive silk, she drew it down, down…forcing him to lean forward and his mouth to slant across hers even harder.

He explored the curve of her jaw with strong fingers, trailed them down her throat, and for a heart-stopping instant she thought he would continue moving downward, touch her aching breasts to feed this growing need inside her.

But ever the gentleman, he explored the pulse beating at the base of her throat, the sensitive hollow where neck met shoulder while awareness coursed through her with an intensity that made her burn.

No, Jake Trinity wasn’t what she’d expected at all.

He didn’t seem to mind that she held him trapped with his tie and met his tongue, stroke for devouring stroke, breath for clashing breath.

Her reaction to him wasn’t what she’d expected, either.

Mallory had a plan to bring this man to his knees. She’d get him out of her system then leave him before he even knew what had hit him. But right now, with the water crashing on her back, the steam caressing her body until she felt every inch of her naked skin so achy beneath his strong fingers, her plan seemed less about satisfying vengeance than desire.

“Join me.” She whispered the words against his open mouth, surprised by the husky intensity of her voice. Running her tongue over his lower lip, she chased the words with a bold stroke that reestablished some of her control.

But Jake didn’t break their kiss, either. He nibbled his way along her upper lip, his hot velvet mouth nipping greedily, sending the most exquisite tingles shooting through her, and making a total lie out of her control.

“I thought you had some place to be shortly.”

“I lied.”

To her surprise, he chuckled, a burst of warm sound against her mouth. He broke their kiss and she eased up on his tie, letting him lift his head. But she didn’t relinquish her grip entirely. She liked knowing she could drag his mouth back down to hers when she chose.

“Why?”

“So I could get naked in front of you.”

She wanted to put a dent in his composure, but he only inclined his tawny head in acknowledgment and slipped his wire-rimmed glasses from his nose. She watched as he snapped the arms into place and dropped them into his jacket pocket, seemingly unconcerned with the condition of his clothes, which showed the effects of her exploration in a big way.

Then he met her gaze, and she was surprised to find that staring into his brown eyes without the shield of clear plastic lenses and wire frames was an entirely different experience.

He had warm steady eyes, the rich brown shade an extension of his tawny hair and tanned skin, a color that added to her impression that he glowed golden from the inside out.

He eyed her, as though carefully considering her offer. His calm deliberation threw her. He shouldn’t be so in control after the hot kiss they’d shared. He should be a little raw around the edges right now.

Like she was.

Mallory had no doubt he wanted her. One glimpse at the erection spoiling the tailored line of his slacks proved that beyond question, but he was far too in control of himself for her liking.

“You’re testing me,” he said.

She felt foolishly fluttery beneath his gaze. And standing here naked before his fully clothed self, she felt very much like an errant child who’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Does that bother you, Jake?” she injected a level of calm she wasn’t feeling into her voice. “I want to see what you’re made of.”

“You want to see how far you can push me.”

“Are you hoping to call my bluff?”

He shook his head, sending thick tawny hair across his brow. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t think you’re bluffing.”

Before she realized what he was about, his hand surrounded her breast, lightly abrading her skin with callused fingertips. Her nipple puckered and her breath hitched, an audible gasp that echoed above the running water and made him smile.

Pressing his advantage, he squeezed her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. A ribbon of heat shot straight to that sensitive place between her thighs. She sucked in another gulp of air that made his smile grow even wider.

“I’m not the only one here discovering my limits, am I?” he asked, his voice as sultry and sure as deep silk.

She didn’t answer, was too busy breathing through that grasping pulse between her thighs. But she found that she liked the way he wasn’t mowed down by her invitation. She might be standing here naked, and he might want her, but Jake Trinity was still thinking on his feet, questioning her motives, not willing to jump in until he satisfied his curiosity.

She found that rather…stimulating.

“Am I, Mallory?”

He pinched her nipple again, making her grow wet in a way that had nothing to do with the eight shower jets behind her.

“No.” She sounded just the tiniest bit resentful and that seemed to amuse him, too.

“Do you always mix business with pleasure?”

“No,” she replied honestly. “Only when it suits me.”

“And I suit you?”

She laughed, an attempt to regain her equilibrium. “I’m surprised you have to ask me that question. I kissed you ten years ago, remember?”

“I thought you were trying to stall me, or distract me.”

“I was.” She took another deep breath against the way he was thumbing her nipple, raising her body temperature with each idle stroke. “But I’d never have come up with the idea if I hadn’t found you attractive.”