The elevator to her apartment opened and Willa cautiously stepped inside. She didn’t think James would be there. If he was following her, he wouldn’t beat her home without her or the new security detail noticing. She’d left the new bodyguard downstairs in the recreation room. She didn’t need him hanging around while Toni or James made an unexpected appearance.

Even though she logically knew that James wasn’t around, she still walked cautiously inside. She slipped the boots off her sore feet and listened for any sign of an unexpected guest, but her apartment was dark and empty, the dim glow from the lights of the city the only illumination in the apartment.

Willa sighed. Had she been hoping that James would be there waiting for her? Maybe. She’d felt his eyes on her all night. So maybe she’d willed the cab she took home to drive faster. Maybe she’d held her breath on the elevator, just waiting to see what would be in store for her once those doors opened.

But this wasn’t some strange, extended fantasy. This was real life. James was a professional and, like Toni said, he couldn’t afford distractions. Willa padded over to the white sofa and sat down, folding her legs under her. She was tired from all the dancing. Tired from the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days. But she was still wired. Waiting for something she didn’t even know....

But then it happened. The elevator doors opened and she heard the familiar footsteps of a strong, confident man who took every step with purpose. She didn’t get off the couch to verify it was James. She already knew. She heard the rustle of clothes and knew he was tugging at his jacket and hanging it on the hooks in the entryway. She then heard a few clips snapping and knew he was taking off the shoulder holster. A second later, she heard the clacking of metal and leather on granite and knew he’d set it on the kitchen island behind her. She bit her lip as she heard him approaching her. Instead of walking to the front of the couch, he stopped right behind her.

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “You left.”

“I was close.”

That didn’t make her feel better. She didn’t want him watching her from the shadows. She wanted him next to her. But she couldn’t really say that. He had better things to do than babysit her. She was supposed to be helping him, not giving him more work. But even though she knew she shouldn’t be clingy, when she looked up at him, she couldn’t help the mixture of betrayal and need that shone in her eyes.

His expression was blank, as usual, and for a moment she thought she was being stupid. But right before she was about to get off the couch to go sulk alone, he reached out to touch her. Her eyes drifted shut as his fingers traced her jaw from right behind her ear to the tip of her chin; his fingers ran along her neck and sent goose bumps along her skin. She took a nervous gulp and her eyes opened. He was studying her so intently and she wished like hell she could read minds. Some days he was a robot and some days he was a caveman. She never knew what she was going to get.

But at the moment, she was all for him dragging her back to his cave. His fingers moved back up her throat and ran along her lips and she knew she wasn’t the only one affected. She tilted her head just enough for the tip of his pointer finger to slip between her lips and gave him a little bite before soothing it with her tongue.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said in a low, almost inaudible voice.

“I’m a rebel,” she whispered, meeting his eyes with hers and daring him to do something about it.

“Get up.”

She almost gave a witty retort but found her legs unfolding as she stood, immediately obeying his command. And when he reached a hand out to her, she met it and followed him around the couch before he led her to her bedroom. Each step seemed to blur. All she could see was his broad, strong back. She thought he was going to take her right to the bed, but he stopped once she was just a foot inside the room and he kicked the door shut. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but no words came out. And then he was moving her to face the door with both of her palms flat on the polished wood. She couldn’t see what he was doing and felt strangely vulnerable in this position. He hadn’t bound her in any way, but she might as well be tied to the ceiling because she knew there was no way she was moving from this spot.

When he did touch her, it wasn’t just with a fingertip like on the couch. He moved until his entire body was pressed against her back. He was so much bigger than her it was as though she were covered by a massive, sexy blanket. His erection pushed into her lower back and his chin was toward the top of her head. She almost fought the urge to lean back against him, but considering their present situation, the time for fighting had passed.

So she let her body mold against his and savored the sensation. He bent his head next to hers and she could feel his warm breath on her neck. His breaths came fast and it turned her on like crazy to know that she could do that to him. James seemed so impossible to penetrate sometimes. The fact that she’d wormed her way under his skin somehow made her feel powerful, even as he was totally dominating her.

His hands started to do a slow exploration of her body. He started simply as he ran his big palms along her sides from right under her arms, over her hips and to her thighs where her dress stopped. Then he started his way back up; the material caught on his hands but slid free before it could go over her hips. It made her feel too naked and too clothed at the same time. He could have access to her so easily if he really wanted. When his hands came up, he followed the dip of her waist and this time ran his hands over her breasts.

She gasped at the sensation and pushed herself farther back against him. His head was still next to hers. He turned in to her and pressed a kiss to her neck before he ran his teeth along the sensitive skin. The mix of hard and soft was erotic as she rubbed herself against him, standing on her tiptoes so her hips could meet his cock. The foreplay was great and all, but right now she wouldn’t mind if they just skipped to the grand finale. But James didn’t seem to be in any hurry. One of his hands slid the top of her dress down and slid into her bra to cup her breast as the other skimmed lower and then ran along the top of her thigh as he reached the edge of her panties.

Her head fell forward against the cold wood as he kissed at her neck and edged his fingers into her panties and along her wet folds. Good grief, this was a triple assault. Figures he wouldn’t play fair. “James,” she breathed as he slid two fingers deep inside.

She was already on her toes but she pushed up as high as she could at the invasion and bit her lip to keep herself from making any more noise than she already was.

“You are so fucking wet for me,” he said into her ear, speaking so close she could feel his lips brushing against the sensitive lobe. “Were you this wet earlier? Dancing for me.”

Her eyes popped open at the question. “I....” There was really no right answer.

“I know you saw me. And you had the nerve to dance with another man in front of me.”

AJ? AJ barely counted. But then his thumb was brushing against her clit and she wasn’t really capable of defending herself. “For you,” she managed out. “All for you.”

“Damn right.” His fingers worked her over. On her breast and between her legs before he leaned her head back to cover her mouth with his.

Willa closed her eyes and let him take over her body. On one hand, she never wanted these sensations to end, but on the other he kept stroking the flames higher and higher, making her feel as if she needed something... anything... just the tiniest push to get her over....

He pushed another finger inside and that was all she needed before she fell apart. Her hands balled into fists against the door and she would’ve fallen over after her legs gave out if he hadn’t caught her.

She caught her breath for a few moments before she couldn’t take it any longer. She didn’t care whether he’d just given her the orgasm of a lifetime. She wanted more, damn it. She pushed his hands away from her as she twisted around, and fisting her fingers into his shirt, she pulled him in for a kiss.

Granted, she knew he didn’t have to do a damn thing, but he kissed her back. This time when he pushed her against the door, she wasn’t just going to wait for him to use her. She reached down and, hooking a finger in the waistband of her panties, she pushed them over her hips and let them fall to the ground. Even though James had been kissing her deeply and thoroughly the entire time, he growled at the motion, somehow aware of everything she was doing. He settled two hands on her ass as he lifted her against the door until she could wrap her legs around his waist. Even though she was ready and waiting, he still happened to be wearing way too many clothes. But at the moment, she was kissing him too much to help with the undressing. Kissing and touching. Touching any part she could. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and the bulging muscles of his arms. Every inch of him felt fantastic, and she needed to take every chance she could to revel in the fact that she had all this strength to herself. A moment of clarity cut through the haze. She pulled her mouth away from his and met his eyes. Thanks to him holding her up, they were almost eye level, which was a strange change. “I’m on birth control,” she managed out.

“I know.”

She blinked a few times. “That’s a strange thing to say.”

“I’m clean.” He kissed her briefly. “You’re clean.” He kissed her again.

“You’ve been planning this?”

“I’ve been fighting this,” he clarified.

Well, that made two of them.

He kissed her once more, this time pulling her away from the door, and with her arms and legs still wrapped around him, he carried her to the bed. Once he was in front of the king-size mattress, he let her go and she slid down his body. Every inch of him was hard and, damn it, she wanted him naked. She reached for his buttons, but he caught her hand in his to stop her. “You first. Take off your dress.”

He said it in that low, growly tone that was impossible to ignore. So she didn’t. She reached down for the hem of her dress, and in one quick motion, she had it over her head and onto the floor. Then she reached behind her; the motion pushed her breasts up and out as she unhooked her bra. And then she stood there, naked as the day she was born, turned on as hell, in front of the fully dressed, sexiest man she’d ever met.

He started with the buttons on his sleeves and then moved to his collar and worked his way down. The entire time, his eyes were glued to her, taking in every inch of her exposed skin. As he pulled off the shirt, her mouth went dry. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but some invisible force kept her in place. Waiting for his permission to move. Waiting to see what he was going to do next.

When the shirt fell to the ground, he came over to her, and with one hand at the base of her neck, he pulled her in for a kiss. Willa went wild as they both explored all the newly exposed skin. But even as she ran her fingers along the ridges and planes of his stomach, she went right for his belt buckle. She wished she could undress him smoothly, but she wasn’t really an expert in undressing guys. After a few fumbles, the belt was loose and from there the rest came undone easily. And then she pushed his pants over his hips and they fell to the ground. When he kissed her now, it was absolutely carnal. He fisted his hand in her hair to hold her in place, and his tongue ran along her in a primal rhythm that mimicked what she hoped he'd do with other parts of his body. Now that his cock was free, it felt huge against her stomach. At this point, she was so ready for him, the size didn’t even worry her. The only thing that scared her was not getting him inside her now.

James pushed her back against the bed and she managed to crawl a few inches toward the middle before he followed her down. Although he’d been going slowly and methodically with every touch before, as soon as he hit the bed, things seemed to change. He hooked a hand under her knee as he spread her wide for him, and in half a second, he was positioning himself at her entrance.

She was just bracing her hands on his shoulders when he slid in with one long—emphasis on the long—stroke.

Her free leg wrapped tightly around his hip as she adjusted to his size. She bit her bottom lip as she waited for him to move. She turned her head toward him, and her nose ran along his neck until her head touched the bed and she looked up at him. He looked down at her with so much heat and intensity that she was struck with how strange it was to have all of this man in her arms. Her feral caveman. Her emotionless robot didn’t seem so emotionless at the moment.

She leaned forward to brush her lips ever so softly against his, and that’s when he withdrew a few inches before he slammed back in. The friction made her wince.

“Are you okay?” he asked, mistaking the action for pain.

She nodded in a jerky movement as she rocked her hips up, encouraging him to keep going. “Don’t stop,” she breathed.

And he didn’t. He started to move faster and faster. Willa gripped his back, holding on tighter, but then he’d released her leg to run his hands along her upper arms, stroking out until he could hold her hands above her head. And this time when he moved, he didn’t stop.

She let him hold her down and use her body the same way she was using his. For those few minutes, she didn’t feel as if she was heiress to a criminal empire, and the man in her arms didn’t feel like some shady figure who should terrify instead of entice her. All she felt was him.

And when she came, he caught her scream in his kiss. He only let her hands go when his own orgasm hit. She held him tight and tucked her forehead into the crook of his shoulder as he shuddered on top of her.

Then all that was left to do was contemplate how her life would never be the same again.

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James had never been good with regrets. Not that he didn’t make mistakes. He’d made plenty of those in his time. But when it came time to look back and think about what he wished could have been changed, not much came to mind.

So as Willa stretched out next to him, her naked skin just touching him, it was damned hard to feel bad about what just happened, considering how much of a massive mistake it was that he was even here.

She let out a soft moan as she adjusted herself once more and his stupid cock had to go and get hard again. He should get used to that. That was just what his life was going to be like now. Willa was nearby? Instant erection. Screw self-control. Screw discipline. From now on, this was it.

“You’re not sleeping.” She rolled over to rest her head on her hands and look at him. It was mostly dark in her bedroom, but the lights of the city gave the room a soft glow. Even though he couldn’t make out every detail of her, he was always aware on some level of what she was doing.

“I’m protecting you.”

She let out a little scoff as she reached out to set a hand on his chest. “Even fearless protectors need sleep. But I guess you’re not the type to talk about problems.”

“Talking doesn’t solve my kind of problems.”

“I talk a lot.” She traced patterns against his skin. The touch should be annoying him, but it was strangely endearing.

“I’ve noticed.” He adjusted his arm and opened it up for Willa to use his bicep as a pillow and he pulled her in closer.

“My mouth just goes faster than my mind sometimes. But if I spit out enough nonsense, the brain eventually catches up. Usually.”

He smiled as he thought of the rambling tangents Willa would go on when she was nervous. “I like your mouth.”

She laughed. “And you haven’t even seen all it can do.”

His cock sprang to alert. Down, boy.... “I didn’t realize that was on the table.”

She lifted her head just an inch to get a better look at him through the dark. “Come on, James. I don’t know how to say this in a way that doesn’t sound slutty, so I’m just going to spit it out. Everything is on the table with you.”

Wow. But as happy as he was about just all the things he could do to her, he couldn’t help thinking.... “Why?”

“You’re not protecting me forever. Might as well take advantage while we can.”

He would’ve expected someone like her to be clingy or needy. Not so... accepting. Which should be a good thing. This was the best possible way for this to play out. A beautiful woman who was more than willing to pass the time with him in bed and part ways once their business was done.

Maybe he was just overthinking it. It had been a long fucking day and he couldn’t think straight when he was around her sometimes. Now that he was working her out of his system, this would all work itself out.

“So if you like me talking, that means I can ask you questions, right?”

Well, this was a can of worms he didn’t want to open. “What did you want to know?”

“Umm... everything.”

“Well, my name is James Weston.”

“You’re hilarious. Tell me about your family. You know everything about my dysfunctions. It’s only fair.”

“You don’t want to hear about them.” And he really didn’t want to talk about it either.

She drummed her fingers on his chest. “Come on. Fair’s fair.”

“It’s nothing new. Dad was a deadbeat. Mom was nice enough but could never stand up to him. I took off when I was eighteen and never looked back. I served overseas for a while. I started in the Marines and eventually was recruited into a black cell group which I’m not going to say anything else about. And I never went back home.”

“You aren’t curious about what they’re up to?”

“I know. My dad is six feet underground thanks to a drunk driving accident—he was the drunk. Mom remarried a meek banker and my little sister is a marketing major at a state university.”

She stiffened in his arms and he could feel the hint of disapproval. He already knew what she wanted to say, but he didn’t need to defend himself. When he left, everything was a mess. He’d faced years of guilt for abandoning his mother and sister, but when he came back, they’d worked everything out. Everyone was better off without him.

But Willa didn’t dig for any more personal details. Instead, she asked, “So what are you?”

“Human.”

“Smart ass. But seriously, what is your job title? Fixer? Mercenary? Assassin?”

“There isn’t really a name for what I am.”

“But in your head you call yourself something, right?”

“I think mercenary is the most accurate term.”

“And have you killed people for money?”

“Willa,” he said in a warning tone.

“I won’t judge you. I’ve already seen you kill someone.”

That was definitely something he didn’t want coming up in conversation. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

“James, I want you to know that—”

James got up and in one quick motion covered her mouth with his. He couldn’t give Willa answers right now, but he could give her one hell of a distraction. “You remember when you said I could do whatever I wanted with your mouth?” he asked between kisses down her neck and in the valley between her breasts.

She curled her fingers in his hair as she rubbed herself against him. “Umm hmm,” she murmured.

“It’s about time I show you what I can do with mine.”