Jen

Benz looked me up and down. I was still playing the part of innocent librarian. In my estimation, librarians wore dresses. I’d dressed like a librarian in the fifties, I suppose.

In that moment, I wished I had on a work uniform though. Somehow, I felt exposed and I was sure that Benz could see right through me.

I had a brief panicked thought. Could he see actually see through my dress? That’s what Benz’s eyes made me think, like he was seeing more than I meant him too.

The idea of being on the back of his bike made me blush. I wasn’t someone who blushed.

“Does the Chamber of Commerce pay you to be a tour guide of some sort?”

“Let’s go Jenny,” he said. It was almost an order.

Any other time I’d have probably told him to shove off.

But I wanted to get on that bike with him. He could be my inroad to knowing more about The Dark Saints. I’d hooked him with my innocent librarian routine.

“Call me Jen. Got a helmet for me, Benz?”

He reached behind him and produced it. I took it. I realized there was no way my hunk of a ponytail was going to fit, so I slid the tie off and shook my hair out.

“Shit,” Benz said and took a step forward to help me on the bike.

“What?”

“Nothing, let me help you on.”

I did the best I could to straddle the bike and realized a skirt meant there was nothing but my cotton panties between me and the back of Benz’s ass.

Well, I wanted to get his attention. This could damn well do it. I had started down this road and I was going to have to let it play out. At least for a while. I could handle a bike ride.

I was in control. That was what I told myself.

He was so good looking in that rugged way; I was going to have to be careful. But I could be. He stared at me for a second longer than I was comfortable with.

“You’re the prettiest librarian I’ve ever fucking seen. I didn’t realize it until that hair came down.” He said it like he was talking dirty to me. Even though all he did was call me pretty. Everything about him screamed sex and my body wanted to answer.

I kept reminding myself the reason behind getting on his bike and I returned his bold attitude with my own.

“You know a lot of librarians, do you?”

“Just the one,” Benz said and I laughed.

“Ah, so the competition isn’t too fierce.”

“Nope. You’re way out in front. Let me show you around my town.”

“Better than the brochures. I’m all ears.”

I felt the engine rev up and it vibrated between my legs.

“Hold on, Librarian. I’ll go slow, but it’s still a lot of machine.”

Why did everything he said make me think of something else? I held on tight and we started rolling.

“Just look around. Pretty spectacular.”

He was right. The water and the sun mingled and made this little place look like a postcard.

I’d been in the rundown section of Port Az. I’d had my head in dusty documents.

I was thinking of ten years ago here, or even ancient history here, but the reality of today’s Port Az was kind of great.

A beautiful part of town had grown up along the water.

I looked up the shoreline to a beach area. I wondered if they were busy during the holidays.

It was a perfect little getaway. As we rolled through the streets of town, I slid as close as I could to Benz. I told myself it was me, doing what I could, to get closer to The Dark Saints. But my body wanted to get closer to this man, whoever he was.

I felt the hardness of him. I knew without a doubt that I wanted him.

I needed to guard against what I was feeling. I was supposed to be working on getting him to open up to me, not fall in lust with him.

That was the plan. I could do it.

The sun had set by the time the slow tour of Port Azrael was over. I found myself not wanting it to end.

But we were back at my car. He eased his bike right next to it.

He got off his bike and offered a hand to help me, like he had before.

How could a man be bossy and gentlemanly at the same time? Benz seemed to have that combination.

“Thanks for the tour.”

It barely came out of my mouth before Benz pulled me forward to him.

I was in his arms and I can’t say it wasn’t exactly what I’d wanted.

“I felt your legs behind me. It fucking drove me crazy, Librarian.” I swallowed hard. This wasn’t a boy or someone I could play with lightly. I did not have the upper hand in any way.

All my planning and calculations slipped away. My body knew one thing and it overrode what my brain was trying to tell me.

He leaned down and kissed me. It was a light kiss at first. A test kiss, almost. What happened next was all me. I saw a line and jumped over it with both feet.

Benz’s lips on mine awakened something primal in me.

I opened my lips to his and felt his tongue swirl in with mine. I swayed into him and for a second forgot where I was. Who I was.

I also forgot where we were. Nothing mattered but where he was touching me.

I pressed close to his leather. A vision of us naked together flashed in my head as he pulled me into his body.

This feeling wasn’t normal or rational. I had responded to him from a place I didn’t knew existed.

I was supposed to be doing this for information.

But instead I wanted him to keep kissing me.

He pulled his lips from mine and I swear I felt dizzy.

Benz put his finger on my lips. What the hell had happened?

He pulled his phone out.

“Sorry, baby. I have to go.”

“Go? What?” I took a step back. A second ago I had been crawling all over this man and he had to go? “What was that?”

Benz grabbed me by the waist and pulled me in tight again, even as I was trying pull myself together and get some distance from him.

“That was just a taste. I’m going to have the whole meal. But it’s going to have to wait.”

“Right.” This was getting dangerous fast.

“I have club business to deal with.”

“Club?”

“The Dark Saints. That’s my club. When they call, I go.”

“Got it.”

Benz handed me his phone.

“Put your phone number in. We’re not done.” I didn’t hesitate. I typed my number in. This was what I wanted. A way in. Benz was giving me a way in.

“I don’t know how long this is going to be. I’ll call you when I can. Maybe we have a drink?” he said. The words were more or less a jumble.

That kiss had rocked my world and that wasn’t a part of my plan. Falling into his arms was a huge gamble I’d taken.

“A drink?” I asked, like he was speaking a foreign language.

“Librarians aren’t like nuns or something right? You can have a drink?”

“No, we’re not nuns.”

“Good then, I’ll call you later.”

Benz let me go and I stood there for a moment. I made a conscious effort to shut my jaw. I was surprised by how easily I’d let that escalate.

I watched as he got on his bike and drove off. Club business. The Dark Saints.

I struggled to get a grip on what I’d just done and how it had made me feel. I struggled to remember my motive, my mission; all of it seemed secondary to what had just happened.

I may be wildly attracted to Benz, but I had to use it. I had to stay in control.

I could string him along. But how far could I go with this?

I started my car. My lips were still tingling from Benz’s touch. It was chemical. That was it. A chemical reaction to something in him. Nothing more.

I steeled myself. I would get drinks, and instead of kissing, we’d talk. I pushed away the feelings that were bubbling up. I took a deep breath.

This was going to be fine. I was fine. I told myself that during my entire ride back to the hotel room I had rented for the month in Port Az.

I was fine.

But I wasn’t even in the neighborhood of fine.

Benz had thrown me completely off kilter. And worse. I was disappointed that the kiss ended where it did.

No. I wasn’t fine at all.