A.J couldn’t have chosen a better lover to lose her first time to. Lee was perfect, as was their night. She’d expected the pain, but he’d been so tender, so gentle, so considerate that any pain had seemed like a mere speck on the sky of an otherwise wonderful night. The aftermath had been great too. The way he’d held her in his arms all night long, as if protecting her, as if reminding her that she was now his and his alone. What more could a woman ask for?
When she woke up the next morning, sunshine was streaming in through the large windows in his bedroom. Closing her eyes, she snuggled deeper into Lee’s chest, reveling in how warm yet hard he was. Though he was still asleep, his arm tightened around her back bringing her even closer to him.
This must be what heaven felt like. A.J sighed in pleasure as she wove her legs into his and smoothed her palm over his washboard tummy. She would’ve loved to stay here forever. Unfortunately, work called.
With another sigh, this one disappointed, she gently pushed his arm from around her upper body. Slowly, she sat up, but just as she was about to get off the bed, Lee’s hand settled over her wrist. Startled, she turned and found him watching her with hooded eyes.
“Where are you going?” he asked. Even half asleep he looked sexy as hell. His hair was tousled like that of an unruly boy and his green eyes though shadowed with sleep were smiling.
She smiled back. “I have to open the store.”
He frowned. “Now?”
“Yeah.” She pointed to the clock. “It’s almost eight, and I still have to drop by my place.”
Obvious disappointment flitted through his eyes. With a sigh, he sat up. “Okay, you go shower. I’ll make you breakfast.”
“You don’t have to do that,” A.J protested. “I can eat at home. Just go back to sleep.”
Swinging his legs to the floor, Lee guffawed. “If you think I’m letting my woman go home hungry just so I can get a few extra minutes of sleep, then you’re nuts.”
My woman! The words stuck with A.J as she showered. They were so possessive, as if he was claiming her. If it was any other man, those words would’ve annoyed the hell out of her. But coming from Lee they sent a delicious warmth circling through her. His woman. She grinned.
After her shower, she dressed then exited his bedroom. When she walked out of the door, the decadent scent of bacon and eggs hit her nose. Her stomach grumbled in instinctive greed. Jeez, that smelled good. Lee was by the stove, frying up eggs, and didn’t even notice when she came up behind him. Not until she wrapped her arms around his waist.
He turned his head to offer her a smile. “Done with your shower?”
“Yeah.” She lifted on tiptoes to peer over his shoulders. “That looks and smells great.”
He chuckled. “I told you I’m a great chef.”
“Next time, I’ll be the one who cooks for you.” She pressed a kiss to his back.
He turned wide eyes to her. “You know how to cook?”
“Why do you look surprised?”
“I thought you were too busy hopping over building and kicking ass to learn.”
“I still had some free time.” She laughed. “I bet I can throw down in the kitchen better than you.”
Lee offered her a skeptical look. “Okay. If you say so.”
“I’m serious.” She tightened her arms around his waist. “I can cook.”
“I’ll reserve my judgment for when I actually taste your food.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“No.” He answered immediately. When her lips drew out in a pout, he chuckled and lowered his head to touch his mouth to her forehead. “You even look cute when you pout.”
“Cute?” A.J wrinkled her nose. “Can’t say anyone’s ever called me that, and I’m not sure I like it.”
“You don’t like being called cute?” After turning off the stove, he turned in her arms to pinch both her cheeks. “But you are. You’re so cute.”
“Yuck.” A.J slapped his hands away and backed away from him.
She was hard, and tough. She was not cute.
“My cute little A.J,” Lee teased as he stalked her.
“Stop calling me cute.” A.J turned to snatch the electric kettle from the island behind her. She brandished it threateningly. “Or I’ll smack you with this.”
“Really?” Lee retorted, supremely confident about his power over her. Grinning cockily, he closed the last few inches between them until she was caged between him and the island. He taunted, “You won’t smack me, will you?”
She wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that she was capable of denting his arrogant head with the electric kettle. But he was standing too close for her to even breathe let alone speak. His chest was right against her breasts and his thighs were brushing against hers. She could even feel the telltale signs of his arousal pushing into her groin, and it awakened her too. Her eyes flew up to him and she licked her suddenly dry lips.
“That’s what I thought.” Lee lowered his head to capture her already parted lips in a spell-binding kiss.
He pressed his tongue into her mouth. It was a slow, deliberate invasion, an incitement. Each sensitive nerve in her responded to the slow rasp of his lips over hers and the slide of his tongue against hers. She couldn’t help lifting her arms to surround his shoulders.
His hands came beneath her armpits to lift her up and the next moment she found herself seated on the island with him standing in the v of her legs. The kiss was even more intense. Her fingers pushed into his hair and dug into his scalp as they kissed. His hands were similarly busy – on her waist, on her back, on the sides of her breasts.
Then he stopped. Just like that.
“Let’s stop here.” Touching his lips, he drew away from her.
Her arms feeling indescribably empty, she asked, “Why?”
“You have to open your shop.” He arched his eyebrows. “Remember?”
No. She’d forgotten all about it. She made a face. “Ugh!”
Lee’s chuckle was enough to make her want to drag him right back into her arms so she could kiss that chuckle away. Resisting the urge, she hopped off the island.
Breakfast was a quick matter. Twenty minutes later, they were taking the elevator down.
“I have a long meeting today but I’d like to drop by your store later,” Lee said as he walked A.J to Kelly’s car. “Is that okay with you?”
She studied him curiously. “You’ve never asked me if you could drop by the store before.”
“That was before.” He opened the driver-side door for her. “Things are different now.”
“Different how?”
He smiled. “You’re now my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. Her eyebrows shot up as surprise ricocheted through her.
Perhaps seeing her surprise, he explained, “Have you forgotten? Last night you agreed to date me.”
Did she? She paused to recall their conversation then slowly nodded. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“That makes you my girlfriend.” He drew closer to her until they were nose-to-nose. “My girlfriend and lover.”
Her breath caught at the dark eroticism in his words and in his voice. The look in his eyes was just as wicked as he whispered, “Don’t forget it again.”
Before she could respond, he bundled her into the car. After a dazed goodbye, she drove away. Goodness, that man was an expert at turning her inside out. She actually had to roll down the windows to cool the heat he’d aroused. When she got to the store, it was to a surprise.
Ten was pacing outside her store. Despite the three years between their last meetings, nothing had changed about the woman. She still dressed like the lead act for a rock concert; black boots, black leather pants, black top, black leather jacket. The only thing breaking up all that black was the silver ornaments she wore in her ears, nose and around her wrists. She still had that hard-eyed look that said she’d been through almost as much as A.J.
Ten turned when A.J brought the car to a stop in front of the store.
“What are you doing here?” A.J asked as soon as she got off the car.
“What do you think I’m doing here?” Ten retorted.
As rude as her response was, it was the perfect response to what should’ve been a rhetorical question. A.J already knew that she was here because Casper had sent her. She’d expected him to send someone soon, but it’d never occurred to her that it would be Ten. However, now that A.J thought about it, it made complete sense. Ten was his best thief, after A.J. If anyone could find the painting, it would be Ten.
A.J considered sending her sister away but decided against it. Ten would just come back anyway.
With a sigh, A.J pulled her keys from her pocket. Pushing one into the keyhole, she asked, “Why didn’t you get in?”
“It was locked,” Ten said.
A.J laughed as she led the way into the store. They both knew that the door being locked wouldn’t have been enough to stop Ten. In fact A.J suspected that Ten had already been inside the store and maybe even her apartment. Sleeping at Lee’s place should’ve given them a wonderful opportunity to snoop around.
Her suspicions were correct. As soon as she entered the store, she realized that someone had broken in. Of course, nothing was missing or thrown around. However, years of being careful of her surrounding had made A.J especially sensitive to any changes in her environment. She saw the little dust marks where pieces had been moved and noticed the odd angles of some of the artwork on the walls. Ten had definitely searched this place.
“I assume you’ve been in my apartment too.” A.J set her purse on the checkout counter then turned to face her sister.
The shrug Ten gave was enough of an answer.
Her lips crooking in a smile, A.J asked, “So did you find it?”
Ten’s eyes flashed. “You know I didn’t.”
“You should’ve looked harder,” A.J taunted. No matter how many people Casper sent or how hard they searched, they’d never find that painting. No one, not even Ten, was smart enough to figure out where it was stashed.
“You’re making things complicated for nothing.” Ten glared at her. “You should just hand that painting back to dad.”
“For nothing?” A.J’s eyebrows shot up. “Dad killed a man.”
“It was an accident,” Ten said.
“But someone still died.” A.J frowned. “Anyone with an ounce of conscience would look for a way to make amends. Has Dad screwed with your head so much that you don’t get that?”
Ten didn’t say anything but her eyes lowered briefly as if in embarrassment.
“I’m not giving that painting back until he gives that family their money,” A.J said. “You can go tell him that.”
“He’ll just send someone else.”
“And I’ll take care of them too.” A.J gave her sister a pointed stare.
A.J and Ten had never been close. Casper had set it up that way. Right from the get-go, they’d been set up as competitors, not siblings. Still, A.J held a soft spot for the young woman. She’d been just a kid when Casper had picked her off the street. It wasn’t her fault that the family she’d been promised had turned out to be a training ground for crime.
Her voice softer, A.J said, “Ten, I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Then give me the painting,” Ten suggested without even a blink of the eye.
A.J pushed out a frustrated sigh. Setting right the pencil cup that had been moved during the search of her store, she said, “The door’s right there. Don’t let it hit you on the ass as you leave.”
But Ten didn’t leave. Instead, she lingered in the store, studying the pieces littered all around. She came to a stop in front of one of the paintings. “It’s a fake.”
“I know,” A.J said coldly despite the sudden jerk of her heart in her chest.
“Why would you put a fake among all this original stuff?” Ten sneered at the painting as if its fakeness was a personal insult.
“Sometimes you need something fake to show how real everything else is.”
“So this is what you’re doing now?” Ten turned to face her. When A.J nodded, she asked, “No swiping on the side?”
“No swiping on the side.”
“What a waste of talent.” Ten shook her head disapprovingly. “I used to look up to you. You were the best in the game.”
“Well, the game wasn’t fun anymore.”
Ten watched her for a long while then sighed. “Just give Casper his painting back.”
“Would you give it back?”
“Yes.” Ten’s glare was as cold as her words. “Unlike you, I don’t have that pesky little thing called a conscience.”
A.J didn’t believe her. Though she and Ten hadn’t interacted that much, she knew that the woman had a code of her own. For one, she never stole items that hadn’t been stolen from their rightful owner. Also, she didn’t participate in any jobs where someone was carrying a gun. That code alone was enough evidence that somewhere in Ten’s hard little heart there was a soft spot.
About twenty minutes after A.J arrived, Pete walked in. His interest in Ten was piqued the moment A.J introduced them. After ordering Pete to keep an eye on Ten, A.J went up to her apartment to change clothes.
When she came back, she found Pete grilling Ten. Was her real name Ten? Really? Who named a child like that? What did she do? How old was she? Of course Ten ignored him like he was a pesky little fly but A.J had to smile. If Ten was going to irritate her by patrolling her store, then at least she had Pete to irritate Ten right back.
At around six p.m., while she was in the gym, Lee called her.
“Hey,” she greeted, happiness bubbling through her at the thought of even hearing his voice.
“Hey,” he returned. It was obvious that he was somewhere where there were a lot of people because the muted sounds of their talking accompanied his words. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get to your place today. This meeting doesn’t look like it’s even close to ending.”
Like a pricked balloon, her happiness deflated. Disappointment threaded through her and she sighed. “Oh!”
“Is that your way of saying you’ll miss me?” he asked.
She didn’t answer but he must’ve read her answer in her heavy silence.
His voice tender, he said, “I’ll miss you too.” After a brief pause, he added, “I’ll see if I can drop by tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay.”
She could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “Goodnight.”
“Lee?” she called out before he could end the call.
“Yeah?”
“I’ll miss you,” she confessed then ended the call before he could laugh at her. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t laugh at her, still it was embarrassing. She wasn’t the type to blurt out her feelings willy-nilly. This was all Lee’s fault. If it wasn’t for him, she’d still be the sealed safe she’d always been.
I suppose I should be relieved, she thought as she set her phone on the counter. With Ten in the shop, Lee’s absence was a good thing, otherwise who knew what Ten would tell Casper. Still, it was hard to get rid of the lingering disappointment that came with knowing she wouldn’t be able to see him tonight. A part of her realized that she was already addicted to Lee. The other part didn’t care. She just wanted to be with him.
* * *
THE DREAM HAD changed again.
This time Lee wasn’t inside the house. He was outside it, his hand firmly tucked into Amara’s as they watched the house burn. And burn it did. Angry flames leapt up to consume the house. Sparks like fireworks lit up the sky above giving it a red hue that was as breathtaking as it was frightening.
Lee should’ve been sad to see such senseless ruin. Yet he wasn’t. For some reason, he felt giddy with happiness. If he could, he would’ve danced. His monster and its house were gone. Gone forever.
We should go. Amara’s soft voice echoed in his subconscious, drawing his gaze up to her. Tonight she seemed taller and stronger than he’d ever seen her. He smiled and nodded. Her grip on his hand tight, she led him away from the house.
The scene shifted, and suddenly they were in a field. A field that was so wide it seemed never ending. Behind them the sounds of a mob of people coming echoed. The giddy happiness that had filled Lee moments ago disappeared like chaff in the wind. Panic and fear took hold as he and Amara began to run.
Lee was too scared to look back to see if the mob chasing them were monsters too. Nonetheless, he knew that he and Amara had to escape them. But that wasn’t to be. The faster they ran, the slower they seemed to move. He looked up at Amara and found the strength in her eyes gone. In its place was a fear he’d never see.
Lee, faster, she silently pleaded. We have to run faster.
But they weren’t fast enough. They caught Amara first. Invisible hands tore her from him.
Amara, he screamed even as more hands pulled him away from her. Amara.
But she was disappearing into a mist so thick it almost looked like she was being swallowed whole.
Amara. Lee jolted awake with a harsh gasp. He rubbed his face with his hands and took in a shaky breath to steady his rattled nerves but it had little effect.
What the hell was that? Usually he woke up with a lingering sense of the fear that only his nightmares could ignite. But today’s fear was different; it was tinged with sadness as if he’d lost a part of himself by losing the Amara in his dreams. As he prepared for the day, the nightmare lingered with him, as did the girl in his dreams.
Amara. The emotions the girl left him with were odd yet familiar. Familiar in that they were the same emotions he felt when he was with A.J. When she was near him, he felt less anxious. In fact, her effect on him was so pronounced that last night when he’d slept in her arms, he hadn’t had any nightmares. That was the first time in several weeks that he’d slept through the night.
And it was all because A.J was next to him.
Had she lied about them never having met? It felt like they’d met. She felt too familiar. Adding to his doubts was the fact that she’d known his name right from the first moment they’d met. Now he was beginning to wonder if his father had even shown her a picture of him. After all, it wasn’t like Mason walked around with a picture of Lee. Lee was tempted to confirm with his father, but there was no way to bring up the topic without raising Mason’s already roused suspicions.
Still, what if there was no picture? Lee paused, his spoon hovering over his morning cereal. Then that meant that his suspicions that A.J had met were right. That they’d met before. If so, why would she lie about it?
None of it made sense.
Still confused, Lee headed to work. Today, they were having the first script-reading for the new movie he was working on. His day was so busy that he hardly had any time to spare a thought for his nightmares. A.J, on the other hand, was constantly in his thoughts. No matter how many doubts he had, he still wanted to see her.
By the time his meetings ended, it was closing in on nine p.m. A less desperate man would’ve headed home – but he wasn’t that man. Lee called A.J. She picked on the second ring.
“Hi,” she greeted. Even hearing her voice was enough to cool some of the desperation spiraling through him.
“Hi.” He smiled. “Did I wake you up?”
“Nah. I was watching a movie.”
He hesitated before asking, “Can I come over?”
A.J didn’t hesitate. “Sure.”
Lee grinned. “Give me twenty.”
Only traffic rules kept him from speeding to her. He missed her that much. Minutes later, he parked his car in the space in front of her building. Though the store was closed and dark, the light in her apartment was bright and alive. Lee took the side stairs two at a time until he got to her doorstep. He knocked, and a moment later the door swung inwards.
And there she was. His woman. Looking as beautiful and sexy as ever. It was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra from the way her nipples jutted through the fabric of her tank-top. The shorts she wore clung to her sleek thighs and showed off her long, long legs. Seeing her looking like this was enough to make Lee’s cock swell in appreciation.
“Hi.” Her lips lifted in a smile that left his heart thumping strangely. That smile disappeared a second later and was replaced by a frown. “You look tired.”
How could he not be tired when his sleep was marred with nightmares? But for some reason he already knew that if he was with her, he’d have a peaceful night.
Instead of responding to her comment, he took a step closer, closed his hands around her waist and carried her into the house. As soon as he kicked the door closed with his foot, he swooped down to capture her lips. His tongue stroked then clashed with hers in a dance as old as time.
God, he’d missed this. Still kissing her, he walked her backwards until her back was against the wall. He lifted her up, forced her to wrap her arms and legs around him. Ah, he’d missed her.
Having her like this, her whole body wrapped around his, sealed tightly to him. It felt so damn good. Propping her against the wall, he kissed her like his life depended on it. When that still wasn’t enough to quench the almost painful hunger biting at him, he carried her to her bedroom.