Then he opened his mouth and, as usual, ruined everything.
I hear youre doing a little modeling on the side, he teased in his slow, easy drawl.
Telling herself it was fury and not embarrassment she was feeling, Sierra swung around on the stool to glare at Belle. Unrepentant, her friend just shrugged and topped off her half-full margarita. I thought we could ask Reece what he thought. You know, get a little advice. Maybe some help.
I dont need help, Sierra claimed, gritting her teeth as she stretched her mouth into a fake smile.
If you need the police, you need help, Reece said easily.
I didnt need the police, Sierra returned precisely. She hated that whenever she was around Reece, she felt the need to argue. And win. The need to win was almost overwhelming. But their verbal sparring was like an addictive foreplay. Every time they went up against each other, she got turned on, insanely hot for him. No. Not smart. She needed to stay away from the arguing.
If you wanted to do a sex pictorial you should have given me a call, Reece said, patting her shoulder to let her know he was teasing. Sierras first reaction was to pull back so she couldnt feel the heat of his hand on her bare skin. But she wasnt about to give him the satisfaction. Even if the look in his eyes told her he knew.
There is the one shot with a goat, she returned, determined to hold her own. It did remind me of you.
Horny?
Sierra gave a wicked smile. Knock-kneed.
Belle gasped, then slapped her hand over her mouth when Sierra glared at her. Mitch, ever the gentleman, mumbled something about checking the barbecue and left.
Reece, though, didnt bother to hide his amusement. His laugh bounced off the walls, his white teeth flashing.
God, did nothing get to the guy? It didnt seem to matter what she said or did, he just came back flirting.
She wanted him to act indifferent. She could handle that. She hated his flirting. It ignited a deep, desperate need inside her to flirt back. But, no. He had to do the one thing that was hardest for her to resist. He was the most frustratingly sexy, irritatingly tempting man shed ever known.
He worried her even more than the creepy stalker pictures.
Cops wrote up a report? He said it as if it were a question, but they all knew it was a statement. Reece was Mr. Security. Hed spent ten years in the army, and while Sierra would rather actually do that goat than admit it, the idea of him in his sexy Green Beret uniform had fueled more than one bunny-bout, a term shed coined in honor of her rabbit-eared vibrator. Now he ran his own security firm.
So he obviously knew his stuff. Which was fine, except Sierra didnt want him mixing his stuff with hers. Butshe shot a quick glance at Belles concerned expression as she scooped black beans into a bowlshe might not get a choice. At least not if she didnt want to worry her best friend.
Caught by the bonds of friendship, Sierra just shrugged and gave Reece a breezy look. Sure, the police wrote a report. But that was just for form, you know? Poor taste and tacky sex fetishes arent a crime, as Im sure you know.
His blue eyes sparkled in wicked delight at her dig. Sierras lips twitched, but she kept her expression smooth. No point letting him know she was tickled that hed understood her humor.
They asked you for a list of suspects?
Of course. At his pointed look she rolled her eyes and shrugged. I have no suspects. If I had a clue who was doing this, Id go beat them over the head with their own computer.
Ex-boyfriends, old lovers, new lovers. Guys youve jilted, guys youve scorned, guys youve shot down?
Oh yeah, the list was pages long, Sierra said with a wideeyed expression as she pursed her lips in a way she knew would get his attention. I was with four different guys last week, but since the Galaxy soccer team is on the road, they figured it wasnt them.
Mitch, whod just returned, gave a snort of laughter. Reece just shot her a long, considering look. There was something latently violent and predatory in his eyes that made her breath catch. She refused to squirm, though.
Sierra shrugged at Belles hiss. So what if it was all bullshit. She wasnt going to discuss her sex life with Reece. Duh. She obviously wasnt doing a soccer team. And she wasnt about to admit she hadnt had sex or anything approaching a relationship since shed slipped up and given in to lust two months ago. Belle had been handling the grand opening of Mitchs resorttheir biggest job to date. It had quickly gone from a standard event to a sexfest of planning fun, with a little twist of sabotage. Nobody could say Eventfully Yours didnt go all-out for their clients. In her attempt to distract Reece from discovering Belle sneaking around Mitchs office, Sierra had lost control of her argument with him and theyd ended up doing the nasty.
Just another reason to stay away from him. She never triumphed in their little verbal skirmishes. Even when she won.
The memory of their against-the-wall encounter made her squirm, her silk panties growing uncomfortably warm. Needing to cool off, she grabbed her margarita and drained the deliciously icy concoction in one gulp.
Letting the sugar-laden tequila calm her, she met Reeces eyes with a raised-brow look of her own.
No. He didnt need any encouragement. After all, she knew firsthand how little stroking hisego required to expand to mammoth proportions.
REECES FINGERS gripped the neck of his beer bottle so hard it should have shattered. Even though he knew she was giving him a bad time, the idea of any guys hands on Sierras body made him crazy. Any guy but himself, of course.
Although from the way the sexy little brunette was glaring daggers at him, he didnt figure hed be putting his hands on her anytime soon.
Hed never met a woman who challenged him like Sierra did. What baffled him was that she was totally not his type. Reece liked his ladies sweet and biddable. Before ending his disastrous eighteen-month marriage three years ago, hed pictured himself settling down someday with a sexy little gal who wanted nothing more than to make his life easy, his bed hot and his future kids well-behaved. If that made him an old-fashioned jerk, he was fine with it. He wasnt out to please the world.
Hed spent most of his service years in combat and saw no reason to bring it into his personal life. Or more specifically, his sex life. And yet, Sierra Donovan was the most combative, argumentative, independent woman hed ever met. And he couldnt get enough of her.
One too many hits to the head, he figured. And hed get over it, just as soon as he got her out of his system. But hed come to realize that to do that, hed have to get her into his bed to work through all the wild fantasies he had.
She was proving a mite uncooperative on that front.
Of course, uncooperative seemed to be Sierras M.O.
You gave the cops all these mens names? he asked, his words featherlight. No point in letting on that shed got to him. Shed just poke harder if she knew.
The cops have a full roster of my sexual encounters, she returned with a roll of those pretty blue eyes. They also have a list of all the people Ive pissed off in the last few months.
Her look made it crystal clear he was on both lists.
Reece grinned. Good, he liked being front and center in her mind.
Her look made it crystal clear he was on both lists.
Reece grinned. Good, he liked being front and center in her mind.
Im guessing they didnt plan to follow up, he commented when she was silent.
Well, they did praise me on my dexterity. And one of them complimented my ability to type with my mouth that full. But like me, they werent overly impressed with the list itself.
She shoots. She scores.
Reece ground his teeth to hold back his growl of fury. Her offhand comment about the explicit nature of the pictures sparked an angry flame in his gut. He didnt like anger; things always got ugly when he lost his temper. But the implications, the message those pictures were sending, infuriated him.
The cops have the pictures? he asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
They made copies, Sierra admitted with a shrug as she took her empty margarita glass to the sink. Belle handed her a glass of iced tea, the move so easy and natural, he could tell this was their norm.
But you still have the originals?
Why? she asked, lifting one of the overflowing platters of vegetables from the counter. Were you looking for something to replace your Hustler collection?
Well, you have to admit, Hustler doesnt feature farm animals.
And youre such a country boy, you miss that?
There ya go, he agreed easily, not bothering to hide his amusement. Taking his cue from her and Belle, who was carrying the bowl of black beans in to dinner, he grabbed the last dish and gestured to the ladies to precede him.
Belles gaze was shooting back and forth between him and Sierra as if she were following a tennis match. Mitch, though, had his serious CEO look on, which told Reece his cousin was worried. About the stalker pictures or the potential disaster if Sierra cut loose with that temper lurking in her eyes, Reece wasnt sure.
But Sierra didnt say anything. Instead she shot him an unreadable look as she headed toward the dining room.
Was she keeping their hot little encounter a secret from her best friend? Maybe. Itd been two months since theyd had wild closet sex at Mitchs resort and shed been trying to pretend he didnt exist ever since.
Lets eat, Belle suggested, obviously trying to break the tension as they all took their seats. Maybe you can give us some security advice over dinner? Nothing major, just a few ideas on what we can do to deal with this.
From her sigh and the look she shot him, he figured Sierra thought he was a bigger problem than any kinky pictures.
Reece took off his hat, shoved his hand through his hair and made a mental note to get it cut soon. He tossed the hat onto the oak banquette behind him, then took his seat. Belle passed the delicious-smelling platter of fajita fixings to him with a smile. The little blonde was a sweetheart. Perfect for Mitch. Reece hadnt been sure when theyd hooked up again, but now he was. Too bad shed done the altar dash six years ago, but apparently she and Mitch had both needed time to grow a little.
He sat opposite Sierra and considered the intense brunette. Had she ever been young? When theyd met for the first time, shed been just as confident, just as cynical and just as sexy as she was now.
Well, he considered, letting his gaze travel over the smooth lines of her bare shoulders and sleek throat, maybe not quite as sexy then. But she definitely had the air of a woman whod always had her shit together and never struggled with self-esteem issues. He tried to imagine Sierra as a kid or a teenager, but couldnt. Even under an onslaught of dirty pictures, she just didnt come off as vulnerable.
In other words, she was everything his ex-wife had wished to be but never quite pulled off. And Shawna, his classy and ambitious ex, was everything hed thought he wanted, until hed realized what he wanted was Sierra, and his ex was just a poor substitute. That flash of insight had come right about the time Shawna had maxed out his credit cards, sold his car and filed for divorce.
So, Sierra said as soon as everyone dished up their meal, why exactly are you here, Reece?
The pleasure of your company isnt reason enough? He piled more spicy salsa on his meat-filled tortilla, hoping nobody would comment if he ignored the vegetables. Belle had that same look in her eye that his grandma got, the kind that said she didnt tolerate slacking when it came to balancing the food groups.
Belle knows how much I enjoy your company, Sierra shot back over her veggie-filled plate, yet she invited you to dinner anyway.
Reece tipped his head in acknowledgment of the verbal dig. Usually Sierra was smoother. She must be a lot more upset over the picture deal than hed thought.
And have a lot less respect for his skill than hed realized. He frowned at the thought. Hed never set much store in other peoples opinions, so he couldnt say why that idea bothered him so much. Yet it did.
Im guessing the police told you to start keeping the envelopes? he asked in an even tone as he passed the fajita platter to Mitch. That if you do open them, to wear gloves so you dont contaminate the evidence. Maybe to take a few personal precautions, make a list of any more names that occur to you. Print up a list of your competitors, note which ones youve outbid for jobs recently. That kind of thing.
Her blue eyes got harder with each sentence. He didnt bother grinning. He just took a big bite of the fajita and waited.
Again, she surprised him. After a quick glance at Belle, Sierra just shrugged and took a vicious bite of her own fajita. Watching her assault the rolled-up tortilla added another image to his dossier of Sierra-inspired sex fantasies.
Maybe I should step aside for a while, she finally said. For the first time, he saw a hint of fear and worry lining her brow. If Im going to jeopardize business, I could work from home. Focus more behind the scenes than out front, you know?
Are you bailing on me? Belle asked.
No, Sierra snapped.
Reece sat back in his chair and watched her pull herself together. It was fascinating. For a second, her eyes had flared with terror; then they went blank just before she took a breath and closed them. He figured he was the only one at the table who noted her hands were shaking. She didnt even realize it, since he knew shed have hidden them if she did. After a couple seconds and a quick exchange between Mitch and Belle, who ignored her fiancés admonishment that she try not to overreact, Sierra opened her eyes and shook her head.
Look, sweetie, she said, addressing Belle, Im not bailing. But I dont want to cause problems, either. I just thought maybe if I stepped back, stayed in the background for a while, it might help. Thats all. I dont want him ruining what weve built.
So youre sure its a him? Reece interrupted.
Sierra figures the photo-happy creep is male because all the pictures feature big boobs, Belle explained with an irritated sniff, shoving her hair off her face as if it were interfering with her ability to wage a winning argument.
Reece bit back a snort of laughter and met Mitchs eyes. His cousin just shrugged and said, Cant say Belles not direct.
She must take tips from Sierra.
The men exchanged amused looks. Belles lips quirked, but Sierra just rolled her eyes. Oh please, like you didnt already think it was a guy?