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?
The likelihood the stalker is male is high, Reece agreed, the laughter gone from his voice. If it were a woman, the pictures would be different.
Sierras derision fell away. A tiny line creased her brow and he could tell she didnt want to ask, but couldnt help herself. How so?
In a man, youll see evidence of sexual fantasy, possibly of worship or even signs he wished he could be in the picture, too. In a woman, there would be some element of vindictiveness. Jealousy, catty chick stuff. Agreement flashed in Sierras eyes, but she didnt do more than tilt her head. He continued anyway. A woman would have taken the photo editing a little further. You know, made you fat or ugly.
He waited for the explosion, but Sierra only furrowed her brow and gave a little nod of agreement. Reece frowned.
He didnt know which shocked him morethe fact that shed agreed with something he said, or that she hadnt been pissy about his suggestion she could look bad. In his experience, women didnt like it pointed out that they could ever be less than beautiful. At least, his ex had hated it.
Well, as fascinating as perverted pictures of me might be, fat or not, Id much rather hear how the resort is doing. Mitch? Whats new in the lives of the decadent? Sierras words were smooth and easy, her subject change gracious but resolute. Talk shifted to the luxurious resort where Belle and Mitch had reuniteda playground for the rich and famous that had launched a month and a half ago.
She was done with the stalker talk. Fine with Reece, he was more an action man anyway. As the topic turned to his cousins resort, he watched Sierra relax into an easy banter of social chitchat.
It wasnt until theyd reached the end of the meal that he realized how skilled she was at the art of meaningless party chatter. Shed talked over and around him, but Sierra never talked directly to him. Oh, she was polite and gracious. The perfect dinner companion. But he could have been a cardboard cutout for all the real attention she gave him.
Reece frowned at his twice-emptied plate, not sure if he was more irritated at the realization that shed basically ignored him or at how much it bothered him. A patient man, he stubbornly bided his time. After all, hed been doing it for six years now, give or take a marriage and a brief, mind-blowing encounter. He was good at waiting. While Mitch and Belle were in the kitchen giggling like lovebirds and getting dessert, Sierra slipped out of the dining room. He followed.
Running away? he asked as he sneaked up behind her in the foyer.
In a blur of motion, Sierra yelped, spun around to face him and threw her purse with astonishing strength right at his face.
Lightning fast, Reece grabbed the leather missile and lowered it to his side. He raised a brow at the woman in front of him. His irritation at being attracted to her couldnt dim his appreciation for what her panting breaths did to her luscious breasts.
Her black silk tank, so sedate and ladylike at dinner, grew tighter with every inhalation. He could just make out the lacy fabric of her bra beneath. And, his body realized with instant hardening appreciation, the outline of her nipples.
Mouth going dry at the sight, Reece craved to taste those straining peaks through the lace. Despite their hot and crazy encounter in the closet at Mitchs resort, Reece had never actually seen Sierra naked. His brain stuttered as he imagined the glorious sight. Hed explored every delicious inch of her body and devoted many hours to dreaming about how good shed felt.
But seeing her naked? Nope. And from the irritated look on her face, those stalker shots, computer-generated abominations that they were bound to be, were the closest he was going to get.
Is this an invitation to go with you? he asked, reining in his fantasies and handing her the black leather bag.
Im sorry I threw it, she murmured. You startled me. I guess Im a little edgier than I thought.
Reece glanced at the door. He remembered her earlier offer to hide. Edgy enough to run off?
I wasnt going anywhere, she said quickly. I was checking my messages. Interesting that shed instantly honed in on his suspicion. Is this how you handle security for your clients? By sneaking up and hounding them?
Hounding? Cmon, sweetheart. You and I both know I might sneak under your skin from time to time his appreciative gaze trailed a caress over that skin, just like his fingers itched to do but Ive never hounded you. Youre just a little jumpy.
With good reason, he was about to say. But her sneer stopped him. God, if he wasnt already crazy about her, that look alone would have sent him over the edge. Pure sexual challenge, the curl of her glistening red lips made him crave a taste of the soft flesh.
Im only edgy when some huge, irritating guy follows me around for no reason.
So you remember me as huge, huh? he asked with a wicked grin, referencing aloud for the first time their little encounter at Mitchs resort. Up-against-the-wall, no-holds-barred sex that had kept him awake many a night since.
Her luscious lower lip fell, just a little, as she stared, speechless. Heat, fast and intense, flashed in her blue eyes. The look, brief though it was, assured him that nothing about their closet encounter had slipped her mind. And, thank God, the swift glance she slid to his zipper guaranteed those moans of pleasure hed tortured himself with nightly had been the real deal.
A huge pain in my butt, yes, she said, as if she wasnt looking at him as though shed like to take his zipper down with her teeth.
How the hell did she do that? More to the point, why the hell did she do it? The attraction between them was right there, so obvious she had to see it. But would she acknowledge it? No. Deal with it? Hell, no.
She was driving him nuts.
Screw caution.
Furious, although he couldnt pinpoint exactly why, Reece strode forward. Two steps was all he needed to bring him close enough to feel her quickening breath against his chest. To see her pupils dilate. Whether her reaction was one of fury or the desire she denied, he didnt care. Any response other than disdain would do at this point.
All he cared about was tasting her. Proving to himself that his memories were real.
Before she could snap out whatever snippy thing was burning on the tip of her tongue, he grabbed her shoulders. Pulling her close, he grinned down into her shocked face.
Didnt your momma ever warn you about riling a horny bull, sweetheart?
Then he took her mouth. Under different circumstances, with a different woman, hed have gone the gentlemanly route and coaxed the passion from her. With Sierra, he met power with power. He didnt wait for an invitation. Instead he welcomed himself into the wet heat of her mouth with a swift thrust of his tongue.
She slapped her hands onto his chest as if to push him away. But one stroke, then two, of his tongue and her hands clenched his pecs instead, fingers curling and uncurling like a kneading cat.
Her purr of pleasure sent him from turned-on to rock-hard instantly. Tongues twined, lips meshed as he gave over to the heady flash of power. Their kiss was a smooth dance, intense and sexual.
His hands slid from her shoulders, down her arms, and he entwined his fingers in hers. Needing more, he pressed her forward until her back was to the wall, trapping her between the wainscoting and his body.
His hands slid from her shoulders, down her arms, and he entwined his fingers in hers. Needing more, he pressed her forward until her back was to the wall, trapping her between the wainscoting and his body.
Their kiss, already hot, went into overdrive. She sucked his tongue into the silky depths of her mouth, the movement mimicking a blow job of epic proportions.
Reece groaned in desperate pleasure at the image. His dick, already rock-hard, strained painfully at the teasing reminder of what it wasnt getting.
He took her hand, still linked with his, and slid it down his body. When he pressed it to his zipper, she gasped. Then her fingers clenched the rigid denim. She spread her fingers wide, moaning when they didnt cover the length of him.
Sierra?
They both heard Belle call from the other room at the same time. Reece had to force himself to pull back. To resist the urge to grab her and drag her to the nearest room, where he could shut and lock the door. His breath coming fast, he met Sierras eyes.
Passion and something else blurred the blue depths. Then, with a flick of her long black lashes, it was gone. She gave his throbbing dick a soft pat, then withdrew her fingers. Her raised brow indicated she wanted loose.
Stepping away, Reece obliged.
Sometimes huge is a good thing, he said softly as she walked back toward the kitchen.
And sometimes, she said just as softly over her shoulder, it just gets in the way.
Chapter Three
SIERRA TUCKED a stray hair into her low ponytail and smoothed her palm over the stark white skirt of her poplin shirtdress. To keep the look from being too sweet, shed paired the simple dress with red accessories and a killer pair of red leather heels. A fashionable yet unthreatening look that she hoped would put CEO Corinne Perkins and the rest of the uptight and upright Family powers-that-be at ease.
The elevator dinged her floor and she gripped her laptop case tighter as she joined the crowd pouring out. A glance at her watch assured her she was ten minutes early for the meeting. Shed intended to be twenty, but had been distracted by another photo delivery. This one had come with a note, too.
Im Watching You.
Those three words had freaked her out. Even now, it was all she could do not to hide in the pseudo safety of the elevator.
Someone was serious about messing with her. And while shed followed Belles mandate and furiously pored over their client list, noting every competitor or employee shed ever pissed off, Sierra didnt think theyd find the answer there.
Whoever was behind this was after her. Specifically. Not the company. It was too personal, too nasty to be anything else. And while shed like to think she was woman enough to make a lasting impression on her past lovers, none of them were behind this. If they were, she reasoned, theyd know enough to make the pictures more realistic. Theyd add in the mole on her hip, for instance.
As she forced herself out of the elevator, she fought back the biting grip of terror that had taken hold after the messages started arriving. The derogatory attacks on her worth, the slams on her sexuality. The ever-so-familiar insults that she hadnt heard since shed left her aunt and uncles home.
Anger and fear tangled together in her gut, but she ordered herself to shove them aside. Calling on all her control, she sucked in a deep breath and decided she could worry about it later. Her priority right now was nailing all the particulars of this account, and shed be damned if she was going to let some pervert ruin it. Belle was counting on her. And more important, her own dreams were riding on it.
After that little pep talk and a few deep breaths, she greeted the HTT Publications receptionist and followed the conservative blonde into the boardroom. Belle and their favorite photographer were already there. Sierra was glad to see they were the only ones in the starkly modern room. She needed a few more minutes to shore up her composure.
Sierra, great timing. You can tell Tristan what you think of his new look. Belle gestured with wide eyes to the man sitting at the other end of the table. He wont believe me when I say he looks great.
Catching Belles signal, Sierra made a show of checking out the photographers version of conservative. The entire team had agreed that this account was important enough to toe the line, which in Tristans case meant looking a little less over-the-top artist and a littlesafer.
Taking in his transformation, Sierra wasnt sure he really understood safe. No longer in a ponytail, his pitch-black hair was short and edgy, and his slumberous midnight eyes had that just-out-of-bed-with-a-half-dozen-women look in them. Hed even worn a suit, although the pegged black slacks and baggy pinstriped jacket over a T-shirt might be pushing that designation just a little.
Great look, she told him, meaning it. He was still gorgeous and artsy, but not so out-there that hed freak out their conservative client. She hoped. How many gals phone numbers did you get on the elevator ride up here?
His mouth quirked into a grin and he shrugged. Just the receptionist. She thinks shed like to try and get into fashion modeling and wants my help with her portfolio.
Sierra and Belle exchanged looks. The wild thing was, Tristan really thought the sweet little blonde was interested in his camerawork. For all his sexual energy and artistic eccentricities, the guy was a total innocent in many ways.
Baffling.
Well, when the two of you are talking fashion, she said, be sure to keep in mind that this company prides itself on its conservative values. So no boinking on her desk.
Especially if the bosses are around, Belle added with a smirk as she set up the planning and timeline boards.
Even if they arent, Sierra cautioned with a frown. The three of them had been friends since high school. They all knew how many sexual shenanigans Tristan had been caught in. Weve busted our butts to get this account and they have some very flimsy cancellation clauses in the contract. Even a hint of impropriety and theyll yank this from us faster than you can zip your pants.
Hey, Belle admonished quietly. Her look was a mixture of surprise and chastisement.
Sierra grimaced and jerked her shoulder. Sorry. You know what I mean, though.
Instead of looking offended or bothering to defend his penchant for landing in bed with four out of five women he met, Tristan just gave her one of his scrutinizing looks and asked, You okay? You seem a little tense. Maybe you should get a massage when were done here. I know a galshed fit you in.
Sierra was horrified when tears filled her eyes. She blinked fast and furiously. Oh, no. There was no way she was giving in to the emotions ripping through her gut. Instead, she turned quickly to unpack her laptop so Belle wouldnt notice before she regained control.
Im sorry for being snappy, she said with a bright smile when she faced them again. Im just concerned. Were heavily invested in this job already and were still without a long-term contract. The lack of commitment is starting to get to me.
After shooting her a worried look, Belle took the hint and changed the subject, asking Tristan, Youve confirmed your schedule is workable for their proposed dates?
Sierra grimaced. Just another reason this accountwhile essential if they wanted to grab the next rung on the ladder to successwas a pain in the ass. The company was so worried about image, it wouldnt commit to any event until it had been approved by the entire board. Which meant dates and times couldnt be etched in stone. Eventfully Yours was on its third event and the first one involving the media, and the client was still waffling.