She raised her snifter to him in silent toast and sipped the dark amber drink. Her eyes drifted closed, reveling in pleasure long denied and deeply savored.
The alcohol esters drifted up to his nose, carrying hints of vanilla, pepper, rose and chocolate. Wow. Give the woman an A+ for her taste in cognac. Delicately, he sipped the liqueur. It was smooth as silk, its round, Monlezun black oak flavor dripping in subtle finesse. He nodded at the waiter, who left the bottle upright on the table. After all, armagnac and cork didnt mix.
In combination with the chocolate mousse, the fine brandy was sensational. If he didnt know better, hed swear Melina entered a near orgasmic state across the table from him. Hell, he wasnt far behind.
They finished eating in silence and he signed for the meal, putting it on their room tab. He did a double take at the price tag on the bottle of brandy. That was more than he made in a month. And worth every penny.
Shall we retire to our room? he murmured.
She smiled, more relaxed than hed seen her since theyd met. He held her chair for her. She stood up, snagging the bottle of armagnac on her way past the table. Her gait wasnt a hundred percent steady as he draped his arm over her shoulders and guided her out of the restaurant. When in public in South America with a woman this beautiful, it was generally good policy to stake very obvious claim to her. It avoided no end of unpleasant encounters with single males on the prowl. Besides, the lady wasnt complaining. In fact, she leaned into him as if she found his presence reassuring.
He led her into their room and she kicked off her shoes, dangling the bottle of armagnac from her right hand as she moved across the room in the dark toward the windows.
Leave the lights off, okay? she asked.
Okay. He followed her across the room, vividly aware of the bed looming on his left. He actually felt a little light-headed. With his body mass and metabolism, he usually held liquor like nobodys business. But apparently, mixing a half bottle of wine with the potent brandy had gotten to him a little. Of course, he usually didnt drink on top of the meds he was still taking for his back pain.
She stood in front of the window, silhouetted against the city lights and the night outside. The woman had a body made for sin. He stepped close behind her and looked over her shoulder.
I never imagined Id come to this place, she murmured. And certainly not under these circumstances.
What circumstances?
She turned to face him, coming up short practically against his chest. Hi there, she giggled.
I think youre a little bit drunk.
I hope so. I wish I were a lot drunk. And with that, she tipped up the brandy bottle and took a hefty swig.
A couple more swallows like that and you will be, he cautioned her.
I hate drinking alone, she announced. Here. You have a drink.
I cant afford to get drunk. Im on a job.
Theres nothing to do until I call the number they gave me.
She was almost more temptation than he could stand. But he had a responsibility to her. To the mission. Tohell, he didnt know what toThat brandy was damned strong. He felt its effervescence rising to his head, scattering his thoughts.
Drink. She put the bottle to his mouth and tipped it up. He swallowed a big gulp before he could disarm her of the bottle.
Easy, darlin.
I want to kiss you, she announced.
If shed sounded a little more drunk, hed have laughed off the announcement. But as it was, he thought he heard an undercurrent of real intent in her voice.
I work for you. Its totally inappropriate.
I work for you. Its totally inappropriate.
She reached up, placing a soft hand on either side of his face. She looked deep into his eyes, her face wreathed in moonlight and shadows. John, youre fired. Now kiss me.
He couldnt help it. He laughed. And he was lost. Her laughter rose up to mingle with his, and she took the short step forward, closing the gap between them. She mustve stood on tiptoe because her lips nuzzled his ear, sending lust roaring through him.
She murmured, You think you can make love to me until I cant stand up, huh? This I have to see.
Holy-His brain tumbled like a fighter jet shot down out of the sky and falling wildly out of control toward oblivion. If he were going to be around long enough to have a real relationship with a woman like her, hed never contemplate making love to her now. Hed get to know her better. Woo her. Let her know he cared about her for more than sex. After all, he was no raw boy intent only on getting a cheap lay.
But hell. As soon as he delivered her to wherever she was going, he was checking out for good. She seemed to be celebrating some sort of unspoken last hurrah, too. Why shouldnt he take her up on the offer? She was an adult, after all. Not to mention beautiful. And sexy. And attracted to him. Hell, shed initiated it.
How did that old saying go? He who hesitates is lost?While he hesitated, she reached up and pushed her dresss spaghetti straps off her shoulders. And then, holy mother of God, she pushed her dress down to her waist. The scrap of lace that passed for her bra did more to reveal than cover, and all coherent thought deserted him. He stared, dumbfounded as she shimmied all the way out of the dress, revealing a-sweat popped out on his forehead-lacy thong that was possibly the sexiest thing hed ever seen.
And he was well and truly lost.
She stepped out of the circle of black fabric on the floor and reached behind her back with both hands for her bra hooks. He stepped forward quickly, reaching around her to stop her hands. Hey. Thats my job.
She laughed up at him, Well, get to it, then.
You cant tell me what to do anymore. You fired me.
Please get to it, then? She smiled up at him.
He bent his head down to capture all that unleashed joy suddenly bursting from within her. It was as if a floodgate had opened. Shed been so serious, so restrained. But now that shed let loose, shed completely let loose. This was the woman hed sensed beneath her worried, drawn exterior. The real Melina.
But hed been wrong about her. She wasnt fiery in the bedroom. She was a volcano. In full eruption. Sex appeal not only rolled off her skin until it all but scalded him to touch her, it created a cloud of steam around them that incinerated him from the lungs out. He couldnt get enough of her. He breathed her in, wrapping her in his arms, drawing her satin body up against his. Skin. He wanted to feel her skin with his. He reached for the top button of his shirt and she pushed his hands aside, all but ripping the garment off him.
His belt slithered from around his waist, and her hands were on his zipper in a trice. He sucked in his stomach, frantic to avoid her touch long enough to get naked before he totally lost control. Slow down, honey. Weve got all night.
It wont be long enough for all I want to do with you, she panted back.
He laughed, but even to his ears it sounded more like a possessive growl. Her palms slid around his waist to the small of his back, pressing him against her. Her breasts pushed impudently against his chest, and his erection pushed even more impudently against his zipper. And his control snapped.
He swept her off her feet and carried her over to the big bed. He followed her down to the cool sheets, lost in her sexual eruption. He had little recollection of how the rest of their clothes came off, but it involved her pushing him onto his back and crawling all over him, and his hands roaming all over her spectacular body while she moaned with need and pleasure.
They should use protection, but he wasnt going to be around long enough to care about his own health. Nonetheless, out of respect for her, he drew back. Hold on. Ive got condoms in my pack.
She pulled him back down to her. Dont worry about it. It doesnt matter to me.
I insist. For your safety.
She laughed bitterly. Im so not safe, you have no idea.
His eyebrows shot up. She corrected hastily. I dont have any contagious diseases. I swear. As he continued to hesitate, she added, As I understand it, a person has to actually have sex now and then to get a sexually transmitted disease.
That shot his eyebrows straight to his hair line. A woman of this passion, and she didnt have sex on a frequent and regular basis? It was practically a crime!
Then she was kissing him again. And the lady could kiss like nobodys business, her whole body getting into the act. She made a swear-to-God purring noise in the back of her throat. It rippled through him like the ground shock of an explosion, rocking him to his core.
And then her mouth was on his stomach, contracting his muscles so hard they hurt. He withstood it as long as he could, and then he surged up over her, returning the favor. Her flat stomach went soft and hard by turns under his mouth, her long fingernails raking through his hair in desperate pleasure.
And then she cried out sharply, her entire body trembling. The smell of her pleasure wrapped around him sweet and warm, brandy and chocolate. She drew him up the sinuous length of her body.
Please, John. I want all of you. And you can have all of me in return.
I never could refuse a lady, he murmured.
She all but sobbed in relief against him, her slender legs wrapping tightly around his hips. He sank down into her, body and soul, his gaze locked on hers as their bodies became one. Her eyes went wide with delight, fluttering closed on a sigh of pleasure he felt all the way to her core. Almost dizzy with the intensity of her reaction to him, he strained toward her, reaching higher and higher with her. His raw cries joined hers as they built a tsunami between them and rode it like a pair of death-defying big wave surfers.
She pushed on his shoulders, and he rolled onto his back, taking her with him to straddle him even more deeply. He groaned at the sensation. She rocked experimentally, then burst into laughter and rode him with abandon. He clenched his teeth, restraining himself by the thinnest thread.
Youre killing me, he ground out.
She threw her head back. But what a way to go.
His laughter mingled with hers as he sat up, gathering her in his arms, their bodies still one. She looped her arms around his neck, gazing deep into his eyes. The laughter faded from her expression, and somethingunnamedpassed between them.
A moment of naked and total understanding. Of having found a kindred soul. Of seeing past all the artifice, all the emotional defenses, all the petty facades, to the bare truth of one another. Had it been any other moment but this one, they might have recoiled, might have looked away, might have attempted to hide from each other. But as it was, he surged up deep within her and her internal muscles gripped him even more tightly.