Challenging the Center (Santa Fe Bobcats #6)(36)

“What else do you need?” Michael asked suddenly, urgently.

“I need… wait. Is this…” Her lips twitched, but she forced them to calm down. “Are you… are you jealous?”

He didn’t say anything, but a muscle in his jaw twitched.

“Michael Middle Name Lambert, you’re jealous.”

“Everett.”

“What?” She blinked.

“My middle name. Since you want to use it, you might as well know it. Michael Everett Lambert, and no, I’m not jealous. Just looking out for you.”

“Uh-huh.” Her lips curved into a smile. He squeezed her in warning. The smile only grew until he was crushing her to him and his mouth was on hers.

Yes. Yes! Touch me. She clawed at his shirt in an attempt for monkey see, monkey do. He took the hint and pulled off her mouth long enough to rip the shirt off him and toss it to the side. Then her hands were on his bare flesh and their mouths were together again, teasing and tasting and doing amazing things that made her want to rip his pants off and insist he replicate inside her, with his cock.

His hands finally—finally!—skimmed under her shirt and pulled it up, up… off. The shirt trailed back down her ponytail and fell to the floor behind her. And he looked down and grimaced when faced with her heavy-duty sports bra.

“Whoops.” She laughed and tucked one finger under the shoulder strap. Pulling back, she let it snap down on her skin audibly. “Yeah, I’m not really dressed for seduction, am I?”

“Who the hell cares how you’re dressed? But in case you care,” Michael paused to kiss her neck, down to the strap she’d snapped. His teeth closed around the elastic and pulled out just a little, letting it snap again. “I think the fact that you use your body for a living is sexy as hell.”

“Because I can’t carry any extra pudge?” she asked while his hands cruised around her torso, learning every inch of her.

“Because it’s a living, breathing testimony to your dedication. That’s sexy when a woman knows what she wants and not only goes for it but gets it. When she’s not afraid of going the distance and winning, of being on top… you know, in her field,” he added with a wink and another kiss. “But you can be on top in the bedroom too.”

He lifted the bottom of her bra just enough that her nipples were exposed, and she shivered at the feeling of her hot flesh in the AC-cooled air. It was a breath of relief, and instant breath-sucking shock at the same time. The tips of her breasts ruched and puckered painfully.

“Kat, I don’t…” He swallowed, then let his hands drift to cover her breasts, thumbs gently moving over her nipples as if soothing them. “I don’t know where this is going. I won’t lie to you though. That’s what I can promise.”

“Ditto,” she said, then pulled his mouth down for another kiss. A faint buzzing invaded her mind. Was that the sound of the blood pounding in her head? The rush of—

“Your phone’s vibrating,” he whispered against her lips.

“Nope. I put the ringer on silent before I went to the gym,” she countered, nipping at his bottom lip.

“Well, it’s not my phone.”

“It’s not… aw, shit.” She stepped back and dug in her pants pocket for her phone. It wasn’t the ringer, but the alert from her calendar app.

WORK: in one hour.

“Damn it,” she hissed, hitting OK so it would shut off. “I have to change and get to the bar.”

“Okay.” He stepped back immediately, as if not wanting to tempt himself further. At least that’s what she would tell herself. “I’ll wait and drive you.”

Beginning to struggle with her sports bra, she said, “You don’t have to—”

“Kat.”

She stopped, then looked at his face.

“I’ll drive you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, then froze as he reached over and tugged the elastic back to its spot below her breasts. “Thanks.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, adjusting the front of his pants as he walked toward the bedroom. “Just knock when you’re ready. I’m gonna… I’ll be back in a bit.”

She bit her lip to keep from laughing.





Chapter 10





Kat shook the appletini she was creating and poured it into the glass before passing it on to the man who’d clearly been sent to the bar by a girlfriend or someone to buy it. “Here we go.”

“Thanks.” He tried to slide something to her, but she shook her head.

“You already paid.”

“This is for you.”

She took it, assuming it was an additional tip. He winked and headed off with the cocktail. When she opened her hand, she realized it wasn’t a folded bill but a cocktail napkin with his phone number.

“Ugh.” She tossed it in the bin behind her and wiped her hands on the bar apron she wore over her shorts.

“Slimeball?” Diane asked, walking by, high blond ponytail swinging with each swaying step.

“Third one tonight. And that one came in with somebody!”

“Welcome to the life.” Diane turned and set a trio of import beer bottles in front of a male customer, who didn’t have any problem hiding the fact that he was staring at her cleavage in her unbuttoned polo. “That’ll be twenty-two fifty, sweetheart.” While the man dug for his wallet, Kat watched Diane actually press her elbows in a bit to create some more oomph in the boobs. The man actually dropped his wallet. Diane looked behind her shoulder and winked. After taking the money—and a healthy tip, Kat was sure—Diane sauntered back to the register. “It’s all about the tease. You tease them a bit, get their juices flowing, get them thinking some nasty thoughts, and then they run home and bang the hell out of their wife instead. Everyone wins, wife included.”