Wired (Buchanan-Renard #13)(47)

The elevator doors parted, and Liam deliberately slowed the pace as they approached her apartment. A strange feeling was taking over, one he didn’t know how to handle. He was always so sure of himself and could make the right call when the situation demanded, but this was different. He had set out to solve a problem for the agency. Mission accomplished, right? On to the next step. That was the way these operations worked. Then what was the reason for his reluctance to end this phase of the job?

The reason was obvious. It was Allison. Something inside him didn’t want to let go, and he was intentionally drawing out his time with her. He knew he should treat her like any other asset: thank her for her contribution, wish her well, and walk away. But she wasn’t just any asset. The memory of how good she had tasted when he’d kissed her kept gnawing at him.

At her door Allison rummaged through her purse for her house key, but she struggled to concentrate on the task. Liam was standing so close, her whole body tensed and her hands shook.

“I’m assuming I won’t be seeing you again. Since I no longer work for you, we’re pretty much done. Right? Of course we are,” she rambled on with a nod, not daring to look up. “Best of luck to you.” Best of luck? She couldn’t come up with anything better? She felt like such a nitwit.

“How come you’re in such a hurry to get rid of me?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

“I’m not. I’m just trying to keep this relationship professional. I don’t want to . . .” She could barely breathe. She knew she should get away from him as soon as possible, before she made a complete fool of herself and ripped his clothes off.

He took the key from her, unlocked the door, and followed her inside. He was waiting for her to finish her thought, and when she didn’t, he prodded, “You don’t want to what?”

She couldn’t admit her lascivious thoughts. “Never mind.”

She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. She felt like sighing. Or jumping his bones. He was such a strong, muscular man, and with his sun-streaked blond hair and clear green eyes, he was nearly irresistible. It was impossible to pretend to be immune to his charms any longer.

She had prided herself on her self-control. In fact, she had bragged about it to Liam, but what happened next was beyond her control. At least that was the lie she told herself. She leaned into him, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed the daylights out of him. The kiss was hot, carnal, demanding a response. She poured her heart into that kiss, and if he pushed her away, she didn’t know what she would do. She wanted him to feel the passion she felt and to want her as much as she wanted him. Her mouth was open and her tongue rubbed against his. She heard him growl low in his throat and tried to get even closer to him. Being the aggressor was new to her, but she found she liked it . . . with him. She trusted him—which in her mind was a rare and beautiful thing—and that was why she could throw caution to the wind and go a little crazy.

Every argument running through Liam’s head flew out the window. Since the moment he’d met her, he’d wanted her in his arms. Who was he kidding? He wanted more than that. He wanted her in his bed, under him, writhing and begging for release. Keeping their relationship professional had been one of the hardest things he had ever done, but he knew, as long as he was in charge of her assignment, he couldn’t act on his feelings. Now, he rationalized, she no longer worked for him. He was neither her boss nor her colleague. She worked for Phillips.

He wrapped his arms around her, cupped her backside, and lifted her up until her pelvis was pressed against his. Her mouth was soft and warm, and he was ravenous for more. He knew things were getting out of hand, yet the passion was escalating so quickly he couldn’t make himself let go of her. When he finally lifted his head, he saw her face was flushed and she was breathless. His touch had done that to her, he knew, and he wondered if she was as rattled as he was. God, she was beautiful. She tried to move back into his arms, but he put his hands on her waist and wouldn’t let her move.

He stared at her a long minute and then in a raspy voice asked, “Do you want to do this?”

The question jarred her. “Do this? What did you have in mind?”

Allison took a step back. Of course she wanted him, but did attacking him make her a sex-starved maniac? That would be wrong. Then again, what was wrong with having one amazing night with him before he left? Nothing, she decided, and her curiosity would be appeased. Yes, the sisters of St. Dominic’s would be horrified by what they would call her lack of morals, and they would no doubt tell her she was going to end up in purgatory for a millennium if she didn’t get her mind out of the gutter. If so, she really didn’t care. Besides, there wasn’t going to be any guilt because he wouldn’t be around to remind her. Although she wasn’t all that experienced, she had had sex before and didn’t think it lived up to all the hype. She hadn’t been in any hurry to do it again. Until Liam. Everything was different with him.

“Allison, answer me.” Liam knew he would let go of her and leave if that was what she wanted, but he hoped to God she wanted him to stay.

“Yes, I want to do this,” she finally answered. “But I prefer to call it making love.” When he reacted to her declaration, she poked him in the chest. “Don’t you dare laugh at me.”

His smile was filled with tenderness. “I prefer to call it what it is. Sex.”