Need You for Always (Heroes of St. Helena)(47)

This, Emerson decided, was the best interview she’d had in years.

Maybe ever.

Dax kissed like a man who knew what he wanted and wouldn’t hesitate in the follow-through. It was a wicked promise and an erotic threat all wrapped up into one hot ball of yummy man. And he was right, this was just what she needed.

A night of adult fun that didn’t have to grow into strings.

He nipped at her lower lip, taking this show straight past slow and into confident demand. His fingers, they were confident too—teasing the edge of her dress, tracing back and forth over the edge of her thigh-highs to fiddle with the clip on the garter belt. Then his thumb did a little one-two action and the clip unfastened and a fishnet was released.

“Inside,” he mumbled against her mouth. “We need to take this inside.”

She didn’t want to go inside. Not yet. She was just getting used to the erotic feel of his hot lips on her chilled skin. “Later.”

His hands came around her wrist and stilled her fingers—right as she was about to get the last button of his jeans undone. “There won’t be much of a later if you keep that up.” She wrapped her free hand around his neck and bit his ear. “Okay,” he said. “We go inside and you get to pick the first location.”

She thought that over and smiled. “We go inside and I get to pick the first location and the first position.”

“God, you drive me crazy.” He kissed her hard and fast, letting her know it was the right kind of crazy. Or at least she hoped. Then he took her by the hand and led her to the apartment door.

Emerson rummaged through her backpack for her keys, which she found under the still-unmailed Street Eats envelope, then slid them in the door. She had tempting and tattooed trouble incarnate standing behind her, and everything she’d been working toward right in front of her. Could she really afford this distraction right now?

“Second thoughts, Emi?” he teased, tracing her spine—with his lips. “Because if we go in there, you won’t be sneaking out in the middle of the night. This is going to last from now until we both can’t move.”

Emerson’s bones liquefied. She turned around and found herself pinned between the door and Dax, who at the moment was a tower of temptation in yesterday’s scruff, a battered ball cap, and button-fly jeans—with the top buttons already undone.

“One night,” she clarified. “And then everything goes back to normal.”

He leaned a hand on the frame of the door, boxing her in. “If you say so.”

“I need to hear you say it.” She held her ground, because there was so much riding on the next few weeks and maintaining this job with him. “Nothing gets weird between us?”

“What do you think I’ll do?” he asked. “Sleep with you now and fire you Monday?”

“It’s been known to happen.”

He studied her for a long moment, then his eyes softened, along with his voice. “Nothing gets weird, Emi. I promise. And I might not be the kind of guy you’d bring home to Dad, but I never go back on my word.”

“Then no second thoughts.” And no ditching out before she had her fun. “I was just wondering if I should pick the wall next to the fireplace or the shower, then I remembered my body soap is green, so maybe wall?”

“Smart-ass,” he said, his hands skimming down her dress as he walked her back a few inches and the door gave way. Suddenly they were inside, the door kicked shut, and even though it was completely dark, she could feel the fire of Dax’s gaze, his warm breath as he ate up the remaining distance.

“You like it when I’m a smart-ass,” she challenged.

“I like it better when you’re a naked smart-ass,” he said, slipping his jacket off her shoulders and continuing to guide her backward, past the couch, the table, and into the kitchen.

“Admit it, you’re just a fan of my ass.”

“I need to do a thorough investigation before I can make that endorsement.” His hands slid up her thighs, slowly over her tush, giving it a little squeeze, then all the way up her back. Her body tingled with every inch his fingers rose. When he got to her shoulders, he lowered his hands back down, only she heard the whisper of her zipper going with them. Felt his world-roughened fingertips following the long descent of the dress.

Then her dress pooled to the floor and his hands palmed her ass, molding and shaping it, even tracing the seam of her silk panties from the back, then—oh, sweet baby Jesus—the front.

“Still not sure?” she asked, a millimeter away from a complete meltdown.

“Oh, I’m sure,” he said, taking a cheek in each hand and scooping her up and setting her on the really cold wood surface of the kitchen table. She squeaked and then he flicked on the light. “I just needed a moment to really compare.”

His gaze raked over her, taking her all in as she sat on the table, splayed out for his viewing pleasure. He paused on her garter belt, then flashed her a grin that was all trouble, causing her pulse to skyrocket and her mouth to go dry. Everything else went wet, because that was all it took. A single flash of his teeth and that slow burn deep in her belly was lit.

“The shower’s that way.” She pointed down the hall, wondering how this had already spiraled out of her control.

“I can’t appreciate you fully in the shower.” She reached over to flip the light switch and he caught her hand. “Or with the lights off.”