No Stranger to Scandal - By Rachel Bailey Page 0,24

“we both promise not to use it against the other if things get sticky with the investigation.”

She paused a beat and met his gaze. “We wouldn’t do that.”

His dark brows drew together until they almost met. “You don’t know I wouldn’t use it to my advantage.”

“I know.” Hayden Black was a man made of honor. And heat. The burning imprints of his hands held her hips in place beside him on the sofa, much too far away. Why didn’t he pull her closer?

“Agreed?” His voice was tight, his gaze locked intently on her.

“Agreed,” she said, barely caring what she agreed to, as long as it led to more of his bone-melting kisses.

He pulled her against him and his mouth met hers, giving all that heat to her at last. Her throat hummed with a sound of sheer pleasure and she twined her arms around his neck, unwilling to give him the chance to break away again. She’d wanted him in this exact position for days, and the reality was living up to every single fantasy. The hunger. The solid muscle under her hands, the taste of his lips. Sizzling energy rushed through her veins, melting her from within.

When they broke apart for air, there was a flare of satisfaction in his eyes, and it sent a shiver skating across her skin.

“Lucy,” he said, his voice almost reverential, yet thick with need. “I’ve wanted you so badly, I thought I’d go crazy with it.”

She smiled, glad she wasn’t the only one who’d been stuck in that place of torment. “I haven’t been able to think straight since I met you.”

Groaning, he pulled her onto his lap and she wrapped around him, knees on either side of his thighs, pressing as close as she could with layers of fabric between them. She found the thick ridge of his need and pressed into him even more.

Swiftly, he undid her buttons and peeled her top back, kissing the tops of her shoulders as he exposed them and sliding the fabric down her arms before wadding it into a ball and throwing it across the room.

“Your skin is like cream,” he said against the curve of her neck. “Smooth and delectable.”

In one fluid move, he unhooked her bra and threw it in the direction of her top. The cool air nipped at her naked breasts, but the simmering intensity in his eyes more than compensated. Hot fingers trailing her collarbone slipped lower, and his mouth followed them down. She arched back, her mind full of him; nothing could penetrate her thoughts but Hayden and his exquisite torture of her senses. When his lips closed over the peak of her breast, she speared her fingers across his scalp, loving the slide of his hair over the sensitive skin between her fingers. Loving what his mouth was doing even more.

One of his large palms encircled her breast, squeezing ever so gently, and her eyes drifted closed to absorb the full effect of the magic he was wreaking.

“They’re some impressive skills you have there,” she said on a ragged breath.

“All driven by desperate need for you,” he growled.

His shirt was hanging open, yet concealing far too much of him. She pushed the open sides over his shoulders and down his arms until he flicked the shirt off completely. With a ragged moan, she spread her hand over the planes of his chest, reveling in the feel of crisp dark hair under her fingertips, greedy for as much of him as she could touch. She scraped her teeth across his biceps, feeling his shudder as it ripped through his body. It was too much, but not enough.

His hand snaked down between their bodies and released her trouser button and zipper, and when his fingers slid over the exposed satin, she bucked her hips to meet them. She’d never been this crazed with desire before. Being with Hayden was beyond her wildest dreams.

He twisted and laid her back onto the sofa, the fabric smooth and luxurious against her bare skin, and he loomed over her, breathing heavily. Time slowed as she took in the sight of him, of the masculine beauty that was all hers tonight. She’d never forget the way he looked in this moment, the way he’d made her feel. A ripple seemed to run through the air and she knew this was a memory that would last her entire life—a defining moment, a turning point. Nothing would ever be the same again. Nothing.

“Hayden,” she whispered, and suddenly