where sex is concerned?” She bit her lip.
“Especially where sex is concerned.” His arms slid along the back of the sofa, and Quinn scooted closer to him until their knees were touching.
“I’m going to be bold,” she said, echoing his words from earlier. “I like you. You’re kind of fascinating.”
“Kind of?” he asked as his head dipped, his lips inches from hers.
“Yeah, kind of.”
They both hovered for a moment, drawing out the sizzling anticipation before he slanted his mouth over hers, claiming her. He tasted of Scotch and smelled of heaven and temptation. A tremor ran through her body as his tongue met hers, gentler than she expected. Teasing. Inviting.
Scorching heat seared her from the inside out, melting her into his embrace. His hand slid up her neck to cup her jaw. Then he tilted her head back, deepening their kiss. Even though they’d never kissed before, he moved as if he knew her. As if he understood her.
Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him harder against her. His hot breath whispered across her skin as he trailed kisses along her jaw, stopping at the shell of her ear.
“Yes,” she said, her breath stuttering in and out. “My answer is yes.”
“I didn’t ask anything.” The corner of his mouth quirked.
“Your kiss did.” She released his shirt and stood, holding her hand out to him.
* * *
AIDEN HELD PINK close to his body as they walked through the hotel lobby and into the bay of elevators. She interlaced her fingers with his, her small hand gripping him tightly. He couldn’t remember the last time any kiss had made him feel this much anticipation.
Guilt churned in his gut that he hadn’t been completely honest with her. He didn’t have a problem with lying on the job—it was often a requirement, in fact—but this wasn’t work. And she wasn’t an asset or a suspect. Judging by the blank stare she’d given him when he’d asked about the gaming engine, she didn’t know anything. So taking her up to his room was purely personal, and he wanted to make that clear.
The elevator dinged and they filed in behind two other couples. Keeping himself from touching her was torture, especially when Pink leaned back against him, her sweet behind fitting directly against his crotch.
Stifling a groan, he thrust his hips slightly to press into her.
She looked over her shoulder, a sly smile on her lips. “Competitive and impatient.”
“I never said I was perfect.”
Mercifully, the elevator stopped and they were first out. Laughter filtered into the hallway from one of the rooms, mixing with the soothing classical music playing through the hotel speakers. The whole scene was calm and in complete contradiction to the arousal raging inside him.
“Hey, there’s something I should tell you,” he said as they walked hand in hand down the corridor toward his hotel room.
“You’re not married, are you?” Their steps were muffled by the plush carpeting. “Or a serial killer?”
“No,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m—”
“I don’t want to know.” They stopped outside his hotel room door and she held up a hand. “So long as you’re not cheating on anyone by being with me and you have no intention of hurting me, I don’t care about the rest.”
He hesitated and uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “We’re fine on both counts. You have my word.”
“Good. Because we’re both aware what this is, and we don’t need to be coy about it.” Her voice wavered but he wasn’t about to call her out on it. “It’s sex. I don’t need any more detail than that.”
As much as he would have preferred to come clean there and then, she’d made her case. If she only wanted sex, then that was fine by him. More than fine, in fact.
“Fair enough.” He swiped the key card and pushed open the door.
It wasn’t a fancy suite—playing the role of a lowly tech employee meant skipping on the extravagant hotel room—but the large king-size bed would be more than enough. Not to mention the double shower that had been a pleasant surprise when he’d checked in.
He imagined Pink with water streaming over her naked body, and the picture was enough to make whatever blood was left in his head rush south. His cock strained painfully against his fly.
“We can still stop at any time if you’re not comfortable,” he said as she surveyed the room, an unreadable expression on her face.
As desperate as he was to touch her, he needed to hear her say she was in.
“I’m comfortable.” She nodded, stepping toward him. A shy smile played on her lips. “But I’d be more comfortable if you got me out of this dress.”
“I can definitely help with that.” He grabbed her hand and planted a soft kiss on her lips before turning her around. A gold zipper ran from between her shoulder blades to the sweet curve above her ass. She reached around to sweep her long hair over one shoulder, exposing the delicate line of her neck. His lips gravitated to the spot, as if pulled by a magnetic force. The scent of her creamy skin—soapy and clean—teased him as his hands smoothed down the lengths of her arms.
A shudder ran through her and goose bumps rippled across her skin as he gently scraped his teeth along her shoulder. He tugged on her zipper, drawing it down with deliberate slowness. One didn’t rush a decadent dessert; you savored each and every bite.
And that was exactly what he intended to do with Pink.
The V of bare skin deepened, and soon it was obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Lord help him, this woman was hot enough to start a wildfire.
“You still breathing back there?” she asked, her tone dancing with laughter.
“Just admiring the view.” He pushed the dress from her body and it slid to the floor.
She stepped out of the puddle of fabric, kicking it to the side. Bright pink panties barely covered the gentle curves of her ass and hips.
“Are those ninjas on your underwear?” he asked, spinning her around.
“They might be.” She ran her palms up the front of his chest until they curled over his shoulders, pressing him down. “Perhaps you should take a closer inspection.”
He kissed his way down her stomach until he was on his knees, his lips at the waistband of her panties. “Hmm, they do appear to have ninjas on them. You know what this means, right?”
Her nails dragged against his scalp as she threaded her fingers through his hair. “What?”
“They’re likely to disappear any second.” Hooking a finger under the elastic band, he tugged the fabric down.
Pink-colored cotton pooled at her feet, the bright shade a sharp contrast to the high gloss of her black leather pumps. Holy. Hell.
He planted a palm on her thigh to keep her steady as she stepped out of the underwear and then the heels. “See, gone.”
“Like magic.” Her voice was rough and husky, the sound fanning his desire.
He felt pretty damn magical indeed. Taking a gorgeous woman to bed was exactly the antidote he needed for the recent negativity in his life. He’d pour all that pent-up frustration and tension into pleasuring Pink out of her ever-loving mind. If she didn’t scream his name until her voice gave out, then he would consider the night a failure.
“You look so serious,” she said, running her fingers through his hair.
He kissed her hip then smoothed his palm up the inside of her thigh as if he could use his touch to commit her dimensions to memory. Everything about