Cat Got Your Tongue? by Rae Rivers Page A

closed to ward off unwanted images of a murdered client, Alex fought for composure. The news of Mike’s death had rocked her to the core and it killed her to know he’d approached her the night before to discuss his security and now he was dead.
    When she heard the shower door open, she pushed herself away from the wall and straightened, vaguely aware that she was naked and vulnerable. “Go away.”
    “We need to talk about this.”
    “I’m mad at you.”
    “You’re mad at me?”
    “Sod off, Cole,” she snapped and threw a soggy sponge at him.
    Cole’s eyes narrowed and he stepped back, shutting the shower door behind him without saying a word.
    Alex closed her eyes and sighed, grateful to be alone with her thoughts and anger. Her mind was spinning with what she’d heard in Cole’s office. She was devastated at the news of Mike’s death and wished she’d had a chance to arrange for an agent to protect him.
    Perhaps then, he’d still be alive.
    The fact that Cole’s assistant had implicated her in his murder made her gut clench. The thought of hurting that kind old man sent a shiver of horror down her spine and she felt the rage sweep through her like a wild wind on a stormy night.
    The shower door opened and Cole stepped inside, minus the wet jeans.
    “No one invited you,” she said and yanked the shampoo from the glass shelf.
    “Well thanks to you, my jeans were wet.”
    She ignored him and began to wash her hair with a vigor that matched her mood. She hadn’t expected him to follow her, hadn’t expected to have to deal with the sight of him naked. It unsettled her, even through her anger, and she shoved her face under the spray of water, reminding herself that she was in fact, very mad at him.
    They stood in silence while she rinsed her hair and Alex wondered how long the silence would last before one of them caved.
    When she didn’t say anything more, he surprised her by changing tactics.
    He grabbed her waist, his fingers barely missing the small wound on her hip, spun her around to face him and covered her mouth with his, smothering her protests.
    Alex knew she should push him away, but her body started responding before her mind could send the instruction and in the end, the passion he ignited within her far outweighed any common sense or anger she possessed.
    He seemed surprised by her reaction, almost as though he’d been expecting more of a fight from her.
    He’d probably only intended to kiss her in an attempt to disarm her, nothing more, but their bodies seemed to have a rhythm, a language, of their own and the kiss had ignited the insatiable spark that existed between them.
    Hands explored with frantic need, wanting more than a simple touch, wanting to absorb everything of the other. Their mouths met as they feasted on each other, tasting, teasing, and devouring. They groaned in unison when their bodies became one, the heat that burned between them fuelled by their passion, fuelled by their argument, the results explosive.
    They came together, the intensity of their joint release rattling them both. When it was over, they were both panting, hearts pounding against each other.
    “I only meant to kiss you,” Cole breathed with a sly smile.
    “We’ll need to set some ground rules about this.”
    “As long as those rules involve this, I’m all for it.”
    She smiled against him. “We can’t do this every time we argue.”
    “It’s great for tension release, don’t you think?”
    Hell, yes. She should’ve pushed him away but what he offered was too incredible and too sensual. When it came to him, she seemed to abandon all her senses, the realization making her feel unsteady.
    “I’m still mad at you,” she said after a while and lowered her legs, wincing at the slight throb in her hip area as she pushed against him and turned into the spray of water. “I don’t like that assistant of yours.”
    “He’s looking out for me. You can’t blame him, Alexis. Armed with the