Midnight Pursuits by Elle Kennedy Page B

couldn’t control herself—she kissed him back. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her lower body strained to get closer to his. She couldn’t remember the last time a kiss had set her body on fire this way. Every inch of her burned, every muscle tight with anticipation.
    He drove the kiss even deeper, his hands sliding down to cup her ass so he could yank her against him. The moment she felt that spectacular erection pressing against her stomach, she moaned and rocked into him. Needing more.
Craving
more.
    For a solid minute, his tongue filled her mouth, exploring, claiming. And then in another blink of the eye, it was gone. He’d taken a step back, breaking the contact and leaving her with a feeling of pure desperation.
    He laughed when he noticed her expression. “You want me to fuck you, don’t you?”
    She didn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting he was right. Her eyes and body had already betrayed her anyway.
    Ethan looked mighty pleased with himself as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Sorry, sweetheart. It’s not going to happen.”
    â€œWhy the hell not?” she found herself demanding.
    â€œWell, I could blame it on your staunch declaration about how you’re never going to have sex with me, but we both know you were lying through your teeth. And anyway, I’m nothing if not honest, so . . .” He looked very, very smug now. “I’ll have you know that I don’t put out on the first date.”
    Juliet stared at him for a moment.
    Then she burst out laughing.
    Shit, this was priceless. The man had just destroyed her with his kiss, turned her into a puddle of mush at his feet, and then he went and threw a gentleman curveball at her.
    Still laughing, she gestured to the drab hotel room. “You consider this a date?”
    â€œWe just came back from having drinks and sharing a dance.” He shrugged. “That’s probably as close to a date as we’re ever gonna get.”
    Her head was still light and gooey from that body-numbing kiss, but she managed to voice another question. “Out of curiosity, what do you do on the
second
date?”
    The grin he shot her melted her insides. “I subscribe to baseball rules, of course. First, second, third, and then I screw your brains out.”
    Damned if her sex didn’t clench at the thought.
    He must have sensed the erotic response, because his eyes darkened with sensual promise. “Don’t worry, Juliet. We’ll get there.”
    She wanted to deny it. To tell him he was a million kinds of arrogant and fucked-up if he thought she would hop into bed with him just because she’d happened to enjoy one measly kiss.
    But the denial stayed lodged in her throat.
    â€œAnyway, where’s your laptop?” Ethan said pleasantly. “Let’s see what Paige sent us.”
    As he stalked over to her bag in search of her computer, she stood there in slight disbelief, torn between kicking him and ripping his clothes off.
    The uncontrollable pounding of her heart and the persistent throb low in her belly confirmed what she’d already known—it was always the unassuming ones you had to worry about.

Chapter 7
    It took sheer power of will on Ethan’s part to ignore the overpowering lust sizzling in his body. As Juliet logged into her secure e-mail and downloaded the attachments from Paige and Sean, he took several deep breaths and ordered his erection to subside. Which was difficult, especially since Juliet had just slipped out of her long-sleeved shirt, leaving her in a tight black tank top that hugged her full breasts.
    When his gaze landed on the cluster of nautical stars tattooed on her upper arms, another ripple of desire washed over him. The tattoos were tiny, done only in black ink, and they gave her a sexy, badass vibe that at the same time managed to look feminine.
    Christ, he wanted this woman. She intrigued him to no end, and the