Free His Wicked Ways by Joanne Rock Page A

change his mind about that.
    “I can.” Flexing her fingers, she wielded the short length of her nails to scrape lightly along the cotton of his T-shirt. She might as well be scoring his back raw considering the effect her touch had on him. “And I am.”
    In his mind’s eye, he made plans to close his fingers around her wrist and move her hand gently away from the heated path she traced. But in reality, he gritted his teeth against the pleasure and hoped he could steel himself long enough to tell her this was a bad idea. An idea destined to wreak havoc with their tenuous connection and come back to bite them both in the ass.
    Before he could say any of it, she leaned close to kiss the corner of his mouth. So gentle. So sweet. Right up until she licked an erotic trail from his mouth to his cheek, her tongue undulating up and down in a teasing motion as if to goad him into action.
    Hell.
    “You’d better know, I could have been a gentleman if I wanted to be.” Sliding his hands around her back, he braced her shoulders so she could hear his message firsthand.
    A small smile played over her lips, the cool perfection of her aloof features finally transforming to amusement. “I’m sure you could have.”
    Alec guessed he had about five seconds of restraint left in him. He damn well hoped Vanessa understood that. God knows he was trying to do the right thing.
    Hands a little unsteady, he used the last semblance of calm to help her slide her gun from its inconspicuous holster and settle the weapon at the foot of the bed. Then, breathing easier now that they were both unarmed for the night, he sifted his hands through the silky mass of her hair.
    “Beautiful.” The word stuck in his throat while he let the satiny locks slide over his skin.
    Pivoting a few degrees on the chest where they sat, Alec positioned himself slightly in front of her. The room remained dim except for the light of the foyer filtering through the open door. The lone window remained covered by heavy blinds.
    Still, it wasn’t too dark to see her creamy skin in stark relief to the wealth of shadows surrounding her. Long brown hair, black clothes and the ebony satin bedspread behind her gave her smooth skin an ethereal glow, sort of like the images of the moon in the prints covering the living room walls.
    Would Vanessa prove just as cool and distant, the way she’d seemed when she’d first taken her place on the gym mat in front of him? Or did her plea for him to stay with her indicate a fire burning somewhere deep inside her?
    With one final prayer of forgiveness for lustful thoughts about a traumatized woman, Alec covered her lips with his own. She remained utterly still for a handful of seconds, her spine straight and unyielding. And then her arms twined around his neck as she leaned back, pulling him down to the satin-covered bed with her.
    All at once, his body stretched out over hers. She sank lightly into the rich softness of the feather bed that lay on top of the regular mattress, her curves pressed hungrily to the hard length of him. Her heart fluttered wildly against his chest, the rhythm erratic and furious. Just like when he’d touched her at the gym.
    Tunneling his hands between her jacket and her close-fitting T-shirt, he molded his touch to the lean strength of her, admiring the way she took care of her body like a top-of-the-line machine. Every square inch showcased superb maintenance, lean muscle precisely exercised for maximum performance. But did she ever give this prime figure free rein? Allow herself to see how many orgasms she could have in one night?
    Alec had the distinct impression this was a woman unaccustomed to using her body for fun. Pleasure.
    Or hell, maybe he still harbored teenage fantasies about strong females like Detective Torres and he hadn’t come close to seeing her real needs.
    Shutting off his clueless brain, he simply gave himself over to the pleasure of touching her. Slipping his hand beneath the loosened