Chapter Five

The heavy hotel door shut with a click and Juliet heard Ezra lock the security bolt. She marched to the hotel minibar, grabbed the first bottle of anything alcoholic, twisted off the cap and downed the contents. She reached for another.

“Juliet, don’t,” Ezra said, concern in his eyes and in his voice.

“Here, have one.” She twisted off the cap and handed the bottle to him. The burning scent of whisky filled her nose.

He took a swallow, but didn’t down his bottle like she had.

“I can’t seem to wind down. I need something to take the edge off,” she told him, eyeing the tiny bag of potato chips that had to cost eight dollars. But Juliet didn’t care. She needed… something. It was easy to be brave and talk about not wanting anything to muddle her thinking when she was surrounded by a bunch of police officers.

“That’s not the answer. You know it’s not.”

She shoved herself away from the minibar and stalked toward the window. She pushed the curtain aside with her finger. Police waited downstairs in the lobby, and were driving by her apartment throughout the night to note anything suspicious.

Only what really made her feel safe was the amazing man who’d never left her side.

“I guess I better go,” he told her, but he didn’t move.

The amazing man who hadn’t left until now.

Her gaze fell to her feet. Mud caked her once-adorable scrunch flats, and scuffs lined the faux-leather toes. But Juliet didn’t care about her shoes. They were just easier to deal with than the almost stranger in her room. A stranger she didn’t want to leave. She sagged into the soft recliner nestled quaintly in front of the window.

Ezra crouched in front of her. “You’re going to be okay, Juliet. As brave and fearless as any soldier facing battle.”

She locked onto his green eyes. Was this it? Their last few moments together? “We had quite an adventure.”

He nodded, his gaze never breaking from hers. “I better go,” he said again. And just like before, he made no move to leave.

“Good Lord, Ezra, do I have to attack you?” she asked.

“You could tr—”

But Juliet wasn’t waiting for his response. Her lips cut off his words. She felt his body tense as she cupped his face. It must have been hours since he’d shaved, his cheeks delicious and rough. Longing to feel his cheek rub against her inner thigh made her knees shaky. She met no resistance as she slid her tongue past his teeth and into his mouth. He tasted of whisky and hot sex, and Juliet wanted more more more.

She stood and pushed him down on the chair. His shoulders relaxed against the smooth navy upholstery of the cushion. Relief mingled with the desire pounding through her body. She could push every fear, every worry into the background of her mind. Yes! He was hers.

Juliet wanted to taste every part of him. Touch every secret place and see every last inch of his skin. She’d been seduced all damn night by the strength in his arms, the tightly leashed power of his thighs, and the promise of unbelievable pleasure his body silently guaranteed.

She ran her palms across the broadness of his shoulders and down his powerful arms roped with muscle. After reaching for the top button of his shirt, her lips twisted. All those buttons would take too long. Instead she tugged the soft broadcloth from the waistband of his khaki pants, grabbed the tail and yanked hard. Buttons popped and flew and thudded on the carpet and he was finally, finally bare to her eyes. And Juliet planned to look her fill. The soft light from the lamp shadowed the perfection of his chest, lightly dusted with hair. His stomach was just as amazing as she’d imagined, ridged and flat and hard.

His hands clamped around hers as she reached for the buckle of his belt. “Juliet, I don’t think this is really what you want. It’s the after effects of the adrenaline. A reaction to the stress of tonight.”

“Life’s a gift,” she reminded him against his lips. “I want to enjoy the hell out of it tonight. With you.”

She outlined his mouth with her tongue, and traced the seam of his lips until he groaned. He reached for her, stopped then reached again. His fingers sank into the hair at the nape of her neck as his mouth came down hard on hers. His hand fisted the back of her sweater and he dragged her tight against his chest, until she lost her footing and fell across his lap. She felt his heartbeat, fast and racing—just like hers. The bliss as his lips caressed along her mouth made her nipples tighten, and she longed to feel his hands palm her breasts.

But Ezra broke away too quickly. “You’re not thinking right. I don’t want you to regret this tomorrow.”

She rolled off his lap, stationed herself before him, and kicked off her shoes. Her fingers wrapped around the hem of her red sweater. She lifted the yarny material up and over her head. When Juliet tossed her discarded sweater on the swirly blue patterned comforter his knuckles whitened as he gripped the armrests of the hotel chair. Hard. Then she reached behind her back to pop the button and lower the zipper of her skirt.

Ezra’s eyes narrowed as he followed her black skirt’s slow drop over her hips, down her thighs and to the carpet. She stood before him in her sheer red bra and panties. “Ezra, do I look like I care about tomorrow?”

Their gazes locked, and she sensed him searching her eyes and her face. Assessing the enemy? Looking for weakness? Then his gaze lowered, taking in the sight of her nearly naked breasts and still lower to where red lace hid her femininity.

The muscles of his throat worked as he swallowed. “It would be easier if you were naked,” he told her, strain filling his voice. “Then I wouldn’t have to wonder about the color of your nipples. Or drive myself crazy to know if you’re bare under those little panties of yours, or have the perfect landing strip.”

“You’re an Airman, come and find out.” She hooked her thumb in the waistband, inviting him to give the red silk a tug.

She saw the muscles of his thighs flex. She knew any moment he would rise to his feet and take her up on her invitation. Her body began to soften in anticipation. Juliet wanted this man inside her now. But then he stopped and rubbed his hand across his chin. “Juliet, what are you doing to me?”

Her sigh was heavy, and filled with exasperation. “I appreciate you being noble right now, and not wanting to violate your military sense of honor. I appreciate it, I really do.”

She walked the two steps it took to have her standing in front of him. His eyes narrowed as she approached. Without breaking her gaze from his, she sank down and straddled him until she felt the hardness of his arousal. “But right now I want you to be unprincipled and disgraceful.”

His fingers slid into her hair. Their lips crashed together and their tongues twined and dueled. Her fingers found the buckle of his belt again and despite her wonky, taped up thumb, had him unbuckled and unzipped in record speed.

He lifted his hips, and Juliet helped to slide his pants down the thickness of his thighs and the khakis fell to floor. Juliet broke off their kiss to be rewarded with the sight of Ezra clad only in dark gray boxer briefs. A huge bulge protruded against the material, and she reveled in the knowledge of how much this man wanted her, but would still deny himself for her sake.

Juliet reached to cup the heavy weight of him, but he repositioned her until once more she straddled and cradled his hardness between her thighs. The thin satin of her panties their only barrier. Ezra’s fingers unclasped her bra and he sucked her left nipple into the warmth of his wet mouth. She gasped as liquid heat pooled between her legs.

Ezra teased the tip of her between his teeth. “I knew you’d taste good,” he whispered against her skin as he moved to her right breast.

She rocked against him, fitting him against the knot of nerves. Pleasure shot down her legs and he hardened more with each pitch of her hips. She rode him, once, twice until he grabbed her around the hips and forced her to stop.

“You can do all of that you want. Later.” His voice was a promise. “But first, take off your panties.”

Juliet rose to stand before him, nearly naked and undaunted by the task of stripping before this man.

“Wait a minute, I’ve changed my mind.”

“What?” she asked, panic and disappointment battling inside her.

“I want to take your panties off.”

More liquid fire shot between her thighs.

“Turn around,” he ordered.

She presented her back to him and his work-roughed palms grazed along her hips, peeling her panties down until the silky material slid soundlessly down her legs. Ezra dragged her to him until she fell across his hard body, the long ridge of his cock between the cheeks of her ass.

He brushed the hair away from her neck and licked the soft skin below her ear. Her nipples puckered and he palmed her breast at the same time his fingers slid between her legs.

“Uhmmm, landing strip,” he whispered against her ear. “You know how to drive an Airman crazy.” Then he dragged the lobe into his mouth.

Her eyes drifted shut at the first touch of his calloused fingers against her clit. He gently rubbed up and down until she arched toward his hand, aching for more. But his hand slid still lower until he sank a finger inside her.

She clamped her muscles around his finger, but it wasn’t enough. “More,” she urged, her entire body craving him.

Ezra slid another finger inside her, and then another. Every muscles, every nerve ending tightened and honed in on his touch. His breath. His caresses. She was close, oh, so amazingly close.

But she didn’t want to find release this way. Juliet needed the bigness of his cock sliding in and out of her. The hairy roughness of his thighs as she straddled him. The tension and strain of Ezra’s body below hers as he fought not to come too soon.

Juliet eased around until she faced him, tugged at the waistband of his briefs and pushed until they were off his beautiful body. She gripped him then, the hard, smooth length of him, and slid her hand up and down. Up and down.

“Can’t take much of that, Juliet.”

Her name sounded amazing coming from his lips. Why had she hesitated offering her name? What a silly game.

He grabbed her ass and hauled her against his chest until she once more straddled him. He slid easily against her slippery wetness and she teased them both as she glided along his cock.

“I have a condom in my wallet,” he said, his voice tight with strain.

Without leaving his body, she angled herself to grab his pants that had fallen near the chair. No, the last thing she wanted was to lose contact with him. Tall and lean and sexy as hell. All of that was waiting for her, and she’d never wanted a man more. Juliet quickly located the foil package. He tried to take the packet from her hand, but she shook her head. She was running the show here. She ripped the corner off with her teeth. Ezra closed his eyes and gritted his molars as she slowly rolled the latex down the hard length of his penis.

She straddled him once more, then sank low. He pushed into her in one satisfying thrust. He drew a nipple into his mouth at the same moment he grabbed the cheeks of her ass. He held her tight against him as she adjusted to the bigness of his body inside her. She breathed in the scent of him, whisky and pine needles and Ezra.

Juliet lifted her hips high, until just the tip of him lingered inside her, then plunged down hard. She raised her hips again and rushed down again, harder than the first time.

“Yes,” he urged, and he gave her cheek a little smack.

With her eyes squeezed tight, Juliet pounded against him, seeking the ultimate release. Sweat beaded along her forehead and down her lower back as she pushed and sank over and over again. Her pace grew less rhythmic and more feverish. Below her Ezra sucked on her nipple and gripped her hips, helping her slide along the length of him.

Her entire body fired to life. She was almost there. With one more push sweet release exploded inside her. Ezra’s stiffened and he thrust upward until his muscles tightened and he groaned. The sound of him coming made another round of heat rage along her skin and her clit. She came again with a gasp and collapsed against his chest. Ezra lifted his hands to encircle her in his arms, but that was the last either of them moved for a long time.

Finally Juliet had the strength to roll off him and move towards the bed. He rose from the chair and walked to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Feeling cold, Juliet lifted the blanket and slid between the cool cotton sheets.

Ezra returned, a man with two choices. The naked woman in the bed or his clothing that lay scattered on the floor by the chair.

He chose the bed, thank everything in heaven. Ezra stretched beside her on the mattress, his expression tough to read. She rolled to her side and gently traced a finger along the solid line of his jaw. His eyebrows. His nose.

“I should be feeling like shit for doing that,” he told her, his eyes never leaving the ceiling. “But I don’t.”

Her finger stilled. “I would never regret what just happened between us.”

He turned toward her, a boyish smile on face. “To think I tried to back out of this blind date.”

She propped herself up on her elbow. “You would have been a lot safer.”

But Juliet wouldn’t have been for sure. Brave and strong and kind and smart, Ezra had the body of some gorgeous god-like statue and gave her the kind of pleasure that could make a girl ditch her vibrator—that kind of man was dangerous.

Actually parts of her would have been a lot safer if he’d been less honorable and stood her up. Because Ezra was the kind of stuff romantic dreams were made of.

She lay in the circle of his arms as he shared stories of what he did as a Pararescue Jumper for the Air Force. Flying behind enemy lines, parachuting down to rescue downed pilots with the motto That Others May Live.

“What are you doing when you’re not running through the woods?” he asked.

So Juliet told him of her dreams of being an investigative journalist and her frustrations with the kind of stories she’d been saddled with at the PC Daily. Finally their conversation dwindled and exhaustion took over. Juliet found herself idly drawing along the line of Ezra’s collar bone, threaded her finger through the springy hair on his chest, and felt his stomach hollow as her hand grazed the tight muscles there. She gripped his hardening cock.

He rolled her to her back, nudged her knees gently apart and settled between her thighs, but not inside her body. He lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers. Light and soft. A seeking kiss. An exploring kiss. And agonizingly slow. He trailed his mouth leisurely along her lower lip. She gasped as he tugged her bottom lip between his teeth and gently sucked.

He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks and he stroked down her throat. Delicious tingles spread from where his fingertips grazed and heated her tender skin. She ached for more. Juliet wanted to feel him everywhere. But Ezra was slow. Too slow. Taking his time. Seducing her.

His hands dipped down below the sheet to find her breast. He traced around her nipple, and they grew to taut, needy points. His mouth followed the path of his hands, and he slowly drew the tip of her into the sensual warmth of his mouth.

“I want you now,” she told him on a moan.

“I only had the one condom.”

Juliet whimpered a disappointed groan. “Not very ambitious, were you,” she teased.

“Bringing one condom to a blind date seemed like a dick of enough move.”

He stifled her laugh with his mouth. He tugged on her lower lip with his teeth then lazily drew her tongue into his mouth. “I could kiss you for hours,” he proclaimed, and her skin heated. And she lay there, in the strength of his arms, while he kissed her until the moon lowered in the sky, and the crickets began to quiet.

His palms smoothed up her thigh until his fingers sought the wetness between her legs. A long, slow moan tore from her chest when his thumb caressed her clit. He rotated his thumb along her slick flesh. Unhurriedly. Expertly. “Feel good?”

She could only nod as every muscle of her body stiffened. He glided a finger inside her and she arched toward him.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, and he ran his tongue down her throat. He added another finger and her muscles clenched. He increased the speed and pressure of his thumb. She gripped his wrist, her body strained and trembling.

“Come for me, Juliet,” he urged.

It was the sound of her name, ragged from his lips, which rushed her to the edge. She shook as the first wave of her orgasm crashed through her. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut tight and maybe even begged him not to stop. Another swell of sensation rocked through her.

After the pleasure began to wane, Ezra hauled her against his side and kissed the top of her head. “Sleep now Juliet.”

Ezra woke up cold and alone. Morning sunlight seeped through a break in the heavy hotel curtains. He found Juliet fully dressed and sitting in the chair. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

“Juliet?” He rushed toward her, naked and uncaring. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms, to draw her beside him in the bed. But he sensed something was different this morning. Something was different with her. So he crouched beside her. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

She rotated her phone until he saw her screen. It was a text from Eric.

Sorry I missed you last night. Let’s meet today.

Their break from reality was over.

“This is great,” he said. “We’ll call the police and they can lock his ass in jail.”

She rose from the chair and walked to her purse, putting distance between them. “Ezra, I can’t do that. He’s an informant.”

“An informant who’s trying to kill you.”

“We don’t know that for sure. Maybe he’s being used by the criminals who are laundering money through the museum. Maybe they’re using him to draw me out. Maybe I put him in danger.”

Ezra shook his head. “I still don’t see the problem.”

“If I called the police on Eric, they’d arrest him. Or maybe the launderers would kill him the way they’re trying to kill me. He’s my informant. My responsibility. Making things worse for him goes against every journalistic principle I know.”

“Juliet, that is the craziest logic I’ve ever heard.”

“Listen, you’re in the military. You’re all about honor and integrity. Don’t knock mine just because it’s different from yours.”

He rubbed his jaw. “Right now, all I’m thinking is how to keep you safe.”

Silence stretched between them, long and taut. He couldn’t argue with her logic. And she sure as hell couldn’t argue with his.

“I need my gun back,” she finally said, her voice filled with bone-deep weariness.

“It’s still at the substation.” The police had made them turn the weapon over to them when they’d arrived.

“Damn. I need my gun.” She stalked over to her purse, tossing in the few personal items she’d left scattered across the chest of drawers. A hairbrush. The bottle of pain meds. A tube of lip balm. A desperation marked her jerky movements.

He grasped her shoulders, turned her to face him. “Why? What are you planning to do?”

She shrugged her way out of his embrace, turned and faced the mirror. “I’ve run this through over and over in my mind since Eric’s text woke me up an hour ago. Remember what you said to me last night? If you’re there to kill someone, you make sure they’re dead. Running me off the road, and failing, twice, that’s not the moves of a professional criminal. The kind that can set up a sophisticated money laundering scheme.”

He met her brown eyes in the mirror and nodded his understanding. “So you’re thinking it’s Eric who’s trying to kill you.”

“He’s the only one I contacted at the museum. I was only trying to dig around for some information. Maybe a confirmation. Now I’m thinking I stumbled onto the man responsible for the laundering on the museum side. I don’t know who he answers to, but maybe he’s afraid of them, and he’s trying to save his own skin by getting rid of me.”

Ezra couldn’t stop the scoffing sound from escaping. “Or maybe he’s trying to save the steady flow of money into his wallet. If you think this about him, it makes even more sense to get the police involved.”

“Because I have to be sure. Either way, I have to at least give him the chance.” Her gaze dropped from his in the mirror.

He sighed. He’d known this incredible sexy woman less than a day, but he did know she wouldn’t be changing her mind. She had principles, and she was sticking to them.

“Call him.” Ezra finally said.

“What?” She whirled around to face him, her eyes wide.

“You have to end this today. I don’t want you always looking over your shoulder. Always afraid.” His freaking heart couldn’t handle it. “Tell him you want to meet him. Someplace out in the open.”

“Like the Regis Bar and Bistro,” she suggested, the warm humor still there.

“Fitting. Then you casually mention you’re going to run home first. If he’s trying to kill you, he’ll attack you there. Privacy and vulnerability—that’s what he wants. Now would that violate your journalistic ethics?”

Juliet shook her head, hope flaring to life inside the brown depths of her eyes. The bone-deep tiredness that he’d first spotted when he woke vanished.

She launched herself at Ezra, who caught her easily. “Thank you.”