Chapter 15

If he went any higher, she was going to come right there in the park for all to see. Thank God it was empty, although Caro didn’t care. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stop. He lingered at her knee, rubbing it gently before moving his hand up to her thigh.

He paused, then slid his hands to her hips and lifted her easily onto his lap. Even as his lips claimed hers in a hard kiss, she pushed herself against the iron bulge in his pants. Their tongues met and she breathed in the taste of him; oranges and cinnamon.

“I’ve thought of nothing but you for days.” He slid his hands to her breasts and stroked her through the cloth. “It’s driving me insane.”

“Is that so? I would have thought that you wouldn’t want more unfortunate occurrences.” Okay. That had rankled more than she’d let on.

His eyes widened. “Are you referring to our phone call?”

“Yes.”

He pulled her close. “I meant for you, Caro. Unfortunate for you. I felt guilty. You came over to present a plan, and”—he paused—”that happened. You should never have been put in that position.”

She leaned back and examined him. In her heart she thought he was telling the truth, but…those masquerada lies. She couldn’t let herself get involved. Then he short-circuited her entire thought process by brushing a thumb against her nipple. She moaned and pulled away, evading his hands when they sought to pull her close again.

“We can’t. Not here.” She almost panted the words.

He blinked and looked around. Caro almost laughed at the shocked expression on his face when he realized he was sitting, fully aroused, at a public park in broad daylight, with a woman on top of him.

He turned to her with a look of such animal lust that she gasped. When he spoke, his voice was rough. “I am going to take you home in a cab. No excuses. I don’t care how quickly you heal.” His eyes held hers. “When I get you home, I am going follow you inside. Closely.”

“You are?” She couldn’t keep the breathlessness from her voice.

“I am.” He stood and lifted her effortlessly.

This time she pressed against him immediately. “Get a taxi.”

It seemed like only minutes before they were in the cab and on the way to her apartment. Eric sat close to the door in the car, leaving plenty of room between them in the back of the cab. She would have been hurt had she not seen him tighten his fists as though trying to keep control.

She looked at Eric out of the corner of her eye. He was beautiful. His wavy hair tumbled over his forehead and the fact that he was slightly rumpled from their time in the park made him sexier. He turned his head and looked straight at her with those dark gray eyes. His features had the cold perfection of a Greek statue, but one with lips made to touch.

God, she wanted him. That he wanted her? Unbelievable.

The taxi arrived at her building and Eric came around to help her. “Careful, Caro.”

He lifted her out of the cab but she insisted on limping into the building, only holding on to his arm. Even his forearm was like steel, she marveled. She didn’t know a man could have strong forearms.

When a neighbor with a small dog ducked into the elevator with them, Caro almost giggled at the look of sheer loathing Eric shot the poor guy. They traveled up in a thick silence, Eric’s hand on hers, his thumb brushing her inner wrist in lazy circles. It was, without a doubt, the longest, most arousing elevator ride of her life. Once the door opened, she marshaled together all of her mental resources to exit the elevator casually, feeling Eric following close behind her, his eyes like lasers on her ass. In a minute, they were in her apartment and she locked the door behind him.

Caro looked around her space as if seeing it for the first time. It was snug and comfortable, but she was exquisitely aware that her entire place was smaller than a single room at Eric’s house. His mansion.

It didn’t seem to matter to him, though. He stood about two feet away from her, simply observing her. He didn’t take a step and it occurred to her that he was waiting for her to make the first move.

A sudden desire to tease him overtook her. Caro waved at the room. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to have a quick shower.” Before he could answer, she limped quickly down the hall and locked herself into the bathroom.

* * * *

Eric sank down onto the couch. His initial plan to surprise her in the shower had been scuttled when he heard the lock turn. Breaking down the door would perhaps be perceived as a little too forceful.

He moved back on the couch, trying to get comfortable despite the extraordinary blue balls Caro had left him with. Distraction. He needed distraction. Catching sight of her bookshelf, he leaned over to take a look. Caro had eclectic taste. Charles Dickens shared space with Octavia Butler and Alice Munro. On the lower shelf were several textbooks and he pulled one out. Lighting the Dark: The future of investigative journalism. He flipped it to the front page. Lynn Butler was written with strong, spiky handwriting in black ink. How did he know that name?

Then he had it. Lynn Butler was the reporter whose work had sent Iverson to jail. Caro must know her. A relative? Roommate? He’d have to ask. As Eric slid the book back into its place, the shower stopped. The anticipation was killing him so he walked out onto the sunny balcony, trying to resist the urge to leap on Caro when she finally appeared. A small café table with two chairs sat in the sun and terracotta pots with herbs and flowers lined the rail. The view ran right to the lake. It was a pretty place. Peaceful.

“Do you like it?” Caro came up behind him on silent feet. Her hair hung to her shoulders in damp waves and she was dressed in a tight tank top that pulled across her breasts and a flouncy skirt that came to the middle of her tanned thighs.

She wasn’t wearing a bra.

He moved back into the living room without speaking and closed the balcony door behind him. Caro must have turned off the lights because she was only a shadow in the dim room. She didn’t move but her breasts rose and fell more quickly. He was close to her now, close enough to smell the bright jasmine of her soap. Without lifting his hands to her, he leaned down to press a soft kiss onto her mouth. Caro’s lips parted immediately under his and drew him in with an urgent passion. Eric’s mind spun. Somehow this isolated kiss excited him more than anything he’d ever experienced. Again, their tongues touched and he felt her whimper, then close the gap between them.

His hands came up to tangle in the damp waves of her hair, pulling her head back enough to expose her smooth throat. A small dark freckle under her ear attracted his attention and he licked it, causing her to tremble before he moved up to nibble on her ear. His hands roamed her body, and he marveled at her softness. It was too much. Running his hand over her breasts, he stroked the hard nub of her nipple under the thin material.

“I want you naked,” he said softly. “Let me please you.”

She gave him a crooked grin. “Can’t say no to that.”

He grasped the hem of her shirt and began to peel it upward. She lifted her arms obediently and he groaned as he revealed her gorgeous breasts. She was lovely. He could almost taste her arousal and it was unbearably hot. Unable to resist, he bent to take a nipple in his mouth. She writhed against him.

Then his goddamn phone rang.

She froze and he soothed her with his tongue.

The phone rang again. He was going to ignore it until he realized it was the special ring he’d programmed for emergencies. Stephan only called from that line if it was something urgent and lives were at stake. It had rung only once before.

Now Caro pulled down her shirt, crossed her arms and took a step back. “You need to get that?” she asked. Her voice was hoarse and he cursed Stephan a thousand times.

“I’m sorry.” Moving away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do in his life. Ever. He answered the phone. “This had better be good,” he warned.

“It’s not good.” Stephan’s voice came strong through the phone and Eric could hear the anger. “It’s Iverson. He’s got something for you.”