Chapter 3

Maura's stomach tightened as she walked up to her front door. Pulling in a deep breath, she tried to order her nerves to calm down. From the moment she ran into Rory in the parking lot, her hormones had been bouncing all over the place. She punched in the security code and cursed when the light flashed red. Dammit, he had her all crazy. It wasn't her fault. Since she'd seen him in the parking lot he'd been looking at her strangely. It was like she was his next meal.

She fought the shiver that worked through her body. Focusing, she punched in the code again and was relieved that she got it right this time. She opened the door and stepped in. Rory easily followed her. It was probably a bad move. Conner had always taught her to keep her suspect in front of her, but she was afraid of showing him too much from her expression right now. Another Connerism. Do your best not to let the enemy see if you're flustered.

And she did see him that way. The enemy. She didn't know what he was up to, but she didn't like it. Maura especially didn't like the way he made her react. Hell, her hands were shaking and that was just not like her. Why?

Because he'd been looking at her like he wanted to eat her up. It made her nervous. And hot. Very, very hot.

"Wow," he said as he walked in and looked at the entryway.

At one time she had the same reaction to the house that Conner had bought several years earlier. They had grown up middle class, their father the first to graduate from college. Conner had taken his job at the FBI and turned it into a very lucrative security company. She shut the door behind him then took off her shoes. He followed suit.

Not everyone did that but she figured that Rory understood the practice. Zeke and he had spent a lot of time in the Far East. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'm always happy to accommodate a woman."

She rolled her eyes trying to hide the way it made her feel to have him flirt with her. He had a little bit here and there, but nothing like this. It was a full frontal assault that she wasn't prepared for. If she thought about it too much she would definitely freak out.

"This is a pretty nice place," he said looking around.

"Thanks. I lived here with Conner, and he and Jillian always stay here when they come back." They stood in the entranceway staring at each other. The silence stretched and she felt the need to fidget—which would definitely let him know how nervous that made her. "Oh, would you like something to drink?"

He nodded.

"Come on. There's always beer here."

"How about some water?" he asked.

She shrugged as she led him into the kitchen. She had noticed that he didn't drink, at all. Oh, a nice wine from time to time, but only one glass. "Whatever you want is fine by me."

She retrieved a glass and filled it with ice and water. When she turned around, he was standing right behind her like he had at her car.

"Stop doing that."

He was looking at her mouth. "What?"

"Sneaking up on me. Zeke does it too and it drives me crazy. I hate that whole ninja thing he does."

His lips curved and she felt heat spiral through her blood. Damn, he had a good smile. Forget that, it was a freaking delicious smile.

"Ninja?"

Maura knew she shouldn't be so charmed, but it was hard to remember why. He was attractive even with the broken nose and the scar above his right eyebrow. The sexy Irish accent pulled her in every time. She needed perspective. She needed space.

Shoving the glass at him, she said, "You make no sounds at all. It freaks me out."

"You don't like me."

She should have expected him to make a bold statement. He was blunt and a lot of people didn't like dealing with him because of it. Funny, it was one of the things she liked about him. He wasn't really that rude, but she got the feeling he didn't like to tap dance around anything. Maura could respect that. She had the same problem and it was one of the reasons she had very few female friends. From the time she hit her teens, Maura had never been good at playing the social game.

She wanted to take a step back but the counter was there. She rubbed her temples. God, she was getting another headache. They were starting to be her constant companion the last few months. The stress of running the office without her brother was starting to get to her. The trip to Hawaii might be good for her in more ways than one. Sure, Zeke was Conner's business partner, but she couldn't let Conner down. He had done so much for her and now she could do this for him.

"Could you at least step back?" she asked.

He hesitated then did as she requested. "You're avoiding my comment."

She released the breath she had been holding. "No I'm not." Of course she was. She wanted this conversation like she wanted to wear pantyhose in August. "I like you, Rory. I'm just not comfortable around you."

"Honesty." He nodded. "I knew that Zee wouldn't be involved with a woman without integrity."

She'd had a feeling Zeke had told him they'd been involved. If not, someone in the office would have. They had been discreet, but people weren't stupid. And for all of Zeke's faults, he had been candid with her before they hired Rory.

"Listen, I know you two are together, that's fine."

He cocked his head to one side and studied her. It was different than most of the other times he had looked at her. Before, he had barely taken notice of her. No, that was wrong. He did pay attention, but not any more than he did anyone else. Now, though, he seemed to be looking at her with an interest she had never seen before.

Finally he spoke. "But it isn't. Not for you...and not for Zee."

"You give Zeke something I cannot." And that hurt more than she would ever let anyone know. It always felt like someone had taken a knife to her chest. She blinked when her eyes started to burn. "I want him to be happy."

He straightened and set his glass on the counter beside him before approaching her. With every step he took toward her, her pulse increased. Having Rory concentrate on her and only her was almost too much for her to take. Her nerves were sparking with an energy that she hadn't felt before in his presence.

"Zee didn't call it off because you couldn't give him what he needs."

She snorted to hide the pain. "I don't think you know what you're talking about."

He settled one hand against the counter then the other, effectively caging her in. She felt trapped, but for some reason, she didn't want to escape. Her nipples were hard against the lace of her bra and her mouth was suddenly dry. It was just like when they had been at her car.

"Zeke never explained it to you, did he?" Rory asked, his voice drawing the words out, his Irish accent thickening.

She shook her head because she could not speak. All the air in her lungs seemed to back up and her throat clogged. He was looking directly into her eyes and she felt herself melting.

"Zeke doesn't like to play at BDSM."

She sighed and inwardly cringed at the wistful sound. She hated that she sounded like a little lost girl.

"I know."

"I do though."

She shook her head even though she knew it was true. She had heard the rumors, but she had never believed it because Zeke hated BDSM. He didn't like playing either role with men or women.

Rory nodded, one side of his mouth curving up. God he was driving her crazy with small gestures. No wonder Zeke was so in love with the man. He could probably seduce the most conservative man into bed.

"And here's a little secret," he said, his voice rougher than before.He leaned closer until his mouth was against her ear. His warm breath feathered against her skin and she shivered.

She needed to get some control over the situation and, not to mention, her body. "What's your secret?"

He chuckled and she realized he had been waiting for her to ask. "Well, love, Zee likes to watch."

He teased her earlobe with his teeth as her brain shut down. God that felt good. She hadn't had a man since Zee and it had been so long.

"He what?" She asked closing her eyes enjoying the way his teeth grazed her ear.

He took his sweet time answering her. Of course, she didn't really care because what he was doing to her ear lobe had her entire soul humming.

"He likes to watch me tie a woman up and dominate her."

The image he was creating was a little too much for her to deal with, but it was there now and there was a good chance she would dream about it tonight.

"R-really?" she asked.

"Yeah, and then, we fuck her until she can't walk."

She shivered again and tried to swallow. "Umm."

"Or...we drive her crazy by making her watch us. Zee really does like a cock up his ass."

Her brain was melting. And her body. That was melting too. Her panties were beyond damp and every sane thought she had evaporated. He tickled her lobe with his tongue. He smelled like sin and that is all she wanted to do. Sin. With him. And Zeke.

"Do you think you would like that, love?" He asked, his Irish lilt deepening over the words even more. Oh, lord, he was going to make her come just by talking to her and playing with her ear. What kind of man could do that? Apparently an Irishman because Maura was just about to lose it. He was dangerous with that mouth. She could just imagine what he would do with it on different parts of her body.

"Maura?" he asked and there was a hint of something else there. It was more of a demand and of course she responded.

"I-I'm not sure."

He chuckled as he nuzzled her neck. Tendrils of need unfurled through her blood. He slipped his fingers along her jawline, then down to her breast. He hummed when he came in contact with her nipple. "I think you are, love."

That was the truth. She could picture what he was describing and her body yearned. Her hormones were telling her to just hop on him and enjoy the ride. Hell, the man had her glasses fogged up. She wanted it so badly it scared her.

Maura grabbed onto what little sense she had left and said, "I--I need you to move."

He paused. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. And, true to his word, he stepped back.

"You're not playing games?" she asked.

"I wouldn't have gotten both of us worked up if it was just a game, Maura. I don't play that way…unless it's for the job."

He glanced down. She followed his line of vision and she saw his hardened cock easily through his jeans. She blushed.

"God, you are a joy," he said. He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. The simple kiss sent another jolt of lust racing through her blood. He pulled back and smiled. "You think about it. It's a week. We can try it out, play…no worries. I have a feeling that you'll have a really good time."

"I don't know."

"Just think about it." He took her hand and kissed her fingers. "I'll see myself out."

She didn't move, couldn't. She was so turned on she didn't know if she could walk. She finally gathered herself enough to take a couple of steps. The glass he had drunk out of sat on the counter still. She grabbed it up and drank the remaining water down in one gulp.

She set it on the counter. The ideas that Rory had conjured up in her brain were never going to go away. Closing her eyes, they flashed there, tempting her. It was everything she could hope for. Zeke, and a hot Dom to make it all happen just as he had said.

She would have a really good time, but would her heart survive?