30. Jenn

Chapter 30

Jenn

“Are you all right?” Emmett’s voice was full of concern, as though I were a fragile piece of pottery that might break if he looked at me wrong.

The elevator dinged, and we got off on our floor.

I hadn’t thought my life could get any more crazy after seeing Noah this afternoon. But an afternoon in an underground casino with secret passages, armed gunmen, and my best friend’s brother? My life had turned into a movie.

But who was the Bond Girl? Me? Or Martine?

Was that the problem? Did Emmett have a thing for older women? Or for women who were in control?

Control. Was that my problem? I was showing him I wanted him—giving him opportunities to tell me he wanted me, too. But I hadn’t told him. Hadn’t demanded anything.

Maybe the direct route was what I needed. “You’re not working tonight?”

“I finished everything I needed at the Casino.” How did none of this faze him? Was this what their work was normally like? “I’ll meet with the team tomorrow afternoon to review our auction strategy. The support staff back home is searching for information on people who might be in town to buy the scarab, in case I can talk them out of it.”

“I didn’t realize what a complicated operation it was.”

He pulled out his keycard and unlocked the door, holding it open for me. “The higher the value, the more of the team involved.”

As the door closed, I considered asking how much the scarab was worth. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that we were alone in our hotel suite. We were safe. And he had nowhere to go.

Deep breath. You can do it, Jenn.

I turned to face him. Dropped my purse. Held my breath and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him closer. His eyes widened in surprise, but I didn’t give him a chance to protest. I kissed him, pouring all my pent-up desire into the moment.

His mouth didn’t open for me. He stood frozen, lips firm against mine.

It’s shock. That’s all. It’s not another rejection.

“Kiss me,” I whispered against his lips.

His rich brown eyes flicked back and forth between mine.

Don’t say no.

His arm snaked around my waist, yanking me against him. I gasped, and his mouth claimed mine in a bruising kiss, stealing my breath. His tongue swept into my mouth, rich with champagne and need. Raw hunger blazed between us as he devoured me, stealing my air, my control.

My heart thundered against his grip. Heat scorched through my veins, igniting places I’d dreamed of him touching.

He was greedy.

So greedy.

My pulse pounded, a fire growing deep inside me. Every inch of my skin tingled. He was the man I’d wanted for so long, and now I had him.

The feel of his strong body against mine, the taste of his lips, the low moan from deep in his chest… All my worry and tension melted away, replaced by a primal need that consumed me. My panties were already soaked, and the tightness building between my thighs needed to be released.

Not by myself this time.

His fingers blazed a path down my side, gripping my ass and pulling me closer. His other hand tangled in my hair, twisting until my neck arched back.

Time to tell him what you want, Jenn. Don’t worry. He wants the same.

“I’m so wet, Emmett.” I raked my teeth over his bottom lip. “Take me to bed.”

He squeezed my ass, but pulled his mouth away from mine. “The things you said last night…”

Which things? I’d said a lot, smart and not so much.

“I can’t do this.” His forehead pressed against mine as his hands dropped away. The muscles in his arms flexed, his fingers curling tight as though he were fighting himself. “You’re Scarlett’s best friend.”

What did that have to do with last night? “We’re adults. That sister’s best friend stuff got old ten years ago.”

“She made me promise?—”

“To keep me safe.”

He lifted his forehead, not taking his hungry eyes off me. Not moving away. Not closing the tiny gap between us either, though. “I promised I wouldn’t touch you.”

“Just one time.” I flicked open a button on his shirt. “No one has to tell her.”

Emmett Reynolds was trouble. People had been saying that from the day they found out who his father was.

None of it had mattered to me. I’d wanted Emmett for half my lifetime. And maybe my horrible track record with men was because of him. I’d fallen in love with every bad boy I crossed paths with, trying to find the same thrill Emmett had given me. Trying to fill the void he’d left when he dumped me at fifteen.

None of them had quenched my thirst.

One night with him would close the open loop in my heart, and I could finally move on. No more cheaters, no more liars, no more men who put themselves ahead of me. I’d find myself a good man, settle down, and have the picture-perfect life I’d always wanted.

I undid another of his buttons and slid my fingers under the loose fabric of his shirt, doing my best to hide the nervous tremble.

“Just one night.”

That would solve all my problems.

He dragged his teeth across his bottom lip and finally moved his damn hand. It landed on my hip, and he clenched hard. “She’ll kill me.”

Summoning every ounce of courage and sex appeal I could find, I purred, “It’ll be worth it.”

His nostrils flared, and his gaze dropped to my lips. Heat pulsed through my body as his mouth eased open, his breaths growing ragged.

He was going to say yes this time.

He had to.

His other hand locked onto my waist, and he forced me back two steps until I touched the wall.

“This is wrong,” he growled, grabbing my arms to take my hands off him.

“I don’t care.”

He lifted my hands over my head and pinned my wrists against the wall. Leaned in close, so his hot breath skated over my cheek. Teeth grazed my earlobe, and I moaned, bowing my back to find his body with mine. There was too much space between us.