Keep Me Closer (A Dangerous Tides Novel) Read online

  She pulled in a shaky breath. “Me, too.”

  “So the way I see it, the easiest solution is to simply do what feels right.”

  A notch formed between her brows as they drew together. “And the two of us? That feels right to you?”

  “I can ignore you when I have to, Doc. Keep my distance when things get too intense. But not like this. Not when I see you every morning and every night. We need to deal with it.”

  There was a part of Brit that felt an immense sense of relief that he was admitting to feeling the same intense attraction that she did. That agreed with what he was suggesting. But there was a part that was also dreading how badly it might backfire on them.

  Stroking his thumb across the heat in her cheek, he went on. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re the one with the fancy degree, so I’m sure you understand how it works even better than I do. Sometimes there’s no explanation for chemistry. Whether you want it or not, you just have to deal with it before you can move on.”

  God, why did it hurt so badly to hear him say out loud what she knew was nothing more than the truth? That he didn’t want any part of this attraction that existed between them. And yet, there was something in his eyes and expression that was impossible to resist. Something that made her feel more seen and needed than she’d ever felt with any other man, and it was intoxicating. A lush, mesmerizing drug that was pulling her completely under its spell.

  Under his spell.

  It didn’t make any sense, considering this was Alex Hudson and she knew enough of his history to know how he felt about women. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, last night had shown her that there was more to her interest in Alex than just an avid appreciation of his good looks. The way she’d felt when she saw him with the blonde had made that pretty clear. So the real question was how much of a risk to her emotions was she willing to take in exchange for the pleasure he was offering?

  She stood there before his magnificent body, unable to take her eyes off him as she carried on the silent debate inside her head, and finally came to a decision. God help her, she was going to do it. Even knowing she would most likely regret it later, she wasn’t going to let this fleeting moment of madness slip away from her without first wringing it of every ounce of pleasure that she could possibly get.

  Not wanting to give herself the time to change her mind, she started to lift her arms around his neck, but he shook his head and stepped back, lowering his hand to his side. At her questioning look, he said, “Clothes first, Doc.”

  Oh, God. The delicious rasp of his deep voice combined with the hungry gleam in his eyes had her pulse thrashing, her body going hot and wet and soft. He was the kind of man who was built to fight and fuck, his body lean and ripped and battle-honed, the provocative way he moved as powerful as it was seductive. And she wanted him so badly it was a physical ache that pulsed inside her.

  “Right here?” she asked, the breathless sound of her voice catching her by surprise. “You want me to strip for you in my office?” The far wall of windows was specially treated to make it impossible to see inside, but the feeling was still one of . . . exposure. Of course, she was going to feel even more naked beneath Alex’s searing gaze than she would if she was standing in the middle of a crowded courtyard.

  “You trust me?” he asked her.

  She pulled her shoulders back. “Yes. I mean, to a certain extent. I know that you won’t hurt me.”

  “Then take off the dress.”

  His rough words vibrated with that low, husky tone of command that was starting to sound not only familiar, but intoxicating, and Brit couldn’t resist. She knew it was insanity, but she was drawn to him like lightning to metal. And yet, there was one thing she needed to make clear before this went any further. “I’m not willing to have sex with you.”

  Not yet. Maybe not ever . . .

  Instead of getting angry, she could have sworn there was a spark of humor in his heavy-lidded gaze. “I won’t put my dick in you, Doc. We don’t have enough time right now, and I have the feeling that once I got inside you, I wouldn’t want out. So relax.”

  She choked out a laugh. “Relaxing isn’t something that I usually do when you’re around.”

  He gave her another one of those crooked, sexy smiles. “Then this’ll be a first.”

  She started to reach behind her, then paused. Catching her lip in her teeth, she locked her gaze with his. “Alex, are you sure this is a good idea? It’s going to—”

  “Stop overthinking it,” he said, cutting her off as he slipped out of his jacket. He tossed it onto a nearby chair, and she loved the way he looked in the crisp white shirt and shoulder holster. “You know we both want it. I’m man enough to admit that I need to get my hands on you, Brit. I’m not going to be able to think straight until I do.”

  * * *

  AND HELL NO, IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA, HE THOUGHT, KEEPING THAT LAST bit to himself. But Alex wasn’t going to let that stop him. His eyes fucking burned as he watched her reach behind her back, lowering the dress’s zipper with a sibilant, metallic hiss. He reached down to rearrange his dick, his shaft so hard he had to grit his teeth against the savage urge to rip his fly open and sink inside her right then and there. Then she pushed the dress off her shoulders, letting it slide down her body to puddle on the floor, and he forgot about anything else in that moment but drinking in the sight of her standing before him in nothing more than a cream-colored bra and matching panties. They were lacy and sexy as fuck, and his damn hands shook as he settled them on her waist, lifting her up onto the edge of her desk.

  “Lie back,” he growled, quickly gripping her thighs and pushing them wide as she lowered her back to the desktop. Forcing himself not to rush, he ran his hands up the smooth insides of her thighs, then leaned down and pressed his open mouth to the damp gusset on her underwear, her incredible scent making his head spin.

  She gasped as she reached down, touching his face, and he was glad that he’d shaved that morning. Her skin was so delicate, he’d have to be careful not to scratch her. “You said hands,” she murmured, sounding a bit scandalized as he coasted over the humid panel of lace with his lips.

  “What’s that?” he murmured.

  “You said you were going to get your hands on me.”

  Ah. His lips quirked as he glanced up at her crimson face. “Mouth, too, Doc.” He nuzzled his nose against the skimpy lace covering her auburn curls, and pulled in a deep breath. “Definitely my mouth,” he groaned. “You taste half as good as you smell, and it’ll be the sweetest thing I’ve ever gotten under my tongue.”

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, just as he moved the soaked panel of lace aside and took a moment to take a good long look at her pussy. And, fuck, she was beautiful. Pink and puffy and already slick with her juices. He could have leaned over her and held this position forever, memorizing every explicit, erotic detail, but there was too strong a chance he might keel over from hunger if he didn’t hurry up and get his damn mouth on her.

  “Hold these to the side,” he ground out, his deep voice rough with need as he grabbed her hand, placing her fingers where he wanted them so she could keep the lace out of his way. Pulling her swollen lips wide with his thumbs, opening her up like a juicy peach, he didn’t waste any time, quickly burying his face against her and letting his tongue take what it wanted. And, holy fuck, did she taste delicious. Nothing but hot, sweet, syrupy perfection.

  He was going to make her come so hard, this moment right here would be all she’d ever be able to think about when she sat down at her desk, instead of that sly-faced asshole who owned the place. McNamara’s smarmy style had made his skin crawl, and Alex knew the son of a bitch had been planning on using the shit with Shepherd as a way to get Brit in his bed.

  No way in hell was he letting that happen.

  Licking her from her ass all the way up to her throbbing clit, he g
ave the tiny bundle of nerves a firm, tugging suckle that had her gripping his head with her free hand and shoving that sweet cunt even harder against him. “Tastes even better,” he murmured, surprised by the raw sound of his voice.

  “What?” Her own voice was breathless and dazed, and he couldn’t help but smile.

  “Your pussy. It tastes even better than it smells, and it smells incredible. Mouthwatering, even. You know what that means?”

  “No,” she gasped.

  Alex looked up at her over her glistening mound, his lips moving against her slippery folds as he spoke. “It means you are so fucked, Doc. Because now I’m gonna be getting my face between your long legs as often as possible, tonguing your pretty little cunt twenty-four/seven.”

  “Damn it,” she groaned, covering her eyes with her hand. “You’re trying to embarrass the hell out of me, aren’t you?”

  “Naw. I’m just telling it like it is.”

  When he pushed his long index finger into her creamy sheath, she arched, gasping again, so fucking gorgeous it made his chest hurt. And she was so deliciously snug, her plush inner muscles clasping him in a breathtaking grip, that it damn near had his eyes rolling back in his head at the thought of what she would feel like on his dick.

  “How many fingers can you take?” he rasped, working a second finger alongside the first. She was stretched so tight around him he had to reach deep and stroke her sweet spot, getting her even wetter, before he could start giving her a proper fucking with the long digits.

  “That’s perfect,” she moaned, and he almost started to talk her into taking a third, since it would make it easier for him to get his dick inside her. But he stopped himself, determined to be unselfish for once and make this about her and not him.

  He just hoped he didn’t cause himself any kind of permanent damage in the process, his cock throbbing so hard he would have grit his teeth against the ache if he didn’t have something so perfect under his mouth.

  When he started to feel the tight vibrations that signaled her coming orgasm, he pulled his fingers back and went at her like he’d been dying to from the start, all lips and tongue and teeth. He fucking consumed her, the taste and texture of her tender flesh and slick juices making him feel like a starved man who’d suddenly been seated at the most decadent feast he’d ever seen. Then she let out a soft, keening cry that she tried to choke back, considering where they were, and a primitive growl broke from his throat as he pulled her open with his thumbs again and thrust his tongue inside her as deep as it would go, determined to feel every ripple and pulse, swallowing down as much of her as he could. He shoved his face against her even harder and all he could think was Oh, fuck. When she came, her sweet taste got even richer. Hotter. Who needed alcohol when a man could get strung out on this? Talk about addictive. He was latched on to her, licking as deep into her snug pussy as he could get, tonguing her like his fucking life depended on it. Like he needed those sweet juices to survive. And that’s how he felt.

  When she was finally too sensitive to enjoy it, he forced himself to stop lapping his tongue over those drenched, swollen folds, and lifted himself up on straight arms that were braced on either side of her waist. He took a moment to catch his breath, then stood and used his hand to wipe his wet mouth, irritated that he couldn’t just keep his face buried between those silky thighs, wallowing in all of that warm, slippery cream.

  She took a few deep, languid breaths, then lifted herself into a sitting position, her chest and face rosy with color, hazel eyes dark with passion, and Alex knew he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. Christ, there wasn’t even a close second, and touching her had been even more mind-shattering than he’d always suspected it would be—and he’d suspected a lot.

  When she reached for his belt, making it clear that she planned to reciprocate and blow his mind, he was so damn tempted it was almost impossible to resist.

  “Can’t,” he somehow managed to scrape out with a sharp jerk of his head, followed by a step back. At the look on her face, Alex winced, then reached down and rearranged his hard-on. It throbbed like a fucking toothache, his balls drawn so tight he figured he’d probably go off with a single stroke. But even more than his lack of control at the moment, it just seemed fucking wrong to let her put his cock in her mouth when he’d been ramming it down Chloe’s throat the night before. Even he wasn’t that much of a bastard.

  “Why not?” she asked with a soft note of confusion.

  “I’m not trying to be a dick. I just . . . I’m barely keeping it together here.”

  With a playful smile on her beautiful mouth, she said, “That’s why I’m offering to help. I believe in being fair.”

  Trying not to notice how the creamy mounds of her breasts were being pushed up by the lacy bra, jiggling with her every breath, he shook his head again. “I’d love to take you up on that, Doc. But right now you’re going to have to trust me when I say it’s a bad idea.”

  Her elegant brows pulled together, and she bit her lip, clearly wanting to ask him for an explanation.

  He opened his mouth, ready to say something more, to try and make her understand without scaring her off, but his phone started ringing in his pocket. She slid off the desk, grabbed her dress off the floor, and turned away, giving him a moment to take the call. It was a lawyer he’d been working with in conjunction with a case, and he was needed at the county courthouse.

  While he made arrangements to meet the lawyer, Alex watched Brit slip her dress back on, then make her way over to her private bathroom. He was just slipping his phone back in his pocket when she came out looking smooth and refreshed, the heat in her cheeks concealed by some kind of translucent powder that women wore, her hair brushed into place, and something inside of him rebelled. It was like she’d erased what had just happened between them, looking calm and unaffected, while his dick was still aching and her taste lingered on his lips. Every time he took a breath, he could smell her mouthwatering scent, and he flicked his tongue across his lower lip again, wanting more of her flavor.

  He waited for her to ask about the call, but when she didn’t, he told her, “I need to head over to the courthouse to meet with a lawyer about one of my cases.”

  “I hope everything’s all right.”

  “It’s fine. We just need to file some paperwork, and it’s complicated because the client’s wife is living out of the country.”

  She raised her brows. “He hired you about his wife?”

  Mouth twisted in a wry grimace, he said, “More like he hired me to find the ten million she ran off with.”

  She immediately winced. “Ouch.”

  “No kidding.”

  “Well, then, let me walk you out.”

  The smooth, unruffled persona she was throwing in his face after she’d been blown wide open for him only moments before set Alex’s teeth on edge. His hand shot out over her shoulder, holding the door shut as he lowered his mouth to her ear. “Are we going to talk about it?”

  She stiffened, so still he didn’t think she’d even drawn her next breath. “I think it’s probably best if we don’t.” She looked over her shoulder and gave him a tight smile. “Don’t you?”

  He jerked his chin toward her face. “I wish you hadn’t tidied up so quickly.”

  A delicious rose color stained the crests of her cheekbones. “I can’t very well walk around my office looking like . . .”

  When she trailed off, he said, “Like you just came all over my face?”

  “Yes,” she admitted with a strained laugh, the slight softening of her posture making him want to pull her close and just . . . hold her. Her bright eyes lowered to his mouth, and he liked the way her long lashes fluttered as she lifted her hand, rubbing her thumb against the corner of his lip, where he must have still had a smear of her girl juice.

  He placed his hand on her waist, curving it over her hip. “Brit, I—”
r />   “Alex, really, I’m fine. We can . . . we can talk later. But you need to go, and I need to get ready for my first appointment.”

  She opened the door, forcing him to move away, and he hesitated before stepping into the empty reception area, knowing he should say something, but no idea what it was. In the end, he simply settled on, “Be careful today.”

  “I will.”

  He nodded, swept one last look over her, then forced himself to turn and walk away. Just before she closed the door, he turned back and said, “Hey, Doc?”

  Standing in the narrow opening, she lifted her gaze to his. “Yes?”

  He was scared shitless by what was happening to him, but damn it, it wouldn’t kill him to try being nice to her for once. “I was an ass not to mention it before, but you look beautiful today.”

  She blushed clear to the roots of her hair, which made him laugh.

  “Um, thanks.”

  He flashed her a quick grin, then headed out.

  By the time he’d made it out to the parking deck where he’d left the Range Rover, the morning heat was already oppressive, and Alex had decided that as far as mistakes went, that one had been monumental. The kind with proportions so epic, he couldn’t even wrap his mind around them.

  Instead of slaking his need, working it down, his taste of Brit Cramer had made one thing unnervingly clear, and he’d have been lying through his teeth if he’d said it didn’t scare the fuck out of him.

  It was stupid. Doomed. And bound to break them.

  But he needed more.

  6

  BY THE TIME ALEX PULLED UP IN FRONT OF HIS CONDO THAT EVENING, it felt like days had passed since he’d last seen Brit. He climbed out of the Range Rover and spoke with the deputy he’d asked Ryder to send over to keep an eye on the place until he made it home, then sent the guy on his way. Things had taken a lot longer at the courthouse than he’d expected, and he’d finally had to call Mike, who had keys to his place, and ask him to give Brit a ride from the clinic to his condo.