Body Contact Read online

  “We’ve worked together off and on for over two years.”

  “But there’s so much about you that I don’t know….”

  “You can study a dossier on me tonight.”

  “I don’t want a dossier. I want us to talk. I want this to be normal.”

  She knew the moment the words were out of her mouth that they gave away her fear, her uncertainty.

  “Stop delaying the inevitable. I’m not going to take the chance of bringing you to Orchid Island without having…had you.”

  “Why not?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Because our lives depend on how convincing we are. Our relationship can’t come across as a journey of exploration. I’m going there to offer Reynard a drug trafficking deal he can’t refuse. I pulled strings and spent a lot of Winston money getting an invitation to the house party he’s giving in two days. He’ll be watching us carefully, making sure I’m what I’m supposed to be: a filthy-rich crook who’s brought his honey along. He and his pack of security men have to think that you and I have been lovers for months.”

  “But we could have just…become intimate. I mean, why do we have to make it look like we’ve been together for any length of time?”

  “Our relationship has to be solid in every way—emotionally, sexually. You’ve got to seem important to me. Reynard has a reputation for hitting on women guests. He’s also got a reputation for being…rough when he gets them in his bedroom.”

  She lifted her chin. “I can take care of myself with a man like that.”

  “But then you wouldn’t be playing the role of my sweet little cookie. Which would mean you’d get us both killed. Maddy, I mean it. The penalty for messing up is death.”

  The words and the sharp tone of his voice made her chest go tight.

  He gave her an appraising look. “If I’ve made the job sound too risky, you’re still free to back out. I can find a replacement—a female operative who has the sexual experience to handle the assignment.”

  “No. I can do it,” she answered automatically.

  “Then let’s get on with the audition. Undress me.”

  She squeezed her eyes closed. For a moment the temptation to call the whole thing off was almost overwhelming. Then she reminded herself that this was her mess. She was the one who had let Dawn Winston slip away. If there was one controlling factor in this whole episode, that was it.

  “I don’t want your eyes closed like a fifteenth-century virgin bride waiting for her husband to ravish her. I want you looking at me like you’re enjoying what you’re doing. Like you want to please me.”

  Her lids snapped open. She focused on his crisp white shirt, then the vertical line of his tie. Willing her hands to steadiness, she reached to the knot between the points of his collar, the slick fabric slipping under her fingers as she struggled to loosen it.

  She undid the tie, leaving it dangling around his neck as she turned to the shirt buttons, her fingers as clumsy as they had been with her blouse. She could feel his warm skin through the fabric. Then she pushed the shirt open, her fingers skimming the thatch of dark hair that covered his chest. He didn’t move, but she heard him draw in a sharp breath. For the first time she felt a glimmer of hope—hope that this performance wasn’t as cold and calculating as he made it seem.

  Feeling more bold, she continued her exploration. She had wondered about his chest. She’d known it would be broad, had wanted it spread with crisp hair. Now she winnowed her fingers through that thatch, pressing her fingertips to his warm skin. She could feel his heart beating. Fast. Fast and deep.

  And that accelerated heartbeat added to her sense of confidence. He might have been standing here giving her orders, taunting her. But he wasn’t indifferent to her. No, somewhere along the line he had become involved in this scene on a very personal level.

  Her fingers found his flat nipples, circling them, and he made a sharp sound in his throat, a sound that emboldened her. She fought to keep a smile off her face as she undid the buttons at his cuffs, then pushed the shirt off his shoulders, pulled each arm through its sleeve.

  “Do you want me to fold your shirt and tie neatly and put them with my clothing?” she asked silkily.

  “Just get to the main event,” he answered in a rough voice. “Take off the rest of my clothing so I can feel the length of your naked body pressed to mine.”

  Her nerves jumped again. But she wasn’t going to stop now. Didn’t want to stop. Couldn’t stop.

  Reaching toward his waist, she undid his belt buckle, then the clasp at the top of his slacks. Before she worked the zipper, she slid her hand down his fly, feeling how hard he was through the barrier of his slacks.

  Again he reacted with a sound of pleasure that it seemed he was helpless to hold back.

  She wanted to say his name, wanted to tell him that she knew this performance had gone beyond the boundaries of cold necessity.

  But she kept the words locked in her throat.

  She couldn’t tell him what she felt. Or what she hoped for. But as she rocked her hand against his erection, she felt heat gather in her belly.

  He made a sound of protest when she moved her hand away, but he had forgotten about giving her directions as she found the zipper tab, pulled it down. Skimming her hands down his flanks, she slipped his slacks and his briefs off together.

  She had him naked in seconds, standing before her, his body lean and fit, his penis hard and thick and jutting toward her. He was large, potent, male.

  He swore under his breath, gathered her to him, his head dipping so his mouth could capture hers. She opened for him, feeling his lips, his tongue, his teeth even as his hands went to the catch of her bra and snapped it open. He swept the garment off her, then caught her breasts in his hands, kneading, stroking, circling her nipples, making them throb with pleasure.

  She had imagined this. Dreamed of it. The reality was far more heady than any fantasy. Her sex felt wet and swollen. Her brain felt ready to explode.

  When he dragged her panties down, she kicked them away. He stared at her, his eyes traveling over her body, from the tight points of her nipples to the blond triangle of hair at the apex of her legs.

  She was thankful then for the long hours she’d spent in the gym. Long hours that had tightened her muscles, flattened her stomach, brought her to the peak of physical conditioning.

  “God, you’re magnificent,” he said, his voice so low it was almost a growl. “I knew your body would be like this. Feminine curves, with underlying strength. But I always wondered if you were a natural blond,” he said thickly.

  “You thought about making love with me?”

  “Men think about making love with women,” he said dismissively. “It’s a natural reaction.”

  He was deliberately telling her not to make more of his words than their face value, when she wanted him to tell her his sexual fantasies about her had been as vivid as hers about him. But he didn’t give her the chance to speak. His hand was between her legs, testing her, stroking her with sure, knowing fingers—bringing her a jolt of pleasure that made her cry out.

  She tried to read the look in his eyes. Pure male satisfaction? Or something more personal. Before she could decide, he backed her toward the bed, came down on top of her. Raising up on his elbows, he stared down into her eyes, and she would have sworn the look that passed between them was the look of long separated lovers finally together in a blazing moment of reunion.

  Then he plunged into her, going deep, stretching her to the limit of her capacity.

  She took him, took all of him, her hips rising even as his pressed forward.

  It was as if they had done this a hundred times, a thousand, moving to a remembered rhythm as his penis sank into her, then withdrew, each long stroke carrying her upward on a rising wave of pleasure.

  There was no thought of closing her eyes now. She kept them focused on his face, on the rigid planes, the taut lines. Raising her hand, she stroked the dark stubble on
his cheek, caressing him, tracing the upper curve of his lips.

  He opened his mouth, took her finger between his lips, sucked it, then worried it between his even white teeth, while his hips moved in a rhythm that was driving her to the point of no return.

  She felt him holding himself back, saw him watching her face, attending to the cues she gave him, listening to the sounds she made as his body plunged above her, in her.

  And only when a hot, pulsing climax made her cry out, did he take his own satisfaction.

  AFTERWARDS JACK DIDN’T STAY with her. He didn’t hold her and kiss her because that would give too much away.

  Instead, he climbed out of the bed, scooped his clothing off the floor, and headed for the nearest shower.

  But he couldn’t stop himself from turning and gazing at her lying on the bed. She was looking stunned and sated and besotted.

  He knew he had to wipe that expression off her face, so he said, “That was an excellent performance, but there’s still plenty of work to do before our flight to Orchid Island. You can use the shower in the bathroom off the lounge. Then get dressed so we can start going over research materials.”

  The devastated look that flashed across her features almost sent him climbing back into bed with her—to gather her close, to stroke his lips against her silky blond hair the way he’d wanted to do all along.

  Instead, his fingers closed around the pair of slacks in his hands. “I’ve arranged to have dinner sent up. You’d better hurry and get dressed. You don’t want to run into the waiter in your birthday suit.”

  Before he could say anything that would hurt her more deeply, he turned and bolted into the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, he stood with his back pressed against the hard wood panel, breathing hard, absorbing the enormity of what he’d just done. Then he tossed his clothing onto the dressing table and stalked to the shower.

  Moments later, he was standing under the hot spray trying to wash away the wonderful smell of her skin that still clung to him.

  From the first moment he’d seen her two years ago, he’d wanted her, wanted her with a passion that bordered on madness.

  But he had never let her know that he felt anything beyond admiration for the way she did her job.

  Her work was her life. That was the way her father, Spike Guthrie, had raised her. It had been an entirely satisfying life for her, until five days ago, when that stupid idiot, Dawn Winston, had drugged her and bolted from the safety of her father’s home.

  As soon as Maddy had called him in and explained what had happened, he’d told her that Dawn’s disappearance wasn’t her fault. The girl had planned everything with the utmost care. She’d counted on Maddy’s friendship, then betrayed her trust. But the words had rolled right off her like spring rain off a rubber slicker. Seeing the panic and the misery on her face, he’d felt duty bound to give her a chance to set things right.

  Then he’d started having second thoughts. He’d warned her of the dangers. But he wasn’t sure she’d listened hard enough to that part. So just now, he’d tried to make the job so distasteful that she’d back out.

  Instead she’d done every damned thing he’d asked. Including have sex with him.

  No, he corrected himself. It might have started out as having sex. It had ended up as making love, because he had been helpless to do it any other way.

  God, he had just fulfilled his most compelling private daydream—making love to Maddy Guthrie. And she’d been as warm and passionate and giving as he’d always hoped she’d be.

  But his old friend, Spike Guthrie, wouldn’t have seen it in those terms. Spike Guthrie would be coming after him now with a machete—if the tough-as-nails security chief had still been alive.

  No, Spike would have hated him for this. And Maddy would hate him, too. Unless he kept this relationship where it had to be kept. Strictly impersonal. Because if he knew anything about Maddy Guthrie, she was her father’s daughter. Tough on the outside. Vulnerable on the inside. Dedicated to her job at Winston Industries and to upholding the tradition her father had established.

  Still, his mind started spinning a very appealing scenario. Maybe after this was over, he’d be free to have her where he wanted her, in his bed—on a regular basis.

  He cut off that line of thinking before it could even get started. Mentally, he’d been down that road before. Sleeping with a colleague was unacceptable.

  Shutting off the water, Jack stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel, already arranging his features into the set lines he knew he had to present to Maddy when he saw her next.

  2

  THE IDEA OF PUTTING ON the skirt and blouse that she’d taken off so provocatively a little while ago made Maddy’s stomach knot, so she was thankful that the outfits Jack had picked for Orchid Island had already been sent up to the Winston guest suite.

  Before getting into the shower, she picked something that was as buttoned up as she could find—a pair of beige slacks and an ivory silk blouse. She completed the outfit with low heels, then pulled back her hair and secured it at the neck with a mother-of-pearl clip.

  Taking a deep breath, she stepped from the bathroom, but Jack was nowhere in sight. Fifteen minutes later, she was still waiting for him as she paced nervously across the room, her footsteps muffled by the rich Oriental carpet.

  Surely it wasn’t taking him this long to dress. So where was he? Was he trying to postpone their meeting as long as possible?

  They’d made love for the first time less than an hour ago. Under circumstances that had started off like a male power trip.

  Then…

  Then everything had suddenly changed from stark and sterile to warm and wonderful. Until the end—that is. After her mind-blowing climax—when Jack had climbed out of bed and walked away from her as if the whole thing had really been just a training exercise.

  The sound of the door opening made her jump. She wanted to clench her hands at her sides. Instead she moistened her lips, then turned.

  Jack was standing at the other end of the room, his face a study in composure as he looked her up and down.

  “I see you found the clothing I had sent over from Saks.”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s the most conservative outfit in the lot,” he commented, instantly picking up on the significance of her choice.

  “It’s comfortable,” she answered mildly, noting that he looked entirely comfortable himself in the tailored slacks and white shirt he’d been wearing earlier.

  Crisply, he said, “I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting. I was gathering up the files we need. And ordering dinner. I hope steak, baked potato and salad are all right.”

  “Fine,” she answered. Technically, as security chief, she should have been the one to do the ordering, although she’d completely forgotten about dinner. But it seemed Jack Connors had made himself perfectly at home in her domain. She flicked a glance at his face, then looked quickly away—thinking that he was probably an excellent poker player. She couldn’t even catch a hint of what was behind those green eyes of his.

  All she knew was that a good bout of sex left him hungry—judging by the meal he’d just described.

  He crossed to the table and set down several folders.

  “I’ve got a CIA dossier on Reynard. A map of the island. Background on some of his visitors. And a dossier on myself. You need to memorize that—so you can rattle off facts like when I graduated from Georgia Tech. We’ll keep the facts as close to the truth as possible—to make it easier for us both to remember what our stories are supposed to be.”

  “Georgia Tech. That’s where you went to school?”

  “Yeah. On a scholarship. But you can read up on that after you go home tonight. And I need similar information on you. I can start with your personnel file, but I’ll probably need more details.”

  “Like whether I get menstrual cramps?” she snapped.

  “Yeah, like that. Do you?”

  She wished she hadn’t come back wit
h the snappy retort. “Occasionally,” she muttered.

  “Since you brought up the subject, what about P.M.S.? Do your breasts get tender? Are they more sensitive then?”

  She shot him a warning look. “That’s none of your business.”

  “I beg to differ. Everything about you is my business. You’ve been my mistress for over a year. I need to know if you’re bitchy before your period. Or if it juices you up—makes you more eager for sex.”

  “Both,” she snapped.

  “You seem tense,” he observed dryly. “Would a glass of wine help relax you?”

  She was tempted to walk over to the bar, pour herself a shot of bourbon and drink it neat. Hard liquor wasn’t usually her style, but it seemed appropriate for the occasion. Still, she didn’t let the temptation override her better judgment. She needed her wits about her tonight, so she managed a tight nod. “White wine would be fine.”

  “I believe there’s a chilled bottle of Chardonnay in the refrigerator,” he said, bringing it out. “The Jekel winery. 1996. A good year.” Taking a corkscrew from the drawer, he began to expertly open the bottle.

  She watched him for a moment before observing, “Perhaps I’d feel more comfortable if we were trading intimate information rather than having you do all the prying.” She stopped, casting around in her mind for the equivalent of the nosy questions he’d asked her. Sexual questions.

  Prying wasn’t usually her style. But she studied one of his broad shoulders as she asked, “Where did you have your first girl? In the back seat of a car? And oh yeah, how old were you?”

  She had the momentary satisfaction of seeing the hand with the corkscrew falter. But that was the only sign that his composure had slipped. “That isn’t necessarily information that I’d share with my mistress, unless I’m the kind of man who likes to brag about my sexual conquests.”

  “Are you?”

  He pulled the cork from the bottle, took two long-stemmed glasses from the cabinet and began to pour the wine. “The persona I’m creating for Oliver Reynard probably would,” he allowed as he handed her a glass, then picked up his own and took a small swallow before answering. “It was the summer I was fifteen. My father had an old army buddy, Ed Wyatt, whose family we were friendly with. Their daughter, Bethany, was seventeen, and I was attracted to her. But since she was two years older, I didn’t think I had a chance. We were staying at the Wyatts’ house for a long weekend, and the two sets of parents went out for the evening. I was in the den, feeling nervous about being alone with Bethany. So I was standing in front of the television turning the channels, trying to find some show that would take my mind off her. She came up behind me, reached around my waist, and put her hand on my cock.”