Jill Shalvis - Strong And Sexy

She glanced inside at the plush leather interior. “I’m too wet. I’ll ruin it.”

He let out a soft huffing laugh that broke through her panic and scraped low in her belly. “Just get in.”

“Shayne-”

“It’s pouring rain, Dani.”

“Yes, but…”

When she trailed off, he leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. “Just a ride…”

Just a ride…Only for her, it felt like more, a lot more. It felt like a great leap of faith. But he’d moved in, his body close enough to hers to share body heat. He wanted her to get in, but it felt, just a little, like going from one danger to another. And yet with one last long look into his eyes, she slid in.

“You’re just going to leave the party?” she asked when he’d come around and slid behind the wheel.

“Yes. Where to?”

She gave him directions to her building in Burbank Hills, and he drove them into the gloomy, tempestuous night.

“If when you get back, something’s happened-”

He slid her a glance. “You mean like someone finding a dead body?”

“I know what I saw, Shayne.”

“If when I get back, something’s happened, I’ll call you.”

“I left my coat.”

“I’ll make sure you get it.” He made the turn onto her block and parked at the curb. She lived on a street right out of the turn of the century, but not the current one. The houses here were three-story Victorians dating to the early 1900s, all having been renovated into duplexes. Most had been redone many, many times, and though they were old and quaint-a polite word for small as a postage stamp-they possessed great character and had a good view of the city below.

She’d lived here since college, and loved it. It was more home than anything had ever been before, that being because her mother had been fond of living off her husbands, and they’d moved around.

A lot.

But Dani wasn’t going down that particular memory trail tonight. Nope, all she wanted now was a mug of hot tea, a bathtub full of bubbles, and then bed.

Alone.

As soon as Shayne stopped the car, she reached for the door handle. “Thanks.” Then, before he could say a word, she scrambled out into the storm and shut the door.

Behind her he turned off the Porsche.

She hurried, going as fast as she could with one heel, but she heard the driver’s door open and then shut. She sped up, not wanting him to walk her to her door, not wanting to look into that face and see the mixture of wariness and pity.

Because after all, she was crazy.

But she wasn’t, damn it. She didn’t have an explanation for what she’d seen, but somehow, she’d figure it out-

“Dani.”

How he’d caught up so quickly, she’d never know. Probably those ridiculously long legs of his. Or her lack of a heel. “I’m fine. There’s no need for you to walk me up.”

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to anyway.”

A stubborn gentleman. That would have made him all the more attractive if she wasn’t uncomfortably close to a breakdown and wanted to be alone to have it, thank you very much. But she remained silent until they took the steps to the second floor. There was a hallway here, and two apartments. A head popped out of the first one, and she was just spooked enough to nearly jump right out of her skin.

Alan was a high-school geometry teacher who’d moved in a few weeks back, and Dani had done something completely out of character. She’d made him welcome brownies. He’d bought her a pizza and they’d watched a basketball game on her TV. He’d like her to go out with him in a more formal way, but something held her back. He was cute and funny and sweet, and she wasn’t sure what her problem was.

He smiled when he saw her, that warm, kind smile-

Which dimmed as he then took in Shayne, and then her disheveled state. “Dani? You okay?”

She went with her standard. “I’m fine, thanks.” Well, other than the fact that she’d kissed a stranger in a closet, seen a murder, and was frozen solid as a Popsicle…she was fine. Fine, fine, fine.

Her apartment was right next to Alan’s. At her door, she paused. Alan was still watching her. Shayne had moved in close behind her, also watching her. “Good night,” she said. To both of them.

Only neither budged.

“I can take it from here,” she assured them.

More of neither man budging. The only sound was the rain and the water dripping off herself and Shayne. “Oh, for God’s sake.” She bent to reach beneath her mat for the key she kept hidden there.

A sound of disbelief came from Shayne. “You’re kidding me. You can’t hide a key there.” He glanced back at Alan. “And he’s watching.”

“Hey,” Alan said, frowning. “I’d never just-”

“I’m just saying.” Shayne stepped in close, blocking Alan’s view of her. “Look, I’m really beginning to worry about you.”

She shot him a look, then put the key in the door. “Good night,” she said again, more firmly.

Or so she tried. But her damn voice shook. Okay, definitely time to be alone… She turned the key and stepped inside.

With Shayne right on her heels.

“Oh, no. No way.” Putting a hand to his chest, she halted his progress, but that left them standing in the doorway, incredibly close, his head bent down toward hers, their mouths nearly touching.

Alan nearly fell out of his own doorway trying to get a better view. “Dani? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Still fine,” she called out, eyes on Shayne as she gave him a push.

Like a brick wall-or a stubborn ass, pick one-he didn’t budge. “I want to walk you inside.”

“Not necessary.”

“I think it is.”

“I can get myself inside, I manage to do it every day. I’m not crazy, damn it.”

“Okay,” he said agreeably. “You’re not crazy. Explain tonight.”

“Before or after the closet? Because that part? That was crazy.”

His mouth twitched. “After you kissed me.”

“You kissed me.”

“No.”

“Yes. You held up the mistletoe and leaned in and-”

Oh, God. She’d kissed him.

He let out a sound that might have been a half laugh, half growl as he stepped forward, into her, slipping an arm around her waist.

“Hey-”

Whipping her around, he shut the door and pressed her back against it, trapping her between the hard wood and the even harder length of his body, which freed up his hands to cup her face as he kissed her.

Really kissed her, and holy smokes, she was out of her league here with him. So out of her league.

He nibbled at her mouth until she opened for him, a feat that took less than a heartbeat because damn, he knew what he was doing. She found herself wrapped around him like shrink-wrap, kissing him back with everything she had, which caused a low, sexy rumble from deep in his throat. His hands got very busy, gliding down her arms, her hips, her bottom, which he squeezed, before moving up again, to her back bared by the dress.

The feel of his fingers on her skin brought a shiver that had nothing to do with the fact that they were both chilled and dripping water on the floor, nothing at all-

His industrious fingers played in the black velvet strings crisscrossing her back, entangling with the knot, and she went still. If he loosened it, the thing would release the entire top half of her dress.

He kept playing.

She stopped breathing.

Lifting his head, looking into her eyes, he smiled, as his fingers dallied with the string, and then…oh God and then, very lightly pulled.

Still not breathing. “Shayne-”

His eyes were sexy and slumberous as his hands slid down her body one last time before falling away. “Now you can say I’ve kissed you.”

She was breathing again, like a marathon runner now. The only thing that made it even halfway acceptable was the fact that he wasn’t breathing any too steady either.

“Dani?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

He cocked his head to the side. “You have no idea what I was going to ask.”

“You were going to ask me out. I don’t think so.”

He let out a low laugh of a genuine amusement. “I was going to ask you not to leave your key under the mat.”

Her face bloomed. “Oh.”

“But just out of curiosity,” he murmured, still looking amused. “Why wouldn’t you go out with me?”

“Doesn’t matter, since you weren’t asking.”

“Why, Dani?”

She sighed. “You don’t want to know.”

“No, I do. I really do.”

“Okay.” She shook her head. “You’re a ten.”

“A ten?”

“Yeah. And tens? They date tens. And sixes date sixes. If a ten dated a six, then the six is pretty much just asking for a heartache.”

He blinked. “Was that in English?”

“Never mind.” She tried to open her door to kick him out but he blocked it with a palm on the wood above her head.

“You think you’re a six?” he asked.

She controlled her wince. “I know I presented as a three, but on a better day, I can be a six.”

He looked at her for a long moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, pressing it into her hand. She looked down. A business card.

His.

“My cell-phone number is there if you need me.” Leaning in, he put his mouth to her ear. “And on your worst day? You’re a ten plus.”

Her knees wobbled. He was strong and smart and sexy-and colossally wrong for her. She recognized it, he had to recognize it, and she just hoped she was also smart enough to remember it. “I won’t be calling, Shayne.”

Something flashed across his face. Resignation? Regret?

Lingering heat?

Definitely lingering heat.

Fine. Great. So they were both still a little turned on. They were adults. They could deal with it. Yanking open the door, she gave him more than a push this time, it was far closer to a shove, and she knew the only reason she was able to budge him at all was because he let her.

Gaze still locked on hers, he stepped back, opening his mouth to say…

She had no idea because she shut the door. Shut the door on a hot man who thought she was hot too.

Ten plus? She fanned her suddenly hot face with her hand. Maybe she really was crazy. Dragging a deep breath, she moved into the living room, kicking off her worthless shoes.

God, what an evening. She’d left a few dishes in the sink, and she had some reports from work spread across the kitchen table, but the place was warm and cozy. Home sweet home. Grabbing a spoon and her carton of ice cream, she headed toward her bedroom. She needed to ditch the little black dress ASAP, get a hot bath, and then fall into bed. Just as soon as she consumed a thousand calories or so.

When Shayne got back to Sky High, the last of their guests were just leaving and Maddie was pouring the happy, and quite drunk, bride-to-be into a cab. Sandra caught sight of Shayne, dragged him close and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Thanks.” She was a little goofy and a whole lot drunk. “Best party ever.” She would have given him another kiss, right on the mouth this time, if Maddie hadn’t rescued him and shut the cab door on Sandra.

When the cab had driven off, Maddie turned to Shayne with her hands on her hips. “What is it with you and women? It’s like you’re irresistible or something.”

“Maybe I am.”

She laughed.

“Hey,” he said, following her back inside to help clean up. Walking around the lobby with a trash bag, he took a good, long look around, shocked at what he saw. Looked like the disasters at one of the frat parties he and Noah and Brody had had in college. “For a bunch of rich people, they sure were slobs.”

“Hello, Mr. Kettle.” This from Brody, who was sprawled on one of the couches, tie loosened, working his BlackBerry.

“Just because I grew up around these people doesn’t mean I’m one of them.”

Brody snorted.

Shayne looked at Maddie, also walking around with a trash bag, then back to Brody. “Who’s the one not getting their hands dirty?”

Brody didn’t bother to answer.

Shayne threw him an empty bag. “Feel free.”

“Yeah, I don’t do trash.”

Maddie righted a tipped-over potted plant, the trash bag at her hip definitely clashing with her teeny, tiny, heart-stoppingly clingy silver cocktail dress. “Tell him you want a raise, Shayne. Let’s watch his blood pressure rise.”

Brody narrowed his eyes at her. “What does that mean?”

“That you’re looking quite comfy on that leather couch. If Shayne is Mr. Kettle, I think you’re Mr. Pot.” She moved to a wall to straighten two crooked pictures. “And a cheap one at that.”

“All I said was that we pay you a helluva lot of money. I didn’t say you weren’t worth it.”

“That’s because you can’t say that. Not when you know I am worth it, every single penny. Why are you still here anyway? I thought you had a date. You get stood up?”