Tempting Target Read online

  “I know, I will.” When he’d gone, she slipped the lock into place.

  * * * * *

  David kicked his truck into gear and headed to the supermarket. As he pulled away from Jade’s house, he couldn’t stop frowning. Something intangible wormed its way into his brain.

  She’d acted on edge around him, and he couldn’t figure out why. She hadn’t done anything specific, but he’d noticed the defensive way she’d crossed her arms over her chest, as if protecting herself. But from what, him? The thought was ludicrous.

  And it wasn’t like her. Normally she greeted him with a giant hug or a kiss on the cheek, and she hadn’t done either today. Body language was something he’d learned to read well over the years. Jade had never put up any walls against him, and it worried him that she was now. Especially when he planned to tell her how he felt.

  His cell phone rang just as he finished loading the last of the groceries into the back of his truck. He glanced down before answering and his entire body heated when he saw Jade’s number. He knew he had serious problems if that’s all it took to get him worked up. “Hey.”

  “How’d you know it was me?” Jade asked.

  “I programmed your new number into my phone when I bought yours. Everything okay?”

  “I was just talking to Maya, and I didn’t realize it was Super Bowl Sunday. Do you want to skip going out and watch the game at your house?”

  David knew how she felt about football or any sport for that matter. Her voluntary offer to watch it surprised him. “Are you sure? I know it’s not your favorite sport.”

  She laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. Besides, I like the commercials. Don’t worry about picking me up though. It doesn’t make sense for you to drive over here then back to your place.”

  “All right, I’ll see you in a few hours.” After he disconnected he couldn’t get over the sensation that tonight was it. Tonight he was going to make his move.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Jade shut her refrigerator door then sighed. She still had a million things to do before tonight.

  Startled at a sound, she turned to find David standing in the doorway.

  He somehow looked larger than life. And he wasn’t wearing a shirt. What the hell? Was she dreaming?

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer.

  Frowning, she walked across the kitchen toward him and she felt as if she were walking on a cloud. David hadn’t said a word. Just stared at her with those dark eyes. Dark eyes filled with delicious promises. Her stomach muscles tightened. Where had that thought come from?

  Before she could move, he came at her. Fast. Not giving her a chance to move, he covered her mouth with hard, demanding lips.

  Somehow, his kiss was still gentle. Which seemed impossible. And crazy. David was kissing her.

  David.

  His tongue swept over hers in erotic, sensual swipes. Despite his tenderness, he invaded her mouth and her senses with no mercy.

  Her abdomen clenched as his hands found their way to her hips. He grasped her as his tongue danced against hers. When he pulled away she thought he was going to stop but he just continued kissing along her jaw. She shivered as a traitorous heat bloomed between her thighs.

  “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he murmured close to her ear. “I want you naked and under me so bad it hurts.”

  His words and his kisses seemed to envelop her. Like a warm cocoon they wrapped around her, making her lightheaded.

  She knew she should push him away but couldn’t force herself to move. She loved the way he ran his tongue and teeth over her neck. Arching into him, she rubbed her aching breasts against his chest, letting him know how much she enjoyed it. Until he’d touched her she hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted this.

  Needed this.

  He murmured something else against the pulse point in her neck but she couldn’t understand him. The blood rushed in her ears too loudly. She didn’t care what he’d said anyway. All she cared about was the unbearable heat building between her legs. She’d forgotten what this hot sensation felt like. Forgot what it was like to have a man get her off.

  When his hands tightened around her hips she tensed. In one quick swoop he lifted her up so that she was sitting on the edge of the granite island.

  “David—”

  “Let me do this for you. Please.” His voice was unsteady.

  His entire body stilled as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. This was her dead husband’s best friend. What the hell was she doing?

  David’s hands were firmly wrapped around her hips but she knew if she said to stop he would. It was the “please” that ultimately made her say yes. That and the heat burning in his eyes. She’d never imagined she’d see something so potent from him but she found it got her hotter than she wanted to admit.

  “Okay,” she whispered. Everything about the moment was so intimate. She wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do but something deep inside her told her she’d like whatever it was.

  Without taking his eyes off her, he pulled her flimsy shorts down her legs and tossed them to the side. When he traced his finger along the thin strap of her bikini-cut panties she shivered. It had been so long since she’d let a man touch her yet this felt like coming home. In a strange, totally messed up way, this felt right.

  She knew it was stupid to let David do this. They were friends. Best friends.

  But he felt so good.

  His calloused finger pushed the material aside and he tweaked her clit. Just a gentle, teasing rub. The pressure was perfect. She wanted more of it.

  When she moistened her lips his dark eyes narrowed on them but he didn’t stop what he was doing. David slightly increased the pressure on her clit, rubbing back and forth in a torturous rhythm.

  It was enough to get her hot but not quite enough to push her over the edge. Her inner muscles contracted, begging for that climax.

  He leaned forward a few inches and lightly covered her mouth with his. When he tugged her bottom lip between his teeth she shuddered.

  “Lie back,” he murmured against her mouth.

  Jade froze at his words.

  As if he understood her wariness, his finger dipped lower, away from her clit until he pushed inside her.

  The intrusion was more than welcome. Needed even. She was already soaking wet. Her inner muscles clamped around him.

  She felt so exposed under the bright lights of the kitchen but she lay against the counter. The island top chilled her back. It was in direct contrast to the heat surging through her veins. Her nipples hardened painfully against the soft material of her top.

  His breath was hot against her spread legs and inner thighs. When he moaned against one of her legs, she felt it straight to her core.

  He still had one finger buried inside her as he began trailing kisses across her mound. Though he avoided her clit, she knew he was just teasing her.

  “Just as perfect as I thought you’d be,” he murmured against her bare skin.

  Savoring his kisses and attention, she scooted a few inches lower, desperate to ease the throbbing ache.

  When he withdrew his finger, her vagina clenched but his tongue delved between her pussy lips, stroking in and out. She arched her back and nearly vaulted off the countertop when he lightly squeezed her clit between this thumb and forefinger.

  With his tongue, he continued his insistent assault. The strokes were both torturous and scorching. And with his finger, he tweaked and rubbed the raw bundle of nerves until she was panting. He moved against the nub in a measured, circular motion that was perfect.

  “More.” She didn’t care if she begged. She wanted her release. After years of being alone, years of feeling nothing but grief and sadness, she needed this. She wanted to lose herself in the pleasure David was giving her.

  Shifting up, he sucked on her already hardened clit and penetrated her with two fingers. The abrupt action was welcome.

  She grasped a
t the unforgiving surface beneath her. Needing to hold something, she clutched onto David’s head as her inner walls convulsed out of control.

  Her hips pumped against his fingers and mouth until she couldn’t hold herself back any longer. Crying out, she let go and fell over the edge. As she surged into climax, a kaleidoscope of colors flashed in front of her for a brief moment. With a small cry, her abdomen clenched one last time before she went boneless against the hard counter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Jade’s eyes flew open. “Holy shit,” she muttered to the empty living room. Talk about intense.

  She was breathing hard and her nipples painfully rubbed against her shirt with each intake. It was a tired cliché but they were so hard they probably could cut glass.

  Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand from her shorts. She shivered as her finger rubbed over her swollen clit. Her panties were damp and soaked with her juices. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d ever had a dream so vivid, so intense. Certainly not one in which she’d actually masturbated. And climaxed.

  And never one that starred David.

  Her inner walls clenched as she thought about what she’d imagined him doing to her. Looking around her living room, she realized she must have dozed off while folding laundry. Piles of towels sat next to her on the couch.

  Her house was quiet. As it should be.

  What the hell was wrong with her? She really must need sex if she was imagining David going down on her.

  Even though she was alone, her cheeks flushed as she thought about seeing him in a few hours. Thank God the man wasn’t a mind reader.

  Chapter Five

  Jade arrived right before kickoff with a bag of Chinese food. How the hell was she ever going to look at him straight after that intense dream? After giving David a brief hug, she handed him the two takeout bags and tried to ignore the rare, completely feminine reaction in her stomach. “I know you didn’t ask, but I figured you didn’t have much in the way of food here.”

  “I didn’t until today. Now I’m stocked for at least a month.” When she raised her eyebrows, he answered her unspoken question. “I’m taking an extended vacation.”

  “Oh.” The word stuck in her throat. She’d expected him to leave in a day or two. Like usual. Then everything would go back to normal and these weird feelings she had would go back into hibernation.

  She shifted her feet as the image of his appreciative look from the night before, and her sister’s words, flashed through her mind. She needed to get over whatever this was. This was David, and she didn’t like the tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach every time she saw him. It was just as unsettling that she now noticed how very male he was. She’d always known he was attractive, but knowing and being aware of him as a sexual being were two very different things.

  One of his dark eyebrows arched. “You sound almost disappointed that I’ll be around.”

  Averting her gaze, she brushed past him and headed toward the kitchen. She tried to ignore the spicy masculine scent that seemed to permeate everything. “You know that’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised, that’s all. You’re normally only in town for a few days at a time.”

  “I’ve decided to make some changes. The first one being that I won’t be traveling as much. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” Something about the tone of his voice was almost sensual, inviting.

  Or did she just imagine that? Yes, it was her imagination. After that stupid, erotic dream she wanted to scream. David did not want her. Not like that.

  His spacious kitchen was large enough to hold at least ten people comfortably. Except today. Today the walls were closing in. She moved over to the breakfast nook in an effort to put some distance between them. “Uh, that’s great, David.”

  An erratic rhythm pounded against her rib cage, and even though it was ridiculous, she was fearful he could somehow hear it. She cleared her throat. “Do you mind if I grab a bottle of water from the fridge?”

  “Help yourself. I didn’t know you were bringing anything, and I’ve already got some burgers out on the grill. Which do you want?”

  “Burgers sound great. I’ll just put this up. You can have it for lunch tomorrow.” She busied herself putting up the food until she heard the sound of the sliding glass door open and close. Then she shut the door to the stainless-steel fridge and allowed herself to breathe. Instead of following him outside, she walked over to the entryway. Since his back was facing her, she peered at him through the glass unseen. She’d always been aware that he was good-looking, but it was hard to believe she’d never noticed how utterly masculine he was until recently.

  Broad, muscular shoulders strained against his plain green polo shirt, and his jeans hung perfectly on equally muscular legs. He had what her sister called a baseball player’s butt. Nice, firm and perfectly rounded. She could just imagine how nice it would be to… Stop, stop, stop! She mentally berated herself and shook those thoughts free before she started undressing him with her eyes. Again.

  This wasn’t a road she dared travel down. She couldn’t act on it. David was a friend, a good friend on whom she’d come to depend immensely. She wasn’t about to do something to screw that up because her hormones were a little loopy.

  Thirty minutes later, David sat on his brown leather sofa, and she stretched her legs out the length of the matching loveseat. David watched the game and she tried to read a magazine but kept dozing off. She was full from the food and even though she loved his company, football could put her in a coma.

  “I’ll never understand your fascination with this game,” she muttered mainly to herself, but loud enough for him to hear.

  “Well, I’ll never understand your obsession with shoes. No one should have ten pairs of black heels.” His lips curved up into a grin.

  “That shows how little you understand women, my friend.” A loud yawn escaped before she could stop herself.

  His eyebrows drew together. “Have you not been sleeping well, or is the game really that boring?”

  She’d certainly gotten a nap this afternoon. Of course it hadn’t done anything but get her worked up. “My sleep has been fine. I just haven’t been getting a lot of it. I’ve been working on new designs practically every night after work and before I know it, it’s after midnight… But yes, the game is that boring.”

  All she received was a snort.

  Jade loved her job and turned a nice profit, but for a while she’d been contemplating creating her own line of clothing and accessories inspired by the Florida lifestyle. “I don’t even know how I’m going to find time to date. I should probably hire someone else at the store.”

  “Has your mom or sister set you up with anyone else?” he asked with hardly any inflection.

  Her sister must be wrong. If he was asking her about dating life, he obviously wasn’t interested himself. Even if he had been checking her out, that didn’t mean anything. He might be one of her best friends, but he was still a man. What did she expect? And why was she disappointed that he didn’t care? She seriously needed her head examined. “No, and I don’t think I’m going to trust my mom anymore. Not after that last disaster.”

  “What about Maya?” He picked up her empty water bottle, his empty beer bottle, and a half-eaten bowl of popcorn.

  “She only knows cops.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” He leaned against the edge of the couch.

  “I told her I don’t want anyone with a dangerous job.”

  “What exactly do you want?”

  She shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious. “For starters, he needs a job.”

  “But not a dangerous one?” A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  “That’s right. Nothing that keeps me up at night. I loved Aidan, but I’m over that constant worrying.”

  “What else?” His words almost sounded like a growl.

  She cleared her throat. “It’s not like I have a laminated list or anything. I just want a
decent man who opens doors for me, who shares the same morals, who I actually like and I want him to treat me like an equal. He needs to be faithful…and the sex needs to be amazing.”

  His eyes widened slightly. “Is that all?”

  “Hey, you asked. I’m tired of living like a nun. Oh yeah, and he needs to appreciate my shoe obsession.” When he rolled his eyes, she tossed a throw pillow at him before returning to her magazine.

  David expertly ducked out of the way and walked to the kitchen laughing under his breath. As he threw their trash away he fought the hard-on straining against his jeans. When Jade said she wanted hot sex it had taken every ounce of willpower he had not to show any visible reaction. Well, other than the one in his pants. The thought of her dating was bad enough, but the thought of her sleeping… No, he couldn’t let his mind wander down that dark road.

  Fifteen years ago, he’d endured twenty-five weeks of intensive training in the form of BUD/S to become a Navy SEAL. He could kill a man with his bare hands at least twenty different ways, he could survive—and had—for months behind enemy lines on any terrain with little to no food or water and could navigate for miles in the ocean in absolute darkness. Now he ran a successful security organization with jobs all over the globe, yet somehow, he couldn’t ask Jade on a date. A simple question. Would you like to go to dinner? Maybe see a movie afterward? He was pathetic.

  He returned with a new beer, but his hard-on wouldn’t go away. If anything, he felt like it was getting bigger. “Isn’t that the singer you like so much?” The halftime show was on, and a petite blonde singer was running around in bare feet from one end of the stage to the other. “Jade?”

  The only response he received was her steady breathing. He peered over the loveseat to find her curled up with a magazine in her lap, eyes closed. Without disturbing her, he removed the magazine from her hands and pulled an afghan down over her. He lifted her feet and sank down on the end of the couch. Her feet twitched in his lap and he resisted the urge to touch them. God, even her feet turned him on. Soft, delicate, just like her. He tried to concentrate on the game, but his eyes kept drifting back to her still figure.