“Though I hate to admit it, you never know. Christopher must have kept a lot of secrets. That’s probably the reason he had his own bank accounts and why I was surprised that he emptied our joint one. Clearly, he needed money for something. But what specifically, I have no idea.”“Even more reason to find out.”Since Alaric might be the only person she could trust right now, she decided to ask for his help. “I’d like to go through his papers in his home office. Once we’re finished doing that here, I’d like to check out his office downtown.”“I think that’s a great idea,” Alaric replied. “I wouldn’t mention this to Chloe Davis just yet. It might be better if you surprised her.”Since she hadn’t yet reached a decision about whether or not to trust Christopher's campaign manager and assistant, she nodded. “Agreed. Do you mind coming with me and helping me look? You might see something I miss.”“Of course not. When do you want to start?”“We can go now. I need something to keep me busy and

She made a sound, a low moan like an animal in pain. Her gaze locked with his and held. Her lips parted and then she reached up and cupped both hands along-side his face. She pulled him to her, crushing her mouth to his. Instead of tenderness, she kissed him with raw need, her hunger for him electrifying.Fire ignited, zinging in his veins, short-circuiting everything but the seductive feel of this woman in his arms.Her mouth warm, her tongue mating with his. She pushed herself into him, moving them backward, until he stumbled and fell back into the overstuffed chair, pulling her down, almost on top of him. This didn’t faze her at all. Instead, her eyes gleaming, she straddled him. She gave a soft, sexy laugh, and his body responded instantly. She kissed him again, her mouth continuing to move over his in deep, drugging kisses full of passion, full of soul. He slipped his hands up her arms, her skin so silky soft, not sure if he meant to hold her in place or bring her closer. She dec

She was bare between the thighs, with the exception of a neatly trim thatch of dark curls.His once dry mouth watered. He wanted—no, needed—to touch her, to taste her. Every glorious inch of her. He needed to be on her, inside her. Especially between her thighs. He wanted to dive in with his tongue and then his cock.Surprisingly, there was a small tattoo beside her hip to the right of her navel. It was a red rose, slight bent at the top. Three petals lay at the base of the green stem. He dragged his eyes up, and there was no mistaking the lust in her gaze. The flush racing across her cheeks and down her throat told him that she saw his hunger. Her nipples tightened even more, and he groaned.“You’re the most fucking magnificent thing I’ve ever seen,” he ground out.Then those wonderful seconds came to an end. She reached over, snatched up a towel, and hastily wrapped it around her body. Her mouth opened and he knew she was about to give him an ass-chewing for the ages, but he wasn’t

“Oh.” Her thoughts were muddled in a sensual haze. “It was just a dream.”He pulled her closer and then his mouth was on her breast, licking over the peak and then tugging on it with his teeth. The sharp burst of pleasured pain was instantly soothed with a lap of his tongue. He alternated between the quick nips and licks until her head fell back. She cried out, her body shuddering even as it tightened deliciously.Alaric suddenly pulled back, and her eyes flew open. She stared at him in disbelief. “You stopped!”“For now.” He sent her a fleeting grin and then pulled his shirt off over his head.His body…she hadn’t forgotten how perfect it was. The broad, muscled shoulders, hard pecs, and a stomach that was rippled and chiseled like rock. He was 100 percent male, not an inch of flab on his body. Her gaze found a puckered, circular scar on his shoulder, the skin a darker shade than the rest of his body. She wanted to ask how he got it, because to her, it really looked like a bullet woun

“You said earlier that you planned on putting my mouth to good use.”He had said that, and fuck if he didn’t want that more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, but he…Alaric shook his head. Her tongue moved against her lips and whatever tiny level of hesitation that had been brewing in his chest evaporated like smoke. Her eyes were wide and dark with passion, hair a tumbled mess over her shoulders and curling around her breasts. It was the first time he’d seen her look so…so free. And fuck, she was perfect.“Well then…” He rose, unbuttoning his pants. He had them off in less than a second.Her gaze dropped, and she made a sound that his cock really liked. He was hard, jutting up in the air, and so close to losing it that if she kept staring at him like that, he’d come right then. Gripping her shoulders, he positioned her on her knees before him and then bent down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that ended too soon. Then he straightened before her.With her wrists secure