Page 7 of Dark Alliance
Connor
My jacket cloaks Cat’s body, but I can still trace the outline of her curves through the thick wool. She tastes of olives, a subtle salt that only increases my thirst for more. The scent of roses invades my nose as I tangle a hand in her hair and tilt her head back.
She presses closer, and her whimper sparks a sudden hunger inside me.
She’s fucking gorgeous.
I pull back, let her catch her breath, then trail my lips down her jaw while inhaling more of that sweet scent at her neck. She bends toward me, pliant and loose as she sighs against my hair.
Damn, this woman’s even needier than I anticipated.
I’m not surprised Caterina Ricci had zero plans for New Year’s Eve or that she showed at the bar. She owed me my jacket, sure—and she wears it so well—but the recon I performed on her and her live-wire brother convinced me that she’d never decline the invitation.
She’s by the book. A serious businessperson, both in the art world and within the Ricci organization. Cat, as she calls herself, is an all-work, no-play woman.
And she desperately needssomefun. Considering she’s a joy to talk to and smoking hot, I’m more than happy to provide that service.
I’m going to transform all-business Cat into a loose party girl before the night’s over.
The pictures I found did her no justice. Photos don’t capture a person’s essence, and Cat’s dripping with sexual energy. Every time she slides one of those olives past those red lips, it takes all my willpower to keep from replacing it with my tongue.
She clearly would’ve let me.
Oh, yeah, she’s going to be a blast.
But work is work, and I’ve still got a job to do.
So even though I plan to enjoy the night, I’m mostly focused on Cat’s whip-smart mind, not her body. I can’t help but sense that Cat’s a Ricci secret weapon or hidden gem. Do they even know what they have? Can they see through the fact that she’s a woman? I wouldn’t be shocked to learn they’re not utilizing her full potential.
That’s their loss and my gain, I guess.
I slip a hand around Cat’s neck, tugging her closer as my lips return to her mouth and my tongue tangles against hers. She utters a soft, sweet moan that I swallow with my own groan.
I pull back without releasing her silky curls. “Cat?”
“Yeah?” Her cheeks flush, and she blinks at me with shining, gold-flecked eyes.
“Happy New Year.”
She smiles, her lipstick smudged at the corner of her lips. “Happy New Year to you, too, Dane Ryder.”
The name almost annoys me.
She wants me, that’s for sure. But she wantsDane Ryderme, and I’m ready to shove that guy off the Empire State Building. I’d much rather hear her moaningConnor.
“What’s up with that expression?” She brushes her fingers along my collar. “What are you thinking?”
Careful, Connor.
I catch her hand and kiss a knuckle. Gotta play up the debonair act a little while longer. “Just wondering why you’re saying my full name.”
“Well, it’s a movie star name.” She grins a little. “Like Brad Pitt, Tom Hardy, Jamie Foxx, Dane Ryder… Can you hear it?”
A real laugh escapes me before I can stop it. This woman’s too smart for her own good. The fact that some part of her clocked my bullshit should irritate me, but instead, I’m more aroused than ever. “Can I take you home?” I trail my hand down her back, tugging at the ends of her hair. “I really don’t want this night to end.”
She shakes her head. “I have work.”
I thought she was kidding. “On New Year’s Day?”
