Page 16 of Protector Unmatched

Tired of her problems and the choices she had to make, she let herself go. A few moments of bliss, of abandon, surely couldn’t hurt. Even if what she did was wrong. Even if Pearce was an enemy. An enemy with the perfect touch. A touch that awakened something in her, a need she’d not fulfilled in quite a while, the need to feel a man’s hands and lips on her.

With every second their mouths were fused, the heat between them increased. As if they were two matches rubbing against each other, daring the other to ignite first.

When Pearce squeezed her ass harder while rubbing his hard-on against her, a loud moan escaped her. Suddenly, he ripped his lips from hers and loosened his grip.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his baby-blues shining with lust. “I’m going too fast, aren’t I?” He took his hand off her backside and let out a breath. “I didn’t mean to maul you like that.”

“Maul me?” Far from it. Though the word did act as a cold shower.

“Yeah, your lips are all red.” He rubbed his chin. “Sorry, five o’clock shadow. Had I known, I would have shaved…”

She almost had to chuckle at that. Almost. His act was good. First, he’d played the shy but loveable geek, then the experienced kisser, and now he was the date who showed concern.

“It’s okay,” she said automatically, and turned her head away.

But a moment later, she felt his fingers underneath her chin, turning her face back to him. “I should probably leave.”

Damn it, how was she gonna get access to his cell phone now? Or a chance to win him over to her side so he would betray Guido? “So soon?”

With a smile, he shook his head. “As tempting as this is, I can’t stay. I know where it would end. And I’m not gonna take advantage of you like that.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek in a gesture so tender that it made her forget for a moment who he was. “But you haven’t seen the last of me yet.” He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “Now how about that phone number so I can ask you out for a proper date?”

She looked at her hands and realized that she wasn’t holding the cell phone anymore. Where was it? But before she could look around, Pearce was already reaching for something on the floor. It was his phone.

“Oh, sorry, I must have dropped it,” she said.

“Not your fault,” he said, and unlocked it. “Now, what’s your number?”

Seeing that he wasn’t handing the phone back to her but had decided to program the number himself, she had no choice but to recite it for him.

He typed it in, then added her name. Her full name. She sucked in a breath, and he looked up instantly. Their eyes met.

He looked caught. Guilty. This confirmed it more than ever before. But she was curious what excuse he would have for knowing her last name, when she’d only introduced herself by her first name.

“How did you know my last name?”

He hesitated for just a fraction of a second, then pointed over his shoulder. “Uh, the mail on your kitchen counter.” He shrugged. “Sorry, didn’t mean to nose around, but I notice stuff.”

“Hmm.” Smart. She cast a look toward the counter, where, indeed, some of her mail was piling up.

Pearce pressed a button on his phone, and a second later, her own cell phone began to ring.

“Now you have my number.” He disconnected the call, and the ringing stopped. “And you can program me in under Douglas, Pearce Douglas.”

“I will,” she promised, and right after he was gone, she would scour the internet to find out if a Pearce Douglas existed, or whether he’d just made up the name to put her at ease.

Pearce grabbed his jacket and put it on, then shoved his phone into his pocket before looking at her again.

“Are you gonna answer when I call you?” he asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you suddenly have that look as if you regretted letting me kiss you.”

“Regretted?” She couldn’t let him believe that, because there was still a chance that she could milk him for information, if not tonight, then maybe tomorrow.

She felt like a vixen when she took a step toward him, put her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled his head to her. “Does this look like regret?” she asked, and kissed him as deeply as he’d kissed her earlier.

Pearce immediately slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, but she was already taking her lips off his.

“Are you trying to drive me insane?” he asked, and pressed his forehead to hers, while letting out a ragged breath. “Have mercy on a shy computer geek, Daphne.”

“I don’t think you’re as shy as you claim to be.”

He laughed. “Well, I guess you’re gonna find out the truth sooner or later.”

Another threat veiled with a joke. He was subtle, but they both knew what game they were playing. The question was: who was better at it?