Her knowing look belied her innocent words.
He couldn’t help but smile back at her. She practically preened over her small victory.
“Seems to me you were right on target.”
She shrugged a careless shoulder and waved an airy hand, gestures that loosely conveyed consent to his words. Josh wondered if she always spoke so eloquently with her body. Her sequins danced and winked, giving her the illusion of perpetual motion.
“Maybe you’re right,” she admitted, treating him to an obvious once-over. “I just hope the reward proves to be as much fun as the chase.”
Name the place, honey. The temperature between them soared a few more degrees.
The woman was a firecracker.
Josh’s smuggling investigation faded into the background for one perilous moment. His work suddenly seemed as distant as the zebra-printed walls and the pulsing Latin music. This tiny woman had a bigger presence than salsa or smugglers.
But Josh wouldn’t allow himself to lose focus.
Before he could respond, the woman offered a cheeky grin and a formal handshake.
“I’m Lexi Mansfield.”
Josh suspected it would be dangerous to touch her, but how could he ignore such an innocuous overture? Hesitating only briefly, he closed his fingers around Lexi’s long, jeweled fingers.
“Josh Winger, at your service.”
She squeezed his hand back, her grip surprisingly strong for such a little thing.
“I certainly hope so, Mr. Winger.”
Distracted by the wicked twinkle in her brown eyes and the exotic scent of her, Josh didn’t notice the handcuffs until cold metal clamped around his wrist.
With a deft click of the mechanism worthy of a veteran vice detective, Josh’s stalker chained herself to him.
So much for his skills as an undercover cop.
He was about to be brought low by a kinky dominatrix with killer cleavage and a lethal attitude. Lexi Mansfield had just blown his cover—and fueled all his fantasies—by handcuffing him into a naughty scenario guaranteed to attract attention.
2
LEXI’S SENSE OF ADVENTURE fled when Josh stared back at her with hard, cold eyes.
“What the hell are you doing?” He jerked the handcuffs enough to pull her forward slightly.
Luckily, her sense of indignation helped her stand her ground. “No rough stuff, mister.” She held up her end of the handcuffs and jangled the links between them. “I’m at the other end of these, remember.”
He looked like she’d just sentenced him to twenty-to-life. What was the big deal? She’d hauled at least ten other people to the jail cell tonight, and nobody else had caused such a fuss. If anything, they’d been more interested in giving Lexi the cold shoulder than worrying about their jail time.
Josh Winger angled his big body between her and the dance floor, shielding their conversation from any wayward eyes. “What I want to know is why I’m on this end.” He hissed the words between clenched teeth. “You got some kind of fetish?”
Lexi blinked up at him, realizing the man seemed to have no clue what fund-raiser he’d bought a ticket for tonight.
“No, Mr. Winger, I don’t. I happen to be the jail mistress for the Buy a Celebrity’s Freedom event tonight. Care to come with me quietly?”
He stared at her for an interminable moment, weighing her words and sizing up her person. Lexi resisted the urge to stand up straighter. She’d followed this man because she wanted to meet him, maybe lure him into a one-night stand to somehow soothe her stinging self-esteem.
Now, she realized she’d obviously forgotten how to flirt. Josh Winger remained oblivious to all her best provocation.
Finally, his gaze returned to hers, his gray eyes seeing too deeply inside her. “I can’t guarantee I’ll come with you quietly, Lexi—” Was it her imagination, or did the phrase take on new meaning when it fell from his lips? “I think it depends on just how far you want to go.”
A wave of heat took a slow ride over her flesh, awakening every last nerve ending to the draw of the stud sporting one earring. His words melted the backbone she’d fought hard for all night, leaving her swaying on her high heels, and suddenly more than a little wary.
“Um.” She fought her way out of the sensual fog to concentrate on her answer. Forget flirting. This man could out-flirt her with his hands—well, handcuffed. She’d be lucky to deposit him in the jail cell without spontaneously combusting first. “I just need to put you in the cell over there.”
She pointed toward the edge of the dance floor—anything to distract him so she could pull herself together. Maybe she’d think more clearly when they weren’t handcuffed. Then she could decide whether she wanted to proceed with her plan to test out her personal magnetism.
Josh’s gaze didn’t follow her finger. Instead, he kept his focus directly on her.
Her sequins tread dangerously close to his dinner jacket with each breath she took. The heat of his body penetrated her lightweight gown, giving her the sense they’d already touched somehow.
What would it be like to spend a night with a man like this? Would she dare?
“Do you know who I am, Lexi?”
Too sexy for his own good?
“No.”
“I’m a police detective. Tenth precinct. It’s usually me who locks the people behind bars, so you caught me a little off guard here tonight.”
She nodded, trying to make sense of his words. “I’m sure many of tonight’s partygoers will vie to spring you from captivity, Detective. You won’t have to sit behind bars for very long.” Lexi had no doubt this man would start a catfight as women lined up to ransom him. She’d told herself that had been a small facet of her reason for pursuing him.
He shook his head, causing a lock of hair to fall forward on his forehead, making her hand itch to smooth it.
“You don’t understand. I’m not going into the jail cell.”
Lexi straightened. “You have to. Party rules.”
She saw a flash of frustration in his eyes, followed by something hotter and more complex.
He reached for her with his free hand, his fingers settling on the bare skin of her arm. His touch was light but scorching, trailing down her shoulder to pause a hair’s breadth from her breast.
Lexi didn’t breath for fear she’d close the gap.
He leaned fractionally closer. “I’m a cop, you know. I have some experience with these.” He jangled the handcuffs that bound them together.
The image that brought to mind was definitely X-rated. Surely she misunderstood. “Are you saying you know how to escape?”
He blinked slowly, a smile twitching his lips. “Is that what you think I’m saying?”
She had to take a breath or else she’d start hyper-ventilating. She gulped in smoke-filled air, her expanding chest promptly brushing along the heel of Josh’s hand. Her skin tightened, her breasts puckered in immediate response. Thankfully, her sequins and her starchy strapless bra kept her reactions well hidden.
“I think you’d better explain yourself so we don’t misunderstand each other,” she managed to say.
He leaned so close that his rough cheek grazed her smooth skin; his lips hovered beside her ear. Other