Jesse leaned a shoulder against the building and let out a sigh. Not only could Audra undoubtedly talk dirty enough to have a man begging for release…she was dirty. As in, criminally dirty.
Damn.
He listened with half an ear as Davey negotiated fund transfers and time frames. He’d be able to track the payoff through Dave’s computer, no problem.
Which meant he was that much closer to solving the case. At least, a part of the case. He’d come to realize in the last few days that Dave Larson was a small piece of a much larger puzzle.
And Jesse wanted the bigger picture. And the promotion that would come with it.
Hell, he was twenty-eight. His late father had already made lieutenant by this age. Of course, Jesse had spent four years earning his degree in computer science, but he should still be farther up the food chain.
This case, the undercover work and proving he could step outside his cozy computer world would seal that promotion for him.
And prove once and for all that he was just as good a cop as his father had been. He grimaced. Being the son of a legend was definitely a pain in the ass.
He watched Davey slide into his car. From the grin on the kid’s face, he must’ve overtipped the valet. Jesse debated following him, but there wasn’t much point. He could track the payoff money easily enough by computer.
Right now he needed to connect with the next level. Which meant Audra. He remembered the taste of those luscious red lips beneath his with pleasure. Some days he loved his job.
Anticipation spinning through his system, he reentered the club. His gaze sought out the table where she’d met the geek. She was still there, surrounded by friends.
When their eyes met, hers grew huge and she ran her tongue over her lower lip before flashing a delighted smile. She murmured something and three other sets of eyes glanced his way, varying degrees of naughty smiles on the women’s faces.
With a look filled with sexual promise, combined with an unexplained gratitude that made his body go on full alert, Audra slid from the barstool in a slow, sexy move. Would she do everything with the same deliberate sensuality? Would he find out?
No. She was now a suspect. A criminal. His key to breaking this case.
But as she walked toward him, the last thing on his brain was the case. His gaze traced long, sleek legs encased in sheer black hose, and his fingers itched to glide up their silky length.
Jesse realized with a sinking heart that after years of wondering if he had any more in common with his late father than their coloring, he’d just found proof positive. Good ole dad had not only had a penchant for dares, he’d had a taste for women who spelled trouble. God knew, this was a rotten time for the grand discovery. Because this woman definitely spelled trouble, in glowing neon letters.
“Looks like it’s later already,” she said when she reached him. He smiled in response to the humor in her husky tone.
“What happened to your date?” he fished. “It didn’t look like it went well.”
“Oh.” She glanced back at the table where her friends watched. She pressed her lips together, then shrugged. “You saw that, huh?”
“Bits and pieces. So that was your blind date?” He held his breath. If she admitted it was a business association, he could haul her in for questioning.
“Of a sort,” she replied.
Damn it.
“A sort, huh?”
“Yeah, a sort.” She hesitated, then gave a one-shouldered shrug. “You know, more like a dare. You ever get suckered into a dare? There is just no way out.”
“Believe me, I know all about dares.”
“Then you know how humiliating it is to back down from one, don’t you?” As she spoke, Audra shifted so she stood between his legs. He wanted to pull her against him, to feel her body give way to the straining flesh pressing against his now too-tight jeans. She traced a finger over his mouth. Jesse’s lip tingled, and it was all he could do to keep from pulling that finger into his mouth and sucking on it. He was a passionate man—it was in his blood—but he’d never experienced this level of deep, dark excitement.
“Oh, yeah, a dare refused is a guarantee of humiliation,” he agreed.
“Sometimes a dare accepted holds the same guarantee.”
Was she talking about her deal with Davey? Larson could be involved in anything from credit card fraud to identity theft. What had he passed to Audra? Jesse was going to have to find out.
“It sounds like you’re an expert on dares,” he said.
Something dimmed the sparkle in her huge brown eyes. To Jesse, it looked like a combination of indecision and reluctance. Her gaze slid past him, a frown quirked her brow, and then she puffed out a little sigh.
“How about we blow this joint? Find a little privacy and get to know each other better?”
His mouth went so dry, Jesse couldn’t reply. Instead, he nodded.
Desire ripping through him like a jagged knife, he followed Audra out of the nightclub, his gaze glued on the tantalizing sway of her leather-clad hips.
Jesse told himself he was just playing along for the case. He had to follow her to find out what she knew. That was all. He didn’t intend to let it get out of hand.
But for the first time in his six-year career as a cop, he wondered if he could keep his pants on long enough to arrest a woman before having desperate, mind-blowing sex with her.
AUDRA WELCOMED the warm evening air after the stifling, sticky heat of the club. Her ears still ringing from the loud music, she took in a few deep breaths and wished for a breeze.
“Did you want to go somewhere? Get something to eat or some coffee?” Jesse offered. His hand warmed her hip as he shifted to protect her from being jostled by the partyers shoving past them to leave the club.
Did she want to go anywhere? Audra eyed the hunk at her side and puffed out a breath. He was hot, no question about it. But more, he had a layer of sweetness that had her alternating between wanting to hug him close and lick him all over. The latter boded well for her current predicament, the former was better avoided.
After all, thanks to that crazy man who’d freaked out over her offer to get friendly, Jesse had become her new dare. Not that she was proud to have the first failed dare chalked up under her name. But at least that failure came with a sweet reward. She eyed Jesse in delight. He’d make this dare a pleasure.
All she had to do was focus on the rush of sexual energy arcing between them like a rainbow, a bone-melting orgasm the promised reward. And ignore the spark of emotion, the weird desire to get to know him better. After a year of watching her brother and his bride grow closer, she’d probably just picked up on their couple vibe. Like a virus, that kind of thing could only be dangerous to her health, though. So she’d ignore it.
“How about we find someplace quiet,” she suggested with a wink, “and see what comes up?”
From the widening of those delicious coffee-brown eyes, he got her message. The heat there told her he was all for it, but then his gaze shifted, became more reserved.
“There’s a little coffee shop nearby,” he countered. “We can order something to drink, maybe a piece of pie, and talk?”
He was kidding, right? Audra stopped and looked closer. There was a hint of color on his cheeks, but that could just be the neon lights. He was gorgeous, no question about that. And sexy as hell, but he didn’t seem used to the club scene. Was he playing hard to get? Or was he one of those? A fabled good boy?
She squinted, taking in his shadowed jawline, his crooked nose, and the slight