Apparently Elissa wasn’t the only one with sucky taste in men. “Tell her I’m thinking of starting a club for women who’ve given up on men.”
His gaze snapped to her face. “I will.”
She realized what she’d said and wasn’t sure how to recover. “It’s just, before you…I’ve had issues. You know. In the past, I mean.”
He nodded without speaking. Silence filled the room. At last he said, “Something’s wrong. What happened?”
“Nothing. I’m fine. Beyond tired. This was a tough three days, but really worth it.”
His gaze didn’t waver. He studied her with an intensity that made her shift on the sofa.
“I’m fine,” she repeated firmly.
“There’s something. I can see it in your eyes.”
“You’re wrong. Let it go.”
Walker knew he probably should. She’d made it more than clear she wasn’t interested in telling him. But she looked…defeated. He’d never seen that in her before. Everything about her was tough and capable. What could have brought that on?
“Were you robbed?” he asked sharply.
“What? No. Of course not.” She pulled a wad of bills out of her jeans pocket. “I made a ton of money.”
“Did your mother stop by and harass you about Zoe?”
She actually rolled her eyes. “Will you stop? I’m good.”
She wasn’t. The more she protested, the more he was sure.
“Elissa, I can help.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He wasn’t sure. His gut told him there was something serious at stake. That her defeat had come from a place of fear. But who could scare her and why? If she—
She slid across the sofa and straddled him. Before he could react, she put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him.
Her mouth was hot and aggressive. Her tongue darted into his mouth, claiming, teasing, arousing. While his brain knew this was nothing more than a distraction, his body was willing to play the game.
Still, he fought the sudden rise of both his need and his erection right up until she grabbed his hands and placed them on her br**sts.
The soft curves beckoned him. He found himself exploring them, squeezing gently, then moving his thumbs across her tight ni**les. He dropped his hands to her waist, then moved them up again, under her T-shirt. After unfastening her bra, he returned to her br**sts, this time touching bare skin.
She was hot and demanding, rubbing herself against his arousal, kissing him deeply, then pulling back to nip on his jaw and neck and ear. She jerked his T-shirt over his head, then pulled off her own. Then she rose up on her knees and leaned forward so her nipple brushed against his mouth.
He had no choice but to wrap his arms around her, holding her close as he sucked and licked. Wanting pulsed through him, burning him with its intensity. He moved to her other breast. She clasped his head and whispered for him to take her.
“I want you,” she breathed.
Then she was gone. She stood and walked across the living room without once looking back. But at the entrance to the hall, she paused and kicked off her sandals, then pushed off her jeans and panties. The invitation was clear.
In deference to a small child living in the house, Walker kept his jeans on until he reached Elissa’s bedroom. Then he shut the door and gazed at the naked woman waiting for him in bed.
She lay on her back, a condom dangling from one hand. Her smile of invitation was all he needed. He shed the rest of his clothes and joined her on the bed.
She slid the condom onto him, then pushed him onto his back.
“I want to be on top,” she told him. Once again she straddled him, only this time there weren’t any layers between them. As she eased down on him, he pushed inside of her.
He felt the heat and dampness of her body as he entered her. She slid down slowly, claiming him in an erotic dance that made his body surge. Her br**sts hung tantalizingly in front of him. He reached for them and rubbed her ni**les.
She closed her eyes and groaned. As she rose and fell on him, her body contracted around him. The position meant she controlled both speed and depth, which meant she could push him too close too fast.
“Slow down,” he breathed, wanting to make sure she was as far along.
But she ignored him. Up and down, taking him deeper and deeper, drawing him in, tightening around him. He started to lower his hands to her hips, to make her stop, but she cried out.
“Touch me,” she breathed.
He returned his hands to her br**sts.
She moved faster and faster until he reached the point of no return. Until he had to give it up with a shuddering moan. Pleasure shot through him, as he pushed into her and came.
When he was finished, he opened his eyes. “Elissa?”
“That was great,” she said as she moved off of him. “I’ll sleep tonight.”
Would she? Or was that as much a lie as the sex had been. Because what she’d just done hadn’t been about connecting or even getting off. Not for her. It had been about distracting him. He’d been had.
She walked to her closet and pulled out a robe, then yawned broadly. “Thanks, Walker. I’d ask you to stay, but with Zoe and all.” She looked at her clock radio. “Wow, when did it get so late? You must be exhausted from your day. Don’t let me keep you.”
“I HAVE TWENTY-SEVEN hundred dollars,” Elissa told the female attorney sitting across from her, wishing she’d had that money five years ago and had taken care of this then. “I’m not kidding about that. When that’s gone, I’m lucky to scrape together twenty-five dollars a week.”