Chapter 3

"I, uh, better go too," she said. "I have to work tomorrow."

Jerome narrowed his gaze at her, knowing he couldn't let her go until he knew more about her. But there was a deeper reason, one that he felt on a personal level.

He looked at his watch."Tomorrow is Saturday".

"I have work to do."

"Have a drink with me," he offered. "I'm only here at night. We won't stand a chance.

The words lingered between them, true in more ways than she could imagine, heavy with the implications they carried. Her lashes fluttered, shielding her eyes from his gaze. I could almost feel her inner struggle. He almost enjoys his desire. "A drink," she finally agreed, fixing him with a red-hot gaze.A look that told her she could have more than one drink.

And Lord help him, he wanted more. Tonight could only end in two ways. If she was on Pedro's payroll, he'd have her naked in two seconds. But unless she was working with Pedro, which he strongly suspected, she was going to take a long, cold shower.

As she slipped into the alcove in the corner of the deserted living room, Anna felt a flutter of anticipation in her stomach as Jerome settled himself comfortably beside her.

"Tequila sunrise?" he asked, pointing to the waitress, who quickly found her way to the table.

Anna nodded, surprised that he had noticed her drink but pleased. Satisfied to the point of feeling...excited.In fact, everything about the man did that to him.

He ordered the drinks and Anna eyed him. He had a strong profile, a straight nose, a firm chin that spoke of confidence, full lips made for kissing. His gaze slid to her hands. What was in his hands?Strong with long fingers.

It had been ages since she had reacted that way to a man and she wondered why now? Why this man? Not that it wasn't hot. He was.In fact, her body, her good looks almost screamed "s*x". Despite this, she had met many handsome boys. Until this man, however, she had been quite cold. Really, honestly, work had ruled her world and she liked it that way. It was safe, free of emotional baggage, free of distractions.

Anna let a slow stream of air brush her lips as she caught sight of the flickering candle in the center of the table. She didn't know the answers. What she knew was that if a man could set a woman on fire without trying, she would be in trouble if the temperature rose. Maybe it was the attitude. Or maybe her body was rebelling against the total lack of male attention she'd foisted on her since their divorce.she had put her past behind her and sex had been part of it. Part of the greed that had brought her to a dark place she didn't want to return to. Her stomach knotted at the thought of the case that had changed her life. She had dropped out of the killer only to see him kill again. It had been a wake-up call beyond his years, a crime in itself.Only recently, after jailing as many criminals as she had, had she started looking in the mirror again.

Accept the past and allow yourself to live again. Still, that didn't stop her embarrassment. Her total hatred of what she had allowed himself to become. But it's been a long time.She was attracted to him in a way that was hard to ignore. Maybe it was time to stop running and face the final part of leaving the past behind. Maybe it was time to indulge in some fearless sexual exploration.

"Alone at last," Jerome said as the waitress left, giving Anna an amazing smile.

Dark and deserted, the room certainly lent itself to privacy.Apparently the noisiest bar they left was the most popular place to spend the night.

Anna commented, quickly engaged in conversation rather than naughty fantasies about an upstairs hotel room. "What brings you to town?"

"Business," he said. He paused, took her hand and wrapped his own around it.The waitress put the drinks on the table. "What kind of business are you in?" Anna asked, telling herself that she cared about the answer because she knew she should. But she really didn't want to talk at all. She wanted to kiss him.Or just go to his room. The thought spontaneously confirmed what her body already knew. She had to have this man.

"I deal in import and export." She paused and lowered her voice, cupping her hand to her mouth and fixing it with a sultry gaze.

She swallowed hard, looked into those sensuous eyes and felt lost, lost deep in the mist of attraction. His words were still registered in the farthest corners of her mind. Hearing that she would probably never see this man again gave her a small pang of disappointment, but it also offered him freedom. Freedom to explore without fear of being connected to the USA Lawyer prosecuting one of the biggest drug lords in existence. It was a rare chance to test the sexual waters again without a tomorrow to face.

"So you're staying at the hotel?" she asked, her eyes never leaving him.

His eyes darkened ever so slightly, in response to the importance of her question. "I am .you?

'No. I came for a party," he said. He was still holding her hand and his thumb caressed her wrist, sending hot darts up her arm. "My sister passed the bar exam."

His forehead gradually rose."Impressive. A lawyer. Does that run in the family?

“You could probably say that. i am a lawyer My sister will work in my father's company.

"You don't work there?"

"Oh no." Too late he realized how sharp the answer was. From the interested look on Jerome's handsome face, she hadn't missed his tone.A hugging couple walked by and Anna was overjoyed at the fun. This was a s*xy adventure, not a place for dirty laundry.

Jerome let go of her hand to reach for his drink and Anna immediately felt the loss of his touch. She busied herself with reaching for her drink and taking a long gulp, a little surprised at her reaction to this man.

Jerome took a sip of his longneck beer."What kind of laws do you exercise?" I ask.

"Penalty".

"Which side?"

She bowed her head at the strange question."What do you mean which side?"

Only the hint of a smile touched his lips before he picked up his beer and took another sip, seemingly unhurried to reply. As he put the bottle down, he scooted closer to her, pinning their legs together and resting his arm on the table behind her.

He imprisoned her with his body in the intimate way a lover imprisons his wife, framing her, hiding her from the rest of the room. "Do you take out the bad guys or do you put them behind bars?"I'm a federal prosecutor," she said, certain that simply saying so would put an end to the odd conversation.

His free hand slipped under the hem of her skirt and rested on her knee. He leaned his head down, Jerome's lips lingered just above her ear, his warm breath caressing her neck and sending shivers down her spine.

"Do you want to make the rules... or break them?" I ask.The sexual undertone of his question became clear. Anna leaned back far enough to meet his eyes, her body heavy with desire, her nipples firm with arousal. "I definitely make the rules," she whispered.

There was a challenge on his face, a look that said… she was wrong. A look that said he made the rules. "Breaking the rules," he said in a voice so sensuous it caressed her nerve endings and drew her in further, "can be quite... nice." As if to prove his point, his hand twitched under the red tablecloth, up her thigh to touch her crotch. He stroked and teased her sensitive flesh, so close to her core.So close... She caught her breath as his fingers brushed the damp silk between her thighs. "I'm not breaking the rules," Anna managed to retort, her hand slipping under the table to stop his, their eyes meeting in heated confrontation. "I make the people who do it pay for their bad behavior."

"Really?" Jerome asked, interest evident in his voice."A really good girl, isn't she?" He pushed her legs a little further apart and then maneuvered his hands so that hers were over his core. His forehead rested against hers and he said softly, "You're not acting like a good girl right now, Anna."

The way he said her name, with a twist of the L, got her hot. Unable to answer him, she bit her lip to stifle a groan as their combined fingers brushed against the tiny silk barrier of her panties.His lips brushed her ear as he mumbled something in Spanish she didn't understand. Then he said, "I like a woman who knows when to take charge," and his fingers worked with hers to push aside her panties and caress her swollen clit. "A woman who knows how to get results."

Her eyelashes fluttered, her mind lost in the demands of her body. Her fingers worked with his, sliding over the smooth folds at her core and caressing them gently.To kid. As Jerome inserted a long finger into her body, she could hardly breathe with pleasure. He cupped her mound in both hands and massaged while stroking her inner wall.

"Come get me baby. You are so wet.i know you want to come

He understood well. With the movement of his hand, or rather his hands, he could hardly contain his desire to swing. "I...I...oh..." She bit back a groan that would surely draw unwanted attention. But it felt so... good.She couldn't help it. I needed this, I needed salvation so badly. As if Jerome knew what she was struggling with, his mouth covered hers, swallowing the sound of satisfaction before it filled the room. It was a kiss that marked her with sensual heat, his tongue delivering such perfection that it seemed to caress her clit, as did his thumb.

Anna shuddered from the impact, her body tensing in the onset of release, a release so intense she ached with pleasure. He brought her to orgasm, his fingers and tongue and hand taking her higher and higher...then taking her to slow, sweet pleasure.

When Anna finally went silent, Jerome's fingers stayed between her legs and she knew she should be ashamed. Instead she stared at him, speechless at how lost she was in this man, this stranger. How easily he had made her forget her surroundings, forget herlife, forget the past and even the present.

Anna had hooked up with her ex in some pretty kinky and pretty nice places. But never, never had she felt cut off from the world. She had never seen pleasure as a way out.Before, she'd always felt... distant, like a spectator watching backstage.

This was new territory and Anna didn't even know how to react.

Jerome put her clothes back in place and then smoothed her hair, his touch gentle, his expression unreadable. Maybe even a little dark. He took a deep breath and then closed his eyes tightly.One second. Two.

His eyelashes rose. "I am sorry."

"What for?she asked confused.

"I have to go," he said, and without another word he jumped out of his seat and left.

Anna stared at him in bewilderment.

Did he really get up and leave? Just give her an orgasm and then say goodbye?

JEROME RIDES HIS MOTORCYCLE INTO THE MOUNTAINS and starts the engine, more than ready to feel the speed of the bike beneath him. He'd been a fool to take Anna this far and not run away the moment he'd cut a bad game from his schedule. But not. He stayed. Drawn by her presence, by her attraction to the woman, he stayed.For some crazy reason, he couldn't help it. Seeing her so hot for him, so eager to please, had pushed him over the edge.

"Chingado," he said, softly adding a few other adjectives in Spanish. He had done what he had to do, Jerome told himself, trying to feel better about what he had done. Survival required desperate steps.I'm sure she would understand. Anna had studied the Pedro Case. He knew how vicious, even toxic, the man could be. Shaking his head, Jerome laughed, but without humor. Who was he kidding? He stayed because he loved Anna.He really wanted her.

Even now he could half persuade himself to go back to that hotel and get a room and f#ck her all night. Why not? The damage was already done. She would hate him when she found out he was her new key witness against Pedro.He mumbled again and revved the engine, forcing himself to get away. Hating what this job had done to him and vowing to walk away when this was over.

No one could play as much as he did without getting caught up, and he knew it.