Personal Demon

HOPE: REBOUND

As we were leaving, Jaz grabbed my hand and ducked into a side hall. At the end was a locked door. A flick of a credit card and we were inside an intimate private lounge.

Only two security lights lit the room and we had to pause just beyond the door. After a minute, I could make out a few tables and a small bar.

Still holding my hand, Jaz led me into a darkened nook beside the bar. Then, without a word, he pulled me to him in a kiss. I could feel his heart hammering. From the thrill of the break-in, I presumed, but when he pulled back, there was trepidation in his eyes, lifting only when I leaned in for another kiss.

“Whew,” he breathed.

“Not so sure of your welcome?”

“I wanted to make sure last night was about being in a public place, not about me.”

“It definitely wasn’t you.”

Another kiss, starting slow. My head spun again as that delicious aura of chaos swirled from him. Soon we were on the floor, my legs wrapped around his hips, his hands in my hair, kissing me hard enough to bruise my lips, but I didn’t care.

We writhed against each other, his hands on my rear, then my breasts, but making no move to slide under my clothes, rough gropes mingled with tender caresses, making my head spin all the more. Frustrated lust coursed through me, the kind I hadn’t felt since I was a teenager, making out with a guy in his backseat, waiting for him to take the next step.

“Sure you’re not leaving?” he whispered, voice ragged.

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you? Payback time.”

An almost sheepish look. “Nah.”

“Oh, no?” I slid my hand down his shirt and rubbed his crotch. A soft moan as he shifted to make it easier. “I wouldn’t blame you if it was payback. Not a nice thing for me to do.”

“I survived.” He opened one eye. “But, yeah, I was pretty revved up. Ran outside after I got your message, hoping I could catch up with you before you left.”

“Can I make it up to you?”

He chuckled. “Pretty sure you could.”

“How?”

The chuckle turned to a laugh, then a groan as I slid my fingers under his waistband. “Better not leave it too open-ended for me.”

“It is open-ended. Anything you want.”

He entwined his fingers in my hair. “If I was a typical guy, I suppose I’d do this…” He tugged my hair, pulling me down his chest, then stopped. “Is that what you had in mind?”

“It would be…if you were a typical guy.”

A laugh loud enough that I glanced at the door.

“You’re right. No one’s ever mistaken me for a typical guy. Meaning, if you make that offer, I may ask for something a little atypical.”

“Go ahead.”

His gaze searched mine, as if considering how I might react. A quick grin, then he put his hands on my back, flipped us over, laid me on the ground and backed away.

“Undress for me.”

“You want me to…?”

“You heard me.”

I smiled. “Just checking.”

He’d backed up to a spot a few feet away, and sat there, eyes on me, waiting.

I stood and started with my sandals, taking a moment to get past that first blast of embarrassment and recapture the chaos vibes still circling around us.

“If you don’t want to…” he said.

I met his gaze. “No, I want to.”

I did want to. I wanted Jaz and everything he promised to be-a giddy, passionate affair that would remind me what such a thing could be, and help me move past Karl.

I reached for my skirt next, then stopped and, instead, pulled off my panties, tugging them down my thighs, aware of Jaz’s gaze following every move. I pulled them off one leg, then kicked them off the other. Not the most graceful kick, but Jaz didn’t seem to notice.

My halter top tied in the back, and my fumbling with that was also less graceful than I would have liked. Once untied, I let the shirt fall and Jaz let out a hiss, seeing I wasn’t wearing anything under it. He shifted, inching closer.

“Just one piece left,” I said, tugging at the skirt. “Sure you don’t want to do the honors?”

“Go ahead. Please.”

This time I did drag it out, slowly writhing out of the skirt until I stood there, naked. And he didn’t move. Just stared, which was better than any compliment he could have paid me. After a moment, though, as if realizing he should say something he said, “You’re gorgeous.” A blush darkened his cheeks. “I mean, you were gorgeous already, but now you’re…damn.”

I laid down, arms beneath my head, stretching languorously, his admiration making me bold.

“So now what do you want me to do?” I said.

A deep chuckle. “Oh, I could think of a few things, but if you do, this is going to end very quickly.” He slid his hand down to his crotch and stroked himself through his jeans, no hesitation, no embarrassment. His brazenness-and the sight-made a fresh wave of heat course through me.

“Your turn, then,” I said. “Take it off for me.”

He grinned. “An order I would love to obey, but…” He slid over to me. “I think I’d better leave them on awhile, to slow me down.”

He moved over me, clothes brushing my bare skin, light enough to send shivers through me. Then he lowered himself, mouth coming down to mine in a kiss so hard I gasped, as I wrapped my arms and legs around him, his clothes rough against my bare skin. I could feel him hard against me, his jeans chafing me in places I probably wouldn’t want to be chafed tomorrow, but right now, it felt amazing.

“Still want me undressed?” he whispered against my ear.

“Not necessary,” I said, and reached for his fly.

I was still getting the button undone when his cell phone rang. He grabbed it from his pocket and threw it across the room, where it gave one strangled ring before dying.

“What if it’s Guy?” I said.

“It is. Fuck him. I’ll deal with it.”

I undid his button. Then my cell phone started and Jaz let out a string of curses venomous enough to make me jump. He lifted off me and hovered there, then backed away.

“Better get it.”

In other words, he’d take his punishment from Guy, but wasn’t going to let me.

It was indeed Guy, and in a foul mood, demanding to know if Jaz was with me. Jaz must have overheard, and took the phone. After a minute, he hung up, scowling.

“Some Cabal bullshit. Wants us there in twenty minutes.”

Even the promise of more Cabal information wasn’t enough to keep me from thinking It’s a ten-minute cab ride, fifteen tops, so that leaves us five minutes… But it was too late. The mood was broken.

When I asked Jaz what he wanted to do, he gave a humorless laugh. “What I want to do obviously isn’t what I’m going to do. And I’m not rushing this.” He leaned over, lips brushing mine. “It’s too important to rush. We’ll have time afterward. Maybe I can manage a bed for you, like a gentleman.”

“I don’t want a gentleman.”

A grin. “Let’s get this damned meeting over with, then.”

EVERYONE WAS ALREADY in Guy’s office when we arrived. Jaz led me over to where Sonny was leaning against the wall.

“Glad you could join us,” Guy said.

Jaz’s silence-when he’d usually make a good-natured comeback-had Guy eyeing him, then glancing at me.

“Everything okay?” Guy asked.

“Peachy, boss. So what’s up?”

“What’s up” was indeed a Cabal problem, though not urgent enough to warrant such a sudden meeting…but that may have been sexual frustration talking.

Guy had received information that identified one of the men who’d robbed and beaten Jaz and Sonny. From his contact, Guy knew the target spent most evenings out, and kept a home office. Where there’s an office, there’s paperwork, or at least the electronic version. A break-in might tell us why the Cabal suddenly felt the need to smack down Guy’s gang. If that failed, then they could wait until the man returned and get the information direct from the source.

As Guy talked, Jaz’s annoyance with the meeting fell away, until he was fairly squirming in his seat, shooting grins my way.

“Sounds like we’re going to have another exciting night,” he whispered to me, then called to Guy, “I’m out for interrogation duty, boss. Not my style. But I’m there for the break-in. Faith should come along-she can scout for trouble and she’s a damned good thief, so-”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Jasper, but that’s not the plan.”

Jaz glanced at me. “But that power of hers-”

“-is invaluable in a sensitive break-in. I agree. Of course she’s in.”

“He means you’re out,” Bianca said.

“You and Sonny will stand down tonight,” Guy said. “For cat burglary, you can’t be beat, but tonight we’re looking for information, not valuables.”

“But-”

“No buts. I need Rodriguez for the computer and Faith for trouble detection and Bianca for searching. I’ll be hunting too, and that’s a full house. You other four will patrol the perimeter, with Tony and Max coming in later if we need muscle for questioning.”

Guy talked for a few more minutes, then adjourned the meeting. Jaz stared straight ahead, gaze blank, uncharacteristically thoughtful. Then he squeezed my hand and winked.

“I’ll fix this.”

I could have said it was hardly the end of the world if he missed tonight’s break-in. But it wouldn’t matter. In some ways, Jaz was like a child-he wanted what he wanted, and he wanted it now. It sounded like immaturity, but there was no real selfishness behind it, nor any tantrums to be thrown when he didn’t get his way. Like last night. While he’d admitted to being frustrated, he’d waited until noon to call, in case I had a hangover, then had taken me out to lunch. With Jaz, “I want it and I want it now” seemed almost an…innocence. A purity of impulse.

As the meeting broke up, he rocked on his heels, a greyhound at the starting gate.

Guy looked up from a conversation with Bianca to call, “Jaz, Sonny, over here. Got an errand for you.”

Jaz leaned against me, hand brushing my rear. “Shit. That’s not what I wanted to hear.”

His fingers toyed with the hem of my miniskirt, eyes glittering, mouth coming down to mine, once again forgetting everything around us. A throat clearing from me stopped him.

“It’s your fault.” His gaze met mine, those sexy hooded eyes dark with desire. “If you were a witch, I’d think you’d cast a spell on me.”

Coming from anyone else, a corny pickup line. From Jaz, it made my heart skip. When he got close to me, the world vanished, lost in that swirl of his aura, that chaos vibe, and I suddenly knew where it came from-that childlike part of him that saw what it wanted, and grabbed for it, free of guilt and self-doubt.

I tilted my head back, lips parting as he-

“Jaz,” Guy barked. “Are you listening to me? Get down here.”

A flicker of anger, but it evaporated before I caught more than a spark. Propelling me forward, he headed toward Guy.

“Sorry, boss. I thought you were still talking to Bee. Got a job for us, you said.”

“For you and Sonny. I need Faith here.”

“Damn.” He turned to me. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m done. We’ll meet up for-”

“For nothing. This is work time, Jaz, not social time. You seem to be having some trouble distinguishing the two lately.”

Not an unwarranted accusation, but from the way Jaz stiffened, I could tell he didn’t like being reprimanded.

“We’re fine,” I said. “When you called, we had to leave lunch, so we’d planned to grab something to eat together later, but obviously that’s not going to work, which is understandable under the circumstances.”

“All right then. I’ll make sure you get fed before tonight, but a tête-à-tête is out of the question. This is going to be a delicate operation and I need you both on task. Completely on task.”

“We will be.”

“Good. Take five minutes, Faith, while Bianca and I talk to these guys, then I want you back here.”

“Yes, sir.”

I WAS COMING back from the restroom when I saw Jaz pacing outside Guy’s door.

“All done?” I said. “Then it must be my turn.”

He reached for me before I could pass. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to spirit you off into a corner. Guy’s already miffed, so I won’t make it worse. I just wanted to say…” He looked around, then pulled me closer. “I just wanted to say I’ll make it up to you.”

I grinned. “I’m counting on it.”

I expected him to grin back, but his face stayed serious, eyes meeting mine. “I mean it, Faith. I’ve screwed up, and I know that. Getting ahead of myself. I…do that a lot. I can’t help it. But when this is over, I’ll make it up to you.” He paused. “Ever heard of Nikki Beach?”

I shook my head.

“It’s a bar on a private beach with beds and teepees. When this is done, that’s where I’m taking you. Dinner, dancing, relaxing on the beach, then off to the best damned hotel I can find. No more making out on a bar stool or a restaurant floor. I’m going to do it right. Make it special.”

I shivered, lifted onto my tiptoes and brushed my lips across his. “I can’t wait.”