Leslie Kelly - Bare Essentials - Naughty, But Nice

He nearly swallowed his tongue, and instead lifted a shoulder. “So what? I have a pair on me all day long.”

A sound of frustration passed her kissable lips as she tossed the handcuffs over her shoulder and pawed through the box again. With a cry of triumph, she help up a small plastic package holding…

He gulped hard.

“A clit ring,” she said. “I have one of these, too.”

“Are…you wearing it now?”

Her triumph faded, and with a growl she tossed it over her shoulder to fall next to the discarded handcuffs, leaving him to give a silent thanks because he doubted he could have handled remaining so calm, cool and collected if she’d showed him a clit ring.

On her clit.

Just the thought made him break a sweat.

Cassie dove back into the box, and this time came up with a small white leather pack and a smile that went right to his crotch.

Lord help him, he’d opened Pandora’s box.

“Know what this is?” she asked in a sultry voice. “A portable vibrator. For the woman on the go. It fits into a pocket or small purse.”

Oh, man. He leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms and forced himself to yawn. She would not goad him into a physical relationship, not when she still believed he wanted her only for sex. Nope. He wouldn’t touch her.

At his feigned boredom, she sputtered. “You think I wouldn’t use this to make myself come?”

He just lifted a brow.

Still on her knees, she shot him a look of pure daring, which in truth started his heart pumping, even before she lifted her denim skirt, revealing a tiny patch of red satin masquerading as panties. Pulling out the small white vibrator, she turned it on, smiled the very smile of the devil, and ran it over her thigh before settling it directly between her legs.

“Mmm,” she whispered, letting her head fall back on her shoulders. Her eyes closed as she slowly moved the vibrator up and down and back again.

Her breath came quicker, and so did his. “Cassie—”

“Shh.” Her hips started pumping in tune to her hand.

His own hands fisted.

“God. This is so much better than a fumbling man.”

He’d show her fumbling.

“Oh, yeah…” The vibrator hummed. Her hand moved faster.

She moaned softly.

Up and down.

The red satin became wet, he could see it.

And Tag nearly sank to the floor. “Cassie—”

Her mouth fell open, her tongue came out and wet her lips. Her breath caught and she went still, so utterly still…then shuddered as she let out a little helpless cry, lost in her own pleasure.

Tag didn’t move a muscle, he couldn’t.

After a moment she opened sleepy, sated eyes and smiled. “Definitely much better than a man.” With a click she turned off the vibrator and let her skirt fall back down.

Before she could riffle through the box again, his brain started functioning, barely, and he came forward. “Uncle,” he said hoarsely, hauling her to her feet. “I get it. You’re not all talk. And you’re killing me. Lock up, you’re going home.”

“I suppose you think you’re going to tuck me in and sing me a lullaby.”

“No. You’re going home alone.”

“Suit yourself.”

No mistaking her anger that he hadn’t fallen at her feet in a boneless mass of need, but no one had ever wanted her for anything besides sex, and he refused to fit into the same mold as all the other assholes in her life.

“Got your keys?” he asked calmly, as if he couldn’t have hammered steel with his raging erection.

She pocketed the vibrator and shot him a long look, definitely noticing the problem behind his zipper. “I have my keys.” She patted the vibrator. “In fact, I have everything I need, thank you very much.”

Fine. She was pissed at him, nothing new. But it was satisfying, despite the burning need of his body, to see the shock in her eyes that he wasn’t going to try to get into her very wet panties.

And he would hold firm. At least for tonight.

WITH KATE IN TOWN to help get Bare Essentials going, Cassie felt free to give in to impulse.

And impulse had her eating whatever she wanted—screw her agent telling her to remain thin—which included a daily sandwich by Diane at the deli. Impulse had her going to the library for more of the books she sucked down every night—and teasing Mrs. Wilkens about her phone sex.

And impulse sent her back to New York for her agent’s birthday party bash.

Going back had nothing to do with work. Nothing to do with needing something from her apartment. Or even wanting to see her friends.

Neither did it mean that she missed New York, because actually, surprisingly, she hadn’t given it that much thought.

She just needed…out.

And she made no mistake about it, she knew exactly why she needed out. Tag.

She still couldn’t believe he’d sent her home alone after she’d teased herself into a feverous pitch in front of him. Granted she hadn’t shown as much skin as she had at the lake, when she’d worn nothing but skin…but she’d masturbated right in front of him! She knew men, damn it, and knew that watching a woman touch herself was basically nirvana. Heaven on earth. A fantasy come true.

She’d given him that, and still, he’d remained cool as rain. Nearly a week had gone by and she still couldn’t believe he hadn’t given in to his body’s obvious craving.

But he hadn’t, at least not in front of her.

Which meant he had far more self-control and restraint than she did, and she had plenty. It startled her, knowing he wasn’t the usual puppet on a string. That he had his own mind. Was his own man.

It startled her, and unsettled her. Enough that she told Kate she was going for two days. She needed some action, and New York was where it was at.

Kate wasn’t happy, but Cassie easily distracted her, mostly because Kate was busy with other projects such as working at the local theater—the Rialto—not to mention she had her own problems with the sexy Jack Winfield. And he was pretty damn sexy, so Cassie could understand the distraction.

In any case, Cassie wasn’t worried. She wouldn’t be in New York long enough for Pete to track her down. Besides, she had the restraining order. And in the mood she found herself in, she felt invincible.

Or at least, battle ready. Bring it on, Pete, she thought testily. Bring it on.

Back in the city, she looked up her friends, went to the birthday party, hit a great new dance club afterward, lined up some work for the fall and winter…and by the end of forty-eight hours, was ready to go home.

Home. As in Ohio.

Pleasantville, Ohio. She sat on the plane, staring sightlessly down as the landscape passed her by, wondering when exactly she had started to think of that one-horse, narrow-minded, too small town as her…home?

Not good. In the name of distraction, she asked the flight attendant for a deck of cards and tried to occupy herself in a mean game of solitaire, but she kept losing.

By the time she got off the plane, shouldered her carry-on and walked outside, the sun was setting. She put on her sunglasses and looked for Kate, who’d promised to pick her up, and realized she was still carrying the deck of cards.

Maybe she’d get Kate to come over to play a game with her tonight. Then she wouldn’t have to stay up late and stare into the mirror above the bed wondering what the hell she was going to do for another long month and a half.

Only there was no sign of Kate. Really, that was no surprise. Cassie had always figured Kate would be late to her own funeral. With a sigh, she found an empty bench and sat, idly shuffling the cards to keep her hands busy.

When a patrol car pulled up, she frowned. Her frown turned to an all-out scowl when Tag rolled down the window. His eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses, his shoulders straining his uniform shirt. Not that she’d admit it to him, but she knew him now, and could read his tension. What had gotten his panties all ruffled?