Courting Danger. Kimberly Dean

pulled her hair aside. ‘Could you zip me up?’

      She heard him inhale sharply.

      ‘Sure.’ When he exhaled, his breath was warm against her bare spine. ‘I can do that.’

      Rielle closed her eyes. She hadn’t wanted him to know she wasn’t wearing a bra. She hadn’t even wanted him guessing, but she hadn’t been able to devise another way around the problem.

      He stepped up close, and she felt his size. She began trembling again and her muscles tensed. He caught the tab of the zipper and tugged the flaps of material together to cover her. His touch between her shoulder blades was warm and confident, but that was as far as he went. He pulled up on the tab, and the bodice closed snugly around her.

      She cast a quick glance down. Her breasts weren’t bulging out of the neckline, but they did fill out the dress. It fit her like a glove, even if her nipples were perking up and stiffening.

      But that had nothing to do with her clothes.

      She couldn’t ignore how solid he felt behind her. Next to him, she felt delicate and defenceless. If she stepped back, she’d tuck right under his chin.

      Her eyelids popped open, and she stepped forward. She was not defenceless. She quickly let her hair drop back into place. ‘Thank you.’

      ‘My pleasure.’

      She shot a look at him, but he wasn’t flirting with her. The lines were creasing his forehead again. Like he was trying to figure out what made her tick.

      She couldn’t take that look.

      ‘One more thing.’ She manoeuvred by him, and her skirt brushed against his black pants as she passed. The hiss of material sounded like a kiss, and her cheeks warmed. Was she going to have to listen to that all night? ‘I just need to call Security to tell them about our plans.’

      He nodded, but his expression clouded over when she asked Security for a driver. ‘They won’t get past the checkpoint if they’re not on the invitation list.’

      So she’d have to ride with him?

      He watched her speculatively.

      Warning bells went off. She wasn’t that careless. ‘Actually,’ she said into the phone. ‘I’ll need you to follow me there.’

      ‘Good girl,’ her date said softly. He took her jacket off the coatstand. ‘This is yours, I assume?’

      Taking a deep breath, Rielle turned and let him help her put it on. She worried about wrinkling the lightweight dress, but it was only March. Spring was coming, but she couldn’t go without a wrap. She put her arms in the sleeves and was cinching up the belt when she felt him catch her hair. She went still as he lifted it out of her coat. His fingertips brushed against the nape of her neck. A shiver went down her spine as he smoothed her hair down her back.

      ‘Thanks for not buzzing them up when I set foot inside the door,’ he murmured into her ear.

      Her head whipped towards him.

      He took her hand. ‘Don’t worry. You were very sly.’

      Not sly enough. Clients weren’t supposed to know that emergency buzzer was there.

      Walking backwards, he tugged her towards the door – the epitome of the bad boy luring the good girl into doing something she shouldn’t – and she followed. He let go of her hand as she locked the main door, but tried to catch it again when they headed to the elevator.

      She wiggled her fingers away. ‘I need to text my boss.’

      He let her go and straightened his cufflinks.

      ‘Tell her I got the best of the bunch. You didn’t even have to dig into her little black book.’

      Rielle bit her lip. ‘She won’t be happy I’m doing this.’

      He punched the button for the elevator. ‘I am.’

      Their gazes locked.

      ‘How do you feel about doing this?’ he asked. The hallway was empty, but his low voice barely carried to her.

      The question was loaded – and he knew it. He’d been trying to read her ever since they’d first come face to face. How did she feel? She felt scared, excited, surprised, intrigued and confused. Her body and her brain were on two very different tracks. ‘Good?’

      ‘I’ll take it.’ His hand slipped around hers again, warm, strong and callused. ‘In fact, it gives me the incentive to make it the best night of your life.’

      The elevator rang out its arrival.

      The doors slid open, but his look was only for her. ‘Ready?’

      It was her last chance. She could still stop things. He was giving her a chance to back out. Instead, Rielle did something that shocked her. She squeezed his hand back. ‘Ready.’

       Chapter Two

      The drive to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was short, and Rielle only glanced back once to make sure that Luxxor Security was following them. Mel had a driver but, even with all the space, the back seat of the car felt close.

      It was the dress. And the man. They both took up more room than expected.

      With so much fabric, the skirt was difficult to contain, and it kept brushing against her date’s trouser leg. They’d barely driven a few blocks, and it was already draped across his knee. She wanted to fix it, but she wanted even more not to draw attention to it. He was already absently rubbing the fabric back and forth between his fingertips.

      He was quiet. A reception at the White House was not an insignificant thing. It had to be important for his work. She needed to remember that. Tonight was about him, not her. Once they set foot outside this car, she needed to do her part presenting a unified front.

      The idea made her toy with her skirt, too. How did Luxxor’s escorts do it? How did they go out with strangers and make them feel like old friends? Or more?

      She blushed.

      Around him, she was understanding the ‘or more’ part better. She didn’t know him, but he was handsome, reckless and unbelievably sexy. She could easily see how a woman could get caught up in the fantasy of it all.

      But she wasn’t escorting him tonight – not that way. He’d asked her out, yet that was somehow even more nerve-wracking for her. At least Luxxor’s escorts got dossiers on their clients and the events they were attending. Nina made sure they were prepared.

      She was flying blind.

      ‘Nina,’ Rielle said, flinching. She’d forgotten to update her boss on the situation. Hurriedly, she dug out her phone and fired off a text.

      ‘Did you tell her you’d gone off with the big bad wolf?’ Mel asked as she slid her phone back into her borrowed purse.

      His attention was back on her, and it was almost too much in the compressed confines of the car.

      ‘Don’t tease me,’ Rielle said, ‘I’m nervous.’

      ‘About me?’

      Yes. A little. OK, more than a little. She’d moved past the fear she’d experienced when he’d first walked in unannounced. He’d done nothing to make her think he had bad intentions, but she hadn’t dated since…She hadn’t dated in a long time.

      And, as well-behaved as he was, he wasn’t safe.

      ‘I’ll be good.’ He let a beat pass. ‘Unless you don’t want me to be.’

      His thumb brushed against the back of her hand. It shouldn’t have been an erogenous zone, but heat bubbled up and made her fingers curl.

      She