Playing With Fire
He swallowed back the tide of emotions rising through him. “That was the plan.”
“And still you ended up in my driveway?”
There was no good way to explain why he had come to her place this morning. Probably because he hadn’t really figured it out, either. Was it just nostalgia? Standing in her kitchen felt like a lot more than that.
Marianna broke the silence, setting the glasses on the counter. She pulled a pitcher from the fridge. The light through the kitchen windows shone on the water, making it sparkle as she poured. She turned around and handed one of the glasses to Simon. And froze.
Was she remembering, too? One hot summer afternoon eleven years ago, she had offered a glass of water, and that had led to much, much more.
But this wasn’t the past.
“Thanks,” he said gruffly.
His fingers brushed against hers as he took the glass. Marianna’s cheeks blazed, and she looked away.
Simon rubbed his hand over his forehead and tried to focus. He needed to fix whatever trouble she was in and get out of this place. Real soon.
The argument outside had been about Ruiz Imports, something about the piers. Was she involved in something illegal? No. Impossible. When he lived in Miami, there’d been rumors about her father’s connections to the underground world of drugs and weapons, but Marianna would never get involved with something like that.
Simon ran his hand through his hair and looked at her. “What was William yelling about?”
A pause, then with a hint of sarcasm, she said, “He thought he was marrying a trophy wife. Someone without any interest in running a business. The last six years have been quite a disappointment for him.”
Simon frowned. “He sounded a little more specific than that.”
For a moment, her eyes flashed with fear. Had this guy threatened her before?
No. That’s not what you’re here for. He wasn’t going to get sucked into this place again, where everything came down to Marianna.
But he couldn’t walk out yet. It went against his training as well as his own instincts. Now he needed to figure out how to make sure that little scene in the front yard never, ever happened again. Today. And then get on a fucking plane tomorrow and never look back.
Simon took a deep breath. “Marianna, what exactly was William referring to when he mentioned the piers?”
Marianna huffed out a breath. “You can’t just wander back into my life and demand information.”
“I’m not demanding. I’m asking.”
She put her hands on her hips. “And why would I answer? Because you and I slept together years ago?”
Slept together? That was what she called those months together that bordered on obsession? Understatement of the year.
“Not because we slept together, Marianna,” he bit out. “Because I work in private security, and there are things I can do to help. You can trust me.”
Her brow wrinkled, and she tilted her head to the side a bit, as if she were assessing that comment. Didn’t she trust him? Maybe her father never told her the truth about how things had ended.
“You can trust me with your safety,” he amended, slowing at those last words.
The lines on her forehead eased, and after another moment, she nodded. With that nod, the aching tension in Simon’s shoulders eased a fraction.
He crossed his arms. “So what’s the story with the piers?”
“I went to look at one of our company’s shipments,” she said.
“Why?”
“Because I’m part-owner of the company,” she snapped.
Simon put up his hands. “Look, I’m just trying to understand what’s going on.”
Her shoulders rose and fell. “I... I wanted to get a better understanding of that part of the business.”
“Alone?”
Marianna rolled her eyes. “Don’t start with that, please.”
Simon grimaced. There was clearly more to this story, but she wasn’t giving it. And he couldn’t blame her. They were both teenagers the last time they’d seen each other, and things had ended badly. But all he needed was enough to assess her safety. So he waited.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Look, my role with the company is more public-facing. I’m not as involved in the actual importing and exporting of the goods... I’m just not sure if William is being completely straightforward with me about some of the shipments we’re receiving, so I met with this guy at the piers to check some...” She hesitated. “Some inconsistencies.”
Shit. This didn’t sound good. Simon looked her in the eye. “You suspect Ruiz Imports deals with more than what’s on the books?”
Marianna didn’t answer. Which was just about the same as a yes.
He didn’t want to dig too deep, get too involved. They hardly knew each other anymore, but her silence pricked at him.
“If you don’t want to tell me what’s really going on here, that’s fine,” he said. “But be careful, Marianna. Seems like you’ve really pissed off your ex-husband. Whoever you’re meeting with—can you be sure you know he’s not part of whatever William’s pushing you away from?”
She blinked up at him. Clearly, she hadn’t even considered that possibility.
“He and my father were close,” she said slowly. “My father helped him out, and he owed our family everything. He’d never do anything that would hurt me.”
Simon raised his eyebrows.
“He wouldn’t, Simon,” she said, more firmly this time. She took a drink of water, giving him a glimpse at her long, delicate neck. What would it be like to run his fingers down her soft skin again? No. Focus.
He hardened his expression. “How do you know whatever suspicious dealings you’re hiding from me didn’t start with your father?”
Marianna choked on her water, midsip. She clanked her glass down hard on the countertop and coughed some more. Simon hovered behind her, and then he touched her, his warm hand moving up and down her back in soothing strokes. She took a couple tentative breaths, finding more air.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
His hand lingered for an extra beat before he pulled back. But he didn’t move away. He stood close, the way he used to, the way she had tried so hard to forget.
She frowned. Marianna tilted her chin up to face him.
“My father earned his money honestly,” she said, her voice icy calm. No. Simon was not coming back into her life to take away the one thing she still had left.
Simon said nothing, but his bitter words from years ago rang in her ears. No one with this kind of money has clean hands. He didn’t have to say it this time. He just stared at her with those deep green eyes. Those eyes with the long, beautiful lashes made it hard to think.
Simon folded his arms. “Whatever you’re up to, I know some security people, people you can trust. If we talk this through a little more, I can arrange for a team to come, starting today.”
Marianna gave a little snort and rolled her eyes. “Oh, is that how it will happen?”
He scowled. “It’s my job, Marianna.”
He said her name slow and soft, distracting her. Yes, she knew this was his job now. He had taken his military training and made a name for himself at Blackmore Inc., one of the most respected security firms in the world. Specialty private security. Which sounded impressive, even if she wasn’t sure exactly how that worked. But he was right. She could trust him, at least in this area. And that was exactly what she needed right now: someone she could trust. She was getting in way over her head. Or maybe she already was.
Simon rubbed his eyes and sighed. “All right, Nancy Drew. So you go down to the pier, make a lot of noise opening up the shipment. What’s the next step of the plan?”
“Talk to William?” Marianna wrinkled her brow. That was supposed to be a statement, not a question, but after the showdown this morning, it didn’t sound like the best idea anymore. She blew out a breath. “If something’s not right, I own half this business. I don’t want to be mixed up in anything illegal.”
He shook his head. “Not a good idea. Did it look like he’d be willing to talk today? And what happens if you do find drugs or weapons?”
Marianna bit her lip. Good point. How the hell would she deal with that? Call the authorities on her own company?
“Look, I’m still figuring this out. Maybe you can come with me to check it out. Help me decide what to do,” she said softly. “I’ll pay you.”
A stormy glower flashed across his face. He came up closer and rested one arm on the counter next to her, using his body to block out everything else from her sight but him. Over the last eleven years her heart had jumped too many times when she passed someone with the same aftershave, with the same build.
“I made myself clear a long time ago, Marianna,” he growled. “I don’t want your money.”
Marianna gritted her teeth. Right. That decade-old wound was still between them. But right now, she wasn’t going to expose it further. Besides, she knew from her cyberstalking he was wealthy enough that he really didn’t need her money. So what was he after? Marianna couldn’t let this end until she had an answer.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Over the last few years, I’ve learned that everyone wants something from me,” she said.
Her words probably would’ve had more impact if she could keep her eyes from drifting down to the hard muscles under his T-shirt every time he moved. How could she lust after a man who had changed overnight and left her behind? But there was so much heat in his gaze right now. And then there was the anger, the same scorn he used to reserve for her father. He pressed his lips together, and his hot gaze was gone.
“Before you do anything, you need to talk to a lawyer,” said Simon. He looked around the kitchen and out the window. “You’re living in this house alone?”
She nodded slowly. “It was supposed to be temporary. Just until I got through the divorce.”
“You need security.” He continued to scan the room.
“Exactly what I don’t need. More men watching every move I make.” She gave him a dry smile, but she was dead serious. William had given her a lifetime worth of that. Never again.
Simon scowled. “William knows you’re taking a closer look at the business, and there’s a good chance he’s not the only one. If you’re right about any of this, they’re going to make sure you’re not sniffing around.”
He was standing so close. The heat of his body called to her, taunting her. This is what you missed.
They were having two conversations at once. One was with words, and that one she understood. It was one she had had too many times before, where a man tried to coax her into something without telling her the real reason behind it. First it had been her father, then William. She knew how to deal with that conversation.
But the other one? The conversation she and Simon were holding with every nuance of their gestures, his touch on her back earlier, the way their gazes lingered longer, burned hotter? Marianna had no idea what to do with that one.
This was the man who had dropped her for a better offer. Any sane person would never forget that. And she hadn’t. At least, most of her hadn’t. Her body didn’t seem to care one way or another about their past. The electric spark of his hot stare together with years of unaddressed issues were brewing dangerously inside.
“Ruiz Imports has connections with everyone in Miami,” he said gently. “I think you need a new plan.”
Marianna took a steadying breath. He was right, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something.
“So you’re just swooping into town for the day to save me?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Something like that.”
“And what if I don’t want to be saved by you?”
CHAPTER TWO
SIMON INHALED DEEPLY and tried to calm the fuck down. But he was standing so close to Marianna, and instead of pulling away, he was finding reasons to move closer. His heart had just about stopped at her last question.
“What the hell does that mean?” he asked softly. “Why wouldn’t you let me make sure you’re safe?”
She took a little drink from her glass. “I’m not eighteen anymore, Simon.”
Then she licked her lips.
His gaze was fixed on her mouth, taking him somewhere else entirely. Somewhere his mind hadn’t gone in so long. To the day he and Marianna had taken her boat far away from everything. The day they shifted from lust-driven encounters to something more. Anchored off a hidden beach, the water still and no one in sight. They had the time to explore. It was the first time she had been shy. Different. He tasted every part of her body, and he lay back while she played with her hands and her mouth, discovering, her brow furrowed in concentration until he came. And then she started all over again.
Shit. Those memories were so well-worn that they shouldn’t get him hard anymore. But they did. Now, eleven years later, he was in her kitchen, staring at her lips, and his tongue was probably hanging out.
Marianna’s gaze suggested she could see exactly what he was imagining. Her eyes narrowed. “The last time you offered to be there for me, you backed out, remember?”
He leaned closer and touched her chin with his fingers. She shivered as the rough pads of his thumb traced along her jaw. “Don’t pretend it was that simple, Marianna.”
She just shook her head.
He let his fingers slide down her neck.
“Let’s just put those last days aside for now,” he whispered. It was simpler to be in the moment, ignore the complicated past between them—when her father had nearly destroyed his family. When his family had learned just how manipulative Alex Ruiz could be, threatening their livelihood, spreading terrible rumors. Besides, if he’d stayed back then, Simon would have only prolonged the inevitable. As his own father had so bluntly put it, he wasn’t part of the kind of life Marianna would want.
He continued a slow exploration of her skin with his hand. Soft curves and slopes. A crease formed between her eyebrows.
“Why were you waiting outside my house today, Simon?” she whispered. “What do you want from me?”
Wrong time to ask that question. For a few years he had thought he wanted Marianna to suffer for the way she’d looked down at him eleven years ago. But then he’d built a life on wanting nothing, and that faded. Now he had no idea what he was looking for.
No, that wasn’t true. There was one thing Simon was sure he wanted.
Slowly, so slowly that she couldn’t mistake his intentions, he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips brushed against hers, once, twice. His heart raced in his chest. He parted his mouth and tasted her. Salty sweet, like a day on the beach. Fuck, this was really happening. After all these years, he was kissing her again. He sucked her bottom lip, and she let out a little moan. Simon released her lip, and neither of them moved. His breaths were coming fast. He swallowed, holding tight control on his deepest urges to dive in, to take, to have.
Time to decide. Back away, keeping the past in the past? Or just one more little taste of heaven? He’d wait for her answer.
Marianna’s breath was shaky as she pressed her soft lips against his. Goddamn. She was kissing him now. With her warm, wet mouth. He groaned as her hands brushed against his stomach, exploring, finding her way. He slid his tongue in, letting her know just how hungry he was for her. His hands slipped under her shirt, and he was touching her soft skin again, remembering. She came alive under his hands, pressing closer, begging for more. Skimming her hands through his hair, she pulled him closer. After all these years.
He broke off the kiss and pulled away. Marianna’s eyes fluttered open, hazy and surprised. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips, swollen. Damn, he wanted this woman like nothing else right now.
“Do you want to do this one last time?” he asked.
Her eyes flashed with uncertainty. What was she debating? There was nothing uncertain about their kiss, and he was leaving for Sydney early tomorrow. No matter what happened between them, nothing changed.
He brushed her hair off her shoulder and pressed his lips against her bare skin. So goddamn sweet.
“It’ll be hot between us,” he whispered, catching her earlobe between his lips. “You know I can make you feel good.”
Her sigh was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard, like she was imagining just how good it would be.
“You know I’ll take care of you.”
She stiffened under his hands.
“Don’t say that,” she said sharply.
Simon froze. He moved back a little and looked down at her, his brow furrowed. He had been talking about her pleasure, but that couldn’t be what she was reacting to. Her mouth was in a tight line, and her eyes held years of unspoken accusations.
He blinked at her, grasping at his thoughts. Simon ran his thumb over her mouth, and her expression softened.
She let out a breath. “Just don’t pretend this is something it’s not.”
“What do you think this is?” The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think. His erection throbbed unhelpfully between them, intruding on the conversation. The last thing they should be doing right now was talking.
So he traced a path with his fingers down her neck, down her chest until his hands cupped her breasts. He circled her nipples with his thumbs, and she let out a soft moan.
“Forget that question, Mari,” he said. “Let’s not drag any of our old shit up. I can think of so many better ways to use our time.”
He stroked up and down her sides slowly, his thumbs brushing under her breasts each time. The sharpness in her gaze faded. All the yellows were gone from her eyes, swallowed up in black, leaving only the thin gray-green outlines. He had forgotten the way her eyes changed when she watched him like this.
“One more time,” she said.
His fingers flexed into the curve of her waist, and he bit back the groan stuck in his throat. Yes. This was really going to happen.
She slipped her hands under his shirt again. His stomach muscles quivered as her fingers trailed up his chest, exploring.
“You’ve gotten bigger,” she whispered. “I noticed it before.”
His cock throbbed a response, and Marianna laughed softly. She unbuttoned his jeans and slipped one hand inside, playing with the waistband of his boxers.
“You want to go upstairs?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Right here.”
Simon’s mind flashed to their very first encounter in this kitchen. He squeezed his eyes shut as a bolt of lust shot through him.
She must have gone back to the same moment, too, because she laughed. “You hated me that first day.”
“You were a spoiled little rich girl,” he said, his voice growing huskier. “You lay by your goddamn pool, watching me work in the hot sun for weeks.”
Marianna smiled. “So why did you say yes when I offered you a drink?”
He let out a groan. “Because your eyes said, come in and fuck me.”
“That’s not what my eyes said,” she whispered. “They said, I want to taste you.”
He slipped his hands under her shirt and shuddered. The scent of her, all that warm, soft skin under his fingertips. It was too much to resist, so he let in the memory of that day one more time. Her little bikini had been all strings and scraps of red, and he had followed her inside this house, somewhere between blinding lust and hate. The cool air and the front-row view of her swimsuit would have been enough, but she took it much further than that. His eyes fixed on her, he’d walked to the table and pulled one of her kitchen chairs out to sit facing her. She’d poured him a glass of water and come close, between his legs, reaching across him to set it on the table next to him. Letting her breasts fall right in front of him. Close enough to taste. When she stood up, she didn’t back away.
He could still feel cold water running down his throat as he drank it in one long gulp, his eyes fixed on her the whole time. For weeks he had forced himself not to stare. Now that he could, he took his time, slowly memorizing every curve, every inch of exposed skin, not bothering to hide his erection. Her gaze dropped to his pants, and she smiled. I’m curious, she had said. Two words that changed everything. Then she knelt between his legs, unzipped his pants and gave him the hottest blow job of his life.
“All-time best lunch break,” he said, his voice a little hoarse.
“I bet it was.” She chuckled.
How long had it been since he had laughed when he was with a woman? But he wasn’t going to think about that kind of shit. He was here with her today.
Her skirt was silky, soft under his hands as he slid them down over her ass. She moved her hips against his in slow reminders of how it could be.
Years ago he would have told himself to stay away from the woman who made him want what he could never have. Today he didn’t give a fuck. Today all Simon wanted was one more time. One more chance to bury himself inside her before he said goodbye to his past forever.
Marianna’s smile faded, and she reached up to trace the stubble of his jaw. How had she forgotten the way his beautiful green eyes looked right into her, searching for parts of her that no one else saw? And, God, it felt so good, so right.
Simon blinked, and they stared at each other, frozen somewhere between the past and the present. Then, his fingers flexed against her rear, and he tilted his hips into hers. Her breath caught in her throat, and he did it again. She bit back a moan, but he must have heard it anyway because his smile was full of dark lust.
She let her hand fall from his jaw and twisted in his grip so that he was up against her back, her belly against the counter. His hands slipped over her hips, and he pressed up against her.
“How do you like it now?” he whispered in her ear.
She swallowed. It was better if she wasn’t facing him. She hadn’t been with anyone since the divorce, and this was going to get messy fast if she wasn’t careful. Emotional. She was already reading too much into those glimpses of longing in Simon’s eyes.
She still hadn’t figured out why he had shown up at this house. But maybe she could get to that as they both let their guards down. Sex had a way of doing that. But this wasn’t like their first time, just for fun, to see what was underneath his hard exterior. Now there were so many things she didn’t want to uncover.
Still, she couldn’t deny the dizzying pleasure of finally, finally touching Simon again. After the worst year of her life, she deserved to feel good again for just a little while.
“I like just about everything,” she said, smiling. “That hasn’t changed.”
His hands were skimming over her stomach again, cupping her breasts, and his erection was rock hard against her. Good God. Had that part of him gotten bigger, too?
He reached under her skirt, exploring her thighs, and she opened her legs, wanting more.
“You feel so good, so soft.” His voice was rough in her ear. “You want this nice and slow, or you want this hard?”
The question spread a wave of heat through her, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. “Hard.”
His fingers flexed as the word floated out of her mouth. He hissed out a breath, and his hand moved higher, finding the edges of her panties.
“Hard,” he rasped. “That’s exactly what I want right now with you.”
As he spoke those words, he slipped his hand under the lace of her panties and stroked her, dipped his fingers inside her. She moaned and rocked into his hand.
“Oh, fuck,” he muttered.
Damn, this would be good. Something about him made her light up. When they had their last fight, he had said something that stuck. A man like him could only have two purposes for a woman like her: to work for her or to fuck her. Not that she believed it, but if that was all he was offering...
“Let’s do this now, Simon,” she said, her voice tight in her throat. Before she looked too closely at what was happening.