“They’re…grotesque.”
“They’re not,” she whispered. “They’re part of you.”
“A part of me you don’t want to know.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I want to know all of you.”
His gaze searched hers with an intensity that had her heart racing. “We both know this can’t go anywhere.”
She could see the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Caution flickered in his eyes when she raised her hand and touched his cheek.
“Don’t,” he said, but the word was little more than a puff of breath on his lips.
“Why?”
“Because I’m not a strong enough man to stop you.”
“Or maybe deep inside you know I’m not what they say I am,” she said, and raised her mouth to his.
CUTTER HAD KNOWN this moment would come. He’d known it was inevitable. As a federal agent he knew he should resist. But as a man, powerfully attracted to her, he suddenly didn’t care about right or wrong or repercussions.
He didn’t kiss her back. His body went rigid on contact. He went so far as to set his hands on her slender shoulders, but he didn’t push her away. Instead, his fingers dug into the softness of her shoulders. Growling low in his throat, he pulled her against him.
Her mouth was wet and soft against his. Her body conformed to his with utter perfection. He was aware of her arms going around his shoulders, her body going liquid against his. He’d wanted to kiss her for so long, and he reveled in the sheer pleasure of it.
He assured himself he would come to his senses in a moment. He knew better than to get caught up in a moment like this. Two years ago he’d fallen prey to temptation while in the midst of a mission, and he’d nearly paid with his life. He’d sworn never to do it again.
But sanity refused to rally. When she sighed and snuggled closer, he knew he had to have more.
He deepened the kiss. She opened to him. His tongue entwined with hers. In the back of his mind a sane little voice cried out for him to pull away and regroup. But the need to feel her body against his was consuming.
Blood rushed hotly to his groin. She was small and soft and curvy. A groan of pleasure escaped him when she put her hands against his chest. He shuddered when her fingertips skimmed over his nipples. The floor tilted be neath his feet when she wrapped her fingers around him.
Cutter knew he was about to cross a line. He knew it was a line that couldn’t be traversed a second time. This transgression could cost him his career. But with her mouth against his and the knowledge that she was innocent pounding through him in perfect time with his heart, he could no more stop what they were about to do than he could stop breathing.
He swept her into his arms and started for the bed.
THERE WERE A THOUSAND reasons why Mattie should not be kissing Sean Cutter. First and foremost there was the matter of his being a federal agent and her status as his prisoner. That hard cold fact stood squarely in the way of anything ever coming of this moment.
But the sensation of his mouth against hers was like a drug, making her do things she normally wouldn’t do. She realized she was making a mistake. The knowledge that it wasn’t the first one rapped at her brain like insistent knuckles against a door. Mattie had made a terrible mistake by trusting the wrong person once before. She’d given her heart to Daniel Savage only to have him betray her. Could she be making the same mistake again?
But Cutter was nothing like Savage. His character rose far above that of her former coworker. He was a straight shooter. But he was still a man. They had spent over thirty-six intense, high-adrenaline hours together. Had the intensity of the situation brought about this moment? Or were the emotions, the sensations coursing through her coming from someplace deeper?
He reached the bed, let her slide to her feet and kissed her hard on the mouth. His fingertips were electric against her skin, and she felt the tingle all the way to her bones, the pleasure drowning out the nagging doubts and questions plaguing her mind.
His palms were warm and slightly rough against her face. “You know this is risky business,” he said roughly.
“I know,” she said. “Your job…”
“Risky for both of us,” he cut in. “Not just me.”
Confusion swirled for an instant. “You mean it doesn’t change anything.”
“It changes everything,” he corrected. “But I still have to do my job.”
“Cutter, you know I’m innocent.”
“I know.”
Emotion formed a knot in her throat, but she swallowed it. “You said you’d help me.”
“I will, Mattie. I promise, I’ll do my best to clear your name.” His jaw tightened. “But I still have to take you in. If I don’t, we both become fugitives and that will only make everything worse.”
Hurt twisted inside her. She’d known he was the kind of man who would do his job no matter what. She just hadn’t expected it to hurt so badly. “Cutter, I can help you bring down The Jaguar.”