Polly’s chest felt hollow as she moved down the hotel corridor, the walls on either side close enough to cave in and smother her. Austin had vanished into thin air after the meeting, and she hadn’t questioned herself about coming here, to the place they’d been together only hours before. She simply knew he’d be there waiting, on the other side of the door. So why did fear attempt to slow down her legs? Without a conscious decision, she stayed close to the left wall as she walked, poised to turn around and run back the way she’d come. Why?
Because although she knew Austin would be inside that room, she had no idea which side of Austin would greet her. The cocky bastard for whom she’d spent months building a patent dislike. The lover who’d stolen her will and mastered her body in the dark. Or the man who’d finally let his exterior crack back in the squad room. Had anyone else noticed? Polly hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from Austin to make a judgment. The fractures in his veneer had been subtle, but on Austin, who never exhibited signs of anxiety, the tiniest difference was like a boulder dropping into a still lake.
She needed to know what that boulder represented. He’d agreed to help her. She’d confided in him. And she wasn’t about to let him hang her out to dry. Or use the information she gave him to bring down Reitman on the squad’s behalf. This was her mission. She hadn’t come this far to watch it go down in navy-blue flames in the hands of the police.
Polly stopped in front of the door and felt a punch of unwanted excitement dance through her middle, knowing she and Austin would come face-to-face in mere seconds. Who would he be? What would he do? The enigma of Austin used to increase her distrust, reinforce her hatred for his chosen profession. It still should. She needed to remember that. Needed to remember that despite what happened on the other side of the hotel room door, they would always have the potential to become opposition once they walked out.
She lifted her hand, noticed it was trembling, and took a deep breath, pleased when her knock sounded firm. Assertive. Not ready for any bullshit.
The heavy oak door opened approximately two feet and came to an abrupt stop, revealing the hotel room, bright and sunlit this time. Polly’s muscles tensed when a beat of heavy expectancy passed, opened her mouth to call out—
A blur of white shirtsleeve snaked out through the opening, strong fingers binding her wrist and dragging her inside. A decisive click signaled the door’s being closed, the breath propelled from her lungs when she was backed up against it. By Austin. Which Austin? Which one? Her mind tried to cloud over, an effect of his sudden presence, but she fought clear.
He caged her in with forearms laid flat on either side of her head, golden eyes flecked with silver taking her measure. Shrewd and sexual. Predatory. So alive with intelligence that her nerve endings tingled in response.
“Did you come to play, pretty Polly?” He laid a hand on her neck, making her pulse jump. His thumb brushed back and forth in the hollow of her throat, once, twice. “We’re going to have a little talk first, you and I.”
Oh, he had nerve, making demands after pulling a disappearing act and sending her running across town. “Why do you think I came here?”
Without breaking eye contact, his thumb detoured to the skin beneath her cotton T-shirt. “I can think of a few reasons. They all end in you begging and sobbing with your legs spread.” He touched his tongue to the corner of his mouth. “Flexible girl, aren’t you? Gives me a lot of options how to accomplish that.”
“Stop.” She breathed through her nose, unable to calm the desire that sprang to life. He was backlit by the almost-blinding sunlight, his face shadowed in contrasting darkness. It should have multiplied her unease, but not being able to fully make out his features only presented an excuse to give in to the need he inspired. Withstand it. He’s doing it on purpose. “What happened back in the meeting?”
“Indeed, I have the same question.” Polly had no time to prepare before Austin whirled her around, pressing her forward until her cheek met the smooth door. A strangled cry spilled from her mouth, purse dropping to the ground. Bracing her hands against the door, she pushed herself backward, but only met Austin’s hard body. Mouth open against her neck, he walked them both forward, flattening Polly between him and the door. “I can’t hold a fucking conversation while looking at your lips. They still have your teeth marks on them from last night.”
A tickle moved upward, starting from the insides of Polly’s knees and spreading, spreading to encompass everything. Lord, how could he conduct her body like a symphony? It wasn’t fair. Breathing deeply, Polly closed her eyes, commanding herself to remember why she’d come there. “I’m waiting for an answer. You lost it back there.”
“Did I?” Austin murmured, the fingers of his right hand curling in the hem of her skirt, scant inches beneath the flesh he’d become too well acquainted with in that very room. “Maybe you’re just more attuned to me than most.” The tight material was drawn slowly up her thighs, where he left it gathered just below her hips. Polly’s mouth fell open in a silent moan when one skilled male finger dragged down the underside of her panties, stopping to tap in a slow rhythm against that ultrasensitive spot. “You knew just how much I could take yesterday, didn’t you? Knew just how to give it to me.”