“I-I didn’t come here to…talk about that.”
“Did you come here to admit you went to Derek behind my back?”
“What?” Polly stiffened, immobilized by outrage. “Why would I do that? You think I want the cops on this? Cops make deals, cops destroy evidence and fumble around with red tape we don’t have. I wouldn’t.”
Austin continued as if she hadn’t spoken, but Polly sensed him filing away her statement in some internal hard drive. Sensed that she’d somehow convinced him with her honesty that she hadn’t played him. “I didn’t lose it back in that room to anyone but you.” His mouth found her ear, tongue tracing the entire curve in one long, groaning lick. “And I don’t care if it’s sick, I love it. What would you have done if we were alone and you saw me breaking, sweet?” His easy touch turned rough, his big hand clutching her core and holding tight, tighter, until Polly cried out, knees bumping the door. “Would you have slapped some sense into me?”
“Yes.” The word released on an unsteady exhale, surprising even Polly. As did the rush of control the revelation allowed to sweep in. “Maybe I’ll just do it now.”
“If it pleases you,” he enunciated just above her head. “Although I feel my slap in the face already came in the form of the green-eyed monster. You made me jealous, Polly, and I didn’t like it.” His grip increased in power, ripping a gasp from her throat. “Your pleasure comes from me. Any hint to the contrary is unwelcome. I thought we had an understanding.”
“You left.” Oh God, the mortification. Polly wanted to slam her head against the door at having disclosed such a typical insecurity, but now that the reason for her initial irritation this morning had set itself free, it ran rampant. “I woke up and you’d left me a tea bag. What am I supposed to do with that?” Her jaw felt like it might shatter from grinding her teeth. “And you want to talk about jealousy? Do you, really? After leaving me without a note or…or even a-a text…you show up with a gift for someone else.”
She struggled against his hold, twisting to get away, but he only shoved her back up against the door. “You made me jealous with Henrik because I left.” He sounded like a man trying to solve a riddle, which should have brought on the century’s biggest eye roll, but his touch had turned soothing between her legs, petting over her lace-covered flesh the way one might stroke a kitten. “I spent the morning tracking down an old contact, Polly. A Chicago man who could give us a lead on Reitman.” His voice turned to a gruff whisper, mouth laying a lingering kiss on the back of her neck. “I thought information would please you more than breakfast in bed. A rare misjudgment on my part, it would appear.”
“No.” Stupid. So stupid for her heart to be beating so damn fast. They’d agreed he would help her. He’d taken steps to keep his word. That was all. She desperately needed to corral her hormones. “What did you find out?”
“In a minute, sweet. This might be the last time you allow me to touch.” Austin’s breath moved the hair at her nape, his capable middle finger hooking around the crotch of her panties and tugging them aside for his index finger to explore. “Wouldn’t that be a shame when I haven’t yet had the honor of screwing you with my tongue? That little spot we discovered yesterday wouldn’t be too difficult to reach. We’d hook those knees beneath your arms and pray you could keep them up.” Without warning, the panties were jerked high against her center and tugged, creating unexpected and devastating friction. Back and forth. Back and forth. “Could you keep your knees up, Polly? Or would you clamp your thighs around my head? I need you to let me find out.”
Already she could feel the approaching climax, felt the inner walls of her core convulsing, searching for his absent fingers, begging for the erection she could feel against her bottom. But the urgent edge to his words forced her to concentrate. No, it was more than that. His behavior back at the meeting. Something was wrong, and they couldn’t go any further until they turned the page and found each other. “Why might this be the last time, Austin?”