"Jake, get off me."
Her words dragged him from his daydream, which was just as well, as he was growing hard again. She shoved him in the chest and reluctantly he pulled out of her, a residual ripple of pleasure running through his body. He tucked himself away and zippered his pants. He was nearly fully dressed while Kim was naked. His cock jerked at the sight, all ready for round two.
He wanted to say something. Tell her she was wonderful, that he loved her, and that everything would be great now.
Then he glanced at her face and decided he'd better wait.
Taking a step back, he studied her and tried to understand what was going through her mind. Usually her feelings were clear for all to see, but right now, her face had a shuttered look. He allowed his gaze to drift down over the rest of her; her nipples were still tight, her legs sprawled open so he could see the sable curls glistening with moisture. She snapped them closed.
She was shy. He'd soon cure her of that. A weekend in bed with him and she wouldn't be shy anymore.
She glared at him. "How come you got to keep your clothes on?"
"Next time, I'll strip naked."
"Next time?"
She glanced down the line of his body, her eyes widening when they reached his erection already straining at the fly of his pants.
"No freaking way. No more samples." She slid off the desk, wobbled, and put out a hand for balance. Breathing in deeply, she stood for a moment, then looked around her. Without glancing at him again, she crossed to where her sweats lay on the floor and put them on. Jake considered suggesting the move to the sofa, but she was already pulling her top over her head. She twisted her arms behind her back to fasten it, thrusting her breasts out.
He wanted her all over again. But something in her demeanor warned him not to push it. Still, he had to say something.
"Kim-"
She held up a hand. "I'm going for a shower."
"Then we talk?"
"Probably not."
And she turned and stalked away.
Chapter Five
Holy freaking moly.
Luckily, she didn't meet anybody between the penthouse and the basement. She was still on autopilot as she entered the changing rooms.
She'd just had sex with her best friend. Totally mind-blowing sex. She'd never imagined it could be like that.
She stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes held a dazed expression. Her lips were swollen. From Jake's kisses.
Jake's!
What the hell had he been thinking?
But, Jesus, the man could kiss.
She splashed her face with cold water. Inside, she felt hollow, empty, scared, and an almost overwhelming urge to bawl her eyes out. And she never cried. It was reaction, shock. And, she realized-fear.
She hadn't known desire could affect a person that way. That it could take her over, carry her away, make her oblivious to everything but her own satisfaction. She shivered. What amount of control could someone exert over you when they had that kind of power? She didn't want to know.
But Jake was her friend.
And all this time he'd wanted to make love to her. Or at least have sex.
Oh my God, I shagged Jake.
Would she ever be able to go in his office again and not remember? She'd been naked. On his desk.
Would she ever be able to look him in the face again? He'd kissed her. There.
Heat flushed her skin, but at the same time, a twinge of remembered pleasure shot to her groin.
And he'd wanted to do it again. And so did she. Maybe.
Pushing the thought from her mind, she dragged off her clothes. She was sticky and moist and reeked of sex. She headed into the shower and turned the water on hot. Though what she really needed was cold.
There was a soreness between her thighs. Not surprisingly. He'd been big and hard, and it had felt so good; he'd filled her completely, stretching her, so now she felt empty and incomplete.
She found herself stroking between her thighs where her flesh was still tender and stopped abruptly, then stood under the spray and allowed the water to wash away the scent of him, if not the memory.
It had been so good.
Could she continue to have sex with Jake and keep his friendship? Could they play this out until he decided to move on, as he inevitably would? And then, could they revert to the way they were?
Friends with benefits.
Wasn't that what they called this sort of arrangement?
She tried to imagine what it would be like now to see Jake with another woman. To know he was doing those same things with somebody else. Her mind shied from the thought.
It was only sex. If she kept things light, showed Jake she didn't expect any more from him than the occasional casual sex session, then one day they could return to their old relationship with her itch well and truly scratched.
See? This didn't have to be a disaster. It didn't have to mean the end of their friendship.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she went back into the changing rooms. Someone leaned against the wall, and Kim gave a little jump. But it was only Jessica, one of the other operatives, and probably her best friend after Jake. Jessica had left the army at the same time as Jake and had been with his company from the start.
She was tall, a couple of inches taller than Kim, with platinum-blond hair pulled into a ponytail to show off her perfect cheekbones. She was stunningly beautiful, with a pale oval face and dark-blue eyes, her looks strangely enhanced by the scar that ran down her right cheek to her lip.
Jess had been a huge help when Kim decided to take on a more active role in the company. She was a strong believer that women could do the majority of things as well as any man, and the rest, they could do better. She'd helped Kim train, taught her to fight, to shoot. She was also wildly competitive. Although Kim was now the better shot, Jess could still beat her in unarmed combat.
And shit, they were supposed to be going out for drinks tonight. It was Thursday, normally movie night, but she hadn't thought Jake would be back.
"Are you okay?" Jess asked.
No, she wasn't okay. She felt like she had "I shagged Jake" scrawled across her forehead. She gave a quick glance in the mirror, but her forehead was clear and unmarked. She had to pull herself together. This was no big deal.
"I'm fine," she said.
"You seem a little"-Jess took a step closer and examined her from head to toe-"flustered."
Kim clutched the towel to her chest. There was absolutely no way that Jess could know what she'd been up to. "I've been sparring with Steve."
"Really? He must be better than he looks if a little grappling has this effect on you."
Jess didn't have a very high opinion of Steve, but then she didn't have a high opinion of any man except Jake. Whom she admired.
"There is no effect," Kim ground out.
"Hmm, and touchy as well. What's going on here?"
"Nothing. Are we still going out for a drink?"
"Yes, and we're meeting Dani as well. She needs cheering up. But don't imagine you're getting out of this-you can tell us everything over chocolate martinis."
"There's nothing to-"
The door opening interrupted her protestations of innocence. Kim sighed, but her relief was short-lived. Jake poked his head around the door.
"Could you come outside a moment?"
She peeked down at the towel, which was all she wore. "I don't think so."
When she didn't move, he glanced around and then stepped into the room.
Kim had an immediate urge to sink through the floor. Or vanish in a puff of smoke. Instead, she stood there like an idiot, staring at him and trying not to remember that only half an hour ago he'd been on top of her. Inside her. Heat flared to life low in her belly. She forgot Jess was there as her gaze locked with Jake's and she saw the same heat reflected in his eyes.
"Er, ladies' room, boss," Jess said, breaking the link.
Jake shook his head as though only now noticing the other woman was present.
"I need to talk to Kim," he said.
She wasn't ready to talk yet. Not until she worked out what she wanted to say and what she wanted to do next with regard to Jake. She needed to get some distance, let the memory fade a little so she could face him without dwelling on his mouth and his hands and his really enormous …
Get a grip.
"I can't talk now," she muttered. "We're leaving."
Jess glanced between the two of them, a puzzled frown on her face. "That's okay," she said. "I have to pick something up from my desk. I'll meet you in reception." She headed for the door. "I'll leave you two to … talk."
Fine friend she was-abandoning Kim to her fate. She stared at the door while she hunted for something intelligent to say.
"Are you going to look at me?" Jake's voice was smooth, giving away no sign of what he was thinking.
"No."
She did her best to ignore him as she crossed to her locker. One thing she was sure of-if she did have to have this conversation, no way was she doing it dressed in nothing but a towel. She could feel his attention on her as she opened the locker and pulled out her clothes.
He came to stand beside her, leaning a shoulder casually against the wall, hands shoved in his pockets. At least he'd buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his pants. But his hair was ruffled as though someone had raked her hands though the silky strands. No prizes for guessing who that was.
He pulled something from his pocket and dangled it from one long, elegant finger.
"You left these in my office."
Her black cotton panties.
"Thank you." She snatched them from his finger. "But you didn't have to bring them all the way down here. I have a spare pair."