He grinned. “I know you better than that.”

“I don’t think you really know me at all. I could be perfectly content with you teaching me the ropes, sexually.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Let me ask you a question. If you hadn’t known me for all these years, if you’d just met me at this rally and had the opportunity to be with me here in this room . . . would you?”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Just answer the question, Diaz. Are you attracted to me?”

He didn’t understand what kind of game she was playing, but he shrugged and said, “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

“You’d want me.”

“Hell yes.”

He caught the hint of a smile.

“Because?”

“Huh?”

“Why would you want me?”

“Come on, Jessie.”

“Just tell me. Why would you pick me out of, let’s say, all the other women in Crush’s gang?”

“Well first off, because I know you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not playing the game right. Pretend you didn’t already know me. There are, let me think . . . twenty or so women in his gang? Line them up mentally and tell me why you’d choose me.”

He sighed, closed his eyes, and thought about all the women he’d seen who were members of the Devil’s Skulls. A variety of women to choose from in every shape, color, and size, but in his mind’s eye, Jessie stood out as the one woman he’d want. And he knew why.

He opened his eyes and turned to face her. She stared down at him expectantly. “Because you have a smile that screams sex.”

She pursed her lips, frowned. “That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“You’d want to f**k me because of my smile?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s got to be more than that.”

“Well . . . you also have great tits.”

She snorted and punched his arm. “Dickhead.”

“You asked.”

She looked down at him, studied him. “My smile, huh?”

“Yeah. You smile in this slightly off-kilter way. One side of your mouth curls up just a tiny bit more than the other.”

“It does?”

“Yup.”

“I never noticed that before. So I’m lopsided?”

“No. It’s very sexy, makes you look secretive. It’s like you . . . know things.”

“No doubt about p**n movies.”

He laughed. “No doubt.” She really was damned irresistible, and it had nothing to do with her breasts. Yeah, she was beautiful, but it was more than that. He just liked being in the same room with her—her being gorgeous and utterly hot was a bonus. And she did it all naturally. She didn’t affect a pose or attitude to turn a guy on. She was just . . . Jessie, proving it by giving him that lopsided smile right now, and she had no idea she was doing it.

Danger bells clanged loud and clear in his head as he looked up at her, as he reached for her, palming the nape of her neck to draw her down to him.

Don’t do this. Once was bad enough. To continue would be disaster, like drawing too close to the fire. He was in too deep with Jessie, and taking her down with him. He could pull up, knowing this was going nowhere. But Jessie? She was falling. Would she understand that they couldn’t be anything more than this moment, than right now?

Her lips brushed light and easy across his, her breath warm and inviting. Her tongue rimmed his teeth as she explored, then slid inside, searching for his.

He should be the strong one here. But how many times was he going to walk away? That was the coward’s way out. It was time to face it—he wanted her and he was damn well going to have her for as long as he could.

She was a big girl. She understood: he’d made it clear enough that he wasn’t interested in a relationship. He’d never turn Jessie over to the monster that lived inside him. He didn’t trust himself enough to love someone. He cared too much about her to unleash that on her.

Her skin was so soft as she leaned forward, draping herself over him to lean farther into the kiss. He roamed her body, memorizing every lush curve, determined to enjoy these moments while they had them, because this was all going to end once this assignment was over.

But he had her now, right where he wanted her—on top, her body writhing over his while she explored and kissed him, letting her hands roam freely over his chest and shoulders. His dick clamored for attention, rising up between her legs to spear her pu**y lips. The wet heat of her body singed him.

“I want inside you.”

“I wanted to play,” she protested, but she rocked against his shaft, shuddering as she did.

She was in no more mood to linger than he was, and he knew it.

“No play. Let’s fuck.”

She gave him that smile again, and leaned over to pull out the drawer next to the bed.

Box of condoms. Thank God she was well prepared.

“Thought I was a sure thing, did you?” he teased.

She snorted as she tore the wrapper and slid the condom over him. “I was hoping.”

He grabbed her hips, lifted her into position, and held his c**k so she could mount him. Damn, it was hot as hell seeing his dick disappear into her inch by inch, to watch the way her pu**y swallowed him up like that. He felt every heated squeeze of her body as she welcomed him.

Jessie closed her eyes, tilted her head back as she seated herself fully on top of him. Her face bore the most beautiful expression, her body arched perfectly in a bow. She looked almost pained, yet as if she enjoyed an exquisite torture.

He pulsed inside her as her walls contracted around him, and still she hadn’t moved.

“Am I hurting you?” She was so tight, and wasn’t used to having a dick inside her yet.

“I’m fine. Just . . . feeling you.” She tilted her head forward, opened her eyes, and looked at him, her eyes, laden with desire. “It’s an incredible sensation having you inside me, Diaz.”

He’d never known a woman as honest as her, as forthcoming with her emotions. She unraveled him, in both good ways and bad.

“The way you grip my dick makes me want to f**k you hard until I come.”

Her lips tilted. “Is that a bad thing?”

“You don’t want a minuteman for a lover, darlin’.”

She leaned forward, raising her butt as she slid her br**sts along his chest. When she lowered onto his shaft again, she quivered, inside and out. The sensation was shattering. “I have every confidence you’ll last as long as I need you to.”

He would, too, because he wanted her to come apart around him again, wanted to feel her pu**y grip his dick as if it would squeeze the very life out of him. Only then would he let go and come inside her. He reached for her hips, lifting her up and down as she nuzzled against his chest, licking and biting at his nipples.

She made his hair stand on end as she wriggled against him, pumping her pu**y up and down on his dick, running her hands over his body in a way that could only be described as . . . possessive.

He loved it. He could never tire of her touch, the way she seemed to enjoy every moment of the experience. She wasn’t the least bit passive. Instead, she’d thrown herself headlong into sex as if she knew they had a limited time together and she wanted to feel everything she could.

So did he. He snaked an arm around her waist and flipped her over onto her back, then slid his arm down to grab on to her ass, pulling her hard and tight against his body.

Jessie gasped, her eyes widening as Diaz drove hard into her, not once, not twice, but over and over again, refusing to stop even to let her catch her breath. She held on to his arms, her nails digging grooves into his skin as he pumped thrust after thrust into her body. She whimpered, moaned, then lifted into him, urging him deeper.

“More,” she cried, her voice no more than a throaty whisper as her pu**y began to tighten around his shaft.

He reared back, powered deeper, grinding against her cl*tuntil she shattered, convulsing around him in wave after wave of cl**ax. She let go with a loud scream, arching against him, crying out his name and raking her nails against his skin. Watching her, feeling her, was too much and he couldn’t hold back, catapulting with a loud groan, grasping her hair to tip her head back so he could take her mouth, meld with her while they shared this orgasm and fell together.

Spent, sweating, he lightened the kiss, sipping from her mouth while she caught her breath. Her heart still pounded against his chest with fierce, ramming beats. She was wheezing, every inhalation a struggle.

He’d been too rough, too violent. He rolled off her, started to move away, but she caught hold of his arms and pulled him toward her.

“Where are you going?”

Her voice sounded raw, no doubt from all the panting and screaming. How could he be both proud and appalled by that?

“I hurt you.”

“You did not. It was . . . oh my God, Diaz, I didn’t know I could come like that. No, you didn’t hurt me at all. Now get back here.”

He slid back onto the bed and pulled her against him, stroking her hair, listening to the sounds she made.

Contented sounds. She ran her hand down his arm.

“I hurt you,” she said, smoothing her hand over his arm, the marks she’d made with her nails.

“I didn’t even feel it. I was concentrating on your pussy.”

She shuddered, sighed, and eventually her breathing returned to normal. Calm, even, until her eyes closed and he realized she’d fallen asleep. Still he continued to stroke her body, surprising even himself when his c**k began to harden again.

Christ, he was a goddamn beast. Insatiable, wanting her again even though he knew she had to be worn out.

He was capable of hurting Jessie because he was mindless when it came to her. She brought out violent emotions in him, including passion—a passion that wasn’t at all restrained.

He looked down at her, her lips swollen from his kisses, her face red and raw from his beard. Her pu**y was probably sore from the pounding it had taken. So much for his desire to be gentle. Wanting and doing were two different things, weren’t they?

He’d completely lost it with her, had thought only of himself. He’d been so into f**king her, he hadn’t stopped to think about the possibility of hurting her. Yeah, who did that remind him of?

This thing between them was a nightmare, was never going to work.

Of course he already knew that.

But was Jess clear on it?

ELEVEN

JESSIE INHALED THE CRISP NIGHT AIR, READY FOR ANYTHING tonight.

She was charged, energized after last night with Diaz.

He’d stayed with her, held her all night long. First thing this morning he’d run a bath for her, put her in the tub, and ordered her to soak while he went downstairs and brought them both a cup of coffee.

Apparently he was convinced she’d be so sore she wouldn’t be able to walk.

She couldn’t help it—she’d actually laughed when he said that.

A real-life dick was different than her vibrators or her fingers. Wow, was it ever different. He’d f**ked her good. Her body heated in a flash of desire remembering how it had felt to have him inside her. Pulsing, swelling, filling her. And when he moved against her, she’d connected with him in ways she’d never imagined possible. Even now, everything sexual inside her quivered in anticipation of doing it again.

Any soreness she’d felt was welcome. She’d do it again in a heartbeat.

She wasn’t sore. She told him the bath was heaven, but she’d sure wanted to have sex with him this morning.

He’d looked at her like she’d asked him to boil small kittens on her behalf. He’d told her she should take it easy today. It was really sweet how he was so tender with her, and so unlike the normally gruff Diaz.

They spent the day taking in the sights, hanging out with Crush and the gang, and taking some time alone to talk about the case and figure out different scenarios, like what would happen if they didn’t get asked to go through initiation. Which Jessie didn’t think was an option. Crush would ask them, she knew he would. But if he didn’t, they intended to follow him and his gang, at a discreet distance, and see where they were going. Not the best plan, but Jessie felt it was unnecessary anyway. They were going to be asked. She was 100 percent confident. Diaz wasn’t, so he wanted to make sure they had another option.

Shaking her head, she placed her hands on her h*ps and searched among the main drag crowds for Spence, who’d made himself scarce all day long. Darkness swallowed the crowds, making everything a blur of nothing more than motorcycle lights and people milling about the sidewalks, crowded so close together you couldn’t differentiate one body from another. Diaz was down the street talking with Crush. Jessie had come out of the dense crowd to use the bathroom and get some air, and she’d told Diaz she’d see if she could spot Spence while she was walking around.

Not that she figured she’d have much luck finding him. When he’d called Diaz’s cell phone this morning, Spence had said he was busy with Stephanie and a few of the Devil’s Skulls. He’d explained he heard a few things from Stephanie last night that had made him curious, and he’d report in later.

They hadn’t seen him all day, and tonight was the initiation. Which they hadn’t yet been invited to, though they had run into Crush this morning, who’d asked them to ride with the gang today. Jessie took that as a sign of things to come. Crush seemed to be comfortable with the three of them. God knows Spence had ingratiated himself with Stephanie, who stood at the upper echelon of the group and was also a relative of Crush’s, so that at least gave Spence an in. And Jessie knew Crush liked her. He didn’t seem to have a problem with Diaz, either, so things looked promising for initiation.