Room 238. Rick’s room. She picked up the hotel phone, the dial tone screaming in her ear.

For God’s sake, Ava, it’s three-thirty in the morning. He’s sleeping. What kind of a neurotic idiot are you?

Apparently a Class A Neurotic Idiot. She dialed his room number, her stomach clenching as it began to ring.

“Yeah.”

He didn’t sound half asleep. “Rick, it’s . . . Ava.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. I’m fine. Were you sleeping?”

“No. What’s up?”

This had to have been the dumbest idea ever. She fumbled for the right words. There really weren’t any, so she might as well just come right out and say it. “Earlier tonight, at Joey’s . . .”

“Yeah?”

“When we were upstairs in the bedroom. Alone.”

He didn’t say anything. Ava inhaled a breath of courage. “When we were kissing, and touching . . . you stopped.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you tensed up when you heard a door close out in the hallway.”

She frowned. “I did?”

“Yeah. I just figured you weren’t really into what we were doing. Or maybe you weren’t . . . ready. I didn’t want to push you into anything you didn’t really want.”

That was why he stopped? Because she tensed up and he didn’t want to push her? Wow. Just . . . wow. He really was thoughtful. Or utterly full of shit. She couldn’t tell.

“I wasn’t tense at all.”

“You didn’t want to be in that room with me.”

“Yes, I did. I was . . . very much into what we were doing.”

“Were you.”

He was smiling. She could tell. But was he laughing at her?

“Yes.”

“How much were you into it?”

Her body flushed with heat. “Uh . . . a lot.”

“Tell me, Ava. Did your ni**les get hard?”

Oh, God. She did not have phone conversations like this. Ever. But her ni**les puckered. Damn him.

“Yes.”

“Did your pu**y get wet?”

Oh. My. God. She shuddered out a breath. “Yes.”

“Are you in bed right now?”

“Yes.”

“What are you wearing?”

She looked down at her breasts. The sheet had slipped down to her waist, revealing tight, hard nipples.

“I still have all my clothes on.”

He laughed, the rumbling sound touching her nerve endings. “Liar. What are you wearing?”

His demand, spoken softly, made her want to tell him. “Nothing.”

“You’re na**d.”

“Yes.” She could barely get the word out. It was like she was standing in the same room with him, showing him.

She heard a rustling on the other end, wished she knew what he was doing.

“The thought of you na**d makes my dick hard, Ava.”

Now it was her turn to rustle. She reached up and slid her thumb over her nipple, then squeezed her eyes shut as the sensation shot between her legs.

“Does knowing that make you wet?”

“Yes.”

“Does it make you want to touch your pussy?”

She didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to have this conversation with him. And she didn’t want to hang up.

“Answer me.”

“Yes, it does.”

He inhaled and blew it out. A sound of frustration, of need. She’d never heard anything more erotic in her entire life.

“Do it. Touch yourself for me.”

“Oh, God, Rick. Please.”

“Yes. Touch your pussy. You know you want to.”

She did want to. She’d wanted to for hours. And somehow, doing it because he’d asked her to was like Rick putting his hand there. She moved her hand under the covers and cupped her sex, couldn’t hold back the gasp as sensation shot through her.

“Feel good?”

“Yes.” But she needed more. Much more. “Rick.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you doing?”

“Stroking my dick.”

She squeezed her thighs together, images pummeling her. How was he doing it? Was he na**d, too, or were his jeans unzipped, just his c**k visible? She wished she could be in the room with him, watching him touch himself.

“Do you like knowing I’m stroking myself while I talk to you?”

She swallowed. Her throat had gone dry. “Yes. Oh, yes.”

“Rub your pu**y for me, Ava.”

She rocked her hand against her pussy. Her cl*ttrembled, the tight bud hard and aching for her touch. She split her fingers, capturing her cl*tbetween them, feeling it swell and burst with pleasure. It was so, so good. She couldn’t hold back her whimper of pleasure.

“I love hearing the sounds you make. Does it feel good?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what you’re doing.”

“Resting my palm over my pussy. Teasing my cl*twith my fingers. Rick, I’m shaking all over. I’ve . . . never done this before.”

“Good. Do it for me, then. I like listening to you. I like hearing your deep breathing.”

She shuddered out a sigh. This was wicked. She pressed the heel of her palm against her clit, and let her fingers dive down along her pu**y lips. She was wet, hot, anticipating being filled. Sadly, all she had were her fingers, but she tucked two inside. And moaned.

“Christ” was Rick’s reply. “What are you doing?”

Now she felt the power of what she was doing, and how it affected him. She pulled her fingers out and pushed them in again, her h*ps rising off the bed to meet them. “Fucking myself with my fingers.”

“Shit. Yeah.”

Now Rick was the one out of breath and making noises, and she had to admit it drove her crazy. Because she couldn’t see, she could only hear. And imagine. It drove her pleasure higher, faster, made her so close to coming she had to back off.

Not yet.

She was panting now, listening to the sounds Rick made, straining to hear everything. She could swear she heard his hand moving along his cock, the rhythmic stroking in tune to his hard, fast breaths in the receiver of the phone. She’d never seen a guy jack off before. Now she wanted to more than anything.

“Ava.”

“Yes.”

“I want you to come for me.”

“Yes.” Faster now, she moved her hand, her fingers, digging the heel of her palm against her cl*tand driving her fingers deeper inside her pussy.

“Tell me what you’re doing.”

“Spreading my legs. Fucking myself. Making myself come. Oh, God, Rick, I’m coming now.”

“Fuck. Yes. Come on.” He groaned, loud, a deep, guttural sound and she knew he was coming, too.

Her orgasm splintered her, wild and filled with a crazy madness brought about by this wicked thing they’d done together. She went off like a rocket, bursting all over. She bucked against her hand with the waves of her cl**ax, yelling at Rick through the phone and not caring at all who she woke up. Not when she was coming like this and it was oh, so good.

Spent, she dropped her h*ps to the bed and panted, listened to Rick do the same thing, and closed her eyes, wondering whether she should be laughing or utterly mortified.

“Damn, honey. You are good.”

She smiled, too satiated to be mortified at what she had just done. “So are you.”

“Now get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Her smile died. She suddenly felt unsure.

“’Night, Ava.”

“Good night, Rick.”

He clicked off and she hung up the phone, went into the bathroom to clean up. She stared at herself in the mirror and shook her head at the sight she presented. Naked, her ni**les puckered, her br**sts still flushed with the aftereffects of her orgasm. Her hair was in wild disarray, her eyes had this ...what? A passionate look, she supposed.

She didn’t look at all like herself.

But this week was supposed to be about doing something different.

What she’d just done with Rick had sure as hell been different, hadn’t it?

She turned off the bathroom light and climbed back into bed, hoping this time she could sleep without thinking too much.

And hoping she could face Rick tomorrow without dissolving into a puddle of embarrassment.

FIVE

Rick had only slept a few hours. After he’d hung up the phone with Ava last night, it had taken all his willpower not to throw on his jeans, walk down the hall, bang on her door, and climb into bed with her.

Reserved? He’d thought she was reserved? Cool? Hell, she was an inferno. Banked, maybe, but tapped the right way, Ava was explosive. And he wanted his hands on her in the worst way. So yeah, sleep had been damned hard last night. His dick had been damned hard last night. Phone sex was fun, but nothing like the real thing.

And now that she’d warmed him up, he wanted the real thing.

He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn’t on vacation, he wasn’t really home. This was an assignment. She was an assignment. And he had to call Grange and give his report. He dialed General Lee’s number. True to form, the general answered on the first ring, his tone crisp and formal as always.

“What?”

Rick smiled and shook his head. “Hey, Grange. Did I wake you?”

“You know better than that, boy. What’s going on there?”

“I’m in the Hellraisers again.”

“Did your cousin buy your background?”

“I think so. They said they were going to check it out, though.”

“Good. We gave you a solid history. Should be no problems. Let me know what they say.”

“Will do.”

“What about Ava Vargas?”

“I made contact with her last night. She actually ended up as my riding buddy while we’re here at bike week. Turns out her best friend is Bo’s girlfriend.”

“Perfect. Have you found out anything yet?”

“Nothing much. She doesn’t seem to be a biker. Seems green.”

“Which doesn’t mean shit. She doesn’t have to be an expert to have something going on with the Hellraisers. Appearances can be deceiving. You should know that better than anyone.”

“I know.”

“Then get close to her and stay that way. There are several Hellraisers who’ve been busted in the past few months for drug distribution. Senator Vargas is shitting his pants that his daughter might be even remotely involved in this gang. And DEA is getting a hard-on over it, too. If Ms. Vargas is dirty, DEA wants to know about it.”

“I’m on it.”

“Good. Keep me updated.”

Rick hung up, satisfied that he was on the right track, even if he did think the senator was being overly protective of his daughter and the DEA was totally off base. Then again, like Grange said, appearances could be deceiving and Ava might be deeply involved in the Hellraisers up to her soft, kissable neck.

But Rick had spent a lifetime trusting his instincts about people. And his instincts told him Ava was a fish out of water with the Hellraisers. He was going to have to find out just what she was doing there, and why.

And that meant staying close to her, no matter what he had to do to get there.

Hey, some jobs came with bonuses. And if he had to climb in bed with Ava Vargas to do his job—well, there were worse things he’d done in the line of duty.

He checked out the clock on his phone—it was almost seven-thirty. Would she be awake yet, or sleeping in? He went to the hotel phone and dialed her number, though his first thought had been to go straight to her room to see if he could wake her up.

The tightening in his jeans told him that would be a great way to start the day.

She answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Did I wake you?”

She let out a soft laugh. “No. I just got dressed. I’m dying for some coffee so I was going to head downstairs.”

“I’ll go with you. Be there in a sec.”

He hung up, surprised to find himself eager to see her.

Which was probably just his dick talking. Anticipation and all. He knew what was going to happen between them. It was just a matter of time, and hopefully some finesse on his part.

She came out of the room just as he approached her door, looking fresh and pink-cheeked and well rested, though as late as they’d finished up last night and as early as it was now, she couldn’t have gotten much more sleep than he had.

“Tired?” he asked.

Her cheeks darkened. “A little.”

“You could have slept in.”

“You would have woke me up with your phone call anyway.”

“Good point.”

They walked down the hall toward the elevator, awkward silence echoing around them. Rick felt it rise up between them like a thick, invisible cloud, shattering the ease they’d started with.

And he knew why.

So when they got to the elevator, he pulled Ava into his arms and slammed his mouth down on hers, giving her a kiss that told her exactly how it was going to be between them.

And damn did she taste good in the morning, all soft and pliant and breathless against him. She tasted fresh—like toothpaste, her mouth cool and inviting. She made his dick hard in record time. He broke the kiss—reluctantly—as the elevator doors opened.

Her eyes were wide pools of stormy gray, her lips parted in surprise.

“I had a really good time talking to you on the phone last night.”

She swallowed. “So did I.”

He wrapped an arm around her and led her onto the elevator, and pushed the button. “So don’t go all quiet and embarrassed on me now. I think we’re past that.”