Page 13 of Wasted Lust

“Oh my God,” Sasha says, shaking her head. Another student standing at the light with us shoots me a disgusted look. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a career woman.”

“Ah,” I say, waving my hand at her just as the walk light illuminates. We head across the street with her once again struggling to free herself from my arm, but I hold onto her tightly. “You’re not, Sasha. you’re playing at it. Dabbling. You’re filthy rich, you have a thing for dinosaurs, I guess. So you figured you’d waste some time at school because you don’t know what else to do with yourself. Nick left you behind. You never got over it. And so you spend your days immersed in science labs and boring lectures. You stay away from men and friends because you can’t relate. And maybe Nick isn’t coming back. You think about it all the time, don’t you? Are you saving yourself for him?”

“I’d slap the shit out of him,” the girl in front says over her shoulder. “Punch him in the face.”

“Hey,” I bark at the feminist. “This is private.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t be saying that shit in public,” she retorts before veering away from us.

Sasha finally tugs her arm from my grasp and starts walking fast towards the museum. We are steps away and I’m not sure my approach is working yet. I did get her to talk, but it’s not enough. I need movement on this case and I need it today. So I jog to catch up and then get ahead of her so I can open the door.

She rolls her eyes at me, but she steps through, folding up her umbrella. I follow her in as she makes her way to the stairs. “What are you doing?” she asks in a hushed, but angry, whisper. There’s no one in here. The museum isn’t normally busy this early in the morning and there’s no classrooms in here. Just the grad school offices on the third floor. “Go away. I’m at work. I’m pretty sure agents are not allowed to harass upstanding citizens at work for no reason.”

The stairs are not enclosed. The building is old and elaborate with dark hardwood banisters and marble steps. But it is a little dark in this area since there are no windows. She takes the steps two at a time but when she gets to the landing between the first and second floors, I grab her hand and pull her close for a moment. “I think that girl was right. We need some privacy.”

“Agent Jax,” Sasha growls. “I’m not interested in your offer, your work, or your interest in me. And if you touch me again”—she pulls her arm away a final time—”I will break all your fingers.”

I put my hands up in surrender. “OK, look. I heard some news, I said. And I think he’s about to make his move. I don’t think you’re safe.”

“I’m quite capable of taking care of myself, Agent.” She says it with determination as she unbuttons her raincoat, but I catch a moment of doubt in her eyes. It throws me for a second. Because I know she’s quite capable. If I had to bet which of us was more capable, I’d put my money on her. So this is interesting. “I don’t need you to protect me, I have not heard from Nick Tate in ten years, and I have no interest in a—”

I cup my wet hands around her face and kiss her.

She drops her umbrella and struggles for a moment, but when my tongue slips between her lips, she stops. Not quite giving in—her hands are gripping my biceps as I play with her mouth—but she doesn’t pull away. I push her backwards until she bumps up against the wall, pressing my wet clothes into her open coat. And I slide one hand behind her neck to draw her closer while the other one fists her hair.

Her tongue responds, twisting together with mine. Her chest begins to rise and fall more rapidly, and then she is panting in my mouth. Fuck.

I pull back and release her hair so I can palm her cheek. I slip my thumb up to her lips and she actually moans. And when I try to slip my thumb into her mouth, she opens for me.

Good God.

I stare down at her as she looks up at me. My hair is dripping water down her face, but she stays absolutely still. “I want to take you out tonight, Miss Cherlin.” She swallows when I call her by her real name. “I’m not taking no for an answer. So I’ll pick you up at eight.”

And then I kiss her again—this time no tongue—and turn away to jump down the stairs.

When I get to the bottom I turn around. “Hey,” I call up to her. She’s still backed up against the wall, her mouth open from the kiss. It makes me grin to see her so caught off guard.

“What?” she whispers, her hand reaching towards her heart.

I hold up both hands, palms out, and laugh. “I’ve still got all ten fingers, killer. Looks like you’ve lost your game.” And then I drop the smile and give her a stern look that makes her face scrunch up. “If we hire you to help us, you’re gonna wanna get that game back, understand?”

I don’t wait for an answer, just turn and walk away. Out of her line of sight from the stairs, and then out of the building. It’s still raining outside, but the only wet thing on my mind right now is that girl’s mouth.

“Who the…”

That asshole. He walks away before I can finish my sentence.

Pick me up at eight. Work for them. Asshole.

“Hey, Sasha,” Mike, my office-mate, says as he walks up the stairs. He stops on the landing in front of me. “What are you doing?”

I let out a breath and mutter, “Nothing.”

“You OK? You sound stressed. And your face is all wet. Didn’t you use your umbrella?” He looks down at it on the floor. “You never get stressed. So the world must be upside down right now.”

I paint on my trademark smile. “I’m fine, just thinking about my orals today. How about you? Are you ready for them?”

“I took mine yesterday.”