I pull back to give him a faint smile. “Can I admit something?”
That cat-like smile is back across his face. “Of course, Teresa.” Dammit, why did he have to say that with so much sex?
“I brought you here for another reason.” I take his hand in mind.
I see the twinkle in his eye. “Hm, a repeat of the woods. A taste? A chase?”
Okay, not saying that thought didn’t cross my mind. I shake my head. “No! You sex demon. You really think I’d look like this if wanted sex? Let alone bring you here?”
“Mm.. what would you look like?” He starts to trail a finger across my chin and down my neck and my eyes start to flutter. I smack his hand.
I take a deep breath. “Okay buddy, focus. I didn’t want to involve you in this, but I was hoping for some help. There’s been a development brought to my attention and I don’t know how much more power I can exert.”
“So, you want me to dowhatexactly?” he says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I don’t truly know what your club does, but my hope is that you can ask your connections about a problem. Maybe have the club look into a problem that is become a great concern for my community.” There, I said it.
He thinks about it for a moment. “Well, if I were to get information, I would need to know the problem.”
I huff at him. “I was getting to that, but you’re distracting.”
“You have no idea..” he says, kissing along my neck. I give him a shove.
“Seriously, Alexander, I need you to focus.”
He snickers. “I like my name on your lips. It sounds.. welcoming. Needy.”
“Alexander,” I growl in warning.
“Yes, Teresa,” he smiles. “Okay, darlin’, what’s the problem causing you to tense up.”
“A person I trust, he’s like the mayor within the homeless community, Jeremiah, approached me a few weeks back saying he was noticing odd things, like people disappearing, rumors about people getting jobs and then no one hears from them. I didn’t think anything of it.”
Jackson’s face turns serious. “These people, are there any records of them? Or direct evidence.”
“Well, like I said, I didn’t think anything of it. Jeremiah tends to linger and ramble sometimes. Then, I had Aggie tell me she ran a report and noticed some discrepancies. My mind’s telling me that it’s not true, but some things aren’t adding up..”
He looks at me skeptically. “So, you’re hoping that with my connections you’ll be able to do what?”
“Confirm or deny the issue.” I walk further down the hallway. I just need him to say yes. Maybe I can ease my mind into facts.
“What do I get out of it? What’s in it for me?” His question hangs heavy in the air.
“The notion that you did a good deed for the community and made me happy.” Not the complete truth, but I try.
“Mm, sounds tempting”
“Are you needing more convincing?” The words come out faster than I anticipated.
“And if I do?”
My mouth goes dry. What I wouldn’t do to this man. I want to wrap my legs around him pinned to the wall. I want his lips all over me, covering every inch and corner of my body. I want to get lost in him and never come up for air.
“Darlin’, if you keep looking at me like you want to devour me, I will happily oblige. Just say yes,” he says, licking his lips.
The temptation maddening. I want to say yes, but the practical half of me is saying no, to wait. “And what if I want to wait?”
I can feel the heat of his body behind me. He brushes the back of his knuckles down my arm. “Then we’ll wait. But know the longer you wait…” he starts to say.