Dean's List Read online

  Was it his imagination that she looked at him with raw hunger? Or had cum backed up so far it had seeped into his brain and made it impossible to think beyond the need to finally make her truly his?

  "I don't buy that the girl's boyfriend did this," Watson was saying.

  Dan didn't buy it either, but it honestly wasn't his problem. The college was in civilian jurisdiction, not military. NCIS had no responsibility here unless it somehow might involve a military crime or person. And as much as he loved his work, Dan wasn't about to waste time expounding on who did what when it didn't involve him and he had much better things to pursue. Like the woman standing not twenty feet away, hugging herself against the kiss of autumn in the desert air. The combination of red, white, blue, and yellow lights flashing made the moment surreal, like they were caught in some crazy dream.

  "Hello? Are you with us?" Watson jabbed him.

  Generally, Dan could put up with his antics. Not tonight.

  "What do you think?" Watson asked when he realized he now had Dan's attention.

  Dan shrugged. "I think it's possible she did it herself for the attention. What else is there to think? Any other theories I might have would be too far over the top. The college is too isolated for anyone to gain anything from this type of damage. Drug running's the only plausible thing that comes to mind, and if that's the case, then why draw attention with vandalism when they know it will bring the police."

  The others nodded, scratched their heads, chins, and Watson, his balls. Dan tried to ignore them again. There was no way the four tow trucks would be able to handle damage to a parking full of vehicles. One or two flat tires, sure; four per car or truck, no way. They started loading vehicles to haul to repair facilities or homes. At this rate, it would take all night. Dan was inclined to cut the drivers some slack and have his car taken care of in the morning. Of course, doing so would leave him stuck for a way home, not that he couldn't call someone or even prevail upon his cop buddies to bend a rule.

  Friends and family were starting to arrive to take people home. The dean was making his presumed rounds again, offering rides and heading straight for Leigh. And so did Dan.

  She apparently didn't notice the dean behind her, but there was no doubt about the light in her eyes when she saw Dan coming toward her. She took a hesitant step toward him, then another. Dan moved into an easy stride, smiling, then cupping her upper arm when he reached her.

  "Hey, Leigh." The dean burst up from the other side.

  Leigh's head whipped around to him, but she backed against Dan. His body sang out at the contact. The scent of apples curled up his nose and into his blood. He fought the urge to close his eyes on a groan, wrap his arm around her, and bury his face in her hair.

  "I'm taking a bunch home." He motioned to the Ford Explorer behind him. Its engine was running and the doors stood open.

  "Wait for me." Dan's voice was low, for her only. Was that a shiver he felt? Sure enough. But was it his or hers?

  "Dan and I would love a ride home." She looked up at Dan. He'd never seen such mischief dance in a person's eyes before. "Is that okay with you, honey?"

  "There's only room for one," the guy said. He was starting to remind Dan of Jerk-face.

  "That's okay." Leigh wiggled closer to Dan. "I can just sit on Dan's lap."

  "But...that's illegal."

  Dan slipped his arm around Leigh's waist. "I think any officer will give us a pass under the circumstances and once they realize who I am." He extended his hand. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Dan Jefferson, NCIS Special Agent."

  Now that shiver was from Leigh. It empowered him.

  "Greg Reed." He grudgingly shook Dan's hand. Dan made it a grip to remember. "I'm the college dean."

  "Thanks for the ride. We appreciate it. I'll go grab my things from the car and tell the tow driver to leave mine until morning."

  "Great idea. I'll do the same," Leigh said.

  "I can take care of that for you, sweetheart, if you'd like to go on to his truck," he told her.

  Leigh pressed her hand to his pounding heart. "That'd be great, but he'll probably need my direct authorization since we haven't put each other's information into their system yet."

  Dan tried not to laugh. Inside he was beaming. They sounded like they'd been a couple forever instead of...never. He loved it and prayed she wasn't merely using him as cover to avoid Greg, although he'd easily forgive her for that. He'd forgive her anything for the implicit trust she placed in him right now.

  "We'll be right back," he said to Greg, then he and Leigh walked off to their respective tow trucks hand-in-hand.

  "Nicely played...sweetheart."

  "Thanks...honey." She wrapped herself around his arm, snugging it between her breasts. Sweet agony speared through him. "I appreciate the save. I'll try not to make you too uncomfortable."

  "Too late...as you'll soon see. My apologies in advance, but I'll be poking your backside the whole trip."

  A giggle trilled from her, along with a shrug. "I'll suffer through and try not to wiggle around too much. Wouldn't want to leave any wet spots."

  Dan tossed back a laugh. "Yes, let's please don't blemish my oh-so-perfect reputation."

  They stopped their verbal foreplay and gave their instructions to the tow drivers. Burly men with a day's end of whiskers thanked them for the consideration and looked like they dropped ten pounds instantly from having two burdens off their shoulders for the night.

  Still arm-in-arm, or rather his arm clutched against Leigh's body, they walked on to his Honda. Silence accompanied them now, that and the hard beat of their hearts. Dan could feel hers pounding against his bicep. It matched the pulsing heat in his cock and he couldn't help wondering if her clit was in the same predicament. He imagined it slick with her juices, hard and red and ready to explode. He wanted it under his tongue, or surging beneath his fingers, or nudging his dick as he thrust inside. Wanted it all. Wanted it now.

  He swung her gently against the side of his car when they reached it, then braced his arms on the hood effectively blocking her. Her eyes lifted to his, a silent plea or a warning he'd gone too far? He wanted to kiss her. God, how he wanted to kiss her. Instead, he pressed closer until her breasts scuffed his chest; both their nipples were pebble hard. Her breath hitched. Her lips parted. And those deep green eyes fell to his mouth.

  "I...I have ice cream at my house." Her low voice shook with every word.

  "Sounds like the perfect end to what's been a crazy night." Dan brushed his fingers down her hair and rested them against her neck. Her pulse fluttered against his thumb. "What flavor?"

  "Vanilla."

  "I love vanilla. It's my favorite."

  Leigh tensed, and Dan suspected she would have moved back if not for the car and his body holding her in place. "It is?"

  Ah, so they weren't really talking about ice cream right now. "Yes." He traced his thumb over her jawline. "Because the possibilities are endless. It might look like vanilla to the untrained eye, but it's really the cornerstone of many other wonderful things the uninitiated wouldn't understand."

  Her eyes widened. Her mouth formed a perfect O. He'd surprised her. Good. Dan had a lot more surprises for her. Right now, though, he had to kiss her or he knew he'd die. He bent slowly, taking his time for what he knew would be damn sweet, and loving how Leigh's eyes tracked his progress. Loving the huffs of her breath brushing his face, the heat pooling from them, those heartbeats that raced in time for--

  "If you two would hurry it would be greatly appreciated," Greg said from behind. "We'd really like to go. The others are waiting."

  That was it. Dan was going to kill the fucker. Pulling in a deep breath, he faced the other man. "We're on it."

  He opened his car door, grabbed a duffel that had a change of clothes, and secured the door once more. Greg hadn't budged. The pathetic attempt at dominance pissed Dan off. Should he let Greg have the moment, or make it a cockfight here and now? Yeah, that'll be a good way to im
press Leigh.

  He slipped his arm around Leigh, hugging her to him. "Ready, babe?"

  "I am." The words slithered around him.

  Dan wouldn't fault Greg if they'd given him the boner from hell either. There was a promise in those two words, uttered in a tone leaving nothing to the imagination, backed up by the press of her body against his.

  Greg did a crisp about-face that would have done the grungiest Marine proud and marched back to his Explorer. Dan kept on his heels the whole way, though it meant separating himself from Leigh in order to do so. Some things he could let go, but he sure as hell wanted Greg to get a good feel of having someone dog his ass.

  "Hey, Dan," Watson called out, "where're you going? We could use your expertise."

  "Heading home, buddy." He lifted a wave. "It's a civilian matter, out of my jurisdiction. Best not to muddy the waters."

  "Uh-huh." Watson looked right at Leigh. "Yeah, got it. I'd take that stance myself."

  Dan thanked his lucky stars Watson left it at that. There was no telling what was going to come out of his mouth ninety percent of the time.

  The back door of the Explorer was open and the second row of seats taken. That meant he and Leigh had been relegated to the third row where they'd be squeezed in with another poor soul and no legroom. Frankly, Dan wasn't surprised.

  He greeted the other passengers with a nod, then climbed in. His new English Comp teacher, Hilary Culpepper, age ancient, would be their seatmate. Pencil thin eyebrows and rheumy gray eyes perused them as he and Leigh settled for the ride. It was clear from the get-go that Leigh sitting on his lap wasn't going to work, logistically. So Dan gave up his seat and squeezed into the small space on the floor. His reward? Leigh's hand on his shoulder, her calf pressed against his bent leg, and the knowledge he wasn't going to be sleeping in his bed tonight...as long as he didn't screw this up.

  He cupped her calf and enjoyed the ride.

  Chapter 5

  * * *

  How could a fifteen-minute ride feel like eternity? Each brush of Dan's thumb over her calf telegraphed signals straight to Leigh's pussy. Wet spot imminent. Thank goodness, the seat wasn't cloth. Now all Leigh had to do was keep from sighing with contentment and groaning from need. Both were nearly impossible when her mind wandered to all the naughty delights of Dan slipping his hand under her skirt and into her panties to make her come here and now. That would give Hilary something to write in her diary tonight. Although they might wind up in the ER because Greg would sure as hell have a heart attack.

  Leigh chuckled to herself. Dan glanced up, that lift of an eyebrow asking her to share the joke. How quickly they'd fallen into an easy rapport. Like they'd known each other for years. Well...they had.

  She yanked the direction of her thoughts off that path. She didn't want to think about then, or the age difference, or anything. All she wanted was to explore the here and now. To have a great orgasm and a good fuck at the hands of someone other than herself.

  No one said much. After the evening they'd all had, shock was setting in. Among the why and who, everyone would also be wondering if it would happen again and how to protect themselves and their property against it. Greg would be hard-pressed to hire security and upgrade their pitiful surveillance equipment. The sheriff, California Highway Patrol, and citizens' patrol from neighboring cities might offer drive-by checks as well. A determined vandal could work around that; so could vigilantes out for justice. She would hate to see it come to that, but Leigh also wasn't foolish enough to ignore the threat from either parties--vandals or vigilantes. Teachers would go to their cars in groups, be it day or night. She'd arrange it herself.

  "There's my house. There's my house." Hilary jumped up, waving her hand. "Stop, Greg, stop!"

  He slammed on the brake, nearly toppling her over the seat and people in front of her. Dan's quick reflexes saved her.

  Hilary's thin lips formed a rarely seen smile. "A-plus, Mr. Jefferson." Then she crawled over them both and left the vehicle without a word of thanks to their chauffeur.

  Dan slipped into the vacant seat and covered his hand over Leigh's. "My place is only about a mile or so," she said softly.

  "Daisy, right?" Greg asked.

  Leigh fought the urge to roll her eyes and bit off a smart-ass comment. "That's right." Then she spied Dan glowering holes through the back of Greg's head and giddiness welled up inside her once more.

  Within a few minutes, Greg pulled to a stop in front of her house, an exact duplicate of every other house on the street with the exception of the house numbers--tan stucco, sand for a front yard. Yep, he'd given himself away with that small error. Leigh wondered how long it would take the three remaining teachers in the SUV to piece that together.

  Greg barely let them clear the vehicle before he took off again, their thank yous swallowed by his exhaust.

  "He been stalking you?" Dan asked.

  "Let's just say he's been persistent," she said with a sigh, and pulled her keys from her tote. "You planning to kick his ass?"

  "Thinking about it." He pulled in a breath and reached for her keys. "May I?"

  Leigh relinquished the ring. "How do you know which one fits? Or were you going to keep poking until you got one in?"

  He clutched his side in silent laughter. "You nailed me. That is my style."

  "Thanks for the warning." She snagged the duffel strap around his shoulder and tugged him up the cement walk. "I'll make sure to provide you with a little extra guidance when we progress to that point."

  "Which will be soon, right?" He let her lead him.

  "Oh, yeah. Real soon."

  "Isn't this the part where you play coy with me? Tell me you appreciate my help, but that I'm really not obligated any further and I can call a cab?"

  Leigh stepped aside to give him access to the door. The motion-activated light overhead came to life. She'd yet to release his bag. "I would never play coy."

  "I know. Me neither." Dan thrust the key into the lock on the first try.

  "How--"

  He dangled the keys. "It's the only Schlage key on the ring. I...deduced, based on the skills acquired in my many years as a criminal investigator."

  "Well"--Leigh danced her fingers up to the nape of his neck--"then maybe you won't need any specialized guidance after all."

  He slipped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her to her toes. "A friendly hand is always appreciated...and never refused," he finished in a whisper.

  Leigh grinned. "Never say never."

  "My feelings exactly." He pushed the door open and swung inside with Leigh firmly in his grasp. The man really knew how to take a woman's breath away.

  He held her suspended for the space of too many heartbeats, watching her face, her lips. God, he was hard! Everywhere! Was he waiting for a signal from her? Mustering control? Debating the whole thing? What--

  Hot lips cut off the rambling dissertation. Such a soft kiss, firm, determined, yet not intrusive. As if he knew she'd needed something to silence her thoughts. Who knew so simple a kiss could be so overwhelming? Leigh let go of the moan she'd intermittently fought all night.

  Dan deepened the kiss, nibbling her lips this time...once, twice. Over and over again. Leigh kissed him back, hungry for more. He drew in a deep breath through his nose, grunted, then slipped his tongue between her welcoming lips. Her knees buckled. That arm locked around her waist kept her upright. When the kiss finally ended, her head buzzed, her body sang. Any other man would have had her panties off and be fucking her bent facedown over the couch by now.

  Another breath pulled his shoulders back. He combed his fingers through her hair, and she could feel the energy shimmering from him. Feel the demanding pulse in the erection wedged between them. And yet he waited.

  Dan adjusted the duffel strap on his shoulder and turned her toward the room. Leigh kept her gaze on his face, searching for clues and hints of what to do, or what might happen next. A broad smile momentarily scattered the lust banked in his eyes.r />
  "I love this. It's absolutely beautiful!"

  She could tell he meant it, too. She thrilled at the knowledge. "With all the beige houses surrounding me, I needed some color." It existed everywhere one looked--emerald greens, ruby reds, golden yellow, purples, and blue. Somehow, she'd made it all work.

  "Looks homey and comfortable, too. Like the sofa and chairs are waiting for you to sink into them after a hard day. Welcoming and peaceful. Soothing."

  "Not too soothing, I hope," she said.

  Dan cocked his head to one side as if thinking it over. "Nope, still locked and loaded. Waiting for a cavewoman to club me and drag me off to her lair since she's already lured me away from the safety of my own village."

  Leigh laughed. "And here I was waiting for you to storm my battlements."

  "In that case..." He ducked and tossed her over his shoulder.

  She squealed. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

  "Oh?" He twisted his head her way. "You were going to carry me?"

  "Very well." She feigned a beleaguered sigh. "Carry on. You can use your keen investigative skills to find my lair."

  He skimmed his free hand over her ass. "Getting sassy now, are we?" Hard circles brought heat rushing to her pussy. "There's a cure for that you know."

  Leigh's breath caught. "Are you offering me a friendly hand?"

  "Perhaps? Do you need one?"

  She couldn't answer. Too many doubts swarmed her head. A sharp swat shocked an "Oh" out of her and yanked her back to the moment.

  "Answer, please," he said. "You never play coy, remember?"

  "I remember," she replied breathlessly, all the while fighting the need to squirm against his rigid shoulder and find some relief for the growing ache between her thighs.

  "Do you need a friendly hand?" he asked again.

  God help her, she wanted another swat badly. "I need many things, Dan."