Tingle All the Way Read online

  “Good luck,” Stan yelled as Barry pushed open the door and departed.

  The cool night air greeted him as he quickly scanned the parking lot. The Ice Queen was propped against her white Lexus trying to insert a key into the door lock. She hadn’t even tried the unlocking mechanism on the remote controller she held in her hand.

  “Dammit,” she cursed.

  No way would he allow her to get into her car and drive. Not in her current state.

  “Miss Jones.” He walked to her side and stopped.

  “Huh?” Kayla looked up briefly. Determination burned in her icy blue eyes before she continued to aim and miss the lock.

  Like everything she did, she did it with passion. Yet if she continued down this road much longer, she’d have the whole door scratched.

  Barry took a moment to study her. In court, she led the jury around by their emotions. With just a word she could make them cry or laugh. She was that good. Much better in court then she was putting a key in a small hole.

  Barry stifled a laugh. “Would you like me to drive you home?”

  Miss Jones glanced up glassy-eyed and released a puff of air that blew a tendril out of her face. A smile softened her features. She straightened. “Barry Allred.”

  He nodded. “Yep. That’s me. Can I be of assistance?”

  She dangled her key ring before her. “My key’s broke.”

  “Sweetheart, it isn’t your key that’s broken.”

  “Excuse me.” She stiffened.

  “I think perhaps you’ve had one too many martinis.”

  “R-ridiculoussss.” She hiccupped, quickly covering her mouth with her palm.

  Damn. The woman was adorable.

  Barry took several steps backward. “Let’s perform a little test. Walk a straight line to me. If you manage it, I’ll open your car for you. If you fail, you allow me to take you home.”

  Miss Jones rolled her eyes toward the star-studded sky. Her shoulders squared. She beamed with confidence, until she took the first step and stumbled straight into his arms. He almost lost his grip on the Christmas tree and his jacket as he caught her with one arm. Slowly he drew her against his chest.

  The smell of a light, powdery perfume sent his senses reeling. Barry felt the rapid beat of her heart, and the instant hard-on the woman gave him whenever he was in her presence made itself known.

  Her tongue slid between parted lips. “Perhaps I did have one too many.” She blinked, completely unaware of the chaos she was creating inside him.

  “One?” This time he did laugh. “Baby, you’re plastered.”

  Bright eyes met his. “Maybe you should take me home.”

  Continuing to hold her close, he refused to release her—at least not yet. He’d dreamed of this moment too many times. “Your place or mine?” he laughed jokingly. That’s when she passed out in his arms. “Shit. What am I supposed to do now?”

  Briefly leaning down to set the Christmas tree on the ground, he heaved her into his arms. As he walked toward his vehicle, he awkwardly reached in his pant pocket and retrieved his keys, giving his remote control a push to unlock the doors. The lights to his Bimmer burst across the parking lot and he headed straight for it.

  Gently he stood Miss Jones on her feet, using his body to prop her up against the car. Opening the door, he carefully slid her inside, tossing his jacket in the backseat. The scent of leather upholstery blended with her powdery essence.

  Moving quickly around the car, he heard someone yell, “Hey, buddy, did you forget something?” and he screeched to a halt. The lights of the Christmas tree sitting by Kayla’s car flickered off and on before they began to twinkle steadily.

  Barry looked about, but no one was in the parking lot. Then who spoke? Brushing off the question, he retraced his steps and gathered the tree in his arms. In mere seconds he was back in the car, engine started and wondering what the hell he was going to do now. It seemed as if his only choice was to take her to his house until she woke up.

  He didn’t live far, the drive was only fifteen minutes. Before he knew it he was home and the Ice Queen lay atop his bed, still unconscious.

  Chapter Two

  Kayla woke with a roar in her head. She attempted to open her eyes, then closed them immediately when shards of light burst through parted curtains. Still, she didn’t need sight to know something was off, especially since she wore only a bra and thong and not her comfortable jammies.

  A masculine scent made her jackknife into a sitting position. Vertigo struck with a vengeance. The room spun and her head felt like a globe rotating on its axis as a wave of nausea rose, forcing her back down. Taking slow, deep breaths, she fought to calm the bitter acid rising in her throat.

  When she once again had a hold of herself, Kayla opened her eyes. “Where am I?” Glancing around the strange bedroom, she began to reconstruct her evening.

  Courtroom and win.

  A couple of assholes ruining her day.

  O’Malley’s, a faery, and too many martinis.

  That was it! She’d been at O’Malley’s celebrating and getting her drink on, or was she crying in her drink?

  “So how did I get here? What happened?” she whispered to herself.

  “Bow chica bow wow.”

  Her startled gaze snapped in the direction of the randy reply.

  Lo and behold, her imaginary faery lay on his side in the middle of a big, fluffy pillow next to her. Hector’s right elbow was bent. His palm supported his head as he stared at her with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

  “You turned his world inside out.”

  Oh, thank goodness. If her apparition still existed, Kayla knew she wasn’t awake, or maybe that she wasn’t sober. Yet by the throb in her head, it sure felt as if she suffered from a hangover. She had dry mouth, an explosive stomach, and the last remnant of beer-goggles blurring her vision. The good news was that wherever she was or whatever she did really didn’t matter. It was only her imagination.

  Still, she had to ask. “His? Who?”

  Hector rolled on to his back, kicking his legs and flailing his arms. “Oh, Barry, do it to me. Harder. Faster.”

  Kayla chuckled at the silly exhibition. “Barry Allred?”

  It must have been her subconscious revealing the fact she’d give her eyeteeth to have one night with him. And then her laughter died a quick death as more of the evening’s events began to flood her memories. She recalled seeing him sitting at the bar with another man at O’Malley’s.

  Had they spoken?

  “Nah. It’s impossible.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  They had spoken. The scene of him standing beside her car tore through her memory. Red-hot embarrassment scorched her face. Panic tightened her chest. “I didn’t. We couldn’t have.”

  “Oh yeah. It’s possible and you did.” Hector fanned himself with his hand. “Turned that man’s world upside down. Asked him to tie you up and spank you.”

  Kayla swallowed hard.

  No. No. No.

  She would never have lived out one of her fantasies, much less spoken about it, to a stranger. Just the thought mortified her. Then again, if this was a dream, what did it matter? She leaned back against the softness of the pillow and blew out a breath of relief. It had to be a dream—faeries weren’t real.

  “But the one that got me hot and bothered.” Hector sat up on the pillow with his tiny legs splayed wide. Before he continued to speak, he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the downy softness, his palms cradling his cheeks. “Was when you told him about your fantasy to have two men at once.”

  Kayla gasped on a new chunk of humiliation.

  “I didn’t,” she shrieked. “I would never reveal that dark secret to anyone.” Especially Barry, a man she debated with across tables…and then there was that thing between her and his father.

  Dammit. She kept forgetting this was a dream. Any minute now she’d awake in her bed and everything would be as it should be.

  Hect
or stood, stretching his wings and bending his legs before he lunged forward. In a flash, he was soaring around the room, a trail of dark-green dust following him. When he landed on the tip of her nose, she raised a hand to swat him.

  “Ah-ah-ah.” He began to pull something from his pocket.

  As magic—or insanity—would have it, the item just kept coming. The long, thin staff was obviously longer then the shallow pocket housing it.

  “If you were dreaming, do you think you’d feel this?” Hector stabbed the thing into her nose.

  Kayla jumped. Her eyes crisscrossed as she glared at the three-inch man now hovering just above her nose. At a closer look, the stick he held appeared to be a pine needle, and he had it pointed at her.

  “En garde!” He placed a hand behind his back and jabbed the damn thing at her, over and over.

  This time she swiftly brushed her hand through the air, missing him when he darted aside, leaving a trail of bright, angry, red glitter in his wake.

  “Who are you?” she growled.

  “I’m your Christmas faery. I’m here to bring you holiday cheer.”

  “Holiday cheer? Are you kidding me? What you’ve done is make me question my sanity. I must be going out of my friggin’—”

  “Shhh…” Hector said as he flew straight at her. On his way, he retrieved that errant lock of hair that continually insisted on coming free from her bun. A wisp of air fanned her face as he swept the blonde strand back, pinning it and him in her hair as if he were a barrette.

  Before she could reach up and dislodge the irritating little man, the bathroom door opened and Barry strolled out. Naked. Well, except for the towel wrapped low around his hips.

  “You’re awake.”

  The prosecutor had a beautiful smile and deep dimples that sent tingles up her spine. His wet black hair was swept back in a finger-combed kind of way. But it was his bare chest—broad and muscular—that caught her eye and held her in awe.

  The man really was a magnificent specimen. Although it was clear he had shaved, a shadow still remained on his jaw. His eyes were dark blue, hiding a hint of brooding and mystery.

  The reality of the moment crawled across her skin. “Are you real?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I like to think I am.” He grinned.

  Holy shit!

  A sinking feeling made her want to die. This wasn’t a dream. Barry Allred stood before her while she lay on what appeared to be his bed. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was losing her mind. Hector must be her version of Jiminy Cricket, her subconscious taking form. But even that explanation made her ill.

  Barry took a step in her direction. “You feeling okay?”

  Kayla licked dry lips. “Uh. Yes.” She sounded as if she had a mouthful of cotton. Not to mention her stomach felt as if an atom bomb had exploded inside it. And to top it off, she was going stark-raving mad.

  “Exciting night.” He chortled and moved closer.

  The fresh scent of soap and a woodsy cologne touched her nose. She inhaled slowly before nearly choking on the memory of what Hector had told her. Sex with Barry. Her cheeks heated and she could only imagine the color in her face rising.

  “Ohmygod. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Good morning,” he suggested. “Are you hungry?”

  Hungry? Was he kidding? Kayla had just made the biggest mistake in her career and he was thinking of food. So like a man.

  “I don’t think I could eat a bite.” At least that was the truth. Just the thought of food made her stomach roll.

  “Then how about some coffee? I could make you a Bloody Mary, it might help.”

  “No. I think perhaps I should just go home.” And bury her head in the sand, because if Barry wanted paybacks for what she’d done to his father, spilling the beans of their night together would be perfect retribution. Her stomach pitched and it wasn’t from the alcohol. She had to get out of here.

  Kayla threw back the covers, remembering too late her state of undress. What the hell. According to her three-inch subconscious, Barry had seen far more of her than her bra and thong.

  As she wiggled into her skirt, fastening the back, she chanced a look in Barry’s direction. He was staring at her. His eyelids gaped and, judging by the tent in the towel, he was aroused.

  Talk about wanting to kick herself—the one time she goes out on a limb and screws the man of her dreams and she can’t remember a damn thing. Her gaze stroked his chest once more. What a shame.

  Slipping her arms into her white silk shirt, she fastened the third button and then paused. “Uh. Barry, I trust that what we did last night and the things I revealed won’t go beyond this room.”

  His brows dipped. “What we did last night?” His expression turned heated and he smiled. “Maybe you should tell me exactly what you don’t want me to reveal?”

  Damn him. Of course he would want her to spell it out and go through that embarrassment once again. Paybacks were a bitch. Okay. If he wanted to play games she had no alternative except to go along, but she wasn’t happy about it.

  “The sex. Tying me up. The spankings. And,” she bit her bottom lip, “the thing about me fantasizing about multiple partners. You know I was just joking, pulling your leg.”

  Barry coughed several times. His face turned beet-red and it looked as if he were choking.

  For a moment she thought of running over and slapping him on the back, helping him. Instead she stayed put. Maybe he would choke to death, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about everyone at the office and in the court system knowing her deepest, darkest secrets.

  But when he continued to cough, she asked, “You okay?”

  Clearing his lungs, he took a deep breath. “Yeah, I think I am.” He stepped closer. “So let me get this straight. No one is to know we had sex last night. That I tied you up and spanked you. And by no means that you fantasize about being taken by two men at once?”

  “Is that too much to ask? I mean, it might gain you stud status, but it would destroy my credibility.” Not to mention Dan and Tom would have a field day with the information.

  “Miss Jones—”

  “I think after all that has happened you should probably call me Kayla.”

  “Kayla—” He hesitated.

  Kayla wasn’t sure, but it appeared that he was fighting another grin, because the dimples in his cheeks deepened.

  “I’m not completely sure how to tell you this, Kayla, but nothing happened last night.”

  “Excuse me?” Her voice pitched high as her eyelids rose so quickly she swore they touched her eyebrows.

  “Honey, I wish I could say differently, but much to my dismay there was no sex, no ropes or handcuffs, and no naughty spankings.” Then he did smile. “However, I wouldn’t mind making all your fantasies come true.”

  Before Kayla gave thought to her actions, she growled, “When I get my hands on you, I’ll pluck your wings off one at a time. I swear I will.” She realized too late what this might look like to Barry, but someone had set her up.

  Concern darkened his eyes. “Kayla, maybe you should sit down.”

  “Sit down?” Furious, she pinned her narrowed gaze on him. “Did your dad put you up to this? Who told you about my fantasies?”

  “My dad?” Barry didn’t know whether to laugh or call 9-1-1. “Honey, you must have gotten some really bad alcohol last night.”

  “Honey?”

  “Kayla, calm down.”

  She did the opposite. Pacing the room, she mumbled something about finding the responsible person. Barry wasn’t sure, but he thought she said something about murder. On her next pass, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to a stop.

  “I’m not sure exactly what’s going on or how my father came into the equation, but think about it. Did I say anything about us having sex? You mentioned that. And if I remember correctly, I asked you to tell me exactly what you didn’t want me to reveal? You provided the information. I really had no idea what you were talking about.�
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  “But—” She snapped her mouth shut. Her head lolled back as she stared at the ceiling. “Ohmygod.” Once again, Kayla drew her gaze back to him. “I don’t know what to say. You must think I’m crazy.”

  “No. It sounds like maybe you had a bad night. I think it would be prudent if I take you to the hospital, have your blood tested for drugs.”

  “Drugs? Of course, that has to be it. Someone must have slipped me something.” A breath of relief left her in a rush before she continued, “Thank you. I mean. Well. I’m so glad you were there to,” she pinched her lips together against a grin, “um, save me. I guess you’re my hero.”

  Barry liked the sound of that. Now that she wasn’t in the mood to yank off wings, squash something like a bug, and possibly unman him, maybe they could have a sensible conversation.

  He still had her warm hand in his when she realized that her shirt gapped open. Jerking her hand from his, she pulled the two sides together, and with trembling fingers she fastened her buttons.

  “Did you have to do that? I was enjoying the view.”

  “You know this places me in a very awkward situation. Being here with you. The things I said. If any of this got out it would destroy me.”

  “Kayla, I would never do that. I prosecute people who perpetrate such heinous crimes against others.” In fact, he was madder than hell. Thank God he had been there. The thought of someone taking advantage of this amazing woman made him sick. “You’re the victim. But I still think a blood test is in order, and filing a police report.”

  Her shoulders rose and fell. “It would be senseless. You know as well as I do that nothing will come from going to the hospital, or for that matter reporting it. O’Malley’s was packed. If my drinks sat on the bar any time at all, anyone could have spiked them. I’m just thankful I’m not losing my mind.”

  Barry had never seen her appear so lost, so fragile. Moisture filled her eyes and for a second he thought she might cry, but she held it together. His heart broke to see her this way.

  “You really should eat something. Maybe some toast, at the very least a glass of soda. You need to rest and let that stuff work out of your system. I can call a friend of mine and you can file a report while you eat.”