Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier Page B

fingers and clean, clipped nails. She could imagine them touching her all over, and she licked her lips. His words blended together as he went on and on, but she perked up when he mentioned tennis.
    “I played on the varsity team,” Xander said. “I was hoping to get a scholarship somewhere, but I wasn’t quite good enough.”
    “I played tennis, too,” Bianca said, feeling no need to go into detail about it. “Still do, but not as often as I like as I can’t always find someone to play with who’s as competitive as I am. I’m a member of the Seaside Racquet Club. If you’d ever like guest passes, let me know. I’m on the board of directors.”
    His face lit up. She saw then that his eyes were most definitely green. “That would be awesome. And if you ever need someone to hit with, I’m game.”
    “I’d like that. Just know that if you play with me, you’re going to sweat.”
    He grinned. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
    Another tingle went through her. This part—the opening cat-and-mouse dance, where she was sometimes the cat, and sometimes the mouse—was always her favorite.
    “Well, I think that’s everything.” She stood up and offered him a hand.
    He stood up, too, and grasped her hand tentatively, giving her a whiff of his cologne. He smelled like the beach and sea spray. She couldn’t wait to taste him.
    “Can I ask when you’ll make a decision?”
    “I already did. Welcome to Wonderland.”
    Xander’s grip tightened and he pumped her arm several times, his grin widening to show pearly, even teeth. God, he was beautiful. Pure and untainted, full of hope and energy and that unshakable belief that life would work out perfectly for him simply because he wanted it to. It was the kind of optimism you could only feel at eighteen, when you were old enough to know what you wanted, but still young enough to believe you would get it.
    Bianca loved them at this age.
    He left a moment later, and Bianca forwarded her hiring decision to Human Resources. They would take the care of the rest.
    She locked her office door, settling into her sofa by the window where she could once again watch the commotion down below. Reaching up, she pulled the pins out of her hair, freeing it from its tight bun. Her hair fell across her shoulders in deep red waves, all the way down to her waist. She massaged her scalp for a few moments, and the headache she’d had all morning finally began to subside. Then she undid the top button of her blouse and kicked off her shoes.
    Unzipping her pants, Bianca pulled them all the way down, then reached inside her panties, feeling the wetness she already knew was there. Her hand moved rapidly, her fingers knowing exactly where to touch herself. Relief came a few minutes later, and when she climaxed, she whispered Xander Cameron’s name.

EIGHT

    V anessa didn’t know what to say, and neither, it seemed, did the man she’d had sex with last night.
    Oblivious to the awkwardness between them, Donnie Ambrose went ahead and introduced them. “This is Oscar Trejo, VP of operations here at Wonderland. Oz, this is Vanessa Castro, Seaside PD’s new deputy chief.”
    “Well,” Oscar said. “This is a surprise. Vanessa , is it?”
    “Have you two already met?” Donnie asked.
    “Sort of. We met at—” Vanessa stopped, completely flustered. She didn’t want to lie, but she sure as hell didn’t want to tell Donnie the truth, either.
    “The grocery store,” Oscar said smoothly. “We were both there just before it closed, got into a bit of a heated discussion about the Seahawks, I’m afraid. I’m glad you didn’t arrest me for the things I did last night.”
    Vanessa felt her face grow hot. Clearing her throat, she said stiffly, “We ran into the chief on the way out, and he brought us up to speed. You’re the one who found the body?”
    Oscar nodded, staring at her intently. “I can’t even bring myself to look at it again. It’ll be awhile before the image is out of