Can't Touch This by J. Hali Steele Page A

work or took time off so his meeting
with Jeremiah would be a pleasant break for her. No matter how deep he dug, he
couldn’t figure why he knew telling her would go badly. Trusting his instincts,
Castle tried to push the thought away. “I didn’t lie.” But buying the company
she worked for so she could be at his beck and call was some devious shit. “So
much for trusting my ass.”
    * * * * *
    Harlow whistled softly when they walked into the hotel
Brigadier’s lobby. “I’m underdressed.”
    “We’ll grab something from one of the shops.”
    “I’m fairly sure I can’t afford anything they’d sell here.”
    “I’ll take care of it.”
    “I don’t need your money, I’m perfectly capable of paying my
way.”
    Castle pulled her into his arms and kissed her so long she
had to push him away to breathe. One hand gripped her ass; the other grasped
her chin and made her look at him. “You will wear what I buy. Understand?”
    The glint in his eyes, the swell of cock pressed into her
belly caused her to whisper, “Yes.”
    “Good.” He swatted her behind. “Now I’ve got to register
with a bulge in my pants.”
    “Sorry.”
    “Don’t be.” He planted a softer kiss on her mouth. “You’ll
pay for it later. Wait here.”
    As Harlow glanced around the massive lobby, she noted a few
people look away. Color flushed her cheeks. Finding a chair, she sat and picked
up a magazine boasting of the amenities found within the hotel. She stopped at
a page featuring a couple dressed to the nines in front of a window undoubtedly
belonging to one of the better suites as the buildings behind them towered into
the night sky. The woman’s black dinner dress was short and fitted without
straps. The black heels she wore had to be at least five inches and if the
designer’s name under the picture was anything to go by, Harlow would never own
a single item represented on the page.
    Castle returned much sooner than expected and took the
publication from her hand. Eyeing the picture, he smiled before closing and
placing it back on the table. “Come on.” He coaxed her through the lobby and
down a wide hallway filled with guests peeping into shop windows. When he
stopped in front of an elegant shop, Harlow resisted his nudge toward the door.
“Do we have to discuss this again?” He tweaked one of her nipples hard.
    “Castle!”
    He opened the door and pushed her in. “Sit, I’ll be right
back.”
    Cass walked to the counter and briefly spoke with a woman
who peered in her direction with a bright smile. She approached Harlow, and
Castle instructed, “Give Miss Kelly your dress and shoe size, she’ll take care
of everything.”
    “I may need to try it on.”
    Reaching under her arms, he lifted her from the chair and
snaked fingers beneath her shirt. Castle rubbed the base of her spine and
Harlow’s knees buckled when his scent wafted around her head. “Trust me, babe.”
Taking her hand, he led her from the shop. “Let’s have a drink before we go to
our suite.”
    “A suite, Cass?”
    “Did you expect less?”
    “I thought we’d grab a burger and fries at In and Out, spend
the night at some little out-of-the-way motel, screw our brains out, wake up,
eat eggs and bacon, ride back toward the Valley, find a grassy spot to fuck
some more, and then go home.”
    “Damn, darlin’, guess I better find you a burger joint.”
    “Highly unlikely that will happen here.”
    Castle leaned and bit her earlobe. “Do you believe in
werewolves?”
    Harlow narrowed her eyes. “What’s that mean?”
    “Nothing, Harli, let’s have that drink.”
    They finished their cocktails and took the elevator, which
she noticed needed a code, to the top floor. “Cass, Jesus, the penthouse. Can
you afford this?” Harlow figured a night in this room reached into the
thousands.
    * * * * *
    “Babe, do me a favor.” The way Harlow reacted to him purchasing
one outfit dashed his hopes of opening up to her about his businesses. In