Incredible. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so…so satisfied.
Slowly she came back to herself as his hands kneaded the muscles in her thighs. He let go of her hips, released her legs so they could slide limply down his until her feet hit the shower floor. Breath heavy against her skin, he nuzzled her neck while hot water cascaded down both their bodies.
Long moments passed as he fought to steady himself. She heard it in his labored breathing, felt it in the rapid fire of his heartbeat.
“Are you okay?” he finally asked.
The quiver to his voice was so damn cute, she nearly burst from the sound. He’d kept his promise, and she hadn’t even had to beg.
She wrapped still-shaking arms around his neck. “Yeah. I think I’ll live.”
He eased back enough to look down at her. The driving anger that had pushed him before was gone, replaced with a lazy sated look in his eye that said he would, too. “You sure I didn’t hurt you? I wasn’t exactly gentle.”
She ran fingers through the silky hair at the nape of his neck, loving that he was worried. “No. Not hurt. At least not yet.” She lifted her brows. “Maybe you should think about roughing me up again.”
The smile curling his sensuous lips made her stomach tighten all over. “
Tú sí que me vas a acabar.
”
She groaned. “God, that melts me. You keep speaking Spanish and you may never get me out of this shower.”
He chuckled, visibly relaxed for the first time in days. “I’ll remember that. But if so, we’re going to need way more latex. Where’d you get the condom?”
“Your wallet.”
His brow lifted. “You stole it?”
A sheepish grin slid along her face. “Sorry I did?”
He shook his head, and heat rebuilt in her veins at the desire she saw in his dark eyes. “Never.”
She waited with a smile while he stepped out of the shower to clean up, then came back. Sighed deeply when
he lathered her body from head to toe and washed her with a gentleness that made her heart skip and brought desire twining through her limbs all over again. He kissed her tenderly, deeply, in such contrast with the wild and reckless way he’d kissed her before, she wasn’t sure he was the same man.
His layers amazed her, surprised her, left her crazy with need for him. And just when she was ready to reach out and show him exactly what she wanted, he flipped off the water and pushed the door open.
He pulled a navy towel from the rack, ran it over her head, down her body and across her skin. Her nipples hardened at the rush of cool air, at the careful sweep of his eyes along her body and the approval she saw flash there.
The soft terry cloth landed at her feet. His mouth found hers again, wet, hungry, full of passion, and he wrapped his strong arms around her, lifting her so he could carry her into the bedroom.
He dropped her on the mattress, then reached for his wallet from the dresser and tossed it near her head. Cool linen pooled beneath her. The hottest man she’d ever met hovered over her. Déjà vu flared, and she smiled, looking up into dark and needy eyes that weren’t nearly as satisfied as she’d thought.
“I think we’ve been here before,” she said.
His lips curled in a sinister smile, and he lowered, taking her breast in his mouth until she moaned with delight.
“Not here,” he murmured against her skin, nuzzling her nipple slowly, slipping his lips along her abdomen as he worked his way south and drank her in inch by inch.
Definitely not here.
Her eyes slid closed at the wicked things he could do with his mouth. This wasn’t fast and crazy. This was slow and sensual and completely erotic.
“Oh, that feels good.” She gripped the sheet at her hips in anticipation when he knelt on the floor and draped her legs over his shoulders.
“You feel good.” His warm hands ran over the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, shooting sparks of desire through her whole body.
She was keenly aware his goal had shifted. She could hear it in his husky words, feel it in his slow, heated touch. Having her wasn’t enough anymore. Complete possession was what he wanted now.
And she didn’t even care. He could have what ever the hell he wanted, as long as he kept doing what he was doing.
“Lisa?” He parted her with his fingers, let his hot breath wash over her, fanning the flames smoldering in her core.
“Hmm?”
“You said something about taking you.” His tongue made one long lingering sweep. “Was this what you had in mind?”
She shuddered, arched and felt the room tip.
Oh…
“Yeah. Um. I think this works.”
Laughter rumbled from his chest and vibrated up her body as he leaned close again. “Ready to beg?”
God, yes.
And she had a feeling she’d be doing a lot more begging before the night was over.
The mattress dipped beside him hours later, rousing Rafe from sleep.
“Wake up, frog prince.”
His eyes fluttered open as Lisa’s tantalizing fingers slid across his jaw. She was propped up on her elbow looking down at him, eyes sleepy and sexy, red hair all tousled and wild from the bed and his fingers.
“Am I getting fed in this deal, or what?” she asked with a mischievous grin. “Because those pretzels on the flight didn’t do it for me, and I’m starving.”
He chuckled and reached for her, pulling her onto his chest. “Do you forget anything?”
“Nope. Have a perfect memory. So, what’s the answer?”
He glanced at the nightstand and the digital clock that read eight P.M., then back at her. “I’m up for a snack.” He
tightened his hold and lifted his head to plant a sloppy kiss on her lips.
She squirmed against him. “Not exactly what I had in mind, Sullivan. Three hours of raw sex takes its toll on this body. I need sustenance.”
She smiled and eased out of his arms.
He pushed up on his elbows to watch as she headed for the bathroom, enjoying the rear view. The sinful things she could do to him brought a fresh rush of arousal straight to his groin.
Damn, but they were gonna need more condoms.
When she came back, combing fingers through her hair, she was still gloriously naked and smiling. The first traces of moonlight spilled through the windows, highlighting the curves at her waist, the swell of her breasts. She was tiny, a perfect package wrapped around a woman full of sass and attitude. One who made his blood pulse in more ways than one.
“Get out of that bed, you lazy bum.” She leaned down and lifted his white undershirt from the floor where he’d dropped it, then tugged it over her head.
The hem hit her almost at the knee. She looked like a little kid playing dress-up. And God, it was sexy seeing her in something of his. He slid to the end of the bed and grasped her before she could turn for the door.
She braced her hands on his shoulders as his slipped up under the T-shirt, over the curves at her hips to her sleek ribs. “Sullivan.”
He ignored her warning, kissed her breast through the soft cotton and felt her sigh at the gentle touch. Her scent was a mixture of clean soap and the remnants of his cologne, her skin silky smooth beneath his hands. “
Eres preciosa
.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “You don’t fight fair.”
He smiled and moved to her other breast, loving the way she turned molten in his hands whenever he touched her. “
Me pones loco
.”
She blew out a slow breath. “I’m serious. I need food before you rock my world again.” She bit her lip. “But…okay, tell me. What did you just say?”
“I said you’re beautiful. And you drive me absolutely crazy.”
“Oh. I…oh.”
Speechless. He never would have thought he could reduce her to stuttering. And his chest did that weird tightening thing again.
Oh, hell. He froze. Pete was right. This woman was doing a number on him. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be in over his head before he even realized it.
Overwhelmed by the thought, he pushed up quickly, startling her back a step. When he saw the question in her eyes, he forced a quick grin and smoothed a hand down her shirt, dropping it back in place in what he hoped was a casual move. “I’m sure Pete had the fridge stocked. He’s good with details.”
Her eyes cleared and searched his face with a hint of confusion. He swallowed back the urge to grab her and dive in headfirst without thinking. The only thing that stopped him was the realization that if he did, he could lose all objectivity where she was concerned.
Until they found Tisiphone, he couldn’t let that happen. She’d tilted the playing field by coming to him in the shower, and now it was up to him to make sure they stayed on even ground. She hadn’t been thinking about tomorrow or next week when she’d made her move. She’d been thinking about the here and now and the sexual tension that had been building between them since Milan.
That’s what he needed to think about, too. Not the fact one night with her would never be enough. Not the fact he could easily see her sliding into his life in a more permanent way. Not the fact his heart was damn near tripping over itself while he looked at her.
“Rafe?”
Her soft voice brought him back around. He blinked twice.
“Are you okay? You look kind of…funny.”
He ran a hand over his face.
Funny
was an understatement. “Just tired. And I think my blood sugar’s a little low, too.” Was his voice shaking? Holy hell.
He coughed. “Why don’t you head down? I’m just going to grab my pants from the bathroom.”
“Okay.” Curiosity lingered in her eyes, but she turned for the door and disappeared without another word.
Alone, he pressed a hand against his heart, closed his eyes and sank to end of the bed before his legs gave out. So much for even ground. He was up to his eyeballs in quicksand.
Lisa stood at the open refrigerator staring into a cavern of food, but she didn’t see any of it. All she saw was Rafe’s bewildered face as he’d looked down at her moments ago.
She’d seen that look before. Hell, she’d
given
that look before. Just before her world had turned to crap.
She tamped down the jolt of panic that threatened to seize her chest. Okay, she’d read him wrong, that’s all. She was tired and hungry and wasted on the most incredible sex she’d had in…well, forever. Not to mention she was operating on an estrogen binge. It was no wonder her emotions were hovering at the edge. That didn’t mean what she’d seen on his face meant anything at all.
Because, dammit, he hadn’t just looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. And seeing her that way hadn’t,
hadn’t
scared him shitless.
“Find anything?”
The sound of his husky voice made her breath catch. She turned slowly, almost afraid to look in his dark eyes again. But when she did, the dazed look was gone and that lazy one was back.
He shot her a lopsided grin and reached around her into
the fridge. “Thank you, Pete.” He held up a package of steaks. “How hungry are you?”
Suddenly famished. She’d totally misread things upstairs. A relieved smile curled her mouth. “Very.”
“Good. See if you can find makings for a salad in there. I’ll put these on this massive grill.”
He moved to the industrial-sized stainless-steel stove and started the grill while she rummaged through the fridge. She pulled out lettuce, tomatoes and feta cheese. He handed her a knife from the butcher block and pointed toward the cutting board as he moved across the room. “Feel like some wine?”
The quiver she’d heard in his voice upstairs was gone too. Definitely misread that whole moment. The knowledge calmed her.
“I don’t know,” she said as she arranged her vegetables. “Are you planning on drugging me again?”
He reached into a wine cupboard and pulled out a bottle of red. “Depends, smartass. Do I get to have my way with you?”
“I think you already did, Slick.”
His smile was pure victory, and God, it was sexy. He was wearing only low slung denim jeans, his hard abs glistening in the low light, chest broad and muscular. Dark stubble graced his jaw, his hair was mussed, his eyes sleepy. And watching him, she had a quick flash of his determined features when he’d had her pinned against the shower wall. Felt, all too well, her muscles clench at the sultry memory.
Bottle in hand, he crossed to the enormous sliding door that occupied one whole wall in the adjacent breakfast nook and slid it open. Water lapped at the beach just outside as moonlight glinted off its smooth surface. Crickets chirped, and off in the distance a seagull cried.
If he was trying to seduce her, it was working. The moonlight, the atmosphere, the sex fuzz still on her brain—it was all doing a number on her system.
He moved with grace, like a man completely at ease in a
kitchen. She watched as he uncorked the bottle, poured ruby red liquid into two glasses and set one in front of her. Before he stepped back to the grill, he pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck that sent tingles all along her spine.
She lifted her wine to take a long swallow and calm her jangling nerves. Oh, boy. She was in trouble here. He didn’t know what he was doing to her just by being him.
Clearing her throat, she went back to chopping and tried to refocus. “You seem pretty comfortable in this kitchen. Been here a lot?”
“A few times with Pete.”
Now why did that comment make her suddenly feel jealous? Oh, right. Because Pete’s sister was a model, that’s why.
She chopped a little faster, hating that she had these idiotic tendencies where he was concerned. Irrational. Insane. Definitely
not
her.
“Lauren’s not really my type,” he said as if he’d read her mind. “The few times I was here with Pete for parties, we hung out in the kitchen away from the crowd.”
God, she was a complete idiot, and he knew it. Heat seared her cheeks, and she felt his gaze but refused to look at him. “Lauren…” And then it hit her. She glanced up with wide eyes. “Lauren Kauffman is Pete’s sister? The supermodel who does all those lingerie ads?”
He nodded.
“You mean to tell me blonde and stacked isn’t your type? I don’t buy that one. I met your wife, remember?”