Almost Like Love(47)

She couldn’t meet his eyes again. She stared down at her hands and saw they were both clenched into fists.

She tried to draw air into her lungs, but she couldn’t seem to manage it. Her heart was pounding wildly.

What should she do? What should she say?

Then she heard Ian’s voice again. “Galahad throws down his sword and shield and approaches you. ‘My lady, when I look at you I am consumed by desire. If you will lay down your arms for this one night, I will bring you such pleasure as you have never known.’ ”

Her cheeks burned. “You seem very sure of your abilities in this area.”

“I am,” he said, his voice low and seductive. “I’ll be the best you ever had. If you let me be your rebound, Kate, I swear you won’t regret it.”

When she finally met his eyes, she couldn’t look away.

“Kate,” he said softly.

A shiver went through her. By using her name, he was taking them from fantasy to reality.

“Kate,” he said again.

Her heart was pounding. “Yes?”

“Come here.”





CHAPTER EIGHT

She wanted to. Oh, God, she wanted to. She’d never felt like this before—so terrified and so excited at the same time. Looking at Ian, seeing the coiled tension in his body and the naked hunger in his eyes, she felt a desire so deep and powerful it was like an ache in her very bones.

Her list of cons hadn’t changed. There were still a lot of reasons not to do this.

But as she rose to her feet and walked around the coffee table, she decided she didn’t give a damn about any of that. All she knew was that she wanted this man, and tonight she was going to have him.

The heat in his eyes seared her where she stood. He rose to his feet, too, looming over her for a moment before he sat down again, on the sofa this time, instead of the floor.

He looked like a sultan surveying a new harem girl, and suddenly her uncertainty was stronger than her desire. What if she was in over her head?

Ian had a lot more partners in his past than she had in hers. The promise in his eyes spoke of a breadth of sexual experience she didn’t share.

She was positive that Ian was a man with skills. Moves. All-around carnal knowledge.

She, on the other hand, had no skills to speak of. She’d had vanilla sex with three different lovers. It had been pleasant enough, and she’d enjoyed it, but it would take more than the missionary position to satisfy Ian Hart.

Was he expecting her to be exciting and adventurous?

Maybe he expected her to do something right now. Something sultry.

She swallowed. “I don’t know . . . I’m not sure what I . . . What happens now?”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Now you take off your clothes.”

Her face crimsoned over and her nipples hardened.

She crossed her arms over her chest to hide it. “Okay, a couple things,” she said.

His mouth twitched. “A couple things?”

She cleared her throat. “First of all, you should know I’m wearing sexy underwear.” His eyebrows lifted and she hurried on. “I wore them so I wouldn’t be tempted to . . . to . . . do anything with you tonight. Because if you saw my sexy underwear you’d think I wanted this or planned it or expected it or—”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that. I know you didn’t expect this, Kate. I didn’t expect it either. But I wanted it, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Oh, God.

The red in her cheeks deepened. “The other thing is . . . I’m not really a make-out-in-the-living-room kind of girl. Or a make-out-with-the-lights-on kind of girl. So maybe we could, you know . . . move into the bedroom.”

“Where we’ll turn the lights off.”

“If you don’t mind.”

His eyes gleamed. “There’s something you need to remember.”

“What?”

“I’m the Dungeon Master tonight—not you. My game, my rules. Got it?”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Goose bumps swept over every inch of her skin.

It wasn’t too late to say no. She could still turn tail and run. She could still—

“Okay,” she whispered.

He shut his eyes for a second, and she wondered if he’d expected her to say no.

He opened them again. “I want to see your sexy underwear,” he said, his voice husky.

“With the lights on and everything?”

“Yeah. And, Kate?”

“Yes?”

“Stop talking.”

She opened her mouth, blinked, and closed it again. Then she took her courage in both hands, along with the hem of her tee shirt, and pulled it off over her head.

“Jesus,” Ian breathed, and the look in his eyes as he stared at her breasts made her feel warm all over. She hesitated only a moment before she unzipped her jeans, slid them down her legs, and stepped out of them.