"Is he falling for you?" asked Ally. "Because it would really help if he was."
"I don't think so. It's only been five days. How can I expect anything like that?"
"Five days of living together. That like two months of regular dating."
Lacey sighed. "He keeps telling me I'm beautiful, but I can't help thinking it's only because he's out of his normal world. Usually he's surrounded by women with fabulous clothes and sleek hair. Polished and perfect. I must look plain in comparison."
"Don't be silly, you'd give any of them a run for their money." Ally paused. "But the way I see it, you've got two choices. First, you come up with a way to make the rest of your floor fall in, so he's got to leave."
"Second choice?"
"You could use the time you've got left to make him fall in love with you, so he'll give you what you want."
"I can't make him fall for me."
"Geena could help," suggested Ally. "She helped me when I met Max, remember? She gave me all that stuff from the store."
Lacey blinked. Geena owned a sex store called The Gee Spot, and she'd given Ally some dominatrix gear to fool Max into thinking she was a domme. "Are you saying I need sex toys?"
"Why not? Take it from me, it's one way to a man's heart."
Taking the packet of chocolate candies back out of her handbag, Lacey decided today was a no-limit day. "You really think turning up with a whip is going to make him fall for me?" she asked around a mouthful of chocolate.
"Geena sells lingerie too. All kinds of pretty things to make him forget about anything else. How about a nice couple's vibrator and a set of handcuffs? Or you could get a policewoman's uniform and read him his rights."
"I don't know," said Lacey doubtfully. "I wouldn't know what to do with the stuff in her store, and we definitely don't need any help when it comes to sex. Bronson's like the Beethoven of the bedroom. Sometimes I want to give him a standing ovation."
"What about if you came home wearing something skimpy and did a sexy dance for him?"
Lacey scrunched up her face at the idea of pulling some nearly naked dance moves. "I can just imagine my tango getting tangled. Believe me, nobody wants to see that."
"So no sex toys, and no dancing. You're not making this easy."
"I don't mind singing. Think we can make that work?"
"Just meet me at The Gee Spot, okay? Between the three of us, we're bound to figure out something that'll make him realize he can't live without you."
Seventeen
Bronson had just got in from helping Crystal get ready for her big move, when he heard a noise from the door. Lacey was home.
She tottered into the living room, wearing a long, buttoned-up overcoat. In place of her regular flat-soled boots, she wore high heeled shoes, and they made her look tall. Surely she'd left the house in her boots? The shoes she had on were practically stilts. No wonder she was wobbling.
He raised his eyebrows. "How did you walk up three flights of stairs without breaking both ankles?"
"Shh. You're ruining my grand entrance. Sit down." She gestured to the couch.
He did what she asked, and watched her rummage through what had to be her father's CD collection. When the beat of Barry White's ‘You Sexy Thing' filled the air, it made him smile. What was she up to?
She stood in front of him and held his gaze, singing along to the music. Her clear, pure voice soared above Barry White's low tones in a perfect duet. She sang about believing in miracles, and as she ceremoniously popped her top button, he had to chime in.
"You sexy thing," he crooned.
She grinned as she undid the next button, and tried a wobbly dance. He'd had women dance for him before. They usually started the act wearing a silk bathrobe rather than a woolen overcoat. And they'd been a lot steadier on their heels, doing thrusts and dips. One had even used a pole.
None had sung with as much enthusiasm as Lacey. And somehow her shaky side-shuffle was sexier than any of their more practiced moves. She popped another of her buttons, and he had to adjust himself to make a little more room in his jeans.
When she eased another button open, he caught a glimpse of something black underneath her coat. She sure wasn't wearing her normal jeans and shirt.
Her fingers went to the next button, and she fumbled with it, trying to strut toward him at the same time. "Whoops." She stumbled, and he jumped up to catch her. "Stay there," she waved him back down. "I'm okay."
"You sure? Because I'd hate to have to explain to a paramedic how you injured yourself."
She screwed up her face. "This is supposed to be sexy."
"It is." He settled back in his seat, fighting to keep a straight face. "Keep going."
Abandoning any effort at dancing, she belted out the song's chorus, and he found himself singing along with her. It was a hell of a catchy tune. The hardest part was remembering this was supposed to be serious. Nobody had performed a seduction quite like this before.
She seemed to suddenly remember this wasn't just a karaoke session, and popped another coat button. He found himself sitting forward to catch another glimpse of black. Was it lace? Could he see skin underneath? Whatever she was wearing looked skin-tight and slightly transparent. A great combination.
The next button came undone, and he forgot about singing with her, his attention now fixed on whatever was underneath her coat. Her fingers slid to the next one, and she caressed it, teasing him by not undoing it right away. Taking another step toward him, she swayed her hips and tried a knee bend. Watching her dip and rise was like watching a gymnast perform a tricky routine. He was holding his breath, praying for her not to fall while he admired her form.
Safely up, she looked so relieved he had to put one hand up to smother his smile. "A perfect execution," he said. "The judges award you full points."
"Shh. I'm getting to the good bit."
Looking more confident, she popped the second to last button, giving him another tantalizing flash of black lace. What did she have on under there? He couldn't wait to find out.
She took another step, widening her stance to straddle his legs. Her heel caught on one of the uneven floorboards and she lurched. He grabbed for her as she fell, pulling her to him. They collapsed on the couch, tangled together, with her coat half off.
"Crap."
As hard as he bit his lips together, he couldn't keep his laughter in. And the more outraged she looked, the worse it got. She struggled, trying to fight her way off him, but he held her close. "That was incredible," he managed.
"Don't be horrible."
"I mean it." His laughter faded, and he pushed a tumble of curls away from her face. "Just being yourself, you're sexy. Here. Feel." He shifted so his rock hard length was against her. "You did that to me, and you haven't even taken your coat all the way off. I'd rather laugh with you than watch any supermodel do a perfect dance."
She stared intently into his eyes, as though searching for any trace of a lie. If she didn't believe him, he'd show her how he felt with his body instead of his words. His mouth found hers, and he pushed his hands into her hair. All he wanted was to get that coat all the way off and discover what was underneath.
As if she'd read his thoughts, she fumbled with the last button, mouth still on his. Then she shifted until she was straddling him properly, thighs on either side of his. Breaking their kiss, he drew back to look. Her tight, black lace dress was as transparent as he'd hoped. She wore stockings, and the dress was short enough to reveal the suspenders they clipped onto, with a glimpse of naked thigh in between.
"Now I do really believe in miracles," he murmured.
She sunk down onto his lap, and he felt her heat and moisture, even through his jeans. She wasn't wearing anything under her dress. The feeling made him so hard it was almost painful.
When their mouths came together again, he realized he'd been waiting for this all day. That he'd been looking forward to the faint taste of chocolate on her breath, the sweetness of her lips, and the shape of her body under his hands.
His nose bumped against her glasses, and he pulled back a little to draw them off. Then he ran his fingers up her back and into the wildness of her hair. As many times as they'd made love over the last week, her body still felt like an undiscovered world, ripe for exploring.
"Oo thexy thang," she crooned against his lips, the words muffled by his kiss.
Laughing, he leaned forward to pull his T-shirt off. His gaze went to the tantalizing bare flesh between the top of her stockings and the bottom of her hem. With her dress hiked, there was enough flesh for him to stroke, although when he tried to cradle her buttocks, he found the lace fabric stayed stubbornly in the way. It was stretched so tight around her body, it restricted his access to bare skin.