“You won’t have the paintings without me.”
“Fifteen percent.”
“Twenty,” she countered. “And that’s as low as I go. Take it or leave it.”
His dark brown eyes glowed hypnotically as he said, “You drive a hard bargain. Sold.”
“Well, I suppose I don’t have anything better to do in this heat. So what do you want me to do?”
“Look sexy as hell.
“Oh is that all?”
He chuckled again. Then he bustled about, setting up his workspace and his equipment. When he was ready, he took Yvette by the hand and pulled her off the sofa, moving her out of his way. She went for her cocktail as he spread out a sheet of plastic on her hardwood floor, in front of the sofa. Then he pulled the satin down a ways, so it covered the small patch of plastic.
“Are you planning on squirting oil all over my body?”
He just grinned at her over his shoulder as he worked. Then he opened the ice chest and hefted a large block, encased in a plastic mold. This piqued Yvette’s interest even more. The square was about three feet tall, maybe two feet wide. Finn set it on the satin and plastic in front of the sofa and removed the molds that conformed to each side, revealing a beautifully sculpted, crystal-clear ice cube. Simple by all counts, but with smooth, beveled edges and a perfect, round hole in the middle. The light Finn angled toward it created a spectrum of color inside the cube, making it flash and twinkle like a diamond.
Yvette set her glass down and returned to Finn’s side. “It’s fantastic, Finn.”
“I had it made just for the occasion. I took a chance stopping by today after I’d picked up all the ice sculptures I’d ordered. It’ll start melting in a few minutes, but again, I just need the general visual so I can create the painting.”
He turned to her, fluffing the thick mass of blond hair falling over her shoulders and down her back in waves of plump curls. He mussed it a bit, then grinned at her.
“Give me a hungry look,” he said, his deep voice low and sexy. “Like you’re restless and in desperate need of me.”
Her eyelids dropped to half-mast. “That won’t be difficult to do.” Leaning close to him, she said, “I am restless and in desperate need of you.”
Hell, she’d wanted him for four years. And here he was, in her condo when she was wearing next to nothing.
Fortuitous, indeed!
She was no longer cursing the heat and humidity. It’d helped her to end up exactly where she wanted to be. Well, almost… “So, you want me to look horny with come-hither eyes?”
He grinned at her. “I want you to look like you’ve got something to give me and you think I want it.”
Her gaze connected with his, holding it steady. “Do you want it?”
Chapter Two
Finn’s jaw tightened. He reached out to her, placing one hand on her hip. The other slid around her neck to cup the back of her head. He pulled her close to him and said, “You know I do.”
Her hands slid between them and she worked the buttons on his shirt as she said, “Took you long enough to make a move on me.”
“Timing,” he muttered before his head dipped and his lips brushed over hers. “It turned out to be perfect today. Especially because I want the whole weekend with you. A quick fuck’s not going to be enough.”
“And here I was pissed off that my cooler was shot to shit. Seems it chose the right time to crap out on me.”
“Sometimes, it all just falls into line.” As though done with the small talk, his mouth pressed to hers. Yvette’s lips parted and his tongue plunged inside, sweeping over hers, tangling with it, teasing it. Teasing her. Oh what a wicked tongue it was! Yvette couldn’t wait to feel it on her nipples and her clit.
Tugging the material of Finn’s white, button-down shirt from the waist of his jeans helped her to spread the opening of the shirt wide, so she could run her hands over his magnificent body. His hard pectoral muscles. His rigid abdomen. His strong back. Her hands splayed across his shoulder blades as she pressed her chest to his, loving the feel of his hot skin and hard muscles against her breasts.
All the while, Finn continued his tongue tango, deepening their kiss as though her hands on his body excited him even more.
When they finally came up for air, Finn groaned. “Christ, this is painful.” He shifted from one booted foot to the other, as though to alleviate the pressure between his legs.
“Getting a little snug behind that zipper?” she asked as she ran the tip of her tongue over her upper lip. Tasting the minty flavor Finn left behind, which mingled with her vodka to create a refreshing combination.