"Like a fever shiver," she echoed.
"Good." His smile was wolfish in the dim light, and then he kissed the hollow of her throat.
His cell phone rang.
"Do you need to get that?" she whispered.
"No," he said, finding the cell in his pants pocket and switching it off without even checking the caller ID.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Right now, you're the only thing that matters."
"I don't mind if you need to take the call."
"I mind." He kissed her again.
She drowned in the sweetness of his heat, the haunting humming in her head, the heartrending beauty of here and now.
"What do you want?" he whispered, brushing his fingers against her temples and peering deeply into her eyes.
"I want you." She snuggled against his chest.
He kissed her forehead, his lips warm on her skin. "No. What do you really, really want?" He placed a hand over her heart. "Deep down inside."
"Sex!"
"Don't be glib."
"Why not? You're glib. In fact, you're the master of glib."
"But you're not. Tell me, Kaia. What do you want?"
"You," she said. "I want you to take me to bed and do all kinds of naughty things to me. Make no mistake, Ridge Lockhart. I'm not some fragile thing. I like a good time as much as the next woman. This is about sex. Let's just have a good time. I don't want anything more from you than that."
"As you wish," he said, took her hand, and led her toward the bed.
Chapter 16
Kaia didn't want anything more than sex.
He should have been relieved. If any other woman had said that, he would be relieved. Instead he felt . . .
Ridge searched his brain, looking for the word that described what he was feeling. He was such a master at sweeping emotions under the rug he often had trouble identifying them when they cropped up. He was fairly familiar with anger, but with subtler emotions, tender emotions? Well, he was inept.
Then he saw an impish smile tug the corners of her full mouth. Overwhelmed, he caught sight of their images in the bureau mirror on the other side of the bed.
Finally identified what he was feeling.
Disappointment.
He was disappointed with her for not wanting more, and with himself for not protesting when she said she only wanted sex. Because he wanted more than sex, had known it, and denied it, from the second he'd seen her again.
That split-second clash with his mirror doppelgänger opened his eyes, his mind, and his heart and triggered a sudden, staggering question.
Who was he?
A man who skimmed along the surface of life, collecting, achieving, constantly chasing success, but finding it was never enough? Or he could be the man who searched for something deeper, more meaningful?
Was he the guy who forever bailed out when relationships got complicated? Or could he be the man who dug in and found a way to make things work when he finally found the woman he wanted?
Was he going to let fear of intimacy define his life? Or could he take a chance, go out on a limb, and commit to something that scared the hell out of him?
A terrifying thought swirled through his head.
What if he'd avoided love for so long that he couldn't undo the pattern? What if his path was carved in stone, and he could not veer from it even if he wanted to? What if he laid his heart on the line and Kaia ultimately rejected him?
What if he was incapable of love?
What then?
Before he could fully explore the stunning new realization, she was nibbling on his chin, driving all thoughts and fears from his mind. All except one.
Kaia.
He had to have her.
No woman had ever derailed him like this. He was crazy with need for her, blind and deaf with it.
He'd even turned off his cell phone for her. And he hardly ever turned off his cell phone for any reason.
She sank against his chest. He could feel the steady beat of her heart pounding into him.
The robe hung halfway down her shoulders, still held in place by the tie at her waist. His fingers reached for the sash, and he slowly unknotted it.
A soft sigh spilled from her lips as the sash slipped to the floor, a sweet sound that stirred the air and his arousal. One flick of his finger sent the robe falling, pooling around her feet, and exposing smooth creamy flesh.
Leaving her wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy white lace panties and the gold heart-shaped necklace at her throat.
Pure.
She looked so pure. Pristine. Perfect.
He stepped back to admire her in the light. Felt his pulse quicken. Damn, she was beautiful. How had he gotten so lucky?
Her eyes smiled, gentle and accepting and filled with kindness.