“And alcohol was your first choice,” she stated while staring right at him.
“No, not my first, but I thought you’d appreciate the drink instead of what I’d like to do to help us both relax instead.” He let those words hang in the air between them, and showed that he hadn’t been trying to amuse her with his answer. What he wanted to do was throw her on the bed and fuck her until they both couldn’t move, but he wasn’t some kind of beast that couldn’t control his basic urges. At least not the majority of the time.
She didn’t respond, but instead took a long drink from her glass. She was nervous, and rightfully so, but she’d warm up to all of this soon enough. How far would Sorcha let him go? Even though she had signed the contract, she would most likely still be hesitant. How far would he let himself go with her?
“I’ve had a meal prepared for us, so come with me and I’ll show you where to keep your things, and then we can eat.” Again, he didn’t wait for her to respond, because she really didn’t have a choice. She’d signed the contract, willingly agreed to be his for this week, and he wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything that happened from this point on. He could be a gentle, understanding man, but deep down that really wasn’t who he was. He felt her near, knew she was following behind him, and led them into the master suite. Rian took a step to the side, and allowed her entrance into the room she would be sleeping in for the next seven days.
“This is your room.” She didn’t phrase it like question, but glanced at him when she finished.
He didn’t speak, but nodded. Of course it was his room. She didn’t think she’d be staying in another room for this week, did she? He planned on having her every night, in every way imaginable, including tonight.
She was slow in moving, but then again she seemed stunned by her surroundings. This amused Rian, and not in the douche-bag way she would have probably thought. He leaned back against the wall, set her bag on the ground beside him, and just watched her.
First she moved over to the whirlpool hot tub that was built into the floor. He could see her reflection in the mirror as she looked at the candles spread out around the lip of the bathtub. Then she moved over to the balcony. A glance over her shoulder, as if she were asking permission to open the doors, had him lifting the corner of his mouth in a smile and nodding. He didn’t want her thinking she needed to ask permission to do anything, but he did find it kind of endearing. Sorcha wasn’t a prisoner in his home.
She stepped out onto the balcony. And he contemplated leaving her alone and letting her enjoy the sights. He knew everything about her, even before he decided to make up the contract and bring it to her attention. Having her work so close with him, knowing all of his personal details, made him do an extensive background check on her. It might not have been legal, not with the men he had used, but he had gotten the information he needed. How would she feel if she knew he knew about her credit history, her family life, that she had no one else anymore, and that she had slept with three men? Would she slap him, spit in his face, or quit once the week was over with?
He moved toward her, stepped out onto the balcony, and leaned his forearms on the railing. They were twenty stories up, not exactly a skyscraper, but this building was exclusive and only held twenty apartments. Rian looked over at her, saw that she had her eyes closed, and wondered what she was thinking about. He had never cared about what a woman thought, not when his ultimate goal was to have her in his bed. But this situation was different. Sorcha’s case was different. Her hair was down, and the dark strands moved along her shoulders as the wind picked up. The thought of reaching out and touching the strands that were brushing along her cheek rode him hard, and he was stunned at the intensity with which he actually wanted to do just that. He lifted his hand, brushed the strands away from her cheek, and watched as she straightened and looked at him, as if surprised. He pulled his hand away, knowing he could do what he wanted to her, but also knowing she needed some time to get adjusted to everything.
She turned her head back toward the sight in front of them and closed her eyes. For several seconds neither spoke, but he continued to stare at her.
“If you close your eyes it feels like you are on top of the world.” She slowly opened her eyes, and this almost relaxed expression crossed her face.
It had him picturing her looking drowsy like that right after he had been deep inside of her, making her come for him.
“Although you’re probably used to the sight.” She was staring at Central Park. “The window in my apartment has a brick wall for a view.” She smiled, but it looked rather depressing. “I would love to have this view, to just wake up and walk out here whenever I wanted to.” She glanced down, and he noticed she tightened her hold on the banister. “On second thought, maybe not this high up.” She sounded like she was talking to herself, and then she took several steps back and ran her hands up and down her thighs.