Power and Possession(14)
He laughed. “I’d say give me whatever you’re smokin’.” Then his voice softened and he said quietly, “You make the sun shine for me as well… the moon and stars too, I’m guessing.” His mouth twitched. “We’ll find out tonight.”
Chapter 5
Suddenly wary of having said too much, Rafe quickly sat up, reached out, swept Nicole up in his arms, and swung her onto his lap. Bending his head, he kissed her cheek. “Now, what do you want to do? Or,” he added, amusement in his voice, “more to the point, where do you want to do it?”
Her smile was teasing. “Maybe, I should… like, head out.”
He laughed. “You won’t any more than I did.”
“Hey.” Her mood abruptly altered. “Don’t do me any favors.”
For the space of a second he hesitated, then a smile slowly formed on his beautiful mouth. “Maybe just a few to begin with. See what you like.”
“Oh, Jesus,” she said on a soft breath. “I’m sorry. I should say thank you.”
“You should. You will, we both will. So where do you want these various favors to take place?”
She hesitated at the broad scope of his query, wondering next how long it took to master such a bland expression when offering carte blanche sex. But she dismissed her quibbles a second later. The idea of carte blanche sex intrigued her more than she was willing to admit. “There’s way too many people here.”
“Definitely soul mates, babe. I was thinking the same thing. Noisy as hell.” It wasn’t, of course, in the quiet of the insulated suite, but the party wasn’t going to end until morning and he wanted complete privacy. “Here are our choices. My house up in the hills, a small cruiser that’s over in the next marina, or we can fly somewhere else quiet. I have a villa at Split. It wouldn’t take long to get there.”
“My apartment first so I can pick up a few things, then your house.”
He was tempted to say “soul mates” and mean it this time; he wouldn’t have to wait and he could fuck her in comfort. “Got it. You have your phone, what about shoes?”
“My shoes are—shit. I don’t know where I left them.”
“It doesn’t matter. Someone can find them later.” Rafe suddenly went quiet, then slowly exhaled. “Christ—I feel like a goddamn adolescent on his first date.”
“No you don’t.”
He laughed, quickly stood, and set her on her feet. “Well, like I imagine one would feel.”
“And I’m feeling like I imagine all your women friends feel. Eager, impatient, horny.” She smiled. “I told you I think it’s the liquor, not the magic.”
“Spoilsport, when I’m feeling the magic.”
She snorted. “As if.”
“Well, you’re freaking rockin’ my world.” He winked. “How about that?”
The Discovery II was anchored offshore so they made their way to where the custom-built Dariel limo tenders that shuttled guests were moored. As they approached the stairway to the lower deck, a female voice rose above the sound of music drifting down from the main deck. “Rafe darling! Come give me a kiss!”
“Ignore her.” Gauging the distance to the stairway, Rafe exerted slightly more pressure on Nicole’s arm to speed up their departure. But then a waitperson blocked their way for a moment and a second later, Rafe put the brakes on and softly swore. A tall, dark-haired, minimally dressed woman with her eyes flashing do me, had stepped squarely in his path.
“Mia caro, don’t run off.” The cover-model smile was sultry, her voice a sex kitten purr. “I haven’t seen you since that night in Rome and you definitely weren’t in a hurry then. In fact—”
“I’m in a hurry now, Bianca.” Rafe lifted his brows and stared at her. “So if you’d move, I’d appreciate it.”
Nicole had to tilt her head to look up at the supertall, flawlessly beautiful woman in a string bikini so inconsequential she might as well have been naked, while the words night in Rome pissed her off for no earthly reason with a man like Rafe. If all the stories were true, he was a man without limits, out of reach for women looking for more than just sex. Skilled at evasion. For anyone to expect more was idiotic.
Bianca didn’t move. “I just wanted to say thank you, darling.” Her voice was soft as silk. “I didn’t have a chance to do that properly in Rome. I fell asleep. You wore me out.” She ran her fingertip down Rafe’s cheek. “You were so wild that night, all brute force and out-of-control—”