“Now neither of us wants that,” she said, amusement in the blue of her eyes. “Do we?”
He didn’t move a muscle, even his breathing quieted. “Don’t,” he said, very softly. “No games.”
Nicole’s voice was lush with provocation. “Really? I’ve heard you like games.”
“You heard wrong.” He held her gaze for a moment, then sighed. “Tell me your age or get the fuck out.” Hand of fate or not, he didn’t do stupid.
“Twenty-two.” Her brows rose in perfect arcs. “So, are we seeing blue skies and rainbows once again?” Honeyed sarcasm dripped from each word. “Or do I find someone else at this party to entertain me?”
Rafe’s smile slowly unfurled and his eyes took on a predatory glow. “You could try, I suppose. But you wouldn’t get out the door.”
“Oh dear, oh my, I do declare,” she lamented in playful parody. “Am I your captive?”
“You are.” Smoothly rising from his chair, he strode toward the door. “Now I’m going to lock the door, then fuck you till morning.”
“And then what?”
Whoa. The unmistakable note of demand in her voice brought him to a stop. He turned. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
She met his insolent gaze and smiled. “I said—and then what?… As in afterward.”
Audacious or foolhardy? Fascinating certainly. He winked. “Afterward, you can tell me your name. How’s that?”
She winked back. “I’ll think about it.”
He went very still. “Is this a contest?”
“I hope not,” she murmured, gazing at him from under her long, dark lashes. “I hope I get what I want.”
“Which is?”
“Do you need a list?”
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Unsure whether it was anger or lust igniting his senses, his voice took on a raspy edge and his golden gaze turned cold.
“I can’t answer that definitively, but right now it looks like your dick knows what it’s doing,” she noted, with a languid lift of her hand.
He looked at her for a moment. A woman had never taunted him before and he wanted to pick her up and shove his dick so far up her pussy he’d need a road map to get out.
“Don’t,” she said, very, very softly. “This could be really good… mind-blowing in fact. You have to know that.”
“Fuck you,” he whispered, shifting his stance enough to ease the pressure on his erection.
“Anytime… Just not that way, okay?”
He dragged in a ragged breath. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
She held his gaze, unflinching. “Nor you me.”
A smile slowly overcame his discontent as he held her contentious stare. “Why don’t we see?” he said very gently. “You might like it after all.” Then he reached back, turned the key in the lock, slid it into his pocket, and moved toward her.
Chapter 3
Only two people in the world were feeling what they were feeling, the sensations like a lightning flash illuminating the universe.
That they were both young, wild, and willful was deeply consequential. Perhaps even the sweet scent of summer played a role. Or maybe it was nothing more than the combustible combination of alcohol and easygoing hospitality on the yacht that day.
But whether fate or chance, lust or circumstance drove events, their dawning recognition that not only was this unprecedented, but might be real was stark.
The word real brought Rafe to an abrupt stop just short of the table where Nicole sat. A frown deepened on his brow as he slowly contemplated the stunning, barely dressed woman looking at him with an increasingly puzzled look as the silence lengthened. “I’m freaking out,” he finally said. “Because this situation falls into the category of unnecessary complications and, as a rule, I generally avoid attachments.” He smiled wryly. “Always, as a matter of fact. So”—he took a quick breath—“no disrespect, but I’m going to pass on this.”
She didn’t doubt him. He’d spoken plainly enough. “How much?” she asked.
He looked at her sharply. “I beg your pardon.”
“How much do you want to pass on this? Give me a percentage.” She sat up straighter as if she knew she dealt from a position of strength. And when he looked at her expressionless and silent, she said, “Do you want me to tell you why you’re spooked?”
Sitting there quietly, her self-possession struck him as strangely seductive. He wanted to be angry with her, but she was so assured, he couldn’t help but admire her. And, of course, he wanted to fuck her too. “Really?” he muttered, frustrated by his contradictory emotions, by his riveting interest in this woman. “You have all the fucking answers?”