Cole came back into the room. “You’re expecting the part today, right?” she asked. He nodded. “I’m just wondering so I can let the folks at the spa know when to expect me.”
“Leaving so soon?”
Sarah’s brow furrowed. His words sounded less like a question than a…challenge. As in do you really think you’re leaving so soon?
Or was that wishful thinking on her part? She wanted to stay. But more than that, she wanted him to want her to stay. To insist on it. Demand it. To not allow her to leave his beloved hometown.
How pathetic was that?
Chapter Ten
Cole tried and failed to keep the edge out of his voice. He’d known that Sarah planned to leave today—she had a reservation at the spa. It was selfish for him to want her to stick around.
So why did her words make him want to tie her to the bed to keep her here? Maybe he should have lied about the car…
A touch of wariness entered her voice. “You said the part would be in sometime today…”
“It will, as promised.” He stepped closer to the bed. “But then I still have to fix your car. Without that you’re stuck here, aren’t you?”
She nodded, eyes widening. He heard her breath catch. The possessiveness she aroused was almost as surprising to him as it seemed to be to her. But seeing her tongue dart out to moisten her lips, he suspected that he wasn’t the only one who found it exciting.
His cock hardened as he took another step. His voice dropped to a rumble. “I could leave your little car up on the lift in my garage. Then where would you be?”
The cup in Sarah’s hand shook and she put it on the bedside table. “Right here.”
The huskiness in her voice made his balls tighten. Another step. She shifted back. “Where?”
“Here.” The word was barely a whisper. “In your bed.”
“That’s right. Until I fix your getaway vehicle, you’re my captive.” He added a smile at the end to let her know that he was joking.
Wasn’t he?
“What are you going to do—tie me up?” Her voice was light but cracked on those last words, and a flush stained her chest and neck. Interesting.
Now that they’d really cleared the air he wanted to keep her in town for more than sex, but that wasn’t a bad place to start.
“Now there’s an idea.” He prowled closer. “Maybe I will.”
Her legs were bent, her body poised to flee. Her nostrils flared like prey scenting danger. Smart woman—he was feeling dangerous. The kind of dangerous that would lead to cries of pleasure and pleas for more. Lust spiked through his veins.
“Ever let a man do that to you, Sarah?” he asked, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer. “Tie you up? Your body at his mercy? Your pleasure his responsibility?” It was a burden he would willingly embrace.
Her pupils were so large that her brown eyes appeared black. Grasping her bottom lip between her teeth, she shook her head.
“Never? What a shame. I bet you’d love it.”
She started to shake her head, then stopped. Now they were getting somewhere. “I think you’d be surprised, darlin’. Quite surprised.”
She tried to retreat again but was hampered by the sheets, which tangled about her legs. Cole stalked after her, one knee on the mattress, then the other. His movements were slow and deliberate, giving her a chance to stop him; this game was fun only if two wanted to play.
She must have read the question in his eyes, for even as she scooted back, she nodded. Desire danced in her eyes, stoking the flames that threatened to consume him.
But it was the trust in her gaze that did him in.
Her strength appealed to him. Her vulnerability made him want to take care of her. It was more than good Southern manners—it was passion and lust and something else he couldn’t begin to name. Something that made him want to claim this woman in the most basic, primitive way possible—and they’d only met yesterday.
He needed her. Beneath him, her legs wide, her moans filling his ears as his cock filled her body. With a growl of pure masculine desire, he closed the distance between them. He leaned forward into her space, so close that she fell back onto the mattress. His arms bracketed her torso as he hovered over her.
“Sarah.” Her name was a benediction, a prayer to a smart, sexy city-girl goddess who had enslaved him in one night. “I want you.” His voice trembled when her hands came up to rest lightly on his arms. This woman did things to him.
Shifting onto one elbow, Cole slid a hand to the hem of the shirt Sarah wore. “You look mighty fine in my shirt, darlin’, but it’s got to come off.” Again no words but her eager nod made his fingers clumsy. After a moment of fumbling, he gave a sharp tug, sending buttons flying. She gasped.