Secretly Craving You(27)

"I mean huge stone phalluses. Like statues, standing stones and gate posts."

"Ah. I'm glad you clarified."

She tried to hide her grin, but damn, she looked almost as aroused as he felt, her pupils dilated and her lashes lowered.

She quickly switched her gaze back to the laptop screen. "Some were put in place by the Romans when they occupied Britain. But others predate the Roman occupation." She clicked to another page. "Here's one that's five feet tall. And some are even bigger."

"Sounds like ancient people were obsessed with cocks."

She laughed, her blush heightening. "That's one way to put it."

Some part of him wished she was obsessed with his cock, giving it the attention it craved, kissing it, sucking it. Mmm. He'd certainly love to return the favor…roll her back on the bed, yank those pants off, and devour her right now.

But dammit, despite how he'd touched her that morning in Atlanta, he couldn't move past seeing Emily as untouchable and off limits. Even if Jared hadn't treated her right and hadn't loved her, Nick couldn't step across that line any further.

He shoved himself off the bed and paced to the opposite side of the room, trying to dispel the strong lust that permeated his brain and body. He couldn't act on his urges no matter how he yearned for her.

"Nick?"

"What?" Had she been talking to him? Damn, he was totally losing his focus.

"You okay?" Her pupils were still dilated and her voice huskier than normal.

He turned away, staring at the blinds covering the windows, anything but her. "Yeah, fine. Just restless. I wanna catch this bastard."

"As I was saying, I have a friend who works at a museum here in town. Maybe we could show her this tomorrow and see if she thinks it's valuable."

"Sure. Do you have somewhere to lock it up for tonight? I don't want to risk the perp getting his hands on it. This could be evidence in Jared's murder case."

"Yes. There's a safe in this room, actually." After setting her laptop aside, she crossed the floor and removed a small painting from the wall to reveal the safe. When he'd searched her house, he'd somehow missed it.

"What's the combination, in case I need it?" he asked.

Eying him, she lifted a brow.

He loved that sassy expression and the way she challenged him. She was sexy as hell. "I thought you trusted me," he said smoothly.

"I do." She shrugged, then told him the numbers as she dialed them in. Her trust in him was like a shot of aphrodisiac to his system. He forced himself to remove his gaze from her succulent ass in those snug lounge pants and repeated the number sequence in his head.

The phallic object stored inside the safe, she placed the painting back in its place, concealing the small door.

"I'm all covered in dirt and sweat now," she said. "I'll have to take another shower."

Can I help? He visualized her naked body in the shower. Remembering the exact shade of her dusky pink nipples, he imagined water streaming over them. He craved sucking the hard little nubs into his mouth.

"Nick? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Goodnight." He headed for the door and the stairway, hoping he wouldn't lose control and break down her bedroom door later.

* * * *

Closing her door and leaning back against it, Emily let out a calming breath. Though she didn't want Nick to know, she'd been nearly consumed with arousal for the past several minutes, since she'd held the marble phallus up to the light in the laundry room and examined it. Was it Nick's close proximity, or did the stone object hold some sort of aphrodisiac power?

She opened the safe and pulled out the artifact within the plastic bag. While she held it in her hands, a slow heat spread over her. Memories of Nick kissing her and touching her flooded her mind.

Quickly, she shoved the artifact back into the safe and locked it. Her arousal diminished somewhat, but all she could think about was how yummy Nick was. Nothing paranormal about that. Nick aroused her and she didn't need an aphrodisiac for that.

She strode into the bathroom, turned on the shower and undressed. She had to wash off the sweat and dirt from the garden.

Stepping under the warm spray, she wondered if Nick had felt more aroused around the ancient object. He hadn't held it in his hands the way she had, so he was probably less affected. Still, while he'd been in her room, his pupils had been dilated and he'd seemed highly aroused and restless. She'd seen the impressive bulge behind his fly. And though she'd tried to ignore it, she'd only grown hotter. She wondered if he was again taking care of his own needs in the shower downstairs.

Maybe she could take care of her own needs, too. It wasn't something she did often, but she'd never been as turned on as she was around Nick. Her libido had been asleep for the past two years, and he'd awakened it like a fire alarm going off.