Splendor(116)

“No.” He rubbed his cheek against her head. “I wanted to be the one to take you home that night, to take you home with me. Instead, I sat in the bar of the hotel and began to plot exactly how I was going to seduce you. It was all going to start with you filling in for Andrew during his vacation. I think I gave the old boy quite a shock on that Monday when I shared the news.”

She laughed. “That must have been something to see. Andrew doesn’t shock easily. I always wondered, you know, why I was never asked to substitute for him before then. I just assumed you didn’t think I was capable.”

“Not even remotely close to the truth,” he assured her swiftly. “The real truth is that I didn’t trust myself having you in such close proximity. I’m not sure I could have remembered you were a married woman – or gave a damn – after a while. And you are far more than just capable of doing the job, Tessa. You did a brilliant job filling in for Andrew, far better than any of the others ever did.”

She was ridiculously pleased at his praise. “That means a lot. And I’m very glad to know it wasn’t my ineptitude that made you reluctant to have me fill in. Speaking of Andrew, there’s something else I’ve always meant to ask you about him.”

Ian grinned playfully. “He’s not gay, even though he may act like an uptight bastard most of the time.”

She gave him a little swat on the arm. “That’s not what I was going to ask you. And I’ve met his girlfriend so I already knew he wasn’t gay. Isobel is – well, very different from our Andrew. The saying about opposites attracting could have been invented with the two of them in mind. No, what I was going to ask you concerns – well, Jason, I’m afraid. And why Andrew always seemed to be around when - ”

“When that prick was trying to harass you,” finished Ian. “Why do you think that happened, Tessa?”

She shrugged. “I always assumed it was because you didn’t want another sexual harassment lawsuit on your hands.”

“Wrong. Oh, not that the possibility wasn’t a valid concern. But my primary motivation was to make damned sure that son of a bitch kept his filthy hands off of you. And it worked for the most part, until that day in the office gym.”

Her cheeks grew warm when she recalled that very unpleasant encounter. “You sent him away because of me, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” he replied, without the slightest hesitation. “I would have gladly shipped him to the Arctic Circle if I could have, anywhere to keep him away from you.” His hand squeezed hers a little tighter. “I’ll never allow him to harass you again, Tessa. Not Jason nor any other man. What’s mine I protect. And you are mine, aren’t you, love?”

In response, she touched his cheek and pressed her lips to his softly. He groaned beneath her kiss, and she quickly forgot there were other people in the room. All she was aware of was the warmth and hardness of his body pressed against hers, of the gentle caress of his lips on hers, and of the stirring lyrics the vocalist was crooning. The song was Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You, and the beautiful words about not wanting or needing anything else if she couldn’t have the man who held her against him so tenderly made tears shimmer in her eyes. She turned her face into his chest, her heart so filled with emotion that she feared it might burst.

“Come, darling,” he whispered to her. “I think the anticipation has finally reached the boiling point.”

They were silent as they made their way back to the suite, his hand at the small of her back their only physical contact. Once inside the suite he led her directly to the master bedroom, where in their absence the thick duvet had been turned down and a soft bedside lamp left on.

“Let me,” he urged, his hands on the zipper of her dress.

She didn’t resist as he carefully eased the delicate lace fabric off her shoulders and down past her hips. As she would have stepped out of her shoes, he gripped her by the ankle firmly.

“Not yet,” he instructed. “I want to see you first. I’ve been trying to picture how you’d look in this very fetching ensemble all night long.”

Tessa forced herself to keep her eyes open as Ian’s heated gaze roamed over her body. But it was nearly impossible to stop her pulse from racing or her legs to keep from shaking when she saw the raw, almost feral desire stamped on his face. His hands clamped tightly around her waist as he gazed down at the decadent display of her breasts as they very nearly overflowed the bustier.

“You look – ” he swallowed with some difficulty, his voice cracking a little. “You look like a naughty Valentine, all cream lace and red satin.” He slid his hands up beneath her breasts, squeezing them through the wired bodice. “Like an extremely desirable, very fuckable Valentine. And if I hadn’t already committed to fulfilling your fantasy this evening, you can be damned sure we’d be satisfying about a dozen of mine instead.”