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Taming the Lone Wolff(23)

By:Janice Maynard


                When her stomach growled, she decided she might as well eat without him. It was a beautiful evening, so she carried a cotton place mat and some silverware out onto the veranda, intent on setting a small table before she served her plate.

                Then she spotted him. Out by the pool, sprawled like a demigod on her rattan lounger, lay Larkin Wolff. He must not have heard her drive up, because his large body, sculpted with muscles, didn’t move.

                What was he wearing? From this distance he might as well have been nude for all she could tell.

                What was she going to do? Eat alone? Skulk up to her room and hide out until tomorrow?

                Nibbling her lower lip, she came to a decision. She was a grown woman in charge of her life. A fairly lonely life, by some standards, but a life she had crafted to please herself. She was not afraid of Larkin Wolff. In fact, it was entirely possible that she might work up the courage to seduce him while she had the chance. Not too many men crossed her path these days, and certainly none who looked like Larkin.

                Unfortunately, she’d misread a man’s motives once before and had lived to bitterly regret her actions. If she threw herself at Larkin, banking on a mutual attraction to ease the way, it was entirely possible that he would shoot her down. He had made it very clear that he didn’t mix business with pleasure. But he had kissed her. So what did that mean?

                The reverse was also dangerous. What if he gave in? What if they indulged in wild recreational sex? What if she couldn’t protect herself and made the mistake of becoming emotionally involved? She had survived multiple tragedies in her life. Losing her head over the intense, charismatic Larkin Wolff could add to that list. Even if she told herself she could keep things fun and easy, the fact of the matter was…she was not a woman who took physical intimacy lightly. For a lot of reasons.

                She wished she could seduce Larkin and not worry about the consequences. But she wasn’t made that way, despite the recent appearance of Bad Winnie. So her only option was to keep her emotional distance.

                On shaky legs, she walked out to the pool. Most days lately the groundskeeper had taken off the cover to let the water begin to heat. But in truth, it took a string of near-ninety-degree afternoons to warm the water to Winnie’s comfort level. And they weren’t there yet. Larkin must be made of sterner stuff.

                She paused a few yards away from her quarry. Now she saw the pile of discarded clothing. Her face heated to scalding as she realized he was wearing nothing but his underwear. Other than the fabric, it wasn’t all that different from a pair of swim trunks. But witnessing the unmistakable shape of Larkin’s resting sex made her stomach feel funny.

                Drawn by curiosity, she inched closer. He had been up much of the night, so it stood to reason that he was exhausted. His broad chest rose and fell with deep, measured breaths. Dark lashes hid his beautiful blue eyes. Even his legs and feet were sexy.

                Though her hand trembled with the temptation to wake him, she began to back away. Unclothed, he seemed far more intimidating and dangerous than he had before. She was out of her league. Way out.

                As she moved away quietly, he sat up, rested his hands on his knees and rolled his neck. “Like what you see?”

                His lips curled in a taunting smile that dared her to pretend she hadn’t been staring. Their gazes met, clashed. She was the first to look away. Taking a deep breath, she faced him with a determined smile. “Dinner’s ready. I thought you might be hungry.”

                “Where have you been all day?”

                “Out.”

                “I thought you were worried about your tenants.”