“It could have waited.” Her tone was terse, but not quite as angry. “I’m naked.”
She glared at him and his cock jerked. He almost laughed aloud at the way his body responded to her even when she was annoyed with him. Instead, he settled on being privately amused. No need to let her know just how much power she had over him. Hell, all she had to do was breathe and he wanted her.
“Believe me, I’m well aware of that fact.”
His wry tone had her studying him closer. Her gaze dropped and he was grateful that he was crouched down and the tub hid the bulk of his lower body from her view. She looked back at her face, her eyes questioning. He ignored her unspoken question and lifted the wineglass closer.
“Here, try it.” He held the glass to her lips and waited. She sighed and parted them, allowing him to tip the glass enough for her to have a taste. She swallowed and he watched the long column of her throat ripple.
“It’s good.” She shook her head and sighed. “But it could have waited. What am I going to do with you, John?” The last was said with exasperated affection.
“Anything you want.” His jeans were uncomfortably tight, but he didn’t care. For too many years he’d gone through the motions of living. He’d lost interest in sex. Until Topaz.
He hadn’t been to bed with another woman since he’d met her and didn’t want to. There was something about her that spoke to him on every level. The more primitive part of him wanted to throw her over his shoulder and drag her off to his cave and keep her.
A reluctant grin tugged at his lips. Come to think of it, that’s pretty much what he’d done by bringing her here.
“What are you grinning about?” She snagged the glass from his hand and took another sip of the wine. A ruby drop lingered on her lips and he watched, mesmerized, as she licked it off with her tongue. His cock twitched and his balls ached. He wished she’d uncoil her body so he could see more.
“I don’t think you’d appreciate it.” He stood, not bothering to hide his erection. He couldn’t if he wanted to. The damn thing had a mind of its own.
Her gaze went to the front placket of his jeans and then flew to his face.
“I want you.” His words were blunt, just like he was. “Never doubt that for a minute.” He stared at her for a few more moments, enjoying the view of her naked body.
Even free of makeup, her face was beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than when she wore the stuff. Her skin was smooth, her eyelashes long and dark, her eyes a golden brown that pierced his soul. And her lips, her lips were plump and full and so very kissable. It was easy for him to imagine her incredible mouth wrapped around his dick, sucking him off.
He shifted his weight to his left foot as his arousal grew even more uncomfortable. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I left your suitcase on the bed. Wear something comfortable.”
She raised the wineglass in a smart salute. “Yes sir. Anything else, sir?”
Her sassy answer teased a reluctant smile from him. It also made him realize that he was issuing one order after another to her. He rubbed the back of his neck, wishing he had more finesse with women. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Better to get out before he said something to make her angry. Right now, she was going along with his plan, and he didn’t want to do anything that might cause her to want to leave.
“John.” He looked back at her and she waggled the wineglass at him. “Thanks for the wine.”
He grunted and left the bathroom. “I’m putting the pasta on now. You’ve got about fifteen minutes ‘til dinner is on the table.”
Topaz watched the bathroom door close and slowly uncoiled her body, letting her knees slip back into the water. She shivered and sank down until the water lapped at her neck. She was hot and cold at the same time.
She’d had sex with a variety of talented lovers over the years, but never had she met a man as elemental as John. He exuded raw magnetism and sexuality that drew her like a lodestone.
She took another sip of the wine, knowing she needed something to fortify her for the coming evening. At some point they would make love and, if it were anything like their last encounter, it would be explosive and intense.
“What am I doing?” she whispered.
The logical thing to do would be to get out of the tub, get dressed, eat and then sleep on the sofa for the night. The last thing she needed was a one- or two-night stand. John Knight was an exciting lover, but he was also a man who lived a life of secrets and adrenaline rushes. Why else would he start a security firm after a twenty-year career in the Army?
She wanted a man who would be satisfied with coming home to her every night, a man who didn’t have such a dangerous edge. In short, she wanted the kind of man like the ones she’d been dating for the past five years, the kind of men who’d bored her to death and left her cold.
“I don’t know what I want anymore.” She set down the wineglass on the chipped linoleum floor and climbed out of the tub. After pulling the plug, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. The air was chilly after the warmth of the water and goose bumps raced down her arms.
She grabbed her wine and her clothes and hurried into the bedroom. It wasn’t hard to find as it was the only other room in the short hallway. She could hear John rummaging around the kitchen and she quickly shut the door. She set her glass on the ancient dresser and looked around the room.
Like the rest of the place, it was utilitarian. There was a dresser, a large bed with just two pillows, a single nightstand and a chair in the corner. John’s suitcase sat beside the dresser.
A small lamp on the nightstand was the only illumination in the room and it sent a dull glow over everything. A pair of depressing beige curtains covered the window on the far wall. They were closed, shutting out the night and the outside world. As promised, her bag was on the bed. She unzipped it and pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
She paused and wished she were home where she’d have more of a selection to choose from. Chewing on her bottom lip with indecision, she withdrew her nightgown and robe. The matching set was a silky dull bronze that brought out the color in her eyes and made her pale skin gleam. She loved beautiful lingerie and indulged herself frequently.
It was silly to wear it to the dinner table. But she was realistic enough to know that she was going to end up naked at some point tonight. What did it matter if she wore her nightgown to eat in? It was the sexiest thing in her suitcase. John had her at a disadvantage because he’d planned this. She’d packed mostly work clothes that would suit a courtroom. She wanted to feel self-assured, wanted to knock him back a step or two.
“Five minutes,” he called from the kitchen.
Topaz dropped the towel and grabbed her nightgown. It only took a moment to yank it over her head. It settled over her skin like a caress and she shivered, but not because of the cool air. Anticipation filled her as her nipples puckered against the soft material, while the silky folds caressed her waist and hips. She grabbed the matching robe and slipped it on, belting it tightly.
Her slippers matched the robe, of course, and she shoved her feet into them. Too bad they were flats instead of heels. That put her at a slight height disadvantage. At five-ten, she was used to being as tall as most of the men she dated, taller when she was wearing heels. But John was about six-three, so that gave him almost half a foot on her.
There was a small mirror hung over the dresser and she checked out her appearance as best she could. She turned one way and then another but couldn’t see much. There was no full-length mirror in the room, so she made do.
She dug out her brush and dragged it through her hair. It was short and well cut so it didn’t require much more than that to make it look good. She thought about makeup but decided against it. Instead, she simply slicked a pale lip gloss on. She dumped everything back into her suitcase and moved it to the chair in the corner, leaving the bed free and clear.