Page 10

And he looks good enough to eat!
The snug jeans hugged his muscled thighs like they were tailored to fit. She swallowed hard. Her eyes devoured the rippling muscles of his arms and chest straining against a white cotton shirt. The contrast to his tanned skin was striking. As usual he leaned lazily against the doorframe.
Once again in Jared Bates’ presence, Paxton was speechless.
“You disappeared with your team so quickly we didn’t have the opportunity to discuss the safety of you and your team.”
“Because there’s nothing to discuss.” She glanced at the large clock against the wall in the double volume entrance hall. “Most certainly not at eleven o’clock at night.”
“I disagree.”
“Look, Bates, it’s late. I’m tired and all I want to do is take a bath and go to bed.” She took a step back and grabbed hold of the door. “You’re welcome to come and see me at the office in the morning. I wish you goodnight.”
With that she pushed the door closed. She failed again. This time, his muscled body was in the way as he stepped inside, forcing her to retreat as he closed the door behind him.
“I didn’t invite you in and I want you to leave.”
She kept retreating as he walked toward her.
“Not until I say what I came here for.”
“Leave, Jared Bates. Now!” She gasped as he lunged at her but she managed to avoid his grasping hands... only to feel the rush of cool air along her back. “You... you... give me back my towel!”
She was all hands as she attempted to cover her nakedness from his roaming eyes. The gleam in his gaze ridiculed her effort. With a backward shuffle into the lounge, she ducked behind a large wingback chair.
“Give me my towel!”
“Are you going to listen to me?”
The stubborn tilt of her chin was answer enough. Jared flung the towel over his shoulder with abandon and began to relish the predicament she found herself in.
“Do you ever stand up straight?” she muttered cantankerously. “I assure you my walls aren’t about to fall over.” She held out a hand as he sauntered closer and circled the chair in the opposite direction of his approach. “Stay away from me.”
“Surely you know this entire situation is a blatant challenge, kitten?” A smile flashed across his face. “And I promise you, I’m all for it.”
Paxton stamped her foot and planted her fists on her hips. “You’re a dickhead! I want you to... oh!” she gasped as his eyes dropped to her jiggling breasts. In her ire, she’d forgotten she was naked. She covered her breasts and crossed her legs in an attempt to preserve some modicum of modesty.
“Fine. Since you refuse to leave, I will. I’m going back upstairs to take my bath, which is most probably cold by now. Be gone by the time I return, Commander Bates!”
She pivoted on her heel, dragged in a deep breath, and marched out of the room. Her face flushed with heat but at the same time she reveled in the sound of a raw groan following each step, all too aware that she was blatantly flaunting her naked buttocks in his face. Her ears pricked as she heard the tread of his footsteps behind her. The damn man was following her!
Paxton took the stairs two at a time, aware of the pounding of his boots that were too close for comfort. She made it to the bathroom door with a feeling of victory.
“Oomph!” Her breath puffed from her lips as he was suddenly there, pressing her against the wall, his hardness unyielding and hot. Her entire body flashed over with goosebumps. “What are you doing?” She licked her lips as the warmth of his breath teased her temple.
“If you thought for one second I would say no to your sexy ass swaying in blatant invitation, you have a lot to learn about me.”
“You took my towel! There was no fucking invitation!” she managed to croak. She was inundated with an explosion of sensations that travelled through her frame from everywhere his body touched hers. It was an experience she had never felt before. One or two at a time, yes, but nothing like this. It was disorienting. “What... hmm... are you doing?”
Paxton trembled under the feathery touch of his palms brushing down her side and over her hip while he placed butterfly kisses along her shoulder. She had never known how powerful a tender touch could be.
“Experiencing the feel of you.”
His words sucked the air out of the room. She closed her eyes under his spell.
Good lord, can the man be any more desirable than right now?
She silently bemoaned her fate as her resistance gradually crumbled. With those words aiding the tender and reverent way in which he traced her curves, he reached that part of her she’d been yearning for a man to do since Rex’s death. He infiltrated her soul with a promise of intimacy and understanding that surpassed any expectation she’d ever had.