Page 25

“It was just part of the story.”
“It doesn’t work for me,” she said firmly.
Bullshit.
He’d heard her come. She’d liked the fantasy he’d described.
“Plus, we argue,” she said.
Because she actually listened to him—every stupid line, every dumbass remark, and every piece of his past.
“Not about things that matter,” he said.
“You just want to win—”
“I do,” he admitted. “But I also want you, Natalie. And I have a feeling you want me, too.” He watched as her gaze drifted lower and stopped at his crotch. “Another story. Only this time, we stay on the same side of the door. Nothing between us.”
She looked up at him, her brown eyes staring into his. Lips parted, the same question—fight or flight—that he saw in her expression night after night from the other side of the bar. And he’d never seen her run. From anything. “Jack—”
He closed the space between them and placed his finger over her lips. He wouldn’t let her run from her own desires, not this time. “I dare you to let me prove it,” he murmured. “Prove you’re dying to get into my pants as much as I want into yours.”
She pushed his hand away. “We’re not done shopping yet.”
“After we buy the favors, I dare you to come to my room and test the paint.” Her eyes widened at the word dare, and he knew he had her. She wouldn’t walk away from a challenge.
“And once I’ve licked every bit of chocolate off of you,” he continued, “I challenge you to walk away from this. From us.”
She placed her hands on her hips, her gaze locked with his. Her dark eyes burned bright with determination.
“Accepted.” Her eyes narrowed. “But I bet the chocolate tastes just as good on you.”
“I’m counting on that.” He took her hand and led her through the mall.
“And you’d better be ready,” she said. “Because I am walking away.”
He pulled her through the crowd, bypassing designer stores and packed restaurants. “Darlin’, when I finish licking you, I p
romise you’ll feel too good to head for the door. Maybe in the past that worked for you—”
“I haven’t—” She pressed her lips closed, holding back the rest of that sentence.
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word as they kept walking. A few stores down, they stopped in front of a shop with a window displaying pictures of women lost in pleasure. Oh hell yeah, he wanted to see Natalie’s expression when the big O hit her—with or without the aid of the adult toys hidden behind the banner.
“This is it,” she said at the same time he said, “This looks like the right place.”
He marched into the sex toy store with Natalie at his heels. He walked past the dildos and whips. With a cursory glance at the handcuffs, he scanned the space and located a sales clerk.
“We need a half dozen bottles of chocolate flavored body paint.” He glanced at Natalie, who stood by his side, every inch of her petite form pulsing with a battle-ready energy. “Will that be enough? Or do you need more?”
She looked down at his crotch again. Jesus, if she kept doing that, he’d toss her over his shoulder and flat-out run for his room. But she let her gaze linger, not giving a damn that the sales clerk was watching and waiting.
“More,” she said. “I’m hoping I’ll need a lot more.”
Chapter Eleven
“Jack, this room…”
Natalie dropped the Sizzling Secrets shopping bag on the floor of the marble entryway. Her deluxe queen bedroom could fit in the sitting area. Her gaze swept over the loveseat nestled between two armchairs. A minibar completed the sitting area. And the bed—oh wow, the king-sized, four-poster bed beckoned like—