“What’s with the clothes?”
“Plausible deniability.”
“Excuse me?”
“It would be inappropriate for me to be naked in the bathtub with you while you’re engaged to someone else.”
“Inapprop—! I’m naked!”
“I noticed that. But I try not to judge people by my own high moral standards.”
She tried to jab an elbow into his stomach, but he’d laughingly anticipated such a thing and only gripped her tighter.
Alexis gave up and let herself go limp against him. He promptly kissed the side of her neck, but with such gentle tenderness, she couldn’t protest. She’d missed this. She’d missed this so much. Her body responded to him almost automatically. For a long time, it had responded to the idea of Dylan.
He kissed her again and beneath the water, her breasts tightened.
“Dylan.” She sighed. “What are you doing?”
“Reminding you about us.”
“‘Us’ was over a long time ago.”
He was silent for a moment as his fingers idly moved back and forth against her arms. “I’m thinking it’s still there. It’s just been hibernating.”
“No,” she said. “I’m pretty sure that ‘us’ suffered a fatal blow that day.”
“Nope. A coma. And now, it’s awake.”
“If that’s the way you want to look at it, fine. But things have changed. I’ve changed. I don’t even know if you’ve changed or not. Don’t you see, Dylan?”
He reached over the side of the tub and handed her the snifter. “Close your eyes and I’ll tell you what I see. I see the same Alexis I fell in love with. She’s had experiences I haven’t shared, but the woman who always picks the red onions out of her salad is still the same.”
“I can’t believe you remember that.”
“You still pick them out?”
“Yeah.” Alexis smiled and sipped the…it must be cognac. She’d only tasted it on one other occasion when the lawyers she was with—Vincent and his contemporaries—had been having cigars and cognac. She couldn’t manage a cigar, so she’d accepted the cognac. It tasted a lot better without the cigar smoke.
Dylan began to talk and Alexis soaked and listened, feeling the vibrations in his chest.
“I fell in love with a young woman who liked cuddling, who made me smile, and made me think. Who made me a better person because I wanted to be worthy of her. I loved a bright, ambitious young woman who could defend any position, right or wrong. A young woman who could remove her emotions and think logically. You’re still that woman, aren’t you, Alexis?”
“Basically.”
“I advise clients to try thinking with their heads instead of their hearts. But you know, sometimes thinking with the heart is best after all.”
“My heart has been shattered one too many times. It’s retired from thinking.”
“When it did think, what did it think about me?”
“Before or after the breakup?”
“Before.”
“It thought you were an idealist. It wanted some of that idealism, because…because I may be too cynical.”
“Gullible. I was often gullible.”
That gullibility had been a large part of his appeal. “But you could always dissect conflicts.”
“But didn’t have the guts to follow through. You did.”
“We were a good team.”
“We can be a good team again.”
Dylan had been very clever. He’d positioned himself behind her so she couldn’t see his eyes. Deliberately, she’d bet. It forced her to listen to his words—which still hadn’t offered anything concrete. “Are you suggesting we become a team again?”
There was a silence. “No suggestions until you’re free.”
Alexis absolutely was not interested in a few weeks of fun and games. Not that she had anything against fun and games, but not now. Not when she’d planned her life. She had to know if he was offering more. “I’m not trading away a good thing until I know what’s behind door number two.”
“Would you be trading away a good thing?”
“You’re familiar with the pre-nup.”
Dylan shifted and Alexis felt his hands move away from neutral territory into decidedly unneutral territory. “It’s the after-nup I’m asking about.”
“What do you mean?”
Dylan didn’t reply. His hands were doing all the talking. He ran them down the sides of her body as far as he could reach.
The little surge of pleasure was unexpected and she gasped. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you what’s behind door number two.”
His hands stroked and slid and slipped against her hips and thighs. That was enough door number two for her. So it would just be fun and games. Prime fun and games, but she was going to have to pass. She leaned forward, preparing to get out of the bathtub when Dylan kissed the back of her neck.
He’d remembered how he could make her weak by kissing the back of her neck.
Not fair.
She’d actually dated men who’d never kissed the back of her neck. When she’d tried to show one, to let him know that it was an erotic hot spot for her, he’d only squeezed her breasts harder.
She sighed and knew Dylan heard. With his tongue, he traced ever widening circles across her neck until she was boneless with desire. Honestly, she was so easy. Vincent, if he made any sort of effort at all, should not have any compl—
Vincent. Gritting her teeth, Alexis prepared to wrest her neck away from Dylan’s mouth.
“I never appreciated how responsive you were,” he murmured.
“And I, ah, never appreciated how you gave me the chance to respond.”
“My pleasure.” He immediately upped the stakes with nibbling.
Alexis hadn’t found a good nibbler in a long time. She forgot about leaving and arched her neck to give Dylan access to as much of it as he could reach.
Speaking of giving access…Alexis looked down, noting that the bubbles were more of a lacy veil now, and clearly saw Dylan’s hands very quietly resting on her hipbones when they could have been enhancing the whole experience. Now he could squeeze her breasts and she wouldn’t complain at all.
Dylan reached her earlobe and sucked on it gently before nipping it with his lips. Okay, so his nipping didn’t need a lot of enhancement. In fact, too much enhancement might prove explosive.
Oh, goody.
As Dylan moved from one ear to the other, Alexis took his hands and tried to bring them to her breasts.
“Uh-uh.” He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders and the only enhancement she got was from a few measly trickles of water that dripped down her chest.
“What’s wrong?”
“No naughty touching.”
“Are you insane?”
“Getting that way.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You just get to see what’s behind door number two. You don’t get to go through door number two.”
“Why not? I’m thinking door number two is feeling really good.”
“Excellent. But you have to give up the key to door number one.”
“You’re trying to seduce me away from Vincent?”
“I prefer to think of it as refreshing your memory.”
“In that case, my memory needs more refreshing.” Alexis tried to turn around in the tub to kiss him properly, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“Dylan!”
“I’m still wearing all my clothes and all I’ve done is kiss your neck. My conscience is clear.” He nuzzled her neck. “How’s yours?”
He was so…so smug. Sexy, but smug. It made her determined not to give in.
But if he gave in…
“If my conscience is going to feel guilty, it needs a lot more to feel guilty about.” She deliberately wiggled her hips against his and a very significant lump. She danced her fingers down its length. Glad to know she wasn’t alone in this.
“Yes, I
’m aroused. That shouldn’t surprise you. Neither does it change anything.”
However, she did notice his nuzzles weren’t quite as tender or gentle as they’d been. In fact, there was an urgency about them that hadn’t been there in the past few minutes.
Alexis threw a few soft moans into the mix and tried to move his hands again. They were gripping her shoulders pretty hard.
They slid down her arms and she smiled in both triumph and anticipation.
But Dylan dipped his hands into the water and swept the remaining colonies of bubbles toward her. There were just enough left to mound in his hands. Still smiling, Alexis closed her eyes. She felt the bubbles tickle her breasts, then nothing more.
She opened her eyes to find that Dylan was using the bubbles to avoid touching her.
She reached out and both his hands and the bubbles disappeared. A genuine moan of frustration escaped.
“Be good and the bubbles come back.”
“I want more than bubbles,” she complained.
Dylan kissed her neck, apparently the only place he’d allow himself to kiss her. “I’m not going to touch you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t touch yourself.”
What a lovely idea. Men loved it when they watched women touch themselves. Men went wild when women touched themselves.
Dylan was going to regret giving her the idea.
“Oh, thank you,” she said in a deliberately husky voice.
Throwing back her head so Dylan would have a good view, she massaged her breasts, making sure she lifted them out of the water, making sure he saw how wet and slick and close to his mouth they were.
Dylan’s breathing changed, but so did hers as she imagined the desire in his eyes.
“More. You want more,” he urged her. He used his tongue to trace circles on her neck, which Alexis imitated with her thumbs until she’d made two taut peaks.
Surely now Dylan would give in.
She moaned and stretched her arms over her head, then tried to flip over but Dylan clamped his legs around her.
Okay. Fine. Let him resist this.
Alexis brought her arms down, panting just a little as she ran her hands over her breasts and continued under the water until she slid them behind her to the juncture of Dylan’s legs.
She’d no sooner clamped her fingers around him than he pulled her hand away. “That’s just a little bit too naughty, wouldn’t you say?”
The man had to be made of iron. One part of him was, anyway.
Time for the heavy artillery.
Alexis let her head lean back, which not only gave Dylan access to more of her neck, but allowed him to see her hands slither southward right under Antarctica.
Alexis let her legs fall open and her fingers headed through her curls right for the sweet spot.
Dylan was behind her, breathing heavily.
Alexis touched herself and gave a convincing shudder as she imagined Dylan’s reaction. The next shudder wasn’t quite as artificial and the one after that, well, not at all, actually.
She forgot that she was playing a game of who-can-hold-out-the-longest with Dylan and got caught up in her own pleasure.
“Yes,” he whispered and kissed her neck.
“You’ve been kissing that one spot for several minutes. If you’re not careful you’ll give me a hickey. Now, Dylan, there are a lot of other places you can kiss. And lick. And touch.”
“Shall I show you what I’d like to do?”
She’d won! Of course, in this game, there were no losers. “Yes, please.”
Dylan moved his hands down her arms and Alexis actually quivered.
The water had cooled but she felt hot and buoyant.
Dylan took hold of her left wrist and guided that hand back to her breasts. At the same time he placed his fingers over her right hand and set up a sensuous rhythm down there.
“This is what I would do,” he whispered.
The rat still wasn’t touching her, but Alexis forgot to protest.
“I would start moving slowly and listen to your breathing, waiting for it to quicken.”
Alexis bit her lip in an effort to keep from breathing faster, but couldn’t.
“Then I’d give your breasts some more attention.” He tugged on her right hand.
“No!” Alexis protested. This was not the time to move her right hand.
“One hand then.” Dylan manipulated her fingers over her breasts while simultaneously increasing the rhythm of her other hand.
And then Alexis stopped analyzing, stopped trying to win any stupid games and surrendered to the incredibly erotic feeling of Dylan’s hands over hers.
The only sound in the bathroom was the lapping of the water and Dylan’s whispers as he continued to describe his actions in detail.
“Your skin is slick and smooth and hot. You are slick and smooth and hot.”
Alexis moved her hips against their joined hands. A gasp escaped, then another and then, incredibly, she felt the pressure begin to build.
No way. Without Dylan touching her? With just the sound of his voice and a few kisses on her neck?
Apparently so.
And apparently…right…now.
She surged against their hands, her head moving from side to side.
Water sloshed over the side of the tub. Water got in her ears. Her head collided with Dylan’s chin and he probably got squashed against the side of the tub, but Alexis didn’t care.
Pleasure rippled through her, unexpected but welcome. Really, really welcome.
She went limp against Dylan as the surface of the water lapped against her shoulders, calming about the same time she did. She laced her fingers through Dylan’s.
His lips moved against the side of her neck just beneath her ear. “And that is what I’d do if I were to touch you.”
He just had to say it. The water seemed much cooler all of a sudden. “Obviously I can do a fine job by myself.”
“You had expert direction.” He shifted. “And now, I’m going to leave. I would linger, but one, I’m getting cold and two…two, you can figure out for yourself.”
Alexis laughed softly. “If you hang around, we can take care of two.”
“No.” And he said it with such finality and without the teasing note that had been in his voice that Alexis scooted forward so he could get out of the tub.
The water level dropped taking Alexis out of her warm cocoon. She crossed her arms over her breasts and hugged herself. It wasn’t the same.
Dylan grabbed both her bath towels and dried himself as best he could, then tossed them on the floor to help absorb the water.
“Hey. You only left me a hand towel.”
“I’ll call housekeeping and have them bring you more towels. Run some warm water and stay put.” He didn’t even look at her.
Alexis didn’t know what to think. She watched as he picked up his socks and shoes and the stray objects from his pockets and the sodden blanket, all without saying a word.
“It looks like you’re fleeing the scene of a crime,” she said at last. Did he feel guilty, was that it?
“You’ve got thinking to do and I don’t want to distract you.” He headed for the door, then turned back. “By the way, I do adore you.”
And then he was gone.
10
BUT ALEXIS DID NOT RUN any warm water. The afterglow was gone, anyway, and warmth would only make her fuzzy brained. She needed cold, clear sharpness to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Okay, she knew what had happened, she just didn’t know why.
Dylan was trying to make a point and it was more than that he was a sexual magician.
Alexis shivered. Being cold wasn’t helping her think. She got out of the tub, walked across the cold, wet, floor and put on the terry-cloth robe. With the hand towel, she absorbed enough of the water in her hair to keep drips out of the collar of the robe.
Swabbing the towels and blanket around, she made sure water wasn’t leaking into the bedroom.
<
br /> “Hello?”
“In here.” Alexis wasn’t at all surprised to find Sunshine standing there with a pile of towels. “I’ve made a mess.” And she wasn’t referring only to the water on the floor.
Sunshine giggled and handed her a towel. “So how was your bath?”
“Very…relaxing.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And Dylan.”
Alexis shot her a look. “What about him?”
“Well, he was in here with you.”
“How do you know?”
Sunshine pointed. “There’s a trail of wet footprints that leads from his room to your bathroom.”
Of course. “I don’t know,” Alexis admitted as she helped Sunshine mop up the floor. “I can’t figure out what Dylan is doing.”
Sunshine straightened. “Oh. And here I thought he’d be a good lover. Guess I can’t pick ’em like I used to.”
“Oh, he probably is.” Definitely, but there are only so many things you share with a friendly maid.
“You didn’t…” Sunshine raised her eyebrows.
“I’m engaged to Vincent, but I…did behave inappropriately.”
“Oh, honey, if I got a dollar for every time I behaved inappropriately—oh, wait, I did.”
Alexis gave an unwilling chuckle. “I don’t know what to do. Vincent is the smart choice—”
“But you love Dylan. And he loves you. And he’s got money, too. And he’s younger. Which wouldn’t be good if all you wanted to do was inherit but, hey, Dylan is somebody you’d want around.”
Alexis didn’t ask how she knew all this. “Maybe. I’d give up a lot if I married Dylan. Not that he’s asked.”
“Is this about those marriage papers?”
Alexis nodded.
“I don’t see what the problem is. Just have one of those agreements with Dylan. How simple is that?”
Alexis wasn’t going to explain how opposed to a pre-nup Dylan was. “It just wouldn’t work.”
Sunshine pulled down the covers of the bed and to Alexis, nothing looked more inviting. She crawled in, damp robe and all.
“You know what?” Sunshine tucked her in. “If I were you, I’d find out a way to make it work.”
WAS SUNSHINE THE ONLY ONE who saw how simple all this could be? Honestly.
Sunshine went to Dylan’s room where she found the scratched-up copy of the wedding papers—and resisted dropping in on Dylan in his bath, which had to be worth at least one gold star and quite possibly two—and took them with her.
Can't Buy Me Love Page 14
