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By the time the door at the end of the hall opened once more, she'd pulled her thoughts in order. Until
she took another good long look at him and everything in her brain clogged.
He was barefoot and wearing low-slung jeans that fit nicely to his hips and thighs. And the snug black
tee was a definite turn-on.
"You can't stay here." He stopped only a couple of feet from her.
It took a few seconds for his words to sink into her brain. Irritation bubbled inside her. He was supposed to sweep her into his arms and make mad passionate love to her—not argue. She planted her hands on her hips. "I beg your pardon. I'm here to redecorate the apartment as a surprise from Steve to Lisa."
Alex really tried hard to stand firm, but with her looking so damned self-righteous as she met him glare
for glare, he found it very hard not to cave in.
He'd always adored women and all their tantalizing, mysterious ways. But how the hell would he manage to concentrate on polishing his computer program if she was hanging around decorating the apartment? Especially when she'd looked at him earlier as if he were a piece of chocolate and she'd been fasting.
Not to mention Lisa would never forgive him if he broke his word. He straightened to his full height of six-four. "You have to leave."
She squared her shoulders and perched on the arm of the sofa, crossing her legs. "No, I don't. You leave."
Damn, she had nice legs. The slit in her blue gown parted and fell to the side, revealing more than a tantalizing glimpse of sexy thigh.
He frowned, forcing himself to return his concentration to the subject at hand. "It's Saturday night—almost morning— in Las Vegas, during convention month. I doubt there would be a vacant
room anywhere."
"Yet you expect me to find one?"
He cleared his throat. "You're the one with enough money to bribe yourself into a room. I would think you could pull a few strings."
"Maybe," she airily replied. "But I detest hotel rooms. They drain my creativity."
"Huh?"
She stood, moving to the other side of the room as she talked. Alex tried to concentrate on her words—something about absorbing her surroundings—but the only thing filtering into his brain was the way her hips swayed to and fro. She had a great walk, the kind that added fuel to his imagination, and right now he was lost in fantasies of her lying naked beneath him.
Abruptly, she turned, strolled back to the arm of the sofa, and sat once more. "So you see. I won't be
the one leaving. But I'd be more than happy to see if I can get you a room," she sweetly supplied.
He crossed his arms in front of him. Lisa had made sure her computer was set up in the apartment. Everything he needed was here—all his specialized equipment. He not only didn't want to leave, he couldn't. There was only one solution.
"Listen"—Alex finally broke the silence—"the apartment has two bedrooms. I'll be here for at least a week, but I'll be working most of the time, so we'll probably be able to stay out of each other's way."
A glimmer of interest sparkled in her eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd seen that look on a woman. He'd better stop any thoughts she might have of a romantic interlude before they started. Lisa would kill him
if Kagen ended up in his bed.
He took a very deep breath. "I guess becoming roommates is the only solution to the problem." He let
his gaze glide over her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bother you in the middle of the night. I've got too much work to do to think about anything else, and besides, you're not exactly my type." That should
take care of any ideas she might have. And it should make it a lot easier to keep his promise to Lisa.
Her eyebrows shot up. "And exactly what do you mean by that?"
Lies tripped off his tongue. "I don't think you're ugly or anything. In fact, you're rather nice looking. It's just that I prefer my women with a little more meat on their bones. And I'm not really into blondes. I
like redheads. And you're a little too tall for my tastes. What are you? Five-eight or -nine?"
She stood. "I happen to be five-seven and a half. But I think you're right. If you stay out of my way,
I'll certainly stay out of yours. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm rather tired." She tromped to her luggage
and began tugging the cases down the hall.
Alex automatically hurried forward and grabbed one of her bags. "Here, let me." He forced himself not
to look into her pretty blue eyes as he grabbed her bag. "I mean, I'd hate for you to carry them to the wrong bedroom." He did glance her way then.
Her eyes took on a frosty tint. A draft of icy air washed over him. He cringed, then reminded himself
he'd made a promise to his sister. He might as well go for broke.
"I didn't make you mad when I said I wasn't interested, did I? It's just that I wanted to let you know you're safe around me."
Safe? Safe! Her eyes narrowed as she lugged her stuffed tapestry suitcase inside the bedroom. "I'm not upset at all. In fact, the feeling is mutual." Humph. Not attracted to her. Why she ... Her thoughts skidded to a stop. An idea formed. A smile touched her lips.She might be safe from him—but was Alex so surehe'd be safe from her?
She cast an innocent look in his direction as she straightened and turned to face him. "That makes me
feel so much better." She fingered the vee neckline of the blue gown she wore. His eyes immediately went to the expanse of creamy flesh exposed to his view. "If you're through with the bathroom, I'd love
a shower. It was so hot at the airport, and I feel sticky ... and moist." She ran her tongue across her bottom lip. "I just love the feel of hot water and soapsuds on my naked skin. Don't you?" Safe? Not when she got through with him.
He dropped her suitcase on the floor and cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure. I mean, go ahead and get naked—I mean shower!" He cleared his throat. "What I meant was that I'm through." He turned
sharply and strode from the room, going straight to the other bedroom firmly shutting the door.
Oh, that was bad of her. Kagen had a feeling it was going to get a lot worse for Alex. A slow grin lifted the corners of her mouth. Not his type? Not when she got through with him.
Three
Closing his eyes, Alex leaned against the door and took a deep breath. It didn't help. The black curtain over his eyes opened enough for a bare leg to emerge, followed by a bare arm. Fingers stroked the velvet drapes before parting the curtains. Kagen was clearly in his mind's eye, but she held a large, white feather fan in front of her, concealing her body. She pranced in front of him, teasing him with a glimpse of creamy flesh; the curve of her gently rounded backside, the top of her breasts. ... He could almost hear her calling to him. ...
"Alex, I need..."
Crap! Shewas calling to him. His eyes flew open. "Just a minute." He pushed away from the door. His jeans were so tight he could barely move. He couldn't very well open the door with a hard-on. He
quickly glanced around.
The towel he'd used earlier.
He grabbed it, held it in front of him, and opened the door.
"Did you need something?"
Her gaze strayed to the towel. When she looked up there was a question in her eyes.
"I always work out before I go to bed," he told her. "It helps me sleep. You know, push-ups, that sort
of thing."
"That would explain why you're sweating."
"Is that all you wanted to say?" he grumbled, then immediately regretted his callousness. He didn't want to start something with Kagen he couldn't finish, but he didn't want to scare the poor girl, either. He softened his tone. "Did you want something?"
"Just to let you know I'll be using Lisa's car in the morning if that's all right with you. Steve said it would be okay if I used it."
Did her bottom lip pout just a little? Or did it look that damn kissable all the time? He cleared his4iead of traitorous tho
ughts. "Go ahead and take the car. I drove here, so I have my own."
"Okay. I guess I'll see you around, then. Good night."
"You, too."
He shut his door again, tossing the towel on the bed after he ran it across his forehead. She was right. He was perspiring like a virgin in a strip joint. One week. That's all he had to get through. He could do that.
As soon as he heard the bathroom door shut, he left his room in search of a stiff drink. It might even numb his brain so he could sleep.
He walked past the bathroom door. Water pinged against the shower curtain.
Don't even go there.
He blocked the sound, and the new set of images, and hurried to the kitchen. Once he could no longer hear the water, he breathed a sigh of relief. Pushing past the swinging door, he stepped inside the kitchen and opened the first cabinet. Then the next, and the next as he searched for something to numb his brain. No alcohol. Frowning, he went to the refrigerator and opened the door. Beer. That would do. He grabbed a longneck and twisted, tossing the cap toward the trash.
Two points
He grinned as he brought the bottle to his lips. The beer was icy cold. Just the way he liked it. He leaned his hip against the counter and took another long drink and wondered how he'd gotten himself in this situation. What was the old saying—be careful of what you wish for? He'd certainly wished for Kagen. Now she was staying in the bedroom next to his. He'd probably be able to hear her turning over in bed. She was probably a snuggler, the kind who curled around a soft pillow, or a man's hard body.
He took another long pull from his bottle. He had a whole week to survive her presence. A whole week
of knowing the woman of his dreams was just down the hall. And a whole week knowing he had a promise to keep. They'd touched pinkies. That was sacred between them. Of course, they hadn't spit.
He wondered briefly if it was truly a binding promise due to the lack of spit.
The kitchen door swung open.
His jaw dropped.
Kagen paused ... startled. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."
Oh, man, this wasn't good. His gaze slowly took in every inch of her. The transparent black gown barely reached midthigh. If it wasn't for silk butterflies and little curlycues strategically placed, all her charms would be exposed. Hell, it didn't take much stretch of his imagination to fill in the missing parts.
Damn, why hadn't he just gone to bed?
Kagen waited for Alex to get his fill of looking at her. The black lace nightie she wore was short, direct, and to the point. The lace didn't let anything show, but instead, hinted at what lay beneath the swirls
and butterflies.
"I thought you were already in bed," she fibbed, and pulled the lacy robe together, loosely tying it at the waist. "I was thirsty."
Opening the refrigerator, she leaned in for a beer, purposefully letting the cold do its dirty work. She
could almost feel his eyes burning a hole through her skimpy clothes. Not his type. She'd make him eat his words.
"Do you always wear stuff like that to sleep in?"
She straightened, shutting the refrigerator. His eyebrows had veed until they made two sharp, downward slashes. Kagen twisted the cap off and strolled past him to drop it in the trash. He inhaled, then released
a shuddering breath. Good, the subtle touch of sensual perfume was working... among other things.
She wandered to the table and pulled out a chair. "Do you have a problem with my nightclothes?" she asked as she sat down, crossing her legs. Her gown rode up, and the robe parted, falling open. She slowly brought it back across her thigh, knowing the lacy material didn't hide much.
He jerked an arm in her direction. "Isn't it a little fancy when you're all alone?"
"Oh, no, I believe you should feel beautiful about yourself no matter if you're alone or with someone.
The right clothes, the right fragrance . . . the right atmosphere can do wonders for a person's attitude."
"Yeah, it's doing wonders for mine right now," he grumbled beneath his breath, but she was able to make out his words. Alex took a long pull from his beer and tossed it into the trash before going to the refrigerator and getting another one.
"But no, you're right. I don't wear this to bed every night."
"Ha! I didn't think so." He shoved the door closed, twisted the cap off, and flung it toward the trash before downing a third of the contents. When he looked at her again, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Sometimes I wear a red one, sometimes I wear white, and I love my blue teddy—but most of the time
I don't wear anything at all. I love the feel of satin sheets caressing my naked body."
The smile slipped off his face while the front of his jeans stretched tight against the very large bulge in
his pants.
Her plan had worked. No one could say she couldn't seduce a man into her bed. Now let Alex tell her
he was immune to her charms.
She inwardly smiled, even thoughshe was getting a little too carried away with her game of seduction. Her nipples were so hard they strained against the lace of her nightie. Just looking at him made her want to yank his jeans down, hold and squeeze him, rubbing her body against his hard length. She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes as her imagination ran away with her. Alex pulling her close, lifting her
up, then letting himself slide inside her, filling her, meeting her every need.
"I think I've had enough for one night."
Her eyes flew open. "What?"
"Beer. I've had enough." He tossed the bottle toward the trash and went through the swinging door. "Night," he called over his shoulder.
"Good night," she murmured. Oh, that wasn't fair. She crossed her legs. The friction caused her to moan. Her whole body pulsed with sexual awareness .. . the need for fulfillment.
She practically hobbled to her room and shut the door before leaning against it for a moment as she tried to control the throbbing ache between her legs. Her gaze swept the room—and stopped. Oh, jeez, even the bedpost with its rounded knob reminded her of a hard penis. What was her life coming to?
She didn't want a bedpost or... or anything without a brain. She wanted a flesh-and-blood man. She wanted that special bonding of two human beings in the throes of an incredible sexual experience.
Groaning, she crawled into bed. She'd just have to suffer. And she had a feeling she'd be doing a lot of that. Damn Alex. Had he even been turned on by her negligee? Or had she imagined the bulge in his pants? Maybe he really wasn't attracted to her. No, she didn't buy that excuse. She was sexy ... and vibrant... she flipped to her other side, and her sensitive nipples brushed against the velvety-soft blanket
. . . and very, very horny.
* * *
Alex woke the next morning bleary-eyed from tossing and turning all night. This was not the way he'd planned to start his first day in Lisa's apartment. He knew exactly who was behind his sleepless night.
Kagen. Pure and simple. Although she hadn't looked all that pure last night. She'd looked damned
alluring in that black lacy thing that left little to the imagination. No mistake, this was going to be a really long week.
He rolled to the side of the bed and sat up. It took a few minutes for his head to stop pounding. When it did, he reached for a pair of gray sweats and pulled them on.
A pot of coffee and then off to little sister's computer. He'd lose himself in putting the last elements of
his program together. It was still in the rough stages, but anyone with an imagination would be able to
see what could be accomplished.
He took a deep breath and stood. At least he hoped the two backers he was meeting would see the potential. He grabbed a T-shirt and tugged it over his head before leaving the room.
Kagen's door was open slightly. He paused, scraping his hand through his hair, and stole a look inside. She'd already made her bed. The black lacy nightie lay across the
white bedspread as an aching reminder of last night. Excitement quickened his blood, sending it throbbing to his lower region. He shifted his sweat pants and hurried down the hall.
Ah damn, it had already started this morning. He could even smell her fragrance lingering in the hall. He tried not to inhale and continued onward like a brave soldier marching off to war.
The living room was empty. Maybe she was in the kitchen. He braced himself, took a deep breath, and pushed against the swinging door.
Or not. The room was empty. A piece of paper sat propped against the canisters. He walked over and picked it up.
Morning Roomie
Hope you slept as well as I did. I've taken Lisa's car and will be back as soon as I finish
my errands.
Kagen
