by Natasha Tate
“Invite you …?” She gaped at him, her thoughts reeling. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am,” he promised in a soft voice. “I plan to dismantle every one of your defenses. I won’t quit until I succeed.”
Her pulse fluttered with heated awareness. But she forced herself to remain outwardly unaffected by his outrageous words. “You’re wasting your time.”
He leaned close enough that his scent filled her nostrils, and quietly warned, “Maybe. Maybe not. I want you, and I always get what I want. Right now, I want you in my bed. Naked beneath me. Watching.”
A wave of wanting flooded her limbs, warring with the panic that coiled deep within her stomach. “I’m not sleeping with you again.”
The challenge flared behind his eyes, then disappeared behind an inscrutable blue. “You underestimate my powers of persuasion, sweet.” He leaned to brush his mouth against her ear. “Shall we test your resistance?”
Tendrils of longing curled through her limbs, tempting her to succumb yet again. But she turned her head from his, desperately grasping for equilibrium. For sanity. “No.”
Taking advantage of her exposed ear, he dipped to whisper, “How about I tell you all the ways I plan to convince you otherwise?”
Fear and arousal joined the battle as she inched another step backward. “No.”
“I’ll start by talking about your hair,” he murmured, his strong fingers and thumbs sliding along her neck toward her upswept hair. “And how I intend to drag its satiny ends over your bare skin.” He reached for a loose tendril that curled over her collarbone and the backs of his knuckles brushed the ridge of her jaw. “I plan to paint your breasts with this platinum silk until you arch beneath my hand and beg for the pull of my mouth.”
She wanted to refuse him, to push him away, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, she merely stood frozen while her pulse beat erratically within her ears, deep within her womb and against a rib cage that felt ten sizes too small.
“And then I’ll talk about the sweet wine of your mouth.” His thumb lifted to skim the curve of her lower lip, tugging it down to caress the sensitive inner flesh. “I’d tell of how I dream of your lips, of how I take your tongue into my mouth and taste you in my sleep.”
She swallowed thickly, her breath deteriorating into shallow, uneven pants.
“I want to consume you, Cate, to lick and taste and devour every glorious inch of you.”
Why do you think I’m so scared?
“I want your scent on my skin.” His nostrils flared and he leaned closer, his low voice lulling her into drugged compliance. “I want your mouth on me. I want to bury myself in your heat until I can think of nothing beyond the pleasure we share. I want to feel your pulse around me and know you’re mine.”
You’ve already given him your virginity, a small voice wheedled. As long as you don’t love him again, how much worse can it get?
It can, and you know it.
Every cell screamed at her brain to be quiet, to lose herself in the terrifying, intoxicating things he did to her body. She wanted the touch of his fingers, the silky rasp of his tongue within her mouth, on her flesh. Inside her.
But that would never be enough, and she knew it. The hunger to feel his bare skin, to explore the coves and hollows of his naked body, was more than a simple, containable physical need. It was more than mere lust, and she’d be lost if she allowed herself to forget that fact.
She forced her listing eyelids to remain open and locked her knees to keep from swaying toward him. “Stop it, Ethan.”
His breath heated her trembling lips, close but not touching. “I haven’t even done anything, sweet.”
Mustering her resolve, she forced herself to stiffen. To withdraw. “You’re talking,” she said, pushing against his chest until he straightened. “And I want you to stop.”
He stared at her for a long, quiet moment, her fractured breath beating the air between them. “I may not seduce you tonight, but I will take my pleasure with you, Cate. And you’re going to allow it because you want me as much as I want you. Our night together proved it.”
The memory of what he’d done to her, of what she’d allowed him to do, fired her neck and face with unbearable heat. “It proved nothing beyond a mutual curiosity, ten years in the making,” she said.
Taking in her blush, his mouth quirked in amusement. “Right. And you’re not remotely curious to see how much better it can be between us, now that you’re no longer a virgin.”
“My curiosity has already been satisfied, thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome,” he quipped.
The flames of arousal licked lower, making the heavy velvet of her dress feel far too warm. “I liked you better when you weren’t so cocky,” she managed, hoping her flippant remark would distract him from the flushed readiness of her skin.
“With good reason,” he agreed without compunction. “You had much more control of me then.”
“Well, I’m not impressed with the new you,” she insisted. “I far prefer a bit of give and take with a man. You know, a man who takes what I want into consideration.”
“Then why are you alone?”
His blue eyes, bright in their intensity, demanded that she answer truthfully. But truth was the last thing she could afford. “Because I choose to be.”
“Because no one is good enough for Cate Carrington?”
She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Tell me why, then.”
“You’re only interested because I haven’t immediately fallen under your spell and then begged you to save me from my life of self-imposed solitude.”
An arched brow met the challenge of her words.
“Look, I know you won’t take me against my will, so all this posturing is getting you nowhere. I will never agree to sleep with you of my own volition. You may as well accept it now.”
“Then you’d better grow accustomed to telling me no. Repeatedly.”
“Don’t think I won’t.”
“If you don’t send me away in the next five seconds,” he said, “I’ll interpret it as tacit permission to ravage you right where we stand.”
A crazy mix of emotions spiraled through her—amusement, arousal, irritation and stubborn rebellion. Ethan had never been arrogant before, but she found the intensity of his self-confidence both disturbing and attractive. If for nothing else, she hesitated the specified five seconds simply because she wanted to see just how far his bravado would carry him.
“Time’s up,” he breathed, moving close.
She opened her mouth to dismiss him, but he bent his head and caught her words with a kiss. He drugged her with its intensity, taking advantage of her surprise to delve deep, to suck and lick and nibble until her resistance melted like warm sap from her pliant limbs.
Only then did he draw back, his breath lifting the fine hairs at her temple. His long fingers moved to stroke the side of her neck, brushing the skin beneath her ear with a feathery touch. “Change your mind yet?”
Bemused by the teasing note in his voice, she lifted heavy lids to meet his gaze. His mouth, normally crooked in a sardonic curve, looked almost relaxed. But his eyes were anything but. She felt as if she were the prey to his predator, caught in a web of pleasure so intense, she craved capture. “You know I haven’t,” she finally whispered.
He dipped his head to kiss her again, until her breath hitched hard in her chest and her sense of propriety blurred. Again, he withdrew. Again, he looked at her as if he wanted to consume her. “The proper response is, ‘Why yes, Ethan, I think I have.’” He waited while she blinked at him, bewildered and aroused and speechless. At her continued silence, he said, “I see I need to work harder to convince you.” His head lowered again, only this time, his hands trailed from her neck to her shoulders, down to her capped sleeves and the band of bare flesh above her gloves. His thumbs, those long, clever thumbs, strayed inward to brush tight, constricting spirals arou
nd her peaked nipples.
She reared back with an astonished squeak, gripping his wrists and pressing his hands away while flames heated her face and chest. Frantic, she peered over his shoulder to see if they’d been seen. “You can’t do that here!”
The blue in his eyes deepened to cobalt and his wrists slowly rotated within her weakening grip. “Then let’s go somewhere where we can.”
“Ethan!”
His hands broke free, then rose to grip the sides of her head while dizzy longing and trembling anticipation gathered in her veins. “Tell me you want me,” he repeated.
Realizing he’d suffer no compunction at all with seducing her in public, she admitted, “Wanting you is not the issue and you know it.”
“Say it anyway,” he ordered, tipping her head back until her throat was exposed to his unrelenting command. He pressed a hot kiss against the pulse point in her neck and she shivered. “Let me hear it, Cate.”
Too lost in the fire of arousal to resist, she repeated, “I want you.”
His mouth tracked a scorching trail along her collarbone, then rose to nip at her earlobe. “How much?”
“Too much.” Her hands fluttered up to his head. Dragged his mouth to hers.
He obliged her silent plea with a few more moments of delicious ravaging that soon had her backed up tight within the corner and her breath coming in short, choppy gasps. She could feel the tensile length of his erection against her abdomen, could feel her own rising need to join with him. He nudged her up onto her toes, his hips grinding a slow, seductive circle against hers. “Let’s get out of here,” he whispered into her panting mouth.
Alarmed by her lack of control, she pushed against his chest, trying to create space between their fused bodies. Trying to reclaim her equilibrium. What is he doing to me? “I can’t,” she protested, even as her fingers splayed helplessly over the contours of his chest.
“You can.” He pressed against her fingers, until the tips of her breasts grazed the backs of her hands. “Come with me. Let me take you away from this place.”
She flushed. Pushed harder against his chest. “No. I’m not leaving with you, Ethan. I’m sorry, but I can’t. No.”
With that, she ducked beneath his arm and dashed back into the crowded studio.
To her consternation, Ethan didn’t leave. She was convinced he’d remained just to torture her. By evening’s end, she noticed that he’d flirted with nearly every female in attendance. Holding court at the center of the room, he charmed men and women alike with his humor, his smiles and his effortless appeal. He behaved as if having hordes of sighing, panting women fawning at his feet was a normal, everyday occurrence.
The fact that it probably was didn’t help Cate’s mood one bit.
So when he acknowledged yet another vapid fairy who’d drifted annoyingly close to his side, a flare of possessiveness had Cate glaring daggers at the back of his head. Though she knew she had no claim on him, it irritated her that he’d profess his plans to bed her one minute and then ignore her in favor of every other woman in the room for the rest of the night.
Exasperated by her reaction, Cate deliberately turned away. She’d put in her time at the event; she’d seen the people she needed to see and conversed with those who needed to speak with her. She was ready to return home.
Angry satisfaction suffused her chest and her transparent heels made a lovely, irritated click as she made her way down the empty hallway leading to the coat check room. It wasn’t until she reached the empty elbow of the hall that she heard footsteps trailing her. Turning, she discovered that Ethan had followed her into the narrow, poorly lit corridor.
Cate immediately resumed her walking. She quickened her pace, wanting to leave him staring after her the way she’d stared after him all night. But his longer legs had him catching up to her in fewer than ten strides. He reached for her upper arm, his low voice rippling the air beside her cheek. “Leaving so soon?”
She jerked away from his touch and glared up at him. “Yes.”
He looked down at his empty hand and a smile gathered behind his eyes. “Why?”
Feeling foolish for the way she’d reacted, she lifted her chin and forced politeness back into her tone. “The night’s winding down and I’m tired.”
“It’s barely eleven and you don’t look tired at all.”
Cate ground her teeth, knowing he spoke the truth but too embarrassed to acknowledge it. “Do you have a point, Ethan?”
“Of course I do,” he said with abominable cheerfulness. “Your leaving has nothing to do with your fatigue and everything to do with me. Admit it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Contrary to popular opinion, the world does not revolve around you.”
“Then why are you running away from me?”
“I’d have to be chased before I could run away,” she blurted without thinking, then immediately wished her accident had damaged her tongue instead of everything else that mattered.
The smile deepened, denting his cheek and fanning lines from the corners of his blue, blue eyes. “Do you want me to chase you?”
“No!” She tried to step past him, but he moved, blocking her escape.
“You sure?”
“Of course,” she snapped. She moved right, then left while he remained stubbornly in front of her. “Would you kindly move out of my way?”
“They haven’t announced the winners of the costume competition yet,” he told her, that beguiling smile of his sending sparks of sensation to her fingertips. “And you’ve definitely got my vote.”
“I don’t care about the costume competition,” she said in exasperation.
“How are you getting home?” he asked, changing the subject with a swiftness that sparked her suspicions.
“I’ve called a car. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Why don’t you let me drive you instead?”
She shot him a speaking glance. “Absolutely not.”
“Scared?”
“Pragmatic.” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, scolding him with a glare. “You’ve shown yourself to be remarkably free of restraint.”
“Guilty as charged.” He smiled. “But I have the papers in my car,” he said. “All signed and ready to go.”
“So? Send them to my office.”
“I’d rather deliver them in person.”
“Go ahead. Janine will be happy to meet with you.”
He shook his head. “I want to deliver them to you. In your study.”
“Why?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already.” Against her better judgment, a small huff of laughter escaped her lips. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“Never.”
“If I allow you to drive me home, do you promise to stop this crazy attempt to seduce me?”
He placed a hand over his heart and solemnly swore, “I promise. The moment I drop you off at your home, I will consider our business complete.”
She studied him through narrowed eyes, debating the truth of his words. He’d never lied to her before, but she still didn’t know if it was safe to trust his word. “Fine,” she relented. “You drive me home, and we’re done. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” He extended a hand, palm up. “Do you have your coat check stub?”
She flushed. “Yes.”
He waited, his palm hovering between them.
“Turn around and I’ll get it.”
Without speaking a word, he turned his back so she could retrieve the small ticket from between her breasts. When she met his eyes again, it was to find blue fire sparking in their depths. “What else do you keep in there?” he asked.
Her blush burned brighter and she shoved past him. He caught up with her in two strides, claimed her ticket and within thirty seconds, he’d collected her cream coat from the bored redhead at the coat check room. He threaded Cate’s arms through the heavy wool, adjusted the lapels beneath her chin and then placed her gloved hand in the crook of his arm.
He looked down at her, his intent blue eyes sending a hum of longing through her veins. “You look good on my arm, Catydid.”
Anticipation skittered through her chest, sending a shiver through her body. “This doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about sleeping with you.”
His voice deepened while a hint of teasing flirted within his eyes. “I didn’t think it had.”
Arousal collected in her womb, mingling with the excitement and confusion being with Ethan wrought. Oh, she was truly, truly in trouble.
She wanted him.
And it was getting harder and harder to remember why she shouldn’t.
CHAPTER NINE
JUST as Ethan had arranged, the carriage he’d reserved waited for them at the base of the building. The liveried driver dismounted to place a step stool next to the black carriage, sweeping the two of them forward with a bow. Cate’s feet stalled for a moment, her narrow hand tugging against his biceps and her eyes widening in surprise. Ethan smiled down at her shocked expression and then ushered her forward again.
He handed her up into the high bench seat, then vaulted up to settle in next to her. After he’d tucked the heavy blanket over her legs, he wrapped his arm around her slim shoulders, tucking her in close. A faint scent of citrus and vanilla tugged at his nostrils, bringing memories of their night together and teasing tightness back into his groin. Determined to take things slow, he took a moment to congratulate himself on yet another step of a plan well executed. By night’s end, he’d have her back in his arms, then he’d seduce her so thoroughly she’d never push him away again.
The driver clucked the horse into motion and Cate shifted, pulling back to angle a suspicious glance toward him. “You said you were taking me home,” she accused.
“I didn’t say when.”
“So when did you arrange this carriage?”
The minute you tried to dismiss me with your damn paperwork. “Why?”
“It’s a bit premeditated, don’t you think?” She smoothed her gloved hands over the blanket as she scolded him from the corner of her eye. “And a little presumptuous for you to just assume I’d say yes.”
