She forced her eyes open, panic trying to claw at her, and met his steady gaze.
“I will not lie to you,” he said firmly. “I’m not trying to manipulate you. I can’t tell you where this is going or that I’ll always do or say the right thing, but I can swear to you that I am not him. I will never betray you like he did. If I tell you you’re beautiful, it’s because I think you are, not because I’m trying to feed you a line. If I tell you I’m happy that it’s now, I am. Okay?”
The words hit her hard, made her want to cry, but she nodded. “Okay.”
“Good.” He gave her a brief kiss and smoothed his hand over her hair. “Now, the bad news for you is that you lost the bet.”
She blinked.
He traced his finger down her sternum, sending goose bumps in its wake. “Take off everything but the stockings and garters and meet me in the bedroom. I get the control now. And I know a real effective way to chase the memory of any other man from your mind.”
The words zipped through her, dragging her anxious mind back to the matters at hand. A sexy dominant Lane and a lost bet.
She scooted off his lap and held her dress to her chest. “What do you have in mind?”
He didn’t look at her as he got up and headed toward the bedroom. With his back to her, he called out, “Don’t make me wait, cupcake.”
She took a breath, trying to shove away the remnants of the chill that the panic had brought on, and quickly undressed. She crossed the posh hotel room in just her stockings, feeling equal parts excited and vulnerable. But the feeling amplified when she walked into the bedroom and saw that Lane had put his clothes back to rights. His slacks were zipped, his tie perfect, his hands casually tucked in his pockets as though he were there for a business meeting.
But the look in his eyes was what had her breath leaving her.
Lane in full dominant mode.
Holy hell. The guy really should come with a warning label.
He held up a hand when she stepped inside and she stopped, her mouth going dry. His eyes tracked over her slowly, head to toe and back up again. A man in control. A man on a mission. She had a feeling her sexual fantasies would be faceless no more. Lane made a shirt and tie look like the male version of lingerie, but the attitude was what had hot shivers moving over her skin. The cool, evaluating look Lane was giving her set off all her erotic switches.
“Now about paying me for the bet you just lost.” He cocked his head toward the bed. “Sit.”
She lifted her eyebrows even as she made her way across the room and sat on the end of the crisp white duvet, trying to channel her haughty side even as her body ached for him to touch her. “Paying you? I just gave you a blow job.”
His lips curved into a barely there smile. “That was for you.”
“Oh, really?” she said, not hiding the sarcasm from her voice. “My mistake.”
He turned and stood in front of her a few paces away. “You’re going to fulfill your end of the bet with something else.”
She tipped her chin up in challenge. “And what’s that?”
He stepped closer and tugged at the knot on his tie. He pulled it off and held it in front of her. “Close your eyes.”
She eyed the strip of silk. “Blindfolding me with a tie is a little cliché, don’t you think?”
He smirked. “This is for you, too. It will make it easier.”
She had no idea what he was talking about, but she closed her eyes and he tied the warm silk around her head, blocking out the light. She’d played this game with Donovan before, so the loss of sight didn’t unnerve her, but his talk of something being hard for her had her belly tightening.
He brushed the tips of his fingers down the back of her neck. “Very good.”
She noticed he didn’t say good girl. She’d told him once and he’d never forgotten. Every limit she’d ever laid out, he’d respected. That calmed her some.
The sound of a chair dragging across the carpet fi
lled her ears and she sensed him parking himself in front of her. His knees brushed hers, sending goose bumps along her thighs. “If we’re going to do this and move forward, my request is simple. All I want is honesty.”
She frowned. “When have I not been honest?”
“I haven’t asked the question yet.”