Funny. Ashley had always looked prim and neat and unruffled, even after lovemaking. She’d lived in fear of having her makeup smudged or her hair mussed. And yet she had never looked as beautiful to him as Nicole did now.
Nicole lay on her stomach, her pillow cradled in her arms. The sheet covered her to the middle of her back, above that was only smooth, creamy bare skin. His palms itched to stroke it again. He could still remember how soft, how warm, how silky it had felt.
A strand of hair rested on her cheek, close to the corner of her mouth. He wanted to stroke it away, to replace it with his lips. He wanted to taste her, to devour her, to bury himself deeply inside her and lose himself again in that incredible pleasure he’d found with her before.
He wondered if he would ever get enough of her. Would ever look at her without wanting her.
He was in serious trouble, he realized with a deep frown. He wasn’t himself where Nicole was concerned. And he didn’t know what to do about it.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, he was apprehensive about the future. No woman—Ashley included—had ever held the power to hurt him. He hadn’t thought any woman ever could.
Now he wondered if he’d been foolish to be so smugly confident.
Something about Nicole scared him, even as it drew him. He wasn’t quite ready to define his feelings for her. He only knew that he wasn’t at all ready to let her go.
And he’d known her less than twenty-four hours.
He was really in trouble.
As though his wary thoughts had disturbed her, her lashes fluttered, and then her eyes opened. He couldn’t help wondering if she would wake disoriented, if she would look at him with a question in her eyes, trying to remember his name.
But her dark eyes were perfectly clear when they focused on his face, her smile radiant.
“Andrew,” she said, and the remnants of sleep made her sexy voice even huskier than before. As usual, it affected him powerfully.
Feeling as though it had been days since he’d touched her, rather than hours, as though he would starve if he didn’t taste her again soon, he pulled her unceremoniously into his arms and covered her mouth with his.
When he finally allowed her a chance to breathe, she giggled softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Good morning to you, too,” she said.
They were the last coherent words he allowed her to speak for quite some time.
THEY SHOWERED together, taking their time about it.
“This bathroom is absolutely decadent,” Nicole commented, peering through steamy glass at the large, luxuriously appointed room.
“It came with the house,” he replied lightly, concentrating on the soap patterns he was making on her back. Water dripped from his wet hair and down his face; he’d removed the bandage from his forehead earlier, though Nicole had tried to convince him to wear it a day longer. He’d reassured himself that he looked a bit battered, but not seriously injured. He didn’t intend to think of the embarrassing incident again.
“You’ll have to show me all of your house later. As nice as your bedroom and bath are, I’m curious about the rest of it. I’d like to see where you spend your time.”
“I once would have said my study was my favorite room. Since last night, I’ve changed my mind. Now it’s my bedroom.”
She smiled and turned into his arms. “That was very nicely said. You’re very good at seducing me, Andrew Tyler.”
He traced a warm drop of water down the side of her cheek, studying the way her wet curls framed her glowing face. “Does that worry you?”
Though she was still smiling, her dark eyes were suddenly serious. “Should it?”
“Probably.”
If she knew how tempting he found it to hold her prisoner in his bedroom until another new year began—or maybe even longer than that—she’d very likely bolt in panic. He’d never actually do anything like that, of course, but he could certainly fantasize about it, though he’d never been one to indulge in fantasies before.
He’d changed in many ways since Nicole had whirled into his life.
And he’d known her only a matter of hours, he reminded himself, trying very hard to cling to at least a shred of logic.
She studied his face, as though trying to read his thoughts. And then she smiled again and rose to kiss his chin. “Regardless of how you might intimidate everyone else, you don’t scare me, Andrew Tyler.”