Immediately, she’d thought the worst, that the bad guys had tracked them to the hotel, snuck in and taken him while she’d been in the shower. Panic had gripped her. She’d feared for his safety, and that had shaken her composure. She didn’t even know him, yet the thought of losing him had rattled her enough to traipse around in nothing but a towel without a thought for the consequences.
Now she was kissing him. Letting him kiss her. God, what was she thinking? Yes, there was definite chemistry between them, but he was a client, and a rat. No, a man with a conscience, she amended. And one with a very talented tongue.
She toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, the thick, short strands silky against her fingertips. Before long, she was threading her fingers through his sable hair.
His big body was warm and hard and nudged against her in all the right places. He even smelled good. Intoxicating. All masculine with the barest hint of some faint, woodsy scented aftershave added to the mix. And she wanted more. A lot more. If the dizzying sensations of being held and kissed by him continued, she’d never want him to stop.
Who was she kidding? She didn’t want him to stop. Ever. Because it had been too long since she’d had sex. Because he was hot and ready, and based on the rather impressive erection straining against his pants, more than willing.
His hand cupped the back of her head while his thumb traced lazy circles on the side of her neck. Good heavens, the man could kiss. She’d known she was attracted to him from the minute she’d laid eyes on him, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the acute sense of abandon bubbling up inside her.
He shifted their positions, walking her backward until her bottom brushed up against the dresser. Deepening the kiss, her tongue mated with his in a scorching, ardent dance, emulating exactly what she wanted him to do to her. She moaned and allowed her barriers to fall momentarily, giving herself permission to become lost in the delicious, sizzling heat building up inside her.
Not that she really believed she had any choice in the matter. Her breasts were tingling, her nipples tight and hard and begging for attention. They rubbed against the soft terry cloth, but she didn’t want to feel fabric against her skin, regardless of the high thread count. She wanted his hands on her, his mouth. She wanted Chas, hot and hard and naked.
She ended the kiss long enough to pull her arms from around his neck. Tugging at his shirt, she freed the tails from his pants. Thank goodness he took over the unbuttoning process, because she kept fumbling the jobd was half a second away from popping the damned things.
He shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it aside before yanking his T-shirt over his head. Slipping her arms around him, she smoothed her palms over his torso. Her fingers kneaded the firm flesh and she marveled in the sheer pleasure of touching him, of exploring the hills and valleys of his sculpted and toned body.
He was masculine perfection to the nth degree.
She wanted more.
He grabbed a handful of her still wet hair and gently tugged, tilting her head back. He trailed delightful little kisses and nips that he soothed with his tongue down her throat to her chest to the slope of her breast. When his tongue dipped into her cleavage, she arched her back and let out a low, slow moan of pleasure.
He leaned back and she stared in curiosity at the mirror reflection of her own desire in his gaze. Sweet Mary, how was it possible to be so completely enraptured by a man she’d only just met? She didn’t want to consider what that said about her.
She couldn’t worry about what would come next. If he left tomorrow, so be it. Where was the risk? She hadn’t exactly known him long enough for him to break her heart. Still, the thought of his leaving threatened to fill her with sadness.
No, she thought. With a firm dose of determination, she refused to let that possibility weigh her down in misery. This was not the time for sorrow or melancholy or wondering how man
y times they could make love between now and the time he did leave. She’d made herself a promise a long time ago to always live in the moment, and dammit, that’s exactly what she planned to do.
Slowly, she reached for the knot holding her towel in place. The green in Chas’s eyes deepened to a rich emerald color, encouraging her. She untied the knot and held the ends of the towel slightly open, just enough to give him a tempting glimpse. With what she hoped was her most seductive smile on her lips, she glanced pointedly at his pants.
“I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”
CHAPTER 5
Noah swallowed. Hard. He summoned every ounce of control available to him to keep from pushing Alyssa’s hands away and letting the towel fall so he could look his fill. The brief glimpse of her silky-looking flesh, of her full breasts and flat, tanned stomach, was nothing short of sweet torment and nowhere near enough.
He wanted more. He wanted her. Need, deep and primal, clawed at his insides. He wanted to taste, to touch, to feel her body moving against his.
He was out of his pants in record time. Standing before her in just his boxer-briefs, he knew he’d never walk away from her now, a decision that defied every ounce of his common sense.
“I can’t resist you,” he blurted honestly. They were strangers, thrown together by bizarre circumstances, but even that knowledge failed to lessen his need to have her.
“Do you hear me saying no?”
Heat surged through his veins at her sexy admission. He moved closer, her fresh scent wrapping around him. Dipping his head, he tasted the tender flesh below her ear with his tongue, knowing this was only the beginning and wouldn’t be nearly enough. He wanted so much more from her.
She tilted her head, giving him better access. With a low growl, he dragged his mouth along her jaw, then kissed her deeply. When she returned his kiss with equal hunger, she slipped her arms around his neck, allowing the towel to fall. He wasted no time in touching her, skimming his hand down her spine to rest on her bottom, where he gently kneaded her firm flesh with his fingers. Her skin was softer, silkier than he’d imagined.
Without breaking the kiss, he carefully lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight. His dick throbbed painfully in answer to the nearness of her sex pressed enticingly against him. Heaven help him, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman as much as he did Alyssa.
How was it possible that one woman, one he hardly knew, could wield that much power over him? She had his insides twisted in knots he didn’t think he’d ever unravel. He set her atop the dresser, then broke the kiss long enough to take a step back. If he didn’t regain his control, now, he’d ended up embarrassing himself.
The smile curving her lush mouth nearly drove him to his knees. Sweet, sassy and sexy all rolled into one intoxicating curve of her lips.