“I do think you’re the first person to ever accuse me of possessing valor.”
“At least I can be a first for you in some way.” She closed the distance between them, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“You seem jealous.”
She frowned. “Maybe I am.”
“A bit possessive.”
“Probably that too. But I don’t think it’s incredibly unreasonable that I should dislike the idea of you being with other women.”
“Of course not. But what made you think of it?”
“Being in this place. It is so clearly designed for seduction.”
“It is. I won’t lie to you.” Her stomach fell further still. “It is, however, new and I have not yet had the chance to seduce anyone in it.”
She felt more boosted from that than she should. “Oh.”
“Does that please you?”
She curled her fingers around his tie, holding him close to her. “Yes, it really does.”
“You surprise me.”
“I surprise myself. But I have never wanted anything bad enough to try and lay exclusive claim to it. You are the exception.”
“I don’t usually like it when women get possessive of me. I feel, perhaps you are the exception for me, as well.”
“I like the idea of that.”
“You know what I like the idea of?” He released his hold on her and took one step back. “I like the idea of you taking that dress off.”
“I thought you were supposed to be a master of seduction. Why should I be put in the position of seducing you?”
He loosened his tie and she was mesmerized by the movement. By the slide of the silk through the knot, by the movement of his hand. He slipped it through his collar and let it fall to the floor before flicking two buttons on his shirt open. “Forgive me, Zara, but I had imagined I had already seduced you.”
She smiled, surprised at how easy she found it. Then she reached behind her back, grabbing hold of the zipper tab on her silk dress and sliding it down. “Is that meant to imply that you are not already seduced? You are the one who was so desperate for me we had to rush here. We had to come here instead of the palace because of your urgency.”
She looked down, at the clear outline of his arousal pushing against the front of his trousers.
“Oh, yes,” she said, “I think it’s quite clear that I’ve already seduced you. You have seduced a great many women. You’ve told me yourself. I feel that I deserve to be part of that seduction.”
“I washed your hair, woman. Was that not seductive?”
“I am, it turns out, a very jealous beast. No. Your hair washing was not sufficient. I demand more.” She shrugged her shoulders and let her dress fall down into a silken pool at her feet. She was wearing nothing more than her very flimsy bra, panties and a pair of very bright red high heels that accentuated the shape of her legs. She did not feel embarrassed, or exposed. She felt powerful. Because she could see the heat in his eyes, see the tension in his body. She knew that he wanted her. She was certain of this, certain of him. At least in this moment. It was enough. For now, it was enough.
He slipped his black jacket off, casting it onto the couch that was near him. He unbuttoned the cuffs on his sleeves, pushing both up over his forearms. “I see. And what will it take to seduce you?”
“Take your shirt off. Slowly.”
He said nothing, his hands going to the front of his shirt, slipping buttons through the holes just as she had instructed. With each movement he revealed more tan, toned skin, more rippling muscle. She bit her lip to keep a whimper from escaping. The truth was, she had been seduced ages ago, and there was no need to do it again. She just wanted it. Just because.
Another new decadence she was not accustomed to. Having something just because it felt good. Just because it made her happy.
When he was finished, he sent it the same way as his tie, his muscles bunching and shifting with the motion. Her mouth dried, her heart pounding hard against her breastbone, echoing in her head.
“Now your pants.”
He arched a dark brow, his hands going to his belt, working it through the buckle slowly. She stared, transfixed. Everything about him was impossibly sexy. His chest, his stomach, arms, hands. She bit her lip thinking about what he was about to reveal. She was very excited about that too.