Then he left the house. He stopped at the bakery to pick up his order, and followed the directions Jessica had reluctantly given him to her complex. With a lightness to his step and the handle of a paper bag in each hand, he easily found Jessica's apartment and knocked.
She opened the door, dressed in white-washed jeans and a pale pink turtleneck, which was one of the most revealing things he'd ever seen on her. While the material covered her from wrists to throat, it was more snug than the loose sweaters and blouses she normally wore and revealed the full breasts that had pressed against his chest so deliciously that afternoon at his office.
Blocking his entrance, she crossed her arms over that lush chest, looking like a sentinel guarding priceless jewels. 'I don't understand why we couldn't just handle this issue over the phone.'
Knowing she'd discover his motives soon enough, he didn't bother to soothe her grumbles. Instead, he grinned, in too good a mood to let her complaint spoil what he had planned.
'Hello to you, too, Jessie.' He stepped toward her, deliberately crowding her personal space. With his superior size, he forced her to back up and let him into her apartment, or end up pressed intimately against him.
With a startled gasp, she moved out of his way.
'Which way to the kitchen?' he asked, sending a quick glance around her place, which was decorated in pastels of blue, cream and bits of violet Very soothing. Very feminine.
'Why?' She closed the door and eyed him suspiciously. 'I already ate dinner.'
'So did I.' He lifted the bags, drawing her attention to the packages in his hands. 'This is dessert.'
Confusion colored her features, and obviously rendered her mute. Since she wasn't being a hospitable hostess, he headed toward the left, where he spied a small oak dining table, which led him right into the kitchen.
'I'm not in the mood for dessert, thank you,' she said from behind him.
'Oh, you will be.' Setting the bags on a wide chair, he stacked her quilted place mats to clear the surface of the table for their smorgasbord.
She came up beside him, and regarded his actions pensively. 'I thought you were here to give me an answer on the kind of cake you think we should order.'
'I am, not that what
A hint of a frown formed on her brows. 'I never said that,' she said quietly.
'Not in so many words, no, but you definitely thought it.' He unloaded a number of small, square bakery boxes on the table, but left their lids secure. 'I know you weren't thrilled with my suggestion of something other than plain ol' vanilla cake, so I'm here to convince you otherwise.'
She stuffed her flattened hands into the back pockets of her jeans, drawing the material of her long-sleeved turtleneck tighter across her breasts. 'What are you talking about?'
Masculine heat rushed through Ryan, followed by a sharp kick of desire. Judging by the faint outline of Jessica's nipples against soft cotton, Ryan guessed thatshefavored sheer, unpadded bras. There was nothing to conceal her body's natural response, and if he wasn't careful, his own unruly hormones were going to make his awareness of her just as obvious.
In an attempt to distract his thoughts he searched her kitchen drawers for a knife. 'Out of necessity, I've become an authority on cakes, and when we're done sampling what I've brought, I'm confident that I'll have made an expert out of you, too.'
She watched him set the knife on the table, then help himself to a chilled bottle of water from the refrigerator. 'Ryan, you're not making any sense.'
'It's simple, Jessie,' he said, pushing up his shirtsleeves to just below his elbow. 'I've arranged a taste test of various cakes, and we'll see which one pleases your palate the most. And if vanilla still comes out as your top choice, we'll go with it.' He rested his hands on her shoulders. 'All I ask is that you give
She released a breath, and he reveled in the feel of the tension unfurling from her body. 'All right,' she agreed, and offered him a conciliatory smile.
Satisfied that he'd attained her cooperation, he patted the smooth, oak surface of the table. 'I need you to sit right here.'
'On the table?' she asked incredulously.
Unexpectedly, he touched her under the chin with his fingers, startling her. He gently lifted her gaze, so she had no choice but to look him directly in the eyes. Hers were so deep and blue he wanted to drown in their depths.
Very softly, imploringly, he said, 'Just this once, make something easy on me, okay? And maybe you could trust me a little, too?'
He saw her internal struggle, and waited patiently, knowing he couldn't do this unless he had her complete and total consent. After a few heartbeats, her expression softened in agreement, and she granted him the permission he sought by sliding her bottom onto the table where he'd indicated.
'Perfect,' he murmured, then withdrew the tie from his front pocket. Gradually, he let it unravel. With mesmerizing slowness, he threaded the cool silk through his hands and fingers, and finally wrapped the tapered ends around his fists.
She dampened her bottom lip with her tongue as she watched him manipulate the strip of silk. He expected her to be nervous, and he supposed on some levelshe was uncertain, but there was no mistaking the glimmer of anticipation that darkened her eyes.
It was all the reassurance he needed.
Her gaze traveled from the taut fabric in his hands, to his face. 'What do you intend to do with that tie?' she asked, her voice husky.
'I'm going to blindfold you.'
Chapter 4
Jessica shivered at the direct, male look in Ryan's deep brown eyes, the unmistakable seductive intent… but she wasn't afraid. She was suddenly very aware of the heat of his body, the reckless racing of her pulse, and the spiraling warmth settling low in her belly.
He loosened his hold on the tie, and the silk whispered through his long fingers again. The erotic sound strummed along her nerve endings just as effectively, awakening an undeniable excitement within her.
She struggled to draw a steady breath. For as titillating as she found his suggestion, she wasn't sure why shielding her vision was necessary. 'Why do you need to blindfold me?'
'So you'll get the full effect of my experiment.'
Stepping in front of her, he leaned forward to cover her eyes. When her locked knees brushed his groin, she automatically parted her legs to make room for him… and realized her mistake. He moved closer, nudging her thighs wider to accommodate his lean hips, making her far too aware of how intimate their position was.
Their close proximity didn't seem to bother him. 'Being blindfolded will heighten your other senses,like the texture of the cake, the flavor, the smell. And I don't want you cheating and knowing ahead of time what you'retasting.'
He wasn't proposing anything indecent, or sexual even, yet as darkness descended over her eyes and she felt his fingers tying a knot in the scrap of silk at the back of her head, a strange, forbidden thrill rippled through her. Once he had her blindfold secure, he gently tucked the sides of her hair behind her ears-to make sure the strands didn't get sticky with cake and frosting, she was guessing. But his touch lingered longer than necessary. His fingers traced the delicate, sensitive shell of her ears, and his knuckles lightly skimmed along her jaw.
Her breasts tightened in response to his caress, and she managed a breathless laugh. 'Is touching me part of your experiment?'
'I'm just making sure your senses are alert.'
Her senses were electrified, and more alive than they'd ever been before. And she had no idea where his eyes
