later. He glanced back at Liz and watched as her tongue darted out and dampened her bottom lip in a gesture that made him think of that sweet mouth and soft tongue of hers stroking elsewhere… lapping at his taut, heated skin, sliding along male erogenous zones, and swirling along the length of his rigid cock.
Oh, yeah, especially that.
The sexual tension between them was strong and undeniable, triggering a hunger in him that settled in his lap in the form of a killer hard-on.
If they were going to be working side by side, she deserved to know exactly how he felt about her, and just how much she tempted him. 'I have to warn you, I don't know how the hell I'm going to keep my hands off you,' he said.
Liz's chest tightened at Steve's unabashed statement, and an internal kind of heat rippled through her. Her pulse kicked into high gear, and she managed, just barely, to remain outwardly composed.
But she couldn't deny that his blatant interest aroused her. As did the casual way he sat in his chair and held her gaze, so confident and one hundred percent male. A dark-haired, blue-eyed rogue who had no qualms about hesitating to go after what he wanted.
At the moment, she was the object of his desires.
And he'd been hers for weeks.
She knew a challenge when she heard one, and she displayed an ample amount of daring to match his. 'Who says I want you to keep your hands off me?'
A dark brow rose over one of those disarming, see-everything eyes of his. He looked both taken off guard at her brazen response and pleased at her temerity. 'Nice to know the sentiment is reciprocated, especially since I've wanted you since the first time I walked into The Daily Grind for a drink and you asked me what my pleasure was,' he said, stunning her with his confession. 'It's that ring on your finger that's kept me from pursuing you sooner, but now that I know you're single and our interest in one another is mutual, maybe it's time we found out what my pleasures really are.'
She pressed a hand to the fluttering in her stomach. She couldn't believe where this conversation was heading. Couldn't believe what he was suggesting. Letting this irresistible fantasy man of hers become reality in the purest sense awakened her baser feminine needs and beckoned to the wanton woman within her, who was drawn to that intoxicating blend of bad-boy eroticism and adventure he exuded.
When she remained quiet, he went on. 'As much as I want you, I suppose it's only fair to let you know that I've been married before and I'm not looking for anything long-term or complicated-just in case that matters.'
She offered him a wry smile, appreciating his honesty, even while her mind absorbed the enormity of what he was proposing. 'Well, we definitely have
He tipped his head and regarded her speculatively. 'You're divorced?'
'Widowed, actually, though the marriage should have ended in divorce,' she said, revealing more than she'd intended. She highly doubted that sharing details of their private lives was part of any deal between them.
'Yet you're still wearing your wedding ring?' His curious gaze dropped to the ring on her left hand, silently asking for an explanation.
She twirled the gold band around her finger, for the first time ever feeling self-conscious for wearing it for the sole purpose of avoiding men's advances. 'The ring isn't mine. It was my mother's, and my aunt saved it for me after my parents died, then gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday. I wear it because I'm not looking for anything complicated right now, either.'
He rocked back in his chair and rubbed his thumb along his jaw in an absent caress, studying her from across the expanse of space separating them. Then, abruptly he asked, 'Are you afraid of me?'
Odd question, she thought. 'Should I be?'
'Depends on the situation and circumstances,' he said, giving her the distinct impression that he was testing her, though she had no idea why. 'Yes or no?'
Her heart beat hard in her chest, the thrill of the forbidden heightening her anticipation. 'No, I'm not afraid of you.'
Sliding back his chair from his desk, he crooked his finger at her, his striking blue eyes smoldering with a heady, come-hither invitation that made her insides turn to jelly. 'Then come here, sit on my lap, and prove it.'
Chapter 2
Liz was coming to realize that Steve Wilde was a take-no-prisoners kind of guy, especially when it came to seducing women. Her, to be exact.
He sat casually in his office chair, so utterly male, so intensely sexual without trying to be, while waiting for her to obey his command. The arrogance in his gaze was entirely un-apologetic, as if he had every right to be confident. As if he knew she found his calm self-assurance not only a challenge but a huge turn-on as well.
He was right.
She could only imagine what he had in mind for her, but she was ready for anything. Anticipation swirled low in her belly, and unable to resist his allure, she moved across the space separating them and settled herself across his lap. His thighs were firm and muscular beneath her bottom, and the denim material of his jeans scratched the backs of her bare legs in an arousing way.
Even though she wasn't used to playing such impulsive sexual games with a man, she was determined to be as bold and confident as he was. After all, if she intended to become a phone sex operator, didn't she need to become a brazen, fearless vixen?
Slipping one arm around his neck, she splayed her other hand on the soft cotton T-shirt covering his wide chest and met his gaze. This close, she could see flecks of gold in his hot blue eyes, could smell the heady warmth of his own arousal, could feel his deep, even breaths beneath her palm.
He countered her advance by placing his big hand just below where the hem of her skirt ended. The heat of his long fingers branded her flesh while his callused thumb swept slowly, tantalizingly across the smooth, sensitive skin of her inner thigh.
'Kiss me,' he said simply, and left the next move up to her.
She'd instinctively known he wasn't a man who'd let her go on her way with a politically correct, chaste handshake. Not after they'd brought their attraction out in the open and she'd all but told him she wanted his hands on her. It appeared Steve was a man who enjoyed the chase, as well as issuing outrageous dares. And right now, he apparently expected her to put her money where her mouth was and give him physical proof of her desire for him.
Surprisingly, she didn't feel as though she was compromising her virtue-or anything else, for that matter- because she wanted him, too. After three years of being sensible, practical, and celibate, she was beyond ready to indulge in a little excitement and adventure-a sexy, temporary fling that would end as soon as they tracked her wayward cousin.
Lowering her head, she touched her lips to his warm, firm mouth-soft, slow, and sweet. He didn't seem inclined to deepen the kiss, and confusion and uncertainty made her draw back to assess his expression.
He appeared unimpressed by her initial attempt to seduce him. 'Is that the best you can do?' A lofty smile quirked the corner of his mouth.
She should have been insulted, but she saw his taunting comment as the direct provocation he meant it to be. He was testing her to see how far she'd go with him, how willing she'd be to satisfy his every whim. She'd craved him for so long, she was eager to experience whatever he had to offer. And she intended to demonstrate that she was game for anything and everything he tossed her way, and that she wasn't about to be a passive partner to his more assertive nature.
Threading her fingers through the thick, silky hair at the nape of his neck, she curved her other hand along his strong jawline and pushed his chin down with her thumb so that his lips parted for her. This time when her mouth met his, she bypassed all slow, coaxing preliminaries and went straight for hot and devouring. Her tongue swept into his mouth and tangled with his, and she tasted the pure, unadulterated sensuality that was so much a part of him. She shivered, unable to stop the slow, sultry ache spreading through her belly, or the slick moisture settling between her thighs.
