control anything about the experience. Trust was required. So she should have been uncomfortable, but this was Cruz, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, she trusted him completely.
He licked all of her, then concentrated on that one central spot. The place that throbbed in time with his ministrations. He circled and brushed, then sucked so gently she groaned.
Heat filled her. Heat and need. Her muscles tensed. She felt herself getting closer to the perfect release, to the moment when she would fly out of control.
He brushed his fingers against her nipples, the combination of sensations rushing her forward. She was so close, she thought, moving her head from side to side. Everything felt so good. Too good. She couldn’t…
And then she was coming and coming. The pleasure swept through her, carrying her along. She gave herself over to it, over to Cruz. Inside, her muscles contracted again and again, allowing her to get lost in the sensations.
Just when she thought she was done, he stood and plunged into her. His possession was fast and determined. He held her hips and rocked against her, as if he couldn’t control himself.
He filled her, rubbing her in just the right way to make her start to come again. Then they were straining together and he exploded inside of her, groaning something that sounded very much like her name.
A FEW MINUTES LATER, Lexi sat up. She was naked, on the kitchen table, satiated and just a little embarrassed.
“I was planning on making spaghetti,” she murmured. “However will we eat here again?”
“Think of the good memories.”
“I’ll blush every time I walk in here.”
He pulled her to her feet, then held her in his arms. “We’ll keep doing it in here until you’re comfortable with the idea.”
“Sort of the reverse of aversion therapy?”
“Something like that.”
“Maybe.” Still. The kitchen? On the table?
He touched her face with his fingers. “Lexington.”
She stiffened. “Do not call me that.”
“It’s your name.”
“It’s a family name and you know I hate it.” She’d told him her name that first night they’d been together. Something she never did. Of course, until that night she’d never had sex, either. Compared with giving up her virginity, sharing the secret of her name had seemed fairly insignificant.
“I like it. It connects you to the past.”
“A great-grandfather who, from all historical accounts, was both a gambler and a robber baron. Tell me again why marrying into an old family is so important to you?”
“You’re cute when you’re huffy.”
“I’ll smack you.”
He grinned. “I didn’t think you’d be into that. Want to tie me up first?”
“You’d never allow that.”
“I know, but it would be fun to watch you try.” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “Still embarrassed about doing it on the kitchen table?”
“Not so much. You used my name on purpose, didn’t you. To distract me.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t. Want to go out to dinner?”
She wanted to go upstairs and make love again, but this time in a bed. She wanted to be close and have him hold her. She wanted to sleep with him, his arms around her. She wanted to be connected.
Which was possibly the biggest mistake she could ever make. Connected to Cruz? As in emotionally bonded? Was she beyond stupid? He was interested in her for very specific reasons that had nothing to do with caring or were anything close to permanent.
“Dinner sounds like a great idea,” she said. The sooner they got out of the house, the better. She needed time to regroup.
Fifteen minutes later they were in the car and backing out of the driveway. Lexi noticed a man walking up to the front door.
“Do you know him?” she asked.
“No.”
Cruz stopped the car and got out. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Ms. Titan. Lexington Titan.”
Lexi flinched. What was it with people using her name today?
She rolled down her window. “That’s me.”
“Ms. Titan?” He approached and handed her a large envelope. “You’ve just been served. Have a good night.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE PAPERWORK WAS fairly simple-at least for a legal document. Lexi was being sued by a former client for treatments performed at the spa. The woman claimed damages, including marks on her skin and emotional distress.
“It’s a day spa,” she murmured as Cruz drove to Venus Envy so she could check her computer records. “How much emotional distress could there be?”
“We’re nearly there,” he said, sounding calm and capable. “We’ll handle this.”
The thought of being able to trust him was new. She was used to depending on herself-especially when it came to business. She loved her sisters and they were close, but they all wanted variations of the same thing-Jed’s approval. That complicated an already difficult situation.
It was after seven when they arrived, and the parking lot was nearly empty. Lexi led the way inside. She greeted the remaining staff, then made her way to her office. Cruz followed. She turned on her monitor, then sat down to access the records.
She found the right file immediately.
“Ann Paul,” she read aloud. “She came in every couple of weeks for a facial, had a pedicure, two massages and that was it.” She scanned the notice again. “What distress? It was a facial.”
She typed a few more keys and opened the notes made by the esthetician who had performed the facial. “No way,” she murmured. “Jeannie is one of our best. She has a waiting list a mile long. Nothing about this make sense.” She leaned back in her chair and looked at Cruz.
“It’s Garth, isn’t it?” she asked.
“It smells like him.”
Because trying to shut her down with the loan wasn’t good enough?
“I don’t want to go to court,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t want to spend the money.” Money she didn’t have. “Not to mention the time. It will suck the life out of this place. It could ruin our reputation.”
She’d worked hard to build up her business, to make coming to Venus Envy the perfect, relaxing experience for her clients.
“That jerk isn’t going to take this away from me,” she said.
“I want to help,” Cruz told her. “Let’s start by investigating the woman suing. Ann Paul. Who is she? Was this a setup? Does she work for Garth?”
Lexi straightened in her chair. “My God. I never thought of that. You mean this whole thing could be a lie?”
Cruz shrugged. “Maybe he’s paying her to file the complaint.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“This kind of damage is hard to prove. The case is probably frivolous to begin with. But Garth is only interested
