Brazen

She'd come here to have a steamy sexual encounter. Instead she'd found Mac. A sensitive, caring man. One who'd made her feel special and treasured in ways she'd only dreamed of before. It was an illusion, one that would pass once they put a stop to the sexual dance and satisfied their desires. Surely things between them would fizzle fast once the afterglow faded.

She was counting on it. Because she had to go home as planned and secure her father's future. But first she had to face Mac and all he had to offer. For a woman whose primary reason for being in Arizona was to attend a series of seminars on the benefits of risk management and investment portfolios, her nervousness now was ridiculous.

She forced herself out of bed and glanced in the mirror, pausing to brush her tangled hair. Then she drew on her reserve of courage and headed for the closed bathroom door. The worst thing he could do was throw her out, and what man in his right mind would toss a willing woman out of his bed or, in this case, his shower. Turning the handle, she walked inside.

A heavy beige curtain blocked her view. She didn't appreciate the obstruction until she realized it blocked his view as well. Silently, she stripped off her clothes, all the while pushing away every ounce of doubt that tried to creep in and stop her. Samantha Reed had always been a good girl. And good girls didn't seduce complete strangers.

Steam had filled the bathroom, accompanied by the fragrant scent she'd come to associate with Mac. The scent that wrapped itself around her heart and wouldn't let go. After she'd spent the past few nights cocooned in his arms, the smell was familiar and welcoming, giving her courage. Maybe Samantha Reed wouldn't seduce a man she'd just met, but Sam would. And Mac was no stranger, he was a part of her.

She paused only to brush her teeth quickly and grab a drink to ease her dry throat. 'Would you mind some company?' she asked as she pushed aside the shower curtain a fraction of an inch and stuck her head inside.

She meant to meet his gaze. Instead, she focused on other parts of his anatomy and swallowed hard. Any adjective she chose would fall short, so she settled on magnificent… and large. Fully aroused and…

The sound of him clearing his throat grounded her thoughts. 'I asked if you're here to watch or to play?'

She met his gaze. Amusement glittered in his eyes, but so did desire. Naked, unabashed desire. For her. At that moment, Sam realized she might have come seeking passion, but she'd also come looking for something far more important.

For once in her life, she wanted to be desired for herself. For the unique woman she'd become, not the obedient little girl she'd always been. Not for what services she could give to her company, or for how she could salvage her father's life, or worse for how lovely she'd look on her fiance's arm, since she knew any beautiful woman would do. She wanted a man to need her, Samantha Josephine Reed, for the woman she was.

Mac did. He offered her that and more. Sam would always be eternally grateful for the gift.

Beads of water poured over his deeply tanned skin. Just watching him caused a quickening inside her. 'I most definitely want to play,' she answered.

'Thank God.' She grinned, and Mac's heart squeezed tight in his chest.

He wasn't anybody's white knight, least of all Samantha's. He was a man, and right now he lacked the strength to say no. They'd been building to this moment from the second they met.

After pushing the shower curtain aside, he held out his hand. She slipped her fingers around his and stepped into the tub. All white and creamy skin, untouched by the sun's rays, broken only by darkened nipples and an even darker triangle of curls, she joined him. He let out a groan, thankful for her courage. He'd had his doubts this time would ever come.

He'd been wrong. Although he couldn't miss the signs of nervousness, the inability to meet his gaze and the slight tremor in the hand she placed in his, he sensed her certainty as well. She came toward him at the same time he gripped her waist and pulled her forward so she could join him under the warm, pelting water. He fused his lips to hers, her breasts, stomach and thighs melding with perfection against his already-rock-hard body. As satiny skin rubbed against him, her soft hands gripped his back and her mouth greedily worked at his.

She purred like a lost kitten having found its way home. The sexy little sounds and moans turned him on, and his erection pulsed against her stomach. Gripping her backside, he held her firmly against him, but her body glided over his, writhing and moving, seeking deeper, more intimate relief. He knew just how she felt. All he had to do was touch her and he needed so much more.

He figured there were two ways to go about this, short and quick or slow and deep. Damned if he wanted their first time to be fast and unmemorable, but if she kept up that squirming, that's just what it would be.

He glanced around the stark tub. His friend Bear wasn't into luxuries, and the shower offered none of the amenities Mac's did at The Resort. His gaze traveled upward. Except for a shower massage. A resourceful man, he'd make do.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her eyes. Violet eyes glazed with passion stared back. 'You came to play.'

'Yes.' The word came out a breathless shudder.

'I'm glad.'

Her answering smile was nothing short of beautiful, but it contained all the pent-up anxiety she must have been feeling. Mac cursed himself for not dealing with it sooner. The minute she'd walked into the bar, he'd sensed the contradictions warring within her. She was a lady down to her dusty toes, which made the act to come all the more exciting and made his next move that much more important.

Soap and foam covered his hands. Instead of rinsing them off, he knelt at her feet and began lathering his way up her legs, her calves and knees. When he reached her thighs, she sucked in a deep breath and nearly lost her balance. 'Brace your hands on my shoulders,' he told her.

'I'm not so sure…'

'I am.' He tilted his head backward. 'Do you trust me?' he asked.

'Yes.' She answered without hesitation.

'Then do it… so we can play.'

She gripped his shoulders with her hands and he bent back to his task, working his soap-slicked hands up her thighs, toward the damp curls just waiting for his touch. There wasn't a sound except for muted music and water beating against the tub floor as he moved his hand and cupped her intimately.

'Oh, Mac.' Her entire body shook in reaction.

He suppressed a shudder of his own. Tamping down on his desire in favor of hers, he slipped one finger inside her wet, warm heat. She moaned and dug her fingernails into his back. She jerked against his hand. The movement fed his desire, but he had other plans for Samantha.

He withdrew his finger, ignoring her disappointed cry and continued soaping up her skin. When he reached her rounded breasts, he nearly forgot his plan and lingered there for a while, fondling, holding and arousing them both. He dipped his head and captured one nipple in his mouth, tugging and pulling until she cried out his name and reached for his straining erection with her hands.

He grasped onto her wrists, halting her movement.

'Didn't your mother ever teach you to share?' she asked.

'She tried.' He lifted her hair and nuzzled the damp skin behind her neck. 'I wasn't any good at it. But I never minded taking turns, and this one's mine. Yours will come later.'

Reaching behind him, he pulled the shower massage off the hook on the wall. 'First we have to clean off all that soap.'

A smile played around her lips. 'I thought we were going to play.' Her light tone told him she'd relaxed, which pleased him.

'Oh, we are.' He grabbed hold of her leg and lifted it onto the side of the ceramic tub, then turned the jet spray to a light pulsing rhythm.

Her eyes opened wide.

'You said you trusted me.'

'I do.'

'Still?'

She nodded. 'Considering you've been sleeping beside me without making a move… I think you've earned it.'