Considering the prolonged silence, she doubted he was awake, which didn't stop her from rambling, but did give her the courage to walk into the room. 'I know marriage wasn't the brightest thing to mention to you, considering you're just my…' She stopped cold at the sight that greeted her.
He lay on top of the covers, wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy briefs and his amused but always sexy smile. He'd crossed his arms behind his head. 'I'm your what, sweetheart?'
Mac nearly choked when Samantha walked in. She was clad in a black lace one-piece get-up, with a push-up bra exposing her breasts, a meshlike design covering, or rather uncovering, her midsection, and sexy lace underwear connected by crisscrossed straps to thin garters, which drove him wild. 'My God, that thing can not be for real.'
Wrong thing to say. She darted for the bathroom so fast he had to belly flop across the bed in order to reach her before she slammed the door in his face.
He managed to grab her wrist, though she tried to duck inside the other room. 'You
'I don't know what I was thinking,' she muttered. 'I look stupid.'
He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He realized the nerve it must have taken her to put the outfit on, but he still couldn't believe she could look at herself in a mirror and not know. 'There are a lot of words I'd pick to describe how you look, Sam.
'Really?' she asked in a soft voice. 'Like what?'
Releasing his hold on her, he backed up and sat down on the edge of the bed. 'You come out of that bathroom and I'll tell you.'
She moved to the entrance, and Mac took that as his cue. He leaned back on his elbows and studied her. She stood in the door frame, black lace silhouetted by the white molding. Long legs, silken skin and hidden secrets all his to explore and unravel. He swallowed hard. 'You look… sexy, for one thing.'
She took two hesitant steps forward on bare feet. Her toenails were painted a glossy red. Funny, but he hadn't noticed before now.
'What else?' she asked.
'Hot,' he said in a seductive whisper. 'Red hot.'
Her hesitancy seemed to vanish as she tossed her mane of black hair over one shoulder and took three more steps toward him. Close, but not close enough.
The pulse worked in her neck, teasing him, tempting him to taste, if she let him near.
'Wild,' he continued. 'Wanton…' Her violet eyes were wide with wonder as each word bought her another step closer. 'Seductive, desirable…' He held out a hand. 'Erotic, sensual…' She laced her fingers through his, and he pulled her so she landed on top of him on the bed. 'And mine.'
Her luscious scent enveloped him the same way her long limbs wrapped themselves around him. He pushed his hands into her hair, winding the strands around his fingers and tugging her head toward him so he could seal his words with a long, mind-drugging kiss.
His lips parted, her tongue took advantage and Mac groaned, crushing her to him with his arms. With Samantha, he didn't have to coax a response. Their rhythms met and matched, slow and surreal one minute, hot and devouring the next.
When she lifted her head, she was panting as hard as he was. He managed to hang on to reality by a slender thread. 'You never answered my question,' he said.
'I don't remember any question.' By the dazed look in her eyes, he believed her.
'I'm your what?'
Her cheeks turned a fiery red. 'I thought you were sleeping.'
He grinned. 'No such luck.' He slid his hand over her waist, feeling the combination of warm lace and cool skin. Deciding he liked the feel of her skin best, he settled his hand on her behind. 'I'm your… what?' he prompted again.
'Lover,' she muttered without meeting his gaze.
His gut constricted. He'd sensed her intention all along, but he disliked hearing it stated so baldly. He had every intention of changing her mind, after he calmed her fears and reminded her of how perfect they were together. He'd spent the last two days cementing the emotional bond between them… as much as possible given her tendency to withdraw. But he wasn't about to pass up one last chance to be with Samantha. In this bar, in this place where she'd come to belong.
'I am that,' he told her. And he planned to be much more.
He let his other hand travel over her hips until he was able to edge one finger beneath the lace border of the lingerie she wore. Her breath hitched and he grinned. 'You always travel with this in your suitcase?'
'I saw it in a store and…' She blushed again. 'I was curious.'
'About?'
'What it would be like to wear it. Whether I'd really feel hot, sexy… any of those words you used before. I never actually planned to wear it for a man.'
He felt absurdly pleased by her answer, because she'd changed her mind and had dressed in sexy lingerie, just for him. Another part of her answer bothered him, though.
'Are you telling me you never felt any of those things before?' He touched her intimately, finding her slick and wet. She moaned softly in his ear. 'Because you're so damn responsive, I'd find it hard to believe.'
'Oh, Mac.' Were those tears glistening in her eyes? 'Would you believe me if I said I only felt those things, felt that way, with you?'
'And that's a bad thing?' He licked the errant drop of moisture on her cheek with his tongue.
'No, it just is,' she murmured.
He hated seeing her upset. 'Now that you've had the experience, what do you say we get you out of this contraption?'
His question had the desired effect and her mood shifted. She grinned. 'I'd like to see you try.'
Rolling off him, she wriggled to the top of the bed, giving him an enticing backside view. He groaned and followed her up to the headboard. A small white tag hanging from behind her neck caught his eye.
He grasped the label and caught a glimpse before she turned to face him. 'Hmm. Expensive little number.'
'What?'
He chuckled. 'You
She buried her face in her hands. 'I'm mortified,' she cried. 'I can't even perform a seduction right.'
'Trust me, sweetheart. You seduced me just fine. There's only one problem.'
She raised a questioning brow.
'You spent a lot of money on something I'm going to rip off you sometime in the next few seconds.'
'Oh, really.' Not to be outdone, she reached over and cupped his groin, running her hands up and down his full, straining length. 'If you ask me, it was worth every penny,' she purred.
He stilled her movement with an iron grip. 'Not if you keep that up.' He clenched his teeth in an effort to stop the waves of need that threatened to erupt too soon.
Her soft laughter only inflamed his desire.
'Witch,' he said, and she grinned. 'You are something, Sammy Jo.' This woman in his arms did things to his heart, body and soul. She was an enticing combination, his innocent seductress. No schemes, no guile. Just Samantha.
'Oh, yeah? Then prove it.'
'Fatal error,' he growled, and reached for the spaghetti strap on her shoulder.
Beneath the sexual innuendo, the flirtation and the seduction lay deep emotion. Sam knew it. She'd bet Mac did, too. The thought didn't scare her as much as it should have considering how much still lay in their way.
The elastic straps held her arms prisoner against her side. Not that she couldn't move if she wanted to, but considering the hungry, possessive look in his eyes, why would she want to?
Charcoal eyes bore into hers. 'Never dare a man on the edge.'
She grinned. 'Is that what you are?'
With one finger, he traced the scalloped lace covering her cleavage. 'I don't know, sweetheart. You tell
