He stilled her movements with a quick shake of his head.
She tossed him a perplexed frown. “What?”
An easy grin curved his mouth. “Slowly.” He strolled over to the stereo and turned up the volume. “Feel the music, Laura. Let it guide you.”
The light from the candle silhouetted his tall, muscular body. She tipped her head to look into his eyes. Her heart fluttered. He was so damn handsome.
Blocking her mind to the sudden riot of emotions rushing through her, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let the music wash over her. Her hips began to undulate in time to the easy beat.
She listened to Jay’s footsteps as he came back to stand before her. Her lids fluttered open. She watched him, his stance casual, his eyes tracking her every seductive movement.
She unbelted her robe and inched it open, exposing the swell of her breasts. Gracefully, she slid it down her body until it pooled at her feet. The soft cotton stroked her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake.
When the breeze from the open window kissed her flesh, she shivered. Although she was certain the shiver had more to do with the man watching her undress than it did with the night air.
His features softened. “Are you cold?” The tenderness in his tone overwhelmed her and made her heart turn over. She looked into his eyes and saw genuine concern. This was yet another one of the qualities that had drawn her in. While working long into the night with him, she’d witnessed a side of him that was quiet and reflective, nurturing and caring. A side that not only stirred her physically, but emotionally as well.
She moistened her lips. “A little.”
Jay crossed the room to close the window, then came back to stand in front of her. He trailed the backs of his fingers down her cheek.
“Comfortable now?” His tender voice chased the chill from her body. Suddenly she felt warm all over, inside and out.
She nodded. “Yes, thank you.” His soft tone, gentle gaze, and intimate touch stirred her soul, filling her with warmth and unfamiliar longing.
He held his palm open and sidled closer. “My turn.” He was standing so close his warm breath fanned her face. She handed him the coin and hugged herself, trying to stave off the rush of emotions surging through her.
He tossed it, stole a peek, and asked, “What’s your call?” The warm masculine tenor of his voice made her shiver.
“Tails,” she whispered.
Jay lifted his hand and showed her the coin. “Looks like it’s your lucky day.”
She wiggled her fingers at his chest. “Take off your shirt.”
In one swift movement, he peeled his T-shirt off and tossed it aside. She stood there staring, slack-jawed. Her sharp intake of breath seemed to please Jay. His masculinity and virility made her tremble with need.
Jay passed the coin back to her. “You know, Laura, once I have you naked, I’m going to have my wicked way with you.” His voice was dripping with desire.
Laura’s throat closed as her internal temperature soared. Was he serious? Was “Wildman” Jay Cutler really interested in her? Interested in having his wicked way with her, to be precise? Was this game no longer in the pursuit of science?
Had she died and gone to heaven?
She worked to keep her voice steady. “You’ll have to win a lot more tosses first.”
Sexual tension hung in the air as he reached out and brushed her hair from her face. God, she loved how he touched her in such a familiar way.
“So you have no objections?” he asked.
She showed him the coin and worked past the knot in her throat. “A deal is a deal. I don’t have much choice.” Nor did she want one. She was both intrigued and excited by the possibility. Besides, Jay having his wicked way with her was right up there with winning the state lottery. Hell, who was she kidding? Winning the lottery paled in comparison.
She flipped the coin and won the toss. Pointing to his jeans, she said, “Take them off.”
He practically ripped off his jeans and kicked them across the room.
She glanced at his shorts. Her breath stalled when she saw the huge bulge straining against the thin cotton.
Her whole body quivered in delight as her lips parted involuntarily. “Nice…” The word rushed from her mouth before she had time to censor herself.
“Laura?”
With reluctance, she tipped her head to look at him. “Yes?” she asked dreamily while her mind refused to tear its focus from a spot a little farther south. To think only a measly piece of cotton separated her mouth from his bulge. Mercy! Where had that delicious thought come from?
“My turn.” As though he read her every sinful thought, he smiled and leaned into her, caging her body between his muscular chest and the wall.
He took the coin from her and tossed it. Laura called it and lost. “I win,” he said. A slow, sexy bad-boy grin touched his mouth and made her pulse leap. “You know, Laura, I don’t need you completely naked to have my wicked way with you. The rules are you have to do what I say. That might not involve removing any clothes.” He glanced at her breasts. His gaze was like a rough caress.
She shivered almost violently. It was a shiver of anticipation, not fear.
“What is it you’d like me to do?”
He cleared his throat before speaking. “Watching a woman dance really turns me on. Do you think you could dance for me?” She noted the darkening of his eyes.
She rolled her tongue around a dry mouth and began to sway to the rhythmic beat of the music. Silence ensued as she smoothed her hands down her sides and rested them on her hips. Jay’s glance wandered from her mouth, to her breasts, to the apex between her thighs.
He pressed his knee deep between her legs and urged her thighs apart. His invading touch ignited her blood. “Open your legs for
