Her arousing scent reached him. A delicious combination of sweet summer rain and succulent vine-ripened oranges. Of all things good and holy, that had to be the most seductive aroma he’d ever inhaled.
Shit, his goddamned cock just grew another inch.
Cat rubbed her palms up and down her arms. The gentleman in him urged him to offer his warmth. The man in him urged him to offer something a little farther south.
“Come here, you’re freezing.” Stepping into her personal space, he cradled her under his arms, warming her body with his. The snug contact created an instant air of intimacy. He felt a curious shift in his gut as she nuzzled against him and absorbed his heat.
The last few months had been hell. Total and utter hell. He’d barely been able to concentrate on his work knowing the sexy vixen lived mere minutes away in the condo across the courtyard. He wasn’t sure whether it was a blessing or a curse that the positioning of their buildings provided him with a direct view of her bedroom when he stood inside his own.
He’d wanted to ask her out. In fact, he’d planned on it right after he completed his project and perfected his serum. Which would have been soon had she not written the damn article and drawn so much negative attention to him.
For the past six months his crazy schedule and deadline had left little room for extracurricular pleasures. He wasn’t about to call on her until he could give her the attention she deserved, because judging by the number of men coming and going from her condo, Sam knew Cat Nichols demanded a lot of attention. And dammit, he wanted to be the guy to give it to her, not one of the six men who paraded in and out of her place at all hours while he was swamped with work.
Not that he watched and counted.
Not at all.
Not much anyway.
The truth was, Cat was exactly the kind of woman he dated. One who appeared to enjoy playing the field and didn’t seem anxious to settle down or ask more from him than he could give.
The last thing he needed in his life was to get involved with a girl looking for a serious relationship, which made him wonder why he found the idea of Cat consorting with so many other men unsettling.
He berated himself for feeling so possessive toward her. His six-month boner and oxygen-starved brain had to be the reason he was feeling all peculiar inside. Christ, he really needed to get this girl out of his system. Surely once he appeased his body’s primal urges, his thought processes would return to normal.
But he couldn’t do that until he completed his project. Now, thanks to Cat’s article, and the media’s erroneous take on it, things at the lab were totally fucked up. Animal rights activists were pounding down his door, assuming the experimental serum would be tested on his pet chimpanzee, Rio. Due to the unexpected turn of events the Research Center’s board of directors had halted his experiment, which prohibited him from completing his assignment. Even the press conference his Director, Reginald Smith, held hadn’t assuaged protestors. Another round of curses lodged in his throat as he considered his dilemma.
He had to figure out a new game plan. Fast. But what? If only he could test the female libido enhancer on himself. Preliminary results had been a success with no side effects. He just had to run one more analysis before he could verify his findings to the Grant Governing Board. If he failed to make his deadline, his grant money would be allotted elsewhere. He couldn’t let that happen. Too many people were counting on him.
He pulled Cat tighter in his arms as the perfect solution flashed through his mind like a lightning storm. Undoubtedly, the sexy wildcat who had messed things up would never agree to such a sinfully wicked plan.
Or would she?
His body buzzed as he entertained the idea. It was the perfect solution to his problem, really. He could complete his assignment and get the little spitfire out of his system.
The old elevator squealed and then jerked to a halt. As soon as the metal doors cleared he linked his fingers through hers, stepped out, and ushered her down the hall. He swiped his identification card through the electronic lock and pushed the lab door open.
“After you.”
Cat offered a smile and walked past him, her sweet scent lingering behind, teasing and tormenting his libido. He banked his desires but his traitorous cock refused to obey.
Sam watched Cat catalogue her surroundings before making her way over to Rio. Without taking his eyes off her, Sam moved to his desk and pulled a pair of scrubs from his drawer. His lab wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for his work station, his desk, and Rio’s cage.
Hunkering down, Cat reached into the cage. Her hair spilled forward, brushing over her breasts. “Hey Rio, how are you, girl?” she asked. Gripping the bars, Rio rocked back and forth and made a hand gesture. Cat turned to face him. “What’s she saying Sam?”
“She’s saying she loves you.” Which Sam thought was rather odd. Rio proved to be the jealous type. She hated when Sam brought women into the lab or into his condo. Perhaps Rio felt a certain closeness with Cat from seeing her around the condo complex. Kind of the same way he did.
Oh boy!
It occurred to him that he was far more intrigued by Cat than he would have liked. She unearthed things in him he preferred to keep buried. Sam had had his fair share of physical relations with women but had avoided making deep connections. After his mother bailed, leaving a family behind, his father had a plethora of female companions. They’d hang around for a while, long enough for Sam to form a bond, then just like his mother, when something
