After finding out that Tighe had been cheating on her for more than a year – and right under her nose at that – she had sworn off of men entirely and decided to live for herself. No excuses, no more looking for Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now. She could live fine without a man, and intended to do just that. Besides, she was just wary enough – even with Tighe – that she’d never really trusted any man enough to tell him what she really wanted out of a relationship. She couldn’t imagine starting now, especially not with a man who – based upon his reproachful look at her disparaging comment about herself – honestly looked like he wouldn’t hesitate to tip her over his lap if she said or did something he didn’t cotton to. The very thought sent a crimson flush across her face and chest. She tried and failed to swallow down the lump of pure desire that had somehow lodged in her throat.
As she watched a thick eyebrow rise towards his hairline, she couldn’t suppress a delicate shudder; her nipples remained embarrassingly, noticeably rock-hard beneath her blouse.
“I am asking a pretty lady,” he said firmly, taking another step towards her, soft voice belying the steel beneath it. “I’m asking you, Tess Martin – and I think you should consider your answer more carefully this time, because another one like that and you could find yourself in a heap of trouble.”
Chapter 2
Sean liked the way those unusually-colored eyes went wide when she was startled, and he was glad she was taking him seriously, if only unconsciously. He wasn’t kidding when he said she’d get herself into trouble with him by running herself down, and she’d find that out soon enough if she agreed to date him.
By now, most women had backed well away from him, sputtering and stammering inanities and letting him know unequivocally that they wouldn’t be at all interested in the type of relationship he wanted, not that he had cause in the past decade to make such bold statements. He had never expected to be in a situation again where he would even glance at another woman. It had been years since... Even now he couldn’t think about it. Women like he wanted – submissive women – didn’t grow on trees. And Sean wasn’t a man to settle. He’d told himself he’d not try again until he came across a woman who not only would yield to his natural dominance, but would crave it.
But there was something about the woman standing in front of him that he just couldn’t ignore – especially since she hadn’t retreated an inch as he’d slowly and deliberately come closer. Even more intriguing, she didn’t appear to be in the least outraged by his suggestion that she would find herself in some sort of trouble if she continued to act in a way that he had prohibited. Instead, those impudent nipples of hers had begun to press just that much more against the confines of her pretty pink blouse, the pupils in those big round eyes had dilated just that much more, and he could see that she was already breathing rapidly as she stood there, gazing at him, as if waiting for him to do something.
“I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up around seven.”
He watched her bite that full lower lip.
“I can’t,” came the soft reply.
“And why not?” Sean didn’t alter his commanding tone. If there was a valid reason why she couldn’t go out with him, he wanted to know what it was.
“The store doesn’t close until eight.”
“Eight it is then.” Before he could stop himself, he leaned down just a bit and pressed his lips to hers in a deliberately gentle kiss. Then, before she could really react to what he’d done, executed a perfect about-face and sauntered out the door.
Tess wasn’t exactly sure just what had transpired in the past few minutes. Somehow, she’d gotten herself a date for tomorrow night, and she was quite sure she really didn’t want one, especially not with a man who seemed to wear a cloak of dominance as if it were a second skin. She’d never indulged that hidden side of her desire and now that it stared her in the eye, she wasn’t at all sure she should pursue it – at least not with a man like Sean Maddox. She knew instinctively that he wouldn’t shy away from the role she had envisioned for the lover in her lifetime of haunting late-night fantasies.
But if not him, who else was going to satisfy what she’d come to realize was her ultimate craving to be sternly, but lovingly, kept in line? And now that he was gone and she had time to think, the uppermost thought in her mind was that she should chase after him and tell him in no uncertain terms that she was most definitely not going to go out with him.
Unfortunately, her feet steadfastly refused to listen to her head, and the shop suddenly got busy, so she didn’t have time to dwell on the possible consequences of dating Mr. Sean Maddox, at least not until she got home that night, and the memories of their highly charged encounter came flooding back.
Exhausted from a long day’s work, she simply undressed and crawled into bed. The covers only seemed to accelerate the agitated feelings he stirred within her, so she kicked them off, her legs moving restlessly as she replayed every millisecond of that first meeting over and over in her mind. Had she mistaken what she’d heard from him? Was she reading what she wanted into the situation rather than seeing what was really there? She’d thought that the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice were unmistakable, but time and worry had eaten away at her impressions until doubt had
