And yet Carm settled back into the seat as commanded for reasons she didn’t fathom.
Tony took the garter again between his teeth along with a little nip of skin. Carm jumped at the intimate contact. So then why did she inexplicably spread her legs wider to accommodate him?
Tony chuckled and nudged the elasticized lace above her knee until the top of his head pushed the hem of her skirt a little higher. Her girly bits took notice at the close proximity of his mouth to her…
“Okay, T.G., that’s far enough.” Carm took him by the shoulders and pushed him back on his heels, nearly toppling him on his ass. Not that he didn’t deserve it.
She stood, rearranging the skirt of her dress to hide the garter, and announced, “Don’t expect the garter back, either. I earned it.”
Laughter broke out around them, but Tony didn’t join in. Standing, Carm felt a little ashamed of her immature behavior, so she took on the persona of gracious hostess again, holding out her hand to help him up. He seemed momentarily taken aback by the conciliatory gesture, but the playful light had left his eyes.
He accepted the offered hand, although he apparently didn’t need her help as he effortlessly sprang to his feet, staring down at her in silence. His enigmatic expression confused her. She wasn’t used to Tony having a serious side, but had no intention of exploring the many sides of the man, either.
Without another word, Carm made her way back to her table, hoping Marc and Angelina would make their exit soon so this long week would come to an end. She had a four-day corporate-bonding adventure trek starting with seminars at the resort tomorrow evening and would need to be up by five in the morning to have everything ready by the time they began registering in the afternoon.
Carm spent the rest of the reception avoiding Tony, which wasn’t as hard as she’d expected because he left soon after the bride and groom. Shortly after midnight, Carm was the last person to leave the ballroom and found herself hours later lying in her bed as the memory of Tony’s whiskers brushing against her thigh reverberated through her mind and body. Rolling onto her side, Carm punched the pillow in frustration, momentarily envisioning it as being Tony’s smug face.
‘Sit.’
Indeed! He’d commanded her like he might a dog.
So why had she obediently followed his command without question?
Ugh. Go away, Tony!
Carm reached for the drawer of her nightstand to retrieve her vibrator, but her hand touched the garter first. Images of how his whiskers had scraped the inside of her knee while placing it on her thigh brought heat into her face again. Trying to ignore the blasted garter, she pushed it to the back of the drawer and retrieved her bullet vibe before slamming the drawer shut on the memories that scrap of lace and elastic evoked.
She needed some relief, but when Tony’s laughing face invaded her thoughts moments later, she groaned in frustration. She would not pleasure herself to that man’s face. He would have no part in her fantasy life!
Now if she could only convince her subconscious of that.
Chapter Two
Tony opened his eyes, his head pounding from too much vino at last night’s reception. He glanced over at the other bed and saw that Matt was up and gone, probably headed to Luke Denton’s ranch where he boarded his horses while saving up to buy his own place. Unlike Tony, his next older brother was an early riser. Maybe he hadn’t had as much to drink last night, either. But Tony sure had hit the bottle hard after Angelina and Marc left, perhaps to get the taste of Carmella’s silky skin out of his mouth.
Just the thought of her made his cock stir again. A quick glance at the bedside alarm clock told him checkout was only thirty minutes away. Tony tossed back the sheet and padded on bare feet into the bathroom. After a brief but much-needed cold shower, he bagged up his tux and the rented dress shoes before tossing his dress shirt and cufflinks into his duffel bag. Then he pulled on his favorite worn jeans, an Aspen Corners Fire Department T-shirt from a charity event held last year, and his socks and running shoes. Not that he intended to take a run today, even though the Bella Montagna resort might offer some of the most beautiful scenery for one.
On the other hand, running might be the perfect prescription for what he needed today. But not here in Aspen where he might run into the Italian beauty who had left him with half a night of lying in bed with a hard-on while visions of the fiery-eyed Carmella floated around in his wine-addled brain.
Yeah, Tony was on the run all right.
What the heck for? He wasn’t one to get all moon-eyed over a girl, especially one who couldn’t stand the sight—or touch—of him. He could have any available woman he wanted—and had been propositioned by quite a few who were already attached, although they were off-limits for him. Why was he lusting after one who detested him, for whatever reason?
He needed a distraction.
While he wouldn’t officially be on duty again until Tuesday, he could stop by his station. While his intention was to hang out with other crew members, maybe cooking them their meal would be the distraction he needed. So as soon as he checked out of the resort, he planned to hightail it back home to shave his face and gel back his hair to meet his department’s requirements for respirator masks, because he’d definitely go out on a call if one came in, and head to the ACFD.
After a quick glance around the room to make sure neither he nor Matt had left anything behind, he exited the room. Getting off the elevator in the lobby, a quick survey
