Page 37 of High Sea Seduction

I roll my eyes. “Says the man who’s standing in front of me, sporting a hard-on from another woman.” Something squeezes in my chest as I say that, but I ignore it.

“I didn’t get a hard-on until I turned and saw you,” he states with a brisk snap.

“You really expect me to believe that?”

“Yes, because it’s true.” He continues to eye me like I’m keeping him from his meal. A meal that involves me and only me.

“You made another woman come right in front of me.” I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about that.

“I was testing the equipment. I told you I would be doing that today.” His voice still holds that dangerous edge that has my nerves jumpy, and his eyes are sweeping me from head to toe, as if searching for a weakness, something he can latch on to and attack. When his gaze stops on my chest and his hands twitch, I don’t need to look down to know my nipples are at full attention and craving his touch. I feel every nerve in those hard buds as if he’s setting fire to them.

I gulp in air and try to think my way through the muddle my emotions have made of my head. “Regardless, I’m not letting you touch me. Not tonight.”

His jaw clenches hard, and he exhales. “Tomorrow morning, then. Come and have breakfast with me.”

I interpret that correctly asCome so I can have you for breakfast.

I shake my head. “I’m interviewing all day tomorrow, no thanks to you and your intervention with your prima donna French chef. Oh yeah, I’ll thank you not to interfere with my staff hiring, please.”

His head drops forward, and I’m freed from his penetrating gaze. Free to let my eyes devour his beautiful body and the tensile energy whipping around him so thickly I can almost reach out and touch it.

His erection hasn’t subsided, and I start to believe that he meant it when he said whatever he was doing to Mae Ling didn’t turn him on.

“Consider it done. When can I see you, then?” he breathes without looking up.

“I’ll be done by six, we can have dinner at my hotel at?—”

“Six-fifteen,” he bites out, his voice ferocious and final. “But I pick the place.”

Alarm stiffens my back, but I accept that I’ve already trampled on the danger signs and there’s no turning back. “Okay. I’m cool with that.”

He raises his head and spears me with that intense gaze again. “There will be no backtracking from you,” he says as if he has direct access to my thoughts and wants to reiterate what I’ve just acknowledged. “Not any more. You want this. Tell me you want this.”

I swallow. “I want this. After we lay down a few more ground rules.”

His mouth compresses, but he exhales and jerks out a nod.

I turn toward the door and sense him take that final step. I reach for the door, but his hand slams against it, preventing it from opening. He steps closer and cages me in with both arms, although his body never touches mine. “I want to kiss you so fucking badly,” he growls against my ear. “I want to lick your pussy again, find out if you taste as glorious as you did in Montauk. Don’t leave, Keely. Stay. I’ll take a shower if that’s what you want. Hell, I’ll take a dozen showers.”

I suppress a shudder as he leans even closer. The scent of sweat and arousal engulfs me. I want to say to hell with the showers, that I’ll take him raw and earthy and dirty. I force my eyes shut for a heartbeat and pray for strength before I pry them back open. “Tomorrow.”

He inhales and exhales slowly. Then I feel him move away. I look over my shoulder and see him shadowing my body with his hands, an intense, deviant light in his eyes. When he looks at me through his lashes, I feel a pulse of electricity fire through me.

“Tomorrow.” His voice is a steely promise. He steps back and reaches for the door.

I stumble through it and have very little recollection of leaving the yacht and walking back to my hotel.

I fall into bed sometime later and finally let the afternoon’s events in.

For the first time in six years, I’m risking handing over a portion of my control to someone else. One slip is all it takes. One misguided decision—especially with a man who seems to smash through my every barrier to reach a place I don’t want touched— could be the end of me.

Telling myself that this time whatever I choose to give will be with my permission doesn’t stop the cascade of fear pouring through my soul. Nor can I stem the flood of memories that swamps me as I lie in the dark, gripping my pillow.

13

KEELY

Six years ago

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