Page 97 of High Seduction
Then she leaned over and kissed him as well. Tim wrapped his arms around her and hung on tight, keeping her close and savouring her touch. She lifted off him, just a bare inch, and stared earnestly into his eyes. “Did I read your signals right? Was that okay?” she whispered.
“Nothing wrong from where I stand. Lie. Whatever.”
Erin kissed him again, her tongue sliding smoothly along his as they found a place between anticipation and acceptance. Not quite at theravish each otherpoint, but far beyond a casual kiss.
Tim thrilled at her question, though. She’d been watching closely, had she? It was still a sexual kind of situation, but to take the chance to flirt and kiss with Matt right out in the open gave Tim hope she was getting the point.
The whole way back as the three of them bantered and eyed one another, he wondered what else she’d be brave enough to arrange.
Was it working?God, let her get this.
They dumped their gear in the storage room, and Erin lifted her chin as she checked them over. “Either of you starving?”
They shook their heads.
A greedy grin blossomed that turned her expression into pure, molten gold with a dusting of lust. “Then it’s time for a lazy afternoon by the pool. Tim, could we convince your magical food delivery crew to drop off appetizers later, so we can just hang out and not go anywhere?”
“Brilliant woman.” Tim pulled out his cell phone and passed it over. “Here, it should be one of the last numbers I dialed. Go ahead, and Matt and I will wait for you by the pool.”
Erin accepted the phone, curling her fingers around it and squeezing tighter than necessary, the explanation for her tension clear only a second later. “No swimsuits, by the way,” she ordered.
She was working with the power she’d been given, even though it made her uncomfortable. Tim wanted to give her a high five for pushing through.
“Not a problem,” he confirmed, not bothering to hide his smirk as he realized something. “I look forward to seeing the caterer’s face when he delivers our appetizers.”
Matt smacked him in the chest, and Tim groaned in mock pain. “You’re such an asshole at times,” Matt deadpanned.
“You got a problem being naked in front of strangers? I don’t. Hell, call back the masseur—the man is welcome to torment my ass some more if he’d like.”
“Freak. Get your ass out of here before I change my mind and make you my slaves for the afternoon.” When he and Matt both paused to exchange dirty grins, Erin rolled her eyes. “Double freaks. That was a threat, not a promise.”
“Hard to tell,” Matt pointed out. “As if being your slave would be punishment.”
Tim spotted the telltale signs of her excitement. He tapped Matt on the shoulder and motioned to the door. “We’ll work on our definitions later. Let’s go before she orders liver paté or some rotten vegetarian crap in retaliation.”
His friend was quiet as they headed down the hall, Erin slowing behind them as she made contact with the caterers.
Tim spoke softly so as to not interrupt her conversation. “You really do have an enviable lifestyle, Matt. I take it things are going well businesswise even now that you’ve stepped back from micromanaging the entire show?”
“Business is fine. More than fine. Consider this your open-ended invitation to join me in Spain when you can this coming summer—I’m thinking about renting a villa for a month or two.”
“You deserve it. I’m glad to know things are good for you.”
Matt glanced over his shoulder. “You’ve got a pretty good lifestyle as well. Things get squared away okay with Erin?”
“We’re working on it.” Tim held the pool door open for Matt to enter first. They’d lost Erin around one of the corners, and he took advantage of the moment. “Thanks for being willing to help. You’ve been more than giving—I can’t imagine throwing this much chaos at anyone else and having them still welcome us with open arms.”
“We’re friends,” Matt insisted. “And like I said to you this morning, Erin’s an amazing woman. Anything I can do to help, I’m willing.”
Tim patted him on the back. “You’ll probably get your chance. I have no idea what she’s got in mind, but let’s give her the reins.”
“No problem, if it’s half as much fun as last night.”
Tim eyed the indoor pool gracing the length of the lower walk-out portion of the house, a steaming hot tub visible on the deck outside the solid wall of floor-to-ceiling glass.
Casual wealth would never cease to astound him.
He reached over his head and grabbed his T-shirt at the back collar, pulling it forward and off, tossing it onto one of the deck chairs. He stripped off his pants and underwear all at one go. “I need a quick rinse before I hit the pool.”
