Page 25 of Dangerous Temptation
What had she done?
She rubbed a tight spot in her shoulder that refused to relax. She knew exactly what she’d done. The memory was emblazoned in her head, and her body still felt the delicious after-effects. She’d made love with the last person on earth she should ever be involved with. Alex Wolfe had been her father’s accomplice. Their greedy actions had hurt countless people, including her, yet none of that had mattered when she’d found him trapped in the basement.
He might be one of the richest, most powerful men in the country, but in that moment he’d needed her.
There was no way she could have walked away. His agitation and his desperation had called out to the most basic level of human compassion. Her thoughts had been centred on getting him out of that bathroom, no matter how spacious and luxurious it might have been. She’d had to help him, and the relief on his face had been worth the effort. But then he’d touched her …
And kissed her.
Heat bubbled up inside her, meshing with all the uncertainty. Her nipples became sensitive and the tenderness between her legs more apparent. Unsettled, she pulled her feet up onto the chair and hugged her legs to try to crush the sensations.
Things had just spiralled out of control so quickly. One moment she’d been looking for a book and the next she’d been flat on her back with the Sexiest Bachelor of the Year moving between her legs. She pressed her thighs together hard, but it only magnified the memory. Their lovemaking had been so raw, so elemental. So ravening. She’d never come like that. Ever. She hadn’t even known it was possible.
But reality had been waiting for her when she’d floated back to earth.
And that, more than anything, embarrassed her. She’d run from the gym like a scared virgin. She wasn’t sure how she could have handled the situation differently, but there must have been a better way than running bare-assed through the door. Her fingers dug deeper into the knot in her shoulder that refused to loosen.
She should be horrified by the whole experience, and she was. But, damn it, all she could remember was the way he looked naked … and the way he felt pressed up against her and inside her …
A knock at the door had her jerking upright and wincing when the knot in her shoulder popped.
‘Ah!’ She turned more carefully.
She’d been avoiding calls, and he had called. At least she’d assumed that the number she didn’t recognise was his.
Another tap sounded.
Feeling very much like the side of her that had grabbed her clothes and run, she tiptoed to the bedroom door and peered around the corner. She couldn’t see who was knocking. Sucking in a breath, she pulled back her shoulders, winced again and made herself enter the living room.
He knew she was here. Her car was parked outside. The only other place she could be was on a walk, but she knew that he wasn’t exploring the woods right now. He’d come back half an hour ago. If she was watching him so closely, no doubt he was watching her right back.
She might as well get this over with.
When she reached the door, though, she didn’t recognise the woman standing outside.
Hesitantly, she pulled the door open a few inches. If a reporter had made it onto the property, she’d feel no compunction about slamming it in the woman’s face. ‘Hello?’
‘Hi, I’m Tabitha. Mr Wolfe sent me.’
Elena gazed at the woman and then at the area behind her, looking for cameras or microphones. ‘Why?’
‘I’m a massage therapist. He asked me to give this to you.’
‘This’ was her backpack, the one she’d left in the manor’s kitchen. Elena felt off-balance, and wasn’t certain what to do. She opened the door wide enough to take the bag, but closed it again like a barrier. ‘Can you give me a moment?’
She felt bad about leaving the woman on her doorstep with the wind whirling around like it was, but she also wasn’t ready to let her in the house.
‘I’ll just get my table,’ the pretty blonde said.
Still feeling suspicious, Elena turned away. The backpack wasn’t empty like she’d left it. It had weight and bulk to it. Her face flared when she pulled back the zipper. Her clothes were inside, the ones she’d left behind on her desperate escape. She put her socks on the back of the sofa. The grey hoodie made her frown. It was his. She’d commandeered it for a while after he’d loaned it to her. It was just so soft and comfy. She pressed her face against the grey fleece and inhaled. It was fresh from the dryer and still warm.
She frowned. It didn’t smell as much like him any more.
But that didn’t matter. She’d returned it. Why was he sending it back?
And where was her bra? That was the one thing sheknewshe’d left behind.
She looked under the sweatshirt, but the only other thing she found was a plain white envelope. Heart puttering a little faster, she unfolded the hoodie and shook it out. Nothing else fell. Her bra wasn’t there.
