Page 18 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
The panic in her voice startled him. He heard splashing and then the sound of the tub draining. The bathroom door swung open and Emery bolted out holding a towel to her chest—the back was wide open, giving him a clear view of her heart-shaped butt as she ran toward her bedroom, yelling, “I’m going to be late!”
He should look away, but a guy could only besogood.
She flew into her bedroom, talking as she pushed the dooralmostclosed behind her. “I was reading in the tub and must have lost track of time. Sorry for getting the floor wet.”
His gaze dropped to the floor long enough to see a trail of water, then moved right back to that tempting sliver of space between the doorframe and the door. He’d gone fromsemi-nice guytolust-filled roommatein the space of a breath, secretly hoping she happened to fill that sliver with her naked body.
A few seconds later her door opened, and she walked out wearing a skimpy black spaghetti-strap dress, holding the front against her chest with one hand as she ran her fingers through her wet hair with the other. She turned around and said, “Can you zip me, please?” Her sky-high wedged heels brought her closer to the perfect kissing height.
Her zipper was open all the way to the base of her spine, revealing her braless back and the seductive T of a thong. All his blood rushed south, leaving him a little dizzy—and very turned on. It was all he could do to stare at the tanned expanse of toned skin before him.
She glanced over her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?”
“You’re not zipping.” She gathered her hair over her shoulder, and he noticed she was wearing a wrist full of bracelets—including the one he’d given herandthe one that contained Splenda.
Ready for anything.
Great. Anythingconjured too many infuriating images.
She stood up straighter, holding her hair away from the zipper. “Better?”
No way. It would be better if the dress was on the floor and your legs were wrapped around my waist.
“Dean…?”
He zipped up her dress. “You sure you want to wear that? I mean, with your unshaven legs, you might want to go with jeans.”Or a sweat suit. How about a snowsuit? Yeah, that’d be even better.
She looked down at her outfit and lifted her long leg. “You think he’ll notice?”
She blinked up at him with so much trust in her eyes he couldn’t lie. “No, doll. You look like a million bucks.”
“Thank you!” She hugged him.
His arms circled her, holding her lush curves tight against him as she kissed his cheek. His entire body ignited like a frigging teenager.
“I need to dry my hair.” She walked into the bathroom. “You’ll be happy to know I’m meeting him there.”
“Where?”Shoot.He sounded angry. He softened his tone and said, “I mean, just in case you have trouble. I should know where you’re going.”
“Beachcomber.” She flipped her head over and dried her hair.
Just perfect.Dancing, good food, and lots of alcohol. “Call me if you have any trouble.”
“I’ll befine.” She flipped her hair to the other side, and continued drying it.
Dean couldn’t take his eyes off the nape of her neck. He wanted to press his lips to the exposed skin, to tangle his fingers in her hair and bury his tongue in her mouth until she was moaning for more.
She turned off the hair dryer, shook her head, and her hair tumbled over her shoulders, startling him back to reality.
Flashing a radiant smile, she said, “What do you think?”
His thoughts were still struggling to clean themselves up. He wanted to tell her she was going out with the wrong guy. To say the heck with friendships and working relationships, take her into his arms and kiss her like she deserved to be kissed—slow and sensual, until her entire body trembled with need, and then hard and possessive so she felt everything he had to give—but all that came out was “Gorgeous.”
“Well, then. It sounds like it won’t matter that I’m going to be a little late.” She fluttered her lashes flirtatiously. “I’ll scope out hot chicks for you while I’m out.”
“I can get my own women, thank you very much.”
