Page 70 of Baby It's Cold Outside

Evie’s agitation grew as the faint ping of the elevator called out the passage of each floor, and she studied Wes from the corner of her eye. The snow had left them both damp, his wet lashes spiked into a sensual hotness that should have been illegal. Wes’s long-sleeved shirt clung to the broad shoulders and chest that looked strong enough to carry the weight of the world. The winter wind had whipped up his hair, leaving it mussed, and brought a ruddy color to his cheeks. Or maybe the flush was in response to holding her?

> The question continued to burn in her brain as she followed Wes out of the elevator and down the hall to the penthouse, admiring the way his pants hugged a taut backside. Ever since they’d arrived at the hotel, it was almost as if he was being careful not to touch her again. But maybe that was simply because she wanted him to.

When he slid the card through the lock and stepped back to let her inside, she was disappointed by the closed look on his face. She entered the posh sitting room, tossing his coat over the back of a chair and shedding her leather jacket. Her T-shirt hadn’t been spared when she’d plunged into the snowbank. The white cloth clung to her breasts, the wet, sheer fabric highlighting the delicate lace of her bra.

Wes closed the door and cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to some unknown distance. “You still look cold.”

He moved deeper into the room, past the couch and well-stocked bar complete with a liquor cart. Away from her. His long strides were now infused with a tension that made his movements stiff. He placed his carry-on on the far desk, the set of his lips grim, and two observations hit her at once. It was the demeanor he’d often adopted around her, but now she was experienced enough to recognize the meaning beneath.

Wes was nervous. And the only reason Wes would be nervous was because he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Which was a thrilling discovery.

Except the look on his face and the way he was avoiding her gaze hardly came across as a man anticipating a night of sex.

“You should go take a hot shower and warm up,” he said, his expression impassive.

Evie let out a silent sigh. Damn his overdeveloped sense of responsibility. Damn his penchant for always doing the right thing. She stared at him a moment more, and finally came to the inevitable conclusion. If he really wanted her the way she thought he did, there was only one option available.

She was going to have to seduce Wes Campbell.

…

Evie’s mysterious smile just before her departure for the bathroom stayed with Wes, rooting him firmly in the middle of the room. He stared at the closed door and listened to her bustle around. The turn of the shower handle. The sound of water hitting marble. The thump of wet jeans hitting the floor…

The knowledge that Evie was a mere twenty feet from him, naked, primed his body with potential energy straining to be released. He debated changing into warm-up pants and a T-shirt, longing to shed his damp clothes. But in a weird way the casual attire would make him less capable of dealing with the delicious hellion. Because there was a danger that they would get too comfortable.

He must have stood there a while fantasizing about the various ways they could get comfortable together, because the next thing he knew the bathroom door opened.

Towel wrapped around her waist and bare legs, T-shirt covering her breasts, Evie emerged. Her hair curled from the steam, her face freshly scrubbed, the thick, black eyeliner gone. Her wide, luminous brown eyes and clear skin had a youthfully innocent glow.

But her gaze looked anything but innocent.

“You haven’t moved,” she said.

“I’m tired.”

Which he only wished were true.

He was very much awake.

“You know what I think?” she said as she leaned, catlike, in the doorway.

The tension in his muscles ratcheted up a notch, because he was absolutely sure that he didn’t want to know. So he remained silent as he fought for the standard bland expression tinged with a touch of exasperated patience. The expression he’d always been careful to maintain around Evie.

“I think you want me,” she said.

A muscle in his eyelid twitched. The edgy feeling grew, but he met her knowing gaze with a determined one of his own. “I’m not going to sleep with you, Evie.”

She pushed away from the door, slowly heading in his direction, sending his heart rate higher. Wes took a deep breath, willing himself to be strong.

“Why not?” she said softly.

Wes frowned. “You’re vulnerable right now. And you know it. You’re on the rebound from a relationship.”

She advanced across the room with a languid stride that was killing him. “It’s been a year since I last had sex.”

Wes nearly groaned. There were some things he really didn’t need to hear.

The dewy, freshly scrubbed beauty of her face was tempting. Determined not to touch her, he took a step back, intent on keeping her at a distance.

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