Page 31 of Pleasure Games

CHAPTER SEVEN

JASMINEWOKETHEnext morning with a headache and a sense of remorse. The headache was explainable, but the remorse was confusing, because last night she’d experienced the best kiss of her life.

And then Luca had pushed her away, and all her feelings of inadequacy around sex resurfaced. Even when he’d woken her up in the middle of the night, he had been clinical. Making sure she knew where she was before leaving her alone again.

She sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes and gingerly touched her temple. There was still a tender lump on the side of her head.

Lovely.

Flipping back the covers, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. On a chair next to the wall was a pile of clothes. Her clothes. All laundered and folded.

Seriously?

Not only was Luca a good caretaker, a good cook and super-D-duper hot, he did laundry? And folded it? The man was a catch.

She picked up the clothes and made her way out to the hallway. Just as she was about to turn the knob on the bathroom door, it opened and Luca stood there surrounded by clouds of steam, the masculine scent of expensive aftershave wafting about him while he wore nothing but a towel around his waist.

Low on his waist.

She stared as she hugged the clothes to her chest lest she give into her base urges and reach out to touch him.

His chest—lickably bare—was ripped. Hard pecs covered in lovely dark hair that only added to his masculinity. His abdomen was mostly hairless, which allowed her to count the ridges. An eight pack? Was that even possible? Apparently. And from his navel a line of hair drew a dark course leading down to what promised to be dark pleasures.

Jasmine’s mouth watered and her fingers twitched with need.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Uh-huh.” She couldn’t tear her gaze away.

“Jasmine?”

“Hmm?”

He snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Jasmine gave her head a shake and glanced up. “Yes?”

If she thought his eyes had said “I want to fuck you” last night, she read a whole new message this morning. They shone with such an immoral light it was as if they were now saying, “Here’s what I’m going to do to you. I’m going to tie you up, have my way with you and only after you’ve come five times will I fuck you.”

Of course, that could have been her imagination.

Was there time for her to have five orgasms before she had to leave? Hell, she’d settle for one...

“I phoned my friend an hour ago. He will be here to pick you up at 9:00 a.m.”

“Huh?”

“My friend François. He’ll take you to the embassy so you can apply for an emergency passport. I’m sure they’ll help you contact your family so they can wire money and you can continue your vacation.”

“Oh.”

It was as if he’d poked her with a pin, deflating her.

He motioned her into the bathroom and then went into the bedroom and closed the door. The sound of the door locking was not the same as the high-pitched wheezing of a deflating balloon, but it may as well have been because that was how it made her feel.

“Well, there goes my chance for good sex,” she said beneath her breath as she closed the bathroom door.

She showered slowly, letting the scent of Luca’s shampoo and soap encompass her. “I’ll never wash again,” she said to herself as she brought a handful of suds to her face to sniff. Wanting to remember this scent forever.

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