Page 203 of Wicked Fantasies

“Ah, surrender,” Rob teased, happy to see her starting to relax with him. “Finally. Go on and get that hot shower. There should be a bathrobe hanging on the door. I’ll dig through my luggage and see if I can find something comfortable for you to sleep in since your clothes are still damp. I’m sure I have a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that would work nicely. In the meantime, I’ll order dinner.”

“Are you sure the kitchen is still open?” she asked. “It’s after two in the morning.”

“It’s open all night,” Rob replied easily. At least it was for him, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Alright then,” she said, dragging her carry-on bag with her. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” Rob called out behind her, walking toward the phone to order dinner. He glanced at his own bedroom considering taking a shower himself. Only difference was his would definitely be cold.

Chapter Four

As Meg entered the bedroom, she could help but wonder what sort of company kept a penthouse like this available for their employees. Apparently she made a wrong turn in college choosing education over a business degree. She had no idea people lived like this. Studying the room, she felt overwhelmed once again by the decadence of it all. The room was elegance personified. The large king sized bed was on a raised platform on one side of the room, complete with an honest-to-God canopy. She’d always wanted a canopy bed as a child, but there was never the money for such frivolous things.

While her small family hadn’t lived in poverty, it may have been stretching things to say they were lower middle class. Her mother, Joanne, had gotten pregnant with her while still in high school. Needless to say, her father, a teenager himself, refused to accept responsibility for her. Although Meg knew his name, she never made any attempt to contact him. He’d gone off to college, married, and now lived happily ever after with his legitimate family.

Meg’s grandfather died two months before she was born, so Meg grew up in a house full of women who had never worked a day in their lives prior to her arrival. Meg’s Grandma Linda was the glue that kept their little family of three together. She got a job as a secretary in an accounting firm right after her husband’s death. When her mother graduated from high school, she went to work for the same firm as Grandma. Together, the two of them scrimped and saved every penny they made so that when Meg graduated she would be able to attend college.

Meg silently wished they were here to see this room. Grandma would have laughed to see her living, even for just one night, like a princess in a palace. Mom would have been trying to guess what every piece of furniture cost. Cancer claimed them both—Grandma during Meg’s first year of college and her mother two weeks after her college graduation and not a day went by when she didn’t miss them dearly.

A soft knock on the door at her back jarred Meg from her recollections.

“Yes,” she called through the panel.

“I found some clothes that may fit,” Rob returned.

Taking a calming breath, Meg opened the door. The longer she spent in Rob’s presence the more she wanted him. She’d never felt such an immediate or overwhelming attraction to a man.

Rob stood in the doorway with his easy-going, friendly grin. “You’re still dressed,” he said. Reaching for the clothing he offered, Meg silently cursed her trembling hand. Why couldn’t she, just once, be suave and sophisticated, instead of acting like such a hick? Lord only knew what Rob must think of her.

“Meg,” he said lightly, obviously mistaking her distress, “I know it doesn’t help to simply hear the words, but you can trust me. I won’t hurt you.”

“Oh no, Rob,” she answered staring at his totally kissable lips before catching herself, “I trust you. Really I do. I-I’m just tired. That’s all.” God, what would he do if she leaned forward and kissed him? Shaking the thought from her head, Meg felt her sensible, boring side taking control again.

The slight grin on his face seemed to indicate Rob suddenly understood what her trembling was about.

“Meg,” he whispered, leaning closer to her.

She knew she should take a step back, but she felt as if her feet were sunk in concrete.

“Yes?” she asked softly.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Rob said his mouth inches from hers. Meg could only assume he paused to give her a chance to refuse him if she wanted.

“Thank God,” she murmured, rising up the last two inches until her lips brushed his. She was stunned by the softness of his kiss. She anticipated a rushed, more frantic kiss, which certainly described how she felt, but Rob clearly had other plans. His lips studied hers as if they had the rest of their lives to figure out how to do it right.

“You know,” he whispered against her cheek, placing soft kisses everywhere he touched. “Part of the festivities tomorrow include a kissing contest.”

Breathlessly, Meg replied, “No need to bother. You win.”

Chuckling lightly, Rob tugged at her earlobe with his teeth before whispering, “Last year, the winning couple kissed for three and a half hours.”

“Mmmm,” Meg hummed, struggling to comprehend his comments.

“Perhaps we could try to beat that time,” Rob continued whispering, his lips following the curve of her neck before placing soft kisses there. “Of course, it would require some practice.”

“Practice,” Meg repeated, aware she must sound like a mindless droid, before running her hands through his soft brown hair, pulling his lips back to hers. He was talking far too much.

He kissed her again, much more deeply this time, his tongue enticing and teasing hers. His arms were holding her so closely she wasn’t sure where she ended and he began. His hands drifted down her back, but the dampness of her clothing seemed to rouse him from their impetuous actions.

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