Page 66 of Undeniable Temptation

He didn’t even think Leah would be up for more than a massive cock tease. Not that he’d complain. He was happy to abide by her professional boundaries. He wouldn’t even protest if she wanted him sleeping in a different bunk as long as he got a few minutes one on one.

He flung back the screen to the bottom bunk, his train of thought flying away with the gesture.

Hot damn.

She was lying on her side in nothing but a black lace bra and panties, her hair cascading over a pillow clutched to her chest. She was beautiful. All perfect, creamy skin and curves he wanted to sink his teeth into. She was nothing short of the most mesmerizing sight he’d ever seen. And he didn’t want to ruin it. He didn’t want to climb in beside her and strip this moment from his life.

“How long do you plan on staring?” she whispered.

He gripped the bunk above, holding tight to the wood in an effort to focus. His dick was surging, the throb down south not even close to the pound in his chest. “As long as you let me.” He crouched beside the bunk, sinking to eye level. “Knowing you’re like this, for me, doesn’t give me an incentive to rush.”

She raised a brow. “Knowing your bandmates are mere feet away, listening, should encourage you to move faster.”

“Point taken.” He crawled onto the single mattress, hovering near the edge so he didn’t crowd her. “You’re beyond beautiful, Leah.” He savored the sight of her, from the hair strewn across her shoulders, to the curve of her cleavage, the smooth waist, to her delicious thighs.

“You make me feel beautiful. And it’s not your words that convince me. It’s your eyes.” The tender column of her neck convulsed with a swallow. “You make the world disappear when you look at me.”

“That’s because you are my world. You’re everything.” He raised his hand, letting his finger trail the same path his gaze had taken—hair, cleavage, waist, thighs. Goosebumps erupted over her skin, making all the creamy flesh pebble beneath his touch.

“I want to believe that.”

“What’s stopping you?”

Her slender shoulder budged with a tiny shrug. “There are a lot of things vying for your attention at the moment.”

“And you’re the only one I want to focus on.” He leaned in, nipped her shoulder, and closed his eyes at her fast intake of breath before he lightly sucked the sting away. “Do you forgive me for flipping out earlier?”

“Mmm.” She nodded, her hands finding his shoulders. “But it can’t happen again.”

He wouldn’t make any promises. Not where Mason was concerned. “I’ll make it up to you on our days off.” He nuzzled her neck, her chin. “I have big plans to steal your clothes and hold you hostage in my hotel room.”

Her muscles tensed. It wouldn’t have been a noticeable reaction if he wasn’t right on top of her, breathing her in, feeling every movement. “What is it?” He pulled back and released his tight hold on hope when he found her cringing.

“I can’t spend the days off with you.”

He inched further back, a little destroyed, a little humiliated.

“I need to go to New York with the rest of the guys.”

“When did you decide this?”

Her fingers crept toward his beard, the tentative stroke leading along his jaw. “Two seconds ago.”

He frowned, unsure what he’d done in the last breath to make her break their plans.

“I want to go back and tell my boss I’m in love with you.” She swallowed again, deep and audible. “I’m going to beg to have my contract changed.”

His smile was involuntary, along with the surge of affection pulsing through him from head to toe. “I’m not…” He shook his head, clearing the fuzz. “I’m not sure I heard you right. What did you say?”

Her cheeks darkened again, her blush returning to do unfathomable things to his self-esteem.

“I love you, Ryan.” Her grin was bashful. “And I want to sort out the problems with my boss as soon as possible. I want to get it out of the way, then focus on doing the same with Felicity, so we can finally be together. Properly.”

“Damn,” he whispered. Damn, damn, damn. He’d been right weeks ago. He knew all his problems would dissolve if he was with her. He’d known, yet he never fully contemplated how freeing it would feel to have her love.

“What?” She chuckled. “You didn’t think I was in love with you?”

“I’d hoped… I’d dreamed.” He kissed her, a brief press of lips. “But no, I never thought I’d be lucky enough to hear those words.”

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