Page 56 of Fire and Ice
When they reached their room, Grady closed the double doors behind him. He swept her into his arms, enjoying the soft feel of her body as he held her close. He was ready to be with her now, forget the negligee.
Chelsea put her palms on his chest and gently pushed him a step away, her fingertips sliding down his arms, causing him to vibrate with need.
She tipped her head up to meet his gaze. “I’m going to change into something more…comfortable.”
As she walked toward the bathroom, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a seductive smile, then disappeared into the bathroom.
Grady groaned as Chelsea slipped away from him. He stood there, not knowing what to do. He hadn’t brought anything sexy. Maybe he should have bought silk boxers. He’d never worn them before—would she like it if he did?
He didn’t want to take off all his clothes and be naked when she returned—it felt too presumptuous, even though they’d been intimate before.
Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed, blood thrumming through his veins. His jeans felt too tight, and his light sweater’s neckline seemed to be strangling him.
His heart beat faster as he waited, and he bounced his knee, so much anticipation coursing through him that he felt jittery. Was she ever going to come back into the bedroom? It felt like it had been at least fifteen minutes, but it had probably only been five or so.
Any minute now—the wait was driving him crazy.
* * *
Now in her negligee, Chelsea’s breath quickened as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She piled her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. Several strands escaped and framed her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes seemed brighter.
Maybe it was because the emerald-green shade of the negligee complemented them. The satin shimmered, and the lace-trimmed bodice that barely covered her breasts rose and fell with each breath she took. The lacy hem reached to the tops of her thighs, and her movements revealed the tiny scrap of panties beneath the negligee.
She went to the hot tub in the corner. It was set into red stone, as if it had been carved into the walls that curved around it and rose to the ceiling. Potted plants sat on shelves cut into the stone at varying heights, creating the illusion of a desert grotto hidden away, a secret from anyone who passed by.
Chelsea dipped her hand into the 100-degree water. It would feel wonderful once they were in it.
Although she wasn’t sure Grady would be able to make it to the hot tub once he saw her in the negligee.
She inhaled, straightened her shoulders, and moved toward the door. She opened it and froze in the doorway, for a moment unable to move.
he perched on the edge of the bed, fully clothed. The navy-blue sweater he wore didn’t do him justice. He filled it out, and it looked good on him, but she wanted to see his fit body. She wanted him naked.
Chelsea braced one palm on the doorframe and the other on her hip and struck what she hoped was a sexy pose.
Grady slowly stood and stared at her, his eyes lit with a fire within. She saw his throat work as he swallowed.
She couldn’t think of a single original thing to say. Instead, she gave him a seductive smile and crooked her finger, motioning for him to come closer. She felt suddenly bold and powerful. She had caused the desire in his eyes and on his handsome features. Her heart pounded faster as he slowly walked across the expanse of tile between them.
In just a few steps, he reached her but didn’t touch her. He held her gaze, heat flaring in his eyes, and his expression pained. “You are the loveliest woman I’ve ever known.”
She didn’t know what to say, couldn’t even find her voice to speak if she tried.
Grady moved so that they were only inches apart and traced a finger from her throat to the deep V of her negligee, stopping between her breasts.
A shiver ran along her limbs. Her eyes started to close as she waited for him to touch her in more intimate ways.
He raised her chin with his fingertips. “Look at me.”
She stared into his eyes, which she’d always thought of as fire-ice blue. Fiery, heated, but an intense blue shade that drew her in.
Grady lowered his head, his mouth hovering over hers. He grasped her waist and caught her off guard when he pulled her to him so that their bodies were flush against each other. He grasped her wrists, bringing her hands behind her back in the firm grip of a man who knew what he wanted. He made it clear that he wanted her.
He held both her wrists in one hand, capturing them in a way that she knew she couldn’t get away if she tried.
She wasn’t going to try.
Grady pressed her closer to him and kissed her hard and long. Vibrant shockwaves shot straight between her thighs and tingled throughout her body. She melted in his arms. If he hadn’t been holding her so tightly, she might have slipped onto the floor.
