Page 30 of The Charmer's Gambit
I nodded, eyes closed. Focusing on his spicy scent and sturdy hold kept me from thinking about my ankle. Of course, it awoke a myriad of other, more pleasurable sensations deep down. He felt every bit as hard as I imagined, his muscles flexing as he climbed the hill with the ease of a man who exercised daily. His introduction when we arrived confirmed my suspicions about his work habits. Will was a man who liked using his hands. Unlike most men in his position, he preferred to take on the tasks himself, even the laborious ones. Respect tightened my chest. Sure, his influential family helped him purchase this property debt-free, but he’d built it up with his own sweat and tears.Impressivedidn’t begin to cut it.
“I’ll get that,” Rudy said as he rushed past us. I opened my eyes to see we’d arrived at the main house. It seemed modest fora man of his wealth but was still larger than the average home. Definitely bigger than anything I could afford in Chicago or the nearby suburbs. Will carried me inside through the open two-story foyer, past what appeared to be an oversized living area, to a staircase that went up to a landing overlooking the gathering areas of the home. He walked up with ease and strolled down a hallway with five doors, giving me an idea of what he meant about having extra bedrooms to spare, to the end where Rudy stood waiting.
“Thanks,” Will murmured as we passed him at the threshold. Bold, masculine colors assaulted my senses as we entered what had to be the master bedroom. Open doors leading to a balcony overlooking the back of the house greeted me on one side, while a massive bed and mahogany furniture greeted me on the other. More windows, including a skylight, told me Will was a fan of the sun. He laid me gently on a quilt meant for cuddling and left me gaping at his backside as he disappeared through a pair of French doors at the far corner of the room. He returned a minute later with a glass of water and a bottle of painkillers.
“Take three of these; they’re anti-inflammatories. And drink this whole glass of water. I’ll be back with ice.”
I didn’t argue, just did as he asked before making myself more comfortable on the bed. It wasn’t easy with the throbbing ankle, but I managed to pull myself up to the pillows. When Will returned, he set the ice aside and looked over my legs.
“Your stockings are ruined,” he murmured. “And I think that skirt might be too.”
I hadn’t even bothered to look, but a glance down made me grimace. Yeah, I looked like hell. “Good thing we’re shopping for new clothes,” I joked, earning a brief grin from him.
His fingers danced over my ankle. “We need to remove these so I can look at the cut on your foot and the scrapes on your knees.”
“Cut?” I repeated. I’d been so consumed by my ankle, I hadn’t noticed the stinging until he mentioned it. A glance down had me starting to roll off the bed, but a hand on my hip kept me in place. “I’m bleeding on your quilt.”
“Like I care,” he chastised. “No moving unless it’s to help me get these stockings off.”
“Yes, sir,” I grumbled, sarcastic. “I’ll have to unhook them from the garters.” Yes, I had a fetish for lingerie. Not that anyone ever had the pleasure of enjoying it except me.
His eyes darkened as I lifted my skirt to fiddle with the stockings. I wasn’t nearly as gentle as I should be, but they were going directly into the trash anyway. When I lifted to undo the back, pain shot up my leg, making me wince.
“Here,” he pushed my hand away and deftly unfastened the fabric at the back of both thighs. I should have known he’d be skilled at that. He lifted my uninjured leg first and placed my foot against his solid abdomen before dipping his fingers into the lacy top. My breath caught as I met his gaze. The pain had dulled the intimacy of the act, but watching him slowly roll the stocking over my thigh, then my knee, and down my calf sent a jolt of desire right to my core. I fought the urge to clench my thighs, knowing he would feel it if I did.
When he started on my other leg, the desire to squirm overwhelmed me until the fabric slipped over my knee. I’d apparently gone down on this leg first because my other one was unmarred. I hissed out a breath as he continued exposing my leg and another scrape I hadn’t realized was there. Pain and pleasure seemed to war inside of me, sending mixed signals to my brain. I didn’t know whether to moan or to cry. He took particular care as he rolled the silk over my ankle and injured foot. When he didn’t drop it right away, I risked a glance down and found him surveying the cut.
“I don’t think you need stitches, but we definitely need to clean it up and put a bandage on it.”
“Great.” I fought a whimper as he set my foot down.
A knock at the doorway had Will lifting his head.
“Maeve is here,” Rudy said. I started to shift, self-conscious at all the skin on display, but Will caught my hip again and flashed me a dark look that froze me in place.
“No moving,” he reminded me, making me shiver. I knew he was dominant, but this was new. “Tell Maeve we’re going to be a few minutes.”
“Yes, sir.” Rudy never walked into the room, much to my gratitude, but I still narrowed my gaze at Will.
“Excuse me for not wanting the world to see me like this.”
He snorted. “Rudy is hardly the world.”
“Still, it’s my body, and I’ll move if I want.”
“Not in my bed, you won’t.”
My lips parted on a gasp. He had to be joking. But the look in his eyes said he wasn’t. He held me for a second longer—to drive home his point—before heading back to the bathroom.
I blew out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and shivered. It went against the grain to be turned on right now, but my nipples were as hard as rocks against my lacy bra, and my panties were more than soaked.
What the heck is wrong with me?
Powerful men had always fascinated me, hence my involvement with Ryan. He was the epitome of formidable, with all his political connections and domineering attitude, but he took it to unhealthy levels. And his version of control in the bedroom involved him getting off whenever he wanted and leaving me high and dry.
Something about the way Will looked at me just now said that was not his idea of dominance. And unlike Ryan’s, Will’s alpha tendencies were more subtle—charming, even.
Except for his comment about moving. Which I did now just to spite him. He caught me in the act of shuffling up the bed and cocked an eyebrow as he walked out of the bathroom.
