Page 39 of Tempting Her Forbidden Boss

‘Tired?’

Warm fingers slid beneath her tee shirt and walked up her spine.

‘Yes.’

‘Come on.’ He sounded husky.

Heaven help her, she thought she might be too tired even to manage that. He chuckled and picked her up, easily loping up the stairs with her. He went straight through his bedroom to the en-suite bathroom adjacent to it.

‘Oh.’ She blinked.

There were candles lit everywhere—tons of them, all different sizes, but all that gorgeous deep red, and her favourite berrylicious scent. Out of the window the autumnal sky was closing in, a blue-grey that darkened with every beat of her heart.

‘Alex...’ She looked up at him, registered his slightly smug smile, and his arms tightened. She put on a pout and shook her head. ‘Don’t think this is going to get you any extra points.’

‘I don’t need any more points.’ He grinned and then tipped her into the bath, clothes and all. She went right under and emerged with a splutter, sending fluffy white bubbles everywhere. She knelt up and looked at him, watched as he yanked his shirt off his head. Sinking back into the delicious, almost-too-hot water, she melted as he scuffed off his jeans. Heaven.

He laughed as she sighed, stepped into the bath behind her. Oh, yes. He didn’t need any more points. She turned to face him and he pulled her close, the tips of his fingers making patterns with the bubbles on her skin. ‘Wet tee shirt.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘Nice.’

‘You’re a gentleman and a rogue, Alex Carlisle.’

He blew some of the bubbles from her arm. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘You do this—’ she waved a froth-covered hand at the flickering candles that cast a warm glow in the room ‘—set it up so beautifully and then you dunk me in fully clothed.’

He leaned back, water streaming over his bronzed body emphasising the lean, hard muscles, and his brows flicked up and down. ‘Irresistible impulse.’

‘Succumb to them often, do you?’

‘Around you. Yes.’

She gazed at him, experiencing a rather irresistible impulse of her own as his silky-smooth words washed over her with that undertone of laughter as the chaser.

Utterlyirresistible.

She rose to her knees, leant forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. ‘Thank you.’

Lifting far enough away to focus, she saw a curious expression in his eyes.

‘I’m glad you like it,’ he murmured.

‘You remembered the candle from the hostel.’

He nodded.

‘You’re very good with details.’

The curve of his mouth deepened.

She leant closer to him again, her voice merely a hot breath by his ear. ‘What else are you good at?’

He inched his head just that touch so his faintly stubbled jaw brushed her cheek. ‘You sure you want to find out?’

‘Absolutely.’

What felt like hours later she was finally naked and her muscles utterly slack, her legs floating in front of her as she used Alex like a lilo. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so relaxed. The tiredness swamped her—the long months of hard work and heartbreak as she’d cared for her slowly dying mother were finally taking their toll. The devastation at her father’s callous abuse of them. What kind of person stole at a time like that?

Dani would give anything to have her back. Just anything. But there was nothing she could do. Except the one last thing she’d asked. Maybe she could bring peace to her mother’s final rest—and peace for herself.

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