Page 53 of Prelude To You

“Or acquaintances, or whatever,” I said. “Who cares at this point how you want to characterize it.”

“Isabel, the last thing I want is for you to regret this.”

“I don’t regret it! I never will,” I pleaded. “It’s just mystifying. That’s all. Forget I said anything.”

“Well, then we should probably not put ourselves in this position again.”

My heart sank. I stifled my frustration with a deep breath. How could I explain to him my biggest fear was that I might never experience this again? With him?

“Okay, listen to me carefully, Roman. All I said was that I couldn’t believe I did this. If you knew me better you’d understand. I never saidI didn’t wantto do it. Dammit. Way to misinterpret my words.”

Roman laughed softly, his fingers trailing back to my throat, his thumb finding the hollow spot and stroking it.

“Do you know what this is,” he asked, not waiting for an answer. “It’s called the Suprasternal notch, and that small area is as erotic as it is defenseless. Yours feels like living, pulsing silk.”

He placed his tongue inside the hollow and languidly sampled it, as if wanting to savor the taste for the rest of his life. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t prevent a small gasp from escaping mylips. When I remembered to breathe again I begged him, “What did I say about driving me insane?What did I say?”

Roman stepped aside and combed his fingers through his hair. He appeared to be on the verge of admitting something to me, but he didn’t. My eyes involuntarily traveled down his body and to my surprise, his erection had been tamed. I couldn’t help myself. “I’m glad one of us has it all under control.”

He grinned at my terse tone. “Mind over matter, Isabel.”

“Always?”

He took a long pause to consider his answer. “Yes, always. Although admittedly you seem to be somewhat of a challenge.”

“Meaning?”

He faced me squarely. “I don’t get emotionally involved. And I’m not a romantic.”

“So, no pillow talk for the gentleman in the fancy suit.”

Roman bit a smile. “My enthusiasm is limited to immediate pleasure for both parties, and that’s it. But you seem to have gotten under my skin a bit.”

“Whatever the hell that means.” I sighed in exasperation, wondering what I was doing with a man who openly admitted to being a stone-cold bastard.

“It just means I’ll have to be careful with you, Isabel. You have all the hallmarks of a delicious distraction that I simply can’t afford to have in my life.”

Like pouring ice-cold water over a sizzling fire.

“Well, aren’t you irresistible,” I said with enough snark to make him flinch, even if it was barely noticeable.

“Would you like me to lie to you?” he asked. “Isn’t honesty the best policy?

This man was an enigma, and very difficult to figure out. One moment he could make me feel like the most desirable woman on the planet, and the next I was just another woman here for his amusement.

“Perhaps you’re not exactly the distraction I need in my life either,” I hissed. “Not at all. You are a massive and very confusing inconvenience for me. So there’s that.”

If I thought that might put him in his place, I was wrong, dead wrong. His eyes locked onto mine, a pending smirk haunting his lips. His fingers swirled around mine, carelessly persuasive.

When I tried to extract my fingers from his, he tightened his grip. His mouth hovered over mine, tormenting me. “Then we can both hope this is just a fleeting distraction we can successfully throttle into submission. Can’t we, my sweet.”

My sweet. Again with that.

I lost my patience, and my suppressed frustration detonated. I buried my fingers in his hair and yanked his head down to mine, pressing my body into him. I crashed my lips onto his and kissed him.

This was not a tender kiss. And it was not a simple kiss. It was a kiss filled with frustration, sizzling madness and explosive lust. When I was done I tore myself away from him, leaving Roman a man surprised, and both of us gasping for breath.

“Here’s to hoping.” I smiled curtly as my eyes dipped to his groin. “Also, you’ll need another minute.”