silently, he crossed the bathroom to the door. The outdoor shower looked promising. Showering with Ashley could be fun. Sheâd worked her fingers into his hair during their all-too-brief kiss, and heâd like to return that favor. Fist her hair, pull her head back to the perfect angle for his mouth to hungrily claim hers. He groaned, feeling a sudden rush of heat in his groin. Fantasizing about her was probably a mistake, especially since sheâd put having sex with him in the category of last man on Earth . Of course, their kiss seemed proof to the contrary, but he had no idea how Ashley thought. Getting him off could have been her next move in some devious game. Or her way of ensuring he lost his dare with her.
Perhaps heâd stride on into the bedroom and ask her. Imagining her reaction to that was enough to have him grinning again. Sheâd locked the door between the bedroom and the bathroomâmaybe his easy breech of the outer perimeter wasnât entirely unexpectedâbut picking the lock took less than a minute. The door swung inward silently, and he moved stealthily into the darkened bedroom.
Ashley slept like the dead. She always had. Guess that was the difference between a SEAL and a DEA agent. The gun under her pillow was common ground, although the presence of the firearm would be hard to explain to housekeeping. He gazed down at Ashley sprawled in the middle of the four-poster bed, the covers pulled up around her ears, her sleek dark hair fanned out against the pillow. He had no idea how she could be cold in the tropics, but apparently sheâd managed.
Which made it his husbandly duty to get in there with her and warm her up. He gave her another thirty seconds, counting down the time as he stared at the feminine mound under the covers. If she was playing possum, heâd give her ample opportunity to move on to the next stage of her plan. Ashley always had plans and next steps. Maybe sheâd plug his ass with the cute little handpiece stowed under her pillow, or at least rip him a new one.
She certainly didnât bother sugarcoating her words. He had a feeling that the day she actually said something complimentary to him would be a red-letter dayâand that sheâd mean every word. Good to have a goal, he supposed with a wry twist of his lips.
When she didnât budge, he deemed it safe to proceed. Stripping his clothes off, he dropped the lot by the side of the bed. When he was down to his boxers, he hesitated. Yeah. Best not to push his luck. Ashley was likely to knee first and ask questions later. Or do both. The woman could multitask.
Sliding a hand beneath the mountain of covers, he scooted her over. And hello, lucky night. The soft curves of her backside filled his palm. There was more to her than met the eye, and more than enough to hold on to. Still, since she hadnât actually invited him in, he finished shifting her and let go. Sheâd have to settle for sharing the bed, because his ass wasnât hanging off the edge of the mattress all night. Ashley mumbled something he wasnât entirely certain was English and then fell back to sleep.
He paused to consider his next move. He could stay on his side, all nice and orderly, or spoon her. She had to be cold if she was hunkered down under all those covers so...screw it. He crawled in and wrapped himself around her.
* * *
T HE ENEMY HAD infiltrated during the night and Ashleyâs hormones were clearly happy to surrender. A large, muscled forearm was wrapped around her waist, the ownerâs hand brushing the bottom of her breast. Her tank top had worked its way down during the night, exposing her breasts, and when she inhaled her uninvited guest got a handful. Her right nipple was jealous of the left, since the tip rubbed against warm male fingers with each breath she took.
Or maybe she was dreaming, in which case she really, really needed to not wake up. Another five minutes of this, and she
Perhaps heâd stride on into the bedroom and ask her. Imagining her reaction to that was enough to have him grinning again. Sheâd locked the door between the bedroom and the bathroomâmaybe his easy breech of the outer perimeter wasnât entirely unexpectedâbut picking the lock took less than a minute. The door swung inward silently, and he moved stealthily into the darkened bedroom.
Ashley slept like the dead. She always had. Guess that was the difference between a SEAL and a DEA agent. The gun under her pillow was common ground, although the presence of the firearm would be hard to explain to housekeeping. He gazed down at Ashley sprawled in the middle of the four-poster bed, the covers pulled up around her ears, her sleek dark hair fanned out against the pillow. He had no idea how she could be cold in the tropics, but apparently sheâd managed.
Which made it his husbandly duty to get in there with her and warm her up. He gave her another thirty seconds, counting down the time as he stared at the feminine mound under the covers. If she was playing possum, heâd give her ample opportunity to move on to the next stage of her plan. Ashley always had plans and next steps. Maybe sheâd plug his ass with the cute little handpiece stowed under her pillow, or at least rip him a new one.
She certainly didnât bother sugarcoating her words. He had a feeling that the day she actually said something complimentary to him would be a red-letter dayâand that sheâd mean every word. Good to have a goal, he supposed with a wry twist of his lips.
When she didnât budge, he deemed it safe to proceed. Stripping his clothes off, he dropped the lot by the side of the bed. When he was down to his boxers, he hesitated. Yeah. Best not to push his luck. Ashley was likely to knee first and ask questions later. Or do both. The woman could multitask.
Sliding a hand beneath the mountain of covers, he scooted her over. And hello, lucky night. The soft curves of her backside filled his palm. There was more to her than met the eye, and more than enough to hold on to. Still, since she hadnât actually invited him in, he finished shifting her and let go. Sheâd have to settle for sharing the bed, because his ass wasnât hanging off the edge of the mattress all night. Ashley mumbled something he wasnât entirely certain was English and then fell back to sleep.
He paused to consider his next move. He could stay on his side, all nice and orderly, or spoon her. She had to be cold if she was hunkered down under all those covers so...screw it. He crawled in and wrapped himself around her.
* * *
T HE ENEMY HAD infiltrated during the night and Ashleyâs hormones were clearly happy to surrender. A large, muscled forearm was wrapped around her waist, the ownerâs hand brushing the bottom of her breast. Her tank top had worked its way down during the night, exposing her breasts, and when she inhaled her uninvited guest got a handful. Her right nipple was jealous of the left, since the tip rubbed against warm male fingers with each breath she took.
Or maybe she was dreaming, in which case she really, really needed to not wake up. Another five minutes of this, and she
Similar Books
