answer or make the first move, had the heat pooling deep in her center and a weakness spreading through her limbs. No. She immediately stiffened her spine. There was no way he was going to turn her to mush again. Not until they hammered a few things out. âAbout the affair.â
âWant to get started right now?â
She did. Almost as much as she wanted to breathe. âWe have to talk first.â
He sat down on the floor. âOkay, shoot.â
He was enjoying himself, she decided. Heâd turned her into a liquid pool of lust, and he was just sitting there, smiling at her, daring herâ¦. And he hadnât even agreed to the affair. The man was so cautious, so suspicious, he could just be stalling until he found a way to leave.
Everyone sheâd ever cared about had left herâher parents, and then even Lucas when heâd gone off to school and then the service. She wasnât going to let Tracker get away.
Reaching for the coin on her nightstand, she said, âThereâs no point in hammering out the details until we decide the main issue. Are we having an affair or not? Why donât we decide it with a toss of the coin?â She held it up between her thumb and forefinger. âHeads, we have a no-strings affair. Tails, you walk out of here and we donât see each other again until Lucas and Macâs next anniversary. Are you game?â
Â
T RACKER DIDNâT SAY anything for a minute. So much for his plan to get some coffee and a cold shower and think. Now his whole game plan was going to be determined on the flip of a coin. Fate. Maybe that was the best way to decide it. He nodded. âToss it.â
She did and held out the coin. âHeads. Now we can hammer out some details.â
âFine. One question. What happens when the affair ends?â Because it would. He had no doubt about that. He and Sophie were too different, and what was burning between them now would surely die down. He would just have to make certain it didnât fade until she was safe and the Puppet Master was behind bars.
âWe both walk awayâno regrets, no recriminations. And for the length of the affair, weâll be equal partners.â
His brows shot up. âEqual partners? Now that has possibilities. As an equal partner, I want to add a couple of things to our deal.â
âAnd they would be?â
âExclusivity. Neither one of us will see anyone else while weâre involved with each other.â
âAgreed.â
âAnd letâs say we make it a no-holds-barred affair. Are you game, Princess?â
Sophie felt her insides clutch so violently that for a second she thought she was going to have another orgasm. Struggling for control, she ruthlessly cleared her mind and tried to weigh logically what he was offering. Impossible. How could she do that when all she could think of was the challenge of what he was proposing?
âDeal or not, Sophie?â
He was turning her to mush again, and he knew it. Lifting her chin, she said, âNo holds barred. Does that mean youâd be willing to use some of those sex toys?â
He grinned at her. âIâm looking forward to it.â
Leaning down, she picked up the black velvet ribbon. âHow about this? The instructions are on the tag.â
He read them and then met her eyes. âI think we could work that in.â
No, she was not going to blush. Grace Kelly never had, and Sophie was Macâs role model. Plus, sheâd just negotiated a no-strings, no-holds-barred affair, after all. âThen we have a deal.â
They extended their hands at the same time. Their palms met in a firm handshake. She was thinking, and she was almost sure that he was, too, of what heâd rolled on the diceâthen the phone on her night stand rang.
Not releasing her hand, Tracker reached for it with his free one and held it to her ear.
âSophie?â
She recognized the voice instantly.
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