much room to talk. He’d seduced his mate Stella with the intention of using her to bring down her evil uncle. Still, Rio knew Cam would give him a lecture and he didn’t want to deal with that. Nino would be the same and Teo wouldn’t have a clue how to help. He might actually make things worse without even trying.
No, he’d take her to see Sal. He’d already given her the rundown on the Fata and the Enu . Sal would be a shock, but Rosie could handle it. He had no doubt.
As they walked down the stairs, Rosie held on to his hand with both of hers.
“Do you have a car, hon, or should I call a cab?” Rio asked. “I can go get my car from my brother’s apartment but it’ll take me about a half hour or more.”
53
Stephanie Julian
“My car’s parked in the space behind the house but I couldn’t get it started yesterday,” Rosie said. “I had to walk to work. You still didn’t tell me where we’re going.”
He ignored that question for now. “Do you mind if I take a look at your car?”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Do you know anything about cars?”
“Hey,” he gave her a mock-offended look, “I’m a guy. It comes with the territory.”
There was that smile again, the one that made him want to take her back to bed.
“Right. Just like girls have the gene for cooking. I’m hell with a microwave but don’t expect me to make you a gourmet meal.”
“No problem.” He shrugged. “I can cook too.”
“Well, aren’t you just too good to be real?”
Was that sarcasm in her voice? It sure sounded like it. As they walked through a kitchen that looked like it held the entire contents of a kitchenware store, Rio wanted more of her earlier smile. He stopped in his tracks, bringing her to a halt and her gaze back to his. Her eyes widened as he lifted her right hand and splayed it on his chest. His heart kicked into a faster rhythm. “Does this not feel real?” he asked quietly.
Her gaze held on to his but he saw her chest begin to rise and fall more rapidly. She swallowed hard and her fingers flexed, digging into his pecs. Then her eyes flashed to his ears. They were covered again by his hair but he knew she was thinking about them from her slight frown.
“I’m just as real as you are, Rosie. I have parents. I went to high school and college.
I had a first kiss. My favorite writers are J.A. Jance and Stephen King. I like metal and classic rock and horror movies.”
Her expression softened but there was still no smile. “What? You’re not a huge Lord of the Rings fan?”
The gentle teasing in her tone lit his libido as surely as if she’d set a match to a can of gasoline. He wanted her. He wanted her more than he wanted to breathe—but she 54
Seduced and Enchanted
was still freaked out. He could see it in her eyes, in the slight dilation of her pupils. Still, sex as a tranquilizer wasn’t a bad idea…
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rein in his desire. Rosie was probably on overload and he didn’t want to do anything she might regret later.
Her fingers flexed again, the slight movement not triggering any force—except making his blood pressure rise, and his cock along with it.
Letting his gaze drop to her hand, he watched her small, unpainted nails dig into his t-shirt. A memory from last night—the slight pain those short white crescents had inflicted on his balls—made heat burn low in his body.
When he lifted his eyes again, he could tell she was right there with him. Her pretty lips were parted as she drew in a deep breath. Then her tongue darted out to lick her top lip. Her heavy-lidded gaze caught his and, just so he made no mistake, she leaned forward and nipped his bottom lip.
He let the sensuality of that touch unlock the hold he had on his libido. Rio stepped right into her body, molding her to him with both arms around her back and trapping her against his chest. He kissed her hard, forcing her mouth to open under his and letting his tongue plunder
Jaroslav Hašek
Kate Kingsbury
Joe Hayes
Beverley Harper
Catherine Coulter
Beverle Graves Myers
Frank Zafiro
Pati Nagle
Tara Lain
Roy F. Baumeister