Chapter 14
He climbed to the roof terrace and stripped down to his shorts, then dived into the water, which was still a few merciful degrees cooler than the day. The pool was also shaded by the living wall erected on one side of the roof garden.
He kicked out to the end of the pool, lounged in the shallow end, under the shadow of the wall.
Would she come? Or had she been teasing him? Either way, he didn't really care. Whatever her game was, he was more than willing to play it to end the need.
He frowned, the reckless direction of his thoughts stunning him a little. When exactly had the reward become worth the risk of letting down his guard, again?
But then she stepped out onto the roof terrace, her slender frame in nothing but a fresh tank and panties. No bra.
And the need roared through his system like a fireball. Unstoppable, uncontrollable, uninhibited.
His heart rate hit warp speed. Damn, but she was gorgeous. Her pale Irish skin glowing with sweat. She dived in and swam toward him, the graceful, efficient stroke reminding him of the way she cooked for him—the instinctive way she could whip up a feast in a few simple elegant moves.
Her head bobbed up as she got closer. The pulsing in his groin began to beat heavily in his chest as she appeared like a mermaid from the iridescent blue. With her hair slicked back and her eyes a vivid green, the spontaneous grin seemed to light her face from within.
"Ah, but that's grand now, so refreshing," she purred
"Yeah." The gruff murmur rumbled against his ribs and scraped at the raw spot in his throat as he took in the feast before his eyes.
The tank clung to her firm breasts, outlining the puckered nipples, while awareness flared across her collarbone.
Roisin was a banquet he was desperate to devour the way he'd devoured all the other feasts she'd created for him.
"Come closer," he demanded.
"Why?" she stammered, the grin fading to be replaced with wary tension. But arousal highlighted the shards in her irises, turning them to a glimmering gold, and he could see her need as clearly as he could feel his own.
"I want you, Roisin," he said, deciding the time for subterfuge was over. "If you don't want me, you can say so, and it won't affect your job here," he added, giving her a way out. Hoping she didn���t take it.
It would be torture to have her in the penthouse and not touch her, not take what he needed, but it would be an even greater agony to lose her.
The thought should have disturbed him even more—but he couldn't seem to think about anything right now except the burning hunger for her in his gut.
"I understand," she said, her eyes widening to fill her face. But then she stepped closer—drawn by the invisible pull—and his breath gushed out with a relief so heady it made him light-headed.
Reaching out, he snagged the cotton of her tank and tugged her the rest of the way, until he could wrap his arms around her hips and press her body against his. She grabbed his shoulders as the full erection nestled against her taut belly.
She gasped, her face a ruddy mix of awareness and embarrassment now.
"Can you feel how much I want you?" he asked.
She nodded and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. The groan broke loose from his chest.
"I want to lift you out of the water, strip off your clothes and then take you…" He nodded toward the poolside canopy where one of the loungers stood in the shade. "Over there, until we're both exhausted."
She nodded again, still staring at him as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did, because his sure as hell did.
"But it's your choice."
Her breathing became ragged, but she remained silent, searching his face with an artless, open expression—full of desire but also wary. But then her head dipped, the nod sending the fireball hurtling through his system again.
His lips curved and his heart became strangely buoyant. The euphoria something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Way before the kidnapping—right back to when he was a little kid on Christmas morning, before his parents had died and left him with a man who saw him as an heir rather than a child.
"Damn, I've finally figured out how to silence you," he murmured, the euphoria so intense now he could barely breathe.
She choked out a laugh but then ducked her head to bury her chin against her chest. He sucked in a breath as her hip brushed the throbbing erection.
"Sorry," she said, her gaze shooting back to his.
"Don't ever be sorry," he said, forcing himself to go slow, not to grab, not to take, not to demand more. He tucked the wet hair behind her ear, skimmed his thumb across her bottom lip. "Just give me an answer. So we can end this torture, either way."
The answer gushed out, sending his senses into overdrive.
"Yes, I want you too. Very much."