Since I Saw You (Because You Are Mine #4)(82)
“You won’t need them.”
“I will so. I’m not doing the walk of shame in my rumpled evening dress tomorrow morning. Plus, I told Ian when I called I’d get a few things to him by the end of the evening.”
He lifted his head and arched his brows, looking down at her. “You are not going to work today.”
“You can be awfully dictatorial for a man who lived alone for so long and had nobody to boss around. I feel a new kinship to Angus,” she complained without any real heat. He gave her a bland look. “It’s just a few things.”
“You’re a grown woman. When will you learn to live a little? There’s more to life than work, little kitten,” he coaxed, running his firm lips along her cheek and temple.
“There’s an important memo I need to draft.”
He lifted his head and scowled.
“At the very least, I have to check a few e-mails this morning and answer them.”
“You can use my computer for that, but after that, you’re done with work,” he said, his hands running over her back, massaging her . . . influencing her. He knew precisely what he was doing, she admitted as her flesh softened and warmed even further under his touch. “And you’re only going to need one set of clothes, because otherwise, I’ll want you naked,” he murmured near her temple. He undoubtedly felt her shivers of pleasure beneath his stroking hands at the sound of his rough voice in her ear. “I’ll shower in the other bathroom and run out right now to one of the stores on Michigan Avenue. I’ll get you some dog-walking clothes.”
“Dog-walking clothes?” Lin asked, her eyes drifting closed under the influence of his big, rubbing hands moving so deftly on her muscles.
“Yeah. Casual, easy, weekend clothes—the kind I hardly ever see you wear. You’ll need something for when we take breaks and take Angus for walks.” She blinked her eyes open, his hot stare telling her precisely what they’d be taking breaks from. He kissed the end of her nose and then her mouth, lingering for a moment to penetrate her lips ever so briefly with his tongue, sampling her.
“Well?” he prompted as he backed up, his gaze lowering over her naked body.
“Well what?” she asked, made stupid by the way he looked at her with such heat.
“My computer is out in the living room. Do whatever you need to do while I shower and I run out, because when I come back, you’re mine for the next twenty-four hours. And you’re going to get it if I catch you sneaking any work after that.”
Her heart leapt when she noticed the hard glint in his eyes. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, trying to discount his threat. He arched his eyebrows, giving her a pointed glance that told her loud and clear he hadn’t been teasing. Her eyes widened.
“That’s right. I meant it, mon petit chaton,” he assured quietly. “For the next twenty-four hours, I’m your boss. If you test me by focusing on anything but relaxation, fun, or pleasure, I’ll have to prove it to you with a punishment.” She blinked. He grinned suddenly, a brilliant flash of good humor. She laughed when he swooped down to give her one last kiss. He started to back out of the room but pointed at her foot.
“Shoe size?” he demanded.
“Seven,” she replied breathlessly. He nodded, turned and headed toward his shower.
For several seconds, she just stood there, dazed. Despite that charming smile that radiated sex appeal like a beacon, Lin was left with a sneaking suspicion accompanied by an illicit thrill that Kam had been dead serious about what he’d said.
Cocky and incorrigible, she thought with wry amusement as she retrieved the towel. She refastened it around her breasts and met her own gaze in the mirror. Her smile faded.
You’ve never been more irresponsible and foolish in your life.
Nor have you ever been more dishonest.
Didn’t Kam deserve to know about her secret infatuation for his brother for the past eleven years of her life?
But when she and Kam were together, like they’d been last night, the only man in the room was Kam . . . the only man in her mind . . . her world. Just because she had some past unresolved—and unresolvable feelings for Ian—didn’t mean she should go around making dramatic confessions about it to Kam. That was ridiculous. Besides, maybe Richard had been right when she’d said her unrequited feelings for Ian had kept her safe from commitment. Safe from hurt. Safe from rejection. Between Ian and her work, Lin was lucky she wasn’t still an untouched virgin. Even so, dipping her toe in the water now and then hardly equated to swimming.
If Richard’s analysis was right, what was she doing with Kam? He was no stellar specimen when it came to being an ideal mate, was he? Quirky, commitment-phobic geniuses who also just happened to be drop-dead sexy and could get almost any woman to fall into bed with them were hardly the hallmarks of a perfect partner. Kam had told her point-blank yesterday that his relationship with Phoebe Cane was agreeable to him because it was just about sex, no strings attached. Yes, he’d insinuated that he didn’t plan to hurt her and hinted that he had a deeper interest in her than casual sex. Hadn’t he?
Why did it feel in retrospect that he hadn’t really said anything all that substantial last night? She closed her eyes, trying to re-create the intensity of emotion she’d experienced. It’d felt overwhelmingly intimate and beautiful and special while she’d been under his influence. In the morning light, her logical brain tried to re-create the magic of letting go, of trusting . . . but it eluded her.