Tell Me You Want Me (Search and Seduce, #2)(17)

“You did that already. I have the Vassar tuition bills still to prove it.”

And here came the guilt. Yes, her parents sent her to college, and she’d gotten a degree thanks to their money. She had no idea at the time that they were trying to turn her into a socialite with party-planning skills. But she wouldn’t be sorry for getting her B.A. in Art, and she wouldn’t be sorry now for trying.

“I just want you to come home,” her father said. “You never dealt well with failure and—”

“I’m not failing,” she said quickly.

“If you say so, sweetie.”

She closed her eyes and, keeping the tightness out of her voice, said, “I’ve got to get to work, Daddy.”

“Okay, sweetie. You just let me know when you’re ready to come home then.”

More like if I’m ever ready to come home.

She hung up the phone, flipped to the green To Do list, and added, Stand up to Daddy. She’d just dotted the last letter when a knock came at the door.

Now she was really going to be late.

She walked over, looked through the peephole, and—

“Crap,” she whispered to herself. Then looked again. “Double crap.”

It was Dex. He was standing on her stoop, in the same clothes he’d been in last night, looking a bit rough and dirty and a whole lot of sexy.

She hovered in front of the door, not sure what to do. Maybe if she stayed really quiet—

“I can hear your breathing, princess,” he said casually.

She took several steps back and knocked into the small table near her sofa. She hit her knee on the corner and barely stifled a curse as she steadied the vase that almost toppled to the ground.

“Now I hear you panicking,” he called out again.

She could hear the smug smile in his voice.

She stood up straight, ran her hands down her perfectly tailored pencil skirt, and tried to gather herself. Time to be practical. This man affected women, and even though he had “affected” her very much last night, today was a new day. She was a composed, professional woman on a mission to take control of her life.

That heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach disappeared.

Yup. She was in control.

She took a few deep breaths and opened the door.

“Good morning,” she said in her best delighted tone. As if she hadn’t just had this man buried deep inside of her less than six hours ago.

“Indeed it is.” He looked her over. His hand was braced at the doorway, and he was leaning casually, looking her over. “You clean up well, princess.”

Those hot eyes raking over her made her think of what else this rugged man was capable of. Actually, she knew exactly what he was capable of. And that made her shiver. She needed to stay strong. They’d had a good time. She was unfamiliar with the exact protocol, but surely him showing up at her home wasn’t part of the Survival Skills course.

“I’d say the same for you, but…” She looked over his slightly dusty pants and wrinkled black T-shirt. He smelled like…her. Just the faintest scent of her perfume wafted from him, and that made heat hit her cheeks. She’d been wrapped around him. Surrounding him. And hours later, when he should have showered and removed any trace of her, he still smelled like her. A thrill surged through her.

“I haven’t been home yet,” he said, standing up straight and taking a step inside. “See, I was teaching wilderness training to this woman, only to find out she took off on me and left me no choice but to search her out.”

“I took off because it was morning,” she defended.

“You could have gotten hurt or lost.”

“Not likely considering you never took me that far into the wilderness. I could see my car when I woke up.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.

She frowned. Remembering why this man was so irritating. “You’re welcome?” she repeated and crossed her arms. “You didn’t do me any favors. You tricked me.”

“I kept you safe, and you survived,” he said plainly. “Didn’t matter how far we went into the woods.”

“Well, then I should thank you, because getting away this morning quickly was much easier with my car.”

He raised a brow. “Oh, yeah? You were so excited to run from me, huh? Last night was too dirty for you, princess?”

She swallowed hard. Yes, it had been too dirty. Dirtier than anything she’d ever done, and she’d never felt more alive. And deep down, she wanted to get that dirty again. Instead of admitting to that, or answering his question, she went with, “I was just seeing through my end of the bargain.”

“Bargain?” he said. “Did you take notes on that, too?”

He reached down and picked up her notebook she dropped. When she tried to snatch it away, he lingered a minute. He got a good look at her sexy list and unleashed a full-blow grin.

“I may have jotted down a couple things,” she mumbled and shoved the book in her purse.

“It looked like to me you jotted down a few more desires you’re looking to fulfill.” He held out his arms. “Well look no further, princess.”

Great, between his sexy swagger and confidence, she was having a hard time remaining objective. Getting into any kind of repeat hangout session with G.I. Joe was not a good idea. She wanted experiences, but with the same guy? No, that would equal a relationship, and she wouldn’t make that mistake again.