"Do what exactly? Put us both out of our misery?" he asked.
He had ridden with reckless speed and done something he had never done before. He had simply dragged off the heavy saddle and without brushing down his horse, had led the animal into the special compartment that housed him and locked the door. He had not waited around to do anything else, because he was afraid that she would lock the doors. If that had been the case, he would not have cared about making a scene. He was fully prepared to break them down.
"We want each other."
She lifted her chin, the fight gone out of her. "And then what?"
"Are you asking me if I want a relationship?" he asked mildly, fingers trailing down one smooth cheek. She had such beautiful skin, he mused.
"No. I know better than that. And besides, I would never dream of having a relationship with you."
His brow snapped into a frown as he stared at her.
"Because of who I am."
"And your nasty reputation." She bit her lip, realizing that she could no longer deny what was between them.
"I'm a different person," he began, but her humorless laughter cut him short.
"Please don't make things worse by insulting my intelligence. Men like you never change and I know that very well. So, don't you dare stand here and tell me that you have. I will never believe you." She took a deep breath. "You're right. I am sexually attracted to you and it's not going away."
He tamped down his irritation and continued to stare at her. "What are you suggesting?"
"That we have sex," she said, shaking her head when he opened his mouth. "That we get this out of our system and go our separate ways."
His eyebrows lifted and he had to will himself not to be angry. He supposed he deserved everything she was dishing out.
"You think one time is going to be enough?"
"Yes!" she cried out desperately. "One time and I get to choose that time. It cannot be now as the entire building will be up in another hour or so, including your mother."
"You want to set a time for us," he began.
"Yes," she repeated. She was standing in the circle of his arms and all she wanted to do, all she was longing to do was lose herself in his kisses. She was yearning to feel his lips on hers. But she had to set some guidelines and rules and insist on them being honored. She was doing something she had no business doing, but wanting him was like a fever inside her that could not be quenched.
Taking a deep breath, she strove for calm and found some measure of it. "I will pick the time. Now, please get out of my room before anyone knows you're here. Please."
She tensed as he simply stood there staring at her. Tipping her chin up, he brushed his lips on hers, before stepping back. "The ball is in your court for now. Don't keep me waiting."
She waited until he had left and closed the doors behind him before walking with wobbly legs to the window seat, sitting there wondering what the hell she was doing.
