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At the flash in his eyes, she wondered if maybe she should be a little more cautious about which words she chose to use around this virile man. He’d been gone for a long time, and she wondered when he’d last had a relationship. Of course, a person didn’t have to be in a committed partnership in order to relieve some sexual tension. She didn’t want to think about Ace bumping parts or whatever.
“I’ll tell you this much, Dakota,” he said as he moved toward her, unbelievably making her fall a step back. She hated retreating, no matter how far she was pushed into a corner. “Life has most definitely become more exciting with you in the picture.”
Dakota had a choice to make. She could either put him in his place, or she could go full throttle ahead. She chose the latter. She grinned as she lifted a hand and placed it against his chest.
Dang, she wanted to squeeze those hard muscles, but she somehow managed to keep her fingers flat as she held the man off. He looked eager—as excited as she felt. But she would be the one who kept a cool head during this.
“I’ve decided you need my kind of therapy, Ace,” she said. He tensed beneath her hand, his heart skipping a beat. “So you can give me all the come-on lines you want, but you won’t scare me away, and it takes a hell of a lot more than some pretty words to get me into your bed.”
Dakota enjoyed the shock in his eyes. Then she didn’t know what to think about the sparkle that took the place of that surprise. It was true that this man had some issues going on inside him, but he also had confidence in spades.
“Bring it on, Doc. We can see who wins,” he told her.
Dakota’s heart thundered as the elevator doors opened. She wasn’t sure if she should step out with him or push him out the door and retreat. He made the choice for her when he moved forward and then turned to give her a look that obviously called her a coward.
Dakota moved forward. She didn’t back down—not ever.
CHAPTER SIX
Ace wasn’t a man to sweat a difficult situation, but he felt nerves skittering through him as he and the incredibly sexy Dakota Forbes stepped up to his brother’s hotel room door. He wouldn’t admit it, but his fingers shook slightly as he swept the key down the lock and saw the green light telling him it was okay to push the door open.
“I think you have it from here,” Dakota told him.
“Are you afraid I’m going to bite you?” he asked, sending her a challenging look. Her shoulders stiffened, and she stepped forward.
He hadn’t known this woman long, but already he was learning what made her tick. She didn’t like to be considered weak, and all it took was a challenge and he had her doing exactly what he wanted. There was power in that knowledge. He liked it.
The sound of the door closing behind them was louder than a gunshot at close range. Damn, Ace wanted to push this woman up against a wall and make her scream. But he had to tell himself that anticipation was part of the fun. He also had his brother’s annoying voice in his head telling him he couldn’t just mess around with this woman. And since he would certainly be leaving again, all the two of them could have was a quick fool-around session . . . or two.
Ace’s clothes were soaked, and his first order of busin
ess was getting out of them. He shrugged out of the tuxedo jacket and let it drop to the floor. Turning, he felt immense pride at the awe in Dakota’s eyes as she gazed at his white shirt, which was plastered against his chest.
Ace would never allow his body to go to hell. He worked out hard and had no problem standing seminaked, or fully nude, in front of another person. Body issues were for those who didn’t have confidence. It didn’t matter what showed on the outside. In reality, all that mattered was how a person felt on the inside. And Ace felt perfectly fine with how he looked.
He began undoing the buttons on his shirt, his eyes never leaving Dakota’s. She did her best to act as if she weren’t affected, but Ace knew when a woman desired him, and it wouldn’t take much for him to have Dakota screaming beneath him.
If only his damn brain wasn’t messing with him, wasn’t telling him this woman was off-limits. He never had been one to have a moral crisis, but at the moment, it seemed that’s exactly what he was going through. It would almost be better to be back in the constraining CIA world, where he’d run on pure instinct. Not only that, but he would be leaving as quickly as he’d arrived. People around him tended to get . . . hurt in one form or another. Would he be willing to risk this vibrant woman, be willing to see that beautiful light in her eyes dim? No. He realized that with absolute clarity.
“I should give you privacy,” Dakota said, her breath coming out a bit too fast for her to pull off her nonchalant attitude.
“I’m fine. I have nothing to hide,” he told her.
The last button on his shirt came undone, and he reached for the cuff links and quickly undid them, then pulled the wet material from his chest. It didn’t come off easily, and he still felt sticky when the shirt was gone.
“I might need a sponge bath. Want to help me with that?” he asked her with a wicked grin.
He figured she’d finally go running for the hills—the smart move on her part. But Ace felt himself thicken painfully when she gave him a sassy look and stepped closer. To hell with his brother and his own morals—if this woman wasn’t going to resist him, who was he to turn her down? He pushed down the logical brain, far more willing to listen to his southern hemisphere.
She ran a finger down his sticky chest, and Ace nearly came in his pants—something he hadn’t done since he was a teenager. He didn’t care. It would at least give him sweet, sweet relief.
“I think you’re a big boy and can wash yourself,” she said. Then she lifted her finger to her luscious red lips and sucked. “Mmm, good wine. Too bad it went to waste.”
Ace pulsed painfully as he looked at the woman in shock. She was every wet dream he’d ever had come to life, and her confidence was enough to make him want her all the more.
“It hasn’t gone to waste. You can lick it off me,” he said, his voice husky.
She leaned forward, and he thought for a moment she was going to do just that. His heart thudded in anticipation of her sweet tongue on his entirely too hot skin. Who needed sponge baths when a hot woman was there with fingers and a capable tongue?
