He made a noise deep in his chest and she smiled. She held all the power here and it made her feel…whoa. Ten feet tall.
The man who’d held her prisoner against his body had used his strength against her. It had been a terrifying, horrific experience and, deep down, a humiliating one. Nicole had never been manhandled before, never physically forced to do anything.
The intruder had overpowered her with contemptuous ease, and it burned. Everything about the experience had been—I’m stronger than you and you will do what I want. Brutal and primitive.
Sam’s body language was exactly the opposite, though he was even stronger than the intruder. Sam was the strongest man she’d ever seen. She’d held him in her arms all night and she knew how deeply powerful he was. If he wanted to, he could force her to do anything, bend her completely to his will.
But with every move, he gave all the power to her. Even now that she was being deliberately provocative, rubbing herself against his arousal, she could sense, couldfeelhis self-control, so deeply a part of him.
“Close your eyes.” She could feel the vibrations in his chest of his deep voice through the skin of her back. She obeyed, and he pulled her gently right under the showerhead until all the shampoo was rinsed away.
The water stopped. “Stay there.”
Nicole stood watching as he got two big, blindingly white towels from a cabinet and held them, waiting for her to get out.
“No conditioner?” she asked as she emerged dripping. He looked blank. “And moisturizer? I don’t think I’ve ever taken a shower without moisturizing.”
“Ah…” Panicked, Sam looked around, as if conditioner and moisturizer could suddenly, magically appear.
Most of Nicole’s previous lovers had been good-looking, vain metrosexuals who used the same products she did from the same houses, only the male version. Her last lover, Sergey, had had every Clinique men’s product on the market and Nicole had never had any problems with sleepovers. All she’d needed to bring with her was her toothbrush.
Sam had towels, soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste in view and she somehow suspected that was it. Looked like she was going to have to stock Sam’s bathroom with some essentials.
She looked him straight in the eyes. “Be prepared to have your bathroom full of creams and lotions. Do you think you can handle that, big guy?”
His mouth lifted on one side as he wrapped her hair in a big towel. “Honey, I survived Hell Week. You have no idea what I can handle. Hold out your arms.” She obeyed as he gently patted her torso and arms dry.
“Tough guy, huh?”
“Hmm?” He’d been staring at her breasts and suddenly lifted his gaze to hers. She nearly stepped back at the blazing heat in his eyes. Though he was almost smiling, the skin over his cheekbones was pulled tight, his eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I guess I think I’m pretty tough.”
Nicole reached out her hand and curved it over his penis and squeezed. “Not that tough, big boy.”
Sam’s big body froze, breath hissing in as if she’d done something painful to him. The big column of male flesh she could feel beneath her hand was moving, becoming even longer, thicker. A little moan escaped his lips and his penis leaped once again under her hand.
He looked like he was one second from coming. Nicole nearly laughed out loud.
This was sodelicious.
Everything in her life was so…wrong. Her father was gravely ill, dying a painful death. Her company was trying to take off, but kept sputtering when she had to take attention away from it for her father. Some unknown assailant had trashed her office, searching for God knew what and would presumably keep searching until he found it or she was hurt, whichever came first.
It didn’t get worse than that.
And yet right now, all those terrible problems were like flies buzzing in the distance. Her battered mind and body just gave up on all her anxieties and worries and urged her to live this moment. This magical moment out of time when a big, tough warrior was handing over his body to her for her own use. Giving himself over to her.
Sam kneeled again to dry the rest of her off and she rested her hand on his shoulder for balance. Oh God, the feel of him was so wonderful. She knew from experience that there was no give in him at all, anywhere. She curled her fingers into the bare skin of his shoulder and it was like trying to make an impression on a piece of warm steel machinery. The heat coming off that big body was amazing. It chased out any residual chill of the attack in her office.
She watched as Sam slowly stood, one big hand drifting up over her body as he did so. He was masculinity personified, and yet his movements were also so graceful. He rose with the grace of a world-class athlete, a man whose body would never let him down.
He looked her up and down, hot eyes moving over her slowly, the gaze so intense, it felt like hands caressing her body. Every cell in her body felt full, replete, warm, the aches and pains completely forgotten. Amazing. Sexual desire for this man was better than a day at the spa.
Nicole stretched up to put her arms around Sam’s neck in hopes of getting one of those amazing kisses of his, the one that was way sexier than even intercourse with other men, but then gave a little yelp as he picked her up.
“What are you—” she began, then stopped. It was clear what he was doing. He was carrying her to bed. Fine. Perfect. In bed with Sam was exactly where she wanted to be.
Nicole could almost feel what was coming next. Sam laying her down, then coming down on top of her, his heavy weight grounding her, his legs opening hers.
She frowned. Those wet jeans would have to go, though. Wet denim, in bed. Gah.
