AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I admit no such thing.” Still, as she drew back sharply, his gaze fell to her knee, and she realized that her robe had slipped open to reveal her crossed leg all the way to her thigh. Cheeks aflame, she covered her legs.
His eyebrow lifted. “Then take the bet.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll enjoy watching you cook for me tomorrow.” She lifted her chin. “But in addition to the food being delivered on time, to prove me wrong it also has to be the best cheeseburger, fries and shake I’ve ever had.”
“It will be,” he said without hesitation, and held out his hand. She stared at it for a moment, then shook it as quickly as she could, desperately ignoring her body’s reaction at that brief touch.
And so it was that exactly five minutes and four seconds later, a full fifteen seconds before the deadline, she found herself looking despondently at the white linen-covered room-service tray resting on the coffee table. As Cristiano got up to chat with the smiling room-service waiter, she sighed. Even the incredible smell of hot French
fries wafting through the air could offer no comfort. She knew she was about to lose their bet.
A kiss.
Hallie put her hands on her forehead. Why had she ever agreed to it? Why? How could she have been so stupid? Cristiano got room service all the time! He knew how long it took! He knew how good the food was!
Did she want him to kiss her?
But that was a question Hallie didn’t want to answer, not even to herself, as the waiter left and Cristiano came back. Turning on a lamp, he looked down at her. His cruel, sensual lips curved. “Don’t look so frightened.”
She lied. “I’m not.”
“You’re terrified.” Lifting the silver lid off the tray, he said idly, “Do you think I intend to take my kiss now, and ravish you against the wall?”
With a flash of heat, images came to her mind. Mouth dry, she croaked, “I—”
“Why don’t you try it?” he murmured, sitting beside her on the sofa. “See if you like it?”
Her heart nearly stopped. She looked at him, lips parted.
He held out a French fry.
“Decide,” he said huskily, “if it’s the best you’ve ever had.”
She stared from the French fry to the challenge in his eyes. Snatching the fried potato from his fingers, she licked off the salt, then popped the whole length into her mouth. It was so hot, salty and delicious that she gave an involuntary groan of pleasure.
“So...good...” she breathed, briefly lost in ecstasy.
A strangled noise came from the back of his throat. Looking up, she saw his handsome face looked strained.
Clearing his throat, he rose from the sofa. “I’ll leave you to enjoy it.”
“Wait. I haven’t tried the rest.” Although she knew, even before she picked up the cheeseburger, that it would be the best she’d ever had. She took a big bite, licking a splash of ketchup and mustard off her lips, then washed it all down with a milkshake of fresh strawberries whirled into vanilla ice cream. The milkshake was so thick she had to suck hard on the straw.
Finally she looked up, defeated. “All right, you win—”
Her voice cut off when she saw his face. He looked hungry, ruthless. Something in his eyes was dark and wild. He took a step toward her, his hands gripped at his sides, and the memory of his words flashed in her mind.
Do you think I intend to ravish you against the wall?
She shrank back from the fire in his eyes. “No.”
That one word, whispered soft as a breath, seemed tangible in the air, like a wall between them. He blinked. His expression changed as if a shutter had gone down. His civilized mask slid back into place.
“Good night,” he said hoarsely. Turning, he hurried down the hall toward the master bedroom.
Hallie sat alone on the sofa, shivering from what had just happened. Except nothing had happened, she told herself, struggling to calm her breath. Nothing at all.
After turning off the lamp, she stared out blankly at the lights of the moonlit city. Woodenly she ate the rest of her meal. All she could think about was how badly she’d wanted him in that moment. But the word that had escaped from her lips was no. Because she was afraid.
