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The sound of Gavin’s husky whisper trailing over her name as he turned toward his own door halted her feet on the floorboards.
“Yeah?”
“Sleep tight.”
As he pulled his bedroom door shut behind him, Sloane knew it didn’t matter if the sheets were spun from pure gold.
Exhausted or not, she wasn’t going to sleep a wink.
16
Sloane climbed between the sheets in the darkened guest bedroom, but the sigh on her lips had nothing to do with the thread count enveloping her body. Even though the sheets did feel like butter.
She twisted beneath the covers, trying to drift off to sleep to no avail. The room was perfectly quiet, with no sounds from within the cottage or the boundaries beyond to distract her efforts. Likewise, the bed was comfortable to the point of decadence, a factor which normally would’ve had her inner sleep goddess preening with sleepy-time bliss. Hell, even the room temperature was wonderfully climate controlled, splitting the difference between not-too-cold and just-warm-enough with flawless precision.
Too bad Sloane was so hot and bothered, she didn’t notice.
Wanting Gavin this much was a bad idea. Okay, yes, he was sexy as hell, and double yes, he could turn her insides to tapioca with just one of those dark, seductive smiles, but come on. She was watching his sister, which might not be so bad in itself, but she was doing it to finance a trip abroad in an attempt to resuscitate her dying career. And, as of this moment, that trip had no return dateorreturn destination, which was just how she wanted it. Getting tangled up in anything right now would just be epically stupid.
And epically hot.
Sloane kicked off her pajama bottoms and rucked her night shirt up around her rib cage in a last-ditch effort to let the sheets cool her overheated body, and to her surprise, it actually worked. The fabric was downright luxurious, cradling her legs and gliding over her belly as if its sole purpose for existing was to indulge her skin. She snuggled lower to enhance the contact, unable to keep the deep tingle of pure, sensual goodness from radiating downward. The heater kicked on in the cottage, providing a rhythmic rush of hushed sound that tickled her ears.Tap tap tap tap…
Someone was at her door.
She opened her eyes, certain she was just hearing things, but then it came again, followed by the click of the knob and the sigh of the hinges. The door opened to reveal Gavin’s shadowy outline, barely visible in the muted moonlight spilling past the curtains, convincing Sloane that now she was seeing things, to boot.
“Hey.” His voice was more innuendo than whisper, but it was a very real, no-you’re-not-imagining-this sound. She blinked, feebly trying to keep her pulse from working overtime.
“Hey.” Her whisper emerged like a question, and Gavin shifted his weight just slightly before answering.
“I was just lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling when it occurred to me that no one’s ever slept in here before. So, it only seemed right to make absolutely sure the sheets are okay.”
“You came to check my sheets?”
He nodded, a bare rustle of movement. “You can’t be too thorough about these things.”
“I see.” Her mouth curved into a completely involuntary ear-to-ear smile, and she propped herself up on one elbow to fully face him. “You’re quite the gracious host.”
Gavin laughed, just a soft chuckle, but she felt the sound in her bones. “That’s me. Mr. Hospitality.”
Sloane tightened with realization. If agreeing to stay had been a bad plan, then being half-naked and chock-full of lust for the guy while he flirted with her in the dark was a recipe for utter ruin. Especially when they’d both run the emotional gamut tonight as it was. The urge to hightail it back to the meager percale sheets on her bed at the bungalow made a repeat performance in her mind.
Oh, who was she kidding? Her sex drive was too busy doing backflips of joy at the sight of him, and he hadn’t come across the hall in an act of Martha Stewart goodwill. It might be impulsive as hell, but she was done fighting the attraction between them.
“Well, the best way to test for quality assurance is to find out firsthand,” Sloane said on a whisper, pulling the comforter back in a clear invitation.
Gavin’s seductive smile was nearly palpable through the dark. “Outstanding point.”
He was next to her in less than a breath, his fingers in her hair and his mouth finding hers in the shadows. He cupped the back of her neck to bring her closer, and their kiss took on a life of its own as he drew her from the covers to his lap, seating her there tightly as he leaned back against the headboard.
“Sloane.” Gavin parted from her mouth to trail hot kisses down the column of her neck, slipping his palms to her hips to anchor his hard angles to her swelling curves. “You taste so fucking good.”
She splayed her fingers over his back to hold him close, and he slid his tongue along the taut line of her collarbone, edging toward her breasts. Her nipples strained beneath the loose neck of her nightshirt, rasping against the fabric. Wanting nothing between her body and Gavin’s glorious mouth, she crossed her arms between them and peeled the garment off in one swift motion.
“Youfeelso fucking good. Don’t stop doing that.”
His eyes flashed up at her, dark and glittering, and the naughty grin she felt on her skin sent a shot of uncut want through her.
