It felt like coming home and that scared the life out of her. Falon Wolfe wasn’t supposed to feel safe. He was the reason she spent three years of college holed up in her dorm studying and not having a social life. He was the reason why no man ever seemed worth the effort. If she were being completely honest with herself—which she wasn’t—he was the reason why, next to the loss of her parents and brother, there was a gaping hole in her heart.
When he rolled to her side, she immediately missed the weight of him, the feel of his skin against her own had been a tactile experience she hadn’t known existed. Falon had pushed from her a pleasure she hadn’t known was in her. And yet. And yet, he held himself back. She could feel it. While he played her body like a finely tuned instrument, discovering erogenous zones she had thought impossible he had been rigidly in control of his responses.
Oh, she had no doubt that he enjoyed himself. His labored breathing was testament to that fact. He just didn’t let himself fall into the sensations that he forced her to accept. Why? What was he hiding? More importantly, what was he afraid of?
Her body started to cool and her breathing evened out and still she didn’t move to cover her naked body. She didn’t want to risk startling Falon. He was like a wild animal. Any sudden movements and he would disappear into the darkness.
When she felt his body shift on the mattress, she thought their time was up. He was sure to make some excuse and vanish. The back of his hand down her arm startled her.
“Come with me,” he whispered as the mattress shifted under his weight. Sitting up she tracked his dark form as he disappeared into her bathroom. Seconds later the sounds of the shower filled the room. Anticipation filled her. It would seem their night was just beginning.
***
The hot water felt like heaven against her sensitive skin, but it was Falon slowly spreading fragrant bubbles across her body that was turning her muscles into mush. She gave in and followed the temptation of his naked body covered in nothing but cascades of water and curling steam.
When he passed the oversized sponge across her collarbone, she stopped him with a hand over his. “My turn.”
Meeting his eyes, she noticed he looked stunned and a little frightened and she wondered if this had ever happened in his compartmentalized lovemaking before. Would he allow her to pay back some of the pleasure he had given her? He released a shuddering breath and removed his hand, leaving her holding the sponge to her skin.
“Close your eyes,” she whispered, hoping he would play along. He studied her for a moment before reluctantly letting his lids fall. The firm set of his jaw told her that she was very close to pushing things too far.
The problem was she wanted to keep pushing him. She wanted him over the same cliff he took her to and she wanted to see him fall. She plain wanted the man.
Running the soapy sponge across his broad chest, she watched the bubbles disappear down his rippling stomach. Watching them slip lower, she suddenly wanted to follow their trail. Trace it with her tongue.
Dropping the sponge, she began to spread the soap with her hands. The feel of his muscles quivering under her touch empowered her to angle her fingers over his chest and down his abdomen. His breath hitched as her hands brushed lower, nearly touching the throbbing evidence of her effect on him.
Her lips connected with the hard muscle of his shoulder and suddenly she found herself being held at arm’s length.
“The water’s getting cold,” he said before twisting to shut off the shower.
He stood dripping on the tile floor extending a towel to her. She blindly reached to the plush terry cloth while trying to catch up. What just happened? She was about to follow the treasure map of tiny soap bubbles down his body when he went from white hot to zero in less than a nanosecond.
Falon barely took the time to dry himself before leaving her stranded in the wake of the storm they had been building. Wrapping the towel around her cooling body, she felt like she had run against a brick wall and the rejection she found there came with quite a sting.
Taking a few minutes to gather her wits, she fully expected to find her bedroom empty. To say she was surprised to see Falon standing in nothing but a low-slung towel by the windows would be an understatement.
She stood for a moment just taking him in. God he was a beautiful man. The light from the night sky barely outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. In that moment, it hit her. He was a fantasy. He was that thing every woman dreamed of holding onto for a fleeting moment. That thing that made them feel alive. A challenge that could never be won. Because Falon Wolfe was untouchable.
In that moment, her heart ached for him. It must be lonely in his world of ice. But it wasn’t a world meant for her. He had proven that nine years earlier so she would stick to her plan to let a little warmth in and leave it up to the next woman to ignite those embers.
“Aren’t you going to get into bed?” His smooth voice startled her.
“Aren’t you?” she countered, voice cracking under the stress of her thoughts.
“Just get in, Sarah.”
When he didn’t turn, she decided to give both him and her pride a break. He was obviously done with her. The man couldn’t even turn from the window to talk to her. Not one for subtlety, among the many things he had taught her, she had learned that meekness got you nowhere. She couldn’t hold her peace for long.
“I suppose you’ll be leaving then?” she asked, forcing as much bravado into her voice as possible.
“If that’s what you want.”
“Oh, so now you’re worried about what I want?” She could feel anger replacing her earlier hurt. Who did the great Falon Wolfe think he was anyway?
“Not particularly.” He turned to study her. “Just wondering if I’ll be facing any threat of law enforcement.”
Sarah stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief. What had happened to the man who commanded her body so sweetly just an hour earlier? Instead of that man, Falon stood across the room as welcoming as an arctic storm. His eyes took in every subtle nuance of her, assessing her reaction, projecting his next step. The man planned everything three moves in advance and it made her want to scream and throw something at him, anything to get him to respond with some spontaneity.
“I see I have overstayed my welcome.”
He began gathering his things with a clipped efficiency that undermined his cool façade. Sarah could only look on as he dressed quickly. When he slipped his feet into his shoes, he seemed to hesitate before approaching her on the bed.
“Thank you, Sarah,” he whispered before brushing a fleeting kiss to her brow and disappearing. She couldn’t help drawing a picture of a lone wolf slinking away into the night as she watched his retreating form.
***
For the second day in a row, Sarah found herself lounging around the house at an ungodly hour in ratty old pajamas. After Falon left, she had pulled the flannel around her body like a comfort blanket. It had taken over an hour to shut her mind off and force herself to sleep only to be plagued with dreams of hot kisses and callused caresses.
Blowing the steam off her coffee, she had to face the fact that what was truly bothering her wasn’t the thrills of pleasure that still cascaded through her body at inexplicable moments. It was the emotions that ambushed her alone in the dark. The same old feelings she got nine years earlier whenever thoughts of Falon would take root.
Dear Lord, she was falling for him … again. How was that possible? Sure the man was a living, breathing sex god but that didn’t mean that she actually liked him. She felt sorry for him. Missed the piece of him that had so attracted her younger self. She just wanted to know she hadn’t imagined the man she thought he was. She needed to know she wasn’t that gullible.