“I don’t know about that…”
Ah, this was too rich.
He’d just decided he shouldn’t push the envelope so often with his need to live on the edge—and he’d reached that conclusion because of her. Yet here she was, teasing him into temptation.
But maybe this was the better place to seek his thrills. With a woman who was in his life for more than just the fame and the money that came with his career.
“You wicked woman,” he chastised her, leaning close to nip her ear. “I might have to teach you a lesson first. It’s called, Be Careful What You Wish For.”
“You don’t scare me, Velasquez.” Her fingers slid down the front of his shirt, popping buttons easily as she went. “Did I mention that I only went into athletic training to bolster my passion for the martial arts?”
“I can’t wait to find out if you’re telling me the truth or if you’re just messing with me.” With this woman, he wouldn’t be surprised either way, and he liked that about her. She was tough and unpredictable, grounded and sexy and forthright. Plus, she was making him hot as hell, pulling his shirt tails out to skim her hands along his waist. “But I’m not going to put that claim to the test right now when I’m most interested in seeing you lose a little of that edge of yours.”
He traced the shoulder strap of her dress with one finger, taking a more subtle path to undressing her. When he passed her collarbone, she stilled. At the vee above her breasts, her eyes closed for a long moment.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She swayed on her feet. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips.
“I’m talking about making you hot and breathless and sweetly compliant with everything I want.” He parted the fabric of her dress, shifting it off her shoulders until he had to unzip the side to free it the rest of the way. “But first, I’m going to give you a taste of your own medicine.”
Her grip tightened on the front placket of his unbuttoned shirt, her hands fisting the cotton as she steadied herself.
“I thought we were thrill seeking?” She didn’t sound terribly worried, but the flash of disappointment in her expression amused him mightily.
“You’d be surprised.” Tugging her dress down and off, he exposed a navy lace bra and matching panties threaded with a sky-blue ribbon.
A decidedly feminine choice for a woman who liked to appear so no-nonsense on the outside.
“Well?” she asked, sliding a finger under one bra strap as if to continue the unveiling.
He caught the errant finger and pulled her hand, tugging her toward the bed.
“I need some time to appreciate this much of you before I undress the rest.” He laid her on the bed and she went willingly enough until he tried to turn her onto her stomach. At her questioning look, he smoothed a palm along her back. “But first I thought I’d give you a little physical therapy so you can see what you put me through that day in the training room.”
“That’s the taste of my own medicine?” She propped herself on one elbow, one knee drawn up. With her Bond-girl platinum hair cascading down to the bed, she made a jaw-dropping visual. “You want to massage me?”
Lisa watched him through eyelids grown heavy with desire. She had never experienced such a strong urge to pounce on a man, but Javier tested her considerable restraint. Not because he was incredibly good-looking or a stud on the field, but because he was the man who’d called her out of the shadows to embrace her life again.
Although, certainly, the studliness did not go unnoticed. Her hands itched to undress him the rest of the way and see the full impact of his beautiful athlete’s body the way God made him.
“You call what you did to me that day a massage?” he asked, pressing her shoulder forward, urging her where he wanted her.
“I’d call it a professional and dispassionate physical stimulation of your muscles.” Her heated skin met cool sheets instead of his muscular body and she wondered how she’d sit still through whatever he had in mind. “My job, in other words.”
“I’d call it sensual torment.” His palm smoothed down her spine to rest at the small of her back, inciting nerve endings far and wide.
She adjusted her cheek deeper into the pillow, taking a deep breath to brace for the sensual onslaught he seemed to have in mind. Pleasure warmed her skin in a full-body flush. Her breasts beaded against the sheets.
“I am a licensed professional,” she argued, willing his hand to move. She wanted his touch everywhere at once.
“Hmm.” He seemed to consider her words as he seated himself on the mattress beside her, his hip nudging hers to make himself comfortable. “No wonder your hands felt so damn good.”
He skimmed along the band of her panties and traced circles up her back, his touch hypnotically seductive. She debated crawling up into his lap and ending the game by straddling his thighs, but he was so very good at drawing her in. Making her curious.
She wanted to see where it would lead. There was something endlessly compelling about a man who knew exactly what he wanted in bed. Exactly how to please a woman.
“I’m pretty sure I pressed much harder when I massaged you,” she offered, stifling the urge to writhe against the mattress.
“You want it harder.” His hands slid down her sides, his fingers straying under her arms to cup her breasts. As she requested, he flexed his fingers, increasing the pressure.
“Yessss.” She arched back to give him better access, wanting to be closer.
“I see I can’t torment you the way you tormented me.” He leaned over her, his chest brushing her back. His hands dipped deeper into the lace cups of her bra, baring more. “I want you too much.”
He plucked at the taut peaks and she felt the sensuous draw of it all the way to her womb.
“No more massages,” she warned, turning on one shoulder to face him. “I can’t handle it.”
His eyes narrowed in the dim hotel room.
“But I was saving the best massage for last.” His hands fell away from her breasts to smooth down her hips and land on the front of her thighs. “I wanted to show you how much I enjoyed those muscle manipulations you performed on the inside thigh.”
He squeezed there, the side of one hand rubbing lightly between her legs as he worked the muscle in question. Sensation swamped her, making her quiver from the pleasure.
“You’ve made your point.” She levered herself up to a sitting position and shoved his jacket off his shoulders, taking his unbuttoned shirt along with it. “Now you’d better quit talking smack and start delivering.”
She didn’t care that she sounded impatient and demanding. She’d been waiting to be alone with him for days.
Fortunately, he seemed ready for more. He angled his shoulders to help her slip off his shirt, his hands only leaving her body for a moment. Then, finally, his mouth met hers in a kiss that sizzled her insides. His tongue played along her lips, but he didn’t toy with her for long. His mouth demanded more and she gave it gladly.
Frantically, she worked the clasp of his belt and the buttons of his trousers, her task made more difficult by his straining erection. Or maybe it was so difficult because he slipped off her panties and eased a finger inside her, distracting her hopelessly until he took over the task of undressing himself.
As she lay there, breathless, overwrought and ready for him, she noticed he wasn’t wearing that cool, teasing smile anymore. He wanted this as urgently as she did.
Soon, they were both naked and ready, his body a gorgeous sight to behold as he rolled on a condom. The deep tan of his skin seemed to define all his lean muscles, and she couldn’t wait to benefit from his strength.