I heard Tyler’s sharp intake of breath, saw the way he shifted in his chair and the way his fingers tightened on the armrest, as if he was working hard to hold himself back.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered.
“That’s what the guy downstairs said.”
“Shit.” The curse was low, almost inaudible. “I didn’t mean to put that in your head.”
“No … no, it’s just …” I drew in a breath. “He said it and I wanted to bolt. You say it, and—”
“And what?”
“And I want you to touch me.”
His face was cast in shadows, but I could still see the way his features tightened, as if he was putting up a fight. “I will,” he said. “Dear god, I will. But right now, I want to look at you. Go ahead,” he said with a nod. “I want to see every inch of you.”
My body thrummed with nerves and excitement, and my hand shook as I reached behind to the zipper. I tugged it down, then gave the dress the tiniest of shoves. The material spilled off me to pool around my feet, leaving me clad only in the pale pink thong and bright red shoes.
I licked my lips, then met his eyes. Then I carefully stepped out of the dress and stood still again. I was only a few feet closer to him, but the air seemed thicker, full of power and promise.
“Do you have any idea how lovely you are?”
My cheeks warmed from the compliment. I knew I was pretty, some would even say beautiful. But once I decided to become a cop, it wasn’t pretty that mattered, but strong. Now my body was tight and lean. Feminine, yes. But powerful, too.
“I want to see the rest of you,” he said. “Take off the panties. But leave the shoes on.”
I swallowed, strangely shy. I was practically naked already, but there was something about stripping completely except for a pair of high heels that seemed so bold. So decadent.
I looked down, concentrating on the floor as I hooked my fingers in the waistband.
“No,” Tyler said. “Eyes on me.”
“Tyler.”
“Shhh. No arguing. Just do.”
I did. And though I expected to feel even more shy, more exposed, in fact I felt just the opposite. I felt bold. Wild. I saw his desire plainly, and I knew that right then I was the one who held the power.
I was no stranger to power—I wielded it every day in my work. But this was the first time I’d felt truly powerful as a woman.
I liked it.
I let the panties fall with a little hip shimmy, then carefully stepped out of them as well.
“Now that is a pretty picture,” Tyler said, slowly taking me in. His smile twitched when he got to my neatly shaved and trimmed sex. “And you’re a natural redhead.”
“Did you have doubts?”
“Nice to have confirmation. Do you have the temper that goes with it?”
“Cross me and find out.”
“A fiery temper often translates to fire in bed.” He stood, then slowly moved to stand in front of me. “I’m looking forward to finding out if that’s true.”
He reached out then to cup my breasts in his palms. His skin felt hot against mine, and I closed my eyes with a small moan of satisfaction that turned into a gasp as his thumbs flicked over my nipples. Then he released me, and I opened my eyes to see him circling me, his focus so intent that I had the feeling he was memorizing every inch of me.
I twisted, wanted to keep him in sight, but kept my feet planted. When he had circled me completely, I met his eyes as he smiled in approval. “You’re perfect,” he said. “And you’re already aroused. I like that—I like knowing that you want me touching you, stroking you. That you already crave me deep inside you again.”
I started to shake my head—to protest simply for form. But it would be a lie. And I knew that he could see the truth in the color of my skin. In the way my pulse was pounding, the beat obvious in my neck and in the rise and fall of my chest. My eyes were surely dilated. And those natural redhead curls between my thighs were damp with the evidence of just how turned on I was.