Wicked Ties(69)

God, no. Please no.

“There won’t be any more of that,” she vowed. “You told me to give it a night. I did. I know enough now to do the show. That’s all I need.”

Jack sidled closer. “Are you going to tell me you didn’t like it?”

Wouldn’t it be nice if she could, and he’d believe it? Morgan knew better. “No. But that doesn’t mean we need an encore.”

“What’s holding you back, your fiancé?”

Morgan gritted her teeth. Damn it, she’d kept up the pretense of a relationship with Brandon to keep Jack at arm’s length, but her lie was doing a lousy job. In fact, his question seemed to taunt her for being every bit as naughty as he was.

“To some degree.” Maybe pretending remorse would turn him off. “Yes. I feel terrible.”

“You might, but it has nothing to do with cheating. Why weren’t you wearing your ring when you came to meet me and talk about sex?”

“I—I don’t have one yet. I want to pick it out myself.”

Jack studied her with a tilt of his head and knowing dark eyes. “I think you’re more afraid of your wants than cheating on your fiancé. Wanna prove me wrong?”

How could he know that? How could he just look at her and tell?

“Go to hell. I gave it a night, like I said I would. You’re not taunting me into giving you another. No more domination. No more sex. And no more conversation about this.”

With a determined shake of her head, Morgan turned away. She half expected Jack to grab her arm, stop her, growl something. She was nearly to the bedroom door when she started to wonder if she’d stunned him speechless. To feel both victory and crushing distress.

His voice stopped her cold…right before it made her blood boil.

“I can fulfill your fantasies, cher.”

“Stop.” Hand on the doorknob, Morgan paused. She drew in a ragged breath. “Damn you. Just…just stop.”

“Non.” He stepped closer, closer, until he curved his hands around her waist, pressed his erection against her ass, and whispered in her ear. “Every last one of your fantasies. Starting right now.”

CHAPTER NINE

Running into the bedroom seemed like a damn stupid idea for someone trying to avoid the torturous need to have sex with the man chasing her.

Holding in a wail of frustration, Morgan’s mind raced. Where the hell else could she go in this three-room shack? The swamp was no place for a city girl, especially at night. She didn’t much like alligators or crocs or whatever lurked out there with enormous teeth and a not-too-fussy palette.

The door, the one at the end of the hall. It had been locked earlier, but she didn’t recall him locking it back up after Deke’s visit. Maybe she could dart in and lock it behind her. Shut him out for a while and see how well that suited him. Make him find some way to cool down while staring at the bed they’d nearly combusted into flames with the blistering heat between them.

Spinning away, Morgan sprinted farther down the hall. God, she couldn’t believe she was running from him, and she’d berate herself for the stupidity of this tactic later. At the moment, she couldn’t think of any other way to escape the steamy seduction of his voice luring her to her sanity’s doom. He wanted her downfall, was playing hardball until she surrendered every ounce of her psyche and control to him.

No way in hell she was doing that.

With a crash of footsteps, she made it to the door with Jack in determined pursuit. Her hot, trembling fingers grasped the cold brass of the knob. He crowded in behind her, trapping her against the door. His hand clamped down around hers before she could twist the door knob.

“Are you sure you want to go in there?” He breathed hard against her neck.

Yes! The door has a lock. If she could just get inside, put the door between them…

But as she fought the shivers brought on by his hot breath, his very nearness, Morgan suddenly realized he had the keys to open the door. Damn it!

“I don’t think you do,” he answered for her.

“Is this where you keep the dead bodies?” she sneered, hoping to piss him off.

Instead, he laughed, and his easy rumble vibrated clear through her body. Even now, he was determined to defy her understanding of both men in general and him in particular. Damn, the man could both infuriate and intrigue her.