that he didn’t have a great deal of compassion for human beings. Everything was reduced down to profit. Why had she thought for even a moment that she could convince him to stop his rampage through her perfect, little city?
If the man were intent on destroying her town, what could she do to stop him?
Rufus added his two cents in with a bark from the bathroom doorway. The noise startled her out of her mental arguments enough to realize that Rufus only barked when something was going on that he didn’t like.
Jade’s eyes slashed over to the doorway and she gasped when she saw the tall man standing there watching her.
She frantically grabbed the towel off of the hook beside the shower, her eyes shooting daggers at him. “What are you doing here in my house?” she demanded, trying to cover herself up and turn off the water while at the same time, keep the soap out of her eyes. “Damn you! Look what you’re making me do!”
Angelo chuckled, mesmerized by her lush curves that were all warm and rosy from the hot shower. “What did I do? I’m standing over here in the doorway.”
She stomped her foot, irritated that he was being so obtuse. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, pushing a dollop of bubbles out of her eyes. “In my house!” she clarified.
“I came by to make sure you were coming to dinner tonight. I suspected that you would wimp out on me.”
She gritted her teeth and glared right back. “I still haven’t decided if I’m going or not. I don’t need the business and I certainly don’t think I need the irritation of you as a client.” She simply couldn’t believe she was talking to a potential client like this. Not to mention, speaking to a man like Angelo Donati, male extraordinaire, while in her shower wearing only a towel and bubbles to protect her from his too-knowing gaze, neither of which were doing a very good job of hiding her nakedness from him. “Would you mind getting out of my bathroom?” she demanded, her fist holding the towel around her carefully since it was in jeopardy of falling down.
“What’s wrong with me in your bathroom? I’ve seen a naked woman before.” He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest, appearing as if he were relaxed and ready to look at her body for the rest of the night.
She couldn’t believe his gall! “A gentleman would remove himself and go wait in the living room,” she growled out with a pretend smile, shooting daggers at him. Of course, a gentleman wouldn’t have entered her house in the first place.
His response was a slow, sexy smile, his eyes lighting up with mischief. “A gentleman wouldn’t have even come into your bathroom. So I guess that means I’m definitely not a gentleman.”
“Pretend!” she almost yelled at him.
Angelo was so charmed by her anger that he threw back his head and laughed. But he did as she commanded, leaving the bathroom but he didn’t close the door. His gentlemanly instincts, as narrow as they were, didn’t bring him to that level of selflessness.
He stepped back into her bedroom, smiling when he heard the bathroom door slam shut with a click of the lock. He didn’t mind though. As long as that door was closed, he could roam about her house, discover more about her. And wouldn’t that infuriate her even more! What an appealing thought.
He strolled over to her closet and sifted through her clothes, pulling out one after another of her dresses, discarding almost all of them until he came to a red chiffon in a wraparound style. He loved this style on women. The neckline always plunged, hugging a woman’s breasts and showing just enough cleavage to be enticing and yet still trying to appear demure. He added a red, lace thong that he discovered in her drawer and a pretty, red lace bra that was barely anything at all. Yes, he thought as he laid all three items out on her bed, the woman would look stunning in this dress. And without it, he thought with relish.
When the shower shut off, he walked over to her bathroom door and knocked. “I have your outfit ready for you,” he said through the silence.
Jade simply could not believe the audacity of the man! “You went through my closet?” she demanded, fury rising up to almost choke off the words.
“And your drawers,” he replied, aware that his amusement