think I am.”
Her heart flipped in her chest. That’s exactly what a good guy would say. She stepped forward, close enough to catch a whiff of his scent, a mix of clean soap with spices from the cologne he’d put on earlier, and to top it off, a blatant masculinity oozed from his every pore. “You don’t even know me and you’ve tried to make me feel comfortable. Thank you.”
He dipped his head lower, and she didn’t retreat. Her heart hammered in her chest, in her ears, in her throat. “Maybe I have ulterior motives.”
“Maybe I have them, too.” She’d just needed to come to terms with them. Her desire drilled through her, showing her who was boss. “I was thinking…you said you’d charge five hundred thousand a night, right?” she said, every part of her bursting with excitement.
His eyes darkened, the hint of a smile curling his lips. “Yes.”
Her stomach dipped to the floor, only to bounce back and drop again. “Well, what a coincidence,” she said, doing her best to sound in control. To sound like the Madam Alexa people read about, shrewd and seductive, unlike the insecure woman who’d inhabited her soul all these years. A sad, lonely woman who was about to take a risk. “That’s what I charge, too. So maybe we can call it even and just enjoy each other?”
Chapter Four
“I’ve been fantasizing about this win-win ever since I met you,” Brooks said, pulling her inside and closing the door behind her.
Guilt pinched him, but he brushed it aside. Yes, he surely wasn’t the good guy she imagined him to be. If he were, he’d have denied her advances. After dinner, when they’d talked, he’d noticed vulnerability in her eyes, and once again, fleetingly, when she’d knocked on his door. She didn’t do this kind of thing every day. She’d chosen him.
And he’d break her heart in the end. Hurting her gave him no pleasure, but he needed answers about Pamela and getting closer to her would help him.
He drew her to him, kissing her with the rage of a tropical storm, his tongue parting her lips and thrusting inside. She linked her arms around him, and he lifted her from the ground, taking her to his bed.
His body throbbed for her with a fierceness that defied common sense. She looked amazing without any makeup, wearing a nightgown that outlined her sexy curves. She’d lowered her wall, and damn, he’d take it. He’d take it all.
When he placed her on his bed, she withdrew a bit, splaying her hand on his chest and pushing him away. “Just so you know, I haven’t done this in a while.”
“That’s okay.” He caressed her cheek, his fingers outlining her jaw. “I haven’t, either.” Hell, it’d been well more than a year since he’d broken up with Adelaide. After learning of Pamela’s death, regret had taken over him, leaving no room for any other emotions.
“I find that hard to believe,” she said in a soft voice, flashing him a coy smile.
For a second, she resembled a virgin bride on her first night, instead of a world-class madam. Which idea scared him the most?
He lowered himself on top of her, catching a whiff of the warm vanilla notes of her perfume. She traced his jaw with the tip of her fingers, and an electric energy charged between them, shooting down his body, accelerating his heart. His cock hardened, balls growing heavier and fuller.
He caught her index finger in between his lips and nipped it. She moaned, a sexy, hearty, raspy sound that only added to his already high degree of arousal. She didn’t look away, and flames of blue fire shimmered in her eyes. She slid her finger inside his mouth, and he licked it, sucking her flesh, without taking his eyes off hers for a moment.
Then, he took it out and kissed her hand, peppering kisses on her wrist, trailing a path up her arm and shoulders. Goose bumps rose on her flesh, and he continued his nipping and kissing until his mouth found the delicate curve of her smooth neck.
She moaned again, squirming under him, but he didn’t let up. He licked her warm skin, feeling her pulse throb against his tongue. She shoved her fingers into his hair, wrapping her legs around him, squeezing him into a hold he wished he could never escape.
He bit her neck, then sucked a little, earning another long-winded moan from her. His blood ran hot and thick in his veins,