recon work. You should stay here and—”
“What if I want to tempt you?” No, no, no. She hadn’t meant to say that. She’d meant to say something a million times different from that. She also had not meant for her voice to come out all husky and sexy.
Dex whirled toward her. “Excuse me?”
Tell him that you can help with recon. Tell him that you can handle Tim. Tell him— “You’re jealous. You say you want me.” She needed some clarity. “I just don’t get—” She stopped.
“What? What is it that you don’t get?”
Fine. Cards on the table. “Where do I stand with you?”
His eyes widened. “Where do you want to stand?”
Her arms wrapped around her stomach. This was so hard. “I feel like I’m barely holding things together right now.”
“Baby…”
“You know, I should hate that endearment. You don’t mean it. You just toss it out.”
“The hell I do. I don’t call anyone else—”
“But I like it,” she told him with a roll of one shoulder. “And I don’t know why.” An exhale. “Just like I don’t know why I feel better when you’re close. You’ve lied to me and used me, and I should be running as far from you as I can, but I’m in this suite with you, and I…” Once more, she stopped.
Dex waited. Waited a little more. “Do not leave me hanging.” His voice sounded strangled. “What do you want?”
You. But if she confessed that, would she be the one using him? “Forget it.” She walked away. “Do your recon work at the cabin. I’ll do recon at the lodge. I want to talk to some staff members and guests and see what I can turn up today—”
“What do you want?”
She wasn’t looking at him. She’d almost made it to the bedroom. “I want to feel like I did last night.” An absolute truth. “Like I’ve never experienced so much pleasure and like nothing else matters. I know it wasn’t real—what was between us last night. I know it wasn’t meant to last, but…” She swallowed the lump in her throat and admitted, “I hurt today.”
“If I could, I would take away all of your pain.”
Funny. He sounded as if he meant those words. I want to believe him. She looked over her shoulder at him. “What do you want, Dex? What is it that you want most in the world?”
“I’m looking at her.”
She could see the desire in his eyes. Had he been hiding it all along? Because it was suddenly blazing in his gaze and etched onto his face. He stared at her as if he wanted to pounce, and she didn’t move. If they were doing this again, if they were going down this path, there had to be… “Rules,” she gasped out.
He gave her a slow, wicked smile even as he began to close the distance between them. “Oh, sweetheart, do you have safe words you want me to use? Absolutely. You tell me, and I will gladly burn them into my memory.”
Her breathing hitched. “Chocolate truffles, but no…”
“No?” His hands had gone to the front of his shirt. He was slowly undoing the buttons. “No to what?”
“I didn’t plan to use safe words.”
“Because nothing is off-limits?” His sexy smile flashed again. “I am down.” He dropped the shirt. Kept closing in on her.
She put her hand on his chest. That hot, hard, muscled chest. “I really need rules,” she whispered. “This is important to me.”
“You’re important to me.”
Her gaze collided with his.
“Tell me,” Dex invited.
“You don’t lie to me. You don’t use me again. I get that this isn’t real. It’s just sex and not some kind of actual relationship—”
A muscle flexed along his jaw.
“But I expect honesty from you. In return, you’ll get honesty from me.” There. Good. Her fingers were stroking his chest. Naughty fingers. They were sliding down his chest. Moving to the top of his pants. Then slip, slip, slipping down a few more inches. Cupping the long, hot length of his cock that she could feel shoving against the fabric. He was definitely ready. So am I. Lacey began undoing his belt. Releasing the button on his pants. Easing down the zipper. “Do you…ah…” She licked her lips and leaned forward. Her lips feathered over the strong column of his throat. “Have any rules for me?”
“Just one.”
One. She could handle one. Sure. Why not? Her hands were in his pants, and he wasn’t wearing boxers or briefs and she was touching his dick. Thick. Long. “Wh-what’s