Seducing The Wolf - By Marisa Chenery Page 0,24
her elbows, Billie looked around Royce's bedroom. The night before she had been too distracted to see what it really looked like. All she had been interested in was seeing where the bed was. Now that lust wasn't clouding her brain, she took the time to look around her.
The room had been decorated to a man's taste. The colors were dark and rich. No pastels to be found in this room. The walls had been painted a deep tan to match the thick wall to wall carpeting on the floor. The furniture was solid looking and the color of dark oak.
When her gaze rested on the night stand beside the bed, Billie found a framed photograph sitting on it. Sliding across the bed, she picked it up to take a closer look. It was a picture of Royce standing with two women. The younger of the two Billie recognized. It was Roxie. The older lady, who Roxie greatly resembled, Billie assumed must be her mother. The way the three of them were standing together in the photograph, she didn't think it would be too much of an assumption to say they were related in some way. It also explained Royce's interest in Roxie. Billie had heard his loud shout of exclamation at the club the night before. That could also explain his quietness after he had spoken with Roxie. Obviously he had been worried about something Roxie had told him.
At that moment Royce returned to the bedroom. His wet hair was slicked back and he only wore a towel around his waist. Evidently he had been in the shower. Billie swallowed. The man's body was perfection. There wasn't an inch of fat on him anywhere, and she should know considering she had explored every part of him during the night. She let her gaze run down his sculpted chest to his washboard stomach. Coming level with the towel, Billie felt her mouth suddenly go dry. The towel was tented in an interesting place that drew and held her gaze.
"I see you are finally awake." Royce moved closer to the bed.
Billie reluctantly dragged her gaze up to his face and sat up with the sheet held to her chest. "I see you already had a shower. Why didn't you wake me up? I would have enjoyed washing your back, among other things." She let her gaze flick down to his crotch then back up again.
Royce chuckled. "I'm sure you would have, but I thought it best to let you sleep."
"Well, you didn't have to get out of bed before I did. You could have slept in with me."
"I would have except your cell phone has been ringing every fifteen minutes for the last hour."
"It has?"
"Yes. It woke me up. I didn't realize it was your cell phone until I followed the sound downstairs and heard the noise coming from your purse." Royce stopped talking and cocked his head. "It's ringing again. I'll go bring your purse up for you."
Billie shook her head. Royce had to have the most acute hearing of anyone she knew. She couldn't hear a thing. It wasn't until he stepped back into the bedroom with her purse did she hear that indeed it was her cell phone ringing.
Putting the picture down on the bed next to her, Billie quickly took her purse from Royce and fished out her cell phone. "Hello?" She wasn't surprised to hear Hayes' voice coming from the other end.
"Finally. I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning."
Billie looked at Royce and rolled her eyes. "Hayes, you'd better be calling me to tell me Janice has gone into labor, because that is about the only thing that would justify you calling me so early in the morning."
"It's ten o'clock, Billie. I'd hardly say that it's too early to be calling someone, especially when it's my sister."
"It seems early to me, okay? I just got up."
"What do you mean you just got up, and where were you sleeping? I called your place first and I kept getting your answering machine."
"Do the words 'it's none of your business' mean anything at all to you, Hayes?"
"You're our baby sister, Billie. You know we'll never stop looking out for you."
"Oh, lucky me," Billie replied sarcastically. "You can tell Dad I'll be at the gym later. You can also tell the rest of the boys that you talked to me and I'm alive and well. One more thing, if you don't stop calling me, Hayes, I