In the darkness of the room, the flickering white light from the monitor highlighted her in a breathtaking glow, the smile on her face brightening her face simultaneously. Her expression faltered for just an instant, as if she realized the faux pas of moving into such an intimate position. Bast tightened his arms around her though, letting primal instinct have its way.
“You are very tempting,” he said, his voice thick and strained. “I still don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“It doesn’t have to be a good idea. I need a place to stay and you need a nurse. That’s me. Kind of.”
“So I just became your boss? Kind of?”
Alice’s lips broadened into a mischievous smile. “Absolutely.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, yeah.” Her gaze went to his chin, almost searing in its intensity. After a coy glance, she pushed away from him. Her fingers trailed over a letter opener he’d left on the desk, and something about the way she caressed the metal was both seductive and arousing. What he wouldn’t give to have her touch him again like that. She didn’t seem to notice his scrutiny of her, adding, “I mean, I don’t have any formal training or anything, but what could go wrong?”
He snorted. “That fills me with loads of confidence.” Bast folded his arms over his chest, at once confused and amused. “Why am I agreeing to it again?”
“I don’t see anyone else around, so I guess you’re stuck with me.”
No, he wasn’t, but damn if he could stop himself from behaving otherwise. “You’re so goddamned innocent. What if I’m trying to take advantage of you?”
“Nah, I don’t believe that. If you’re not still sick, you’re at least recovering. You wouldn’t want to drain the last of your strength on frivolous activities.”
He choked out a laugh. “Frivolous activities?”
She began backing away, one sure step behind the other. Her mood had buoyed, and he supposed having a place to stay for one more night had something to do with it.
Bast stalked after her, matching her pace. Slow. Methodical. A cat after his mouse. “You’re forgetting one thing, Alice.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“It’ll take a lot more than two or three hours of frivolous activities to drain the last of my strength. Don’t forget, I...”
Her breath quickened, and he watched the color in her face brighten.
“Don’t.”
He smelled her arousal now. Might have been the game quickening her breath; might have been his presence causing her eyes to dilate. Either way, he reveled in the signs that she was turned on.
“Get.”
Alice squeaked when she bumped into a wall. Instead of fleeing for safety, she flattered against it. Her breasts heaved beneath the force of her quickened breaths. Her once-damp hair had dried into a small crown of frizz, the tips framing her face. She sucked in her bottom lip to chew on it, and he had a sudden flash of remembrance. As if they’d done this before.
“You don’t get...?” she asked softly.
He mentally shook off the sensation then crossed the few feet between them, blocking any retreat she might have had. “Sick.”
* * *
Oh, wow. Alice’s heart threatened to kick its way out, the excitement of the moment more than she’d faced in a year. Bast was so damned good-looking!
Her fingers crept over the tight terrain of his abdomen, the ridges and valleys of definition worth memorizing. His T-shirt clung to his body as well, jealously guarding a vision of near masculine perfection. But she’d already seen it. Even now, she slipped her eyes closed in order to recall the memory.
His kiss was possessive, laying claim to her lips as if he explored them every day of his life. Even the grip tightening around her waist was meant to ensure she submitted to being owned.
In another time, in another life, she would have relished it. Today, Alice had to wrench her mind away from drugging kisses and seductive holds. She ignored the feel of a man pressed tightly against her body, the evidence of his arousal burgeoning against her stomach. The days of being able to appreciate being a woman were long gone.