Tall, Dark and Irresistible (Tall, Dark and Sexy 2)

“Oh, you two are so cute,” her mother said, almost gleefully.

Peyton lowered her hand from Leo’s chest and settled back beside him, though it was hard to ignore the sexual tension now shimmering between them. Somehow, she managed a bright smile for her mom and dad. “I’ll go with Leo to get his things and check out from the hotel so he can stay in the guesthouse with me,” she told her parents. At least they’d have a little alone time to finally discuss him agreeing to be her fake boyfriend.

Her father slid his hands into the front of his slacks, seemingly just as happy as Peyton’s mother that their daughter was in a stable relationship. “If we don’t see you tonight, then we’ll definitely see you in the morning in the main house for Sunday breakfast. Come hungry, because Tawny will probably make enough to feed a small army.”

Leo chuckled while lightly tracing his fingers down the indentation of Peyton’s spine in a sensual caress. “Not to worry, sir. I’ll definitely bring an appetite.”

Peyton shivered. Dear Lord, why did those words have such a sexual connotation to them? “We’ll definitely be there.”

“Okay, we’ll see you then,” her mother said, giving them both one last delighted look. “Have a good night, you two.”

“Oh, we will,” Leo said, and Peyton hoped she was the only one who heard the wicked connotation in his voice.

Chapter Four

As Peyton’s parents walked away, Leo secured her hand in his much bigger one, which was becoming a much too familiar experience she was coming to enjoy. He led her to a black sporty Mustang and opened the passenger-side door for her to get inside before he rounded the car and got behind the wheel. As soon as they were enclosed in the car together and all alone, he leaned his head back against his seat and groaned.

“I guess we’ll be living together for the next week,” he said, though he didn’t sound that unhappy ab

out the arrangement.

She laughed. “That’s what you get for not calling me so we could talk about all this ahead of time, because I could have told you exactly how all this would play out and how my mother would react. Not to mention her insisting you stay at the house instead of a hotel.”

He turned his head toward her, his warm gaze roaming her face before stopping on her mouth. “We’ll make it work. I can balance business and being an attentive boyfriend, especially if it means I get the benefits that go with that title.”

Obviously, he was referencing their kiss last night, and she couldn’t deny that she wanted more of them, too. “What made you decide to do this for me?” she asked softly, curious to know what had cemented his decision.

“Two reasons, actually,” he said as he lifted a hand and grazed his fingers along her cheek while his thumb skimmed across her bottom lip. “One, I genuinely like you, and two, because it’s been a long time since I’ve just enjoyed being with a woman who makes me laugh and feel good.”

His honesty prompted her own. “Same here,” she admitted, unable to stop the tightening of her nipples beneath her blouse as he trailed those fingers down the side of her neck. “The guys I’ve dated since I’ve been in New York are what I like to call alpha-holes.”

The corner of his mouth quirked curiously. “Alpha-holes?”

She nodded and explained. “Basically, a guy who is a controlling asshole.”

“Ahhh,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ve never been called an asshole, but I have to admit that I do have a few alpha tendencies. I like to protect what’s mine, and I can be a little controlling . . . in the bedroom.”

The breath whooshed out of Peyton, because she could easily envision Leo being sexually assertive. The way he’d kissed her last night had given her a taste of that dominant man who took what he wanted, and it was a quality she admired in a guy. Especially one she was so attracted to.

“So, here’s to a fun, enjoyable week together,” he went on, laying out his own rules. “No pressure for anything more than our pretend relationship, no strings or expectations to complicate things, and then we go back to our regular lives. Me here in San Diego and you in New York.”

She knew he was being practical, and what he was proposing made sense because they did live vastly different lives on opposite ends of the country. But a part of her wished they didn’t have over twenty-three hundred miles separating them, that they could spend the time to see where their attraction might lead if it had the opportunity.

But in reality, the distance between them would be an issue, especially with his business in San Diego. And for all she knew, Leo was still carrying a torch for Amanda. She had no idea how or why they’d broken up, but he’d asked Amanda to marry him and that was as serious as a man’s feelings could get for a woman.

“We both know exactly what to expect, so it makes this arrangement easy and clear-cut,” Leo said, shifting her attention back to him and the way his thumb was gently pressing against that pulse point at the base of her throat. “You get a devoted boyfriend for a week, and I get to spend it with you . . . with one caveat.”

“Which is?”

Even in the dim interior of the vehicle, the desire in his eyes was unmistakable, and she reveled in the knowledge that it was all for her. “As your boyfriend, I have the right to kiss you, anywhere and anytime I want. Does that work for you?”

Peyton swallowed hard and decided that if one week was all he was offering, then she was going to take advantage of every moment with him. With that thought, she leaned across the console toward him and tipped her lips up toward his in a deliberate temptation. “It does work for me, as long as I get the same privileges.”

“Consider it a deal,” he said, right before he curled his fingers around the back of her neck and claimed her mouth in a slow, deep, mutually pleasurable kiss.

* * *

Leo drove his car toward the townhome he’d recently purchased so he could pack up some clothes and toiletries for his unplanned stay with Peyton at her parents’ place for the next week. He kept his hands wrapped around the steering wheel—and off of the woman sitting beside him—and willed the stiff, aching erection in his pants to subside.