Taking a deep breath, Amanda tried to calm her racing heart. She shouldn’t be doing this right now. She really should be figuring out the safest way to have Brad without compromising her career. But after that make-out party there was only one option as far as Amanda could tell. Cave in to the lust and get it out of their systems. And what could be more anonymous than a room in a large hotel? As Brad had said, they both had reason to stay quiet.
With that thought, Brad stopped in front of her. His heady male scent attacked her senses with a vengeance. Oh, how she wanted him. She could feel her skin tingling. Her body craved Brad. Craved another touch, another taste.
Their eyes locked and she felt full-body contact. Her nipples tightened, the pull of arousal pulsed deep in her core.
“I reconsidered,” she said, silently daring him to challenge the excuse she was about to deliver. She wished she was brave enough to skip the excuse, but she needed the pretense of work to walk through that hotel door with him by her side. “I want that interview.”
Amanda waited for his response, almost wanting him to say something to screw this up. To give her a reason to back out, to behave like her usual good-girl self.
Brad studied her a long moment, his expression indiscernible. “All right, then,” he said. “An interview it is.”
Though his words were innocent enough, those baby blues of his blazed a degree hotter. The smoldering look he fixed on her had nothing to do with work and everything to do with them steaming up the windows of his truck.
She swallowed, not bothering with a response, deciding they needed privacy more than chatting. They walked through the lobby, his presence beside her like a soft caress across her skin. She could stop here and actually do an interview in any of the empty chairs they passed. That idea filled her with disappointment so she didn’t stop. There was nothing to hold her back from the ultimate sexual encounter but herself.
At the elevator, she pushed the button, feeling more confident about her decision with each passing second. She could feel the weight of his stare, scorching her like the summer sun. Willing her to make eye contact. As if he wanted some sort of confirmation they were on the same page. Well, he’d just have to wait to find out.
The elevator opened and she stepped forward, Brad on her heels as she entered the empty car. The doors shut them inside and the air crackled with electricity. Amanda barely managed to punch the third floor button before she found herself in Brad’s arms, palms pressed to rock hard muscle. She started to melt, a shiver of excitement racing down her spine.
“Just so we’re clear,” he said, his voice low, laced with a raspy quality that suggested arousal. “If I have you alone in a hotel room, I won’t be keeping my hands to myself.”
Her fingers flexed, absorbing the delicious feel of him. “I’d be disappointed if you did.”
She spoke the words boldly. They were absolutely clear. His eyes darkened, and he shifted her hips to align with his. Amanda thrilled at his reaction. She thoroughly enjoyed the power to entice him.
The elevator dinged and she smiled. “Game time,” she whispered as she pushed away from him.
She led him to her room, keeping her gaze averted, never giving him a chance to figure out what her idea of the game might be.
A swipe of the key card and she was in the room, tossing her purse in the corner, and putting distance between herself and Brad. For once, she was taking the lead position in a sexual encounter. Her past had included far too much vanilla sex. Tonight, she wanted spicy hot.
Reveling in the freedom evoked by her thoughts, she faced Brad. Moonlight spilled through the open curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting the room in a dim, sensual glow.
Brad flipped the dead bolt into place before latching the chain. Somehow, the act screamed of dominance and control. Control she wasn’t willing to let him have. Not this time.
He leaned against the wall, one booted leg over the other, one hand in his pocket. The laid-back stance might have been convincing if not for the predatory gleam in his eyes. He watched, waited.
Sliding out of her jacket, she threw it onto the chair in the corner, knowing the message she was sending. Knowing her discarded clothing confirmed his expectation of what would come next.
“Nothing leaves this room,” she said, cautious as always. Her inner vixen might be out to play, but the good girl had a few conditions.
He nodded. “What happens here stays here.”
Her fingers went to her blouse, attracting his gaze. The mood shifted with her action, crackling with anticipation. One by one, she released the buttons, the more skin she showed, the more the air seemed to thicken, the harder it was to breathe.