Spinning around, she hurried into her bedroom and closed the door. She considered locking it, but suspected that the snick of the lock might just throw him over the edge. It would be a challenge he couldn’t resist and the man was on the cliff already. No sense in making things worse by tossing down a gauntlet.
But she did grab her clothes and stepped into her tiny bathroom, locking that door. Not because she thought that the lock would keep him out. Simply because it made her feel safer.
She showered quickly, not bothering to wash her hair because it would take too long and she’d just washed it last night before for the charity event.
So fifteen minutes later, she was stepping into her kitchen, feeling better now that she was showered and clean, wearing leggings and a warm sweatshirt. She’d even pulled on socks, not wanting any bare skin to be showing.
When she stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, she felt his eyes move up and down her body but couldn’t interpret his smirk.
“What?” she demanded, too tired and frustrated to deal with his strange looks this morning.
He turned back and pulled a mug out of her small cabinet. “You think that hiding all of your skin is going to keep you safe?” He poured her a cup, handing it to her before he leaned back against her kitchen counter, still looking at her with that strange, sexy expression on his handsome features.
She shifted on her feet, irritated that he’d seen through her attempts. “I’m comfortable,” she told him, her chin jutting upwards slightly.
“It isn’t going to work.” He poured coffee for himself and cradled the mug in his hands as he looked down at her in the sunny kitchen. “The problem isn’t the clothes, Naya. It’s the woman underneath the clothing. I want you. I don’t give a damn if you’re in a cocktail dress, a business suit, a fluffy robe, or leggings.” He stopped talking, his lips curling into a smile that had her stomach tightening with awareness. And that was before he said, “I love the way your bottom looks in those leggings, by the way. Amazingly round and tempting. And I’ve already seen that you paint your toenails a bright, sexy red.” He leaned down closer to her, his voice going deeper. “I know the sounds you make when I kiss you right here,” he continued as his finger ran along her neck. “And here,” he said and his rough finger moved along her overly sensitive skin.
Naya shivered and stepped back, holding her coffee mug in front of her like a shield. “Luke…”
He stopped her protests with a finger to her lips. “No. Don’t you dare tell me that we’re not exploring this. First, I’m going to figure out what you meant last night when you said you were in survival mode, but,” and he shook his head again when she opened her mouth to interrupt him, “I’m fairly certain that you’re not going to explain it to me.” When her mouth snapped shut and her eyes confirmed the truth, he continued. “So here’s the plan. We’re going to slow down. As much as I can, I will not touch you. I won’t kiss you, except when the temptation is too much. And you’re going to open up to me.”
She almost laughed at his outrageous arrogance. He really was incredibly handsome but she couldn’t fall victim to his charm or his cracked logic. “I’m not,” she argued right back, unaware of the challenging sparkle in her eyes.
He laughed. “You are, because I’m charming and funny and you’re my new real estate agent.”
Naya blinked, completely confused. “You’re irritating and annoying, and you don’t need a real estate agent. You have your condo, and I’m guessing, it is amazing.”
He leaned down, trapping her against her countertop with his hands against the granite on either side of her. “You’ll find out about my condo soon enough. But I’ve found that it no longer suits me. I want to build a house. And in order to do that, I need my brother, Logan, to design it and my other brother, Teague, to build it.”
Instantly, all of her fatigue was swept away with a huge the spurt of curiosity. “Wow! Designing your own home! That must be exciting,” she enthused and smiled up at him, genuinely intrigued.