Bedded by the Boss (Louisiana Liaisons 3)

His words were short, direct. "Eat your food."

****

After dinner, Renee found herself efficiently herded to the car, buckled in and driving down the interstate at a fast clip before she even realized which direction they were driving. Butterflies churned in her stomach.

"Where are we going?" The distress in her voice was haunting.

He reached down between them and entwined her hand with his. He squeezed it slightly and continued to drive.

"R-Robert. I want to go home now, please." Her voice shook.

"All in good time. We're just taking a drive. It's a pretty night. Look at that moon out the window." His voice was smooth, soothing, seductive.

She lapsed into silence and the drive continued. She wanted him to take her home, but she knew that wasn't going to happen unless she threw a screaming, hissy fit. She didn't want to do that. It was too embarrassing to contemplate. And there was another reason she didn't do it. She wanted to be with him so desperately. She didn't really have the will or the desire to fight him any longer. She was fighting herself more than him.

Minutes later, he pulled into a gated, suburban community and lowered his speed to a crawl. He pressed a button on his dash and the garage door of a large, brick house began to go up.

Her nerves shot to hell. "Robert--"

He cut her off. "Nothing's going to happen that you don't want to happen," he said as he glanced at her. "Or is that what you're afraid of? Afraid you want it to happen?" He turned his focus on pulling the car into the garage.

Renee didn't answer. The engine was cut and she waited for him to open her door. He ushered her into his home through the backdoor and Renee found herself in a large, spotless kitchen. It was decorated in the Tuscan style, with lots of black wrought iron and stone in the floors and backsplash. Bright, earthy colors in dark blues and greens dominated the color scheme. It was beautiful, and any woman who liked to cook would love the room. She was no exception, but didn't have time to appreciate it as his hand landed on the small of her back and guided her through to the living room. He turned on a dimmer switch, creating soft, subdued lighting. His hand dropped from her back to entangle her fingers as he faced her and started walking backwards, pulling her over to the couch while his eyes held hers.

She felt it all the way to her toes. She had no strength to try to stop him, and made the unconscious decision to follow his lead.

"Do you know how many days, Renee?" His voice was low and raspy as he sat on the couch and pulled her down beside him.

"H-how many days, wh-what?" She tried to control the trembling, but was totally conscious of the fact that she had never wanted another man in her whole life as much as she wanted this one.

"How many days I've wanted you. How many days you've driven me crazy." His hands tangled through her hair and lifted her face to his. "It's been fifty-three goddamn days. I give up, sweetheart. I surrender." His mouth came down on hers, his lips firm and caressing.

A delicious feeling of irresistible craving consumed her, and she forcibly shut her mind down on anything that would take that feeling away. This was all she would think about right now. She very well knew it had been fifty-three days since they had met, and the realization that he knew it too, for whatever reason, only compounded the emotions sliding through her. She had been on a precipice all that time, and she was going to let go. He wanted control; she wanted him to take it.

Her mouth opened more fully under his. He lifted her chin and drank from her, took deep kisses that tormented them both. His manner of kissing was intoxicating, leaving her on a knife's edge. He would take soft kisses, gentle whispers of flesh touching, then would plunge his tongue in and devour her like he needed her mouth for sustenance. And then it would start again. His fingers speared through her hair, he held her captive in his hold while his lips touched hers lightly, softly, their breathing harsh and difficult.

Through a haze of desire, Renee registered that he was trying to go slow, trying to maintain control. The provocative image of an out of control Robert Thibodeaux danced through her mind. The image was unequivocally addictive. She wanted that someday. It never occurred to her to be afraid he might hurt her; he was too in command of his own body for that.

Renee surfaced from her thoughts when he slid his arms under her knees and stood all in one smooth motion. He never staggered under her weight, far from it. He had the physique of a linebacker, the steely strength of an athlete, and it allowed him to lift her body without even a mild display of exertion.

He immediately turned and made his way down a darkened hallway.

Renee's brain scrambled with dizziness from the speed of the movement and she clutched him around the neck and closed her eyes against his chest to lessen the whirling in her head. The light-headedness left her abruptly and a delicious languor filled her senses.

His scent was all around her. She took deep, steadying breaths as he moved unhesitatingly down the dark corridor. His masculine aroma filled her nostrils, she didn't want to move away from him.

He shouldered a door wide, and backed into it, carrying her over to a large bed and dropping her to her knees on its edge. A faint stream of light came in from the moonlight through the windows.

His hands moved down to the buttons on her blouse and swiftly opened them. He pushed the shirt from her shoulders and divested her of it completely. Her white bra glowed in the darkened room. His inhalations became ragged as he unclipped her bra and pulled it from her arms.

He wasted no time, and his hands moved to the snap of her pants and he flicked the button and slid open the zipper. He pushed them down her hips, drawing her panties down with them. His hands were firm and sure and he pushed her to her butt as he stripped the garments from her body, taking her high heels with them.

She was naked on his bed. She quivered when a low growl rumbled from his chest.

Robert fought through a black haze of pure lust as his eyes fell on her naked form. Jesus Christ. Finally. Had he ever waited this long for a woman? Fuck, no. Women fell into his arms, fell into his bed, and then wanted to stay there.

Not so with Renee. She had fought back from day one. But that was over. The hunt. The retreat. And finally the capture.

Now he was