She gave him a dreamy smile as her head dropped back against the wall. Her lashes appeared too heavy to lift. “It’s been a while,” she said weakly. At long last her gaze found his and a mischievous glint lurked in the depths of her eyes. “And you’re pretty good at this.”
“You haven’t seen anything.”
She slid her fingers up his shoulders and into his hair, pressing the back of his head to urge his mouth toward hers. “Then let’s get this party started.”
“I thought we already had.”
Before she could come up with another sassy retort, he claimed her mouth. Apparently the orgasm hadn’t dampened her fire because Brandee kissed him back with ardent intensity.
Shane began to move inside her once more, determined to take his time and make her climax again. Had he ever been with a woman as wildly sensitive and willing to give herself wholeheartedly to pleasure as Brandee? Her whispered words of encouragement accompanied his every thrust and drove his willpower beyond its limits. But he held on until he felt the tension build in her body again. At last he let himself go in a rush of pleasure as her body bucked and she began to climax again. Sparks exploded behind Shane’s eyes as they went over together.
In the aftermath, there was only the hiss of water pouring from the showerheads and ragged gasps as they strained to recover. But these were distant noises, barely discernible over the stunned, jubilant voice in Shane’s head. He’d known making love to Brandee would be a singularly amazing experience, but he’d underestimated the power claiming her would have on his psyche.
“You should put me down,” she said, her low, neutral tone giving nothing away. “Before something happens.”
Something had already happened. Something immense and unforgettable. Powerful and scary. He was both eager and terrified to repeat the experience. But not yet. First he needed a few seconds to recover. And not just physically.
As soon as she was standing on
her own, he reached to turn off the water, and the instant he took his eyes off her, she scooted out of the shower. He started to follow, but was slowed when a towel shot toward his face. The emotions that had been gathering in him, unsettling yet undeniable, retreated as he snatched the thick terry from the air.
Brandee had used his momentary distraction to slip a robe off the back of the door and wrap it around herself. Water dripped from the ends of her blond hair as she whirled to confront him, chuckling as she caught up another towel and knotted it around her head. Cocooned in plush white cotton, she watched him wrap the towel around his waist.
“Wow,” she said with a bright laugh. “I knew that was going to be fantastic, but you exceeded my expectations.”
Her delight found no matching gladness inside him. From her nonchalant cheerfulness, the experience hadn’t been as transformative for her as it had been for him.
“That’s me,” he said, straining for a light tone. “Satisfaction guaranteed.”
“I’ll make sure I rate you five stars online.” She yawned. “Well, it’s been quite a day. And I still need to get a little work done. See you tomorrow, Delgado.”
Shane had assumed there’d be a round two and now watched in stunned silence as Brandee blew him a kiss and disappeared out the bathroom door. Shane retreated to his room, shadowed by an uneasiness he couldn’t shake. Chasing after her would only give her the upper hand in this wager.
Few knew his inner landscape didn’t match the witty, life-of-the-party exterior people gravitated to. If he went after Brandee right now, he honestly didn’t think he could pull off the cocky, charming version of himself that was his trademark.
She’d blown his mind and then walked away, leaving him hungry for more. But it wasn’t so much his body that was in turmoil, but his emotions. And not because he was worried she might not be as into him as he’d thought.
He’d intended to make love to her again and then spend the night snuggling with her.
Snuggling.
With a groan, Shane flipped open his laptop and stared at the screen, unable to comprehend anything on it. Brandee had definitely won this round. Now it was up to him to make sure that didn’t happen again.
* * *
The following day, Shane agreed to meet Gabe for a drink at the TCC clubhouse bar before dinner. While he waited on his friend, he followed up on a text he’d received a few minutes earlier. The call wasn’t going well.
“I thought I told you last week that I needed that changed,” Shane snarled into his cell phone. “Get it done.”
“Sheesh,” Gabe commented as he slid into the empty seat beside Shane. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or what?”
The question hit a little too close to home. In fact, he hadn’t woken up at all. He’d never fallen asleep. After Brandee’s abrupt departure the night before, he’d busied himself until two o’clock and then laid awake thinking about her and replaying what had happened between them in the shower. And afterward.
Never before had a woman bolted so soon after making love. If anyone put on their clothes and got out, it was him.
“Sorry,” Shane muttered. “Things are way behind at The Bellamy and we’re due to open in a couple months.”
“Things are always running behind. You usually don’t take it out on your contractors.”