He put her on her feet next to the bed. “Been to many palaces, have you?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure they look a lot like this.” Her gaze wandered around the room and landed on a water fountain. Actually, it was a rain curtain. It drizzled down in perfect slim streaming lines, only to be caught in a pool below. On another wall, she noticed an entertainment system big enough to make her eyes bulge. The plasma widescreen alone would cost a pretty penny. “That’s cool,” she said.
“Thanks. I made the entertainment cabinet myself. Took some doing; the mahogany was pricey.”
“You’re wonderfully talented.” She turned toward him and caught sight of him leaning against the bedpost, and about fainted. He was sinfully sexy and he was all hers. At least for this one night. Catherine was determined to make the most of it.
The bed, she noticed, was an enormous, four-poster canopy style. All dark wood and draped in a gauzy white cotton fabric. It seemed to be its own little bit of heaven. “You do like to have plenty of room, huh?”
“Oh, yeah,” he murmured.
Catherine noticed another thing. Off to one side stood an easel, and there were pictures strewn all over the place. She crossed the room and picked one up off the floor. It was a sketch of a landscape. “This is really good, but why are they tossed about like this?”
“It’s just something I mess around with. It’s no big deal.”
Catherine shook her head. “I definitely disagree. I wish I had this sort of talent. Heck, I can’t even draw a stick figure.”
“Catherine,” Dean growled.
Her name and nothing more, but it was enough to elevate her temperature. Catherine placed the sketch on the easel before turning around to face him. He was watching her, much like an eagle watched its prey. A slight smile crossed over his face, and her knees went weak. “You’re very sexy,” she blurted out.
He crooked a finger toward her. “Come here,” he softly ordered.
Catherine couldn’t move. Nerves kept her feet rooted to the spot. She glanced down at the floor and saw several sketches, and that’s when it hit her. What did she really know about the man? Well, besides the fact he was her sister’s future brother-in-law and he thought she was a scheming liar. She thought of his questions in the kitchen and realized that while he’d gotten to know her a little better, he was still very much a mystery to her. She hadn’t even known he was an artist until now.
“You know so much about me,” Catherine said, putting her thoughts into words.
“I wouldn’t say that. I know some things, yeah.” When his eyes traveled the length of her, Catherine felt seared clear to her bones. The look of arousal in his gaze was unmistakable.
Still uncertain, Catherine crossed her arms over her chest and said, “But I don’t really know anything about you. You’re very adept at keeping the focus on me, I’ve noticed.”
He shrugged. “That’s because you’re far more interesting.” He paused before adding, “This conversation would be better with you over here, by the way.”
She firmed up her resolve. “I want to know more about you.”
He straightened away from the bedpost and held a hand out to her. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Later. For now, I want you to come over here, Catherine.” His voice was soft, but it was a command all the same.
Catherine narrowed her eyes. “Later? You promise?”
He nodded. “I’m an open book, sweetheart.”
Catherine wasn’t so sure about that. It dawned on her that whenever the conversation came back around to him, he always managed to get it back on her somehow. Still, he’d promised, and Catherine intended to see to it that he kept it. She dropped her arms to her sides and crossed the room.
Once she was within a few feet of him, Dean wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close. “I think I could come up with something much more stimulating to do than talk about me right now, don’t you?”
She didn’t have time to respond before his mouth was once again covering hers. The kiss was rough and demanding, forcing her lips apart. He didn’t bother to wait for her to open them in her own time. He took possession of the soft interior in a way that had her body swaying against his rock-hard chest. Catherine gave in to the need coursing through her and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She sank into his kiss, giving in to the sweet demands her feminine core was suddenly making on her. For once in her life, Catherine didn’t want to think about her next move. She wanted Dean to take the choice from her altogether. And he seemed all too happy to do so.
When he sucked at her lower lip and probed her mouth with his insistent tongue, Catherine’s pussy throbbed. Without warning, Dean bent low and lifted her into his arms, carrying her as if she weighed no more than a child. He placed her on top of the soft downy blankets with such gentle care that Catherine felt her heart melting. He was so big, so strong, and yet he was tender. He came down beside her and propped his head up on his elbow, staring down at her with such reverence that it shook her.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” Catherine asked, putting thought to words.
He touched a finger to her jaw and murmured, “How am I looking at you?”
She locked gazes with him, her jaw firming as she tried to explain the way his eyes seemed to see right into her soul. “You stare at me, and it’s as if you can see my every thought. It’s disconcerting.”
“You’re beautiful, Catherine. I’m the type of person who likes to stop and savor when I see something beautiful. Is that so wrong?”