He arched a brow at her. “I don’t have a favorite color and I definitely don’t have a favorite flower.”
They both laughed. “Well then, how about a favorite movie or band?”
“Not a lot of time for movies, but my favorite band would probably be Van Halen.”
She pushed at him teasingly. “Careful old-timer, your age is showing.”
“Hey, I’m only thirty-two. I’m in my prime, woman!”
She harrumphed. “Well, I’m a mere twenty-five and you’re way too old for me.”
Jay’s eyes smoldered as he whispered, “My experience is your gain.”
They both fell silent after that erotic promise. Haley finished off the last of her hot chocolate and set the
empty mug on the coffee table. Belatedly, she realized Jay was staring at her.
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“What?”
“How about you tell me more about this dream of yours.”
Her face heated. “What’s there to tell?”
Jay fingered a loose tendril of her hair, causing her heart to beat erratically. “For starters, who’s the
other woman?”
“Marissa isn’t real. At least not physically.”
His left brow rose a little. “How do you know she’s not real? I was in your dream and I’m real.”
Sure of what Marissa symbolized, Haley didn’t have to think about her answer. “She’s a part of me. A
part I’ve kept locked in a cage for too long.”
Jay nodded. “Ah, your naughty girl side, you mean.”
“Yeah, something like that,” she consented, tickled by his description.
“In that case, I’m glad you found the key to the cage and let her out to play with me this weekend.” He
was like a predator suddenly scenting prey. “We’ve had our food, hot chocolate and conversation. Now
I want you in that bed upstairs, handcuffed and at my mercy.”
She swallowed hard at the picture his words invoked. “Now?” she asked, trying not to sound quite so
excited.
“Now,” he whispered. He put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward him.
His kiss tasted of sweet chocolate, and Haley melted. She let him take her mouth. Let him, yeah right, as
if she had a choice in the matter. Her body had overridden her brain the minute she’d set foot in his
cabin. She was helpless to him. At his mercy. She didn’t need to be tied down, she’d gladly do whatever