He eyed the notebook.
He shouldn’t.
But he was going to.
Why would his by-the-book actuary be hiding a notepad in her bathroom linen cupboard?
He acknowledged a twinge of guilt, yet hunkered down on the bathroom floor, back to the tub. It did feel good to get off his leg, although he wouldn’t be admitting that to Dani. Instead, he riffled through the pages. Many were blank, but others were covered with long, orderly lists. Supplies to purchase, cabin-cleaning rotations and some kick-ass plans for a new flower bed. None of that merited concealment, so he kept reading with an ear cocked toward the bedroom.
There. The last list before the remainder of blank pages started. Three neat numbered columns with headings in all caps. He knew Dani’s handiwork when he saw it. When he scanned the columns, he hit the jackpot. His Dani had an imagination—and one incredibly sensual bucket list.
She’d listed her sexual fantasies.
And prioritized them.
Row by row, she’d laid out one naughty scenario after another—complete with her predictions about how he’d react. And then how she’d react. One column for him and one for her.
Yeah. He’d be happy to help her out.
He wanted to hold her, to touch her and love her. He’d admitted that much to himself. From the moment he’d spied her standing on the beach in that little white crocheted bikini, he’d been a goner. So he’d taken the room at Sweet Moon without complaining—too much—and he’d done his best to get closer. A lot closer. She’d been running, though, and he didn’t blame her. They didn’t have the best history, but he suspected someone else had hurt her a lot more and recently, too.
And yet she’d made this list. He read it a second time.
Dani tapped on the door. “It’s safe to come out now.”
There was wry humor in her voice.
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, his own voice sounding hoarse. “Be there in two.”
He ran his finger down the list. Sex before a roaring fire, sex on the beach, a list of cross-references to some Cosmo articles and a kind of kissing that—and he knew a grin was splitting his face, because this was so perfect—involved his tongue on a very personal part of Dani’s anatomy. He’d happily do all that and more. This was the roadmap to Dani’s own seduction with a path straight to her likes and dislikes.
A man couldn’t ask for more than that.
10
ITEM ONE ON Dani’s list: a hot fire and a heart-to-heart in front of the flames, followed by slow, sweet seduction. Talking wasn’t Daeg’s strong suit, but he knew how to build a fire, and more than anything, he wanted to give her the kind of intense pleasure she’d never had before.
Once he had the shower hot enough for Dani, he stepped into the bedroom and spotted her still fully dressed. That was a disappointment, given the image he had of her towel-wrapped body, but he’d work with what he had.
“Shower’s ready.” He gestured toward the bathroom with his flashlight in hand.
“Then you’d better get back on in there.” Sugar wouldn’t melt in her voice. He mentally scanned her list and, sure enough, there wasn’t an item on there that involved being told what to do, which was too bad for her. The inside intel was good, but they would still have to handle this the right way.
“You’re wet.” What had she been doing while he was in there? Because she sure hadn’t changed. Or dried her hair any. The strands clung to her face and shoulders.
“So are you.”
“Right.” He winked at her and grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt. With one swift pull, he took the shirt off and dropped it on the floor. “Which is why I’m changing. You’re welcome to use the bathroom if you’d prefer not to watch.”
She marched into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.
“Water’s hot,” he yelled after her.
Apparently, he hadn’t lost his touch.
Grinning, he stripped off his wet gear and pulled on sweats and a dry shirt. Starting a fire in the big fireplace took five minutes, leaving him with far too much time to think about the fact that only a door separated him from a naked Dani. His imagination obligingly drew a superb, sexy picture of her standing among the billowing steam, water sluicing down her body. She’d be all smooth sweetness if she used the basket of bath products he’d spotted by the side of the tub. Raspberries. He loved that rich scent with a hint of tartness.