Tempting the Billionaire (Love in the Balance 1)

The terrifying truth was he’d found solace in her. And found himself wishing he had more to offer.

Which was why he stood, palm dampening in hers, his throat constricting and cutting off his air supply. Had she seen the truth written across his face? Was she about to call him on it?

“Okay,” Crickitt said, yanking him out of his thoughts. “But only because you asked.”

Shane licked his suddenly parched lips, involuntarily squeezing her fingers as her blue, blue eyes rose to meet his.

“I’d like to do what we did last night,” she said, her voice low. “All of it. Right now.”

A laugh burst from Shane’s lips. “Oh, honey”—he blew out a breath of relief—“so would I.”

* * *

Crickitt sat up in Shane’s bed and ran a hand through her unruly curls. She grumbled about how rolling around on her damp hair made it a tangled mess, but Shane thought she looked ravishing. And since he’d ravished her, he supposed it was an accurate description.

They’d made love twice today already, stopping for sandwiches he insisted on eating in bed. The term “made love” made him twitchy, but he couldn’t label what happened between them as mere sex. It was more than that. An idea that should have him running screaming into the hills. Instead, he stayed at her side and forced himself to relax. Just because Crickitt was different didn’t mean they were slip-sliding into relationship territory.

He could enjoy spending time with her without crossing the line into neediness. And how could he not respond to her when she was so transparent? So genuinely open. He touched her and her eyes grew dark and wide, he kissed her and she kissed him back, he complimented her many glorious assets and she swatted him playfully.

Then again, who was he kidding? He’d have to be superhuman to keep from reacting to this woman. And he’d been happy to return the favor. Over and over. Remembering the cry he’d wrung from her moments ago, his chest puffed with pride.

“You’re looking awfully smug.” Crickitt clutched the sheets to her body and scrambled for her shirt. Shane wrenched a hand around it.

“It’s not every day a beautiful woman appreciates my smooth moves.”

“Only every other?” she asked drily.

“What is with you and getting dressed?” he asked, ignoring her comment.

She tugged on the shirt, but he held tight. Realizing the standoff could last a while, she let go and moved the sheet to cover herself again. “Ronald didn’t like us to be naked, after.”

Shane frowned. He’d already relegated Ronald to the role of village idiot. This new information slid him down the scale several notches. What sane man wouldn’t want Crickitt’s supple, nude body pressed into his?

That thought had him frowning deeper. He didn’t want to think about Crickitt with anyone other than him. Yet she’d hinted she was mentally calculating his past lovers, hadn’t she? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to save a little face. “There haven’t been as many women in my life as you might think,” he told her.

Crickitt held up a hand like a stop sign. “I don’t want to know.”

“I wasn’t going to tell you”—he shrugged—“unless you asked.”

Keeping the sheet over her breasts, she put her fingers in her ears and hummed. When she stopped, he said, “It’s not like I do this all the time. The last time I had a girlfriend was—”

She hummed louder. Shane pulled her hands away. “You are doing a striking imitation of your Hear No Evil monkey.” She smirked at him. Now that he had her attention, he said, “For the record, I don’t care how many sexual partners you’ve had.”

“Ha! Now there’s a short subject.”

He waited.

“No, no,” she said. “I don’t think so.”

“Come on.” He wasn’t sure why he wanted to know. He’d never asked anyone that question before. But it was too late. His curiosity was piqued. Especially since she didn’t want to tell him. “Come on.”

“You think that two-word command gets you whatever you want, don’t you?” She was trying to reprimand him, but her mouth broadened into a smile of defeat.

Yeah, she was going to tell him.

“Ronald.”

Shane rolled his eyes. “Duh. You were married for nine years, I figured. And?”

“You,” she said.

“Again, duh.” He gestured to his naked body.

She looked at him.

“Just tell me,” he said.