The Emperor

Lori rolled her eyes at her sister's lingo

and looked around the dressing area for her shoes. She spotted them under a chair. Pumps, she quickly discovered, were not at all comfortable at six in the morning. She gritted her teeth as she forced her swollen feet into the tiny bits of black leather. “You wouldn't happen to know where he lives would you?” she asked Tabby. “It was dark when he brought me here.” She left out the part about being too distracted by the handsome man to pay any attention to directions.

"You're in luck because I do know where he lives. A friend of mine posed for him once, and she was just too happy to drive me by his house and brag about how great it had been."

A horrible stab of jealousy tore through her. “What friend?"

Tabby tsked. “Jealous, sis?"

Lori took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Forget I asked. Just please come and get me."

They said their goodbyes, and Lori let out a sigh of relief. She'd be back in her own apartment soon. She could whine and blubber over the loss of her heart in solitude. Oh goodie.

Lori left the dressing room and used the remote to close the hidden door. Should she write a note? She'd never done the note thing, but then she'd never had a one-nighter either. Err, a two-nighter actually.

She grabbed a pen and an old grocery list from the inside of her purse, then started scribbling out an it was great, thanks bunches when her eyes began to fill with tears.

Well, she'd almost made it home before the waterworks started.

She swiped at her face and propped the note against the sketch he'd done of her. Lori stared at it, still shocked at the way he'd drawn her. The sketch made her feel special, but that was naïve considering he'd probably sketched hundreds of women. As she remembered Tabby's words about her friend posing for Gideon, her throat closed up. Oh yeah, she was real special.

She flung her purse over her shoulder and turned around.

Oops. Too late. The sleeping Beast was now fully conscious and leaning against the doorway to the studio. He'd put on a pair of black pajama bottoms, and she barely stopped herself from drooling. The gleam in his eyes had her trembling. He looked as if he wanted to give her another of his titillating spankings. Instead of feeling indignant over the idea, her body betrayed her with a rush of arousal. Drat it! Had she no self-control at all where this man was concerned?

"Damn right I'd like to spank you.” He started toward her. “Going somewhere, love?"

He was back to reading her mind. She wanted to chastise him, but he looked so yummy with his dark hair all around his shoulders and his bare feet. Jesus, even his feet were sexy. She wanted to jump his bones all over again. Dang it, two nights should have held her over. She'd even been prepared to use the memories of what they'd shared to sustain her for the next fifty lonely years.

Gideon's wicked smiled told her he'd caught her thoughts. Great, just what she needed. As he made his way across the room, Lori stiffened her spine. Resisting him wasn't going to be easy, but she was determined to hang onto at least a morsel of her dignity.

* * * *

Lori might be trying to run, but she was just as attracted to him now as she'd been last night and the night before. Gideon wasn't above using the knowledge to his advantage.

Only a few feet away now, Gideon reached out and stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Why didn't you wake me?"

She shrugged. “There was no reason to wake you."

"You don't think?"

"No, I don't,” she whispered.

"You spent two nights with me. We've made love more times than I can count, and you're just going to walk away without a word?"

Her expression changed to annoyance. “Isn't that what casual is all about? No strings? No promises?"

Gideon let his fingers travel over her chin to her neck. “I thought we'd established this isn't casual."

"Did we?"

"I don't feel like letting you go, and I'm not amused by your Dear John note either."

She stepped out of his reach. “You can't tell me you want a relationship, Gideon. We only just met."

He advanced on her, but she retreated. He stopped and held out his hands. “I'm not going to hurt you so quit cowering."

"I'm not cowering,” she muttered.