That was so out of the blue, she couldn’t stop the burst of laughter. “I can’t fault you there.”
“And I really hate snakes.”
A snort this time. “I promise not to hold that against you.”
He chuckled. “Good to know.”
“But I doubt that I make you nervous.”
Naya realized that he was only inches from her now. How had he done that? She’d backed up, he’d moved to the side. How had he gotten this close?
Devil moves, she thought, glancing to the right and the left. Trapped.
“You’re a very beautiful woman,” he told her, reaching out and touching one of her red curls. “I love your hair.” His green eyes slid over her cheeks. “And your freckles.”
Naya gasped, her hands flying to her nose. “I do not have freckles!” she hissed. “And a gentleman wouldn’t have pointed them out!”
He laughed, a full-bodied sound that sent heat right from her heart down to her pelvis. More than a little disconcerting!
“You have freckles, my beauty. And they’re perfect.”
She grumbled and shifted on her feet. “Yes, well, whatever. Freckles are cute and adorable. Kinda like a cupcake with sprinkles.” Great! The sexiest man alive thinks she’s cute. Just great.
“Yeah. They’re cute. But they only highlight how perfect and pale the rest of your skin is,” he pointed out, the laughter gone from his voice. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
Naya’s mind was trying to keep up, trying to figure out how to stop him from noticing her freckles, but he’d just switched subjects. “Dinner?”
The smile was back, as was the twinkle in those green eyes. “Yes. Dinner. With me.”
“Dinner.”
He laughed and took her hand. “It’s the last meal of the day. Wine. Soft music. Maybe something a bit spicy,” his hand touched her curls again, “to match your hair.”
She was mesmerized for all of five seconds, just staring up at him like a dumbstruck teenager. When she realized that her mouth was most likely hanging open, she took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and moved out of his almost-embrace. “No. Thank you for the invitation and the private tour. But I have to go.”
She walked over to the door, not bothering to look in to any of the other rooms. She had a vague impression of a spacious kitchen, dining room, and living area, all in one large space. Bedrooms…nope. Not investigating any of the bedrooms. Beds…bad. Good grief, private areas…bad. She had to get out of here.
“Naya!” his deep voice called, stopping her feet from accomplishing her escape. She had her hand on the doorknob and her feet apart, almost as if she were trying to brace herself for whatever he might say.
But he didn’t say anything for a long moment. He just came closer. And closer. Just like in the presentation down in the conference area, those green eyes held her captive.
His hand reached out, wrapping around her neck. The warmth from his hand shouldn’t have startled her since she’d experienced that same heat the last time he’d touched her, but it did. And she was mesmerized. Unwillingly mesmerized.
“This isn’t over,” he told her, his eyes maintaining his control over her. A moment later, his mouth covered hers.
If Naya had thought about it, she might have braced for the kiss. Or she might have pulled back, run away, told him to stop. But she did none of those things.
In fact, she did the exact opposite. Instead of turning her head away so that his mouth landed on her cheek, she tilted her head back. When his lips touched hers, this was no tentative kiss. This was commanding, soft at first, but then pressure building as he guided her into the kiss, pulling her in, showing her what he wanted.
It was brutal in its gentleness, overwhelming in its command. His lips touched, moved, caressed hers, his tongue touching her lips and demanding entry. She was powerless to do anything other than follow, to accept. To participate!
With a gasp, she felt her hands grab onto his jacket, her body pressed closer. There was a vague thump but she didn’t acknowledge the sound, too intent on the kiss, on following his lead and trying hard not to drown in the passion that seized her.