She was right.
He backed her toward the bed, suddenly grateful for the room’s small size. Five steps and her knees hit the mattress. The room’s lack of romantic extravagance was a plus. Hell, the place was downright sterile. As a resort “employee,” he merited four walls, one door, one window. He also had a twin bed, a set of plain white sheets and a navy blue comforter, none of which he’d put to much use because he’d spent most of his downtime in the SEAL camp. Frankly, the difference between this room and Laney’s bungalow was the difference between, say, Siberia and Fiji. It probably mirrored the differences between the two of them, as well.
“Can we have sex now? Please?” She tugged at his T-shirt.
“I want you to try something for me first.”
“What?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of silk ties. Usually, he would have used whatever was handy—a cord, a length of rope, his belt. But for her, he’d wanted something special and one of a kind, because she was all he could think about. Thank God none of his team had spotted him going into the hotel gift shop where he’d picked out a pair of pink silk ties while the saleslady smirked at him from behind the counter. But it had been worth the small amount of humiliation on his part. The fabric was soft and wouldn’t burn her skin. He’d also be able to free her easily if she panicked.
“I want to tie you up.”
She made a sound, her face flushing. But she didn’t take her gaze off the ties in his hand. Then she looked up at him, her eyes glazed with a sweet, lush need. “What do I do?”
He set the ties down on the bed and then reached for the strings around her neck holding her dress together. One good tug and they parted, just like he’d imagined. The cotton slipped to her waist when she wiggled. She liked what she was doing, or maybe she just liked turning him on, because her nipples were tight, her breasts flushed.
“Look at these waiting for me.” He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the hard tips.
The dress hit the floor.
Laney hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties. She must have toed off her sandals because that scrap of black lace was all she wore. And, Jesus, she wore it well. The wicked black vee barely skimmed her mound. She was all shadowy curves and sweet, decadent temptation in the dark room.
“Leave the panties. Kneel on the bed and put your hands on the headboard.”
She hesitated. “I love these panties.”
So did he.
She eyed him sternly. “So no ripping or tearing. My credit card is still protesting the price tag.”
He grinned. He’d buy her a dozen in every color of the rainbow. When she climbed up on the bed, heat exploded through him at her unwavering trust. His skin felt too tight, his balls aching and his dick hard enough to hammer iron.
Reaching over her, he bound her left wrist to the bedpost.
“No bow?” She sounded breathless, but he could hear the laughter in her voice. She wasn’t nervous or scared. She was excited and curious. God, he loved her curiosity. Almost as much as he loved her trust. His brain skirted dangerous territory for a minute. Love wasn’t part of his vocabulary.
Was it?
“Beautiful.” He pressed a kiss against her bare shoulder as he tied her right wrist to the bedpost. “I wish you could see yourself.”
“No photos,” she said, turning her head to watch him as he stepped back from the bed. “Let me be really clear, in case that’s where you were going with that.”
His head took a right turn down fantasy lane, imagining the photos he could take of her. She’d be luscious, all her secrets on display for him, and he could take her out and look at her when they had an ocean between them once again. He’d have to convince her to give it a shot.
“I wouldn’t share the photos,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse, even to his own ears. “They’d be mine.”
“Uh-huh. Now that you have me where you want me, what are you going to do with me?”
“Sweetheart, you’re going to have to wait and see.”
Her eyes narrowed as she shifted on the bed. “Seeing is fine. It’s the waiting part I didn’t sign up for.”
“This is my night. I get to give the orders. Plus, you’re not in any position to protest, are you?”
She tugged on her wrists, but he’d learned to tie knots with the US Navy. She wasn’t going anywhere without his say-so.
“I enjoy looking at you,” he added huskily. “So I plan to take my sweet time.”
Touching her was his priority, though, so he stripped off his clothes swiftly. He wasn’t strip-show material, but she watched him with hungry eyes and damned if he didn’t feel like the king of the world. He undid her hair from its ponytail, sifting the silky strands around her bare shoulders.