This time I take it.
The house is cool and quiet, and the housekeeper is nowhere to be seen. He leads me upstairs to the bedroom and stops at the threshold, letting me step in first.
My pulse skitters and jumps, a nervous colt.
It isn't a room, it's a suite. There's a sitting area and a bed the size of a boat. A terrace that overlooks the garden.
"This is a big bedroom," I murmur, looking at him.
"I have a lot of things." He touches my cheek. "This is what you want, no?"
He's giving me another out.
"Yes," I say, a little breathless.
He kisses the corner of my mouth, the place his thumb touched, and my knees get weak.
He draws me in, a kiss that deepens slowly, and the world shrinks until it's just this room, this man, the bed, and the afternoon sunlight streaming in.
I break away and step back, and his expression changes.
"What is it?"
"Take off your clothes," I say softly.
I see the surprise register and the desire right behind it.
His hands lift, and he pauses. Then he shrugs off his jacket. Drops it. Lifts his shirt and draws it off, and the muscles in his chest and stomach flex. The light gleams off his ink.
My throat gets tight.
He unbuckles his belt and lets his trousers drop. He's not wearing underwear. His cock is hard and thick, curving toward his stomach, and he watches me as I feel the shiver slide down my body and my desire for him grow.
"Your turn," he murmurs.
My hands go to the waist of my pants, and his eyes track the movement.
I pull my blouse out slowly and unbutton it before drawing it off and tossing it to the side. His jaw tightens. I slide my trousers down and toe off my flats.
His breath leaves him in a long, slow hiss.
"Bella," he whispers, and reaches for me.
I evade him. "Wait."
"Elena—"
"I'm not done."
His expression turns feral, and he lets me go.
I reach behind me and unhook my bra, draw it off, and drop it, watching his reaction. He's not looking at my face. I hook my thumbs in the waistband of my panties and pause.
He makes a sound, a low growl. "Take them off."
I do, and then it's just me and him, and the sunlight on the floor, and his eyes burning holes into my skin.
"Magnifico," he whispers, and I flush.
