“Red.” The word rang with authority. An order.
A fat raindrop splattered against her face. Another one. Her handbegan to slip and she bit back a curse.
She reached out.
And the branch broke.
“Son of a—” Christian lunged forward and caught her hand.
A moment later, the heavy limb crashed to the ground. Her stomach hung somewhere around her throat as she swung against the wall. She blinked down at the broken branches scattered across the lawn. Christian grunted and began to pull her up. Once she got ahold of the windowsill, she heaved herself the rest of the way in.
When her feet hit the floor, she turned and strode toward the door.
“That’s my changing room.”
With a grimace, she spun. He stood between her and the main door. Droplets of water glistened in the lantern light on his chest and she went still, her eyes dropping to his bare feet. Heat began to flame anew and she took a step backward.
“Why are you here?” The words came out low. Dangerous.
“I needed to know.”
He stepped toward her. “Know what?”
She blinked as rich sandalwood filled her lungs. The room lit in a flash of lightning and thunder shook the house. With a flinch, she swiveled away. The bed sprawled before her, gauzy layers of netting shifting in the breeze, and her throat went raw.
She slowly turned back to him as the heavy patter of rain filled the room. He stood still, dark hair framing his face. Was she brave enough to ask? Could she? His gaze fairly smoldered through her and she took a shaky breath.
Another flash of lightning. She closed her eyes. And as the thunder vibrated through her, she knew.
She loved him.
With every ounce of her heart, she had fallen for him. A man she couldn’t have.
“I needed to know what you...” She took a breath and tensed as another soft footfall brought him closer. Opened her eyes to find him within reach.
“I think about you constantly.”
Her chest constricted at his soft words. “You do?”
His lips twisted into a smile. “I think about how beautiful you are. How brave you are. But most of all, I think about all the things I want to do to you.”
She tugged at her neckline as a flutter ran through her stomach. The night had come to an apex. What she chose to say, what she did, would steer the course for what would happen. She could continue blushing and ask to go home. Or...
Or she could make one last reckless decision.
“What sort of things?”
His eyes glinted in the lantern light. “First, I would undress you, get you out of that outfit that drives me mad with need.”
Her breaths came faster as he stepped even closer and reached out. His knuckles brushed her hair.
“I’d touch you, in all the places I dream of.”
The pressure gathered between her legs began to throb.
“Where?” Her voice had been reduced to a breathless whisper.
He stood still, shoulders heaving with each breath.
