They were silent for a while, but his hands soothed and stroked. His body heat comforted and Hailey relaxed deeper into the smooth, cool sheets. “Once you stopped running, what else gave you pleasure? Do you have anything you’re passionate about in life?”
The faint sounds of the orchestra drifted through the window. The flickering of the candle lent an air of intimacy as she spoke. “I enjoy many things. Reading, movies, good food and good wine. Opera.”
“La Traviata.”
She rolled over to face him and laughed in delight. “Yes, my favorite. A little dramatic for a man, I always thought.”
“Now who’s being a chauvinist?”
She placed an impulsive kiss on his lips. “You’re right.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“No.”
“Children?”
A twinge of sadness coursed through her. “No.”
He seemed to catch her response. “Do you want children?”
“I want a dozen. But I want the whole picture, including the husband and house and happy marriage.”
He reached out to touch her cheek. “Why do women always want to settle down and men always want to run away?”
Hailey smiled. “I don’t believe that. I think everyone wants to meet their true soul-mate. Once that happens, a person makes a choice to either take a chance or stay safe. Women sometimes settle for somebody less than a true love because they’re afraid no one else will come along. And men just get scared of what will happen if they do meet their true love.”
“Not fear, Hailey. Maybe some men realize the real thing isn’t out there.”
She let his words simmer for a moment before answering. “Do you do this often, Phantom?” she asked. “Bargain with a woman for everything, then walk away?”
He stiffened beneath her. “No.”
“Why did you?”
“Maybe I was tired of running myself.” She opened her mouth to respond, but he continued, his words growing fierce. “You say you want a husband and children. A soul-mate. You may want these things but they come at a price, Hailey. Are you willing to lose this control and take a chance? Or is it still easier to just live in the fantasy?”
She wondered at his anger, but he suddenly rolled over and pinned her beneath him. Within moments, his face cleared. The humor was back. “Why do I feel we suddenly switched roles? Are you using my temporary weakness to plunder my secrets?”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t think your weakness was all that temporary.” His erection pressed with demand against her inner thigh. “I thought, I thought men needed a little bit more, er, time.”
He grinned wickedly. “You were lied to. Your education about a man’s true abilities has just begun. But first I want you to drink something for me.”
He left the bed and brought back a glass of sparkling white liquid in a heavily cut glass. She looked at him questioningly.
“It’s a slight aphrodisiac,” he explained. “Quite harmless. The drink will heighten your senses and lengthen your pleasure.”
She nodded and took a sip. The sharp, fruity essence washed over her tongue. Her lips pursed with enjoyment over the taste, then he took the glass from her. “Here, let me,” he murmured. He filled his mouth with the liquid, leaned over, and slowly let the spiked wine trickle from his lips into her mouth. The warm liquid slid down her throat in a sensual caress, and she felt her body quicken again. He put the glass on the bedside table, then rose from the bed again.
Hailey watched him with heavily lidded eyes, enjoying his nakedness. He moved with a muscled grace uncommon to men, his chest and shoulders broad, his buttocks firm, his legs long and lean. His dick was full and thick. Her mouth watered to taste him. Whipcord strength rippled from every carved muscle as he made his way through the room. When he returned to the bed, he had a corded silk rope, and two vials of oil. Already the effect of the wine coursed through her. The cool satin sheets slid over her naked skin. She made a noise low in her throat as she stretched out on the bed. Her sex throbbed with slow, heavy pulses and her flesh became hot as she watched him approach.
He knelt between her thighs. She moaned and opened her legs, inviting him to take her again. She imagined what she looked like; spread open; pussy lips flushed pink and gleaming with wetness. The image made her squirm in growing hunger. “Phantom,” she whispered urgently.
Theo watched as a sharp longing cut through him. Damnit, he wanted her to say his own name, wanted her to know this was him to give her such intense pleasure. Then he pushed the thought away and concentrated on the moment. For now, she belonged to him, and he intended to enjoy their time together. He knew she was already feeling the effect of the wine, and anticipation shot through him at having her at his will. “What do you want, sweetness?” he asked.
“I want you to take me again. I want you deep and hard inside me.”
“I intend to. But not yet. I have some other plans.” He took the rope and gently tied both of her wrists to the bedpost, so her arms were tightly bound above her head. Her breasts arched upward in a gift he intended to enjoy.
