He crossed his arms. “Think, Marianna. There are hundreds of hotels in Sydney, and he’s staying here? That’s not a coincidence. So call me overcautious, but I don’t ever want to find him staring down your shirt again.”
Simon shook his head. He wasn’t getting into this discussion here, not in the elevator. But she took a step closer. She didn’t touch him, not exactly, but her chest brushed against him every time she took a breath. Shit. He had to find a way to ease this explosive spark between them. He knew only one way to do it, and that was out of the question.
“You’re sure this is just about my safety, Simon?” she whispered.
He made the mistake of watching her lips as she spoke. Full. Soft. Sensual. Begging for something he was dying to give.
The elevator doors opened, saving him from doing something he’d regret. She didn’t back away, so he stepped around her and walked out. The hall was silent except for her soft steps, way too close.
Simon unlocked the door, holding it open for her. It clicked shut, leaving the two of them alone. He tightened his jaw and walked through the main room, the bedroom and the bathroom, checking all the vulnerable spots he had identified on his first scan. Probably overkill, but he didn’t trust himself to stand face-to-face with Marianna right now.
But then he was done, and there was nothing to do. It was just the two of them in the quiet hotel room, the bedroom just a few steps away.
Simon frowned and headed for the pull-out sofa, busying himself with removing the pillows. Marianna came up slowly, cornering him by the wall.
“Is this your plan? To make sure I don’t talk to anyone when we’re out and ignore me when we’re alone?”
“Pretty much,” grumbled Simon, not looking up at her.
She took another step closer and brought her hand to his jaw. Simon froze. He couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. Just focused every ounce of energy on fighting the urge to turn all this tension between them into a good, hard fuck. His cock was coming to full alert.
“Don’t touch me, Marianna,” he said, but his voice came out rough, strained. Like he was ready to pounce.
She didn’t take away her hand, just raised her eyebrows. “Don’t touch me. Do what I say. Don’t talk to other men,” she said, mimicking him, stroking his jaw. “What do you really want?”
His control was slipping. After less than a day, he was ready to do all the things he had dreamed of doing way too many times. All the things he swore he wouldn’t ever do again.
Simon took her hand in his and backed her into the wall. His body caged her in. It was like she had a mainline to his dick. All she had to do was touch him, whisper a little and he was rock hard. He pressed his aching erection against her soft belly. She sucked in a breath. Damn, this felt good. Too good. He leaned over, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her warm, luscious scent. Still so familiar, after all these years.
“What I want doesn’t matter,” he whispered, finding one of her breasts with his hand. “Because I know what you want.”
He brushed his thumb over her nipple and dragged his hard cock along her core, and she moaned. He leaned down farther and sucked on her neck a little too hard. Marianna cried out. She reached between them and ran her hand up his aching length. Shit. This was getting out of hand fast. If he didn’t stop now, he really was going to fuck her against the wall.
“What do I want?” she panted, giving him another stroke.
Simon pulled her hand away and took a step back. “You’re looking for comfort. And probably a little revenge for when I left you in Miami. All wrapped up in a dirty, satisfying fuck.”
Goddamn you, Simon Rodriguez.
He was right. She did want comfort and revenge. And a lot of other things, too. The expression darkening his face suggested this wasn’t a time for nuances.
What he wanted was for her to walk away right now, chastened. A few years ago, she might have. Instead, she folded her arms.
“Isn’t that the same reason you walked through my door back in Miami?” she asked, her voice full of challenge. “If I hadn’t been desperate, you probably would have been more direct about it. Before you walked out.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Mari,” he growled. For a moment, something real, something alive flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by that blank, hard look that seemed to be his default now.
“I think I do know what I’m talking about. And I think you want that good, hard fuck just as much as I do right now,” she said softly.
He didn’t deny it. His body was completely still in front of her. His chest rose and fell, and his eyes burned into her. Like he was a hair trigger from giving in.
Then he swiped a hand over his face and turned away. “What I need right now is a shower. A cold one.”
Marianna raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that, Simon?”
His hands tightened into fists. The tension crackled and jumped between them. Then he shook his head and walked away.
The door to the bathroom crashed closed. Marianna sank back against the arm of the sofa, taking in deep gulps of air.
