Page 51 of Her Captivated Hero

He didn’t look guilty in the slightest. Einstein was already finished with the bacon and was looking up at her expectantly.

“No,” she said to him.

He gave her a snooty meow, then stalked out of the kitchen.

Gray burst out laughing.

While he was laughing, Riya pulled the next waffle out of the iron, and put it on his plate. This time he didn’t use as much butter or syrup.

“Cutting back?”

“I have my eye on tasting something sweeter after breakfast.” The look in his eyes, and the rumble in her voice left her in no doubt as to what he was talking about. “Riya, stop staring and tell me some stories, otherwise we’re heading to bed.”

“Aren’t you,” she started, then gulped. “Don’t you?” Dammit, her voice squeaked. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Not when I’m looking at you.”

Riya damn near knocked over her glass of orange juice as she reached for it. Her mouth had never been this dry.

“Stories Riya, I need stories.” He took a leisurely bite of waffle, his eyes drifting down her torso, settling on her breasts. She gulped down more juice. Stories. She could talk. She knew she could.

“My sister Anika came over. I was proud of her for leaving her boys with Mom. I thought Dev might have to be surgically removed from her hip. She and I went clothes shopping.”

“Anika?” Gray’s eyes darted upwards in surprise.

“I know, right? She didn’t do anything drastic like try on jeans. But she did try on a pair of tailored slacks.”

“But she just ended up with dresses,” Gray guessed.

“You got it right. However, one of them showed her knees. I almost fell over in a dead faint. Maryam told me that there is a man at the community center who has been asking Anika out. Gray, she’s been divorced for three years now, so I think my sister might actually go for it. We’re all praying for her.”

“From everything you’ve told me, she deserves happiness.”

What a sweet thing for him to say.

Riya looked down at Gray’s empty plate. She took a deep breath. “Let me show you where you can sleep.” As she walked around the counter, Gray’s arm reached out and wrapped around her waist and he tugged her toward him.

“Come here.”

She fell against his body, her hands landing on his muscled chest.

“If I moan, will you know it’s with pleasure?”

His eyes twinkled. “Now that you’ve warned me, I will.”

“Uhm,” her voice trailed off. What was she going to say? She was going to say something, wasn’t she?

Gray pushed back a lock of her hair, and ever so slowly pushed it behind her ear. Weeks ago he’d realized that she was sensitive there, and he used that knowledge now, gently tracing his fingers along her delicate skin. Riya sucked in air.

“That’s not a moan,” he whispered warmly against her ear.

Oh God, the feel of his breath made her heart speed up and her head fall back.

Would he?

She gasped as his teeth closed down softly on her lobe, then his tongue licked. She needed to do something, but the world was getting fuzzy.

Think.