Bachelor Unleashed - Brenda Jackson [46]
When she walked off swaying her hips, it took all of his control not to reach out and pull her into his arms and begin removing every stitch of clothing she had on her body before tearing off his. Then it would be on, all over the place. His erection throbbed just thinking about it.
He momentarily closed his eyes while telling himself to hold tight and keep a handle on his control. It would all be worth it in the end, even though not making love to her tonight was going to drive him insane, especially when she was intentionally trying to bait him.
Xavier reopened his eyes the moment she glanced over her shoulder at him with a teasing smile on her face. “Are you coming, Xavier?”
He gave her a warning frown. He would definitely be coming if she kept it up, but he intended to resist her temptation, even if it killed him. And he had a feeling that if it did kill him, he would die an excruciating, slow death. “I’m right behind you.”
And he was. As she led the way back to his family room, he was what he considered a safe distance be hind her, which had its advantages if you were into ass-watching. He was, especially when that part of the anatomy was hers.
She slid down on his sofa in a movement so fluid, so damn enticing, he didn’t even blink as he watched her. He waited until she was settled in her seat before crossing the room and taking the recliner across from her. He’d known resisting her wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t counted on it being such torture. The woman was almost too hot for his own good.
He cleared his throat. “So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Us.”
Us? She’d never referred to them as an us, so in a way things sounded pretty good already. “I’m listening.”
She began nibbling on her lower lips. He knew that sign. Whatever topic she wanted to broach wasn’t easy for her. “I, um, I was thinking about what you said last night.”
He’d said a lot of things. He’d done a lot of things, too. “And?”
“And you wanted us to continue the affair past New York.”
Had she come around without much prodding from him? “Yes, I recall having said that.”
She began nibbling on her lips again, and then she said, “I’d like to offer a proposal to you.”
He lifted a brow. “A proposal?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back in the chair as he rubbed his jaw. This had better be good, he thought. It’d better be what he wanted. “I’m listening.”
“I don’t have any plans for the holidays and I thought…”
She paused, but he was determined that she finish what she was saying. “You thought what, Farrah?’
She met his gaze while nibbling those luscious lips again. “That since you wanted to continue things between us for a while, that we could extend our affair at least through New Year’s.”
He didn’t say anything. He had to make sure he fully understood what she was offering. “Are you saying that once you leave here it’s okay for us to hook up in Charlotte again, with things being like they used to be with us?”
She nodded. “Yes, but only through the holidays.”
He ignored the ache in his body that tried convincing him that something was better than nothing, and that he should take her up on her offer. But he wasn’t in the market for just being involved in a holiday affair. He wanted the whole shebang. That meant he had no intention of letting her place limitations on their relationship.
“So, what do you think?”
He shrugged his shoulders and wondered if she was prepared for what he was about to say. “I think I’ll pass.”
Voices in his head were calling him all kinds of fool for not accepting her offer. One voice in particular was all but giving his brain a hard kick, screaming that if he thought he could convince her to consider a real relationship with him, he was crazy and wasting his time. Her ex had done too much of a number on her for that to happen. How many times had she told him that she would never, ever, become involved in a serious relationship again? How many times had she reiterated that fact for his benefit?
“You’ll pass?” she asked, with a mixture of shock and confusion outlining