So she ought to be immune to Ian and his charm.
She wasn’t.
She did, however, wonder just how charismatic her father had been toward her stepmother before she married him and, too late, had seen his other side. Riley mentally pursued that possibility and immediately discounted the notion that Douglas Taylor had ever come close to Ian Dare in charm. Though her father had clearly known how to hide his darker self, never in his lifetime had he been endearing. Her stepmother, Melissa, admitted she’d been drawn to his neediness during his hospitalization, a weakness in herself she’d made certain she got over after the divorce. She might have been seduced by his good looks, but his charm? Not so much.
To even think about putting Ian and her father in the same category was insulting, and Ian didn’t deserve it. But that didn’t mean he was safe.
No matter how strong her heart beat when he was near, no matter how wet her panties when he turned his focus solely her way, no matter…what, she thought, desperately trying to remind herself why she needed to keep her distance. Alex had already pointed out Ian’s penchant for jumping from woman to woman. Wasn’t that warning enough for her to stay away? It should have been, but when it came to this man, she feared she was fighting a losing battle.
“What’s going on in that active mind of yours?” Ian asked over dessert.
“I’m thinking about you,” she admitted, deciding straightforward was the way to go.
He raised a brow, obviously surprised at her honest admission.
“I was just thinking about how bossy you can be.”
“Because I insisted you order the Fried Oreos with French vanilla ice cream instead of the warm chocolate chunk cookies?” he asked with an amused smile.
She couldn’t help but grin. “You know what I mean.”
“I’m not going to apologize for who I am.” He lifted her hand and threaded her fingers through his larger ones. “For you, though, I’m willing to…temper those impulses.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
“Certain times, certain places, however, I expect you to let go of your inhibitions and enjoy it.” His tone deepened, leaving no doubt to his meaning.
Just to be sure though… “What sort of places?” she asked.
“I expect you to give yourself over to me completely in bed. To do as I say without hesitation or question.” He raised her hand and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her palm. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Her breath shot out in one long stream of air, and dizziness assaulted her both at his words and the silken slide of his tongue against her skin. Good God, she wanted to experience Ian just like this, at his most dominant. The thought of submitting to him physically and giving him complete control over her pleasure caused a rush of heated anticipation to fire her blood and crash through every one of her defenses against him.
She swallowed hard. “I—”
“Yes?”
Those mesmerizing eyes bored deeply into hers, filled with the kind of erotic promise she’d only dreamed about. “I want…I mean I need…” She didn’t know what she meant to say. Every available thought was now centered where a throbbing pulse beat between her thighs.
In an instant, he’d focused all her awareness on sleeping with him. On what it would feel like to have him sliding deep inside of her and coaxing multiple orgasms from her sex-deprived body.
God, the man was potent. And completely irresistible.
“What do you say? Come home with me,” he said. Asked.
She wasn’t sure which, nor did she really care.
FIVE
Trembling with desire, Riley barely remembered the car ride back to Ian’s place. He pulled into the driveway of the Ritz Condominiums. It came as no surprise to her that he lived in a place that offered all hotel amenities while being privately owned. He came around to her side of the car and took her hand, pulling her from the passenger seat. He maneuvered her close to him as they walked into the lobby, held her beside him as they took the elevator to the top floor. She was enveloped in his heady, seductive scent. His body heat spiked her own temperature, the neediness pulsing through her core adding to the anticipation of what was to come.
The ding of the elevator’s arrival on his floor startled her. They stepped directly into his apartment, and the door closed shut behind them. Before she could take in her surroundings, he spun her around until her back hit the wall, and his mouth came down hard on hers.
His lips were firm and demanding, taking what he wanted and making her need everything he had to give. She could only wrap her arms around his neck and go along for the ride. His mouth tackled her with expertise, his tongue gliding over her lips, sliding inside.
She parted willingly, taking him in, and the moment his tongue touched hers, he let out a shuddering groan that told her exactly what she did to him. The ability to have a maddening effect on this tightly controlled man excited her, but the minute she slid her fingers into his hair, he broke the kiss.
Startled, she blinked up at him, wondering if disappointment showed on her face.
His eyes dark and needy, he met her gaze. “I need to see you come apart for me.”
She let out a relieved breath and somehow managed a brief nod, wanting the same thing. Did he think she’d argue?
He took one of her hands and placed her palm against the wall, then did the same with the other. “And I can’t do that if you’re touching me,” he said on a low growl that had her stomach churning with excitement. “Don’t move.”
She swallowed hard, her hands pressed against the wall, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.
His gaze never leaving hers, he undid her blouse, one button, then the next, and the next, his large, tanned hands an erotic picture against the soft silk of her blouse. He took his time undressing her, the slow anticipation causing her ni**les to peak and harden.
“I can’t wait to see you naked,” he said in a deep voice, easing the silk off her shoulders.
Her shirt fell to the floor in a soft whoosh, leaving her in a lacy bra and her black pencil skirt. He stared at her then, his searing gaze taking in her full br**sts, so much more than the handful she always imagined most men preferred.
Her sex clenched, moisture soaking her panties.
“So damned hot,” he muttered, staring.
She felt awkward standing before him half dressed, her hands pressed against the wall, waiting for him to make the next move. The urge to touch him, to participate, to undress him and see his magnificent body was strong.