His Challenging Lover by Elizabeth Lennox Read Free Book Online

pointed heels. She wasn’t positive, but she thought he might have paused as his eyes moved over her breasts. Please don’t let him be wondering what her current underwear looked like, she thought feverishly.
    “I’m fine,” she said but couldn’t hold his gaze.
    “You left this morning,” he came back after a long silence.
    She bit her lip. “Yes. I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure…what to…what you might think…what might…” she couldn’t finish her statement. She wasn’t really sure what she was thinking anyway.
    “You weren’t sure what I might say when I saw you in my bed? Or perhaps if you’d cared to join me in the shower?” he asked, his voice deep and sexy.
    She looked into his eyes, unaware of the heat, the longing that was there for him to see. “Well, I wouldn’t have put it that way,” she finally said.
    He rubbed his jaw, shaking his head. “Should I just put last night up to the adrenaline in your system after the fight?” he asked.
    Her eyes widened and she initially thought about denying it, but then she stopped herself just in time. That was a perfect excuse. And maybe it was true.
    No, she thought with honesty, it wasn’t true. But it would do for an explanation.
    “I guess that’s probably what it was,” she finally said but didn’t want to state it as the complete truth. She couldn’t outright lie to Xander.
    “I’m sorry I took advantage of you last night then,” he said as he stepped around her to look out the window. “I wanted to assure you that it won’t happen again. I know I was out of line. I took you back to my place to take care of you, to make sure that you were okay and I…” he stopped, sighing. “I’m sorry,” he said again.
    Turning around, he looked down into her eyes, willing her to tell him that it had nothing to do with the adrenaline. That it had everything to do with wanting him as a man. But those pretty brown eyes couldn’t meet his. And he felt like more of an ass than before.
    Damn, why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Why was he so drawn to this one woman? She didn’t feel the same and never had. Now, he’d just compounded their problem by taking advantage of her. He’d acted like a cheap, horrible suit by being all over her last night. Every time she’d moved, he’d been turned on, his mind and control obliterated by the fact that she was finally in his bed, in his arms and kissing him back like she had in so many of his dreams over the past several years.
    But even now, being so close to her, smelling her soft shampoo and the strawberry shower gel she used, he wanted to pull her into his arms, sweep everything off of the desk behind her and make love to her until she couldn’t speak any longer.
    If only he hadn’t gotten out of bed this morning. But he’d had to. He’d made love to her so many times last night; all he’d wanted to do was bury himself inside her again. He’d woken up with her soft body wrapped around him, her slender arms holding him close and his body had hardened like a teenage boy on his first date.
    Only Autumn had this effect on him. He wanted her so painfully and all she wanted from him was distance.
    He had no choice now. He’d had his shot last night. He’d have to back off, give her the space she wanted. He wouldn’t even manipulate the office space again when she tried to move off of his floor. Maybe if he didn’t see her every day, didn’t smell her soft, feminine scent or see her in those sexy, high heels she preferred, he would get over her. And maybe, if she wasn’t on his floor, he wouldn’t picture her in those lacy nothings he’d picked up last night.
    “Well, I just wanted to make sure we were okay,” he said, trying to fill that awkward silence once again.
    She forced a smile. “Thank you very much for your concern. I’m really okay,” she said, looking down, embarrassed by the need she felt when he was this close.
    And then he did something completely unexpected. He stepped