you want.â
She didnât have to ask what âthisâ was. âThisâcurrently strained against her, sizzling her from the outside in.
Somewhere in the passion fog of her brain, she heard a dog bark. For the first time in her life, she didnât want to run inside to greet her pets.
She wanted this man, this feeling, this renewed sense of daring to last all night long. Sheâd figure out how to handle the backlash tomorrow, when her hormones werenât conspiring against her.
Right now, all she could think of was finishing the game sheâd started in the bar.
Lexi wriggled against him shamelessly. âDonât make me break out the handcuffs again, Detective. Youâre not going anywhere tonight.â
4
H ANDCUFFS and a sex goddess. The fates had granted Josh all his best fantasies in one feisty package called Lexi Mansfield.
Lust surged through him with renewed force. Lexi had just given him the green light.
He withdrew her apartment keys from her fingers, eager to proceed inside before she changed her mind. Women like Lexi didnât come along every day, at least not in the world Josh lived in. His usual dates were women heâd met at the gym, women who wanted the same things from a relationship he didâphysical release and a simple good time. Josh had no complaints about those relationships, but he wasnât about to let anything mess up his chance to play bondage games with a spitfire dominatrix.
Heâd barely pushed his way inside Lexiâs apartment when a pack of wild dogs rushed him. The restrained barks heâd heard a few moments ago turned into a chorus of raucous canine yipping and howling. Josh couldnât see the animals in Lexiâs darkened foyer, but he could hear the snapping jaws, glimpse the flashes of white teeth around his knees.
âThatâs enough, guys,â Lexi admonished, somehow managing to shoo the brood down a short hallway. âYou can play in the guest room while Mama has company.â
As the barking died down, Josh became aware of a bird chirping in the background. The hum of a fish tank circulator provided a soft white noise, drawing his eye toward a small aquarium and the lone source of light in the room. One pink fish swam around bright cliffs of coral in its home on the kitchen counter.
Distracted by the menagerie, Josh failed to notice Lexiâs return until she was a few feet in front of him. He couldnât distinguish all the particulars, but he could tell sheâd ditched her high heels somewhere along the way. Not only had she grown quieter, but also sheâd lost a few inches. Josh guessed if he pulled her close her head would just reach his shoulder.
âSorry about that.â
Wariness threaded through her words. Hesitation. Second thoughts.
âNot a problem.â He stepped closer, looking for ways to gain lost ground. He had a hunch that if he struck out with Lexi tonight, there wouldnât be any second chance. Her house full of pets had him thinking she wasnât the sort of woman who lived on the edge very often.
Normally when he brought a woman home from the gym or the boxing club, he would simply initiate a carnal wrestling match that would leave them both breathless and more than satisfied. But he got the impression Lexi was the kind of woman who wouldnât appreciate the erotic possibilities of a half nelson.
âThe animals miss me when I go out.â She tracedher toe along one of the floorboards in the foyer, her body backlit by the blue glow of the fish tank. âTheyâre excited to see me.â
âI can hardly blame them.â Josh nudged aside the folds of her black shawl to trace one finger along the delicate ridge of her collarbone. âJust standing next to you makes me feel like howling.â
Her heartbeat pounded just below the heel of his hand.
âDonât tell me Iâm going to have to lock you up in the guest bedroom,
Ker Dukey, D.H. Sidebottom