A Madaris Bride for Christmas

He stripped off his clothes as he moved toward the bathroom. His dreams had gotten hotter than ever. Several times while in Dubai he’d taken cold showers. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that. He stepped into the shower now and a rush of warm water streamed over him. He was filled with excitement about the evening ahead.

Damn, it had been a week and he’d missed Carly. He had no idea why a woman he’d seen only twice would make such an impact on him. In the beginning, he hadn’t liked her hold on him, but now she was the answer to his problem.

If she accepted his marriage proposal, she would need to understand that their marriage would be based on respect and on passion, not on love. That was good enough for him and he hoped it would be good enough for her.

Lee considered himself a pretty good businessman; he had done his homework. He had contacted Alex, who was married to Christy—Justin, Dex and Clayton’s baby sister. Alex was a top-notch private investigator and a former FBI agent. Lee had given him Carly’s name and that was all Alex had needed. Before leaving Dubai, Alex had electronically delivered a detailed report, which proved to be interesting reading on the eighteen-hour flight back to the States.

Carly’s grandmother had died before she was born and her grandmother’s only child, Gail, had been raised by Gail’s aunt, Ruth Briggs, a widow. Gail got pregnant with Carly in her senior year of high school. Ruth agreed to take care of Carly while Gail went to college. There were a few recorded visits from Gail, but not many.

Lee shook his head as he stepped out of the shower to dry off. From what he’d read, Gail met a man from a prominent family while at college and she married him, conveniently not telling him she’d had a child out of wedlock.

According to the report, when Sidney Thrasher, a successful businessman in Los Angeles, discovered the truth, he didn’t divorce his wife but he had no problem ostracizing her child. In fact, he demanded that Gail do the same if she wanted to save her marriage. It seemed the Thrashers’ two kids knew Carly only as a distant cousin. Now Lee understood why she considered herself a loner.

He couldn’t imagine a mother deserting her child that way, leaving her for someone else to raise and then turning her back on the child. That was unacceptable. It made him appreciate his family all the more. Even a great-grandmother who was determined to run his personal life.

One thing was for certain: if she said yes to his proposal, she’d become part of his big family. Carly would have no reason to feel like a loner ever again. He had his game plan, which was more or less a business strategy. He would give her all the pluses and strike down any minuses she tried to present one by one.

Beginning tonight, it was Operation Carly Briggs.

* * *

Carly heard a car door close and knew Lee had arrived. He was right on time. She drew in a deep breath as she looked out the window and watched him walk toward her front door. Was he taking stock of her yard, her neighborhood? He was probably wondering how she could afford to live here on her salary as a chef.

It wasn’t that she lived in a huge house, but her community was a nice one. Some would even view it as one of the most prestigious residential areas in Las Vegas. He didn’t have to know that the house was really owned by Heather and Joel and had been purchased as investment property.

Heather hadn’t wanted Carly to live alone in an apartment. So she had talked Joel into buying this nice house with a yard as an investment that they leased to Carly.

Carly opened the door upon hearing his knock. Lee leaned in the doorway, bigger than life—definitely a man designed purely for feminine enjoyment.

“Hi, Carly.”

“Lee.” She tried not to take stock of how blatantly sexy he looked in jeans and a solid blue shirt with a jacket covering his broad shoulders. Not noticing, however, was a hard thing. And he smelled good, as if he’d just showered.

“Won’t you come in,” she said, stepping aside.

She watched him walk through the open doorway, thinking the snug jeans fit him too well. He was definitely an amazing specimen of a man.

“I’m sure you want to start cooking, so I’ll take you to the kitchen,” she said.

His gaze gripped hers like a tight fist. “You think that’s what I want to do right off the bat?”

Her thoughts scattered. She could feel herself losing control. Her stomach stirred with lust. She’d never been this sexually drawn to a man before.

“Yes, that’s what I would assume since you offered to prepare dinner.” She wished she wasn’t so fully aware of him.

“If you’ll recall, the reason I offered to prepare dinner was because I wanted to see you again. I wanted to get to know you and for you to get to know me,” he said smoothly. “Since you’re so distrustful of my motives, I suggest that you get to know me first.”

“Is that important to you?”

Did he feel the same magnetic pull that she felt? It made breathing difficult and plagued her with the inability to break eye contact with him.

“Yes. There’s a reason it’s important,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

“Is there, Lee?”

His gaze raked over her seductively before he surprised her by wrapping his arms around her waist.

“We’ll talk about the reason later. You look nice today.”

Heat streamed through her body the moment he touched her. “Thank you. You look nice as well. How was your trip?”

“We’ll talk about my trip later too.”

That was when he kissed her, taking her mouth with a hunger that she enjoyed to an extreme that couldn’t be good for her. But she figured she would worry about that later. Right now all she wanted was to indulge.

Never had her mouth been devoured with such voracious need. Her mouth felt ravaged, raided with an urgency that had her moaning. He could stoke a fire within her so effortlessly. Was it because she’d gone without passion for so long? Passion with Nathaniel had never been like this, where her breasts ached and the area between her legs throbbed.

He shifted, intentionally sliding his jean-clad leg against her. She felt his heat through the material of her dress. She felt something else as well. His erection strained against his zipper, pressing into her and creating a slow burn at the juncture of her thighs.

Lee finally broke off the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled. She closed her eyes briefly and when she reopened them he was staring at her. He kissed her lips again gently, before dropping his hands from her waist and taking a step back.

Drawing in a deep breath, he licked his lips, as if savoring her taste. Smiling at her, he said, “I needed that.”

Carly’s heart pounded deep in her chest. She hadn’t expected the kiss. It left her senses spinning. What she refused to admit was that she’d needed that as well.

He glanced around. “Nice place.”

“Thanks.”

“Now,” he said softly, his smile widening. “You can take me to your kitchen.”

* * *

Sitting at her breakfast bar, Carly watched Lee’s ease and confidence as he moved around her kitchen. Once she’d told him where everything was located, she’d left him alone. She hadn’t wanted him to feel she was scrutinizing his every move, so she had gone outside in the backyard for a while.

When she’d returned, he had invited her to keep him company. She had slid onto the barstool and he’d poured a glass of wine for her and one for himself before going back to the task of preparing dinner.

She had yet to ask what was on the menu. From the groceries delivered yesterday, she had a pretty good idea of what they’d be eating. Lee had asked her what she liked and now he was preparing it. That was thoughtful of him. She had to admit that he’d been pretty thoughtful since the first night they’d met, which made her wonder...

“If you have a question just ask me.”

Was he a mind reader? “What makes you think I have a question?”

He smiled. “The way your forehead bunches up. I noticed that about you.”

Had he? “Well, there is something that has me puzzled.”

“What is it?”