Hot Sheets

He didn’t refute her charges, and that only reinforced what Laura already knew—Dale Emerson might be a dyed-in-the-wool bad boy, but there was honor beneath his fast grins and charming words. He wouldn’t lie. Not even he could deny he was trouble on two very nice legs.

“It means I’ve looked at some of your past rides and they’ve confirmed my opinion.” She hadn’t meant to reveal that little tidbit but if he needed proof… “I did some homework before I wrote my invitation.”

“You checked out the women I dated while I was in town?”

“Yes.”

He tossed the invitation onto an end table as if it suddenly burned his fingers. “Enlighten me.”

“My pleasure.” But first…a distraction. Dragging the hem of her silk shell upward, Laura stretched, another provocative move that was rewarded by a quick intake of breath. She schooled her smile before the blouse cleared her face.

“I heard that you had such a hot love life you could only date women who didn’t live in Niagara Falls proper so you wouldn’t damage your reputation.”

“My former dates are talking about me?”

“No, Dale. They’re bragging.”

That stopped him. His expression went blank, and his mouth popped open enough to show a glint of teeth before he rallied, “Bragging? About what?”

“About what a studmuffin you are in bed,” she informed him pleasantly. “From what I hear you can come four times a night and bring a woman to pleasure twice that number.”

His scowl reappeared in force now, but he didn’t dispute the claims, or agree, for that matter. Laura got the distinct impression he didn’t know what to say, which came as another surprise. She’d meant to stroke his ego, had thought he’d be pleased to know his past lovers regarded him so highly.

Obviously not.

“How do you even know who I dated, Laura? I never visited the same town twice.”

“You’re in western New York, my friend. Mountains and valleys and miles do not equal anonymity.”

“Apparently not.”

He sounded so annoyed that she couldn’t help but take pity on him. “I’m serious about wanting a fling, Dale. If it didn’t work out during the grand opening, then I considered taking a much-deserved vacation to California to look you up. You sounded worth the trip.”

He gave a grunt of disgust.

She smiled. “According to my research, you dated six women during the time you worked on the Wedding Wing. All six had rave reviews. That’s something to be proud of.”

“Except that I thought I was on good behavior because I was the senior project architect on this job.”

“Oh.” Pushing away from the wall, Laura headed toward the bedroom to retrieve her dinner dress and give him a performance along the way. “Case closed, Dale. You’re a bad boy.”

3

LAURA CONTINUED TO the bedroom closet, attempting to calm her pulse and reevaluate her strategy. She’d guessed that Dale would want an explanation about her change of heart, but she hadn’t expected quite so much wariness about her offer. To be fair, she supposed that being a five-star Mr. Charming didn’t necessarily mean he was careless about who he jumped into bed with.

She’d honestly never meant to imply that his actions were degenerate. She’d intended to compliment his prowess, reinforce her reasons for wanting a fling. But he’d seemed so surprised by her revelations about his past dates that she wondered if he’d expected her to crawl into bed with him without at least peeking at his history. That sort of negligence would have been reckless. Laura might be a lot of things—a romantic idealist among them—but she wasn’t reckless.

She’d decided to switch gears and veer off the respectable relationship track, and while she knew Dale from work, she didn’t know much about his personal life. She’d looked into it. Plain and simple.

Her choice of dates for the Naughty Nuptials would reflect on Falling Inn Bed during what was intended to be a media circus. Her choice in attire would reflect on the inn, too, so she selected a blue crochet dress and a pair of kid-skin slingbacks. Simple, tasteful and elegant. Heading back into the living room, she avoided Dale’s gaze and hung the dress in the hall closet.

She’d answered his questions and given him a sneak preview of what she had to offer with the removal of her suit. He would make the next move. He’d either accept her offer or turn her down. If he turned her down, she’d simply dress for dinner as if changing in front of him had been nothing more than a necessity of time constraints. She’d pretend to have some dignity left.

Dale still hadn’t said a word. Maybe he needed more time to decide. Maybe she’d just surprised him. Maybe he still didn’t trust her. But whatever his reasoning, she began to feel naked and didn’t like the feeling at all.

Just as she reached for her dress, she heard him get up. Glancing over her shoulder, she found him heading toward her, his expression nothing short of purposeful.

Now here was a look she’d never seen before. Gone was the professional who’d strategized and problem solved the design and construction of the Wedding Wing. Gone was the easy, smiling man she’d gotten to know while working together, a man who flirted as naturally as he breathed. And gone was the surprised, moody man she’d met only moments before.

This Dale Emerson had a fierce determination about him as he drew near, his long-legged strides powerful, his presence almost aggressive as he closed the distance between them.

Catching her in front of the closet, he moved behind her, and she braced herself, thinking he might whisper in her ear or kiss her cheek. Her whole body tensed expectantly, a boneless gathering of muscle as she stood poised and ready to react.

But he simply placed his hand above her head and slid the closet door shut, showcasing them in the full-length mirror. She lifted her gaze to the reflection of his face, a face that had lost much of its familiarity up close. Or perhaps all her bare skin was to blame.

Here was a man reputed to bring women pleasure. And from the way one look from him stoked the spark inside her to a flame, he’d earned his reputation with good reason.

He looked purposeful while she looked surprised. Laura thought she’d nailed this man for who he was, but soon realized that knowing Dale was a charmer and experiencing the effects of his charm were two distinctly different things.

Slipping his arms around her in a whipcord motion, he dragged her backward. She gasped as she came in full contact with his body. His broad chest surrounded her, his muscular thighs molded her backside. A rock-hard erection rode in the small of her back, and just as casually as he pleased, he rested his chin on the top of her head and met her gaze in the mirror.

“You feel good. I knew you would.”

The breezy observation made her stomach swoop wildly. She could feel his every hard inch against her and relished how good he felt.

“But can Ms. Romantic Idealist really handle a fling?”

She understood why he might raise the question. Except for the bare skin, she really didn’t look the part of a woman used to flings. Panty hose. Practical pumps. Nothing-special bra.

If she’d honestly believed Dale would arrive without a date, she might have dressed for a seduction. But her chances had been slim at best. Without Annabelle’s help, she’d have been attending three weeks of events with Adam, who would much rather deal with erotic events from the outside looking in.

“I can handle you, Dale,” she said, sounding very sure of herself. “Just because I declined a fling, doesn’t mean I can’t manage one. I’m a big girl.”

“Yes, you are.”

As if to prove the point, he dragged his hands up her ribs, a deliberate motion showcased in the mirror, visually erotic.

“So, Laura. What did you want to know about me? Were you interested in my stamina or did you ask my former dates for details?” The smoke in his gaze rode out on his voice so there was no missing that details meant sexy details.

“I wasn’t so…specific.”

“No? You didn’t want to know how I would touch you to make you come so many times in a night?” He arched a dark brow. “Or what I like to do to make me come?”

Damn if a blush didn’t start creeping up from her breasts like the sunrise, the downside to her fair skin that she couldn’t stop once it started. And she knew exactly what he was trying to do…well, not trying, doing, given the way her blush deepened.

He tested her, challenged her, because even though he touched her, he hadn’t accepted her offer yet.

“Actually, Dale.” He was about to find out that she was made of sterner stuff than he gave her credit for. “Your former dates were all so thrilled with your performances that they offered the information without much inducement.”