me? Go away or I’ll scream.”
He laughed. She couldn’t blame him. There wasn’t a chance in the world anyone would hear her. You wouldn’t hear a siren above the music. It was muted here, but it still filled the room like the beat of a giant heart.
She raised the bottle over her head. “One step,” she panted, “just one, and I’ll smash you with this!”
He laughed. “You already tried that, remember?”
“I’m not kidding! You—you unlock that door and get the hell out of here or so help me—”
He started toward her. She let fly with the bottle but he dodged and it shattered against the wall.
“Listen to me.” Her voice trembled; she hated herself for it but she knew damned well there was nothing she could do to prevent it. “This is a terrible mistake. You won’t—you won’t get away with—”
“At first,” he said, his tone almost conversational, “I thought, ‘Well, that is just the way she deals with men.’”
She’d noticed his accent this afternoon. You couldn’t miss that husky, sexy quality to his voice. It seemed more obvious now, his pronunciation more careful.
“I told myself it was not important.”
Aimee swallowed. “Look, what happened this afternoon—”
“Still,” he said, in that same easy way, as if he were explaining the day’s news to a friend, “still, I admit, it bothered me. That a woman should be so impolite. So downright rude. But I put it out of my head.”
“I didn’t do anything! It was—it was just something that happened.”
“Just something that happened.” He nodded. “Yes, that’s an excellent way to put it. In fact, that is exactly the conclusion I reached.”
He was inches away from her now, so close that she had to tilt her head up to see his eyes. Even in her heels, he was much taller than she. And, God, much bigger.
“But then I saw you, here.”
“You mean, you followed me here!”
“You give yourself too much importance, cara. Do you really think I have nothing better to do than to spend my time following you?” A little muscle was ticking in his cheek. “I came here with friends. To enjoy the evening.” He paused. “And, it would seem, so did you.”
“Yes. And—and my date will be looking for—”
“Your date didn’t move a finger to prevent you from abandoning him. Or to keep me from going after you.” He paused, and she saw his eyes darken. “I noticed that you treated your gentleman friend differently than you treated me.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Cara. Please, don’t try my patience. You laughed with him. Smiled when he spoke to you.”
“Of course. I mean, I know him—”
“Really? What’s his name?”
“Ted,” Aimee said quickly.
“No. It is not.”
It had been a gamble, but a good one. Nicolo watched as the woman worried her bottom lip. He’d guessed right. She had no idea who she’d been dancing with. She’d picked the man up.
For many of its patrons, that was the purpose of a place like this.
Her business, of course.
That was what he’d told himself, when he first saw her with the man.
But he’d watched as she smiled. Flirted. Shook her hips, her breasts. Practiced the fine art of seduction.
For another man.
Not for him.
Not for him, he’d thought, and suddenly he’d known that confronting her, kissing her, would not be enough.
He wanted her.
It didn’t make sense but it didn’t have to. His body, his blood, knew what he needed.
And what he needed was this beautiful, condescending stranger dancing with him…
Dancing in his bed.
Slowly he reached out, laced one finger under the thin strap of her red dress and tugged. She stumbled toward him, arms raised, hands balled into fists.
He caught her wrists in one hand.
“Don’t struggle,” he said in a low voice. “It will only make things worse.”
“Please.” Her voice trembled. “Please, don’t do this.”
“I told you this afternoon, you lack manners, cara.”
“Let me go! Damn you—”
“The next time ‘something happens,’ as you called it, between you and a man, you will know how to respond.”
“If you’re after an apology…”
“And if I were, would you finally offer one?”
She was terrified; he could see it in her face, feel it in the trembling of her body. Her gaze locked on his, and he felt a rush of disappointment.
She was desperate, desperate enough so she was, in fact, going to apologize. And then, as a civilized man, he’d have to let her go…
Wrong.
Her chin lifted; terrified or not, her eyes blazed with defiance.
“Only a barbarian would think that taking a woman by force is the way to get even for damage to his ego.”
“Is that what you think? That I’m going to rape you?” The muscle flickered in his jaw again; he cupped her face with his free hand and held it steady. “You know better.” His voice was low and husky. “I saw the way you looked at me a few minutes ago.”
Color stained her cheeks. “I don’t know what you—”
“Yes,” he said, “you damned well do.”
His head lowered to hers, and he kissed her.
His mouth was hard. Hungry. Hot against hers. Aimee jerked against the restraint of his hand, tried to twist her face away but he wouldn’t permit it.
Instead he brought her closer, crushing her tightly against him so that she could feel the strength of him, the power….
The thrust of his straining erection.
A whimper rose in her throat.
“Stop,” she said, against his mouth, but he went
