“Play,” she confirmed with a teasing smile.
Sure she was.
And he was the one being played.
Even if the board was being run by a master he could still see the signs.
And Tessa Monroe was most definitely a master. At games of all kinds. And at running.
He debated calling her out on the move. But the deliberation only lasted a moment before he acknowledged that the risk was high and the payoff low. If he pointed out that he could see the game, she’d probably skip out again. It was probably what she was expecting.
As he stared down into her face, so delicate, yet so vivid, he realized that he was starting to understand her.
Gabriel knew the minute Tessa could pigeonhole him, she’d dismiss him. That was what she did with men. He understood her, since in many ways she was his own mirror image.
Just sexier.
She was also wickedly protective of her friends, appeared to value nothing more than loyalty and had a sweet streak he was sure she’d deny. And since despite her obvious misgivings, she’d agreed to be Livi’s maid of honor, she clearly put her friends’ feelings over her own.
The woman was a study in contrasts and spelled trouble for any man looking for peace and tranquility.
Good thing for him he wanted neither.
“So?” Tessa said, wetting her bottom lip with her tongue and sending a shaft of passion spiking through his system. “What do you say? Want to play?”
He leaned back on his heels, considering her face. It was a study in seduction. The full, pouting lips, the sweep of her lashes. But he could see the calculation in the blue depths of her eyes, there beneath the desire.
And in a flash as powerful as his spiking desire, he realized what she was doing.
She wanted to fan this heat, accelerate it so it blew hot, fast and furious. She figured the faster it blew up, the quicker it blew out, the sooner it’d be over. Then she’d turn on those sexy heels of hers and walk away without a glance.
Without giving him another thought.
Gabriel totally understood her strategy. He even admired it.
But he’d be damned if he was going to make it easy for her.
He didn’t know why.
It was stupid to worry about dragging out this thing between them. It was obviously hot enough to set off fire alarms already. Could it really get any hotter? Any wilder?
And then there was his personal policy to live for the moment. Today was the only day he was guaranteed to have, so today was to be lived to the fullest.
But whatever this was between them, and he had no idea what it might be, Gabriel was damned if it was going to be finished until he was ready.
It might take weeks.
Maybe months.
He might be finished after one orgasm or it could be dozens.
But hey, it didn’t matter if it was on the battlefield, behind covert cover or between the sheets.
He was a man used to giving his all.
And when it was done, she might walk away.
But she’d never forget him.
He’d make damned sure of that.
It was time to put Operation Romance into play.
With that in mind, Gabriel took Tessa’s hand, and in a move he’d never made before but felt completely natural, he lifted it to his lips.
“What are you doing?”
Underneath the surprise, he heard the nerves dancing there, just beneath the surface. And he reveled in them.
He’d thrown her off.
Which was a great first step.
“Doing? I’m seducing you,” he said quietly, taking his time as he slid his hands through the long sweep of her hair, enjoying the silky thickness weighing against his fingers. “Since you’ve finally admitted this attraction we’ve got going on here, I figure it’s time to see how far we can push it. How long we can play it out.”
“Oh, I’ll bet you’re good for at least a few long, hard hours,” she said in a husky tone, her fingers tiptoeing up his chest, leaving hot little trails wherever they touched.
“Oh, yeah, I could keep you panting and wet for hours and hours,” he promised, leaning closer as if to kiss her. At the last second, he shifted so his lips brushed the softest whisper over her silken cheek. “But I was thinking we could do better than that.”
Her breath hitched a little; her eyes blurred with pleasure. Her fingers were kneading his chest, nails digging in gently in a sexy rhythm that promised a superb sense of timing.
For a second, Gabriel wanted to say to hell with dragging this out. It wasn’t ego reminding him that he’d never had a woman who didn’t want more when they were done. The simple truth was that he was damned good at sex.
The problem was, so was Tessa. He was sure of it. And she was a woman with exquisite control. He had no doubt that while she might, if forced, admit as she left his bed that it’d been the best sex of her life, she’d still leave.
He had to hook her good and solid first, so she’d be there until he’d had his fill.
“See, real seduction is an art,” he continued, making it up as he spoke. “There’s a smooth buildup, layers of needs and awareness. There’s discovery, finding out if we have the same turn-ons, exploring each other’s secret delights.”
Her eyes sharpened to a blue so deep it was almost purple, those full lips parted just a little as if ready for him to dive in. Damn, she was intoxicating.
He was halfway there, his mouth craving the taste of hers, before he yanked himself back.
To hide his slip, he rubbed his thumb over the soft cushion of her bottom lip instead.
“All of that should come first, don’t you think?” he said with his most charming smile.
Watching the play of emotions flash through Tessa’s eyes, excitement melding with fear, worry with passion, he gave himself a mental pat on the back.
Damned if this wasn’t going to beat the hell out of fast and furious.
Figuring he deserved a little reward for outmaneuvering her, Gabriel pulled Tessa closer. Pleasure pounded through him as the delicious curves of her body aligned tightly against his hard planes.
He knew his limits, knew exactly how far he could push this desire before he hit the point of no return.
Now to find out hers.
