for you.”
When Adan began to slip the buttons on his overcoat, Piper raised both hands as if to ward him off. “Heavens, no. I don’t want to be responsible for you freezing to death.”
Her smile alone generated enough heat in Adan to fuel half the city of Chicago. “Are you sure? I am accustomed to extreme temperatures.”
“Seriously, I’m okay.”
Without waiting for another protest, he shrugged out of his coat, wrapped it around her shoulders and took a step back. “Better?”
“Much better, but now you’re going to be cold.”
Not likely. Not while she stood before him with her dark hair blowing in the breeze, her bright blue eyes reflecting the light above them and her coral-painted lips enticing him to kiss her. Answering the invitation was a risk he didn’t dare take.
She inhaled deeply then released a slightly broken breath. “I need something else from you, A.J.”
He hoped she meant something warm to drink, a good excuse to retire back inside the hotel before he hurled wisdom to the blustery wind. “What would that be?”
“I need you to kiss me.”
Bloody hell, what could he to say to that? Should he answer “absolutely not” when he wanted to blurt out a resounding yes? He brushed away a strand of hair from her cheek and ran his thumb along her jaw. “I’m not certain that would be a banner idea.” Many times he had heard that phrase, but never coming out of his own mouth.
Disappointment called out from her eyes. “Why not?”
“Because if I kiss you, I would not want to stop with only a kiss.”
She sent him an angel’s smile. “Do you have issues with maintaining control?”
He prided himself on control when it came to flying jets and yes, wooing women. Still, there was something about this particular woman that told him he could end up losing the war he now waged with his libido.
Before he could respond, she wrapped her hand around his neck and lowered his lips to hers. He immediately discovered the angel kissed like the devil, and he liked it. He liked the way she tasted and the silken glide of her tongue against his, and he definitely liked the way she pressed her entire body against him. He would like it better if they were in his hotel bed without the hindrance of clothing. He did not particularly care for the warning bells sounding inside his brain.
Gathering every ounce of strength he still possessed, Adan pulled away and stepped back before he did something they might both regret. The dejected look on Piper’s face gave him pause, and the urge to come up with some viable excuse. “You, lovely lady, are too much of a temptation for even the most controlled man.”
Her expression brightened. “No one has ever accused me of that before.”
“Apparently you have not been with anyone who appreciates your finer points.”
Now she looked somewhat coy. “But you appreciate them?”
If she could see the evidence of his appreciation, she would not have posed the question. “I more than appreciate them, as I also appreciate and respect you. Therefore I am going to escort you back to the hotel and bid you good night.” Or crush his determination to refrain from sex for three more months.
Piper pretended to pout. “But the night is still young, and I’m still cold.”
“All the more reason to deliver you safely inside the hotel.”
“Your room or mine?”
She seemed determined to make this incredibly hard on him...in every sense of the word. “Your room, and then I will retire to mine.”
She sighed. “All right, if that’s what you really want.”
If he said that, he would be lying. “It’s not a question of if I want you. The question is, would it be wise to continue this?”
“And your answer?”
“Completely unwise.”
“Maybe we should ignore wisdom and do what comes naturally. We’re both of age and free to do as we please, so why not take advantage of the opportunity?”
Just as he opened his mouth to issue another unenthusiastic argument, she kissed him again. Deeper this time, more insistent. He slid his hand down her back, cupped her bottom and brought her up against his erection, hoping to discourage her. The plan failed. She made a move with her hips and sent him so close to the edge that he considered lifting her skirt, lowering his pants and dispensing with all propriety.
The last thread of his coveted self-control prevented him from acting on his desire. He refused to succumb to animal instinct. He could not discard the vow, or his common sense, for one night of unbridled passion with someone he was clearly deceiving. He would remain strong, stay grounded, ignore the fact that he had a beautiful, sensual woman at his disposal and...
Whom was he attempting to fool? “Let’s retire to my room.”
She had always strived to be the good twin. Straight as an arrow. Boring as hell. Never before had she demonstrated such assertiveness toward a man.
Now remarkably Piper found herself alone in an elevator with that man, with only one goal in mind—ending her self-imposed celibacy in a virtual stranger’s hotel room. Oddly A.J. kept his distance and remained silent as they traveled all the way to the top floor. After the doors sighed open and they stepped out of the car, she expected to see a corridor containing a line of rooms. Instead she noticed only one double mahogany door flanked by two massive, stoic guards. If a pilot warranted this much security, then he must work for an incredibly powerful family or some high-ranking politician.
A.J. lightly clasped her elbow to guide her forward before stopping at the entry to mutter something in what she assumed to be Arabic. One of the men turned immediately, slid a card key in the lock and opened the doors. As soon as they were safely sequestered inside, Piper took a moment to survey the area—exquisite dark wood floors, towering windows revealing the Chicago skyline, even a baby grand piano in the corner. An opulent penthouse designed for the rich and infamous. Her current companion was one lucky employee.
Piper started to comment on that very thing, but her words never made it to her open mouth. A.J. did, and the kiss he gave her had the impact of a firebomb. Somehow she ended up with her back against one wall with A.J. pressed against her, her face bracketed in his palms. When he shrugged the sweater from her shoulders, slipped it away and tossed it behind him, her heart rate began to run amok. Any concerns flittered away on the heels of a heat she’d never felt before with any man. But this man knew what he was doing, right down to the way he brushed kisses along the line of her jaw and her neck before he brought his mouth to her ear. “The bedroom,” he whispered. “Now.”
Okay, that would be the next step. A daring step. A step Piper had never taken with a man she barely knew. “Lead the way.”
No sooner had she
