her again, the way he had on the witness stand. âYou just have a problem with taking the elevator with me.â
While his cross-examination had been ruthless, he hadnât shaken her. But then, sheâd had the resolve of the truth on her side. He didnât have that, so maybe she could shake him. But she was not going to get a confession out of him unless she was alone with him. Dare she go through with her plan? Dare she be alone with him?
Because she knew what was going to happen...
The attraction between them was too strongâso strong that it could probably even overpower the anger and resentment and distrust between them.
She stepped into the elevator car. And when she automatically reached for the control panel, she pulled her hand back to her side. She was not going to risk getting stuck with him again.
He chuckled as he stepped inside with her. Then he reached for the panel. She didnât see which button he pushed; she just assumed it was for the lobby. In the heart of the Garment District, the buildingâs tenants were mostly fashion designers along with a few photographers. There was no place to have a drink there.
Muriel really needed that drink. Hell, she needed more than a drink. She couldnât remember the last time sheâd eaten. And she was not the type of model who starved herself. She enjoyed food too much.
Fortunately, the fashion industry appreciated curves now over skin and bones. Or she wouldnât have been able to get any work. Now she was sought after...
Professionally. Personallyânot so much. Men werenât eager to date the man-eater the media had painted her as being. Sheâd overheard people talking about how she was too intimidating to the opposite sex now.
Ronan Hall hadnât appeared too intimidated the other night. And he must not have been or he wouldnât have sought her out again.
The doors closed, shutting them into the stark car together. This elevator wasnât nearly as fancy as the one in her building; it was all bare metal and wood, and it was biggerâbig enough to carry crates of garments from one floor to the next.
She didnât have to stand anywhere near Ronan. But it didnât matter how far away she was from him; she could feel his presence. It was as if electricity arced between his body and hers.
Her skin tingled, and her blood heated, pumping hot and fast through her veins. âWe should go somewhere with a kitchen,â she said. âIâm hungry, too.â
She felt a hollowness inside, but she wasnât sure that it was one food could fill. Maybe only he could...
He reached for the panel again, jabbed a button and the elevator shuddered to a stop.
âIâm hungry, too,â he said as he reached for her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and reeled her in until her body pressed against his. He was so big, so broad, so tense.
His erection strained against his pantsâand against her hips. Instinctively she arched and rubbed against him, and he groaned.
âAnd with every outfit you changed into, I got hungrier,â he said.
âYou didnât have to stay.â But sheâd been glad that he was still thereâevery time she had stepped out of the dressing room after a wardrobe change. Sheâd wanted him to see what she was wearing; sheâd wanted him to see her, and sheâd wanted to see his reaction.
âI couldnât leave,â he said, his voice gruffer now as if he was in pain.
âWhy not?â she asked.
âBecause I didnât get what I came for...â
âAnd what did you come for?â she asked.
He lowered his head to hers and kissed herâdeeplyâhungrily. His lips moved over hers, nibbling and plucking at them until she gasped with pleasure.
âI came for you,â he said, his voice a gruff whisper. âI came for this...â
His hands moved over her, lifting her sweater up and over her head. He uttered a lustful sigh. âI was hoping you were still wearing this...â
It was the black bra with the bow in the middle. Bette was a genius designer. She somehow made the bras so that the one bow held the cups together and provided support. Murielâs breasts swelled over the top of it.
âWhy?â she asked, and she wasnât faking the breathlessness in her voice. Her heart was racing so fast that she could barely draw any air into her lungs. But as she tried, her breasts swelled even more and nearly spilled over the top of the black bra.
Ronan reached for that bow, tugging on the ribbons, and the bra fell away, freeing her breasts. She panted for air now as excitement coursed through her. Her nipples tightened and ached for more than the touch of his gaze.
âThatâs why,â he replied. âIâve been dying to undo that bow.â
Muriel had been modeling lingerie and swimsuits for most of her career, so she had long ago gotten over any qualms she might have had about modesty. But there was something about the way that Ronan Hall was looking at her that made her feel more naked than she had ever felt before.
He wasnât just looking at her body. It was as if he was trying to peer into her heart and soul. Maybe he was wondering if she had one.
She did. She doubted that he did, though. So what the hell was she doing getting half-naked in an elevator with the man who had nearly destroyed her?
RONANâS HEART POUNDED in his chest and in his cock. He couldnât believe how damn beautiful she was. Her breasts were full and perfect mounds, her nipples ripe and rosy. He wanted to close his lips around one so badly. But when he reached for her, she stepped back.
Her green eyes widened with panic and she lifted her hands to cover her breasts.
He glanced around the elevator. Was there a security camera in it? He hadnât thought about that, although he should have. But after watching that photo shoot, he hadnât been able to think at all. He had only been able to feel, the desire coursing through him.
He wanted her more than he could remember ever wanting anyone else. He wanted to become an addiction for her, but now he was afraid that it might be the other way aroundâand that was before heâd even had her.
Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should be taking a step back like she had. He felt a punch of the same panic he saw on her face. But it wasnât nearly as strong as the punch of desire that had his stomach tightened into knots.
âWhat the hell are we doing?â she asked, her voice shaking with horror.
He shrugged. It wasnât as if he could admit to wanting to seduce her into telling the bar association the truth. She might not even know what the truth
