Hot Number (14 page)

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With Nick’s arm around her, Sadie strolled
through the foyer examining the collection of ornate lanterns that
hung from the ceiling. She knew her mouth was hanging open, but
she’d never seen any place like the Moroccan Spa. Part of her—the
nerdy math professor from Chicago part—still couldn’t believe she
was here.

“These lanterns are amazing,” she marveled.
“Every one of them is unique. Such beautiful stained glass and
delicate metal work.”

Nick nodded. “Mac was posted for a couple of
years to the American Embassy in Rabat. It seems he developed a
taste for these fancy lamps.”

“I can see why—they’re utterly gorgeous.” She
couldn’t take her eyes off a particularly fine piece with eight
multicolored, stained glass suns surrounded by fields of delicately
pierced metal. Eight golden tassels hung below the lantern.

His hand tightened on her waist.
“
You’re
utterly gorgeous.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss
on the side of her neck, sending a delicate, delicious shudder
through her body. She turned her face toward his, hoping for more,
but he pulled back to gently guide her to their right. “This way,
honey. There’s still a lot more to see.”

She could only hope.

They moved down a wide hallway featuring
spectacular Moorish tile on both walls in geometric patterns of
white and green. On one side, a tall armoire in wrought iron
filigree stood beside a wood door painted with Arab calligraphy in
a kaleidoscope of cream, blue, brown and russet. On the other,
engraved copper plates lined a shelf at eye height.

Nick pulled the heavy door open and nudged
her through. “The pools are in here.”

A blast of humid air enveloped her as she
entered the cavernous room. Four small hot pools surrounded a
full-size swimming pool. Deep-padded lounge chairs and day-beds
were scattered poolside. The lighting had obviously been designed
to simulate an outdoor pool at night. A fake but well-done starry
sky overhead, with strategically placed pot lights, provided just
enough illumination for an atmospheric creation.

Nick came right up behind her as she scanned
the pool, and his hands settled lightly on her hips. Though their
bodies barely touched, aggressive male energy surrounded her and
penetrated to her very core. She leaned back and felt his erection,
thick and solid, against her bottom. Whatever he had in mind for
tonight, it had clearly turned up his hormones to full
throttle.

She wriggled a bit, increasing the contact.
He muttered a curse as he pulled her into his groin, holding her
tight. Heat seemed to spark and flash wherever they touched.

“We didn’t bring suits, but apparently they
won’t be necessary.” She sighed, dropping her head back to rest on
his shoulder.

Nick spun her around and drew her hard
against him, kissing her with an intensity that poured liquid fire
through her veins. Sensations rocketed through her entire body,
melting her bones and making her limp with desire, able to remain
standing only because he held her in a tight embrace. The moist
heat of the pool combined with the incendiary kiss to make her
breathless and dizzy, and eager for him to take her right
there.

He broke the kiss, leaving her trembling. But
a little burst of satisfaction shot through her when she gazed into
his eyes and found them burning with a lust that mirrored her
own.

They stared at each other, panting, until he
let out a hoarse laugh. “At this rate we’re not going to make it
through the full tour of the facility. Let’s head upstairs. There’s
something I want you to see.”

He draped his arm around her shoulders, and
they returned to the foyer where an ornate marble staircase in a
vivid shade of pink took them to the second floor. Here, too,
Moroccan tile covered both the hallway floor and walls in patterns
of gold, blue and white. A four-foot high Arabian urn grabbed
Sadie’s attention with its delicate, hand-painted blue and white
ceramic, while a collection of pots in various hues of blue had
been strategically placed on antique tables outside each door.
Leather poofs and deep brocaded cushions completed the decadent
casbah effect.

“In here.” Nick pushed open another heavy
wooden door, intricately carved but incongruously bearing a
modern-looking gold metal plate with bold, black lettering
announcing it as “Massage Room One”.

Sadie glanced up at Nick, unsure of what he
intended. But whatever plans he had in mind, her old life—careful,
familiar, and safe—couldn’t possibly seem more remote than it did
right now.

“Strip. Completely.”

Nick’s curt directive made Sadie jump. She’d
been scanning the lavishly decorated massage room, still trying to
make sense of the fantasy landscape. And now that they were
actually going to have sex—this time with no interruptions—she
couldn’t help feeling a little rattled. She suddenly realized that
when she and Nick had ended up in bed last night, the margaritas
she’d consumed had bolstered her sexual courage. Now, she was
stone-cold sober. As much as she wanted him, she couldn’t help
being aware of how strange the evening had turned out to be. Alone
with a man she barely knew, in a totally over-the top version of a
sheikh’s palace? She was hardly anyone’s idea of a harem girl.

Recovering her wits, she turned to face him.
“You first,” she challenged.

He leaned against the closed door and crossed
his impressively muscled arms over his even more impressively
muscled chest. He watched her with a predatory gaze that made the
nerves in her stomach dance.

“Sorry, ma’am, but the masseur keeps his
clothes on during the session. It would be unprofessional to do his
job naked.”

And here she thought he might have brought
her to this room simply because it had a bed—of sorts. Now it
appeared he had something in mind other than immediately jumping
her bones, which, given his impressive erection, she thought would
have happened sooner rather than later. The fact that the agenda
had changed made her even more nervous. Both nervous
and
excited. “Actually, I’ve never had a massage,” she confessed, too
embarrassed to admit that getting a massage had always seemed like
a waste of time. Work had always been her antidote to stress, at
least until recently.

His eyebrows shot up and he looked as stunned
as if she’d just said she’d never had sex. When she scowled back at
him, he laughed. “Well, Ms. Bligh, you really
are
in for a
treat. Now, I repeat—take off all your clothes. Then slide in
between these sheets and try to relax. I’ll be right back.” He
quickly left the room, closing the door with a soft click.

She stared after him, slightly off-balance
again. One thing was for sure, the sheriff had a talent for pushing
her out of her comfort zone. But that was what this Vegas week was
all about, she remembered. Leaving her old life behind, finding
some courage, and exploring new horizons. More than anything, she
wanted to do that with Nick.

Sadie stripped, carefully hanging her white
cotton shirt and red skirt on one of the plastic hangers she found
on a hook on the back of the door. The room felt soothingly warm to
her bare body. She hoisted herself onto the table and pulled the
sheet up to her neck before turning over and resting her head on
the padded face cradle. Ultra-smooth cotton sheets caressed her
skin. The softly-lit room had only one incandescent lamp, set on
the counter that lined the wall behind her—the same counter where a
row of opaque plastic bottles rested.

Massage oils
. The ones Nick would
presumably be using on her body in a few minutes.

Her skin prickled. The anticipation of his
deft fingers all over her, like they had been last night, sent a
zing of sexual heat straight to the flesh between her legs,
releasing a little slick of moisture. This time, though, with her
head stuck in a pillow ring, she wouldn’t be able to see him as he
touched her. That made the whole thing seem even more outrageous
and sexy.

Soft music floated down from overhead
speakers. She recognized Enya’s
Orinoco Flow
. Seconds later,
she heard a light tap on the door and then it opened.

“Ready, Ms. Bligh?” Nick’s deep voice made
her want to wriggle under the sheets.

“Ready for what, Sheriff?” She couldn’t help
teasing him.

“Ready for your relaxation massage,” he
purred as he crossed to the table.

Sadie turned onto her side and propped
herself up on one elbow to watch him as he prepared. She caught her
breath, her already warm skin flushing hot at the sight of him. The
leather jacket, tee shirt, and boots had all disappeared. The only
clothing he hadn’t stripped off—that she could see, anyway—were his
jeans, now beltless and slung low on his lean hips. He’d undone the
snap and lowered the zipper an inch or so, just enough to let her
glimpse the tantalizing arrow of black hair that headed south from
his navel. The outline of his thick cock, bulging against the soft
denim, drew her gaze for several moments, until she forced her eyes
higher up.

She bit her lip. That view was just as good.
Nick had a warrior’s chest, broad and deep, the hard muscles
clearly defined. Small, brown nipples almost blended with his deep
tan. She finally understood what Cassie had been talking about when
she referred to six-pack abs. The man must work out like a
bodybuilder to achieve muscles that looked like they were carved
from granite.

Suddenly, anxiety loomed, threatening to
douse her growing arousal. Though Nick had been fully naked last
night, her hotel room had been so dimly lit that she’d seen him
more in shaded outline than in Technicolor detail. Tonight, he
stood before her in full glory, more man than she’d ever dreamed
about, much less seen, in gorgeous, bronzed flesh. To say he was
above her pay grade was the understatement of the year.

She clenched her teeth, reminding herself
that Nick had sought
her
out. Maybe she didn’t have Cassie’s
kind of body, but she was smart and funny and Nick had shown every
indication of liking both her mind and her physical assets. It was
time to start being that woman. Time to start doing what
she
wanted to do.

Propping her head on her hand, she gave him a
thorough inspection. “At the risk of seeming tendentious, Sheriff,
I have to say that in light of your appearance, your point about
naked masseurs can only be classified as hair-splitting.”

Nick’s eyes laughed back at her, but he kept
a straight face. Obviously, he wanted to play out his little
fantasy. “You talk funny. And sometimes too much.”

“Sorry.” She made a pouting face. “I’ve
always been a multi-tasker.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. Now how about you
get that pretty face back into that cradle and not say another
word. As taxing as that’ll be for you.”

She huffed at him and flopped back onto her
stomach. He actually had the nerve to mock her, although she had to
admit he
did
kind of have her pegged.

“You’ll enjoy it more if you pay full
attention to your body’s sensations instead of drowning me in a
verbal tidal wave,” he added helpfully. Even with her face back in
the ring, she could tell he was trying hard not to laugh.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll try to restrain
myself—except of course, for a few ladylike expressions of
pleasure. Those are allowed, aren’t they, Sheriff?”

“Expressions of pleasure are always welcome,
ma’am.” Nick peeled the sheet down slowly as if to tease her,
tucking it low beneath her hips. Though the room was warm, Sadie
shivered as he exposed her naked back. A moment of silence passed,
and then she heard him squeeze oil out of one of the bottles and
rub his hands together. Even that gesture sounded liquid and
erotic, heightening her own excitement, making her hotter and
wetter. She already felt ready for him. Not just for his hands, but
for what had been promised but not realized last night. Tonight she
wanted all of it. All of
him
, inside her.

She startled when he touched her, the first
contact of his oiled hands both unnerving and electric. He murmured
something soothing under his breath, then stroked smoothly up the
right side of her back from hip to shoulder. The pressure was firm
and sure, the oil quickly heating to a glide of hot silk across her
skin, giving her a frisson of pure pleasure. Scents of vanilla,
lavender, and a hint of something spicy teased her nose in a heady
mixture of fragrances that made her inhale deeply then let out an
extended sigh. And all the while, Nick’s fingers, slightly
calloused yet smooth from the oil, kneaded and stroked the muscles
of her back and shoulders, luring her into a sensual haze.

“Oooh. My God, that feels so good,” she
moaned.

Her toes curled against the table as his hand
glided up her left side to brush along the edge of her breast,
leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Even on her stomach, with her
breasts pressed mostly underneath her, she could feel the tingling
in her nipples and a luxurious ache building between her thighs.
She let her legs relax, falling open a bit as tension flowed from
her extremities to settle low and deep in her body. But it was a
welcome tension, slow-building and sure, waiting for him to release
it.

Nick worked silently, his fingers magical. He
seemed to know exactly where to find her residual tension. His
palms smoothed the long muscles of her back over and over, until
they felt loose and supple. But deep inside, everything slowly drew
into a knot, arousing her until she found it difficult to keep from
squirming under his hands. He brushed down the sides of her breasts
again, and she had to swallow a tortured moan. She didn’t know how
much longer she’d be able to play along with his fantasy. If he
wasn’t careful, she just might haul him onto the table and have
her
wicked way with him.