скачать книгу бесплатно
As far as he was concerned, Carly Briggs had a lot of explaining to do.
* * *
“Good night, Carly. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Jodie.” Carly watched as Jodie met up with her boyfriend, Jerome Mathis, who worked as a bellman for the hotel, before walking quickly to the elevator that would take her to the parking garage.
How she’d made it through the rest of the night, Carly wasn’t sure. She’d concentrated on cleaning the kitchen. Going home was her top priority. She just couldn’t get out of her mind the fact that the man she’d met a few nights ago was actually L. C. Madaris, one of the owners of the hotel. That meant that technically he was her boss.
And she had kissed him.
She waited for the elevator and when the door opened she barely glanced at the person getting on the elevator with her. When she did, she probably looked as thunderstruck as she felt. It was him...again. Where had he come from?
“We need to talk, don’t you think, Carly?”
Apparently, he thought so. She stepped back against the elevator wall. In the confines of the small space she became even more aware of his captivating presence.
“What do we need to talk about?”
His chuckle sounded like a low growl in his throat. “I think you know.”
Carly had a pretty good idea. He held a key card to the scanner and a new set of numbers appeared on the keypad. She watched as he punched one.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To my suite.”
“Your suite?” Blood pounded in her temples.
“Yes, my suite.”
She tightened her grip on her purse. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Neither am I, but that’s the only place I know where we can have absolute privacy.”
She didn’t want privacy. She didn’t want to talk at all. Now that she knew who he was, she could make a promise that she would keep the other night to herself. Nothing like it would happen again. She liked working here. And more than anything, she needed her job.
She was about to speak when the back wall of the elevator slid open. She hadn’t expected it and would have tumbled out into a beautiful living room had Lee not reached out and caught her hand.
She wished he hadn’t done that. Immediately, a sensation she couldn’t describe flowed through her from his touch.
“You okay?” he asked with concern in his eyes.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”
She was in full control of her balance...although she was questioning her senses.... She stepped off the elevator, which had opened directly into his suite. The place was simply gorgeous. But she shouldn’t be surprised. He owned one of the most elegant hotels on the Vegas Strip; anything was possible.
“Make yourself at home. Would you care for something to drink?”
She watched him remove his jacket and toss it on the back of a chair before heading toward the kitchen. “No, thank you.”
“I hope you don’t mind if I do. A beer sounds pretty good right now.”
She watched him open the refrigerator before what he’d said sank in.
Make yourself at home.
There was no way she could do that. “You wanted to talk.”
“Yes,” he said, returning from the kitchen with his beer to find her still standing. “We are definitely going to talk. How about if we sit down first?”
She preferred standing, but she sat down on a plush sofa and he did too.
“That night on the balcony,” he began. “Did you know who I was?”
She met his gaze, surprised by his question. “Of course not. Had I known who you were, I would not have...” She swallowed. There was no need to remind him of what she had done that night.
“Initiated a kiss between us?”
Why had he gone there and done the very thing she hadn’t wanted him to do? Since he had reminded them both of what had happened, she said, “No, I would not have initiated it.”
He held her gaze for a long time, slowly sipping his beer right from the bottle. “Why did you tell me you were a guest here at the hotel when you’re an employee?”
Carly nervously gnawed her bottom lip. “Because that night I was a guest here. It was my birthday, and I wanted to do something special, so I booked a room in the hotel for one night.”
“So it was your birthday?”
Had he doubted her? “Yes. Would you like to see my driver’s license?”
He shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
She had a question of her own. “Why did you lead me to believe you were a businessman passing through?”
“Did I lead you to believe that?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He took another sip of his beer. When had watching a man drink beer from a bottle become so sensual? And why did he have to have such beautiful eyes? They were the same eyes that had haunted her dreams two nights in a row.
“I don’t recall misleading you,” he said, breaking into her close perusal of him. “I answered each of your inquiries truthfully. You asked where I came from and I told you my terrace. There was no need to explain that it was the terrace on the executive floor. You also commented about this being a beautiful hotel and I agreed.”
He stretched his legs out in front of him. “Now tell me, when did I mislead you?”
She shifted in her seat and noticed the way his gaze adjusted to the movement of her body. She drew in a deep breath when she saw heat in his eyes. “Okay, you didn’t mislead me per se, but you weren’t completely forthcoming either. You didn’t tell me you owned the hotel.”
He smiled. “That’s something I don’t share with a lot of people. Those who need to know already do.”
“Okay, now I know too,” she said, standing.
He stood as well and she wished her gaze hadn’t been drawn to the way his pants stretched across masculine thighs when he did so. “Well, I’m glad we got that all cleared up,” he said.
In a way, she was too. She hoped that was his way of letting her know she could keep her job. “I’m glad too. We can both admit it was a mistake.”
He lifted a brow. “What was?”
“That night. On the balcony.” The kiss, she thought.
“On the contrary, Carly. That night. On the balcony. Was not a mistake.” He’d emphasized each statement.
And then he stunned her even more when he said, “In fact, I think we should pick up where we left off.”
* * *
Lee saw the shocked look on Carly’s face and wished he could kiss her. He drew in a long, deep breath. She smelled good. She looked good. Gone were the toque and chef jacket, replaced by a cute purple blouse and a pair of snug-fitting jeans. He knew just how snug they were since he’d walked behind her a minute or two without being detected when she was heading for the elevator. She had some serious curves and the best-looking backside he’d ever seen.
“We can’t pick up where we left off,” she said.
“I don’t see why not,” he countered, finishing off his beer and placing the empty bottle on the table. “I’d like to get to know you.”
She actually looked stunned. “Why?”
He could give her several reasons, but he stated the one that made the most sense. “Because I’m a man and you are a woman. A very beautiful and desirable woman.”
Lee fathomed from her expression that she didn’t believe him. Surely she was aware of just how striking she was. High cheekbones, skin a perfect shade of brown, an exquisite pair of lips; he could go on...so he did. She had a gorgeous pair of legs that looked damn good in stilettos, and he liked the way her firm breasts pressed against her blouse, showing the tips of her nipples.
He was getting aroused just looking at her. Surely some man, probably several, had told her how heart-stoppingly attractive she was.
“Mr. Madaris.”
He lifted a brow. Mr. Madaris? “I’m Lee, remember.”
She lifted her chin. “That was before I found out you were my boss.”
He smiled. “Chef Blanchard is your boss. I just happen to be one of the guys who owns the hotel.”
She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He figured she was trying to regroup. “Lee. Remember the one thing I told you about me? The reason I was celebrating my birthday alone?”
Yes, he remembered, and he had an idea where she was going with this. But he refused to go there with her. There was a strong attraction between them, and it was just as resilient now as it had been that night. It was sexual, hot, and something he refused to put a lid on or walk away from. Maybe his cousin Justin was right about fate; there was a reason Lee’s path had crossed with Carly’s again.
“I remember what you told me, Carly,” he said. “You’re a loner.”
And just as he had that night, he couldn’t help wondering why. Women who looked like her usually dated often, so what was up with this “loner” story? Had some man broken her heart and she was trying to protect herself from future heartache?
“So you know what that means, right?” she asked.
He moved around the hassock to stand in front of her. “Yes, that means you were a loner because you hadn’t met me.”
* * *
Carly blinked. She’d met arrogant men before, but Lee Madaris’s arrogance felt more like confidence. Too bad it was a wasted effort as far as she was concerned.
Her decision to be a loner had nothing to do with him being a man and her being a woman. It had everything to do with protecting herself from ever being hurt again by anyone—family, friend or boyfriend. Aunt Ruthie was all the family she needed...all the family she had; Heather was the epitome of what a best friend should be and she didn’t need another. And as far as a boyfriend was concerned—been there, done that. She’d decided that having another boyfriend at this stage in her life was too much work. She could do badly all by herself.
“Excuse me for saying so, Lee, but meeting you does not make a difference.”
“I believe otherwise.”
“Trust me, it doesn’t,” she said.
“I beg to differ.”
The man was too much, and he looked too damn good. He was temptation a-plenty but regardless, like she told him, whether he accepted it or not, meeting him did not make a difference.
“It won’t work.”
“How do you know?” he countered.
“Because I know me,” she said.
He took her hand in his and immediately felt a response. The same heat stirring inside of him stirred inside of her. Holding her gaze, he said, “Then let me get to know you, Carly.”
“Why? We have nothing in common. You’re a man of the world. You’re wealthy. You dine with sheikhs and movie stars. You own the hotel I work for. You—”
Firming his grip, he gently tugged her closer. The corners of his lips curved into a challenging smile when he whispered, “I am totally and utterly attracted to you.” He moved even closer. “So tell me, after this kiss, that we don’t have anything in common.”
And then he closed his mouth over hers.
Carly’s heart pounded in her chest the moment Lee’s lips touched hers. She thought of pulling back but instead let out a breathless moan. That was when he slid his tongue inside her mouth.
She instantly became lost.
He claimed her mouth with a hunger that sent sensuous chills through her body. The kiss two nights ago had shattered her relatively calm world, but this kiss was sending that same world into a tailspin.
Never had a man kissed her so thoroughly. A surge of unadulterated pleasure ripped through her. She felt inflamed everywhere his tongue touched. The way her body was plastered against him, she felt every one of his hard muscles.
Every lick of his tongue made it hard to remember her concern about getting to know him, made it hard to remember what they didn’t have in common. Instead, all she felt was the burning desire and aching need he stirred within her. All she could do was savor the moment.
“I don’t think I’m asking for too much, Carly,” he whispered in a husky tone, while plying her lips with a series of slow, feathery kisses.
She drew in a deep breath, bringing his scent into her nostrils. She needed to think and couldn’t, not while he was still kissing her. Carly knew she had to get a grip on her senses. “I need to think about this, Lee.”
He touched his finger to her moist lips. “Why think about it? You want me and I want you.”
She took a step back, frustrated that she’d weakened with him. “You have no idea what I want, Lee.”
He stared at her with a look of determination on his face. She found the sensuality of his features unnerving; he had the ability to weaken her defenses if she allowed him to.
He cupped her chin. “Then tell me what you want, Carly.”
