“You’re still not funny.”

He continued to rub her heel, edging toward her ankle. Switching up the pressure, he’d rub firm circles into her muscles one minute and use a soft caress the next. Then, with deliberate, leisurely strokes, his hands glided up her calf to circle the back of her knee. The look in his eyes dared her to stop him.

And she should have. She should have protested, slammed her legs together, but she didn’t move. She was mesmerized by those gray eyes, the slick hands, and the skillful fingers dancing across her skin. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like this. She wanted more.

Leaning slightly forward, Trevor’s fingers trailed even further north. When he reached her inner thigh, his grazing touch was so light it almost tickled. His hand moved closer—closer to her aching core.

Her mouth parted. Just another inch and he’d reached it.

Then he slowly, too damn slowly, slid one finger inside her. Closing her eyes, Allie held her breath, waited for him to move. This shouldn’t be happening. She didn’t even know him. But it felt too good to stop.

“Open your eyes.”

Heart pounding, she heeded his command and watched his impassive face as he slipped another finger inside her. Scissoring them, he used his thumb to trace around her clit. Back and forth, those fingers came together and slid apart, alternately stretching and filling her. She’d never felt anything so delicious.

In only moments, an orgasm rocked through her body. Allie’s eyes drifted shut as she arched her back. With one arm still hiding her breasts, her hands clenched into fists and her toes flexed.

“Look at me,” he said softly.

Once again, her eyes flickered open. Trevor’s jaw tightened, his was breath choppy.

As he continued to move within her, waves of pleasure rippled from her pussy outward. The cooling water lapped over her hips until the aftershocks subsided. But as her body relaxed, Trevor’s fingers stayed buried deep inside her. “The next time you come, Miss Campbell, you will scream my name. Count on it.” Then he gave her an arrogant grin and very gently removed his hand from her body.

Angry at herself for being such an easy mark, for being so desperate that she virtually panted for his touch, she plunged her free hand into the water and fumbled around for the loofah. She flung it at him with her left hand, but it still managed to hit him square in the chest with a wet thud. “Get out.”

He rose to his feet, his now-soaked white shirt transparent and plastered to his sculpted body—his defined pecs, his lean abdomen. He was every bit as hard and ripped as she’d imagined. She wanted to touch that chest and see for herself how firm it was. Skim her hands over each and every abdominal ridge.

And then she noticed his erection. His very large erection.

“Don’t stare, darling. Unless you’d like a closer look?”

She should be embarrassed, but instead, she actually wanted a closer inspection. How big was it? How thick? Her heart pounding, Allie pulled her gaze away from his cock. It was more difficult than it should have been. “Get. Out.”

With a smile, he walked to the door. “See you at dinner, Miss Campbell.”

After he was gone, Allie took a deep breath and submerged herself beneath the bubbles. But she couldn’t wash away the memories of Trevor observing her when she was at her most vulnerable, the way he carefully watched her reaction with his heated gaze, never taking his eyes from her as his fingers moved inside her. It was more intimate than anything she’d ever experienced. And she didn’t even like him. So how was she supposed to face him after that?

***

Standing at her bedroom door, Allie smoothed her hand down the front of her light blue dress. Okay, so Trevor finger banged her earlier. Hardly the end of the world. And he watched her have an orgasm. Big deal. It was a biological reaction. Like sneezing.

And she shouldn’t be embarrassed about their condom conversation either. That was just taking care of business. True, she was on the pill. Had been for years. She started in college and kept up the habit, even though no man had been anywhere near her since…Trevor Blake. He had been near. He’d been inside her.

She ignored the heat flooding her cheeks. Stupid blushing.

Grabbing the door handle, she gathered her courage and left the room. But when she walked down the stairs, Trevor wasn’t waiting for her this time. He wasn’t in the dining room either.

Holding out a chair, Arnold dipped his head in greeting. “Mr. Blake has been tied up with business. I’m afraid he will be unable to dine with you this evening.”

Although Allie had been nervous about seeing him again, she was actually disappointed by his absence. God, what was wrong with her? Was she getting that Stockholm Syndrome thing, where she identified with her captor?

She needed to get a grip. She didn’t have Stockholm Syndrome, and if Trevor couldn’t join her, that was a good thing.

Arnold served her a bowl of green soup and retreated. She felt like an idiot, eating alone at the long, polished table. Though for once, she could relax. She didn’t have to be on guard with Trevor at her elbow, watching her, teasing her with that droll, sarcastic sense of humor. She was happy to eat in peace. Very happy. Ecstatic, in fact.

After dinner, she was at a loss for what to do, so she decided to wander around the first floor and look at the antique knickknacks. And Allie didn’t care what Trevor said, an auction house was just a fancy yard sale but with older shit.

She started at the far end of the house, nearest the dining room, and stepped into a salon…parlor? Sitting room? She didn’t know its official title, but it was wallpapered in egg-yolk yellow. It didn’t seem like Trevor’s style at all. Not that she was an expert or anything, but his office contained large, comfortable leather chairs and that huge wooden desk—warm, manly furnishings. A few expensive-looking landscapes as well. But this room was the exact opposite.

Fussy and filled with hand-painted Chinese cabinets and porcelain bowls, an enormous Buddha watched her from the corner. So…the Asian room, then? Really, theme rooms? Well, this was Vegas.

She walked out into the hall and glanced down at a case that held antique gunpowder flasks. Why did Trevor buy all this? Did he wake up one morning, suddenly fascinated with carved Spanish daggers? Because there were seventeen of them mounted in individual glass boxes and hanging along one wall.

As she drifted from room to room, she saw stunning landscapes, busts of ancient Roman women, and a flock of porcelain shepherds scattered across a mantel. She hoped he had a killer security system and a hell of a lot of insurance.

Finally, she stumbled onto a round room in the back of the house with a giant flat-screen TV and a squishy, overstuffed green sofa. Kicking off her shoes, she curled her legs under her and grabbed the remote from the coffee table.

At least he had satellite. After the insurance company had denied the experimental treatment her mother needed two years ago, Allie’s family had dropped their cable and every other nonessential expense—not that she had much time to watch television anyway.

Flipping through the stations, she settled on a thriller she’d already seen. Her mind wandered as she watched. She’d tried to call Brynn this evening before dinner, but no one answered at the house. And her call went to voice mail when she’d tried Brynn’s cell. She’d call again once she got back up to her room. Brynn couldn’t shut her out forever.

With her chin propped on her palm, Allie’s eyes drifted shut.

***

Trevor found her curled up on the sofa, her face lovely and relaxed. He wished he could relax. After he’d seen her lounging in the tub all pink and glowing, after caressing her soft, wet skin, he’d spent two and a half hours in the gym, punching a bag, running on the treadmill, lifting weights. He’d wanked off in the shower, but it had barely taken the edge off his aching cock. He’d finger fucked her for God’s sake. He hadn’t planned on touching her at all. His lack of self-control was bothersome. And bringing her here was a mistake, one of the worst ideas he’d had in a good, long while.