Brenda Jackson - The Real Thing

“That’s it.” Frustrated with him for looking and with herself for actually liking the thought of him checking her out, she began her descent.

“Giving up already?”

She waited until her feet were on solid ground before she stood in front of him. Regarding him critically, she answered, “What do you think?”

Dark lashes were half lowered over his eyes when he said, “I think you’re temptation, Trinity.”

Whatever words she’d planned to say were zapped from her mind. Why did he have to say that and why had he said it while looking at her with those sexy eyes of his? The last thing she needed was for heat surges to flash through her body the way they were doing now.

“Considering the nature of our relationship, you’re out of line, Adrian.”

He leaned in closer and she got a whiff of his manly scent. She watched his lips curve into a seductive smile. “Why? And before you get all mouthy on me, there’s something you need to consider.”

“What?” she asked, getting even more frustrated. Although she would never admit it, she thought he was temptation, as well.

“I’m supposed to find you desirable. If I didn’t, I couldn’t pull off what needs to be done to dissuade Belvedere. My acting abilities can only extend so far. I can’t pretend to want a woman if I don’t.”

Trinity went still. Was he saying he wanted her? From the way his gaze was darkening, she had a feeling that assumption was right. “I think we need to talk about it.”

“At the moment, I think not.”

When she opened her mouth to protest, he leaned in closer and said in a low, sexy tone, “See that structure over there?”

Her gaze followed his and she saw what he was referring to. It was huge, twice the size of the one she’d tried to scale, designed to challenge even the best of climbers. “Yes, I see it. What about it?”

The look on his face suddenly changed from desire to bold, heated lust. “I plan to climb all over it tonight. Otherwise, I’ll try my damnedest later to climb all over you.”

Five

Some words once stated couldn’t be taken back. You just had to deal with them and Adrian was trying like hell to deal.

He had taken his climb and had done a damn good job scaling a wall he’d had difficulty doing in the past. It was amazing what lust could drive a man to do. And he was lusting after Trinity. Admitting it to her had made her nervous, wary of him, which was why she was hugging the passenger door as if it were her new best friend. If he didn’t know for certain it was locked, he would be worried she would tumble out of the car.

“I won’t bite,” he finally said as he exited the expressway. But I can perform a pretty good lick job, he thought, but now was not the time to share such information.

“Pretending to be lovers isn’t working, Adrian.”

“What makes you think that?” he asked, although he was beginning to think along those same lines. “Because I admitted I want you, Trinity?”

“I would think that has a lot to do with it.”

Adrian didn’t say anything for a minute. Watching Trinity’s backside while she’d climbed that wall had definitely done something to him; had brought out coiling arousal within his very core. And when the crotch of his jeans began pounding like hell from an erection he could barely control, he’d known he was in trouble. The only thing that had consumed his mind—although he knew better—was that he needed to have some of her.

“I thought I explained things to you, Trinity. You’re a sexy woman. I’m a hot-blooded male. There’re bound to be sparks.”

“As long as those sparks don’t cause a fire.”

“They won’t,” he said easily. “I’ll put it out before that happens. I’m no more interested in a real affair than you are. So relax. What I’m encountering is simple lust. I’ll be thirty-one in a few months so I think I’m old enough to handle it.” And he decided, starting now, he would handle it by taking control of himself, which is why he changed the subject.

“So what are your plans for tomorrow?” he asked.

He heard her sigh. “You mean today, right? Sunday. It’s almost two in the morning,” she said.

“I stand corrected. What are your plans for today?”

“Sleep, sleep and more sleep. I seldom get the weekends off and I can’t wait to have a love affair with my bed. It will be Monday before you know it.”

A love affair with her bed. Now why did she have to go there? Images of her naked under silken sheets were making his senses flare in the wrong directions.

He could imagine her scent. It would be close to what he was inhaling now but probably a little more sensual. And he could imagine how she would look naked. Lordy. His body throbbed at the vision. His fingers twitched. When he had touched her backside while giving her that boost he had actually felt the air thicken in his lungs.

“What about you? What do you have planned?”

If he was smart, he would go somewhere this weekend and get laid. Maybe that would help rid his mind of all these dangerous fantasies he was having. But he’d said on their first date that he would see her and only her until this ordeal with Belvedere was over. “Unlike you I won’t be sleeping late. I promised Ramsey that I would help him put new fencing in the north range.”

“I understand from Tara that you’re not living on your family’s land, that you lease a place in town.”

“That’s right. I’m not ready to build on my one hundred acres quite yet. Where I live is just what I need for now. I have someone coming in every week to keep things tidy and to prepare my meals, and that’s good enough for me.”

A short while later he was walking her to her door, although she’d told him doing so wasn’t necessary. She had told him that the other night, as well, but he’d done so anyway.

He watched as she used her key to unlock the door. She then turned to him. “Thanks for a nice evening and for walking me to the door, Adrian.”

“You’re welcome. I’d like to check inside.”

She rolled her eyes. “Is that really necessary?”

“I think so. After what happened with Keisha last year, I would feel a lot better if I did.”

He figured she had heard how his cousin Canyon’s wife, Keisha, had come home to find her house in shambles.

Trinity stepped aside. “Help yourself. I definitely want you to feel better.”

Ignoring the sarcasm he heard in her voice, Adrian moved past her and checked the bedrooms, kitchen and bathrooms. He returned to the living room to find her leaning against the closed door, her arms crossed over her chest.

Her gaze clashed with his. “Satisfied?” she asked in an annoyed tone.

Suddenly a deep, fierce hunger stirred to life inside him. That same hunger he’d been hopelessly fighting all night. He told himself to walk out the door and not look back, but knew he could no more ignore the yearnings that were rushing through him than he could not breathe. She had no idea how totally sensuous she looked or the effect it was having on him.

He walked toward her in a measured pace. When she turned and reached for the door to open it for him to leave, he reached for her. The moment he touched her, fiery heat shot straight to his groin.

Before she could say anything, he pressed her back against the door and swooped his mouth down on hers with a hunger he needed to release. He couldn’t recall precisely when she began kissing him back—all he knew was that she was doing so, and with a greed that equaled his.

He pressed hard into her middle, wanting her to feel just how aroused he was, as his tongue tangled with hers in a duel so sensuous he wasn’t sure if the moans he heard were coming from her or from him.