What type of guy would make love to a woman without making sure she enjoyed it? Then he recalled what she’d said to that Dusty guy that night in St. Paul. He’d been full of himself then and had probably been the same way in college. Was he surprised good old Dusty had been a dud in the sack? Not really. And who were the others?
It didn’t matter. He intended to right this massive wrong that had been done to her. He inwardly vowed that before daybreak, Monica Bennett would know how it felt to really be made love to. And she would enjoy every minute of it. He would see to it.
When they got off the elevator, still holding hands, he turned to her. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, Monica, but I hope you know that you can trust me.”
She lifted a brow. “Trust you about what?”
“I’ve been thinking about how I want to spend the rest of my time on the cruise. I think you’ve come to realize there’s a degree of sexual attraction between us that’s been there from the beginning.”
“Yes, I’m aware of it, Landon.”
“Have you considered doing something about it?”
She didn’t say anything for a minute, then shook her head. “I’m not like many of the women here, Landon. I don’t just jump into any man’s bed.”
Landon was glad she wasn’t. “But you have engaged in affairs before, right?”
“Yes, but only twice.” She slowed her pace and then asked, “Is that what you want? An affair with me?”
He could tell her point blank what he really wanted was her—physically and emotionally. All it had taken was a few days spent with her to know something was going on here. If he’d had any doubt before, he certainly didn’t have it now. There had to have been a reason their paths had crossed those two unlikely times. There had to have been a reason he was so attracted to her, in a way he hadn’t been with any other woman since losing Simone. And there had to have been a reason she had confided in him about the losers she’d slept with before—the two who had put their pleasures before hers.
It was totally obvious to him that Monica had been placed in his safekeeping for a reason and he planned to take very good care of her.
For the rest of his life...
He figured she wouldn’t be ready to hear that part, so there was no need trying to explain it to her now. But he would, when he thought she was ready. By then, he hoped things would be obvious. But when the time was right, he would explain in earnest why for him, she mattered. And he intended to make his intentions clear, one day at a time. What was in his favor was that she had already agreed to spend the remainder of the cruise with him as a pretend couple. Now he wanted to make the pretense real.
“I want to show you what you’ve been missing out on,” he said when they reached her cabin door. She leaned back against a wall, studying him. He liked that and didn’t want her to ever take anything at face value.
She nodded slowly, as if she was contemplating what he’d said. At least she hadn’t questioned his abilities. Evidently their passionate kisses in the limo had convinced her that he could deliver. “So, it will be about sex and nothing more.”
He intended to use every moment he spent with her to prove that for them, it would always be more than just sex. But again, she didn’t need to know that now. “It will be about treating you to the pleasures you’ve been, so far, denied. You never should accept anything less.”
Before she could question what he’d meant, he quickly asked, “So… Are you going to invite me inside your cabin, Monica?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LANDON’S QUESTION MADE MONICA’S pulse rate spike. What was she to do? He’d moved to lean against the wall now too, looking sexier than any man had a right to look, and the expression on his face left no doubt that he was hungry enough to eat her alive.
The very thought made a flare of arousal rush through her. Goose bumps formed on her arms and her mouth suddenly felt dry.
“Monica?”
She hadn’t answered and she couldn’t. Instead, she acted, unlocking and then opening her door. He followed her.
Monica had barely stepped inside when Landon reached out for her, and she walked into his arms without hesitation.
“I want to pleasure you tonight,” he said, his deep voice husky with warning…and promise.
“Do you think you can, Landon?”
A confident smile eased on his lips. “Oh, yes. Will you give me the chance to prove it?”
The thought of what he would do had sensations flooding her stomach. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Then, giving her a heart-stopping smile, dimples and all, he framed her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers.
An overwhelming burst of sexual need consumed Landon the moment his mouth touched hers. When she parted her lips, he went for her tongue with a hunger he felt in every part of his being. This would be a night she would never forget. He wanted that for her. He wanted that for them.
The kiss went on forever, and her low whimpers of need were driving him crazy. He finally released her mouth and leaned in, whispering close to her ear, “I want to make love to you, Monica. And I will give you immense pleasure. I promise.”
She eased closer to him and there was no way she could miss his aroused state. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she brought her lips close to his and whispered, “Do it.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Without a word, Landon swept Monica into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Once there, he placed her on the bed, then stood back a little, waiting. He needed to know she really wanted this, that in the morning, she wouldn’t regret her decision. He wanted her to feel more passion with him tonight than she’d ever felt before—or would ever feel again. When he was inside her, he wanted to stake a claim, wanted to brand her as his. Totally and completely.
Easing off the bed, she moved towards him. “I want to undress you, Landon.”
Her words broke the silence between them, and he repeated what she’d told him moments ago. “Do it.”
He fought with his self-control as she reached for his shoulders, and slowly began rubbing her hands all around them before easing his jacket off and tossing it aside. Then, pulling him forward, she placed a kiss on his chin, his throat, and the part of his chest exposed through his shirt. His breath caught when he felt her tongue glide over him, licking him for a torturous moment before straightening to undo the buttons on his shirt.
Her touch was nearly driving him insane, but he refused to give in to his desires. Tonight, and any time they made love it would always be about her.
When she eased his shirt from his shoulders, her gaze lingered on his skin for a moment. “I fell in love with your chest the moment you took your shirt off at the pool today.” She leaned in and kissed it, making him suck in his breath.
“What do you like about it?” he asked, fighting to keep his arms by his side.
“It’s both beautiful and manly. I have a weakness for a man with a hairy chest.”
That was good to hear—his chest was definitely hairy. “You know you’re killing me, right?”
She smiled at him. “Then I guess I’d better continue removing your clothes. I definitely want you alive, Mr. Chestnut. After all, you have to keep your promise.”