She’d participated as a sculptor in an art exhibit in Paris.
She’d washed windows on the tallest skyscraper in Dubai.
She’d piloted a gondola in Venice…while disguised as a man.
She’d worked on a rice farm in Vietnam.
She’d been an assistant winemaker in Italy.
She’d waited tables as a barmaid at a pub in Ireland.
He would have sworn she was lying if she hadn’t been so straightforward and knowledgeable about everything she shared. By the time they were done sampling the delicious desserts and had finished their whiskeys, he was in complete awe.
“I have the strangest image in my mind right now,” he said. “It’s that meme with The Most Interesting Man in the World, but your face is transposed over his.”
She smiled. “I’m flattered. He’s one of my role models.” Pushing to her feet, she asked, “Are you ready to finish our game?”
He followed her lead and rose from his chair. Rather than approaching the table, he moved closer to her. The arousal that he’d gotten back under control during their meal made an immediate resurgence as her scent and the heat from her body washed over him.
“You never did stipulate what the winner will get,” he pointed out, his gaze on her mouth.
He drew in a sharp breath when her hand slid between them with no warning at all and stroked him through his jeans. “Didn’t I?”
And just that quickly, he was nearly fully erect.
“Jesus,” he groaned, instinctively thrusting once against her palm before stepping away from her. “You’re trying to kill me.”
“Actually, I’m trying to distract you,” she said with a gleam in her eye.
“You’ve been doing that all evening.”
He once again adjusted himself, shaking his head at her when she watched him. She wasn’t the least chagrined, giving him an amused look as he retrieved his pool cue.
Contrary to Roxy’s goal, revealing the prize to be won only made him more focused and intent on winning. He sank his last two balls before failing to sink the eight ball for the win.
“Impressive,” she said, apparently not concerned that he was one move away from beating her. “Here’s your question. If you could do anything else besides playing professional hockey, what would it be?”
He frowned. “I’ve never really thought about it.”
“So, think about it now.”
Resting his pool cue against the side of the table, he considered the question. “I guess something that involves computers or puzzle solving,” he said at last. “Something that’s different from day to day and requires creative thinking.”
“Interesting.”
She eased herself off the chair arm where she’d been waiting for him to finish his turn and lined herself up behind the cue ball. Then she expertly sank the rest of her balls, called the corner pocket, and sank the eight ball.
His mouth dropped open.
“Looks like I won,” she said.
He narrowed his gaze. “Why do I feel like I’ve just been hustled?”
She batted her eyelashes as she walked over to him, her hips swaying. “Would I do such a thing?”
“Hell, yeah, you would.”
“Just look at how well you’ve gotten to know me,” she said as she stopped in front of him and ran her hand over his chest. “Now, are you going to be a good sport and let me claim my prize?”
He wasn’t sure how to feel about this turn of events. He was used to being the one in control with a woman. With Roxy, he was hopelessly ensnared by her seductive magic, powerless to resist her.
Her touch skimmed over his nipple through his shirt, producing a low growl from him. He leaned down, desperate to taste her.
Her finger came between them, resting against his mouth. “Uh-uh,” she said. “I realize I’ve been coming on rather strong with you, Callan, and I’m sure that’s led you to a certain impression. But despite what you might think, I’m not the type of woman to sleep with a man she just met.”
Before disappointment took hold, she moved so that he was forced to take a step back. His legs ended up pressed against the edge of the pool table as she once again lowered her hand to grasp him through his jeans.
“That said,” she went on, “I’m also not a complete tease. So my prize is getting to watch you as you come for me.”
The words made him rock hard. He failed to see how that was much of a prize for her, but objection was the furthest thing from his mind as she kept her eyes on his and unbuttoned his shirt, baring his chest to her touch. She took full advantage, running her hands over him, gauging his response and spending more time on the areas that got the reactions she sought.
Her teeth soon got involved, tugging at his nipples and sending the most erotic blend of pain and ecstasy shooting straight through him. He swore she was going to coax him to orgasm before she’d even gotten below the waist.
She finally released the button of his jeans and lowered the zipper. Any relief he felt by the opening of his restrictive jeans instantly evaporated as her touch progressed lower. She tormented him through his boxer briefs for a few blissful minutes before grabbing one of the chair cushions and tossing it at his feet. As she knelt on it and looked up at him, she conveyed her intent without words.
“Unbutton your blouse,” he ordered in a gruff voice.
One of her eyebrows lifted. Rather than obey the command, she kept her eyes on his as she ran her forefingers tantalizingly along the exposed edges of his hipbones. She slid those fingers under the waistband of his underwear, gliding her fingertips inward until she reached her goal. Lowering the waistband, she revealed just the tip of his erection. Her tongue flickered out, capturing the moisture she found there.
“Fuck.”
The word sounded strangled as it left his throat. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back to try to regain some control.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” she said. “Be a good boy and open those eyes. You’re going to watch me claim my prize.”
He opened his eyes.
She lowered his boxer briefs the rest of the way and continued working her magic with her talented hands and tongue. He tried to hold out as long as possible, but she had him too worked up. Far too soon, it seemed, she took him deep into her mouth with just the right amount of pressure.
And he saw stars.
Watching her in that moment was undeniably one of the hottest things he’d ever done. It prolonged the spasms of pleasure that wracked his body, leaving him robbed of breath and completely weak in the knees. He had to brace himself against the pool table to remain standing.
Roxy lifted his boxer briefs back into place, followed by his jeans. She got to her feet as she reached his waist with the jeans and secured the button. He started to tell her he could redress himself, then realized he would likely fall right on his face if he moved his hands from the pool table. She smiled knowingly as she raised his zipper.
“Thanks for being such an excellent winner,” she said in her alluring voice.
“Thank you for winning.”
That earned a soft laugh. “Any time.”
Enough of his senses returned that he could start buttoning his shirt himself. “I think we need a rematch.”
She walked over to the table, opening her bottle of water and taking a drink. “Another time, I hope. I’ve got to get going.”