She had no idea what Sloane was up to, but work day or no work day, she was going to call him. If luck was on her side, he’d answer his phone and she’d be able to convince him to play hookie with her.
She picked up the phone and dialed his number.
CHAPTER TEN
“Naughty, naughty.”
Sloane’s voice drifted up the stairs to Melanie and she immediately left the bedroom and ran downstairs to greet him. She was halfway down when she saw him at the door, tall and rugged and ever so handsome in his dark business suit, his tie already loosened and hanging around his neck. He was bending to drop his briefcase to the floor but when she came running he looked up and his face broke into a smile.
“There’s my girl,” he said, as he straightened and looked at her with open admiration. “Sexy.”
Melanie paused at the foot of the stairs and gave him her most seductive smile. She knew she looked good. She’d dressed in a scarlet teddy that opened in the middle to show off her navel and the skimpy bikini panties underneath. She did a little pirouette for her admirer then walked right up to him, went on tiptoe and gave him a kiss full on the lips. Then she stepped back. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said, her voice husky with want, “and I’m ready.”
“Then let’s do this,” he growled and bent down to press his shoulder into her middle. When he stood up it was with her over his shoulder in a fireman lift and then he was climbing the stairs two at a time as he headed to their bedroom, the one he’d converted from a bachelor’s den to an abode fit for a royal couple. And she knew he’d done it just for her.
Sloane deposited her in the middle of the bed then headed to the bathroom, sliding his jacket off his shoulders as he went. “Just give me a minute,” he said as he began to unbutton his shirt.
Within seconds Melanie heard the shower and she settled back into the pillows and smiled. She remembered Sloane's surprised response when she’d called to say she wanted him in bed. Now.
Apparently, someone had been in the office with him because he cleared his throat and gave her a generic answer. “Uh, yes. I think we can make that happen. Let’s make it four-fifteen, shall we?” And then he’d hung up and she’d spent the next minute laughing her head off. She could just imagine the thoughts racing through his head. He was probably wondering why in the world he’d married this crazy woman who had gone from nun-like state to wanton in a matter of weeks.
She didn’t get much more time to gloat over her newfound self confidence because within minutes Sloane was striding out of the bathroom, stark naked, his manhood one hundred percent ready.
“You wicked woman,” he said as he climbed onto the bed beside her. “I had an operations meeting this afternoon. I had to tell the team to cancel as something very important had come up.” Then he chuckled. “I wasn’t lying.”
Melanie reached out to slide her hand over his shoulder and down his arm, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin and taut muscles. “I never did anything like this before,” she said, her eyes sliding over his chest and down to the soft hairs forming a V down below. “It’s crazy but I couldn’t help myself. I was so…”
“Horny?” He put out a hand and started some exploration of his own, sliding his palm up to cup the soft roundness of her breast.
“Yes,” she said in a whispered gasp, as his thumb grazed her nipple.
“When I see you,” he said not ceasing his torture, “I’m always horny.”
And then he lowered his head and captured that tortured nipple in a kiss so sweet that she arched her back, wanting so much more.
That afternoon Sloane delivered on his promise, making sweet love to her till the sun began its slow descent behind the hills, painting the sky with swathes of red and yellow and gold.
For Melanie it was the most wonderful way to end her day, lying there in the arms of the man she was growing to love. Yes, she had to admit, with each passing day Sloane was becoming more and more a part of her life, her being. What she was feeling, she realized, had nothing to do with wanting his baby. What she was feeling was all for him.
As she lay there in the crook of his arm, his hand caressing her body which was still warm from lovemaking, she sighed and looked up at him. “I still can’t believe this is me, skipping work for sex. This is so unlike me.”
He laughed softly then touched his index finger to the tip of her nose. “That was the old you. You’re a super sexy woman who loves to make love. Nothing wrong with that.”
“But I never used to like sex,” she protested.
“You never had the right man to show you what love is.”
She dipped her head and tucked it under his chin. Her face pressed against his chest, she spoke again, her voice slightly muffled. “They both told me I was the problem. And then…they got frustrated and left. I thought…it was all my fault.”
Sloane made a sound deep in his throat, an unmistakable grunt of disgust. “The men in your life, they were nothing but jerks. Sounds like they didn’t even try.” Then he wrapped his arms around her and lifted his hand to stroke her hair. “If you’re the problem, you’re definitely a problem I love to have. Did you know I get hard every time you’re around?”
She pushed away from his chest and looked up into his face. “No way. You’re lying.” It was a sweet lie, but she didn’t want that. He didn’t need to flatter her. With her slender body and fairly small br**sts she was never going to win a prize for ‘sexy’. The fact that he wanted her when they were in bed was more than enough for her.
“I can prove it,” he said, his eyes never wavering as he looked at her. “Next time you want to test what I told you, wherever we are, whether at home or away, just rest your hand right here and check what you feel.” He took her hand and placed it on his groin. And he really was hard – or at least semi-hard – even though they’d just made love.
Melanie gave him a playful glare. “Sloane, I can’t do that. Not out in public. It’s…indecent.”