Playing His Game Part 9

Roarke's breath got trapped in his throat as he looked his fill of her nude perfection. When he had lifted her from the bath, his attention was focused on how to get her to the bed, rather than what she looked like. The lamp he had clicked on when he woke up served to illuminate the creaminess of her skin and cast shadows across her body, while it exposed other delectable parts. The oil from the bath left on her skin gave it a shiny, almost translucent quality. She was well proportioned, with pert b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and shapely legs. Her abs were defined, and muscles in her arms rippled under the skin as she reached for the sheet. She was lithe and toned. He could stare at her all day. He would love to touch her all night.

She broke his trance when she fastened the flat sheet around her, sarong-style. Most of her hair had come undone from the barrette, and it cascaded over her shoulders. He could easily imagine her as the queen of an island. He would gladly do her bidding; worship her always and get down on his knees to pray. He dismissed his fancies with a soft sigh. "There's a fresh towel for you on the counter by the sink."

Mya hurried into the bathroom to escape the hunger in his eyes-the hunger she suspected was mirrored in hers. Her body still tingled, as if his eyes had been hands and had stroked her most private places.

She turned on the faucets, then entered the spray. The water was almost hot enough to hurt, but it felt good too. As she washed away the traces of oil from the bath, Mya tried to wash away the uncomfortable truth that she wanted Roarke.

She touched the ring on her left hand. It was tangible proof she was Bobby's woman. Mya had no business thinking about Roarke the way she was. It was bad enough having to play his game, but she certainly shouldn't be enjoying it, or looking forward to the next round. She shouldn't imagine it was his hands washing her. She definitely shouldn't wish that she hadn't left that s.p.a.cious bed. If she was still laying with him, he would be touching her. His hands on her body; not hers.

Her breathing grew ragged as she imagined Roarke's hands on her. She leaned her head against the warm tile and entertained thoughts of asking him to wash her back. She fantasized that he would throw

open the gla.s.s doors, storm into the shower, pin her to the wall, and make her his. There would be no time for protests. She would be caught in the onslaught of his pa.s.sion-willingly, eagerly, even.

Time! Mya's eyes popped open, and her hand fell away from between her thighs. What time was it? The

window in the bathroom was covered by a security shutter, so she couldn't see out. She was well-rested,

and the shower had revived her. She felt like she had slept for hours.

Mya rinsed the remainder of the soap away and shut off the water before she stepped onto the bare floor. She took a folded towel from the counter and wrapped its fluffy folds around her. She lifted the other towel, which smelled faintly of soap and Roarke, and briskly dried her hair. She dropped it back on the counter and removed the towel around her. After a quick rubdown, she threw on her underwear, the wrap-around skirt, and the halter. She found her shoes under the sink.

Mya skipped all other grooming rituals and rushed back into the bedroom. Roarke sat in the recliner, wrapped in the comforter from the bed. She frowned at his nakedness. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"My clothes were in the bathroom."

"Oh." Mya frowned at her asinine question. "What time is it? I don't have my watch."

Roarke glanced down at his Rolex. "Three-twelve."

"In the afternoon?"

He almost laughed at her blatantly hopeful tone. "A.M."

"s.h.i.t!"

"Don't worry. I'll help you think of something to tell Bobby so he won't know."

She shook her head. "He already knows. It's my parents and sister I'm worried about. They'll be here in three-and-a-half hours. With the nightmare at the airports these days, we'll need to be there by five."

"He knows?"

Mya's head lifted at Roarke's cold tone. "What?"

"Bobby knows about our-arrangement?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah. Are you listening to me? I've been out half the night, and my family will be

here soon." She went to the nightstand before she remembered he had no phone. "G.o.d! How can you

live without a phone? I need a taxi."

Roarke struggled to suppress his anger as he rose from the recliner. "I'll drive you home. Your apartment is on my way."

She frowned. "Your way?"

"I don't live here, Mya." Despite his preoccupation with thoughts of strangling Bobby, he was able to muster a small laugh. "This place isn't even Spartan. No one could live here." But if she was in his bed, day after day, he would be willing to try.

He saw her anxious pacing and sighed. Without waiting for a response, Roarke went into the steamy bathroom to put on his clothes. When reentering the bedroom a few minutes later, he found Mya standing by the door. "I guess you're ready?"

She nodded. What was Bobby going to say when she showed up at this hour? How could she have been so careless as to fall asleep? The champagne and ma.s.sage had been too much relaxation, and she had been so tired. Would he understand that? Would he believe that nothing had happened besides a bath and a nap? She closed her eyes and bit back a sigh. She knew the answer already. The best course of action was to not tell him anything. She would just apologize profusely and hope he dropped the issue.

Roarke followed her from the condo and struggled to keep up with the pace she set as they hurried to the elevator. She didn't slow down until they were in the parking garage attached to the lower floor. She was forced to wait for him as he led the way to a black Lotus, which he unlocked with the remote on his key chain.

Once in the pa.s.senger seat, she fidgeted with her purse strap, chewed on her thumbnail, and stole peeks at the radio's clock. The yellow-orange numbers seemed to glow brighter with each pa.s.sing minute. "He's going to be so mad."

"He'll understand." Bobby must be very understanding if he'd let Mya enter this ridiculous game. Roarke's mouth twisted. Or he was a selfish pig. How could he stand by and let Roarke coerce Mya into bed? If she was his fiancee, no man would ever touch her again. He would give up anything and everything for her. His career wouldn't have meant anything next to Mya. "Why are you with that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?" Roarke silently cursed himself when he blurted out the question.

Mya's attention had been focused on rehearsing what she would say to Bobby when she got home, so it took her a moment for his words to sink in. "What?"

He shook his head, deciding discretion was the better part of valor. "Never mind."

She frowned at him and wondered why he had abandoned the question. She chose to answer anyway. "I love him."

Her voice lacked conviction. He had no trouble detecting the note of uncertainty in her tone. "Why?"

Mya's reaction surprised her. Whenever her sister asked questions like that, she fervidly defended Bobby. Her hackles rose whenever her family criticized him. Now she found herself at a loss and searched for an answer that wasn't trite. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find the right words. She breathed a sigh of relief when the Lotus turned onto her street. "It's the pink stucco building."

Roarke stopped in front of the building. "Do you want me to walk you up?"

Her eyes widened. "No!" She quieted her strident tone to a normal decibel. "This neighborhood is safe."

He wanted to protest, but Roarke knew she would have a hard enough time when she faced Bobby without him appearing on the doorstep. He could only imagine Bobby's reaction. "You don't have to go up."

His urgent words surprised her. Mya's brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't I?"

"He won't get violent, will he?"

She bit her lip. Bobby might get violent, but not with her. When they argued, which was infrequently, he had sometimes thrown things, or yelled and cursed, but he wouldn't hurt her. "I'll be fine."

It wasn't the answer he wanted, but Roarke settled for it. He took his wallet from his pants and flipped it open. He rifled through the contents for a moment, then handed her a card. "That's my private phone number and home address. If things don't go well, you can call me."

The moment struck Mya as surreal. The man who had forced her into a s.e.xual relationship now offered to protect her from her fiance. Shouldn't it be the other way around? She slid the card in her purse before she lifted the door handle. There didn't seem to be anything else to say, so she opened the door.

He put his hand on her arm. "When are your parents leaving?"

"Friday."

"Did you take vacation?"

"Yes." Would he ask for an extra day? Would she object? The ambiguousness of her feelings gave her an answer, but it wasn't one she wanted to examine.

"Let's skip this week." He gritted his teeth as he made the offer. "You obviously miss them, and you can't see them enough with them living in Washington. You'll want to spend this week with them, focused on them-not thinking about...other things."

She refused to acknowledge the dart of disappointment. "Okay. I'll see you next Tuesday."

He almost blurted out that he would be counting the days, but Roarke restrained himself. She didn't want to hear that. "Goodnight."

Mya surprised them both when she leaned over to kiss him. She pressed her lips to his for a brief moment, then scurried from the car. She rushed up the walkway, idly noting her knees trembled, although it wasn't strictly nerves about the confrontation with Bobby that made her legs weak. She could still feel Roarke's lips against hers.

As she unlocked the entrance, Mya turned around in time to see Roarke pull away. She touched her lips and stared after him until his Lotus turned a corner. With a sigh, she entered the apartment building and trudged up the stairs.

Chapter Twelve.

Confrontation Bobby was sprawled out on the leather sofa, snoring loudly. Mya let herself in and quietly lowered her keys and purse to the table. She was almost tempted to just let him sleep until four-thirty, when they would leave for the airport. There would be no opportunity for him to yell at her for the time being. With a sigh, Mya walked over to the couch to wake him, because she knew it was better to get the discussion out of the way. Bobby wouldn't forget it. He would just get angrier as time pa.s.sed, until he eventually exploded. The last thing she wanted was a serious fight in front of her family.

His eyes snapped open when she touched his shoulder. Mya held her breath as she waited for his reaction.

He yawned and stretched. "What time is it?"

She glanced at the clock on the VCR. "Three fifty-seven."

Bobby swung his legs off the sofa as he sat up. "What's going on?"

"Huh?"

"What were you doing all night?"

"I fell asleep."

He looked skeptical. "For twelve hours?"

She shrugged and dropped into the loveseat. "It's been a long week."

"I'll bet your afternoon with Thomas was exhausting."

Mya closed her eyes and let his bitter words wash over her. She knew if she retorted it would only

prolong the argument. "I'm sorry I was gone so long."

"Sorry? You were gone all day and most of the night, and that's all you can say?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "You owe me an explanation."

"I fell asleep," she said again, this time with a hint of anger in her voice.

"That's not all. We both know it wasn't anything so innocent as sleeping."

Mya's hazel eyes took on a green cast as she got angrier. "Whatever I was doing, it was for you. I can't

leave until he tells me to." She felt a flush of guilt creep up her neck as she said the words. It wasn't just for Bobby anymore, and Roarke hadn't kept her prisoner. She had fallen asleep in his bed and slept in complete peace in his arms. She had even imagined him in the shower with her. Mya felt her face get hot as the blush crept upwards, and she tried to redirect her thoughts back to Bobby.

"You had better be home when I get here from now on."

"Or what?"

He glowered at her. "You won't like it."

Mya's lips thinned. "Here's the solution to me being gone. Grow some b.a.l.l.s and stand up to Roarke."

His eyes turned glacial, and he lunged from the sofa. Mya cringed away from his quick movements, but

he hurried past her. He was completely dressed and stopped only to grab a jacket from the closet as he strode to the door.

"What are you doing?"