This woman is definitely going to be a challenge, he thought, and I can’t fucking wait.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked as she shifted against the opposite wall and crossed her legs.

He had discovered that once she made up her mind, she was the kind of woman who didn’t back down. It was the moments in between, the uncertainty, that made her the most vulnerable.

“I was wondering what else is hiding under your clothes.”

Cole admired her blunt no-nonsense response.

“Amazing. I was just thinking the exact same thing. What will I find when I unzip that skirt, Rachel?”

“Guess you’ll find out in…” She looked at the lights on the panel above the doors as they lit one at a time with each floor they passed. “Six floors.”

Cole pushed his hands into his pockets as their eyes met once more. “Yes, I will.”

Silence filled the space between them as the elevator passed the final four floors.

When it came to a smooth stop, Cole pushed away from the wall and gestured with his hand. “After you.”

Rachel moved away from the other side and stepped out into the hallway. She stopped when her black heels hit the cream carpet. Cole got off the elevator and came up behind her. He ran one finger down her neck and along her shoulder and felt her shiver.

She looked back at him. “Which way?”

“Left. It’s the last door on your right.”

She pivoted to the left and made her way down the hall. He watched her take in the paintings on the walls. When she reached the last door, she turned, so she was facing him as he walked toward her. Her eyes devoured him as he came closer, and when he pulled the keys from his pocket, she parted her lips and licked them as if she were ready to take a bite.

“Ready?” he asked, looking directly at her, as he inserted the key.

“For?”

He turned the key, and the snick of the lock was as effective as a starting gun.

With absolute certainty, he said, “Me.”

* * *

Rachel was absolutely positive she was not ready for him, but she wanted him anyway, so she conveniently pushed that thought aside. She turned to where he was now waiting for her in the doorway. Stepping into the entryway, she felt a strong hand firmly grip her upper right arm from behind her.

“Let’s see how well you follow direction.”

As his breath ghosted over her spine, she allowed herself a moment of reflection.

How long has it been since I’ve given in to this side of myself? Years? Four at least.

She was pulled from her thoughts when his tongue touched the base of her neck where her tattoo began.

“Be sure this is what you want. Walk all the way to the door at the far end of the hall. Do not look around. When you get there, go inside, and you will see a large wooden trunk at the end of my bed. When I get there, I want you to be standing on it, facing my headboard, minus this sexy fucking skirt.”

Rachel swallowed and nodded once.

“Good. Oh, Rachel, leave the stockings and heels on. I’ll be in shortly. Now, go,” he instructed.

She felt a slight pressure from one of his hands on the curve of her back, urging her forward. Straightening her spine, she decided that she might as well give him a show, so she strutted down the hall of his very impressive condo. She wished she had a moment to look around, but she knew if she did, he would see. Rachel could feel his eyes on her, watching her closely, and she still didn’t know him well enough to try and play him.

Her heels clicked as she moved farther along the hardwood floors. From what she could see out of the corner of her eye, she passed two closed doors. When she reached the one at the end of the hall, she extended a trembling hand and gripped the silver knob. Turning it, she stepped inside, and she was immediately surrounded by the dark masculine vibe that was all Cole.

On one side of the room was a large bureau made from a deep cherry hardwood. It perfectly matched the enormous bed pushed against the wall on the other side of the room. A wooden clothes valet sat in the far corner, and just as he had told her, there was a large wooden trunk at the end of his bed.

Rachel didn’t know how much time she had until he joined her, so she quit gaping at her surroundings and kicked her ass into gear. She unzipped her skirt, and with a smirk, she moved to the clothes valet where he had a perfectly pressed suit all neatly laid out. She draped her leather over it with a little chuckle.

Walking back to the end of the bed, she noticed a small cream rug on the floor in front of the trunk. She bet that rug would feel good under her slightly achy feet right now. The room was so lush and rich, all cream and dark woods, yet it was so extremely manly at the same time. It smelled amazing, and then she realized it smelled liked him.

Stopping in front of the trunk, she removed her heels and placed them on top. Then, she hitched herself up onto it. While standing on the trunk, she put the heels back on. Facing the headboard, Rachel shifted her legs a little bit apart, so she was steady, and then she took several deep breaths. Just as she had her nerves almost under control, she heard the handle of the door turn. Closing her eyes, she told herself to let go.

Just let go. Surrender.

* * *

Cole turned the doorknob to his room and pushed the door open slowly. He had been curious about what he would find when he walked in, and what greeted him couldn’t have pleased him more. She had done exactly as he’d asked, and what had been hiding under that little skirt was definitely worth the fucking torture of waiting outside.

After walking through the door, he shut it with a resounding thump, and when she didn’t look over her shoulder, he felt a moment of pride for her. He knew she had to be dying to turn around. Moving into the room, he looked around. He did a double take when he saw her skirt lying over the suit that was hanging on his valet.

Mischievous woman.

As he walked toward her, he rolled up his sleeves to his forearms and glanced down at the writing on each arm: Tålmodighet av en saint. Sinnet til en synder.

How very appropriate it is tonight, he thought. Patience of a saint. The mind of a sinner.

As he looked at the long legs slightly spread and wrapped in those fantasy-inducing thigh-high stockings, he found he was praying for patience as he was definitely thinking like a sinner. No question about it.

He stopped directly behind her, and with her perched in her heels, she was the exact right height for what he had in mind. Her smooth pale ass, separated by a tiny strip of black lace, was at eye-level and calling to him.

“Very nice, Rachel,” he finally said. “Your legs should always be in these stockings. This seam…” he murmured, reaching out a finger and touching the black line that began at the back of her right ankle. “It makes me want to trace it…” He ran his finger up the seam and then leaned in to the opposite leg. “With my tongue.”

* * *

Rachel clenched her hands in front of her as Cole’s hot, wet tongue ran a line from the back of her left knee up to the lace surrounding her upper thigh. When his mouth continued to the curve of her bare cheek, she bit down on her bottom lip to avoid making a sound as his teeth nipped at her. His finger made its way up her other leg and crossed over to the lace separating her ass before he slid it down and pushed it between her thighs.

“You’re so quiet up there.”

His voice traveled like a hot caress from her legs up to her burning ears.

“I didn’t realize I could talk.”

As he stroked his finger along her embarrassingly wet panties, his voice permitted, “Oh, you can talk if you like, but I’d prefer you to sigh, moan, and perhaps scream.”

With that, he licked her bare rounded flesh, and then he removed his hand and mouth from her body. “Turn around, Rachel,” he instructed in a voice that demanded she obey.

Is he naked? Will I get to touch him?

Slowly, she turned, wondering what she would find. When she was facing him, she looked down to see him staring up at her with eyes that were focused, determined, and burning. He hadn’t removed one item of clothing, and although she thought that would disappoint her, she was so mesmerized by the look in his eyes that she couldn’t find any disappointment whatsoever.

All she found was intense desire. Desire, lust, and want.

“You’re exactly the way I imagined…only better. I could stare at you all day.” He lifted his left hand to trace the lace at the top of her right thigh. “Take a step forward. Come closer to me.”

Rachel moved as requested. His jaw ticked as he took a deep breath, and she knew he could smell her arousal. Hell, at this stage, she could smell her arousal, and his nose was much closer.

“One hand. That was the deal,” his sensual voice promised.

He ran his fingers up to the crease between her legs, stopping at her throbbing hot mound. His eyes wouldn’t release hers as his fingers crept under the lace and pulled it aside. Knowing what he was about to do was driving her insane, but what he said next just about made her entire body combust.

* * *

“One hand and my mouth. That was the negotiated arrangement, I believe.”

Cole finally tore his eyes away from the blue ones that were making it hard for him to think. When his eyes landed on what he had just bared, he almost fell to his knees to thank whichever god had sent him a woman like Rachel fucking Langley.