On The Dotted Line by Kim Carmichael Page B

that her things were
alive. “Should I turn off the light?”
    “If
you like.”
    Right
as he went to lean over, she snaked her leg out from under the comforter to
apply her lotion. Her nightgown rode all the way up to her upper thigh and he
knew his wife didn’t wear anything else under her pajamas.
    He
froze and took some time to take in the graceful curves only a woman possessed.
Only last night he sampled all the goodness she displayed. Maybe she wasn’t his
usual type, but she was a beauty. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ask her out,
he simply never thought about the possibility. Though his mind was spent, his
body could use a little relief. “Willow?”
    She
tended to her other leg. “I thought you were going to turn off the light.”
    “Do
you like the light on or off?” His mouth watering at how her hands ran over skin,
he turned on his side toward her. Maybe she said those things before because
she wanted him to ask her out. Well, he gave her the whole package. He put a
ring on it, literally. The woman might say it was only a contract, but it was
what went unsaid that really spoke volumes.
    “I
can sleep either way.” She stretched. Her nipples jutted out from the thin
fabric of her blue nightgown.
    A
twinge of jealousy rang through him at her admission, but he had a surefire way
he could make himself tired. In fact, he could downright guarantee he would be
able to exhaust both of them. “I wasn’t talking about sleeping.” He reached
forward and touched the lace piping on her sleeve. Maybe with the right
persuasion and his spouse at his side, he wouldn’t play battle of the bed
anymore.
    She
put the lotion bottle down on the nightstand and turned to him. “Forget it. Didn’t
you hear what I said before?”
    “Yes,
earlier today you said you were surprised by my passion.” He flashed her a smile
topped with a bit of an eyebrow raise for effect. “I’ve never been told that
before.”
    “I
am choosing to file that away as a memory.” She pulled the nightgown over her
legs and got under the covers once more.
    “We
can make it the present.”
    “I
think we need to leave the passion out of our business partnership.” She
adjusted her pillows. “It’s better this happened or we may be having too much
sex.”
    “I
don’t think there’s such a thing as too much.”
    “Well,
at least you have the memory as well.” She reached over and turned out the lamp.
    The
room darkened, but the small amount of moonlight allowed him to make out her
form. Not one to lose a deal, he needed to travel a different path to the win. “Willow.”
    “Yes.”
    “I
know I told you before, but last night was truly spectacular, actually amazing.
Maybe I’m only passionate with you.” He lowered his tone to ensure the sexy
came through. While he wanted to remind her of how he felt how hard her climax
hit her, he held back. Maybe rather than sleeping they could try for two. A
real wedding souvenir.
    “Randolph.”
    He
licked his lips, priming the pump. “Yes.”
    “We
are not having sex.” Her voice cut through him.
    At
least she didn’t say ever. He ground his teeth together, but got the next words
out. “We’re newlyweds.” Fine, he would beg.
    “Newlyweds
don’t have contracts specifying when they will get divorced.” The bed bounced
as she turned over. “This bed is so comfortable.”
    The
woman appreciated beds. She mentioned the same thing at the hotel.
    The
room became silent. Instinct told him to let the sex go. He stared into the
black nothing wanting to head out, but his own contract demanded he stay or
take her with him. “Willow?” He never had anyone else sleep in his room before.
    “Yes.”
    “Is
it weird to sleep somewhere else like this?” The tree outside flickered a
bizarre pattern on the wall, a perfect abstract background for a painting.
    “No
weirder than marrying you yesterday, wearing a diamond that costs more than
most people’s homes and living in a real mansion.”