|
Holly’s mouth went dry at the glimpse
of the perfect male specimen in the open doorway of the room next to
hers. A tall, Greek god in books she’d never read about, this man
possessed a head of thick dark hair (wet now from an obviously recent
shower), a solid, nicely-muscled male chest topped by springy black
curls, a flat abdomen and long, powerful legs. She felt a crushing
disappointment at the sight of the white bath towel tied low over his
hips, which was certain to be covering the most interesting part of his
anatomy.
His eyes narrowed. “You’re new here,
aren’t you? I haven’t seen you before.”
“Fancy that. You actually notice the
mortals.”
“Mortals?” He looked awestruck, and
then he threw back his head and laughed. It did wonderful things to
make him seem more human. “What am I, a god?”
Why couldn’t he have been dumb as an
ox?
Holly caught herself staring at his
bronzed upper body, which rippled with his laughter. Was it as warm and
hard as it looked? She wanted to touch, to see for herself, to feel his
muscles beneath her fingers. She wanted to be one of those fat drops of
water glistening on his chest.
Huh?
This was bad.
“And you’re one of those lowly
mortals?” He crowded her, stepping over the untidy heap on the floor
and backing her until she hit the wall.
Her breath quickened, fear and
excitement drugging her blood. Her eyes were huge as she stared up at
him, and her heart was beating fast.
“Am I Zeus then, with his myriad of
lovers? Or Apollo, with a visage as bright as the sun?”
Of course, he’d have to refer to the
Greek gods when there were Roman gods as well as Norse and Celtic --
He planted his hands beside each side
of her head, effectively trapping her. He was big and male and
overwhelming. And he smelled good. Too good. She held her breath and
pushed hard against the wall, though she had nowhere to go. His tone
was amused as he continued, “Or maybe war-hungry Ares, or -- ”
“How about Narcissus,” she retorted,
“who couldn’t see past his own nose?”
His eyes glinted, and she was suddenly
aware of the precariousness of her position. She should have been
warned when his tone had turned low and dangerous, but no, she had to
goad him further.
“Are you calling me vain and
egotistical?”
“M -- more of,” she stuttered, “self --
self-centered.”
He shifted and pressed the full length
of his body against her. “I think I like you stammering and trembling
and completely at my mercy.” |