“I’ve never ridden a horse,” he admitted.
Cassie dropped the picture back into the bin and turned to stare at him. “Seriously? We’ll have to rectify that while you’re here.”
Ian laughed. “I wasn’t asking for an invitation. Just stating a fact.”
She turned a bit more to face him, her thigh rubbing against his. Did she have a clue that she was playing with fire? She may be older than him, but something told him she wasn’t necessarily more experienced.
Arrogance had him believing they weren’t on a level playing field. He had plenty he wanted to show her.
“I love teaching people how to ride,” she went on, oblivious to his thoughts. “It’s such an exhilarating experience.”
Cassie’s wide smile lit up her entire face. The room had a soft glow from the single-bulb sconce on the wall and Ian could resist those full lips for only so long...especially now that he knew exactly how they tasted.
Without warning, he slid his hands through her hair and captured her lips. She opened freely, just like when they’d been in the stables.
Ian tipped her head, taking the kiss deeper. He wanted more, so much more. He wanted to feel her hands on him as he explored her mouth, relishing her taste, but she didn’t touch him. Maybe she did know how to play this age-old game of catch and release.
Easing back, Ian took in her swollen lips, her heavy lids and flushed cheeks and smiled. “Actually,that’san exhilarating experience.”
And God help them both because between the interlude in the stables and that kiss, he had the whole night to think about how this sexual chemistry would play out.
The real question was: Could he make it all night without finding out?
Four
Cassie jumped to her feet, instantly feeling the chill without Ian’s powerful touch. The man was beyond potent and he damn well knew it.
“You seriously think because we’re locked in here and we kissed a few times that I’ll just have sex with you?” Cassie ran a shaky hand through her hair, cursing her nerves for overtaking her as fast as those heated kisses had. “I don’t know what lifestyle you lead in L.A., but that’s not how I work.”
Ian stared up at her, desire still lurking in those dark-as-sin eyes. “Are you denying you were just as involved in those kisses as I was?”
“You had your hands all over me,” she threw back. “Just because I like kissing doesn’t mean I always use it as a stepping-stone for sex. I technically just met you, for crying out loud. I don’t know anything about you.”
Moving as slowly as a panther hunting its prey, Ian came to his feet and crossed to her. “You know how quick you respond to my touch, you know how your heartbeat quickens when you wonder what my next move will be and you know you’re fighting this pull between us.”
Cassie raised a brow, trying for her best bored look. “That has nothing to do with Ian Shaffer. That’s all chemistry.”
“So you don’t deny you want me?” he asked with a smirk.
Crossing her arms and taking a step back, Cassie narrowed her eyes. “Drop the ego down a notch. You just proved how very littlewe know about each other. You may sleep with virtual strangers, but I don’t.”
Ian laughed, throwing his arms in the air. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“Are you married?”
Shock slid over his face. “Hell no. Never plan to be.”
Commitment issues? Lovely. Hadn’t she just gotten out of a relationship with a man of the same nature?
On the other hand, Ian wasn’t cheating on a wife back in California. That was at least one mark in his favor. Okay, the toe-curling kisses were major positive points in his favor, but she’d never confess that out loud. And she wasn’t actually looking to jump back into another relationship anyway.
“No girlfriend?” she asked.
“Would I be all over you if I did?”
Cassie shrugged. “Some guys wouldn’t care.”
That heated gaze glided over her and was just as effective as a lover’s touch. Her body trembled.