“Smell…” He ran his nose against her hair, down her neck, and back up her flushed cheek. The sound of him inhaling her scent rushed a feeling of need straight to her dampened panties. “Mmm, the way every part of your sweet body smells would lead me to kill for it if it ever disappeared from my possession. It’s… mine.” Emily puffed out a breath, the dominance bleeding through his tone awakened nerve endings she never knew existed.
“And last, but certainly not least, touch…” Emily heard him step back. Her body felt deprived in the wake of his warmth. It needed more. Wanted more. Craved more. What was he doing? Surely he should be touching her. “Well, that, Miss Cooper,” he continued, “shouldn’t be hard to figure out. We’re going to touch, smell, taste, hear, and see everything one another has to offer in ways we never have before.”
Breath stripped from his words, and sight gone, hidden beneath the blindfold, Emily felt as though she was a mad woman about to attack. Thankfully, Gavin brought her back down and saved himself from an embarra.s.sing display of her ripping the blindfold off and s.e.xually mauling him to death. Though she was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind. She felt his fingers intertwine with hers as he carefully guided her back to the car and helped her into the seat. The sound of the door closing made Emily’s already nerve-shot body jump in antic.i.p.ation. His feet crunching over the gravel made her already heightened senses acutely alert. Once he got in the car, the humming of his breath made her racing heart beat faster.
He started the engine, pulled the strap of her seatbelt over her waist, and clicked it. Barely grazing her skin, he drew circles around her newly engaged ring finger. Oh, yes, he was teasing her, and he was doing it very well. A brush of his hand on her neck, a slight touch on her thigh, and a light stroke through her hair every now and then made the remainder of the intensely quiet ride torturous. By the time she heard and felt car come to a complete stop, Emily was so s.e.xually charged, she was convinced she was about to lose her mind.
Parked in the circular driveway of a two-story Mediterranean-style home he had built for them, complete with every feature Emily unknowingly gave him over the last several months, a reverent smile broke out across Gavin’s mouth as he watched Emily’s chest rise and fall with her shallow breaths. The sight of her next to him, unaware of what he was about to show her, made him high. His little game wasn’t over just yet. No. He was going to savor the moment for as long as he could. With the flick of a b.u.t.ton, the ornate wrought-iron gates swung closed. Gavin stepped from the car, his smile growing as he opened the pa.s.senger side door, and helped his blindfolded future bride to her feet.
“Where are we?” Feeling his arms slip around her waist from behind, Emily’s lips puckered into a smile. “I’m a little afraid right now.”
Gavin pulled her body flush against his chest as he steered her across the multicolored, sandstone driveway. His heart rate escalated the closer they got to the front door. “Take a step up,” he whispered. Emily did as he said. “Another.” Again, she complied. “And, guess what?”
“Another step?” she asked, giggling.
“You got it,” he answered.
Once on the porch, Leslie, Gavin’s housekeeper—who he’d already hired back on fulltime—quietly greeted them when she opened the front door. Gavin nodded, mouthed “thank you,” and watched her skirt down the driveway to her car.
Stepping into the marbled foyer, Gavin closed and locked the door, slipped Emily’s coat off her shoulders, and softly kissed her lips. “Stay here. I don’t want anything happening to you.”
Crossing her arms, Emily tilted her head. “You can’t see my eyes right now, but I’m rolling them, wisea.s.s.”
“I bet you are,” Gavin laughed. He strolled over to the cascading staircase and hung his suit jacket and Emily’s coat on the intricate, hand-carved cherry railing.
“Come here,” he called, grinning. “My voice will lead you.”
“Are you kidding me?” Emily heard her words echo in whatever s.p.a.ce she was in. “I’m about to take off this d.a.m.n blindfold.” Before she could, the sound of Gavin’s quick, solid footsteps. .h.i.t the air, followed by the feel of his hand pressing against the small of her back.
“No,” Gavin said, leading her into the s.p.a.cious, open living room. As requested, Leslie had everything he’d asked for ready and waiting. “The blindfold stays on. I have another game we’re about to play. After that, and only if I see fit, I’ll remove it.” Gavin loved the small, s.e.xy pout forming across Emily’s lips. He kneeled in front of her and grazed his hands down her calves. “Hold on to my shoulders for support.”
Considering she couldn’t see a thing and her body was hyperaware of his touch, Emily was more than happy when her hands found his hair. She buried her fingers through his silky strands, a smile curling her mouth. “No shoulders, but this will do. Should I pull on it?”
“The same way you beg me to pull on yours when I’m behind you?”
“Mmm hmm,” Emily hummed as she did just that. Tugging his hair, she felt him kiss her stomach. An involuntary s.h.i.+ver moved up her spine.
Gavin slipped her heels from her feet, smoothing his hands up her thighs. Emily’s body starting to shake had him wanting to skip his little game and get straight to business, but he would wait. His next step was the biggest part of his surprise. Gavin stood, took Emily’s hands, and guided her onto a large, cream-colored Alpaca rug circling the entire living room.