Handcuffed in Housewares: Tulle and Tulips, Book 3 by Nikki Duncan Page A

on a single nod.
    “And you’re willing to trust me.”
    She nodded again.
    He knew the truth; she knew there was no reason to deny it. It was in the simple silence of the moment, in the pause before he spoke next, that enlightenment made an appearance.
    She was willing to take risks with him because she trusted him.
    Tingles from his touches paled beneath the onslaught of truth. Her body and the world around her stalled and then jolted to life as if she’d been shocked. She felt alive, and in the danger of her realization she also felt safe.
    She cared for him. A lot.
    She barely knew him. They hadn’t spent enough time together to justify how deep her feelings may go, but there was no ignoring it. He’d shown her tenderness and patience and understanding. He’d apologized for comparing her to his ex. He’d been honest with her at every turn and now he was protecting her from exposing more of herself than she was entirely comfortable with.
    He was treating her the way Trevor and Jace treated Lori and Misty.
    He was the biggest threat to her security and the biggest thrill. If he figured out how much power he held there would be no escape.
    “Leigh, I don’t care about that as much as I think you think I do.” He shrugged the shrug of a man who accepted he was what he was—a man who liked sex. “I won’t deny that public displays can be fun, but knowing I and I alone have the honor of watching you give yourself over to an orgasm… There’s no bigger rush.”
    “Oh, God.” She swallowed. Her organs leapt into a thrilling dance that shot life into every molecule. “You don’t make things easy.”
    “Then let’s simplify them.” Smooth and confident, he took her shoulders in his strong hands and laid her back in front of him. Stretching out beside her, he traced a fingertip along the collar of her shirt, teasing her skin with only the occasional contact.
    “You’re beautiful.” He slid his finger over her chest and down her stomach. Flattening his palm on her stomach, she was sure he was going to untuck the shirt. He instead settled on rubbing her pelvis and hip.
    “I enjoy spending time with you.” Gripping her hip lightly, he rolled her to him and then slid his palm down her thigh. Cupping the back of her knee, he raised her leg over his.
    “I love having you naked and against me. Then there’s the thrill of your pussy squeezing me when I’m buried deep.”
    She shuddered and popped her hips forward, rubbed against the erection pressing against his jeans.
    “I’m also perfectly happy doing nothing other than make out with you. I could spend hours kissing you and seeing just how hot we can get before we implode.”
    Leigh flattened her hand over the bulge of his pecs. Her panties grew wetter and the seam of her pants pressed against her, enticing her. Every syllable he uttered in his smooth, seductive voice made her hotter. If he thought she could last hours without implosion… He was so wrong.
    “What do you say we see how long we can last?”
    “I think hours are too long, but I’m game.”

Chapter Ten
    Weeks passed in a blur of work and dates and make-out sessions that always ended with Leigh’s naked legs wrapped around his waist. She helped finish the floor in the entryway, painted walls and re-grouted the tile in the showers.
    She walked into his house each evening in raggedy clothes and her hair in a loose ponytail. She walked out each morning in sensible business clothes and her hair in a well-secured bun. She shared both sides of herself with him, and both sides seemed like the real her.
    More and more the idea of Leigh becoming a permanent part of his life settled in Burton’s mind. In the hours he spent home alone, he saw and heard her. He viewed the rooms as if they were finished with every touch she suggested. Every touch that reflected him perfectly.
    Through helping him get the house sale-ready she had him looking at it as if it were his home. As if it were the place he