Now, there was only heat...and so much desire it took her breath away.

“Come here, Nicola.”

She didn’t move a muscle. She couldn’t. “But I should—”

“No showers. Not yet. Not without me."

He paused, let his words register, the promise in them, the vision of actually taking a shower together, of being soaped up and all wet with him, doing crazy things to her insides.

She knew he must be able to read her reaction on her face, but he didn’t say anything else, he simply stood right where he was by the door and waited for her to come to him.

She could do this. Of course she could. Just put one foot in front of the other and as long as her heart didn’t explode from pounding so fast, she’d be fine.

With her legs as shaky as they’d been that very first time she’d stood up in front of a thousand people, she began the slow walk toward Marcus.

Chapter Nine

Marcus was a heartbeat away from picking Nicola up, throwing her on the bed, and taking her. It nearly killed him to hold back, to watch her slowly move across the carpeted floor toward him.

She was nervous, the same way she’d been last night when they’d gotten in the cab. She had such incredible sex appeal—the video rehearsal confirmed that she clearly knew how to use her sexuality to whip her audience into a frenzy—so her nerves didn’t make sense to Marcus. But seconds later, he forgot all about needing things to add up.

Who cared about anything but getting her out of her clothes?

He had to reach for her, had to grab a handful of her sweatshirt in his fist and lean down to take her sinfully seductive mouth with his. She moaned against his mouth and he yanked her sweatshirt up. He pulled back to lift it up and over her head.

Nothing but thin Spandex and curves awaited him.

“My God, you’re beautiful.”

She blinked up at him, her big blue eyes softer now, more aroused than worried. “Thank you.”

Hadn’t she heard a thousand times over by now how beautiful she was? If not from her fans, then from the men she’d shared her bed with? And yet, the way she’d said “Thank you” had been so pure. So honest.

As if he were the first lover who had ever told her she was breathtaking.

Again and again, she surprised him. First, when she’d slept on his lap all night long. And then in the morning, when she’d walked into Smith’s kitchen, her pretty face clean of makeup, looking young and fresh and ridiculously innocent, despite the leather dress she still wore. And just a few minutes ago when she’d been genuinely interested in those kids downstairs who’d wanted her autograph.

The least important surprise of all, he realized now, was the fact that she was a famous pop star.

He had expected to want her. But he hadn’t expected to like her this much. In the wake of breaking up with Jill, he hadn’t expected to feel anything for a woman beyond desire.

Growing threads of emotion tugged on the tenuous hold he had on his control, threatening to snap it. Marcus knew that he’d better do something, and quick, to get the night back on track.

Back on his track.

He’d always been dominant in the bedroom, enjoying taking care of a woman’s pleasure at least as much as his own. Jill hadn’t liked giving up control to him, though, and during the two years they were together, their sex life had been almost completely vanilla.

He was ready for a different flavor. And based on the heat that had been between them since the very first moment, he had a good feeling that Nicola was, too.

“For nearly twenty-four hours I’ve been imagining you without any clothes on.”

She shivered against him as he cupped her stunning face in his hands and kissed her, long and slow, taking the time—finally—to learn the corners and crevasses of her sweet mouth. She trembled when he dipped his tongue into the corners where her upper and lower lips came together, then gave a low moan as he nipped her lower lip between his teeth and sucked it inside.

Without giving her any warning, he moved his hands from her face to the bottom of her thin tank top and pulled it up over her head. She started to cover her br**sts and he stopped her hands with his.

“No."

Her eyes were dilated and her breath was coming fast as he slid his fingers through hers.

“I don’t want you to hide yourself from me."

From where he was holding her hands, he could feel her swift intake of breath—along with her rapid heartbeat.

“Take a step back so that I can look at you.”

He could see how uncertain she was, but it only made him more determined to push past it. He could scent her arousal, knew how much she wanted him. He needed to know how she would respond to his natural sexuality, to the innate dominance he’d controlled for too long.

“Now, kitten.”

Her eyes flared with surprise—and heat—at the endearment even as she took a step back. But as Marcus made himself let go of her hands, Nicola blushed furiously.

From what he could recall of seeing flashes of her on TV and pictures on magazine covers, he knew she often wore next to nothing on stage. And yet, if he didn’t know better, he would swear she’d never gotten naked with another man. She was that shy.

“Show me how beautiful you are, Nicola.” He didn’t understand why this was so hard for her, but since it obviously was, he instinctively softened his voice. He was gentle, soothing, as he urged her, “Show me how much you want this. How much you want me.”