Free Tempted by a Dangerous Man by Cleo Peitsche Page B

immediately spread over my chest, throat and face. “I’m too muscular,” I said. “Short arms, short legs. Not so sexy in a dress.”
    “Nonsense.” His gaze trailed down my body and then settled on his towel. Or rather the massive rod underneath it; apparently, his cock didn’t agree with my self-assessment, either. “You’re not too short. You’re perfect.”
    “You wouldn’t like me better if I were taller?”
    “Let’s find out.” He opened the shoebox and handed me a pair of black three-inch heels. The insides of the shoes were a soft pink.  
    Damn. I was starting to like the color.  
    I slid into them and was surprised at how comfortable they were. “Haven’t worn heels like this in ages. You’ll probably have to carry me.”
    “No.”
    I looked at him, startled, and found his blue-green eyes deep in thought. “Didn’t really want you to carry me,” I said weakly. “Joking.”
    He shook his head slightly and met my gaze. “I’ll carry you, or you can wear boots or sneakers or whatever. I meant that no, I don’t like you more taller. I like you the same.”
    I scrunched down. “And now?”
    “The same.”
    “Think I can manage the heels,” I said stiffly; accepting compliments had never been easy for me. I grabbed the toiletry bag and fled to the bathroom. The mirror was still foggy, so I attacked it with a towel.  
    I stood on my toes and tried to take in as much of the dress as I could. “Wow,” I murmured. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever touched. Corbin excluded, of course. I loved it.
    It occurred to me that I hadn’t even thanked him. I’d been too overwhelmed. He knew my size and had picked out something that would look nice on me. And I was grateful.
    I carefully limned my eyes with black liner, shooting for smoky and slightly smudged. The overall effect turned my green eyes sultry and immediately pulled attention away from my hair, which had definitely gotten a little fried. Funny how the right makeup plus messy curly hair could do that… take me from unkempt to sexy and a little wild.
    For lipstick, I chose a brighter shade of red than I might have otherwise. With the dark dress and not much other makeup, I could afford to be bold. I carefully slicked the lipstick over my mouth.  
    I put everything away except for the lipstick, shoving the tube down between my breasts. Hopefully it wouldn’t melt.
    I fluffed my hair one last time and squinted critically at my reflection. Really, not bad.  
    Smiling, I walked out of the bathroom, trying not to sway my hips too much. I never used to look at myself and think charitable thoughts until Corbin. He made me feel sexy, made me feel beautiful and strong. Lucky me.
    I found him in the main room. “Oh,” I said, stunned.  
    Corbin wore a black suit that bordered on tuxedo. He had paired it with a crisp, white shirt and a black tie with thick white diagonal stripes.  
    Being no expert on men’s fashion, I didn’t know anything about it except to say that he was breathtakingly perfect. It wasn’t tight, but it wasn’t loose, either; the tailoring accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist and hips.
    He took a step toward me, smiling, and my eyes flitted over him, alternately gawking at the hint of his muscular legs and his thick, dark hair, swept away from his face. His electric blue-green eyes were even more startling than usual.
    All the black and white could have been overwhelming, but he was… impeccable. Sophisticated and confident and way too hot. I wanted to rip it off him, fuck him senseless on the mountain of expensive, shredded clothing.
    But of course I did no such thing.  
    “You’re dazzling, Audrey.”
    And that set off another round of blushing. I carefully walked toward him, stepped into his ready embrace. “Thank you,” I said. “You thought of everything.”  
    He released me. “My pleasure.”
    I reached for the pink ski jacket, but Corbin shook his head. He gently drew me toward the