Free Seven Nights by Jess Michaels Page A

apology or to be heading off hand-in-hand with him to some secret destination.
    “Here we are.”
    Leah shook away her musings to look at the door Sean was unlocking. It was to a villa like her own, only larger and marked ‘Private’ instead of with a number.
    “What is this?” Both wariness and excitement tightened her chest.
    “My room.” He pushed the door open and motioned her inside.
    How could two little words, benign words at that, spark such a lusty burst of need in her? Sean had taken her to his private quarters, his personal space. She was going to get to see his life, his room… his bed.
    A shiver worked through her as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimmer light inside.
    “Well, what do you think?” He motioned around the room with a smile.
    Leah looked around. Sean’s villa was much different from her own. Instead of the feeling of a hotel, it was more like a classy apartment with a full kitchen she could see through an open door to her right and a large living area that had a small desk in the corner by the open veranda door.
    But what drew her most was the door to her left. Sean’s bedroom. Unlike her villa, where the bedroom was done in bright island colors and stark white wicker, Sean had put his personality into the space. Dark, rich blue walls gave the room a sensual feel, as did the lighter blue coverlet on the bed that she could see if she turned her head just so.
    “I picked the blue to combat the tiki feel in some of the other rooms here,” he explained as he slipped past her into the kitchen.
    She heard a refrigerator door open and close in the background, but couldn’t seem to keep herself from continuing to stare into Sean’s bedroom. Or move a bit closer. Close enough that she was finally standing in the doorway, smelling in the faintest hint of sandalwood that wafted gently from his personal space.
    “Beer?” he asked. She jumped when she found he’d slipped silently to her side and was holding out a bottle in her direction. “Unfortunately, the color makes the room a bit dark and warm.”
    She took one last look before she turned back to Sean. “I don’t know about that, I think it’s perfect. What’s the use of living on an island if you don’t feel the heat?”
    Sean’s smile faltered as he held out the beer in her direction. The slick, cold glass slid between her fingers as she took the bottle, never breaking the heated stare that hung between them, along with a healthy amount of sexual chemistry and desire.
    He took a long step toward her, easily closing the distance that separated them. Leah couldn’t help the sharp breath his movement seem to suck from her lungs.
    “Why are we here, Sean?” Her shaking fingers inched toward the soft cotton of his gray t-shirt, almost against her will.
    Her question seemed to snap him out of the sensual spell between them. Just before her fingertips found their target, he stepped back.
    “Yes, why we’re here.” He shook his head as if to gain some focus and walked past her into his bedroom.
    While Leah struggled to shake off disappointment and a continued pounding in her blood, she watched Sean go to a large safe in the corner of his bedroom. With a few turns, the door opened to reveal her black roller suitcase.
    Sean grasped the handle and turned back. With a sheepish grin, he held it out toward her. “Think of it as a peace offering.”
    Leah entered the bedroom in a few slow strides. “You’re giving me my clothes back?”
    “Yes.” Sean smiled. “Though I’d love it if you continued to wear the ones I chose for you.”
    With a smile of her own, Leah took the suitcase. “Thank you, Sean. Now I should probably go before…” She trailed off with a guilty glance toward the sumptuous bed.
    Sean tracked her stare with a wicked smile. “Hmmm, I see your point.”
    Snorting out a laugh, Leah turned away, dragging her suitcase behind her. When she’d reached the villa door, Sean’s voice stopped her.
    “Hey,