Finally, he popped a latch, and her left cuff sprang free. Jason eased back and released the other, then began massaging her shoulders. “Do they ache?”

Gia wasn’t dumb enough to lie. Besides, she deeply suspected that her wrists would be in those same cuffs again in the very near future.

“A bit.”

“Come with me.” He peeled off her shoes and helped her to her feet.

Swallowing down her questions, she trailed him to the massive bathroom as he began running the tub. As the water turned warm, he eased the stopper down and added a bit of some exotic bath oil with a hint of coconut and musk before turning to her.

At the gravity of his stare, she swallowed. With fingertips skimming her shoulders, he slid the baby-doll nightie down her arms and off her body. When she stood bare before him, raw lust seared his face. That expression said he wanted to lower her to the floor and fuck her right that second. Gia wanted to let him.

He held out his hand, looking her up and down. “Get in.”

It didn’t once occur to Gia not to comply. She closed her eyes in delight as the warm water enveloped her feet and lapped at her ankles.

Since she’d moved in with Mila and the kids, the little house’s only bathtub was on the other side of the place, and Gia hated to intrude in the children’s space. She’d missed the luxury of being immersed in warm, fragrant water.

“Sit back.” Jason helped ease her down into the water.

Though she usually liked to wait until the tub filled to avoid the cold surface against her skin, she didn’t argue. But when she lay back, Gia was shocked to realize the entire surface of the tub was comfortably warm.

“The back is heated?”

He smiled faintly. “Yes. It’s also an air tub with colored LED lighting. The towels are heating now. So is the floor.”

Wow. She never even stopped to consider such luxuries. Money had always been tight in her family. Now it was a downright issue. She’d better enjoy all this pampering while she could, but it was far more special because Jason shared the luxury with her. In her stupid heart, he did it because, despite his anger, he still wanted to take care of her.

“Thank you.” She settled back again and closed her eyes.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured.

He ran his fingers through her hair. Another touch she’d always loved. And he remembered. Gia moaned as he gently rubbed at her scalp, brushed his hands over her temples, applied the perfect pressure to the back of her stiff neck. He touched her as if they didn’t have a care between them. It would be so sinfully easy to slip again into the fantasy of being Jason’s fairy-tale soul mate.

Once upon a time, she’d fallen hard for him. It had nothing to do with his money and everything to do with the very personal way he cared for her. Insistent, yes. Hands on, definitely. But she’d never felt more adored in her life than she did with Jason.

“Relax,” he whispered.

Her eyes slid shut. “You’re making it impossible to do anything else.”

“Excellent.” He gathered her hair in his hands and clipped it atop her head.

Then she smelled something new, a blend of lavender, rosemary, chamomile, and a few other scents she couldn’t identify. Suddenly, his big hands covered her shoulders and began kneading, working the oil down her arms, then back up to her neck. She gave a low groan and melted against him.

“Jason,” she whispered.

He bent and brushed his lips against her ear. “You like that.”

“Hmm…” she breathed. “Yes.”

When Gia had first arrived, she’d been sure that he would immediately force her into bed. Not physically. After all, she’d agreed to give him her body at any time in any way he wanted until their anniversary. But instead of ordering her surrender, he seemed intent on coaxing it from her. And he was doing a damn fine job.

“Still sore?” He massaged the tense muscles and tendons of her shoulders and arms, dissolving her accumulated stress with every gentle dig of his fingers.

“No.”

“Good.”

Jason dipped his hands in her bath water, rinsing them. Then he caressed his way up her hips, her waist. Gia’s breath caught and held as his fingertips traced a path over her damp skin until he cradled her breasts in his hands.

“These are perfect,” he murmured, thumbing his way toward her nipples.

They beaded in anticipation of his touch, tightening, lengthening. He captured them in his grip. She eased her head back against the rim of the tub and drew in a shaking breath before exhaling in an aroused rush. Why did he always turn her inside out?

He slid his cheek against hers, the stubble prickly soft. The slight abrasion of his skin added another layer of texture to his possession. His woodsy-musky scent surrounded her and reminded her of the hundreds of times he’d driven her to ecstasy with seeming ease. Now she was on his turf, playing by his terms…and heading for his bed again. For a blissful moment, she didn’t regret it.

The last eleven and a half months had been so devastating, so stressful and terrible. Temporarily dropping all the crushing responsibilities for finding Tony’s killer while juggling her small niece and nephew was such a wonderful, guilty relief. Giving Jason anything but her body wasn’t smart, but Gia didn’t think she could hide the fact that she still cared.

When Jason released her nipples then clamped down on them again, she arched into his hands, reveling in the way he cradled her in his grip. Pleasure clouded her thoughts, as if she’d consumed a whole bottle of wine. Tomorrow she would care that she’d given in too easily. Tomorrow she might even resent him for being so able to unravel her restraint.

Tonight, she just didn’t care.

He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled. “God, I’ve missed your smell. For a month after we left Vegas, I sniffed the nightgown you wore on our wedding night. It made me hard and hungry to fuck you every damn time. Just like I am right now.”

“You’re trying to seduce me.” She couldn’t seem to make her voice sound accusing.

“I don’t have any plans to stop at trying. You’re my wife, at least until the twenty-fourth. That’s how I intend to treat you. I’m going to strip you, bind you, penetrate and possess you every chance I get.”

She didn’t doubt him. Jason might be motivated by revenge or a need to work through whatever residual emotions he had, and he might want to be indifferent to her in every way except sexually, but she sensed he wasn’t.

“Stand.” He grabbed a towel from the nearby rack.

As she complied with a shiver, he wrapped the warm terrycloth around her, tucking it between her breasts. Dizzy and off balance, Gia swayed closer. Her chest met his. As Jason wrapped his arms around her, she grasped his shoulders and eased her head back. She couldn’t help but stare into his eyes. They didn’t look crystal cold now, but a hot, dark blue. His jaw clenched. His nostrils flared. Desire tightened his face.

It might be the stupidest thing she’d ever done, but Gia lifted her face, stood on her tiptoes, and brought her mouth toward his. Jason met her halfway, his lips crashing over hers.

He held her tight and sank deep, as if he could inhale her all at once. The inexplicable need to be close to him, along with a sense of rightness, stunned her.

Gia opened herself to him and took the aggression of his kiss. It had been such a long time, and she wanted him, craved the sense of safety and care he inevitably gave her. She’d done far too much damage to their relationship to expect much more than lust in return, and she should probably use this time to work Jason from her system, in case he was doing the same. Problem was, she didn’t want that at all.

The last year had proven that she didn’t always get what she wanted.

Shoving the confusing tangle of her thoughts aside, Gia drowned in his scent, his taste. He made her body ache—and her heart yearn. Lost in him, she gave herself over.

Suddenly, Jason tore away, drew in a breath, repositioned to get deeper, fisted her towel, and devoured her once again. Gia couldn’t stop herself. Desperate for more, she stumbled over the rim of the tub and pressed her body to his.

Her husband lurched back against the bathroom counter, and she finally felt every inch of his hardness—chest, abs, thighs, as well as that cock she remembered filling her so perfectly. Gia whimpered as she curled her tongue around his, begging because she couldn’t bother to part from him long enough to speak the words.

With a growl, Jason yanked back, panting. He scanned her expression for a long second with a curse before he lifted her and turned, plopping her on the counter. He ripped the corner of the towel from between her breasts. The terrycloth fell away, exposing her entirely. He remained fully clothed, and she felt so vulnerable under his hot stare. Determination stamped itself all over his face. He meant to have her now.

Gia’s nipples peaked. Her stomach knotted with excitement as her blood fired hot and her pussy clenched. If he walked away from her again, she swore she’d shrivel up or go insane, so she did the one thing she knew would inflame him.

She lowered her gaze, noticing the big bulge beneath his fly, and spread her legs for him. “Take me.”

* * *

Jason clenched his teeth. It would be so easy to do that.

But instinct told him that he had to decide whether he merely wanted his pound of flesh…or to keep his wife by his side forever.

If he let Gia into his life again, he would have to remove feeling from their arrangement or risk her hurting him once more. But if he took her to bed now only to watch her slip through his fingers again later, then what?

At the thought, Jason was torn between leaving the room once more until he could be rational or fucking her absolutely senseless.

“Damn it,” he muttered.

How had she crawled under his skin again so quickly? Or had he ever truly stopped caring? Jason knew the answer. It wasn’t a comfort.

So he had to find some way to induce her to stay, figure out what she wanted and give it to her, no matter the cost.

His entire life, he had wondered why his father had been stupid enough to marry Samantha, knowing she cared about his money far more than him. Sadly, Jason understood now.

“Spell it out for me,” he insisted, clasping her face in his hands and spearing her gaze with his own. “Who am I and what do you want from me? Exactly. I won’t have any more miscommunication between us.”

“I want you inside me, Mr. Denning.” Gia’s voice trembled.

She gave a shit about what happened here. If nothing but nerves caused her shaky tones, she wouldn’t have sounded so damn steady when they’d argued earlier.

“We’re not sceneing right now. Try again.”

“J-Jason…”

He shook his head. “Who am I to you? Just some guy you want to fuck?”

She recoiled, shock raising her brows and dropping her jaw. “No. We might not have had an ideal first year or even a honeymoon, but legally we’re still married.”

“But I’ve never had the chance to truly be your husband, so where does that leave us?”

Gia tried to back away. “I thought you wanted sex.”

Jason held firm. “I didn’t ask what you thought I wanted. You’re avoiding my question.”

Her expression looked a bit guilty. “You’re my husband.”

“That’s right. And…?”

The way Gia squirmed in his grasp told him that she wasn’t ready to admit any feelings she might be having for him. Oh, she was willing to cede her body. Jason meant to use it to bind her to him. Once he’d managed that, he would work like hell to capture at least a corner of her heart. If that didn’t work…well, he had more money.

“Spit it out. What do you want from me? Does tonight mean anything or do you just have a fire that needs putting out?”

“No,” she insisted. “Why are you making everything between us sound so ugly?”

“I’m simply making sure I understand what you’re begging for.”

Her lips tightened. She leaned back against the mirror with a huff and grabbed for her towel to gather it around her body. He slammed his hands down on either side of her hips, pinning the terrycloth to the counter.

“Let me have it,” she insisted.

“Answer me.”

She gave him a little growl. “You’re the one who demanded we spend this time together. What do you want?”

“For you to stop hiding from me and be honest.”

Gia crossed her arms over her naked breasts. “What do you want me to say? I’ve never stopped wanting you. Fine. There’s the truth, but I like you much better when you’re nice.”