His eyes locked on mine, full of heat and power, and I drew in a breath, certain that he was just as turned on as I was. “I have a very good memory,” I added.

He cocked his head in acknowledgment. “So I see. And you’re right. I said all of those things. I meant all of them. And I’m looking forward to doing exactly that. But first,” he added, in a voice that broached no argument, “I’ll watch you strip for me.”

“I—”

“I want to see you,” he interrupted. “Want to see you so much I can barely breathe.” He moved across the room to a floor lamp, then adjusted it so that the beam cut across the room like a spotlight. He nodded at the circle of light on the carpet in front of me, then moved to casually sit in an armchair. “Strip for me, Sloane.”

My breath hitched as my pulse increased. The tiny hairs on my arms and the back of my head seemed to stand up. Electricity fizzed through me. I was scared—as riled and as jacked up as I’d ever been before going through a door. Then, I didn’t know what lay on the other side. Death? Blood?

Now, I knew exactly. There was Tyler. A man who saw more of me than I wanted to expose. And that small truth was both terrifying and oddly comforting.

For a moment, I considered refusing. Telling him that if he wanted me naked he could take care of that himself. But when I looked at his face, the words died on my tongue. He was looking at me with such a mixture of lust and adoration that it seemed to not only fill me but to spur me. It felt like a challenge. Like he was taunting me even as he was worshipping me.

This was the game. And the only way I could win was to watch the flame in his eyes burn even hotter with every bit of flesh that I exposed.

Slowly—so very slowly—I lifted my hands to the back of my neck. My fingers found the ties that held the halter in place, and I pulled at the bow, releasing it. I eased the two sections of material down, slowly revealing the swell of my breasts, the tight brown of my areolae, the hardness of my nipples.

I dropped the material, allowing the halter portion to dangle at my waist. The air felt cool against my heated skin, and my breasts seemed heavier, as if they were begging for the support of his hands.

I heard Tyler’s sharp intake of breath, saw the way he shifted in his chair and the way his fingers tightened on the armrest, as if he was working hard to hold himself back.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered.

“That’s what the guy downstairs said.”

“Shit.” The curse was low, almost inaudible. “I didn’t mean to put that in your head.”

“No … no, it’s just …” I drew in a breath. “He said it and I wanted to bolt. You say it, and—”

“And what?”

“And I want you to touch me.”

His face was cast in shadows, but I could still see the way his features tightened, as if he was putting up a fight. “I will,” he said. “Dear god, I will. But right now, I want to look at you. Go ahead,” he said with a nod. “I want to see every inch of you.”

My body thrummed with nerves and excitement, and my hand shook as I reached behind to the zipper. I tugged it down, then gave the dress the tiniest of shoves. The material spilled off me to pool around my feet, leaving me clad only in the pale pink thong and bright red shoes.

I licked my lips, then met his eyes. Then I carefully stepped out of the dress and stood still again. I was only a few feet closer to him, but the air seemed thicker, full of power and promise.

“Do you have any idea how lovely you are?”

My cheeks warmed from the compliment. I knew I was pretty, some would even say beautiful. But once I decided to become a cop, it wasn’t pretty that mattered, but strong. Now my body was tight and lean. Feminine, yes. But powerful, too.

“I want to see the rest of you,” he said. “Take off the panties. But leave the shoes on.”

I swallowed, strangely shy. I was practically naked already, but there was something about stripping completely except for a pair of high heels that seemed so bold. So decadent.

I looked down, concentrating on the floor as I hooked my fingers in the waistband.

“No,” Tyler said. “Eyes on me.”

“Tyler.”

“Shhh. No arguing. Just do.”

I did. And though I expected to feel even more shy, more exposed, in fact I felt just the opposite. I felt bold. Wild. I saw his desire plainly, and I knew that right then I was the one who held the power.

I was no stranger to power—I wielded it every day in my work. But this was the first time I’d felt truly powerful as a woman.

I liked it.

I let the panties fall with a little hip shimmy, then carefully stepped out of them as well.

“Now that is a pretty picture,” Tyler said, slowly taking me in. His smile twitched when he got to my neatly shaved and trimmed sex. “And you’re a natural redhead.”

“Did you have doubts?”

“Nice to have confirmation. Do you have the temper that goes with it?”

“Cross me and find out.”

“A fiery temper often translates to fire in bed.” He stood, then slowly moved to stand in front of me. “I’m looking forward to finding out if that’s true.”

He reached out then to cup my breasts in his palms. His skin felt hot against mine, and I closed my eyes with a small moan of satisfaction that turned into a gasp as his thumbs flicked over my nipples. Then he released me, and I opened my eyes to see him circling me, his focus so intent that I had the feeling he was memorizing every inch of me.

I twisted, wanted to keep him in sight, but kept my feet planted. When he had circled me completely, I met his eyes as he smiled in approval. “You’re perfect,” he said. “And you’re already aroused. I like that—I like knowing that you want me touching you, stroking you. That you already crave me deep inside you again.”

I started to shake my head—to protest simply for form. But it would be a lie. And I knew that he could see the truth in the color of my skin. In the way my pulse was pounding, the beat obvious in my neck and in the rise and fall of my chest. My eyes were surely dilated. And those natural redhead curls between my thighs were damp with the evidence of just how turned on I was.

So instead of protesting, I simply looked at him, my own gaze dipping down to his crotch—and the pants that were doing very little to hide just how aroused he was. “I like knowing it, too.”

He chuckled. “I’m tempted to throw you back on that couch and take you right now.”

“Yes, oh, please, yes.”

He stepped closer, and though he still didn’t touch me, every atom in my body buzzed and hummed in anticipation and want. Please. The word seemed to scream through my mind. Please touch me.

“Soon,” he said. “What’s that saying? All good things to those who wait?”

“Fuck waiting.”

At that he laughed outright. “For the record, I feel the same way. But I’m having too much fun tormenting you to stop.”

“At least you’re honest.”

“I can be,” he said. “I’m often not.”

I grinned. “And again, with the honesty.”

“Apparently you bring it out in me. Interesting.” He took a step closer, then slowly touched his finger to the red and angry scar that marred my left hip. “Bullet,” he said, his eyes flicking up to mine in an unspoken question.

“A mugging,” I said, managing the lie smoothly. “Not one of my better days.”

He eased around me, his finger tracing over my skin as he moved from the entrance to the exit wound. “Clean, or at least it looks it.”

“It got some of the bone,” I said. “It hurt like a bastard, but it’s healing. Just twinges now. I don’t like to talk about it.”

He nodded, then kissed his fingertips before pressing them to the wound. “Then we won’t. Instead, we can talk about how beautiful you are. How hard I get just watching you.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “And I do like to watch.”

He dipped his gaze to my breasts, and my nipples tightened in response. A small smile touched his lips as he lifted his eyes back to mine. “I like to see the subtle changes in your body as you become aroused. I want to memorize the expression on your face when you come,” he added, taking my hand and slipping my fingers between my legs. I was hot and slick, and a tremor ran through my body as my finger barely grazed my clit.

“Oh, god, Tyler, please.” I wasn’t sure if I was begging for him to let me stop or to demand that I continue. Confusion swirled around me. I wanted to turn away. To pull my hand free. To hide. But at the same time, I didn’t want this feeling to end.

“It’s not about fetishes, it’s about pleasure,” he said, then gently drew my hand away, making me whimper. “And it’s about pushing limits to find the ultimate. I intend to push those limits with you. Soon,” he said, reaching down to lightly stroke between my legs, as I silently screamed in frustration at the gentleness of his touch when I desperately wanted to be ravaged. “Right now, I want to keep you on edge.”

“You’re doing a damn good job of it.”

“I know,” he said. “I also know you like it. Just as I know you liked our encounter earlier at Destiny. The thrill of getting caught. The excitement of what came after. Tell me,” he said. “I want to hear.”

“I—I did,” I admitted. “I do.” I straightened my shoulders as I let the truth settle over me. “I’ve never—It’s not the world I live in,” I finished lamely.

“No? That’s a shame. Everyone should feel alive. Should smash up against passion and danger, against temptation and anticipation. You have to push the envelope sometimes, because otherwise how do you know what your limits really are?”

I opened my mouth to respond—to tell him that I got that thrill in my job, chasing and catching men like him. But I couldn’t go there, and I swiftly bit back the words.

“What?”

“I know I have an answer to that, but it’s gone.” I managed a wisp of a smile. “You steal my thoughts, Tyler Sharp.”

His grin revealed a dimple. “I steal a lot of things.”

There were many responses to that, but before I could organize my thoughts, the bell sounded at the door. I jumped, my arms going immediately across my body as if that would somehow hide my nakedness.

“No,” Tyler said, with a firm shake of his head. Whatever playfulness had been between us evaporated. This was the man in control again. The man who had told me to come here tonight only if I understood that I had to play by his rules. This was the man who had meant it.

“Sit,” he said, nodding at the couch.

I froze, my skin suddenly clammy. “What?”

“Sit,” he repeated, then led me to the couch. He put my knees on the cushions, my hands on either side of my hips. The bell rang again. “Just a minute,” he called.

“No,” I said “No way.”

“Oh, yes,” he said, then gently cupped my breast. His thumb flicked over my nipple, and I sucked in air. “You’re smart, Sloane. You understand the game.”

“I’m not sure I understand anything anymore.”

“I said I would win. You’re my prize, Sloane. To tease, to touch, to pleasure. But mine, nonetheless. Tonight, I own you. And that means that there are rules.”

Something that might have been fear riffled through me. Might have been—but I think it was really excitement. “I have to obey you.”

“If you’re here, you do. But you have the choice. You can put your dress back on. You can walk out that door. But I don’t think you’re going to do that.”

“Why not?” My mouth was so dry I could barely speak.

“Because I saw your face when I touched you in the corridor, the two of us surrounded by the waitstaff, pretending like they didn’t see. That they didn’t care. There’s a thrill in being exposed. In being just a little naughty.” He held my eyes, and I thought in that moment that I had no secrets from this man. “You may not break the rules, Sloane, but I’d bet good money that you’ll stretch them as far as you can.”

I felt my pulse kick up, and knew it was from the truth of his words.

“It excites you, doesn’t it? Knowing that you’re mine. Knowing that by surrendering to me, you’re capturing me as well.”

“Yes.” The word was a whisper.

“And you have captured me,” he said. “Because this isn’t about what I want, but about what you do to me. And dear god, Sloane, you have driven me to the edge.”

He drew his fingers through his hair and I could see the truth on his face. The heat, the lust. The intensity of his self-control. He was like a spring wound tight, I couldn’t wait for him to come undone.