“Sorry.” She was also grateful for the amusement warring with awareness inside of her. “Uh… Fifi likes communal showers. I forgot.”
“I’ll bet.” Thor hitched absently at the towel.
Pepper looked hastily away again. “I swear. Look, you go finish your shower in peace while I dry her off. You’re—uh— dripping all over the carpet.” She cursed the last sentence silently as he looked down and seemed to become aware of how he was dressed. Or not dressed. And when he gazed at her again—she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him—she could see the sudden awareness in his eyes.
“Pepper…”
Damn, she thought. Oh, damn, how are we ever going to get to know each other with this … this combustion between us? Heaving Fifi off her lap with a strength born of desperation, she got up quickly and grasped the dog’s collar. “I’ll just go and—” She broke off abruptly and made tracks for the makeshift grooming parlor and the towels used for her canine clients.
Thor stared after her for a moment, then cursed softly and headed for the bathroom upstairs to finish his interrupted shower.
By the time Pepper got Fifi dry and calm again, a glance at her robe told her that she had suffered quite a bit in the dog’s wet retreat. The sapphire velour was clinging to the curves beneath it, the material too wet for a hasty drying. She swore under her breath, ordered her pet to stay in the den, and went back upstairs to her bedroom.
It wasn’t so much finding another robe as choosing between those she had, and the choice took a few moments. Out-and-out seduction had never been a part of her plans, and the last thing she wanted tonight was to spark the highly combustible feelings between her and Thor. But since she liked the gliding feel of silk next to her flesh even in winter, her nighttime wardrobe was somewhat limited in the area of concealment.
She finally chose a violet silk nightgown a bit less transparent than the others available. It was floor-length with spaghetti straps and a moderate /-neckline, the material slightly gathered beneath her breasts. Over it she donned a matching negligee with a tie closing and long sleeves with wide cuffs at the wrists.
Pepper returned to the study ahead of Thor, and was frowning down at Fifi when he entered the room.
“I’ll get the chessboard and set it up on the coffee table in front of the fire—” he began as he came in, but he broke off abruptly. His eyes glided over her new outfit as he automatically finished turning back the cuffs of his blue-and-black plaid flannel shirt.
“Instead of that,” she said casually, moving away from the fire’s golden light and making a mental note not to stand there again in a silk nightgown, dammit, “if you have a deck of playing cards somewhere around, why don’t we try a few hands of poker? It’s a little late to start a chess game.”
“Poker,” he murmured abstractedly. He shook his head, obviously to rid himself of another thought, since his next words were agreement. “Okay. There’s a new deck and some chips in the study. While we’re at it, we might as well finish off that wine. Why don’t you get the wine and glasses while I get the cards?” Before she could respond, he was out of the room.
Pepper silently went to fetch the wine. She didn’t suspect Thor of trying to deprive her of inhibitions, since she’d told him at dinner that her head was as hard as her cast-iron stomach and that the only effect wine had on her was to sharpen her wits. And since she liked wine, she had no argument with his suggestion.
A few moments later both were seated on the floor on either side of the coffee table, Thor leaning back against a chair and Pepper against the couch. Their wineglasses were at their elbows, and Thor was opening a new deck of cards.
Pepper glanced down at Fifi, where the still-nervous dog lay beside her, and couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve lost ground; the poor girl was frightened half to death by that bellow of yours.”
Thor followed her gaze and grinned ruefully. “Her sudden entrance into my shower didn’t do me much good, either. She just barged right in. I thought you said she was a lady!”
“Only where her sleeping habits are concerned.”
Shooting a quick look across the table, Thor half opened his mouth to comment, then apparently thought better of it.
Dryly Pepper said, “No need to be discreet; that’s one unasked question I’ll answer.”
“What did I hesitate to ask?”
“If Fifi’s owner shared the—uh—same trait?” Pepper asked with a grin.
“Sharp, aren’t you?”
“I try. To answer: yes.”
“A lady… but only where sleeping habits are concerned?”
“If you accept the traditional definition of ladylike behavior.”
“Now you’ve got me curious.”
“Good.”
“No elaboration?”
“Oh, I don’t think so. I think I’ll just cut bait. You should be nicely hooked by now.”
Thor started to laugh. “Dammit, Pepper!”
“Honesty’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it? What stakes shall we play for?”
“Sky’s the limit. Shall I bet my house?”
“Better not.”
“Are you challenging me again?”
“In spades … if you’ll forgive another bad pun.”
“I won’t forgive that one. Cut for the deal?”
“Right.”
“Ten of clubs.”
“Queen of hearts. I deal.” Pepper began to shuffle the deck. “I hope you can afford to drop a bundle,” she told him demurely. Briskly, skillfully, slender fingers flying, she dealt the hand.
Thor leaned his elbows on the low table and stared across at her. “I think I should have held out for chess.”
Pepper picked up her cards. “Bet.”
He sighed and pushed a couple of chips to the center of the table. “Sky’s the limit, I said. Why do I get the feeling I’ll regret it?”
Nearly two hours and quite a few hands later, Thor laid down a straight and stared at Pepper. “Well, go ahead—I know you’ll beat it.”
She laid down a full house, aces over queens, and grinned as she raked in the pile of chips to add to her considerable winnings.
“Damn, you’re good.”
Pepper smiled and slid two fingers beneath the tight cuff of her negligee, removing an ace of hearts from its hiding place. With a professional snap, the card landed in front of Thor.
“I also cheat,” she told him placidly. “Not ladylike at all.”
“Damn,” he repeated blankly, staring down at the card and then at her. “When did you swipe it?”
“While I was dealing.”
“I watched your hands,” he protested.
“Mmm. I learned from the best.”
“Don’t tell me. Monte Carlo?”
“Actually no. They knew him in Monte Carlo; he couldn’t play there.”
Thor groaned. “You’re a cardsharp!”
“Has a nice, dishonest ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“Your checkered past.”
“You’re fishing now.”
“With every line I can find. Look, d’you mind furnishing just one small piece of the puzzle gratis? I’m stumbling around in the dark here.”
Pepper felt a tiny mental shock as his imagery matched her own. Stumbling in the dark? Aware now of what happened in these off-center, unguarded moments, she could literally see the clear-cut limits of their roles becoming hazy. She picked up her glass, sipping the cool wine and wondering despairingly why she had to constantly wave puzzle pieces at him in challenge.
“Off the top of my head, or d’you want to ask a question?” she heard herself ask abruptly.
“Question.”
“Time out for a question from the peanut gallery,” she mocked lightly.
“Cute.”
“Well. Fair trade then. If I answer your question, you have to answer mine.”
“All right,” he said slowly.
“So ask.”
“An honest answer?”
?
??If I can.”
“Pepper—”
“All right! An honest answer.”
Thor reached a hand across to cover the restless fingers worrying her wineglass. His thumb swept lightly across a long, thin scar across the back of her hand. “How did that happen?”
Surprised, Pepper looked down at the scar for a moment and then back at him. “Oh. That.”
“Uh-huh.”
She frowned at him. “I could say I fell down on something when I was three.”
“You could. It might even be true. Is it?”
Pepper sighed. She didn’t want to appear mysterious, but unless she supplied several of the puzzle pieces, that was probably the way her answer would sound. Still… he’d asked. And she’d promised to answer.
“I was cut.”
“How?”
“That’s two questions,” she said evasively.
“No, it isn’t. I asked how that happened; you just told me what happened.”
“You’re splitting hairs.”
“Pepper.”
“Oh, all right.” She pulled her hand from beneath his and stared across at him. “I was cut with a knife.”
It was Thor’s turn to frown. “An accident?” He’d noted that she hadn’t said she cut herself.
“You could say that,” Pepper drawled. “I certainly didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“Worser and worser,” he muttered. “And you still haven’t told me how it happened.”
She took a deep breath. “Someone wanted to take something away from me.”
“A mugger?” he guessed.
Pepper hesitated for a split second. “Close enough.”
“Pepper—”
“My turn,” she said hastily.
“Dammit. All right, what’s your question?”
She nodded toward the small scar above his left eye. “How’d you get that?”
“What?”
Pepper reached across the low table to touch the scar lightly with her fingertip. “That.” And was disconcerted when he immediately caught and held her hand. She wondered why she had the odd feeling that he’d known what she was referring to; why she thought that he’d wanted her to touch him. Wishful thinking?
Thor chuckled softly. “Believe it or not, I did fall—out of a tree when I was seven.”
Pepper started to laugh. “It figures!”
He was smiling, but he didn’t laugh with her. Instead, he watched her with eyes gone a curiously metallic silver. “You and your damn rules,” he said softly.
She felt his hand tighten around hers, her own amusement fading. The tingling awareness within her grew and spread with the suddenness of a brushfire. She heard her own voice, husky and unsteady, and wished that she’d shown sense and turned in early. “I warned you.”
“You warned me. Sporting of you. Diana, goddess of the hunt, dropping me into a maze and turning loose her hounds.
And such strange hounds.” He sent an oddly expressionless glance toward Fifi. “A neurotic Doberman and an attack-trained Chihuahua.”
“You didn’t have to accept the challenge,” she reminded him.
“Oh, but I did,” he told her abruptly. “It was like waving a red cape at a bull to force an instinctive reaction.”
“I can still leave,” she said, after swallowing the lump in her throat.
Thor released her hand and leaned back against the chair, folding his arms across his chest. “No, you can’t. We both know that. One way or another, the game has to finish. But what happens to the loser, Pepper?”
“That… depends on who loses.”
“I know what happens if I lose. What happens if you do?”
Pepper saw where his thoughts had headed, and the ease of her understanding startled her; it was as though they were attuned somehow. They both understood that if she lost, it would be because she’d broken her rules and accepted his—a short-term relationship with no strings and no promises. And she understood then that Thor had realized she could be hurt by that.
She smiled faintly. “If I lose, I’ll just drive off into the sunset. Remember what I promised. You won’t have to ask me to leave.”
“Dammit, Pepper,” he said roughly.
She got to her feet, looking down at him and still smiling. “Don’t worry about me, Thor. I’m a survivor. And I’m always ready to pay the price for any chance I take.”
He was suddenly up and around the low table, catching her shoulders and looking down at her probingly “How many times have you paid a price for taking a chance?” he demanded. “The scar on your hand—was that a price, Pepper?”
She shook her head, trying not to be so stingingly aware of his touch. “No, not really. The end result of taking a chance, I suppose, but—dammit, don’t box me in!”
“What d’you think you’re doing to me?” His voice was fierce. “Hell, Pepper, every time I turn around, there’s a wall! I don’t want to get involved with you, but I can’t seem to help myself. I want to know everything there is to know about you. I want to get inside that puzzle that passes for your mind. Dammit, I want to carry you upstairs and make love to you, and that scares the hell out of me because I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget you after that. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget you anyway….”
“Do you want to forget me so badly?” she asked unsteadily, staring up at him and nearly hypnotized by the nerve pulsing erratically beside his mouth.
“I have to,” he breathed huskily. “Dammit, I have to … but I don’t think I’ll be able to…. God, Pepper, what’re you doing to me?”
Before Pepper could answer that unanswerable question, he pulled her abruptly against him, his hands sliding over the cool silk covering her back, and sought her lips hungrily. Hunger, a strange, soul-deep hunger welling up inside of him had taken control, and Thor could no more fight it than he could ignore it.
She was on fire and weightless again, some distant part of her mind aware that he’d picked her up and placed her on the couch; another more primitive part of her mind was aware of the unfamiliar weight of his body lying half on hers. He was heavy, and she absorbed the weight of him in wonder; it should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. It felt right.
It didn’t occur to Pepper to resist, and even if it had, her body’s desires would have overwhelmed logic. As it was, both her mind and body seemed to have become two strangely disconnected things. Her mind was hazy, floating like a leaf in a fast-moving stream; her body was being bombarded by sensations it had never experienced before, and all her nerve endings seemed to have short-circuited.
She felt his fingers fumbling blindly with the tie closing of her negligee, pushing the silk aside to find the lace and silk of her gown’s /-neckline. His lips followed the fiery brush of his fingers, exploring the lightly tanned flesh above the edging of lace. One of his hands rested on the back of her neck, the fingers moving in her hair; the other hand moved with rough gentleness to cup a throbbing breast warmly.
Her own fingers tightened in his hair, then loosened and moved down to grip his shoulders. Mindlessly her head tilted back against the hand holding it. Eyes fiercely closed, she wondered hazily if this was love, knowing somehow that it was. She wanted more of him than she could ever have, needed more than he could or would give to her. And the sadness of that brought the sting of tears to her eyes and pulled her wayward mind back into her aching body.
“Sweet,” he was murmuring hoarsely against her skin. “God, you’re so sweet! Don’t stop me, Pepper….”
“I won’t,” she breathed unevenly, realizing only then what she was saying, realizing that he would know too. She’d told him that lovemaking for her would mean that she’d found—or believed she’d found—what she’d been looking for in a man. And it was too soon, far too soon, to tell him that, but it was true, and she was too honest to pretend.
His head lifted, and Pepper saw slate-gray eyes staring down at her, cloudy, oddly uncertain. Pepper touched his face with hands that were sh
aking a little, giving him the honesty he’d demanded—and now wished she could consign to hell.
“I can’t ask you to stop. I don’t want to, Thor.”
Thor gazed into the bottomless pools of her violet eyes, seeing the shine of tears that only a part of him understood. And a frustration greater than any he’d ever known gnawed at him relentlessly. He heard what she was telling him—and he wasn’t ready either to break his own rules or to ask her to break hers.
Stalemate.
Pepper knew his decision almost the moment he made it, knew that he was going to leave her. He was running, and she still didn’t know why.
He got to his feet slowly and stood for a moment looking down at her, his face taut and eyes restless. Then, with a smothered sound that might have been a curse, he turned on his heel and started for the front door.
She didn’t try to call him back. Sitting up, she saw him grab a jacket from the brass coat tree in the entranceway and heard the door close quietly. She waited for long, tense moments, but there was no roar from the Corvette.
Pepper swung her legs off the couch and got up, bending over the coffee table long enough to stack the cards neatly and place the chips back in their caddy. Then she picked up their wineglasses and carried them to the kitchen before going silently upstairs to her room.
The Doberman had followed her, but hesitated in the doorway to the room, whining softly. Pepper looked down at her for a moment, then smiled wryly. “You too, eh? Come on in, girl. I won’t close the door all the way. You can go to him when he comes in.” Fifi lay down in front of the chair by the door, still whimpering.
Pepper moved about the room for a few moments, putting her clothes away neatly and wondering if she’d be packing them back up tomorrow. Oddly enough she didn’t believe that Thor wanted her to leave. She’d seen the conflict in his eyes tonight, and knew that something—perhaps his own set of rules, or something else—was having a tug of war within him.
She had to wait and find out what… or who… would win.
Going to the window to draw the drapes, she automatically looked out and down, seeing the moonlit shapes of Thor and his stallion by the fence. She gazed out for a moment, then drew the drapes. She slid between the sheets of the wide bed, pulling the quilted comforter up and reaching to turn out the lamp on the nightstand.