Surrender 01 - Surrender

hospitable.
    Never before had he brought a female to his home. It was a huge leap for him, and as his temper flared , he was beginning to understand exactly why he didn’t invite women over. This was the reason he chose not to enter into “normal” relationships.
    Having a business arrangement with a woman, making sure she knew the score, was far smarter than playing games and walking on pins and needles. He wanted his women to do what he said when he said it — not fight him each and every step of the way.
    He should have just hired a nurse for Ari. He didn’t quite understand why he’d felt the need to take care of her himself. He still couldn’t believe he’d spent time in her horrific apartment.
    He’d offered her a nice place to live, a great salary, and luxuries he was sure she’d never seen before. Why would she turn her nose up at all of it?
    When another fifteen minutes had passed, Rafe lost his last ounce of patience. Not allowing his exasperation to show, he slowly stood up from the table and sauntered down the hallways and up the massive staircase of his large home.
    It took him over two minutes to reach the guest room Ari had been given, but he didn’t allow himself to speed up his steps: because he wanted to reach her quickly, he instead maintained a cool and leisurely pace.
    No woman would control his actions.
    “Mr. Palazzo,” Misty said as she jumped from her chair in surprise. “Ms. Harlow hasn’t emerged from the bathroom yet. Do you want me to hurry her along?”
    “No. You’re dismissed.” Rafe didn’t stop his progress to the bathroom door; nor did he turn to make sure his maid had done as he had demanded. Everyone who worked for him followed orders without question. He really should quit trying to hire Ari, he told himself. With her rebellious tendencies, it couldn’t possibly end well.
    He reached for the doorknob and found it locked. A wicked smile crossed his features. Did she honestly think she could keep him out of any room in his own house? His pulse quickened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a master key. He now abandoned his misgivings about her from a moment before. Quit trying? Oh, no. Training Ari to surrender to him would be more fun than he could remember having in years.
    The sensual fragrance of the bubble bath filled his nose the instant he entered the room. It sent his pulse racing as his eyes zeroed in on Ari in the tub. The bubbles had mostly faded, leaving plenty of her nearly perfect figure exposed for hi s visual pleasure .
    Ari covered in water and a thin veil of bubbles was going to be the source of more than a few fantasies in the foreseeable future. He felt himself begin to harden as he stepped closer, then sat on the edge of the tub and let his hand sink into the still-warm bath.
    When his fingers brushed along her rib cage, she quivered and then her eyes slowly opened, connecting their gazes. His stare was hot and hungry, and hers slowly waking, desire quickly filling her eyes’ sleepy depths.
    “I don’t like to be kept waiting, Ari,” he whispered, his fingers dancing along her slick torso.
    She opened her mouth to respond, but no words drifted out as she was caught up in this strange chemistry they shared.
    It was time he showed her how good it would be between the two of them if she decided to agree to his terms. Obviously patience wasn’t working, and he still couldn’t seem to get her from his mind. Now it was time for persuasion.
    He reached into the water and pulled her dripping figure easily from the tub, setting her naked form on his lap, soaking his suit.
    With a startled gasp, she pressed her hands against his chest, intending to push him away.
    “What do you think you are doing?”
    “What we both want.”
    His mouth dropped and he broke his “no kissing” rule — devouring her mouth in a seemingly never-ending hunger that tore right through him.

Chapter Fourteen

    As Rafe’s mouth captured hers, Ari remained stiff for several seconds, thinking that she just might be able to resist him. As Rafe’s tongue slipped past her teeth and caressed the contours of her mouth, resistance became futile.
    The sensation exploding inside her body wiped all thought from her mind. What was it that she was feeling? She’d never experienced anything of such magnitude before. Her stomach was fluttering, and she felt a swelling sensation in her core.
    Ari pressed her legs together, trying to relieve the building pressure. As she