LOVE COMES SOFTLY.

XLIII.

Warning: Menagerie ahead. If you're not into that then don't read the book. Smut too. A whole lot of smut.

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It's all pointless, I swear. Lea thought as she withdrew the red dress she decided to wear for the party beach her neighbour was hosting.

Ever since they arrived at Panama, her bodyguards, especially Scarface, had been ignoring her like she was the plague itself. She even wore a two piece bikini to the beach and even dressed in tiny outfits, the guys didn't even bat an eyelid at her. Her flirting skills was also all futile. They were was boulders, and if Lea didn't get laid tonight, then she was going to go insane.

She was getting laid, bodyguards be damned.

Just as she made to pull the dress on, Knox came through the dressing room door like a tornado, so suddenly she didn’t even have a chance to be surprised. Their eyes locked in the mirror she faced, the slinky red dress just over her shoulders but not yet snug against her curves.

She felt heat in his glance and a flutter low in her belly in response.

“Sorry. I was told to come and get you for the party.” he said, looking more amused than embarrassed.

His eyes swept down her body,
lingering on her breasts, which were spilling out of a low-cut, black lace bra, then caressing the generous curve of her hips. She tugged the dress down smooth.

“I don't need a baby sitter.” Her voice was cool but her throat was tight. "But since you're here, you might as well be useful."

Knox was not tall, but well-muscled in a natural way, not overbuilt. Her eyes dwelled on his narrow hips, noting the growing bulge below his zipper with a little bit of awe and much appreciation.

The words tumbled of her lips before she could stop it. "Zip me?”

She expected him to rebuff her as usual and walk out of the room. But he surprised her by striding into the room until he was in front of her.

Knox grasped the zipper and pulled up, one hand resting on the top of her ass to keep Theresa taut and the zipper working smoothly. His hand moved excruciatingly slow; it was as if she could feel each tooth gliding into contact with the other, a joining that made a tiny echo of a vibration against her spine.

They were still eye-to-eye in the mirror and a smile grew on his face as the dress closed slowly and sinuously over her hips and waist.
He moved his hand from her ass to the tumble of bright red curls hanging a few inches below her shoulders. Sliding his hand underneath, he lifted her hair up out of the way.

Lea shuddered under his touch; the heat of his hand and rough callouses on his palm created a surge of desire that literally made her knees weak.

He seemed to consider the sight of her slender, vulnerable neck and the silken mass of hair in his hand for an eternity. Her nerves were on fire and her eyes were ravenous as
she watched him with fierce longing. At last he bent his head to touch his lips to the delicate skin of her neck.

The sensation rocked her; his kisses were tentative and soft. As she responded his mouth began to move more urgently and his hand dropped to her breasts, cradled in the red silk of the dress and black lace of her bra. His eyes were open, first meeting hers then dropping hungrily to the sight of her nipples upright below the fabric.