Rough Edges Read Online Free PDF

to pull her hands away from Victor’s.
    â€œIs your house sniper-proof?” she asked, half teasing.
    â€œMetal shutters over bulletproof glass. Reinforced cement walls. Strategically designed landscaping that gives every advantage to us inside, and enough guns and ammo to wage a small war.”
    â€œWow,” she breathed. “Now I know what a guy like you does with all that money.” And it was damn hot, too.
    Victor grinned. “Get some sleep, Bella. I’m nearby if you need me.” Something about the way he said it made her think he was hoping she would need him.
    She clenched her thighs together to ward off the most pressing need she had for a man like him.
    He shut the door to her room, leaving her alone.
    Normally she enjoyed time to herself. She spent so much of her life working with clients and employees that she could go for days without any time alone. But now, standing on the plush carpet of Victor’s guest room, surrounded by beautiful things, all she wanted was to trail after him so she wouldn’t feel so damn lonely.
    Not going to happen, so time to suck it up.
    She turned and surveyed her surroundings. The space was too big. As safe as his house might be, there were too many places where a bad guy could hide.
    The cozier bathroom on the far side of the room beckoned. She headed for it, closing the door behind herself.
    The room was bigger than she’d first thought, with both a giant tub and a separate walk-in shower. There were two sprawling counters with sinks, and another at a lower height that she presumed was for putting on makeup.
    All the surfaces in here were hard stone, glossy tile, or gleaming metal. The only softness she found were the thick rugs and fluffy towels waiting for use.
    There was a closet on the other side of the bath. She went over, hoping for a smaller space she could burrow into and hide.
    As soon as she realized what she was doing, she stopped dead in her tracks.
    Bella didn’t hide anymore. She didn’t need to. Her husband was dead. She was strong. Deadly. No one could hurt her now.
    She had no idea why the need to hide had come on so suddenly or was so strong, but she fought back, refusing to give in to the compulsion.
    She was safe. Her only problem was her worry for Gage and not enough sleep or food for too many days.
    That, and a raging case of lust for a man she couldn’t let herself have.
    Bella made use of the toothbrush and toiletries set out for her. Then she stripped down to her panties so her clothes wouldn’t be a wrinkled mess when she went to work tomorrow morning. She slid into sheets so soft they had to have been woven from angelic spider silk. The cool brush of fabric against her skin made her shiver with delight, lighting up nerve endings everywhere. The sensation added to her lust, as did the knowledge that Victor lay only a few yards from where she did.
    As need crawled through her system, she ran her hands over her skin, pretending that the hands that touched her were bigger and rougher. Victor’s face formed in her mind as clear as if he’d been lying beside her.
    The thought gave her a naughty thrill as she drew her fingers over her abdomen and lower to glide beneath her panties.
    She was wet. Hot. She needed relief so bad it made every muscle in her body tense.
    There was no sleeping with this kind of lust clawing at her, so she did the only practical thing she could do and began working herself toward orgasm. Even one would be enough to ease her.
    Victor’s image was with her the whole time. It was his hand that stroked her, his fingers that toyed with her nipples. When her climax washed over her, it was his name she cried out.
    Finally, her body relaxed and let go of all the tension it had been hoarding. As she drifted off to sleep, she was almost certain that she could smell his scent filling the air.
    *   *   *
    Victor knew the sound of a woman’s orgasm when he heard