He was in trouble.

That was the first thought that crossed Ethan's mind as he took in the splendid form of the naked woman glaring up at him with hazel eyes sparkling in righteous indignation. He could feel his body harden in immediate response as his gaze slowly traveled over pale flawless curves, the delicate arch of her throat, lingering over small but well-rounded breasts topped by twin dusky rose aureoles.

Even as he looked, they tightened and hardened into tiny pebbles that made his mouth water with the need to take them in his mouth and suck, taste her, inhale her scent, drown himself within her till he found bliss and sweet relief. Ethan swallowed the lump forming in his throat and forced his gaze to move south, down to where her tiny hands ineffectively tried to cover her most intimate spot from his view, the tension in the room so palpable with lust he could almost taste it.

God! How had he never noticed just how beautiful Erin was? Ethan wondered, his body pulsing with the need to sweep her up in his arms, carry her through the open door of her bedroom, lay her on the bed and make sweet love to her over and over again till they forgot how to breathe.

"C-can I have my towel back?" Erin's voice penetrated through the haze of his thoughts and he forced himself back under control. She sounded breathless, as though every breath was an effort.

Ethan's fingers tightened over the edge of the soft white towel and he forced himself to take deep breaths. Losing control here was not an acceptable option, he would not allow himself to show Erin how affected he was or she would not let him live it down.

"I was mistaken earlier." He allowed his lips to curve in what he hoped was an amused smile. Ethan drawled, hoping to hell nothing in the tone of his voice gave away the lust raging through him at the moment. He held the towel in such a way that it blocked the evidence of his desire from her view.

Erin looked confused, the delicate arch of her brows coming together as she looked at him askance. "Mistaken about what?"

"The view. This is even much better."

She blushed then, a charming shade of pink that spread across her cheeks and down to stop just at the swell of her breasts. Her breath caught and she instinctively took a step back as though pulled by an invisible force.

Ethan stifled a groan as the raging lust intensified. Damn it! He swore to himself in exasperation. He should just leave now before he lost control and did the unthinkable. Erin Gosling is forbidden territory, He reminded himself. She was the enemy, and he could not allow himself to be drawn into her web or his plan would fall apart.

"Ethan.." Erin began, running her tongue over dry lips to moisten them. "You should leave now, this joke has gone far enough."

He should leave indeed, he acknowledged silently, but damned if his feet had not developed a mind of their own and remained rooted to the spot. Then he moved, walking with slow deliberate steps towards her, pleased to see her eyes widen in panic as she backed away with every step he took.

"Why should I leave?" Ethan taunted, mouth curved in a mocking smile. "Are you afraid of what might happen if I don't?"

Something resembling panic flashed through her eyes but was gone in an instant. Instead, she straightened her shoulders- an almost impossible feat given that her hands were still crossed over her crotch- and leveled a challenging look in his direction. "Don't flatter yourself. I am not in the least bit worried."

**

The minute the challenge was out of her mouth, Erin wished she could recall those words. Ethan's grin turned almost feral and a glint appeared in those blue eyes as he took another step further. Ah crap! She groaned to herself, adrenaline shooting through her body, creating mixed feelings within her. A part of her screamed to turn tail and flee to the safety of her bedroom, while another part- the traitorous part of her wanted so much to stay and allow herself a taste of what was surely to come if she continued to taunt him.

Alhough Erin had to admit that she was more than a little surprised at Ethan's reaction. Though he tried so hard to act as though he was unaffected by her nudity, there was no mistaking the bulge in his pants, nor the way his gaze had lingered over her body. Ethan Lachlan wanted her and the knowledge caused her heart to soar, though why she should be elated completely eluded her.

"I wonder..." He murmured, so close now Erin could feel the warmth of his breath fan over her skin, eliciting goose pimples all over. He raised his free hand and brushed her cheek, his touch so light yet igniting fires within her.

Erin bit the inside of her lips hard, breaking the delicate skin as she fought to stifle the moan threatening to escape. She took another step back.

The back of her knees brushed the edge of the sofa and Erin realized with a jolt that she was well and truly trapped. Escape was no longer an option and it was her own damned fault.

"Ethan...." She began, breaking off, hating how husky her voice sounded.

Judging from the way the feral grin widened, Erin knew Ethan had noticed her situation too.

"Yes?" he asked, eyebrows raised in mock question. He brushed her cheek once more and she gasped this time. "What do you want Erin? This?"

He dropped the towel, the material falling to the ground unheeded as his arms encircled her waist and pulled her against him. Up close, her hands brushed against his hardness and she blushed, dropping her hands in a hurry. Ethan chuckled, pulling her even closer till there was barely a hair's breadth between them. She panicked, placing her hands between them and pushing away. Ethan caught her hands in one of his, his intent clearly written in his piercing blue gaze.

"Isn't this what you want Erin?" He murmured, his mouth inching closer to hers with each second. "This is why you challenged me, isn't it?"

She opened her mouth to reply in the negative, but Ethan closed the distance between them, his mouth taking hers in a searing kiss.

All rational thought fled from Erin's mind the minute Ethan's mouth touched hers. Unlike most romantic kisses, this one was of pure and utter lust, the bold thrust of his tongue in her mouth, seeking and taking, demanding a response from her. The hand encircling her waist crushed her to him till she could feel every single inch of his arousal pressed against her. At first she struggled, unwilling to let herself be caught under his spell again, knowing he would use that weakness to mock her.

Then the kiss softened, hard and demanding changing to soft and exploratory and Erin felt her resolve melt like ice before a fire. She moaned and kissed him back, arching her body against his, no longer able to deny the desire raging in her. Ethan let go of her hands and she slipped them around his neck, fingers tangling in his silky hair, their tongues dancing together in a silent melody of desire.

**

Sensing her surrender, Ethan's hands roamed all over the delicious curves of her body, forcing himself to gain some measure of control and the almost overwhelming need to take Erin. She was like a frightened animal, tentatively giving herself to him. Push too hard, she would panic and God knew he didn't want that.

She moved against him, her thigh brushing against his erection and Ethan groaned out loud. He let go of her hands and immediately felt them curl around his neck, stroking the nape of his neck. Taking that as encouragement, he broke the kiss, her moan of protest changing swiftly to a gasp of pleasure/surprise when his warm mouth closed over one painfully erect nipple.

"Oh God!" Erin moaned, arching back, offering more of her swollen flesh to him.

He obliged, taking the flesh deeper into his mouth while his other hands tweaked and squeezed at the other, then began to blaze a trail down over her flat stomach, heading south.

"Ethan!" She gasped in shock, wriggling when his searching hands traced the top of her mound. "Don't- please."

"Ssh..." He whispered, though he moved his hand. He concentrated instead on the twin mounds of flesh, laving her with his tongue till her breath sawed in and out of her lungs and her knees gave way, sending them both sprawling onto the sofa. "It's okay, Erin. Just relax."

Ethan lifted himself off her, careful to avoid crushing her beneath his weight. He studied her, noting the high color in her cheeks, her nipples swollen and glistening from his kisses and Ethan knew he was lost. She looked so damn tempting lying there, legs spread apart giving him a good view of her secret spot. Ethan lowered his mouth to hers again, intending to kiss her senseless.

Someone knocked at the door.

They both froze, the sound shattering the moment as effectively as being doused in cold water.

"Bloody hell!" Ethan growled, recovering first. Whoever was on the other side of that door was in serious danger of being kicked in the ass. Of all the damned moments to interrupt...this one took the prize.

Another knock, this one more insistent than the first. The sound spurred Erin into action.

Her eyes widened in shock, then panic and she gasped. "Oh my god!"

"Ignore it." Ethan growled, careful to keep his voice down though he felt like yelling at the idiot to get the hell away from the door. "They'll leave if no one answers."

Frantic, she pushed at Ethan's chest in an attempt to get him off her. "Get off me Ethan." She hissed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Angry at being interrupted, Ethan remained unmoving, his brain still as slow as molasses. God dammit, he was not ready to stop just yet, his body still craved fulfillment, he still ached for her for Christ's sake.

Feeling her hands push against his chest again, he moved off her and sat on one end of the sofa swearing softly in frustration. He raked his fingers through his hair and shut his eyes, taking deep breaths as he struggled to bring his need under control."

Beside him, he could hear Erin's soft pants as she too struggled to catch her breath, apparently reluctant to open the door.

"Ms. Gosling?" Carlos' voice was muffled by the thick door. He knocked again and they could hear the puzzlement in his tone. "Ms. Gosling are you there?"

"One minute Carlos." Erin called out.

She shot up out of the sofa, stooping to grab at the discarded towel and wrapped it around herself then turned to face him, hazel eyes snapping with fury. Her cheeks were two bright red spots of embarrassment, disguised as anger.

"You stay quiet." Erin snapped as she brushed past him, stalking to the door. She opened the door, careful to keep him hidden from view as she spoke to the intruder in hushed tones.

Ethan's cell vibrated against his thigh and he dug it out of his pants pocket. He frowned when he read the caller id, then answered the call.

"What's up Marc?"

"You sly dog you!" Marcus' amused voice boomed over the speaker. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to take my advice?"

"What the hell you talking about?" Ethan asked, in no mood for banter, not when the woman he had been so close to making love too stood just a few feet away, still wearing that useless towel. Damn Carlos and his rotten timing.

"Come on dude, I'm talking about the Gosling chick." Marcus replied. "It's all over the papers and let me tell you ET, I'm a bit pissed you didn't tell me you were going to hit that. Thought we were cool man?"

Whatever good humor left in him evaporated to be replaced by white hot anger. His jaw clenched, free hand tightening into a fist as he recalled the reason he had come here in the first place. His personal assistant had shown him the article the minute he had stepped out of the gym. His first reaction had been surprise, then anger at the blatant lies displayed for the world to see. His next thought had been the realization that she would think he had orchestrated the whole sleazy article and oddly enough that thought had displeased him.

Ethan had flung the offending paper in the trash, barked orders at his PA to find out who was responsible for the article and had made his way over here, telling himself that he was only coming to assert his innocence.

Much as he disliked Erin, he knew she was anything but promiscuous. Sure, she was a spoiled little brat but a flirt? When he found out the dirt bag who had dared print such rubbish, the fool would regret the day he had taken his first breath on earth.

"Hey ET! You still there?" Marcus' voice broke his train of thought.

"I'll talk to you later." Ethan hung up, shoving the phone back in his pocket. He heard the door close with a soft click and spun around, watching as Erin leaned against the door and shut her eyes. Even from his position at the far end of the room, he could clearly see the strain and tension in her bearing.

"What did he want?" He asked, shattering the silence that had fallen.

Erin stiffened at the question and her eyes flew open, leveling yet another glare in his direction. "That is none of your business." she hissed coldly. "It's time for you to leave anyway. You done enough damage to my peace of mind to last a lifetime. I hope you're satisfied at having your way?"

Her words angered him. How dare she play imply he had forced himself on her? He was not the one dressed in a damn towel and she had welcomed his seduction-if it could even be called that- and if they had not been interrupted, Ethan very much doubted she would have stopped him from making love to her. So much for trying to be chivalrous.

"Don't play the innocent victim Sweetcheeks." Ethan replied, his tone cold and hard. "You forget, it was you who issued a challenge in the first place."

"I'm done talking to you Ethan. Please leave now." She opened the door and held it for him, her jaw working to contain some emotion he could not define. "Go."

He stood still for a moment, hardly believing how much of a coward she was being right now. Then his resolve hardened and he walked out, not stopping till he got to the elevator.