by Desiree Holt
Sarah stared at him for a long moment, wondering if he’d lost his mind. Then apparently her brain must have disconnected from her body because she took his hand and shook it.
“Sarah York. Nice to meet you.”
She realized with a shock at that moment it really was. This was not the immature man she’d met six years ago. This man radiated strength and substance, along with a sexual aura that singed her nerve endings. The throb in her pussy had ramped up its steady beat and her nipples ached for his fingers or his mouth. Unbidden a memory flashed into her brain of them naked, his cock firmly embedded inside her, pulsing in her hot, slick channel.
And speaking of heat, her entire body suddenly felt as if she’d been dropped into a furnace. This was the same reaction she’d had to this man six years ago. Apparently his effect on her hadn’t diminished with time. Okay, then. What if all they had between them was hot sweaty sex? Maybe she should just go for it and get it out of her system once and for all.
Maybe you should wait until you’re asked. But hadn’t he practically done that?
But the drinks had relaxed her and Beau was obviously on a campaign. What if she just went for it, this time with her eyes wide open?
“That’s some mighty heavy thinking.” His husky voice broke into her reverie. “Care to tell me about it? I’d love to think it’s about me.”
“And if it is?” she teased.
“Then I say let’s discuss it further over dinner.”
“Dinner?” Sarah looked at her watch. Lordy. It was eight o’clock. Where had the hour slipped away to?”
“You know. The meal people usually eat at the end of the day.”
She used to know about it. For the past three weeks hers had consisted of takeout picked up late on her way home.
“Oh, um. Yes. Well.” Don’t beat around the bush, she told herself. Go into this with your eyes wide open and enjoy the best sex of your life. When it’s over it’s over. Nothing to worry about but good memories. “Okay, dinner. That sounds good.”
The grin he flashed her showed his white even teeth, and his eyes sparkled with humor. “I was beginning to think my charm had deserted me.”
“Oh, trust me. It’s all there. In spades.” She hadn’t meant to say that, not quite so bluntly.
Beau winked. “Good to know.” He signaled for the waiter. “Let me settle our tab here and we can move into the dining room.” He paused. “This place okay with you?”
“It’s fine. I’ve heard good things about it from the people at the office.”
“Okay. I’ll get us set up.”
As he walked away to get to the hostess she couldn’t take her eyes off his most excellent ass, the tightening of muscles as he moved. She remembered what it was like to dig her fingernails into them and make him scream as he pumped into her pussy.
Hell!
Sarah squirmed in the seat. She hoped there wouldn’t be a wet spot on the seat when she moved out of the booth. She was doubly glad she’d worn dark slacks, so any moisture wouldn’t show, because she could already feel it soaking her panties. She drained the last of her beer before rolling the cold glass against her heated face. How had this happened? She came here to settle things once and for all so she could move on with her life and now she couldn’t wait to climb into bed with him again.
But it will be so worthwhile.
And this time she had no expectations.
*****
When they were seated in the dining room Beau noted that Sarah switched her drink to iced tea so he did the same.
“You don’t have to change just because I did,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “Two beers were plenty for me. I’m good.”
And he was, in more ways than one, He’d just spent more than an hour in a dark corner booth with the woman of his dreams. What could be better than that except to take her to bed, something he hoped to accomplish before too long but not tonight. No, this time he was going to do it right. He had a sense that she was doing this to get him out of her system. Well, there was no getting her out of his system, so it was up to him to make sure this thing stayed on track.
He deliberately pushed any obstacles from his mind. Tomorrow he planned to call his attorney and have him contact Lacey’s attorney. The message? Stay out of my life or I’ll go to court and renegotiate the financial agreement. He was iffy about introducing her to Toby until he saw where this thing was going. Because no matter how horny he was, his son came first.
Still, he hoped that maybe with Sarah—
Cart before horse, much?
He hadn’t expected dinner to be an erotic experience, but then he’d never eaten a meal with Sarah, either. He couldn’t seem to stop staring at her. The gorgeous auburn hair he remembered running his fingers through, remembered the feel of it brushing against his chest was deeper and darker than it had been, the highlights glinting in the soft light of the restaurant. It was a little longer than he remembered, and she wore it now swept back from her face.
Her eyes were an even more brilliant green, if possible, deep emerald pools that he found himself getting lost in. Her face was a little thinner, and he wondered if it was just refining and honing as time passed or if the six years in Chicago had been more stressful than she’d admit. He had to admit he liked the look, though, the sharper cheekbones and a tiny dimple at the corner of her mouth he didn’t remember from before.
The silk of her blouse lay softly against the full roundness of her breasts. Beau had to fist his hands beneath the table to keep from reaching across and touching them. That would really put a smackdown on this reunion.
Jesus, Perini. You’ve got it bad.
He certainly did, and always had. He couldn’t get away from it any longer. Tonight suddenly became even more important.
Watching her use her knife and fork with her very graceful fingers, delicately chew and swallow each bite of food, sip her iced tea or chase a bit of food with wine fascinated him so much he almost forget to eat. When she closed her lips over the tines of her fork he had an instant memory of those same plump, luscious lips closing around his cock. Painful need shot straight to his groin.
“Do I have food on my face?” Sarah’s question interrupted his sensuous reverie.
He blinked his eyes and realized she was staring at him with an expression of curiosity on her face.
“Uh, no. Your face looks fine.” Very lame, Perini. “Actually you have a very beautiful face. I could spend hours just looking at it.”
Sarah put her fork down on her plate, leaned back in her chair and laughed.
Something tightly coiled inside him began to slowly unwind. Could he get credit for the effort he was making?
“You get credit for trying, Perini.” She gave another soft laugh. “I’ll say that for you.”
He gave her a grin that was so engaging she felt another block of ice begin to melt. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Oh, please,” she told him. “Can’t you think of a better line than that?”
“If you give me a chance, I’m happy to try.”
Again she studied him. He wished he knew exactly what she saw with all these piercing, deep looks she was giving him.
“I’ll think about it,” she finally said. “But if you want to get extra points you’ll order the Double Triple Chocolate Cake for dessert.” She gave him a mischievous grin. “To share.”
He wouldn’t have been so eager to please her if he’d known what torture it would be eating that cake with her. Each time she broke off a piece with her fork and carried it to her mouth he got lost in watching her delicate mouth open to receive the morsel. In seeing those very kissable lips as they closed over the smooth tines of the fork, pulling the tasty morsel into her hot, wet mouth. His cock swelled, threatening to burst through his fly as he remembered again the feel of those lips closing around his hungry cock. When she licked the frosting from the fork, swirling her tongue around it, he could only think about how it felt when that same tong
ue swirled around his shaft.
He noticed a tiny spot of chocolate clinging to her bottom lip. He could have dabbed it with his napkin but instead he chose to swipe it with his thumb. God, her lips were so soft. He wanted to pull her across the table and plant one on her that took her breath away.
Instead he slowly licked the smear of chocolate from his thumb, never taking his eyes from her. That’s how he caught the flicker of heat in her eyes and the fluttering of her pulse at the hollow of her throat.
Jesus!
He caught the eye of the waiter and signaled him for a refill n his iced tea. Them he picked up the glass and drank the whole thing down without stopping, hoping it would lower his body temperature and cool his cock enough to allow him to walk out of here without embarrassing himself.
When he glanced over at Sarah again she was doing her best not to break out in a grin. She knew exactly what was happening to him. The witch! But better that than the hostility she’d walked in with. Getting her to this point had not been easy, but he’d do it ten times over if she’d be willing to give them a fresh start.
By the time he paid the bill he was in better shape to get up from the table, thank the lord. He rested his hand at the small of Sarah’s back as they walked out, the bottom edge of it resting just as the top curve of her very, very excellent ass. Did she sway it just a little more than usual or was he imagining things?
Minx!
“Well, this is it.” She stopped beside a cherry red convertible with the top down.
“Whoa!” He stared at the gleaming funmobile.
”Acquired for Florida?” he asked.
“Certainly not for Illinois winters.” She leaned against the door. “Like it?”
“Like doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel.” He ran his hand along the paneling. “How does she ride?”
“He rides like a dream.” She shook her head. “Why do men always assume their cars are female?” Then she waved a hand back and forth. “Never mind. I don’t think I want to know.” She tossed her purse into the car. “Thanks so much for dinner, Beau. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it.”
“I’ll bet it was a surprise. You were ready to roast my balls.” He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to say something. “And rightfully so. I have no defense except I was young and stupid. He stroked his knuckles against one soft cheek. “Can we move past it? Please? New start, remember?”
The smile disappeared from her face. “But you know what will happen if you screw it up this time.”
“No worries,” he assured her. “I’ve more than learned my lesson.”
He cupped her cheeks and lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips were as soft and giving as he remembered. He gently rubbed his own back and forth against them before tracing the outline of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. She tasted of chocolate and beer and Sarah, a heady combination mixed with the light scent of peaches he remembered her wearing.
When she slid her hands beneath his arms and around to his back, resting her warm palms against his muscles, he prodded gently at her mouth until she opened for him and he could thrust his tongue inside. She tasted just as good as he remembered. No, better. Much better. He licked the inner surface slowly, tasting, his cock sending him even more urgent messages.
Tentatively he took the kiss even deeper, excitement racing through him as she responded without hesitation. Her soft breasts pressed into his chest, the nipples so hard he could feel them through both layers of their clothing. When he ground his hips lightly against her, pressing his shaft into the vee of her thighs and the heat of her sex, She dug her fingers into the muscles of his back and pushed back against him.
They were both breathing hard when he lifted his mouth from hers. It killed him to break the kiss. He could have gone on this way all night. Well, maybe not quite all night because he had other things in mind.
He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear before kissing the tip of her nose.
“Tomorrow night?” he asked. “Please? I’ll get down and beg if you want.”
Sarah smiled at him. “I’ll think about that. Just remember. No more chances after this.”
“Believe me, I don’t need reminding. How about a casual dinner? Maybe on the water? Gotta take advantage of the location.”
“That sounds great. Seven o’clock again? And can I pick you up this time?”
She frowned slightly, as if debating her answer. “Okay. I’ll text you my address and you can pick me up in front.”
As he watched her drive off he wanted to pump his fist in the air and shout, Yes!!!!!
Don’t fuck it up, buddy.
Chapter Four
Sarah closed out the contract she was reviewing and leaned back in her chair. An alert from her calendar flashed in the upper corner of her screen and she smiled.
5:30 Dinner at Beau’s House
Dinner at Beau’s house. Wow! Had it only been one short week ago since the afternoon of the press conference and the incredible dinner at Jake’s After Dark? If someone had told her that morning the two of them would be together riding high on their feelings for each other she’d have smacked them down and called them stupid. Yet here she was, so deep into this relationship after only seven days that she couldn’t imagine being without him.
Slow down, she kept telling herself. Trust came very hard to her and while she wanted to believe him when he told her this was it for him—that after six years he was where he was supposed to be all along—she still wondered if, or when, it would all fall apart. When he’d trade her in for the next woman.
“I’m going to make you believe in me no matter what I have to do,” he kept telling her.
And oh, how she wanted to do that.
“Knock knock.”
She looked up to see Chris Davidson standing in her doorway. “Hey! Come on in.”
“I bypassed Jenny, I hope that’s okay.”
She laughed. “Ian, I work for you, Of course it’s okay. You can walk in any time you want to.”
He flipped a hand at her. “Forget that noise. This is your office. You can kick anyone out, even me.”
“Oh, right. But how nice of you to say so.” She waved at a chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat. Tell me what I can do for you.”
“No, I’m not staying long. I just wanted to tell you Riley is on her way to meet me. We’re going out for drinks and a casual dinner and I wondered if you’d like to join us. We haven’t had much chance to talk informally since you got here and she’s dying to get to know you.”
Oh, boy. Make friends with the boss’s wife? How cool was that?
“That’s a very nice invitation,” she told him. “Almost any other time I’d accept with gratitude. But…” She paused. What to tell him?
“But you have plans,” he guessed. “No problem. We can do it another time.” He cocked his head and studied her. “Those plans wouldn’t have anything to do with our brand new running back, would they?”
Sarah felt her cheeks heat with an uncharacteristic blush. “Well, as a matter of fact…”
“The Sharks are really a small family,” he told her with a grin. “Get used to it. So where are you guys off to tonight? Someplace special?”
“Um, well, as a matter of fact…” Should she tell him?
Chris gave her a curious look. “Not special? Tell him I said he’s got enough money to take you wherever you want to go.”
“Oh, it’s not that. It’s just…” She let out a slow breath. “I’m having dinner at his house.” She hoped Beau didn’t mind that she said something. She didn’t think it was any big secret, although she was flattered that he was sharing his very private life with her.
Ian’s eyes widened. “With Toby? Damn, Sarah, that was fast.”
“Oh, um, well, Beau and I actually met six years ago.” She shook her head. “Long story but here we are again.”
“You know, he’s very, very possessive about Toby,” Chris told her. “He keeps his privat
e life totally separate from his professional one. Never introduces his dates or takes them to his house. With Toby he’s Mister Dad one hundred percent.”
“Wow.” Sarah was stunned. “I was totally flattered that he invited me to his home, but I had no idea it was so out of character for him.”
“Well, good for you. I’d say he made a good choice where you’re concerned.”
“It’s just dinner, Ian,” she laughed.
“But dinner with Toby,” he reminded her. “I hope this will build into something good for the two of you. I could see the chemistry between you that first day.”
“Oh, come on,” she laughed. “You have other things to pay attention to than Beau and me, I’m sure.”
“But none of them as much fun. Well, have a really good time. I hope this works out for you, Sarah, I really like both of you,”
“Thanks, Ian, me too.”
And she really did, although she tried not to get ahead of herself here. The week since they’d reconnected had been nothing short of incredible. Every night had been a different treat, someplace special for dinner, or something new and fun. Beau had been incredible, dancing attention on her. And in their long conversations they had learned so much about each other, about their pasts and their dreams for the future.
He hadn’t pushed her for sex, for which she’d been grateful, even though she was having a hard time keeping herself in control. That same immediate chemistry enveloped them in a constant explosive cloud. But then two nights ago, when he’d driven her home, she had taken the step and invited him in.
And ohmigod! In six years he had only gotten better, something she would not have thought possible. He knew exactly how to make her crazy with his mouth, how to arouse her with his fingers, where every single one of her erogenous zones were. His every touch was so electrifying that even after the shattering orgasms he drew her into she still crackled with need for him.
At first she’d wanted to tell herself it was just sex. Stupendous sex, but only sex just the same. But as they talked and learned each other’s secrets and hopes, and the details of each other’s lives, as they played and laughed, she had finally begun to accept that this was definitely something real.