“We need this, Gem,” Reid told her. “It’ll be a whole new luxury international market for Rexford Rum. It’ll open markets in the Caribbean and South America for us. But I agree we can’t get into bed with this guy if he’s as bad as you say.”
“What do you think we should do?” Gemma asked Quin.
He shook his head. “God, I thought this would be easier. I’d go down there, make a deal, come back with these papers and we’d sign them and celebrate. Let’s hold off for a few days. We’ll wrap our heads around it and revisit. I know we can’t pass up an opportunity like this. Especially if he also has Cain Rum chomping at the bit. We can’t let them win this one.”
“You’re willing to do business with this guy?” Gemma asked. “I’m surprised at both of you.”
“I didn’t say that,” Reid told her. “But we need to have all of our facts straight before we do anything rash.”
Quin could tell that Gemma wasn’t happy. Hell, he was less than pleased himself. He was hoping they would say no and go on with their lives. But Reid was right. Rexford needed it. He didn’t want to blow the shot for the entire company. They had employees who relied on them to keep them in work. He just hoped they didn’t sell their souls for success in the process.
After a stretch of thoughtful silence, Gemma spoke. “Do you guys want to come over to my place for dinner tonight? I feel like making chicken tacos and margaritas,” she told them. “Quin, you can tell us all about your trip.”
Reid nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Lila’s in Vegas for a social-media convention. I hate cooking for one.”
“Excellent. Quin?”
“I can’t,” he said. “I have a date.”
“A date?” Gemma asked, surprised.
“Yes. A date.”
“You never go on dates.”
“With who?” Reid asked.
He didn’t want to explain the deal that he and Celia had made, so instead he shook his head. “You don’t know her,” he lied.
“How’d you meet her?”
“What’s up with the third degree? I have a dinner date with a woman. I know lots of women.”
“Yeah, I just didn’t know that you took them out for dinner,” Gemma teased.
Quin was tired and had had enough of his siblings’ questions. He pushed himself up from the table. “Great chat, guys. It’s nice to be home. I did not miss either of you.”
* * *
Quin parked on the street outside of Celia’s house. He took out his phone to text her to let her know he was there, but he thought better of it. He was on a date. He ignored his instincts and got out of the car and jogged up to her door. Damn. Should he have brought flowers? Did people still do that? He really was clueless. He looked at the garden, which he saw had been maintained by the landscaper he’d called for her earlier that day. The bougainvillea by the porch were beautiful. He hastily grabbed a bunch and clutched them in his fist and returned to her front door.
He knocked and caught a glimpse of himself in the glass pane next to the door. Clutching a bunch of flowers he’d picked from her own garden. He felt like such a loser. He should have bought her a bouquet. But seriously, do people still do that? But it was too late to do anything about it now. Celia opened the door and looked at him without saying anything before she burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she told him. “You’re really cute.”
He shrugged. “These are for you, I guess,” he said, holding out the flowers.
She looked over at the bush where they’d grown. “Freshly picked. Flowers are a good first step to romance. Maybe I’ll turn you into a convincing suitor yet. Thank you.” She took them. “Come on in. I’ll put them in some water.”
He followed her into the kitchen. “You look great. Very sexy.”
“Mission accomplished, I guess.”
“Not like being sexy is hard for you.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, waving him off. “You should really see me when I wake up in the morning.” His blood heated at the thought of waking up with her. “Messy hair, morning breath—I really enter goblin territory then.” She paused. “I guess you missed it that morning you slept here.”
“I guess I did. But if I recall, you woke up before me, and you looked great. Not at all goblinlike.”
He looked around and saw that the boxes that hadn’t been unpacked when he’d been there last weekend were still full.
“You can see I’m still trying to settle in,” she told him.
“I can help you out with it, if you need it.”
“Oh, my God, you hired the landscaper, didn’t you?”
“I plead the Fifth,” he said, shaking his head. But he cracked a smile.
“You’re such a jerk. I thought it was one of my neighbors being passive-aggressive. But thank you. It’s one less thing I have to deal with.”
“That was my intention.”
“And I might just take you up on the extra help,” she told him. “I hate packing, unpacking, moving. Hopefully this will be the last one for a while.”
That caught his attention. “You think you’ll be here for a long time.”
“I don’t know if this is where I’ll settle forever, but I like it for now. I’m here until something draws me somewhere else. But I could be convinced to stay if something comes up.”
He nodded. He wanted to convince her to stay, but she’d already put the kibosh on any relationship they could have. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now.”
“Me, too.”
They stayed in her kitchen, watching each other in silence. When the eye contact became too much, he cleared his throat, looking away. “We should get going. We have a reservation for eight.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Arlo’s,” he answered. “It’s a great Cuban place. The owner’s a friend of ours.”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
“I thought you might like it.”
“Well, I’m starving. Let’s go. I’ll teach you about romance and chivalry and all those kinds of things, so you can finally find the woman of your dreams.”
Quin nodded but said nothing in response as he escorted her out of the house. She paid him no mind as she set the alarm, locked the door and walked in front of him to his car. The words she’d said ran through his head. She wanted to help him find the woman of his dreams. But he knew that he’d already found her.
* * *
Quin opened the passenger-side door of his sports car for Celia, and she got in. Sitting in the low seat, she looked over at him as he slid in next to her. He was devastatingly handsome. He always had been, but as a grown man, he had outpaced young Quin, with whom she’d been infatuated. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white button-down shirt and a black sport coat. His thick, dark hair held waves that she longed to push her fingers through.
Coming back from the yacht trip, part of Celia had thought that Quin would forget the deal they’d made while he was half-drunk on rum. The thought that he might toss her aside, like he did every woman, had been one that had stuck with her. But here she was, on an actual date with Quin Rexford. Sure, it may have looked like he wanted to turn over a new leaf, but she didn’t trust easily, and the pain and embarrassment she’d felt eight years ago still felt fresh.
Keep it physical, she told herself. Don’t get too caught up in showing him how to be in a relationship. If it was physical—friends with benefits—she could keep her head on straight. Rebuilding their friendship was the most important thing to her. That way, if she didn’t let herself get to close, she could protect her heart from him. But what did he want? What was he getting out of this arrangement, besides sex? Did he want a relationship with her? She rejected that. Quin would never be the one to settle down, no matter how big a game he talked.
&nb
sp; “You’re quiet,” he noted, his voice bringing her back to the inside of the car.
“I’m just thinking.”
“About what?”
“About what I’m going to order,” she lied, looking at him.
“Wouldn’t that be easier once you hear the specials?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Sometimes it just hard to read a situation when you’re in it. You won’t get a clear head until you’re removed from it.” She wasn’t sure why she said it. Maybe she craved clarity. God knew she couldn’t concentrate sitting next to him in the confined quarters of Quin’s small car.
They stopped at a red light, and Quin turned his head and watched her for a couple of seconds, his eyebrows drawn together. She could see him try to piece together what she’d just said. “Something tells me you aren’t just talking about food.” Before he could say anything else, the light turned green and he focused back on the road.
With him focusing on navigating the Miami traffic, Celia had some time to think. Being friends with benefits was a fun diversion, but she knew from experience that it could grow into an obsession, a compulsion. Being with Quin was what she had wanted, and it had been well worth the wait. But even though he told her he’d changed, the man had been a player for most of his life. No matter how much he said that was what he wanted, she wasn’t sure if he was being truthful. The Quin she knew didn’t form the emotional attachments that she craved in a relationship. They’d been best friends, they’d loved each other, and she’d wanted him more than that. But he hadn’t been willing to reciprocate.
And as she sat next to Quin in his sleek sports car, the scent of his cologne filled the air, and she felt herself melt into the buttery leather of the seats. If she allowed herself one more moment of weakness, she knew she would once again become that young woman with a wounded heart. But that didn’t stop her from wanting him. And the longer she spent on this date with him, the closer she came to doing something stupid. She shifted in her seat. He looked over at her and gave her that small, rakish half smile she remembered from college, and then she knew. If she’d been wearing panties, she would gladly drop them for Quin. Now. Later. Whenever he wanted. Hell, if it wasn’t dangerous or illegal, she would have straddled his lap on the way to dinner. Her common sense took a back seat to her hormones.
Quin finally brought the car to a stop, parking on a quiet side street. Celia looked around. She didn’t see a restaurant. Quin pointed to a dark alley. “This way.” He put his hand on her lower back, close to the curve of her ass, and led her across the street and toward the alley. His fingers lit a fire under her skin, hot enough to light a fuse that would make her explode with desire. With every step, every touch, she could feel her need growing. She was a goner.
“Are you sure there’s a restaurant down here?” she asked. “How do I know you aren’t escorting me down some dark alley for nefarious purposes?”
“Well, I guess you don’t.”
“Here’s a tip for romantic dates, Quin—don’t lead a woman down a sketchy alley. We don’t like that, no matter how sexy you are.”
He chuckled. “I’ll try to remember that. But it’ll be worth it when you see this place.”
They turned the corner and she saw a long lineup of people waiting outside a small door that was lit with a single bulb. “Is this it?”
“Yup,” Quin told her, taking her hand and walking past the lineup. He spoke to the doorman, who didn’t even need to check his tablet, and they embraced before he moved aside to let them in.
Arlo’s turned out to be a twelve-table cellar with a bar along one wall, dim lighting, low music and a lively atmosphere.
Servers walked quickly around, placing plates on tables, juggling drinks. Everyone was happy, laughing, smiling. The hostess met them and led them to a table in the far corner.
“Busy place,” Celia noted as she sat, and Quin pushed in her chair.
“Yeah, we’ve been coming here since it opened. But the place really took off when Reid’s girlfriend, Lila—she’s a travel blogger—wrote about them on her website. There’s been a waiting list since then.”
“But you managed to get a table with no problem.”
“I told you,” he said with a grin. “He’s a family friend.”
“It’s nice to have connections.” She remembered that they were there for a reason. If she approached it like an instructor would, she might just survive. “This place is lovely. It’s very romantic. Do you normally bring women here?”
“Like as a date?”
“Yeah.”
He shook his head. “I’ve never brought a woman here.”
“Why not?”
“I’m clueless about romance, remember. That’s why you’re here. I literally haven’t been on an actual date in years.”
She shook her head and laughed. “You really are hopeless.”
“That’s why I need you to show me the way.”
“Well, this place is definitely romantic. The mood lighting, the small tables that allow for intimate contact.” Without reaching too far, she was able to touch his hand. “We’re close enough we can hear each other speak, but because of the noise everywhere, it’s still so private. We can say whatever we want.” Her knee bumped against his. They were so close that she could lean in a little and kiss him without too much trouble. And she did. “Coupled with the fact you were able to walk in and get a table—not something just anyone could do—this place is definitely a panty-dropper.”
His gaze heated, his dark brown eyes boring deeply within her. “Is it?”
She broke their eye contact and reached for her water glass. The cool liquid sated her parched throat. But it did nothing to lower her body temperature or quench her thirst for the man sitting across from her. She could already feel herself slipping under his control again. She realized that, try as she might, fight as hard against her own body as she could, she was losing. She craved him. She remembered the way Quin touched her, kissed her, made her feel, and she realized that losing could be just as good as winning.
“Is that my first lesson?” he asked, reminding her that she was there for a purpose. “Or are you just showing off what you’ve learned about assertiveness?”
Before she could answer, a man called across the restaurant, his voice booming over the din. “Quin!” She looked up and saw a middle-aged Cuban man walk quickly toward their table.
Quin’s smile was broad, and he stood. She thought he might extend his hand, but instead Quin wrapped his arms around the man.
“How are you? I had no idea you would be coming in tonight.” The man looked down and saw Celia. “And who is this gorgeous lady?”
“Celia, this is Arlo, a dear friend of ours. Arlo, this is Celia. A friend.”
Arlo reached out and took her hand, kissing her fingers in a move she didn’t know existed outside of old movies. “Oh, Quin, I didn’t know you had any friends, especially one as beautiful as her.”
“Thank you,” she told him.
He turned back to Quin, still holding her fingers. “You’ve never brought anyone here before.” His tone was almost accusatory, and Celia giggled as Quin was put on the spot.
Quin looked sheepish, but Arlo carried on. “It’s nice to see all of the Rexfords here tonight.”
Quin looked around the restaurant, and Celia followed his gaze as it landed on a table on the other side of the room—it was larger than the small two-top where they’d been seated, and she recognized its occupants as Quin’s brother, Reid, and his sister, Gemma.
She thought she heard him mumble a curse under his breath. But he smiled and waved. Reid and Gemma both waved back, smiling at them. Reid waved again, motioning them to come over and join them.
Quin refused at first, but Celia stood. If they were sitting with his siblings, then maybe the conversation would distract her from wanting him to spread her over th
e table. “Quin, we might as well sit with your brother and sister. There’s no sense in us taking up an extra table when there are people waiting outside.”
“I guess so. Arlo, is it okay if we join Reid and Gemma?”
“Yes, of course, we’ll just move a couple of chairs.”
“We won’t be in the way of the staff?” Quin asked, as if trying to find a reason to not sit with them.
“No, of course not. They’ll be fine.” Arlo scurried off, signaling to a few of the servers to help accommodate their request.
When they were alone, Quin turned to her. “You okay with this?” he asked.
“Yeah, of course,” she said. “I like your brother and sister.”
“I mean, it’s going to be tough to show me how to be a boyfriend with my siblings around. I might have to call in another date. Just to make sure the lessons stick.”
“Oh, really?” she asked.
“Yeah, I feel like you’ll owe me another one.” He leaned in and skimmed her ear with his lips. “Especially since I have a feeling I know what’s going to happen after dinner.”
Her heart pounded in her chest and she nodded. “I guess so.” She looked up at Quin. And suddenly, she just couldn’t help herself. “Maybe we can talk about it later when you take me back to your place.”
* * *
Quin couldn’t hold back his smile as he followed Celia to the table with his brother and sister. He thought that the change in plans would put a serious cramp in trying to get Celia back into his bed, but her last statement put her right back in there. So, fine, they would join his siblings, have a nice dinner with Celia and then he would take her home and do some not-so-nice things to her.
He watched the swivel of her hips as she walked a couple of steps in front of him. He was thankful for the low light of the restaurant so that no one could see his growing erection. With just a few words and touches, and that light kiss on his lips at the table, Celia had completely turned him on. He normally had more self-control, but when it came to her, he had absolutely none.
As You Crave It Page 11