A dark scowl replaced his smug look. While her good-night kiss with Carlos was nothing more than a quick peck and a hug, it had been nice enough to describe as more than mediocre, especially to get the triumphant gleam out of Dante’s eyes.
“As for me hiding behind an excuse that I can’t mix business and pleasure—” she took a step closer, leaning her head back to stare into his eyes “—it’s not because I can’t. It’s because I don’t. Proving that I deserve the jobs I get is hard enough without adding assumptions that I’m only successful because I sleep with womanizers like you in order to land projects. So, whether or not you’ve decided to be serious competition with Carlos or not, just remember I’m not some helpless rabbit you can lure into a trap. I’ve avoided wolves much deadlier than you. You won’t catch me unless I want to get caught.”
She slid her foot back to step away. His hand shot out and latched on to her waist. Dante closed the scant distance between them and pressed his solid body against hers. “Don’t stand so close if you don’t want to get caught.”
Desire coated every nuance of his voice. The air around them shifted, crackling and sparking with the anger, annoyance and attraction simmering between them. The line between anger and desire was thin, and when his long fingers flexed against her waist, the line snapped. He infuriated her. The audacity of him paying for the meal, declaring himself competition, insisting that being zapped by the electric current between them was inevitable. Yet she couldn’t listen to the faint voice that said to pull away. Sucking in a breath, she didn’t smell cologne. The clean smell of masculine soap and the intoxicating heat of his body made her mouth water. Her nipples tightened. Heat settled heavily between her thighs.
“Now that I’ve got you,” he said, his tenor lowering to a seductive bass, “what are you going to do?”
Julie swallowed. “Depends on what your intentions are.”
“I intend to get the truth out of you.” His hand, strong and sure, slid from her waist to her back. She didn’t think he could pull her closer, but he did, and the rock-hard proof of his arousal grew between them.
She wanted to turn, walk away and call him a fool. She licked her lips, and slowly drew the lower one between her teeth. His eyes heated, and his lids lowered. She wanted to kiss him more.
Embracing his face with her hands, Julie pulled him down to do just that. Briefly she realized he’d proved her a liar—she’d initiated the kiss. A second later, the pleasure of his lips against hers blew away all other thought. A low groan rumbled through his chest, and his strong arms wrapped around her midsection, squeezing her tight. His tongue traced her lower lip, and she quickly opened her mouth, gliding hers over his in slow, erotic strokes. One of her arms wrapped around his neck; her other hand brushed the stubble on his strong jaw.
The heat between her legs ached for release. Her heart pumped against her ribs. She imagined peeling his clothes off and dragging him up the stairs. She imagined kissing every inch of his perfect body and spending the night moaning his name in ecstasy or having him right here, hot and fast, in the foyer fully clothed. The how and the why didn’t matter as long as Dante was pressed hard and deep inside her.
Never had her body yearned for a man as much as it did right now. A yearning so strong that she didn’t care about anything other than his lean hips between her legs, which could lead to rash decisions that would hurt her and her career, and add fuel to the rumors of her success.
She broke the kiss but didn’t jump out of his arms. A moment later, Dante’s eyes opened slowly, the dark irises dazed and burning with the same longing chewing on her insides. She wanted him but not tonight, not when she was going on need alone. Her rule was to never sleep with a guy unless she fully understood what she was getting into, even more so, when sleeping with a guy like Dante could hinder, not help, her reputation. The club opening successfully was the most important thing.
Dante’s nostrils flared with heavy breaths, and he watched her with deep, hungry eyes. Her body shuddered. She had to get out of there before she said screw it and screwed him.
“Now that you’ve caught me,” she said, hoping he didn’t notice the needy trembling of her voice, “how will you keep me?”
His brows drew together. She lifted on her toes and pressed a kiss to the side of his lips. “Good night, Dante.”
Pulling out of his inviting arms was torture. Every agonizing brush of her skin against his as she did so made her want to wrap her arms around him, kiss him again, taste his skin and feel his body on hers.
Not tonight. Not without thinking about this and being sure. Use your head, not your heart.
He let her go and looked just as dazed as she felt. She walked to the door with what she hoped was a confident stroll that masked her wobbly knees. If he guessed how difficult walking away from him was for her and pulled her back into his arms, she’d say to hell with thinking this thing through and drag Dante upstairs directly to his bedroom.
Chapter 8
Dante’s ringing cell phone interrupted his repeated attempts to work on the song he was writing for S.A.F. Normally, when he was in his music studio, surrounded by the various instruments his parents insisted he learn to play and gazing at the platinum and gold records hanging on the walls, inspiration struck. But today wasn’t a normal day. He’d kissed Julie the day before. No, Julie had kissed the hell out of him, then walked away.
He picked up his cell phone from the corner of the upright piano. He usually didn’t bring the phone in here with him, but he’d expected a phone call from his sexy developer. Raymond’s number was on the screen.
Swallowing disappointment, Dante answered. “Raymond, what’s up?”
“Man, you missed one hell of an after-party last night. What happened?”
Dante could taste Julie’s sweet lips and nearly groaned. “Something came up.”
Raymond laughed. “I bet it did. Hey, are you busy?”
“Working on a new song.” Or he would be if his brain would stop reliving the memory of Julie’s curves pressed against him.
“Is this for the solo album you’re putting out? Your own music?”
“Not for me but for S.A.F. I’m meeting with them at the studio later today.”
The reason Dante chose Malibu for his nightclub instead of LA was the small following S.A.F. already had in the area. Launching S.A.F. in their hometown was the best way to ensure they came out of the gate strong.
“If you’re writing the music, then I know it’s going to be hot. Look, I called to ask a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Nothing big. Since you’ve already helped Julie pick the contractor, can you handle overseeing the rest of the opening for the next few weeks?”
Dante frowned and put down the pencil he’d been using to erase the last few notes of music he’d put to paper. “Why? Do you want out?”
“No, I just got an offer to perform in London. It’s some type of music festival, and while I’m there, my agent said I could work on being a guest judge for this talent show they’ve got on television. After the concert tour, this will be a good way to keep my music out there. I know I promised to help you open this place.”
Dante stood and walked across the room to stand before the window. The view of the solid, long-lasting profile of the mountains from this side of the house inspired him more than the changing tides of the ocean did.
“I understand. You’re still building your career. I’d be going, too, if I were in your position. Besides, you’ve already helped out by recommending Julie. She seems to know what she’s doing.”
Both with the club and with keeping him guessing. He still couldn’t believe she’d walked away without a backward glance. Were his skills slipping? Any other woman would have dragged him upstairs after a kiss like that.
“I told you she would. Julie is
the other part of the favor. I hate leaving her out here. I know I just asked you to keep your distance, but do you mind showing her a good time while I’m gone?”
Would he mind? Dante almost laughed at the idea that he would have a problem spending more time with Julie. “The question is will you mind?”
“I told you how I felt about Julie, and I trust you.”
A microscopic sliver of guilt whispered in Dante’s head for the barest of seconds. Along with the idea that maybe he should confess to Raymond that he’d kissed Julie the night before and planned to kiss her a lot more before this project was finished. Even in those barest of seconds, he knew he wouldn’t. Dante couldn’t shake the feeling that if Raymond really wanted a future with Julie, he’d be paying a lot more attention to her now.
“Have you talked to Julie yet? Maybe Carlos and her hit things off, and she wants you out of town.”
“I called her before calling you to let her know. She was upset that I wasn’t going to be here but said she understood. Plus, I’m not worried about Carlos. She said the date was fun but that she didn’t think they’d be going out again.”
Dante grinned and leaned against the windowsill. “She give a reason why?”
“She was vague about why, but that’s Julie. She doesn’t need a good reason to drop a guy. That’s why I know she’s waiting for me.”
Dante grunted and shook his head, thankful that Raymond wouldn’t see his disbelieving expression. “I’ll invite her to some parties while she’s here, introduce her to some people.”
“Cool. I’ll call and check on progress when I can.”
Dante could hear the goodbye coming, but he spoke up quickly. “You going alone?”
“I’m taking the singer from the club last night. We had a good time, and I’d like to keep it going.”
With that, the sliver of guilt vanished completely. “You do that.”
They said goodbye, then got off the phone. Dante checked his watch and swore. His choreographer was coming over in an hour, and he’d wasted the entire morning daydreaming about Julie. He couldn’t remember ever doing that, not even in his teens. He’d had women throwing themselves at him like rice at a wedding since he had hit puberty.
Dante did an internal calculation of how long he’d practice the new routine for his next music video. If he cut the session back an hour, he’d have time to get to the studio an hour earlier. Hopefully, it would give him just enough time to set up a late dinner with Julie and see for himself just how “upset” she was about Raymond leaving. He would pull out all the stops to impress her tonight. He was Dante Wilson, and women loved him. He was sure that after tonight, if there were any lingering embers smoldering from their kiss, he was going to set them on fire.
* * *
“So how are things going in sunny California?” Evette’s excited voice came through Julie’s cell phone.
Julie sat back in the chair at the desk in her hotel suite. “Things are going great. They agreed to bring Dominant Development on as a full partner.”
“As if there was any doubt.”
No need to mention that she didn’t give Dante and Raymond much of a choice. She’d come in as if she already had the job. Luckily, Dante was impressed with the contractors she’d chosen.
“Today I’m meeting with the city to make sure I know everything they’ll need when I apply for permits. I know we’re good zoning-wise, but I’m not sure about what we’ll need for the building renovations.”
“Is Sheila coming to the meeting?” Evette asked, referring to the contractor they’d hired. Dante had insisted on hiring Sheila over Orlando. They both had good reputations, but Julie was a little concerned with the way Sheila avoided sharing how she always came in under budget on her projects. Julie called her references, and no one had anything bad to say about Sheila’s work, so Julie pushed aside her concerns and went with Dante’s decision.
“Yep, she’s dealt with the people at the city before and knows what they’ll ask for. Dante already has an architect handling the redesign of the building, so he’s coming, as well. I have no fears things won’t go as planned.”
“Or as close to plans. Wait until construction starts—that’s when things get dicey.”
Julie nodded. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“So how are other things?” Evette’s voice was filled with expectancy.
“Things like what?”
“Oh, come on. Every time we talk it’s only about work, I can’t stand it anymore. Tell me about Dante. What’s he like? Is he as sexy in person as he looks on television? What about his voice? Is it as smooth as it sounds on his songs? Does he smell good?”
Julie chuckled. “Smell good?”
“Yes, you can tell a lot about a man by the way he smells.”
If Julie went by smell alone, Dante was delicious, filling and addictive. If she were describing food using those words she’d know she would need to be careful about overindulging. After last night’s kiss, Julie was on the verge of binging on her craving for Dante.
“He smells all right, I guess. He is nice and eager to get the club opened. He helped pick Sheila.”
“He’s not one of those micromanagers, is he? Sticking his nose in every aspect of the project?”
“I don’t think so. He let me ask most of the questions and handle the meetings. He only chimed in when he needed clarification. I think we’ll be okay.”
“Good, but I do hope you’ll get to have some fun while you’re there.”
“I’m here for a job. Not to have fun.” Or an affair with a superstar. “How are things back home?”
They chatted about the two projects they’d started before Julie came to California, and Evette’s success with interviewing some new people. After promising to send Julie the names and interview notes before the end of the day, they got off the phone. Julie glanced at her watch; she had two hours until the meeting with the city. She jumped up from the desk and pulled the belt of her silver satin robe tight. She’d already picked out the suit she would wear today and showered before working. All that was left was to eat something quick, dress and get down to city hall.
Someone knocked on the door just as she picked up the phone to order from room service. She pulled the robe tighter and went to the door. She glanced through the peephole and saw Dante. Tiny pinpricks of heat spread up her chest, neck and cheeks. Really—she was blushing, and he couldn’t even see her.
The night before she’d considered everything that would have happened if she hadn’t walked away, contemplated all the outcomes that could result if she slept with him and concluded that keeping their relationship professional was for the best.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. “Can I help you?”
Dante’s gaze traveled from the tips of her manicured toes up to her face, so hot and thorough that she might as well have left the robe on the floor. She stood cement still with her arms crossed over her breasts and her chin lifted, hiding how much his gaze affected her, when she really wanted to squirm under his appreciative appraisal.
“Go out with me tonight?”
The request to go out with him wasn’t unexpected. She had kissed him pretty thoroughly the night before. A date would give her the chance to talk with him about the project more. All his expected and unoriginal attempts to get her to sleep with him would annoy her enough that finding reasons to stay out of his bed would be easier.
“Where?”
Dante stepped forward and placed his hand on the door. “At this sushi place I like. We’ll have time to talk.”
“What do we need to discuss?”
“The kiss last night. My plans to keep you now that I’ve caught you.”
The words stirred up the desire she was trying to suppress. She took a step back but couldn’t escape the heat of his body or
how great he smelled. “I took you for a catch-and-throw type of guy, especially since I’m only in town for a short while.”
“You’re in town long enough.” He reached forward and took one of the ends of the belt that held her robe closed in his hand. His fingers slid across the silky material. “I’m fine with holding on to you while you’re here.”
He didn’t pull on the material, but she was suddenly very aware that she was nearly naked beneath the robe. A simple tug would loosen the knot and the sides would fall open, exposing Dante to her in nothing but a lacy sky blue bra and matching panties. Would he trace the edges of the lace with his fingertips? Would his hands slide across her naked waist to pull her against his firm body? Her breasts felt heavy, and her nipples tightened to sensitive points. The shots of heat beneath her skin took aim and fired at the junction between her thighs.
Think about what he said, Julie. “I’m fine with holding on to you while you’re here.” He’d already put her in the quick-and-easy-sex category. She didn’t do the quick-and-easy-sex thing, especially with men she worked with. She couldn’t afford to get caught up in him.
“About that kiss. I was angr—”
His hand snaked around her waist. He pulled her against him and dropped his head to kiss her, taking full advantage of the fact that she was midsentence and that her lips were already parted. All her considerations, contemplations and conclusions crashed into a pile at her feet. Soft, feminine moans surrounded them, and Julie accepted that the man had her purring like a kitten in less than a second. He kissed her softly and thoroughly, her body sliding against his thanks to the slippery material of her robe. Her hands clenched his strong arms, and she shifted her torso just enough that the aching peaks of her breasts brushed his chest. Dante’s hands tightened on her waist, his hips pressed forward until the length of his desire pushed against her midsection.
A Malibu Kind of Romance Page 6