“I’m sure he would be flattered to hear that. I’d be glad to pass along the compliment if you’d like. He just moved into the area a few months ago and I bump into him frequently. We are practically living next door to each other.”
* * * *
The little pixie standing in front of him was going to get him into serious trouble. He could smell it. She’d virtually fallen right into his arms and he couldn’t have asked for a sweeter surprise. Damn it all, he may be a halfway nice guy, but he was still a hot-blooded male and certainly no saint. This pretty little package defined temptation.
She was just a little below average height with a few nicely rounded curves, top and bottom. Honey-colored hair fell just to her shoulders in a stylish cut. Her lips were unpainted and just plump enough for a nice little nip with his teeth. But the feature gripping his heart in its tight fist? Her eyes. A golden hazel, they were almost honey-toned like her hair. The big doe eyes were perfect and sparkled with a friendliness and intelligence he found lacking far too often in the world today. A woman hadn’t sparked his interest this sharply in a long time, if ever.
He’d love nothing more than to pull her close, press the softness of her body tight against his, and thread his hands into the satin of her hair. He’d take a long, deep sample of her lips. Sample, hell, he knew a brief taste wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the need to grab her, claim her, and take her in every way imaginable. And then? He’d create more ways to take her.
Instead he crossed his arms and tucked his hands beneath his elbows to hide his tightly clenched fists. His hands ached with tension and his blood pressure soared as he fought to hide his anger.
There was no way he could get involved in a relationship right now. He couldn’t even take this pretty little woman out for dinner. The struggle to keep his frustration under wraps pissed him off even further.
“You’re kidding me. Robin lives nearby? Has he mentioned if he’s planning any signings? I’d love to get my books signed and thank him for the great reads.
“Oh, damn it.” He couldn’t contain his smile at her muttered curse when her cell phone started ringing somewhere in the depths of her tote bag. “Damn that ringtone, it’s my work. I have to answer this, I’m on call.
“Hello. Are you kidding me? No. I’ll be in. If I head home now, I’ll have just enough time to change and head in. Okay, talk to you later.”
He watched her put her phone into her bag with a huff of frustration. “Is something wrong?”
She sighed as she looked up at him as if she hated to leave his company so soon but really had no choice. “Not really. My supervisor just called me in to cover the night shift. Patti called in sick, so I’ll have to cover for her tonight. I really need to get going. It was nice talking to a fellow fan while it lasted.”
“Here, I’ll carry your things to the counter. Your arms have got to be tired from carrying everything. I need to be leaving, too.” Really, he was dying to see her in all the lingerie she bought. He’d bet money her sexy curves were meant for satin and lace.
“I know it looks like I went overboard but I have been working sixty-hour weeks for almost two months and I figured I’d earned a treat or two.” They made their way to the cash register and chatted about her job and the weather.
A pretty brunette greeted them at the counter as the little blonde dug through her tote. “Did you find everything you needed?”
He was charmed as she smiled back at the cashier’s direct kindness. “Yes, and actually I bought more than I planned. The store is wonderful. It’s so much nicer than I expected. It’s the perfect picture of elegance and class.” She set her checkbook on the counter as he placed her books beside it, dropping one to the floor. She barely noticed him bending to pick it up as she rifled through her wallet. After a few moments he handed the dropped book to the cashier as she scanned them.
“My name is Tara, I’m the manager. Please feel free to let me know if there’s anything you can’t find or if you have any suggestions. We really want to make a success of Crave. We believe that the things that make us most happy and feel our best shouldn’t be locked away in the dark.” Tara’s bright smile lit up her face as she bagged up the books and lingerie.
Picking the blonde’s bags up off the counter while she paid was a calculated move but his time with her neared its end. Helping her carry her bags out to the car gave him an excuse to visit with her for just a few more brief moments before he would be forced to let her go forever.
As they left the store he couldn’t resist leaning in close as he held the door open. He discreetly put his hand on the small of her back and leaned in to catch a sample of her delicious scent. It was faintly sweet, with a hint of vanilla and spice. He envisioned tasting a sample from the sexy curve of her shoulder and working his way down, tasting each and every curve and hollow. His mouth watered and his pants grew uncomfortably tight reminding him he could very well be in over his head with this little beauty.
It was too fucking bad he couldn’t act on it.
All too soon they made their way to her little silver car. He helped put her bags in the trunk and walked her to the car’s door. They stood for a silent moment basking in the warm sunlight and looking at each other.
Even knowing her taste would haunt him, he needed a sample before she walked out of his life. And if he wasn’t mistaken, she was just as curious as he was. Her eyes lit with interest as she looked up at him. The mutual longing was palpable in the summer heat as he placed an arm on the roof of her car and leaned close.
Why not be blunt and take what he wanted? No matter how he wished differently, he would never see her again so there was no need to pretend to be something he wasn’t. With his decision made, relief freed the last of his inhibitions. There was no need to hide his darker side from this little beauty, and if he was only going to get one taste, he wanted to make it a memorable one.
Honesty never worked well in the past and that always bothered him. Most women he’d encountered had been turned off by his desires without ever giving them or him a chance. The other few thought it was just a game that he played at on weekends. They misunderstood and often thought because he tended to be a dominant lover that meant their pleasure was secondary. In fact the opposite was true, but he was so tired of trying to explain it.
Yet, there was no changing it. A vital part of who he was, there would be no taming his desires.
He looked down just in time to watch her bite her bottom lip in hesitation. The sight of that plump lip between her teeth only increased his desire to lean in a take a nibble of his own.
“Uhm? Would you like to have dinner sometime? You can choose the place. My treat.” His heart stumbled when he watched her face turn about three shades of red. It was all too clear that asking men out was not something this little pixie did often.
He was smitten and crushed.
And how badly did he want to accept her offer? Desperately. But that wasn’t an option. Neither was putting his fist through the glass of the car window.
His decision was all the more clear for it. He could never see this lovely lady again, so if she left pissed at him, that would be all the better. Forget asking, just this one time, he was going to take what he wanted and be damned with the consequences.
“Are you thinking about the same thing I am? If you’re not interested, feel free to smack me when I’m finished, but I am going to kiss you.”
* * * *
He was going to kiss her. He wasn’t asking, he was telling her. Why did that simple statement turn her insides to liquid warmth?
The seriousness in his dark eyes and the firm tone of his voice left little room to argue. Her breath caught at the stark command in his words and she felt herself grow damp with desire.
This man was a total stranger. What was she doing? Before her addled brain could process its own question, a warm hand brushed a stray tendril of hair from her cheek and found its way to her hip as he gripped it and moved with an aching slowness. Hi
s words said he was taking what he wanted whether she liked it or not, but the pace with which he acted gave her plenty of time to object if she chose.
As if she were able to form a single coherent thought? Would she object? She was caught in his web and the burning intensity revealed in his eyes looked as if it was the last kiss he’d ever take.
And take, he did.
Her mouth opened in surprise and he moved in for the taking, nipping and sucking. His tongue licked his way just inside and gave hers the briefest caress. His thumbs slipped just beneath the hem of her top and swirled lazy circles on the quickly sensitizing skin just above her hips. The light rasp of his fingertips brushing against her bare skin had more seductive power than any single kiss she’d ever known. Combined with the wicked intent of his mouth mating with hers and she’d become putty in his hands.
When her inhibitions evaporated like a soft rain in the desert she invited him in with everything she had. Their mouths dined on each other as her hands found their way into the silk of his hair and gripped tight. His slid around to grasp the cheeks of her ass and without shame they pulled her tight against him. From knee to chest every molecule of space between them had been eliminated and there was little doubt of his interest as an impressive length of steel grew against her belly.
A liquid heat bubbled in her center. Her muscles went pliant and limber, yet tense and ready. Never had a kiss affected her so strongly. Just as she was sure she was going to implode he changed the tone of the kiss. As his mouth quickened and took total control, she felt dizzied by the onslaught of sensations running rampant through her excited body. His hands grazed up her side, thumbs brushing just below her breasts then down her sides and back up her arms. They found her hands and removed them from his hair. His tongue tangoed with hers and left no doubt as to who led the dance. He gently brought her hands behind her back and held them there secure in his own.
She was bound and immobile as he ravished her mouth. She could only trust that he’d support her as the blood fled her brain and rushed to her breasts and her sex. They were swollen and heavy, expectant.
What had become of her? In just moments, this stranger had taken her to a level of excitement that simple kissing with other men, hell, even sex with her last ex never reached. She was wet and on the verge of orgasm, and standing in a parking lot of all places. He held her bound and at his mercy and she loved every second of it.
His hands, his warmth, his entire presence abruptly pulled away as he stepped back. His shoulders rose with each deep inhalation as he looked her in the eye.
“Take care of yourself and have a good night at work.” He placed a simple closed-mouth kiss on her lips and touched his forehead to hers in a brief farewell. Then he walked way.
Stunned speechless, she watched as he crossed the busy parking lot without once looking back. With her blood boiling in arousal, she forced herself to get in her car, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. Her hands shook as she turned the key.
Let that be a lesson to herself. She’d gone and done exactly what she’d told herself not to. She’d asked him out on a date. And what had it gotten her? He kissed her like the world was ending and then walked away? Who did that?
Why was she such a magnet for selfish assholes? She was through with relationships. She wasn’t naïve enough to think she could go without a man forever or to think she wouldn’t miss the physical aspects of a relationship, but as far a long-term commitment went, she was finished.
Repeatedly people proved to her they didn’t stick and regardless of the depth of her feelings, their love didn’t last. A hollow ache settled in her belly. Finding a true happily ever after was as realistic a dream as winning the lottery.
She put on her sunglasses and sucked on her bottom lip in a longstanding habit of frustration.
His flavor lingered, taunting her.
Belatedly, as she pulled out of the parking lot, she realized she never even asked his name.
Chapter 2
Finally, in the wee hours of the morning she’d found the time to steal a few quiet minutes in the break room.
“I’m sorry, Carrie. Give me just a few minutes of quiet and I’ll be ready for another round. My feet are killing me.” At three in the morning, she was over halfway through her shift and exhausted.
“New shoes? They’re cute.” Carrie’s blue eyes looked from her feet to her face as she plopped down in one of the hard plastic chairs beside her in the break room. The cold, pumpkin orange chairs had never been such a welcome place as they were at that moment.
“Yep, they’re new. They probably wouldn’t hurt my feet so badly except I spent most of the day on my feet shopping before I was called in.”
“Well, things have finally mellowed a bit out in the zoo so take your time and rest for thirty. Did you bring a good book?” Carrie knew her too well.
“Always. I’ve been waiting over six months for this one. I’m almost afraid to start it because I know I won’t want to put it down to come back to work.”
“Honey, you need to find yourself a real flesh and blood man. I worry that you spend too much time alone. I know you enjoy your quiet time, but there’s a fine line between alone and lonely.”
She didn’t bother to tell Carrie that real men couldn’t live up to the fictional ones in her books. In a great story the heroes always came through for their women in the end. In real life? When things got tough they all fled like roaches when the lights were turned on.
Unknowingly, Carrie stirred up memories of her ex. That was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. She’d been so stupid to fall for his lies and it had been a hard blow to her soft heart. She wasn’t sure she was ready for a “flesh and blood man” just yet.
An image of her mystery man from the bookstore stole her attention from Carrie. Dark eyes, that sexy lopsided smile, and his wicked scent surrounded her.
And just like her ex he hadn’t appreciated her asking for what she wanted. She was good enough to kiss in a busy parking lot, but not go on a date with? She would never understand men.
Carrie’s chair squeaked as she stood. “Earth to Lacey. Hello? You haven’t even pulled the book out of that gigantic tote of yours and you’re already in la-la land. Well, hell, honey, from the look on your face, maybe I need a month’s vacation to go there.” The volume of her coworker’s voice dimmed as she turned and left Lacey alone to take her break.
And it was a break she desperately needed.
Since her experience at Crave on what was supposed to be her day off things had done nothing but go downhill. There had been no time for a nap before her shift. She’d been up since eight that morning, so she’d have to go twenty-four hours or more without sleep. She hadn’t even had time to unload her purchases. Everything was still stashed in her trunk and in the morning she’d be too tired do more than carry the bags in the door and then crash into bed.
Then her cell wouldn’t stop ringing. She’d found five missed calls from her ex when she’d sat down for her break and checked it. A decent person would have left a message and waited for her to call back. But not Rob. The rat bastard knew she often worked nights and sleep could be a precious thing. She deleted the voice mails without listening to them. They’d been getting progressively longer and more irritating lately and she didn’t want to taint the rest of her break with his ugliness.
Even if by some miracle it had been a slow night at work she doubted things would have been easy. Each and every time she closed her eyes, visions of her mystery man haunted her. She continued to feel the firm touch of his lips against hers, the hard press of his hips against her belly, and a ghostly grip on her wrists. His taste lingered on her lips for hours.
And that hint of dominance he’d displayed turned her into a puddle of raw need. The discovery had thrown her for a loop. She’d never expected to feel that kind of excitement in real life and certainly not at the thought of being bound and completely at a man’s mercy. For a few brief moments she had been hi
s to do whatever he pleased with and she’d never been so turned on in all of her life. The books she read often intrigued her, but she never considered that it could be a reality for her. She wrote it off as excitement from the mystery man factor combined with a hint of exhibitionism in the parking lot.
She should have known that something so good wouldn’t last for her. It was just one more example of how her crappy luck worked.
Somehow she had mustered the courage to ask him out to dinner. A first for her, she still wasn’t sure where she found the will. Especially after the mess with her ex, if you could even call him that.
For her their relationship had been real. For him it was nothing more than a fun tryst. He turned her world upside down, stepped on her heart, and hadn’t even blinked an eye.
Mr. Mystery? She needed to write him off as well. While he may be capable of wicked deeds with his tongue, she needed to forget about that kiss. And the way he’d held her. And the way he smelled. And him. Clearly he was no better than her ex, the great exalted Dr. Wilton.
She needed to cross men off her list all together. They’d caused her nothing but trouble.
In addition to all the man drama, the emergency room where she worked defined chaos. She’d been going nonstop for hours in new shoes without even enough time for a bathroom break. At this point she was happy to eat a cold piece of pizza and read for five minutes.
And if she didn’t get that five minutes of peace she might have a mental breakdown. She put her feet up in the empty chair beside her and opened her book to the title page. She choked on her soda and just barely missed spraying the pages.
She looked down at the page again.
In disbelief she shook her head a little and blinked her eyes twice.
She stared up at the old white ceiling tiles, counted to ten and then looked down at her book for the third time. The page was the same. Autographed with the name Robin Martin, it included an inscription.
Lacey Temptations [Crave 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2