“I wanted to talk to you.” His voice lowered, took on a husky tone that tempted her to shiver.
But she held herself in check. Just barely.
“What about?” Oh, he was coming closer. He took another step, then another, crowding her, and she backed up, bumping against the wall. Trapped with Trevor so close she could smell him, the scent spicy and clean and warm.
Slowly driving her mad.
“I wanted to apologize for the other night.” His gaze wandered over her face, rested on her mouth and her lips tingled. As if he had just touched her there.
She wondered how amazing it would be to actually kiss this man. Feel his mouth pressed to hers, his tongue…
“Apologize for what? The orgasm you gave me?” Ah, here came her smart mouth. She couldn’t keep it in. It was as if he drew it out of her.
He chuckled, the sound warm, inviting, curling through her like elusive wisps of smoke she desperately wanted to capture. “Unless it was awful I won’t apologize for that.”
“It wasn’t awful,” she admitted in a small voice.
“Then I’m not sorry.” He smiled, all dazzling teeth and boy next door gorgeous. “I want to apologize for being such a jerk.”
“Well, I was a jerk, too.” But she refused to say sorry. She couldn’t admit she was sorry.
Stubborn. Old habits died hard.
“So we’re both apologizing then.” He reached out, twirled a wavy strand of her hair around his finger and lightly tugged. “Maybe we could start over.”
She held her breath, her gaze cutting to that finger she could just see in her peripheral vision. He twirled her hair around his finger again and again, slow, rubbing the strand as if he was testing it. “Start over with what? There’s nothing to start over.”
“There’s not?” He twirled another strand, and another. “Your hair is so soft.”
She ignored his comment, ignored the way it made her skin flush and her nipples harden even more. Especially ignored the fact that her panties were damp and her knees weak. “There shouldn’t be.”
“Why not?”
“We won’t be good together.” Lies, all lies. She was the biggest liar in the whole wide world.
“You think?” He leaned in close, his face level with hers, gray eyes seeking the truth. “I think we’d be fucking fantastic together.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” She repeated her words from four nights ago, her voice hoarse, her throat dry. Afraid he was saying some sort of rehearsed line he kept in his repertoire and brought out to seduce women.
Trevor shook his head slowly, his gaze again drifting to her mouth. As if he wanted to kiss it, drink from her, taste her over and over again. “Your opinion of me is pretty low, huh?”
“Terribly low,” she confessed, earning another chuckle.
“What can I do to rectify that?” He propped a hand on the wall behind her, his splayed fingers close to her head. His body heat reached, his broad shoulders blocked everything else and all she saw was him. She was surrounded by him. Trevor.
“Leave me alone?” Her tone was hopeful because really, her life would be easier if he did leave her alone.
A little lonely and full of regret but definitely easier.
“I can’t,” he said in an aching whisper, and her body tightened with need. “Go to dinner with me. Let me convince you I’m not such a bad guy.”
“I shouldn’t,” she said quickly.
“You want to.”
She sighed. “You’re cocky.”
“Hmm, say that again.” His lids lowered, his entire focus seemingly on her mouth.
“Say what again? Cocky?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, lids lifting, revealing his burning, hungry gaze. “Now take the ‘y’ off and say it one more time.”
“You’re bad.” She swatted at his chest, but he caught her hand, brought it to his mouth where he pressed a lingering kiss to her knuckles.
Thank God for the wall. It gave her something to lean against while her legs went weak at the touch of his lips on her skin.
“You like it.”
“No, really I don’t.”
Trevor ignored her little insult, just clutched her fingers tighter. “Say yes. Say you’ll go to dinner with me. Tonight.”
“Tonight?” If she was going to do this—and really she wasn’t—then she’d prefer some time to plan an outfit, a look, something. Just plan. Spontaneous dinner dates with heartbreakers wasn’t her thing.
“Yes, tonight. After the show.”
“It’ll be late,” she protested, but he ignored that, too.
“And I’ll be starving. Say yes, Scarlett.”
She loved the way he said her name, the way he commanded her. It thrilled her right down to her toes. And elsewhere, too. “I shouldn’t.”
“You will.”
“Trevor—” she started but he shushed her, dropping her hand to press his fingers to her lips.
“You’re going.” His fingers didn’t leave her mouth. No, in fact, they started to stroke, tease, touching first one corner, then the other, and she trembled.
“My choice where we eat?” Her voice was shaky, her entire body shaky. She breathed deep, her mouth parting, his fingers dipping between her lips.
“Your choice.” He teased her some more, smoothed one finger back and forth across her lower lip. She closed her lips around it, dabbed her tongue at the tip. “I want to kiss you so fucking bad.”
Oh yeah, thank goodness for the wall. Her legs were jelly, her stomach clenched and her pussy was positively throbbing. All because he touched her mouth with his finger and looked at her as if he wanted to devour her in one swallow.
She released his finger from between her lips yet he still touched her, traced a path along her upper lip. “Okay.”
“You’ll go?” His voice was hopeful, his expression matched and he looked so endearingly cute she was glad she’d agreed.
“Yes. Just dinner,” she added though she had a feeling it was futile. Pointless.
This would not be just a meal. The chemistry brewed and bubbled between them as they spoke, as they looked at each other and it was so much more than just a simple night out. She could feel it.
His hand dropped, his smile grew. “Good. Think of a place to go. Somewhere good and a little private.”
“Why?” What did he want to do, seduce her in the restaurant? He could do that with one look, one touch. He was doing it now, backstage with people milling around. Anyone could stumble upon them at any minute.
“Because I want you to myself.” He pushed away from the wall, away from her and she felt suddenly empty, cold without his body heat surrounding her. “Bye, Scarlett.”
She watched him go, took a few moments to gather her wits, wait for the strength to come back to her legs. It wasn’t ’til he was completely out of sight that she realized he hadn’t even kissed her though he’d said he wanted to.
Scarlett was glad. It made the anticipation that much more delicious.
“Thank you for dinner,” Scarlett said, her voice soft and sweet and putting Trevor on edge.
She never sounded soft and sweet when she was with him. Her voice usually took on a hard edge, or an irritated one. He wondered if he’d finally gotten in her good graces.
He wondered what he could do to keep himself there.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you suggested this place. I haven’t been here in a while.” She’d picked a little sushi restaurant not far from the theatre that stayed open to cater to the late flow of theatre goers.
Smart move since the place had been almost full with customers when they first arrived. The crowd had dwindled until there were only a few tables occupied, theirs included.
“It’s my favorite place to go for sushi.” She polished off the last shrimp tempura roll, a little murmur of approval sounding in her throat as she chewed.
He enjoyed watching her eat. She did it with relish, without restraint and didn’t give a bunch o
f excuses for it either. Most of the women he took to dinner either didn’t eat at all or picked at their food. When they had actually shoved a fork in their mouth, a few had even apologized. As if it was a sin to eat.
They’d practically all been reed thin, too. He wouldn’t classify Scarlett as reed thin. She had delicious curves, sensual curves he wanted to touch, explore. She looked like a real woman, not some stick with breasts and a flat ass.
She’d changed her outfit, wore a simple thin cotton black dress with tiny ruffles around the neckline. A neckline that plunged low enough so he could catch a glimpse of cleavage every time she leaned forward, and he checked plenty. Her bra was black, shiny satin, and he couldn’t wait to touch her.
Her creamy smooth skin glowed in the low lighting of the restaurant. She’d restrained her normally riotous hair, pulled it back into a low ponytail that rested at her nape. A few errant curls strayed from their restraints, weaving prettily about her face. She was gorgeous in such an unassuming way.
She drove him half mad with lust. Just looking at her had his cock hardening, threatening to pop the zipper out of his jeans. The need to take, to possess this woman and make her his was overwhelming. Their shared dinner was some sort of demented foreplay that messed with his mind and prolonged the inevitable.
“Is sushi your favorite food?” He wanted to know everything about her. Learn her secrets, her preferences, her desires. She kept everything so close. Oh, she was friendly and everyone liked her at the theatre, but when he’d conducted some subtle asking around he realized that no one really seemed to know her.
With the exception of Austin. And though they were friends, he didn’t feel comfortable enough digging information about Scarlett from him. It wouldn’t be right. He couldn’t cross that line.
“I love sushi.” She dragged her finger through the few drops of sauce that dotted her plate and brought it to her mouth, licking it. Trevor’s eyes almost crossed at the sight, imagining her lips wrapped around his dick. “I love Thai food, too. I love Asian food.”
“So you bring all your dates here.” Why did the idea of that make his blood boil? Imagining her with another man made his gut clench, his head hurt.
If he thought about it too much, he just might be jealous.
Scarlett laughed, ran her hand over her head to smooth away the little wisps of wild hair. They sprang back out the second her hand dropped. “I wouldn’t consider this a date.”
“No?” He cocked a brow at her. What the hell did she consider it then? “Tell me what you think this is.”
“Two friends going out for dinner after work, simple as that.” She grabbed the straw in her drink and twirled it around, the clinking of the ice against the glass loud in the otherwise quiet stillness.
“I wouldn’t necessarily consider us friends. You don’t even like me, remember?”
She at least had the decency to blush, the delicate pink staining her cheeks. “I don’t hate you. I don’t know what else to call us.”
“Ha. See?” He leaned across the table, wishing they sat next to each other so he could touch her. Feel her warm body pressed against his. “How about you call us lovers?”
Her gaze cut to his, dark eyes wide, lips parted. “There’s certainly no love between us. And only one orgasm. I wouldn’t constitute that as lovers.”
It was his turn to laugh. “You cut right to the quick, don’t you?”
“I’m just stating it like it is.” She shrugged, seemingly unapologetic, but the flush was still on her face, darker now.
Much like the flush that suffused her body when she came. He wanted to see that again. Tonight.
“Well my plan after this is to go back to my place and get you naked.” He paused, let his words sink in. “Do you have a problem with that?”
It was her turn to cock a brow. “Who says I’m interested?”
“Oh, you’re definitely interested.” He bet if he slid his hand between her legs he would find her soaked for him. “You just like to play it coy.”
Her eyes darkened, if that was possible and the little crease between her brows told him she was pissed. “God, you’re arrogant.”
“No, I know what I want. And I know what you want. What’s the point in trying to fight it?” Trevor reached across the table and grasped her hand in his, squeezing lightly. “Go into the bathroom and take off your panties.”
Her breath caught, he heard it and it made him smile. “Then I want you to touch yourself, gather up all that cream from your pretty little pussy and come back out. Let me have a taste,” he continued, dropping her hand so it fell softly to the table.
She didn’t move, could only stare, her heaving chest the only sign that she was aroused. He didn’t move either, challenging her to deny his request.
“You think you can just command me to do whatever you want?” Her voice was rough, shaky, and he swore he saw her body tremble.
“I know I can.” He was a demanding asshole sexually. He knew it, he’d always known it and as he got older, it only got worse. Some women didn’t like it. Every man he’d been with got off on it with the exception of Austin who was just as demanding. That had been half their battle, two strong and determined males trying to top one another, both literally and figuratively.
Trevor had a strong suspicion that Scarlett loved every blessed bit of his demanding attitude. She just didn’t want to admit it.
“I don’t like taking orders.” She pressed her lips together. “I never have.”
“Even when you know the reward will be worth it?”
“Will it?” Her voice dropped to a mere whisper, and he reached out, drew his fingers across the back of her hand. Her skin was soft, and he ached to touch her everywhere.
“I can guarantee it.” He flicked his head toward the back of the restaurant. “Go to the restroom. Now.”
She withdrew her hand from his touch and stood, her gaze sliding away from his. Straightening her shoulders, he watched as she walked away, her hips swaying deliciously with every step, her shapely ass shifting beneath the soft fabric of her dress.
Trevor breathed deep and leaned back in his chair, pasting a smile on his face when their waiter approached and cleaned the plates from the table. His cock was so hard it fucking hurt. He waited in breathless anticipation as she took her time, locked away in that bathroom for what felt like hours instead of minutes.
He was overreacting. He knew this. She was probably staying away on purpose just to drive him crazy. He had to admit he liked her defiance, the way she questioned him yet did what he asked anyway. She pushed his buttons as no other woman ever had and he fucking loved it. Wanted more of it.
Wanted more of her.
She suddenly appeared, walked toward the table with an effortless grace, her gaze locked on him. Her head was held high, fresh gloss coated her lips, her small purse clutched in one hand. He hadn’t even noticed that she had taken it, and he wondered if her panties were in there.
He wondered what color they were.
Scarlett slid into the chair, a little smile curving her lips. Without a word she held out her right hand, her index finger pointed in his direction—damp and glistening. His cock jerked in anticipation. He held her by the wrist, drew her hand closer and slowly licked her, his tongue swirling around her finger before he sucked it deep into his mouth.
Her taste melted on his tongue, musky and mysterious. He’d give anything to go down on her, bury his face in her pussy and lick her like there was no tomorrow. His entire body taut with arousal, he released his hold on her and backed away, settled himself in the chair.
“If I could, I’d eat your pussy right now. For dessert.” Her eyes flared at his words, and she shifted in her seat, her legs restless beneath the table.
“Stop it.” She glared at him then dropped her gaze, her bare foot reaching out to caress his ankle, her toes working beneath the hem of his jeans until she touched bare skin.
He jolted in his chair at her innocent touch, at the not
so innocent expression on her face. “You taste good.”
Her toes went up his calf, then back down again in a teasing stroke. “I wonder what you taste like. We’ve never kissed.”
“I know.” His voice had lowered. His cock throbbed. Fuck they needed to get out of here, but the waiter still hadn’t brought the bill. “I wanted to earlier.”
“But you don’t want to now?” Delicate brows rose, pouty lips pursed. Her foot dropped from his leg and then, Holy Mother of God, went right for his lap, her toes curling around the front of his jeans, sliding over his erection.
“Hell yes, I want to,” he growled, glancing about the restaurant in frustration. “Where the hell is our goddamned check?”
She laughed, a joyous little sound that declared clearly she was having a lot of fun with this. Her toes stroked again, teasing him, and he bit back a curse. “Eager to leave?”
“Only if I know you’re going with me.”
She stilled, her expression serious. “It’s your lucky night. I’ve decided that I’m definitely going with you.”
Relief flooded him, and he wanted to shout in victory. Yes. She was going home with him. He didn’t know what he wanted to do first, fuck her senseless or eat her pussy. Both sounded good. He didn’t even know what she looked like naked. Hell, they hadn’t even kissed yet.
Which meant tonight was going to be about discovery. And it was going to be so, so sweet.
Chapter Five
Scarlett had agreed to go home with Trevor because really, she didn’t have a choice. The attraction between them was too strong, too wild to ignore. The second they locked gazes, heat flared between them, searing her to the bone. He’d come for her immediately after the show ended, gorgeous and breathless and eager, and she’d wanted to melt into the floor. He’d escorted her out of the theatre so fast she thought he’d given her whiplash.
He wanted to get her alone, and it thrilled her. Dinner had been delicious. She’d been starved, but she could hardly remember what she ate. And sushi was one of her favorite treats.
All memories were forgotten now that she was walking into Trevor’s apartment. The place was dark, shadows coming from the uncovered kitchen window casting shards of light in spots. She waited, her entire body shaking as he quietly shut the door and approached her from behind.
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