by Sami Lee
“That’s not so easy to do when you have something everybody wants.”
“I’m not interested in your money.” The acquisition of things for the sake of having had never appealed to him. One reason why he’d never been suited to his prior commission-based sales job and another key point of difference between him and Melissa. “And I’m no longer concerned with what you can do for my business by selling my wine.”
Sarah shook her head, mystification clear in the gesture. “But why?”
“Because if I take anything from you now, on some level you’ll always wonder if you were right back in Melbourne. You’ll always wonder if any interest I showed in you then, or that I show in you now or in the future is because of what you can do for me, not because of how I feel about you.”
Her trembling breaths fanned into the space between them while she searched his face, her gaze probing. “How do you feel about me, David?”
Even as he lowered his head, David called himself all sorts of idiot for being the one to make the revelations while she still held back. But the instant his lips touched hers it was like sinking into a familiar, intoxicating warmth that he couldn’t deny himself, no matter how risky it was to be alone out on the emotional limb.
She opened to him instantly, as though she’d been waiting, hoping, for exactly this. David’s arms went around her, winding like vines on the trellis and trapping her to him. She sighed, a small, delighted sound that brushed against his mouth and David responded with an animal snarl. He moved his hand to the back of her head and cupped it, holding her still as he deepened the kiss. He licked her lips, delved beyond her teeth and tasted her. Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and sent her tongue out to dance with his.
Nothing much more than a sample of her and David was throbbing everywhere—his heart, his blood, his cock. Sarah was bound to discover the evidence of his arousal if he didn’t release her, and he wasn’t sure he wanted her to know just how much she affected him from so small an effort on her part. David pulled back, drawing in a steadying breath, taking a modicum of pride in the achievement.
But then Sarah chased him, her smoky-blue eyes still closed as she leaned forward, seeking his kiss. Giving herself away. So David dove back into her mouth, helpless to do otherwise. He pulled her lower body up against his, giving himself away too.
Sarah’s surprised gasp was swallowed by David’s mouth. She wiggled her hips against his, testing the truth of her discovery. David moved her backward, half stumbling, until her rear came up against the nearest flat surface and she was forced to still. Then David was the one moving, rocking his body in a helpless rhythm as she twined her legs around him. There was a clunk as one of her shoes hit the timber floor. David ignored it and went on kissing her, eating up her delighted sighs and the passionate response she couldn’t hide from him.
With the overturned barrel at Sarah’s back trapping her between it and him, David’s hands were free to explore. He skimmed over the slender curves of Sarah’s thighs, rose higher until he spanned her waist inside the über-professional jacket. The silk of the shirt underneath was soft, but not as soft as her skin. With a will of their own, his fingers crept beneath the hem.
The warmth of her flesh, the tautness of her abdomen, tempted David. Buttons popped open as his hands rose over the bumps of her rib cage, which became more prominent as Sarah sucked in a deep breath. When he encountered the undersides of her firm breasts, Sarah let all the air back out of her lungs, filling David’s hands with flesh that swelled and ripened, like fruit on the vine begging to be plucked.
“Sarah,” he rasped, his voice sounding like a swatch of fine fabric tearing in the afternoon quiet. He cupped her breasts, sweeping his thumbs over their pointy, lace-covered tips as he brushed his lips over hers. He couldn’t halt the instinctive grind, the thrust of his contained erection into the V of her open thighs.
Dry humping her up against a barrel in the daylight. Classy stuff, Genero. He put some space between them and saw for the first time the reality of what he’d done. Her blouse was open, the seams smudged by streaks of dirt put there by his hands. He was filthy and sweaty and smelled like sunscreen and soil. And he was still wearing his damn hat, when he’d oft been taught to take it off indoors, especially if there was a lady present. Had he completely lost his mind?
Muttering a rough apology, David released her and stepped back. Her sexy, bewildered expression almost made him gather her up again, drag her to the house by her hair. Then she glanced down and saw for herself how exposed she was. She grasped the seams of her blouse and pulled them together, sending a sideways glimpse to the still-open door. “Is there anyone else…?”
“We’re the only ones here.” Which didn’t excuse how far he’d let things go, not with Sarah, who was no doubt used to much subtler seductions. “I still shouldn’t have—”
“It’s okay.” Her fingers trembled as she redid the buttons he’d all but ripped open. “I was…”
“Beautiful. So damn sexy I couldn’t help myself. Sarah, I…”
She looked at him and those gorgeous blue irises still clouded by desire made him lose his train of thought. Her lips curved, and then they were both laughing at their mutual inability to finish a sentence. “I guess we’re both a bit—”
“Hungry,” David supplied, not letting her finish that sentence either. He hadn’t really been talking about food but the word conjured a response from his stomach. The afternoon sun had slanted deep and turned fiery orange, telling him it was almost time for dinner. “I was going to eat soon. Will you come up to the house and have dinner with me?”
Relief flooded him when she nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
David smiled around gritted teeth. Lovely. She was a lady through and through, one who deserved so much more than a rough grope amongst the vines. David only hoped he could entrap his baser instincts for long enough to behave like a gentleman and not the callous bastard she was determined to think he was.
* * * * *
An hour and a half later, Sarah’s body was still prone to fits of lascivious trembling at the memory of that kiss. It simmered in the air between her and David as they sat at his four-seater dining table, sharing a bottle of excellent red and plates of tasty stew with mashed potato on the side. She may have initially managed to convince herself she’d come here for professional reasons but somewhere along the way she’d ended up on a bona fide date—the best darned date she’d been on in…forever.
They talked about everything from wine to world politics, their conversation interspersed with quiet laughter and sizzling glances that kept electricity crackling in the otherwise cozy atmosphere, as noticeable as the flames flickering in the fireplace. The dogs sat curled together in the corner of the room, where they’d settled sometime after David had asked Sarah to keep watch on the pot of stew in the kitchen so he could take a hasty shower.
He’d smiled before he’d gone, saying, “Feel free to snoop through my bookcases while I’m away.”
Sarah had done exactly that, trying her best not to think about David in the shower naked. She found a lot of historical fiction alongside thick texts on viticulture and the occasional biography. His movie collection was dominated by black-and-white classics starring Humphrey Bogart and Grace Kelly and, yes, Buster Keaton. Sarah had smiled at that. She’d still been smiling when David emerged from the bathroom wearing fresh jeans and a thick, olive-green sweater that she wanted nothing better than to burrow into.
The urge still hadn’t passed by the time Sarah pushed aside her empty plate with a contented sigh. “I have to say, that was some of the best osso buco I’ve ever eaten.”
“Thanks, but the praise belongs to Kerri,” David explained. “She drops off a batch of something or other at least a couple times a week.”
Sarah pursed her lips. “She’s good to you, that Kerri.”
“She takes pity on me. When I fend for myself the menu usually consists of beans on toast.”
; Sarah glanced at the view beyond the colonial-style window, darkness now laying its blanket over the vineyards. The only light visible was that cast by the moon and stars. “No takeout around here, I suppose.”
“Takeaway joints are pretty much nonexistent.”
Turning back to face him, Sarah narrowed her eyes. “I’m from New York. There we call it takeout.”
“Ah, but you’re in Australia now, love. You’ve gotta learn to talk like one of us.”
Although his tone suggested he was merely teasing, Sarah couldn’t stop the heat from infusing her face at his offhand use of the endearment. She took a sip of her wine to conceal the teenage-like reaction.
She glanced over the rim of her glass to find David smiling at her, a sexy, self-assured grin that only ratcheted her temperature higher. “What?”
“You have a thing for my accent.”
Sarah scoffed but her cheeks flamed hotter. “I do not.”
“And you’re jealous of Kerri.” He released a sigh and reached for her hand where it lay on the table. “What am I going to do about you?”
“Do you really expect me to answer that?”
Excitement flashed in eyes that drifted over her face, settling for a lingering beat on her lips. “The thing is I like you, Sarah Harrington.”
The hushed way he uttered the words made Sarah’s heart skip with a mixture of exhilaration and panic. Attraction she understood. Sex she could handle. Somewhere between stirring the stew in David’s kitchen and being instructed on the many and varied Australian football codes, she’d acknowledged to herself that she wanted David to take her to bed. But the way he said “like” didn’t sound like a line, a prelude to a sexual encounter.
It sounded as if he really meant it. And that was the scariest prospect of all.
He wants you, Sarah, that’s what matters. He’d enjoyed having her take the lead role the last time they were together. With a slow smile Sarah extracted her hand from David’s and slipped it under the table. She traced her fingernails over his denim-clad thigh. “I like you too, David.”
Beneath her hand his muscles bunched. With a groan, David encircled her wrist, stilling her caress and instead twining her fingers with his once more. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”
“You mean it wasn’t your plan all along to lure me into your house, ply me with alcohol and seduce me?”
David’s expression sobered. “You seem to have trouble believing this but I’ve never operated on any kind of plan where you’re concerned.”
Was it really possible David Genero was exactly what he appeared to be—a genuine, honest character with no hidden agenda? It was such a rarity in Sarah’s world that it was difficult to trust the instinct that was telling her to believe it was true, that David was who he said he was. That all he wanted from her was…
His perusal skimmed over her again, the interest in it conveying exactly what he did want, what that kiss out in his shop had told her he wanted. Sarah’s blood rushed once more, causing her skin to flush hot with excitement.
Lust had never gripped her so tightly, caused this sense urgency while still allowing room for patience, the slow exchange of man-woman banter that led to what was feeling more and more like a foregone conclusion.
“If I owe you another apology, I’ll gladly give it,” Sarah said. “I’m sorry I keep misjudging you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” Pushing aside his empty plate, David leaned forward and regarded her steadily. “But there is one thing I’d like to know.”
“Shoot.”
He paused, warning Sarah that his question would be a thorny one. “When you realized I wasn’t what you expected, did you try again?”
Chapter Nine
Heat prickled her neck as his meaning sank in. He wanted to know if she’d gone and hired another escort, as if the experience she’d had that night with him could be so easily duplicated. Sarah took a moment to frame her answer, afraid the truth would give away too much yet also unwilling to hurt David with a response designed to keep her safe. “No, you weren’t what I expected, but trying again would have been pointless.”
He canted his head. “Because you already had your needs attended to?”
“No, because whoever I hired wouldn’t have been you.”
The fire was too far away for it to be anything other than illusion but Sarah could have sworn she saw its reflection blazing in David’s dark irises. Hot tension crackled like the snap and lick of flame as he stared at her, the drawn-out look making Sarah’s heart pound. He’d never released her hand and he used it to tug her slowly toward him. “So what you’re saying is,” he began, his gaze dropping from her eyes to her mouth and back up again, “that our night together was special?”
He didn’t wait for an answer before capturing her mouth with his, using his free hand to cup her cheek so he could tilt her head just so, making them fit together like a key fit a lock. Perfect. Special. Sarah was glad he hadn’t forced her to respond verbally to his challenge because denying it would have been a lie and admitting to it too frightening to deal with. All she wanted right now was to feel David’s lips on hers, know once more the heady taste of him and the particular warmth that emanated from his sturdy body.
With a whimper she reached out and clutched at his chest, her fingers curling in the thick wool of his sweater as she leaned forward, her butt almost lifting off the chair in her need to be closer. She craved the sensation of having his arms wrapped around her, longed to curl up on his lap and purr.
Evidently intuiting her desires, David pulled her forward until she was standing, and then sitting in his lap. They managed the maneuver without ever breaking their lip-lock, and when she was settled against his chest David deepened the kiss, turned it to something hungry and impatient.
When his hand came up to gently cup her breast through her blouse, Sarah moaned and arched, showing him her eagerness. David reacted by tearing his mouth from hers and muttering a curse. “I’m not supposed to be doing this.”
Sarah covered his hand with hers, urging him to keep up the kneading motion that was making her breast tingle with life. “I think this is exactly what we should be doing.”
His thumb brushed over the taut tip of her breast and he groaned. “I can be a gentleman, you know.”
Sarah half smiled, half gasped as he traced a lazy circle around her nipple with his thumb. “I know.”
“We’re not going to sleep together tonight, Sarah.”
Sometime during his gruffly issued statement, two of her blouse buttons had popped open. The contradiction between his words and actions put a dubious note in Sarah’s voice. “Sure, okay.”
“I mean it.”
Merely smiling, Sarah pressed her lips to his temple. “Take off my blouse, David.”
The row of buttons was nearly released anyway. The last few slipped free of their holes easily with the merest brush of David’s fingers. He stared at the parted fabric, not touching any of the skin revealed. When he lifted his gaze to hers it was tortured. “Do you always wear such pretty underwear?”
“I like lace.”
“God, so do I.”
With a shrug, Sarah shifted the blouse until it drifted down her arms. “It’s cold tonight. Keep me warm, will you?”
He caught the blouse before it fell to the floor, keeping it wrapped around her wrists so her hands were effectively trapped behind her back. David let his appraisal rove over her, his stare so hot Sarah noticed none of the evening’s chill anyway. She knew he could see how distended her nipples were through the gauzy white lace of her bra, and as he looked they tightened further, the tingling in them turning to an ache. Wetness gathered in her panties and she shifted on his lap, the action causing her outer thigh to rub the solid ridge behind David’s fly.
Sarah moaned. “David.”
He traced a finger lightly over the edge of her bra. His voice was a thick husk. “I’m not going to take advantage of a woman who’s had too much to drink.”<
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“I’m not drunk.”
It might have been a lie because her head was swimming, the room out of focus. She was aware only of the thrill of David’s attention on her lace-covered breasts and the fanning of his breath across her skin. Until he lifted his free hand, taking her nipple between thumb and forefinger and ever so lightly pinching. Then her focus narrowed even further, until that one spot became the center of her entire universe.
Her pussy clenched with need and she rocked on his lap. His tense groan gave away his response to her actions. “You’d be over the legal limit.”
Sarah had known she was pushing that boundary when she accepted the last glass of Merlot. She’d known and accepted anyway, secretly hoping this very thing would happen. “I would be.”
David continued to stroke his thumb over her nipple through the bra, back and forth, back and forth, in a hypnotic cadence. “I can’t let you drive back to the city on these dark country roads. It wouldn’t be safe.”
“It wouldn’t do. Not gentlemanly at all.”
“Neither is this.” With a deft tug, David pushed aside her bra cup until her aching nipple spilled out. He ate up the sight of her bared flesh, muttering soft curse words as he lifted and squeezed her. “We’re not going to have sex. We’re not going to.”
“If you say so.”
“But I have to taste you, lady.” He bent his head to her and whispered, “Just once.”
His lips were hot, so hot and wet as they enclosed her needy flesh. Sarah arched immediately, offering herself to his tender, insistent sucking. His tongue was a hot lash against her, stroking and rolling as his lips drew her in and applied pressure that made everything inside her stretch tight. Sarah writhed in his lap and fought with her blouse, which was now tangled around her wrists. She wanted to touch him. Had to hold him against her so he would never, ever stop what he was doing.
Sarah finally managed to disentangle herself from her shirt. She tossed it to the floor, then pushed her now-free hands into David’s thick hair, tilting his head so she could kiss a path along his jawbone.