He leaned forward. Without her glasses, her eyes entranced him. Her skin glowed in the candle light, and the unusually low neckline she wore revealed the sensual swell of her breasts. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful,” he continued, “but you look stunning tonight.” He let his gaze rest on her lips, which parted in response. He could remember the softness of them beneath his own, the way his had peeled erotically from hers. He wanted to kiss her again. “And that has nothing to do with the bet. Whatever happens later, right here, right now, I want you.”
Chapter Eleven
Tasha stared at Kole. Well, her outfit had certainly had the desired effect. Desire sparked in his eyes, and his whole attention was fixed on her. He hadn’t even glanced at the blonde with the red mini skirt and D-cup boobs who’d walked into the restaurant. And his words made her melt like an ice cube left in the sun.
She glanced away, out across the sand to the glistening sea. Was it terrible his declaration flattered her? Previous boyfriends had found her attractive, but no man had ever said so the way Kole had just done. However, he’d said the words in reaction to her physical appearance, not her mind, and she felt ashamed she was reacting the way she’d scorned her mother for doing so many times.
And yet, she was tired of preaching from her pedestal. The desire she felt for him at that moment, the longing that threaded through her at the memory of his words, I want you… That had nothing to do with the bet. She wanted to take him to bed, wanted to feel his hands on her.
She looked back at him. He was still studying her, a strange little smile on his lips. He’d looked sad when he talked about Stuart, and the events of that morning had obviously affected him. It was nice to see him smile.
“I want you too.” There, the words were out.
His smile spread. They held each other’s gazes for a long moment, and she felt a thrill of excitement at the thought of what might happen when they left the restaurant.
Then he cleared his throat and looked down at the menu. “I might have a steak,” he said. “I have a feeling I need to keep my strength up.”
Tasha chuckled, although his words only increased the rapid pace of her pulse. “Me too,” she said. “I want to make sure I have plenty of energy.”
He laughed, shaking his head as he read through the dishes, and Tasha grinned and scanned through the menu. This was fun! Kind of like an appetizer in itself, with all the promise of the main course to come later that evening.
The waitress came up and they ordered their meals, and true to his promise the night before, Kole ordered a bottle of wine and kept her glass topped up, having just the one glass himself as he was driving.
Tasha let him, feeling in the need for some Dutch courage, although she made sure she alternated with water, not wanting to be comatose when they eventually went back to his place. But she did feel the need to relax a little. Every time she met his gaze, a frisson of excitement spread through her. He looked strikingly handsome in his black shirt, enough so that women glanced at him as they walked past, and the waitress fussed over him more than she fussed over Tasha. But to his credit. he seemed to have eyes for nobody but herself, listening intently when she spoke, laughing at her jokes, and seemingly enjoying her company. When their meal came, he fed her a piece of steak from his fork and she let him have a taste of her pasta, and to anyone watching, they must have appeared as if they’d been dating for months.
“So are you always like this with the girls you date?” She asked the question as she sipped her wine and took small bites of her dessert. The sun had sunk to a curve above the horizon, and the beach was mostly in shadow.
Kole leaned back in his chair, one arm over the back, and tipped his head. “Now why would you bring up other girls when we’re having a perfectly nice evening together?”
She played with the stem of her glass. “I don’t know. I feel…unnerved.” The wine had loosened her up, and honesty crept over her like the coming night. “You have your date hat on tonight, and you’re…different, just as I’d thought you would be, and I suppose I’m wondering if you’re this way with all the other women.”
“For a start, ‘all the other women’ makes me sound like a right tart.”
“Well, if the cap fits…”
He gave her a wry look. “I haven’t been with that many, no more than any other guy we know. And anyway, what do you mean, different? I’m not aware of acting any different than usual.”
She thought about it while she sucked tiramisu off her spoon. “Attentive. Focused, I suppose.” She took another spoon of the coffee-flavored cake and placed it in her mouth, conscious as she did so of his gaze on her lips. “And you’re looking at me the way I look at this dessert.”
His lips curved. “I must admit that the words ‘lick’ and ‘suck’ are jumping into my mind at the moment.”
She glanced around to make sure nobody had overheard them, then dipped the spoon into the cake again. “Are you trying to shock me? If so, it won’t work. I’m unshockable.”
He leaned forward on the table, his hazel eyes in the semi-darkness turning the color of the melted chocolate on her plate. “So you don’t mind then if I say something like…I can’t wait to get you home, strip you naked, bury my mouth in you, and see if you taste as sweet as that dessert?”
She stopped with the spoon in her mouth and stared at him. His challenging gaze searched hers. Clearly, he meant every word.
Her heart raced at the thought of him planting kisses slowly down her body before he pleasured her with his tongue. Only one of her previous lovers had offered to give her oral, and he hadn’t been great at it, often applying too much pressure and making her wince. It wouldn’t have surprised her if Kole had a degree in it.
Removing the spoon, she wiped delicately at the corners of her mouth and tried not to look flustered. “I don’t mind at all. As long as you don’t mind if I do this.” She took another spoon of cake, placed it in her mouth, and sucked the chocolate off it suggestively.
Kole watched her, his eyes widening. When she’d done, he blew out a breath in a long, slow exhalation.
Tasha couldn’t help but laugh, and he joined in.
“Touché,” he said.
She grinned. “Serves you right. Getting a girl all hot and bothered like that.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment the waitress returned with their coffees, so he waited until she’d placed their cups before them and retreated before he spoke again.
“Anyway,” he said, raising the cup to his lips. “You can hardly talk about being different on a date. I’ve never seen you dress like this…well, ever.”
She scratched her nose, then added a small spoon of sugar to her coffee. “Yeah. Fair enough. I wasn’t going to. It goes against the grain to dress for someone other than myself.”
“Are you sure that’s what you’re doing?” he said softly. “Something tells me you like how you look tonight.”
She stirred the cup, watching the foam mingle with the coffee in caramel-colored swirls. “I don’t know what to say to that. It feels odd, discussing this kind of thing with you.”
“So you’re happy to be intimate with me physically, just not emotionally?”
She raised her eyes to see him watching her, smiling. “Come on, you’ve known me long enough to understand what I’m like.”
“I have. And I know you resent your Mum for putting so much emphasis on the importance of a person’s physical appearance, which is why you’re usually so determined to make it low priority. But equally, I think a small part of you likes the effect you’ve had on me.” His eyes twinkled.
She stirred her coffee again. “Maybe.”
He reached out, and to her surprise, took her hand in his. “Why does that upset you?”
Surprised he’d read her mood, she shrugged. “I suppose it seems so shallow. I’m flattered you find me attractive—of course I am. You’re a good looking, sexy guy, and I’m not used to this kind of attention. I’d be
lying if I said it didn’t make me feel good. But I won’t be dressing like this permanently. I want someone to love me for me, for what I’m like inside. Not how much cleavage I’m showing.”
She thought he would laugh at that and make some comment about her breasts being on display for once. Not that she’d actually caught him looking yet, but every time she glanced down she felt as if she was standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, and she couldn’t imagine he’d missed the view from his high vantage point.
But he didn’t laugh. Instead, he frowned. “Tasha, are you under the impression I said I want to take you to bed because I’ve suddenly realized tonight you have a figure?”
She fidgeted. When he said it like that, it made her sound petty and childish. “Well, you did say you liked the way I looked tonight,” she said resentfully, “and it’s not as if you’ve made a move on me before.”
He stared at her. “Firstly, I also said I’ve always thought you were beautiful. And secondly…” He frowned again. “I’ve never made a move on you before because I didn’t think you were interested.”
“I wasn’t,” she said. But even as she said the words, she knew it wasn’t the truth. She’d always liked him. Always found him attractive. But he was Maisey’s brother, and she’d known him forever, and their relationship had always been kind of sisterly-brotherly, which meant it had never had the chance to develop into anything else.
She bit her lip and looked at her hand. He still held it in his own, his fingers tanned against her paler skin, which implied to her he wasn’t too insulted by what she’d said. “Actually, that’s a lie.”
“I wouldn’t have believed that, but it’s not the first time someone’s suggested it,” he said.
Her gaze flew back to his. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Fox wasn’t surprised when I told him we were seeing each other. I saw him this morning.”
She raised her eyebrows. “What did you tell him?”
“I mentioned we were dating. I’ve always been so protective of Maisey, so worried one of my mates would take advantage of her and then I’d have to kill him.” He smiled wryly. “So I suppose I thought I wanted to check he was okay with it.”
She couldn’t imagine what her brother had thought. “What did he say?”
Kole scratched his ear and looked out to sea for a moment. When his gaze came back to hers, she could see his exasperation. “He said ‘Break her heart, I’ll break your fucking legs.’”
Tasha burst out laughing. “That doesn’t sound like him.”
“He was quite adamant.”
“Kole, he was teasing you. Fox doesn’t give a fuck who I go out with. He knows I’d tell him it’s none of his business, and it isn’t.” She grinned. “Anyway, it’s not something you have to worry about. There’s no way I’m letting my heart come anywhere near you, Mr. Casanova.”
He rolled his eyes. “I know that and you know that, but Fox didn’t seem so convinced.”
She sipped her coffee. “Well if it’s any consolation, my mother wasn’t shocked either.”
“No?” His eyebrows rose.
Tasha lowered her gaze and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. She didn’t want to relay all of Laura’s words. Anyone with eyes can see the way he looks at you. She shivered at the memory of them.
“Nobody’s surprised except us, it seems,” Kole said. “And the more I think about it, the more I realize us getting together was inevitable. Like two planets in the same solar system. Eventually, they’re going to come into conjunction.”
His dark eyes made her shiver. “You’re going to say something about black holes now, aren’t you?” she said, trying to make him laugh, to dispel the sexual tension she could feel rising between them.
But he leaned forward, raised her hand to his lips, and kissed her fingers. The touch of his lips on her skin brought hairs rising all over her body, and her nipples tightened beneath the silky dress.
“Finish your coffee,” he murmured. “Time to go.”
Chapter Twelve
Kole drove them back to his place, a little faster than he probably should have along the winding roads due to his rising apprehension. Tasha chatted much like normal as he drove, however, surprisingly composed considering where the evening was heading.
A strange mixture of emotions threaded through him, and he was conscious of his heart picking up its speed too as they neared his house. It had been an odd evening. This whole situation had taken him by surprise. He’d known Tasha such a long time, from when she used to wear long white socks and have her hair in braids. He’d assumed that even when things turned physical between them, he’d still feel the same way about her—affectionate, indulgent, and slightly irritated. Even though he was well aware of the innate sexiness she tried to hide beneath her rebellious image, she’d always be the girl who had once pushed him in the pool fully clothed at a party for mocking her new glasses.
He hadn’t expected his feelings to change. Throughout the evening, their conversation hadn’t turned intimate as such; they talked like normal, about movies and music and rugby, and if they hadn’t made the bet on Friday, they would have been just two good friends having dinner together.
But something had changed, and he couldn’t put his finger on what. Was it Tasha, or something in himself? Certainly, she looked different tonight, sexy and sultry in a way he could never have prepared himself for. But that wasn’t it. Perhaps it was the knowledge they were going to take it further. Like a Christmas present under the tree, she held the promise of delight, and his fingers itched to unwrap her.
But that still didn’t explain the way his pulse had picked up its pace each time she’d looked at him across the dinner table. Her eyes had captivated him, a hundred different emotions moving beneath the surface like fish that swam away every time he reached out for them.
What was she thinking? Was the bet on her mind too, the concern that this relationship, such as it was, had been constructed on a paper foundation? He was worried it could come crashing around his ears if he hurt her. He didn’t want to lose her as a friend.
But she had insisted that men weren’t the only ones who could have sex without their hearts becoming involved. Perhaps he was being egotistical in assuming she would fall for him. She wasn’t the kind of girl who was always declaring herself in love. She’d always had a matter of fact approach to relationships. So maybe he ought to drag himself into the twenty-first century and start understanding that not every woman dated with the sound of wedding bells in her ears.
He drew up outside his house, put on the handbrake, and turned off the engine. Tasha unclipped her seatbelt, but didn’t get out.
He unclipped his belt too, and turned in the seat to face her.
“Well,” she said. A strip of moonlight slanted through the car like a blade, and her eyes glittered.
He cleared his throat and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It read nearly nine o’clock, hardly midnight, but too late to pretend he’d be inviting her in just for coffee. “It’s getting late,” he said.
“Are you normally in bed by nine?” She sounded amused.
“No, but even so…” He hesitated, unnerved by her eyes without her glasses. It reminded him she could see through all the barriers he’d erected around himself over the years, right to the young man he’d once been before Harry’s death, before everything had changed. That made him feel…uneasy.
“Are you having second thoughts?” she said softly.
“No,” he said, not sure if it was a lie. “I thought maybe you were.”
Even in the semi-darkness, he saw the shake of her head. “No. I’m…”
“Nervous?” Even as he said it, he realized he was voicing his own emotion. He was nervous about taking her to bed. Jeez. He hadn’t been nervous about having sex since he was sixteen.
Tasha tilted her head, and her eyes scanned him like one of those laser readers he’d seen on sci-fi movies. “A little, but in a nice way. Excited.”
<
br /> A thrill of anticipation brought goose bumps rising all over his body as if a cool breeze had wafted through the car. But it wasn’t cold, not in the sub-tropical Northland in December. The humid air had brought beads of perspiration out on his skin, and if he looked in the mirror he knew he would see his hair curling around his temples. Tasha’s eyes were what had made him shiver, their intensity, and the look in them that held the promise of a warm and sultry night.
“It’s okay, if you’ve changed your mind,” she said. “I understand. I can’t say this doesn’t feel…unusual. It’s like being an actor, stepping out from behind the curtain on stage, and seeing the audience for the first time.”
“I haven’t changed my mind. But…” He might as well be honest. “I suppose I didn’t expect us to get to this point.”
“You thought I’d back out?”
“Yes. Until now it’s been fun teasing you and flirting. But I don’t want to lose your friendship if something goes wrong.”
She took his hand and linked their fingers, brushing his palm with her thumb. “What could go wrong?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me.” Her thumb continued to circle his palm, and a shiver ran between his shoulder blades and down his back.
“Tasha…”
She took a deep breath. “Listen. I know we made this stupid bet, and I know it’s lying beneath the surface of what we’re doing like a landmine, threatening to explode if we aren’t careful. But the thing is, we’ve got confused. The landmine isn’t the bet. The landmine is the desire that’s been there all along, and it was only a matter of time until we triggered it. All the bet has done is open the padlock and release the chain we’d used to keep our feelings at bay. Yes, we both want the shop and we’ll have some fun arguing about that when the eight days are up. But this…” She stroked her thumb across the inside of his wrist. “This has nothing to do with the bet. This is happening because we’re attracted to each other.”
Treat with Caution (Treats to Tempt You Book 1) Page 8