Ample Delights

by Nichelle Gregory

  “Did my kiss convince you that my attraction for you is real? Maybe another—”

  “No! I believe you.”

  Nick released her, but not before she’d felt the hard ridge of his cock against her.

  “Good. Because we will see each other again.”

  Terrah didn’t say anything as he bent down and grabbed her case. She could barely focus on what he was saying about the history of the aquarium as she followed him out of the room. Terrah willed her wobbly legs not to fail her as they walked back through the brightly lit lobby to the glass doors leading outside.

  Nick held the door open for her before striding up to the first cab lined up outside the hotel.

  “Well.” Terrah placed one hand on the door as he opened it, lifting her chin to meet Nick’s eyes. “It’s been interesting, Nick Tasso.”

  “Likewise, Terrah Bryant.”

  They smiled at each other.

  “Until next time.”

  Nick leaned into her, gifting her with another generous whiff of his cologne as he kissed her on the temple.

  “Until next time.”

  Terrah slid into the car seat and waved through the glass as Nick closed the door and the cabbie pulled out into the traffic. She stared, unseeing, out of the window in a state of euphoria.

  What a night.

  Her grin faded.

  They hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers.

  Damn.

  Her fingers went up to touch her lips. They still seemed to tingle from Nick’s kiss. A ribbon of desire wrapped around her body as she imagined him kissing her again. He had an absolute gift for the art of seductive lip-locking.

  He didn’t even ask me for my number.

  Terrah sighed as she stared out of the window at the congested traffic. It was probably for the best. There was no telling what would happen between them if they were ever alone together again. The chemistry between them, from Terrah’s perspective, was strip-naked-and-hit-the-sheets explosive and Nick had had no qualms about telling her it was the same for him. She was almost afraid to know what it would be like to explore that kind of sexual verve with someone.

  Terrah shook her head, still in shock. Her friends would never believe she’d kissed international hottie model Nick Tasso. The cabbie swerved into another lane and she grabbed hold of the door handle as they zipped by another taxi. Terrah gazed out of the window and the magic of the evening seemed to fade with every passing city block.

  Restless and flustered, Terrah sighed. Despite her self-drawn conclusion that having anything to do with Nick would be foolish, she couldn’t help wondering if she’d run into him again.

  There was a chance. The modelling world really wasn’t that big.

  Stop.

  She’d had a nice dinner. It was best to leave it at that.

  In a few days, she’d be in Hawaii for the first time. She would focus on the upcoming shoot and not the irrational…ridiculous longing to see Nick Tasso again.

  Chapter Six

  “Last call for Aloha Airlines, flight one-nineteen.”

  Terrah sighed as she got up from the hard chair she’d been sitting in for over an hour. She bit back a curse as her purse fell to the floor. Her nine-lives phone clinked on the grey linoleum.

  Great…just great.

  Stooping, Terrah swiped up her bag and stuffed her phone inside, not even bothering to see if it was functioning properly. She shoved the thick straps of her purse onto her shoulder, frustrated that she was now the very last person in line to board the plane.

  Wait—there was a haggard-looking guy getting in line behind her who looked like she felt. Flying wasn’t her favourite way to travel and she always liked getting to the airport on time, but nothing had gone right. Her taxi had been late picking her up, then the afternoon thunderstorm had seemed to make every commuter in New York even more insane. She’d arrived at the airport with not a moment to spare, then raced towards her terminal, hoping for a miracle—and her wish had been granted. Her plane had been delayed because of the storm.

  Just keep telling yourself, in a few hours you’ll be in sunny Hawaii.

  Yes, but she had to get there first, and the delay because of the storm had only made her more nervous about flying.

  Does anyone else fear for the safety of the plane?

  Terrah glanced at the people in front of her, seeing and hearing nothing but smiling faces and excited conversation.

  Apparently she was the only one inwardly freaking out.

  The only good news was, maybe she could sleep through most of the ten-hour flight.

  “Sorry about the delay. May I have your ticket, please?”

  Terrah’s gaze flicked over the ticket counter agent’s name tag. She didn’t think Joan looked very sorry about Terrah’s numb behind, but she handed over her ticket.

  “I’m sorry, Ms Bryant, it looks like this flight has been overbooked.”

  Terrah held her tongue as the guy behind her cursed, vehemently enough for the both of them.

  Joan flashed him an impatient look before offering Terrah another apologetic smile.

  “I can offer you a free ticket voucher, or perhaps you’d like to wait on standby for the next flight? The next one to Oahu leaves at six thirty-five in the morning.”

  Vouchers? Wait on standby?

  She had to be on the Big Island in twenty hours!

  “Can you upgrade us?” the bedraggled gentleman asked, moving up beside her at the counter.

  Terrah glanced away from him to see Joan’s eyes narrow.

  “Please—I have to be on this flight.” Terrah used her gentlest, friendliest, please-help-me-now voice.

  “Let me take a look here”—the ticket agent’s face seemed to soften as she started to tap on her keyboard—“and see what I can do.”

  Terrah exchanged a look with the guy who shared her predicament, and both of them waited with bated breath as Joan lifted her head from the computer screen.

  “All right, Ms Bryant, you’ve been upgraded to business class. Go now to board the plane.”

  “What about me?” The harried man’s voice had gone up a notch.

  Relieved, Terrah took the ticket handed to her, tuning out Joan’s tart response to the guy next to her as she walked forward. Arriving late in Hawaii would have not been good. She wanted time to unpack, get settled and relax before the photo shoot taking place tomorrow afternoon.

  Now to just get through ten hours on the plane.

  Terrah took a steady breath as she moved steadily forward, through the loud tunnel that led to the stewardess waiting to greet her.

  “Welcome to Aloha Airlines, Ms Bryant. Let me take you to your seat.”

  She tried to ignore the butterflies skittering in her stomach as she walked onto the plane. Terrah followed the stewardess through the red curtains blocking out the rest of the passengers.

  So this is how to travel in style.

  No screaming children. No cramped three-in-a-row seating. There were two comfy seats to each row with plenty of leg room. Everyone looked comfortable and content. The stewardesses were actually smiling.

  I’ve officially re-entered the Twilight Zone. It’s called first class, baby.

  “Terrah?”

  That voice.

  No way… Can’t be!

  Terrah’s head whipped to the left and her eyes widened as her gaze fell upon Nick Tasso.

  Her brain froze for a moment as he smiled at her, looking even more devilishly handsome than she wanted to remember.

  “Nick, you’re on this flight?”

  It was a silly question.

  He was obviously going to Hawaii on Aloha Airlines flight one-nineteen.

  Terrah’s heart hammered in her chest as Nick grinned at her.

  “Yes, we’re working on the same photo shoot. Why don’t you join me? No one’s sitting here,” Nick said, motioning to the window seat beside him.

  “Would you like me to stow your carry-on, Ms Bryant?”

  “
Yes, thank you.”

  Terrah handed the lady her shoulder bag before moving past Nick to get into her window seat. Her gaze ran over Nick as he sat back down.

  Omigoodness, he’s even hotter than I remembered.

  He looked completely relaxed and undeniably sexy in worn jeans and a white button-down shirt that was open at the neck. The familiar scent of his cologne teased her, reminding her of their kiss the last time they’d been together as she settled into her leather seat.

  “I missed my earlier flight and now I’m glad I did.”

  “I was upgraded at the last minute.” Terrah smoothed her hair, wishing she’d had time to check her appearance in the bathroom before boarding the plane. “This is another unexpected surprise. I didn’t know you were doing this shoot.”

  “It’s a surprise to me, too”—Nick leaned in towards her—“but I told you we’d see each other again. I take this as a sign.”

  “A sign?”

  She was captivated by the deep, low tones of his voice as he took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her wrist.

  “Yes, a sign that you and I are destined to explore the chemistry between us. I’ve been thinking about you since our impromptu dinner date.”

  Terrah was speechless as he brushed his lips over her skin again, happy to know he’d been thinking about her—because she hadn’t stopped thinking about him since the other night. She’d never confess it to Nick, but she’d replayed their conversation and his erotic kiss over and over in her mind.

  “Did you think about me, Terrah?”

  She pulled her hand from his. “I wondered if we’d see each other again.”

  It was all she could admit to at the moment. She made a big deal out of smoothing down her skirt, conscious of Nick’s eyes on her. His unexpected presence and his direct question had thrown her for a loop.

  “I wanted to call you before this trip, but I didn’t get a chance.”

  “And you didn’t have my number.”

  Terrah pressed her back into the seat in an effort to look more relaxed. Nick’s hard thigh brushed against her leg and his aqua-green gaze fixed on her.

  “Yes, I do, and I would’ve called if I hadn’t known I’d see you in Hawaii.”

  She didn’t bother to ask how he’d got her telephone number. It didn’t matter. The only thing that did was the fact that he was now inches away from her. The erotic vibe between them, which she’d begun to doubt had even existed, was zapping her from head to toe all over again. It would be so easy to give in to it and let him seduce her.

  Hell, she was ready to seduce him.

  You don’t date models, Terrah.

  A self-imposed rule, but she’d been in the biz long enough to appreciate the old adage, ‘You don’t mix business with pleasure.’ In truth, she’d never been tempted by any of the handsome men she’d worked with before, but Nick… Nick was tempting as hell.

  “You look amazing.”

  “Thank you.”

  A flash of heat coursed through her as his gaze drifted over her lime-green, short-sleeved sweater top and her white pencil skirt. She’d chosen to wear the light sweater knowing it might be chilly on the plane. The scooped neckline showcased her favourite silver necklace and dangling lipstick pendant.

  “Suddenly”—Nick leaned closer to her—“the ten-hour flight doesn’t seem long enough.”

  Ten hours of sexual tension was going to drive her crazier than her fear of flying.

  “Mmm…what perfume are you wearing?”

  “Jasmine- and vanilla-scented body oil.”

  “I love it. You were wearing it the other night, weren’t you?”

  “Yes. It’s my favourite.”

  “It’s very sexy.”

  He had to know what he was doing to her.

  “Thank you.”

  Her voice sounded breathy in her own ears, evidence of how fast her heart was pounding in her chest.

  The light sweater had been the wrong choice.

  She was way too hot.

  There wasn’t a chill in the world that could dampen the effect of Nick’s smouldering charm coupled with the heat of his gaze.

  “Excuse me.”

  They both directed their attention to the stewardess, breaking the erotically charged moment between them.

  “Would either of you care for a warm towel?”

  “Thank you,” Terrah said, accepting the towel to wipe her hands.

  She would’ve preferred a cold towel to cool off her heated face.

  “Can we get two glasses of champagne?”

  “Of course, Mr Tasso.”

  The stewardess smiled at him as she took their towels and went off to fulfil his request.

  “Champagne?”

  “We’re celebrating.”

  “Celebrating what?”

  “Us.” Nick paused to thank the stewardess. “The two of us…here, right now.” He took the two glasses offered and passed one to Terrah before lifting his glass. “Let’s share a toast.”

  “A toast…” Terrah lifted her own glass, mesmerised by the mischievous gleam in Nick’s eyes.

  “To the unexpected.”

  * * * *

  Nick watched Terrah as she clinked her glass against his. He sipped his champagne, thinking it didn’t taste half as good as her lips.

  God…he wanted to kiss her.

  He almost had kissed her when she’d looked at him with those beautiful, big brown eyes filled with surprise.

  It had taken quite a bit of self-control to watch her get in the cab the other night, when he’d wanted to ask her to stay. He’d been certain she wouldn’t have turned him down, but he hadn’t wanted her to have any regrets or to question his motives later. He’d known he’d see her again one way or another. As far as he was concerned, fate had intervened when he’d discovered they were both going to be doing the shoot in Hawaii.

  Nick glanced over at Terrah, wondering how he was going to survive a ten-hour exercise in self-control. Her perfume alone was turning him on, and when he looked at her…

  Holy hell.

  She looked every bit as sexy as he remembered, and then some, in her white skirt that had outlined the delicious curve of her ass before she’d sat down. Her green sweater complemented her complexion while showing off her small waist and the more than generous swell of her breasts.

  Nick shifted in his seat, remembering the kiss they’d shared by the aquarium, which made the blood race straight down to his cock.

  Damn… Don’t think about it. Don’t even think about it.

  The mental nudge wasn’t enough to stop him from recalling how good Terrah had felt in his arms, but at least his semi hard-on was temporarily on standby.

  “Like the champagne?”

  Terrah nodded as she finished a sip. “It’s delicious. I’m hoping it’ll take the edge off before we take off.”

  “Don’t like flying?”

  His gaze drifted down to her manicured fingertips as she tapped them on her skirt.

  “Let’s just say I prefer to keep both feet on the ground.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve flown to Hawaii several times. It’s a long flight, but we will arrive safely.”

  Terrah pinned him with a serious look he found utterly adorable.

  “You can’t be certain of that. Anything can happen.”

  “True. But we can’t live our lives in fear of what might happen.”

  He took another sip from his glass as Terrah frowned at him.

  She crossed her legs, drawing his attention away from her face to her shapely calf muscles and her wedge sandals. Her toenails sported the same pale lilac hue as her fingernails.

  “I don’t live my life in fear. I just don’t like flying, especially when it’s stormy.”

  “Well, I’m glad I’m on this flight with you, then. I’ll keep you distracted until we reach those beautiful, sandy shores.”

  The sassy smile Terrah gave him brought to mind all kinds of naughty ways he could keep her distr
acted until they landed.

  Keep up this train of thought and you’re in trouble.

  Nick glanced at his watch.

  Ten hours.

  Ten hours of sitting next to Terrah and not touching her? Pure torture.

  One thing was for sure—he hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in a long, long time.

  “Hawaii is gorgeous. I hope we both get some time to enjoy the island.”

  Together.

  He didn’t say it, but he was going to make sure it happened. They were going to explore the sizzling chemistry between them.

  “Can I take your glasses?”

  Nick took Terrah’s empty glass and handed it to the stewardess, along with his own.

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.” Terrah sighed. “Once we get off this plane, I can’t wait to see if it’s as gorgeous as everyone always says.”

  “You’ll love it.”

  They both looked up as another flight attendant started on the safety speech.

  Nick admired the dark wild curls brushing against Terrah’s shoulders as she listened intently to the stewardess.

  “You’re not paying attention,” she whispered, without looking at him.

  “I already know the location of my flotation device.”

  He winked at her, amused by her fierce glare before she returned her focus to the stewardess, who was finishing up. Shortly thereafter, the captain announced they were about to take off.

  “So, how’s your phone?”

  “My phone has been replaced.”

  “So it was damaged by the fall.”

  “No, I just decided to finally get a new one. I think I was the last person in New York with an older model.”

  He watched Terrah dig inside her purse and pull out the new, sleek, rectangular device.

  “Now, I just have to figure out how to use all the stuff on it.”

  Nick was aware of the pressure in the cabin changing as the engines started kicking into high gear. He leaned over Terrah to look out of the window. “The lights over the city are going to look amazing as we take off.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  The building hum within the plane increased when it taxied down the runaway, and they both settled back in their seats.