Seduce Me

truly had been one of the wildest, most fun, most erotic experiences of her life, and all they'd done was kiss.

At her car, she turned to face him, leaning back against the Honda Civic she'd had for way too many years. ''Night.'

He smiled that smile that started with his eyes and ended with his body, making hers hum. ''Night.'

Since he just stood up there looking at her, she put out her hand.

A slow laugh escaped him, and he took her hand, using it to tug her against him.

He dropped his clothes on the hood of the car, pulled her close and gave her a scorching, scalding, blow-her- away kiss that left her shaky and relieved to have the car behind her when it ended.

She leaned on it with all her weight and felt the urge to revise her no-sleeping-with-a-date-on-the-first-night rule, because damn, she wanted more. She wanted him.

'What's on your mind?' He stroked a finger over her jaw.

She laughed, then shook her head.

'Nothing? Nothing's on your mind?'

'Oh, there's something there, it's just not up for public view.'

His smile was slow and cocky as he shook out his pants, then put them on. His shirt was next. He held his shoes. 'Really.'

'Really.' But because he looked so delicious-his body still damp and practically steaming-standing there in his bare feet, she hooked her finger in his unbuttoned shirt and tugged him back.

'More?' he whispered.

'Just a little.' And she brought his mouth back to hers.

His shoes hit the gravel and both arms encircled her, gliding up her back, into her hair, which was still dripping.

This kiss was even deeper, wetter, hotter…

And harder to let go. But eventually it had to end and she pulled back, staring up into his face, a little stunned at how difficult it was to do so.

Okay, maybe just a little more-

But before she could say a word, he reached over, opened her door-clucking over the fact she hadn't locked it- and helped her inside.

Never in her life had she been so aware of a man's touch as when his hand settled low on her spine. It made her want to turn and face him, and see what other reactions he could cause within her.

But she didn't, and he waited until she started the engine and pulled on her seat belt before stepping back.

And then, with nothing else to do, she drove away. She drove into the night, going north along the coast highway for a good half hour. She might have even ended up in Santa Barbara if she hadn't eventually stopped for gas, grabbed another soda and then gotten on the road, heading south again.

She did a lot of thinking, too much for a woman who wasn't fond of introspection. That led to painful thoughts, regretful thoughts… sad thoughts. She always avoided those.

The ocean was a black heaving mass on her right. The Malibu Hills a dark outline on her left. Nothing to keep her mind from wandering.

It had been an incredible evening. She wanted more evenings like that, with Jack.

There.

She'd put it into words. For the first time in too long, she'd met a guy who had made her look beyond just this one date.

Scary stuff.

6

The next morning, Sam sat on her surfboard in the same water she'd swum with Jack only a few hours before. Lorissa perched on her own board alongside, and as they watched their friends and fellow surfers ride some waves, they talked.

Or rather Lorissa talked, hounding Sam for the scoop on the night before.

But oddly enough, Sam didn't feel like giving any details, even though the thought of Jack still put a grin on her face.

'Come on, tell me something.' Lorissa's body rose and fell gently as a swell rode beneath them.

'I told you, I had fun.'

'I need more than that.'

'I'll tell you this wave is mine.' Sam started paddling to catch it, then heaved herself up to her feet.

When she got back to Lorissa, she wasn't alone. Skurfer, an old high school buddy who owned the surf shop they all went to, smiled. 'Did you score last night?' he wanted to know.

'We're what, eight years out of school? Can't we come up with a better term than score?'

'Sure.' This from Nash, another of their longtime friends, and Sam's old middle-school crush. He offered them an alternative word, a four-letter universal term, and everyone laughed.

Except Lorissa. Still straddling her board, she put her hands on her hips. 'Sam did not score with a blind date. She's too careful for that.' She looked at Sam. 'Right?'

'Right.' Sam eyed the incoming set of waves with newfound determination, because maybe riding them, she could get some peace. 'And if whoever's next in line doesn't hurry up and take more interest in these breakers than my sex life, then they're going to lose.'

The guys went together, while Lorissa and Sam watched.

'You didn't sleep with him,' Lorissa said in a low tone.

'Is that a guess?'

Lorissa eyed her for a long time. 'No, it's the truth. You like sex as much as anyone I know, but oddly enough for someone who doesn't want to be in a relationship, you need more than one date to get intimate. You didn't sleep with him, I'd bet my next paycheck on it.'

No, she hadn't. But God, she'd wanted to. 'You know that for sure, huh?'

'Well, it's not like you've changed your policy over the years. Like I said, rule number one, you don't sleep with a guy until you know him. Rule number two, you scratch your itch and dump him.'

'Hey. I don't-'

'Yes, you do.' Lorissa's smile was sad. 'We both know by the time you like a guy enough to sleep with him, it's the kiss of death for that relationship because you don't like being part of a couple. Relationships scare you.'

'Would you stop with the R word?'

'What's the matter, am I making you jittery?'

Sam sighed. 'I'm taking this one.' She started paddling toward the next wave.

'You're taking it because you know I'm right,' Lorissa called after her.

'I'm going because this is a good one-'

'Was he a jerk?'

Startled, Sam glanced back and saw real worry in Lorissa's eyes.

'Because if he was,' she called out. 'I'll kill him. And I'll kill Cole, too, who vouched for him. I'll kill them both, slowly.'

Sam looked up into the perfect wave cresting, and… let it go.

With a sigh, she paddled back to where Lorissa sat in her patriotic red, white and blue bandeau top and ancient, shredded blue surfer shorts, straddling the board that Sam had bought her for Christmas three years ago. Concern, fear and regret were stamped all over her.

Sam's heart tightened. Last night while driving along the coast, she'd had that burst of feeling isolated, and yet she wasn't alone at all.

So what made it so hard to reach out, to accept love? She had no idea, but she reached out now, because the truth was, the only reason she'd been able to go on after losing her parents had been because of the woman