“That,” she agreed, turning to lead the way out of the kitchen. Then she looked over her shoulder and said, “And the fact that you’re not the kind of guy to sleep with a good girl.”
He couldn’t deny that truth. In the two days since she’d challenged him and tonight, he’d made some inroads, buddying up with one of the drug dealers unhappy with his slow move up the food chain. He’d come to dinner with the idea of finding out more about her little aphrodisiac sideline. He’d planned to subtly grill her about what she might have seen in the alley between her building and Tobias’s.
Despite the excuse for their date, he’d had no intention, none at all, of getting naked with her. But he still wasn’t giving credence to some crazy food combination. Nope, the credit for that was all Pandora’s.
Before he could tell her that, she stopped in the middle of the living room and turned to face him. She was so close, he could see the beat of her heart against her throat.
He could see the nerves in her eyes, there just beneath the desire. The nerves didn’t bother him, though. They were a lot more exciting than acceptance or complacency.
“We spent the last hour and a half talking,” she told him. “There was no flirting. No innuendo or teasing or sexual promises, right?”
Caleb frowned as the truth of her words hit him. He’d spent the entire meal horny as hell. Hornier than he’d been with any other woman in his life.
But again, that was due to Pandora. Not the food.
“What’s your point?”
And then those delicate fingers skipped down the row of pearly buttons, unfastening her dress as they went. Caleb had faced strung-out drug dealers shoving guns in his gut and kept his cool. But the minute that dress cleared her belly button, he swore the room did a slow spin.
Damn, she was incredible.
She walked toward him, the black dress hanging loose from her shoulders to her belly.
When she reached him, Caleb’s hand automatically gripped her hips. She smiled, then leaned even closer so her body pressed tight against his. She reached between them and slid her palm over the hard length of his erection, making his dick jump desperately against the constraining fabric of his slacks.
He groaned in delight.
“And that’s the proof that the aphrodisiacs work,” Pandora told him just before she pressed her mouth to his.
7
WHEN NERVES MADE HER WANT to turn around and run, Pandora reminded herself that the best things in life were worth fighting for. Even if that meant fighting her own fears.
When her fingers trembled, she just dug them tighter into the deliciously muscled expanse of Caleb’s shoulders. He felt so good. Strong and solid and real.
She wasn’t going to chicken out, dammit. This was her one and only opportunity for awesome, aphrodisiac- inspired sexual bliss. The experience of a lifetime with a man reputed to be incredible.
So when her knees wobbled, she leaned forward, resting her hips against his for support.
Yeah, baby. There it was.
A whole lot of long, hard, throbbing nirvana.
He wanted her, just as much as she wanted him. Proof was right there, pressing insistently against her belly.
“More,” she demanded against Caleb’s lips.
He gave her the more she asked for, then even more than she’d dreamed. He made her feel like the only woman in his world.
Caleb’s mouth slid over hers, taking the kiss from soft, wet heat to intense, raging passion with a slip of his tongue. His hands settled on the curve of her waist, pulling her tighter against that promising ridge pressing against his zipper.
Pandora melted.
She twined her arms around the back of his neck, holding tight as their tongues danced a wild tango. Anticipation coiled tighter in her belly when his fingers slipped up her side, from her waist to the curve of her breast. Her nipples ached with the need to feel his fingers, to know how he’d touch her.
Would he be gentle and sweet? Or wild and demanding?
Wanting desperately to know, she eased back. Not her mouth. Oh, no, she wasn’t giving up one second of this delicious kiss. And her hips were fused, as if of their own volition, to his. Although she was pretty sure she could ease back a few inches and still feel the thick heat of his erection pressing in temptation against her stomach.
Instead, she eased her shoulders back. Just a little.
And purred in delight when he proved to be as clever as he was gorgeous, taking the invitation and curving his fingers over the heavy, aching weight of her breast. Her nipple beaded tighter against the erotically scratchy lace of her bra as he circled his hand in a slow, tempting spiral.
Had she ever been this turned on? Heat swirled through her body like a whirlwind. Building, twisting, teasing. Higher and higher, tighter and tighter.
He squeezed. She gasped, moaning and leaning into his hand.
“More,” she demanded again.
His hand didn’t leave her breast, but the other moved higher up her back. She felt a tiny snap as the hooks gave way. The straps of her bra sagged, slipping down her shoulders.
Before she could decide if this was good or bad, his fingers skimmed under the fabric and flicked her nipple. Like an electric shock, the sensation shot through her body with a zinging awareness. Pandora whimpered, shifting left, then right, as her favorite sexy panties dampened with evidence of her need.
“I like how you follow directions,” she said against his lips, her laugh only a little bit nervous.
“Let’s see how you do,” he returned, leaning back so he could see the bounty he’d released. “Take it off.”
“I beg your-”
“Off,” he demanded. To emphasize his command, he took those amazing hands off her and stepped backward. Pandora wanted to whimper. She wasn’t sure if it was over the loss of his magic fingers, the denial of his body. Or if it was pure embarrassment of having him this focused on her body. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t centerfold quality, either.
Blushing, Pandora twitched the sides of her dress inward. She didn’t pull it closed. She didn’t want to send a message that playtime was over. But, still, she wasn’t sure she wanted to play peekaboo like this.
“C’mon, Pandora. I want to see.” His words were husky. His vivid gold eyes were intense and just a little needy.
“Wouldn’t you rather taste?” she asked with her most wicked sexy look.
“I’m the kind of guy who likes to cover all the bases,” he said with a grin. He sounded relaxed, but she could see the heat in his eyes, the tightness of his body. The oh-my-God huge ridge pressing against his zipper. “So let’s start with the visual, then we’ll move on to the other senses.”
She wanted this, she reminded herself. Wanted to be front and center of attention. And even more, she wanted Caleb. Wanted a night of mindless, wild sexual exploration.
Which meant she had to step up to the plate and play the game. With that reminder ricocheting around her head, Pandora lifted her chin, then took a step backward.
She released the edges of her dress, rounding her shoulders for just a second so her bra straps slipped down under the sleeves, catching on her upper arms. Caleb’s eyes were like lasers, sharp and intense as he stared.
She skimmed her fingers up her bare abdomen and cupped her lace-covered breasts. His stare intensified. Pandora’s fingers folded over the top of the cups of her bra in preparation for tugging it down. But she couldn’t do it.
It was as if her shyness was in battle with the power of Caleb’s sexual magnetism, amplified by the aphrodisiacs. She wanted this, like crazy. But it scared her.
