“Thank you for dinner. It smells delicious.”
A wide grin split his face. His voice was low, mellow. “Do you like to cook, Erin?” He brushed his thumb over her skin with agonizing gentleness and gazed so deep into her eyes, she was sure he could touch her soul and read her every secret. Heat radiated from his hands and stirred her insides. It wasn’t the way her body reacted to his touch that had her concerned, it was the way her heart reacted.
She pulled back, cursing herself for feeling so emotional. Taking a moment to regroup, she reminded herself this was just about casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“Not if I don’t have to.” It wasn’t a complete lie. All-talk-and-no-action Erin Shay might be a closet domestic, but this new version of her, bad-girl Erin Shay, didn’t enjoy making quiche, omelets, or even breakfast frittatas. The less personal things were between them, the easier it would be for her to walk away.
“Then I guess I’m in charge of breakfast too.”
Comprehension and unease hit her at the same time. She realized what he meant. He wanted her to stay over.
Oh hell!
As Kale gazed at her from across the table, tightness settled in his chest. It was almost impossible to look away from her beauty. There was no denying that Erin stirred him both physically and emotionally, and was everything he’d been looking for. Everything he needed.
Sure he could have skipped the meal and jumped straight in the sack with her, but he wanted more. He wanted to talk with her, to get to know her on a deeper level, and to find out why she kept herself so guarded. He wanted to discover what horrible incident from her past had left her so jaded when it came to men and relationships.
“Everything looks beautiful, Kale.” She glanced into the living room. “You even put up a tree. It’s gorgeous.”
Her voice pulled his mind from its wanderings. “Thank you.” He glanced at her, his gaze moving over her features. The candlelight emphasized her sculpted cheekbones and bronzed skin. Her nutmeg hair was clipped at her nape. Dark hooded eyes brimmed with unleashed passion.
He could lose himself in those eyes. Come to think of it, he already had.
The love he felt for her suddenly blew over him like a gale force wind, leaving him feeling unstable and light-headed.
He drew a quick rejuvenating breath and poured her a glass of white wine. As he watched her take a small sip, it took all his restraint not to swipe his arm across the table, clear it of its contents, and make sweet love to her right there. All night long.
“Delicious,” she said, licking the last drop from her plump lips. She looked past his shoulders into the kitchen. “What smells so good?”
He cleared his throat. “I thought we’d start with a shrimp appetizer.”
She twirled her glass in her fingers. “What, no oysters?” she teased playfully.
He chuckled, loving her playful side. “I don’t need them.” He drained the wine from his glass and leaned into her. He glanced pointedly at her pert nipples. “Do you?”
“No,” she admitted honestly.
“Good.” Standing, he turned his back to her and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Do you need any help?” Erin called out.
“Nope. Stay put.”
A moment later he came back carrying a shrimp platter and dipping sauce. He positioned them in the center of the table and reclaimed his chair.
“Looks great,” Erin said.
After he seated himself, Erin reached for a shrimp but he quickly stopped her. He closed his hand over hers, the pad of his thumb rubbing her flesh. The sweet friction almost made him skip the meal and give in to his urges.
“Allow me,” he said, trying to keep his voice level.
She tucked her hands into her lap as he dipped the shrimp into the seafood sauce and slowly carried it to her mouth. She parted her pretty cinnamon-painted lips, and he placed it on her tongue.
“Mmmm. Delicious.” She nibbled and moaned a sweet, sexy bedroom moan that made his groin ache. It was the same noise she’d made when she orgasmed in the elevator and in the research room. Fuck. If she kept it up he’d never be able to think coherently or hold a civil conversation.
He lowered his voice and sidled closer. “What we did on the elevator today was really incredible, Erin.”
Her eyes glistened. “Yeah, I know.” Her voice was breathy, intimate.
“You were such a bad girl.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “You were very wild. And hot.”
Her eyes darkened with heat and passion. “You too.”
She reached for the platter. “My turn.” She dipped the shrimp into the sauce and seductively carried it to him. He leaned into her and drew it into his mouth. As he chewed, he watched her reach for another shrimp. She covered it in a generous amount of sauce and poised it near her sensuous lips.
Kale’s gaze dropped to her cleavage. “You dripped sauce on yourself.”
Her eyes glistened and caressed him with sultry heat. Her chin lifted a notch, challenging him. “Maybe I did it on purpose.” She popped the shrimp into her mouth. Her pink tongue slid over her fleshy lips as she chewed.
He cocked his head, intrigued. “Yeah?” He watched her pulse beat at the creamy base of her neck. That’s where he wanted his mouth.
She stared at him for an endless moment, then spread her legs in a silent message. “All that talk about licking today got me thinking.”
Oh hell, forget the meal. He could no longer stave off the urgent demands of his body or fight the inevitable. They’d talk later, after he’d made love to her, when they were snuggled under the sheets.
Deciding to play along with her seductive game, he let his eyes leave her face and slowly track downward to settle on her distended nipples. Oh yeah, shrimp was the last thing he was interested
