He walked to her side and lifted a piece of her hair off her sweater. She tensed as he brought the hair up and sniffed. “Mmm.”
She blushed. “Would you stop? You have no idea what ‘personal space’ means, do you?”
“Nope.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to give himself more room in his jeans. His dick refused to go down. At the wordsgo down, he couldn’t help envisioning Maya on her knees, her mouth wide open…
“You okay? You look like you’re in pain.” Maya smirked at him. “We can always cancel tonight if you’re not feeling up to snuff.” Her telling gaze lingered over his fly.
“I’m just fine.” He smiled back, wanting to nibble his way down her body. “Hungry is all.”
“I’ll bet.” She strolled to the hall closet, grabbed her shoes and jacket and finished dressing. “Well?”
“I’m driving.” He put a hand on the small of her back to guide her out of her cottage. “Lock up.”
“Okay, here’s the thing.” She locked her door, and the sound of the deadbolt closing relieved him. He hadn’t liked that she’d left her door unlocked while taking a bath.
“The thing?”
“I said I’d date you, so I will. You keep your mouth shut about Selena, and I’m your arm candy for a few nights.” She stepped close to him and poked him in the chest. “That doesn’t mean you get to boss me around. And we already took sex off the table, because I’m not a whore who can be bought with your silence.”
“Or bought with anything else?” He laughed when her eyes narrowed. “Teasing. Maya, I never called you a whore or inferred it. I simply want to spend some time with you.”
“Whatever. Let’s go.”
He would have taken more offense at her attitude if he didn’t see the small signs of nerves he’d long ago committed to memory. Back in high school, he’d been obsessed with her. The Marine Corps had broadened his perceptions and allowed him to experience life and relationships in far-off lands and with a diverse group of people. Yet nothing about his memories of Maya had faded.
She bit her lower lip, glared at him and stomped her way to his truck. Oh yeah, the woman was nervous, which fascinated him. Maya usually held the world by the balls. He couldn’t imagine that in the time he’d been gone, and with her surly demeanor, much had changed since he’d left. When something got under her skin, it meant more to her than a casual interest.
Buoyed by the thought he might just be able to seduce her into his bed and hopefully into his life, he got behind the wheel and drove.
They arrived at a small hole-in-the-wall bar on the south side of town. The place had greasy food, great music and an intimate atmosphere.
“Never been here.” Maya stared around her, taking in the biker décor and live rock playing at a non-earsplitting decibel. “This is nice.”
“Well, I thought about taking you to the Astro Lounge, but they’re all about drinks and banging college girls.”
“Yeah, I’m not into college girls anymore.”
He blinked, waiting for more and not getting it. “That’s all you’re saying? You can’t leave me hanging, Maya. Did you really go out with a woman?”
“Once. Not my thing, but she was really cute.”
He groaned. “You did that on purpose. Now I’ll be spending the night thinking about you and some young, nubile chick in bed.”
She laughed. “Nubile? Geez. You and Ann should get together and play Scrabble.”
“I would, but Jack won’t let me get near her.”
Maya frowned. “She’s happily in love with the guy. Leave her alone.”
Yep. Always loyal to her friends. Was it any reason he’d been captivated by her from day one? Gorgeous, funny, smart, loyal, and yet she watched everyone with caution, as if waiting for someone to throw the first punch. Back then, he’d wanted to be the one to protect her. To his bemusement, he still did.
“Dex,” she growled. “I mean it.”
“Easy, Maya. Ann’s cute, but she’s not my type.” He decided to start his seduction. Slowly, but not so subtly that she wouldn’t know what he wanted. The key to Maya was to keep her off balance and interested. “I prefer a woman with a little meat. Some curves. Darker skin, straight black hair…”
“Really? A little meat? My heart’s all aflutter.”
“You know me. Mr. Charm.” He shrugged off his jacket, gratified when Maya gave him a thorough once-over.
