“Lou,” I whisper against the rim of the martini glass with one hand resting on his forearm. “Will you take me flyingsometime?”
Being with him has been easy. I didn’t have to think about my job or worry about anything. I could just listen and stare at his handsome ruggedness without a thought other than him. I glance down at my hand and realize I’ve been touching him for most of the conversation with my fingers resting on hisforearm.
“You name the time and place.” His deep voice sounds as smooth as the liquor in the back of mythroat.
“How long are you intown?”
Why did I ask himthat?
There’s no way I can ever see him again. I can’t keep pretending to be Elizabeth the executive assistant, and I have way too much on my plate right now for frivolousfun.
“For a littlewhile.”
“Aweek?”
“Probablymore.”
“I get the hint.” I push my empty glassforward.
“Hey.” He moves closer to me, and I feel his warmth as he rests his hand on my knee. “I’m not blowing you off. I’m here for training, and it can take a while for me to finish. It depends on myschedule.”
I give him a weak smile. “It doesn’t matter, Lou. I’m too busy with work to fly away with you.” I really didn’t even have the time to sit here and have drinks with him either, but here I am, sitting, drinking, and flirting like I don’t have a care in theworld.
His fingers softly stroke the inside of my knee, and my breath hitches, causing goose bumps to break out across my skin. “Can I take you to dinner tomorrownight?”
“I can’t,” I say, my voice breathy andbetraying.
“The nextnight.”
I grimace. “Sorry, but I justcan’t.”
“You pretend you don’t want me, Liz, but I can tell you do. The way your breathing changes when I do this.” His fingers inch higher up my leg, and I regret that I wore pants today as he makes tiny circles against my flesh. “I can tell that you want me. The way your eyes dilate when I get close to you, or when you stare at my mouth.” He licks his lips, and I follow the path of his tongue. “You know you want me. Admit it.” By the time he stops speaking, my fingernails are digging into the skin of hisarm.
My body says yes, but my brain tells me to walk away—at least the part that’s still sober. The insanely hot man in the expensive dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up, wearing tailored black dress pants he fills out nicely, and a face so handsome he could grace the cover of GQ, wants me. How am I supposed to sayno?
Tomorrow, I’ll go back to reality, but there’s alwaystonight.
“I’m attracted to you.” Admitting it isn’t easy for me, but I have liquid courage. Maybe it’s more stupidity, but I say the words before I can change mymind.
He brings his face closer to mine. “Then spend the night with me,” hewhispers.
One-night stands have never been my thing. I’ve done them just like every other red-blooded American, but it wasn’t the reason I came here tonight. I needed to get lost and forget about everything. Lou gave me that out. The conversation alone did the trick, along with the three martinis I drank. But the thought of seeing him naked makes my mouth salivate and my spinetingle.
I swallow down my fear and lead with my body instead of my mind. “Okay.”
He flattens his hand on my leg before curling it around my thigh. “Come on.” He reaches into his pocket with his free hand, pulling out a money clip before tossing some bills on thebar.
I think about changing my mind, but then his fingers start to move, and all doubt vanishes. “Are you stayinghere?”
He holds out his hand to me, waiting for me to take it and seal the deal. “Yes.”
Clearly, the stress of the day must’ve had a greater effect than I thought. After three martinis and a lot of flirting, it doesn’t matter–I wanthim.
I grab my purse from the bar and turn to face him, a devilish smile on my face while my insides are doingbackflips.
“Are you sure?” he asks when I put my hand inhis.
My smile may be cockeyed, probably from the drinks, but my answer is clear and direct. I climb off the stool and smooth my shirt with one free hand. “Yes. Areyou?”
He wraps his arm around my back and steadies me as we walk out of the hotel bar. The spark between us is almost visible as we steal glances at each other, walking through the lobby. My need grows stronger the closer we get to the elevators, and the butterflies inside my stomach are flying around withexcitement.
By the time we make it to the elevator bank, I don’t feel as tipsy as I did when I agreed to go to his room. “Elizabeth,” he says, pulling my body closer to his. “I need to know that you want this. I don’t take advantage of women.” His fingers tighten on my waist. “I want you. More than anything, I want to tasteyou.”
I peer into his eyes. “I want you,Lou.”
