I track the little dip of her throat when she swallows, and I resist the urge to drag my mouth over her neck. Her tongue snakes out to lick a bit of mascarpone from the corner of her lip, and I’d give anything to fist her hair and claim her mouth with mine.
For a moment, I wonder who’s seducing who.
When dessert is nearly complete—with my pants tighter in front thanks to her sexy little display over the tiramisu—a man enters the VIP section.
Her shoulders tense once she spots him, and at a jerk of his chin, she rises and crosses the floor to join him without even a farewell to me.
As she whispers to the man, I seize the opportunity to examine him.
Broad shoulders and chest. Short, functional brown hair, skin more olive than tan. A nose just off-center from a few too many breaks and hasty resets.
I recognize him from my research. Maeve’s younger brother, Brody.
The siblings step down into the main restaurant and head for the bar, their heads bent together.
I sip the last of my whiskey, my senses tingling as I train my attention on their backs.
Just what are they talking about?
Chapter 7
Maeve
As soon as we finish our little talk, I glare at Brody’s retreating back.
Dad’s got a lot of nerve, sending my younger brother down here with more demands when I don’t want any of them in the hotel in the first place.
While that’s not Brody’s fault, as the bearer of bad news, he’s the lucky recipient of my irritation. The wine only worsened my patience.
I’ll try to remember to apologize next time I see him.
How am I supposed to go back and face Kellin after that? The dinner was going so well, despite thefirstinterruption, and now I’m cranky and frustrated and?—
A warm hand lands on my shoulder, causing me to jump. My heart leaps into my throat as I whirl around to face this new threat.
Beside me, Kellin reclines against the bar, the hand I threw off still in the air. “Everything okay?”
Crap, he scared me. Embarrassment roots in my chest.
Calming my heart, I manage a nod. “Yes, I… Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you.”
Kellin glances at the door and then back at me. “You sure?” His voice becomes a low, sultry murmur. “Do I need to kick someone else out of here?”
Unbidden warmth flushes through my system. Why am I enjoying his soft-spoken threat? Usually, I abhor that kind of behavior—and violence in general.
“That won’t be necessary.” I can’t hold back my smile. “Just my little brother being a little brother.” Not the complete truth, but Kellin doesn’t need the details.
“Got it.”
“You didn’t have to wait for me. Especially after I ate most of your dessert and abandoned you.”
I steal another glimpse of him while he’s standing so close. Dark eyes glittering in the overhead lights. A sharp, aristocratic nose. Stubble on his jaw. A broad chest beneath that suit. A scar on his right hand.
I focus on that mark and on the way he manhandled that drunk idiot earlier. On the shadows that flicker over his face.
Maybe…he’s not so white collar after all.
The thought intrigues me. I want to ask about that scar. About where he learned to handle people so easily. How to switch from charming, polite businessman to seductive, heat-inducing sinner within a heartbeat.
