His eyes hooded as he considered, and he leaned in closer. “You want to know my guilty pleasure?” he asked huskily. Thenoise in the diner seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them.
She nodded, staring at those beautiful, sensual lips. “Oh, yes.”
“Peaches,” he said slowly. “Warm, ripe peaches baked with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream on top.”
“Yes, please,” she whispered.
Theo cocked an eyebrow, and she blinked.
“Check, please, I meant,” she said into Theo’s laughing blue eyes. She grinned back.
He looked down at her burger, which she had demolished. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, decorous, respectable mayor once again.
“Chocolate milkshake to go?” she asked hopefully.
Theo looked at his watch. "I have a meeting. Next time, Red Hot.”
Red Hot.She kind of loved that. She let her hips sway extra sassy on the way to the door and hoped he was appreciating the view.
Theo opened the door, and his hand made its way to her back to usher her out first. The touch sent a shiver through her body. She couldn't help but think of all the other places on her body she wanted to feel his hands.
Chapter Nine
At seven o'clockon Friday night, Theo pulled into the Phoenix’s parking lot. He made his way up the stairs of the red brick building to Amber’s apartment and rang the doorbell.
“Be right there!” Amber yelled. A minute later, the door opened a crack and Amber peered out.
“Are you hiding a dead body in there?” Theo asked, frowning. He tried to look around her, but she closed the door even more to block his view.
“Only the last dinner date I had. He was annoying. Let’s hope you’re more entertaining,” she said brightly. “I’ll get my purse. Wait here.” She closed the door and locked it, and Theo was even more intrigued. What didn’t she want him to see in there? He pictured sinister things that could be discovered and plastered all over the news while he waited. By the time she opened the door, he was scowling fiercely, anticipation and dread racing through him.
Then the door opened, and Amber slipped out, closed it, and stood framed in the doorway. His scowl dropped and he stared. She was at once the most innocent-looking temptress he'd ever seen. He took in her white dress with a glance,nearly groaned out loud, and vowed to keep his comments to himself.
"What the hell are you wearing?" he said. He knew it was the wrong thing to say. Growing up with a strong, independent mother, grandmother, and sister had taught him that, but it came out all the same. He couldn't help it. He had never seen a dress that looked like…like…that. And he had been to countless avant-garde black-tie affairs.
She had on some sort of tight, white, corset-looking thing that cinched her waist impossibly small, thrusting her full breasts up, with her round hips flaring below. His mouth went dry. An inch-wide strip of tanned stomach showed between the edge of the corset and the skirt, a filmy, see-through fabric that touched the ground. It appeared she had a short white skirt underneath that saved it from being completely see-through. A small drop pearl on a silver chain around her delicate throat was her only jewelry.
"Do you like it? I made it myself." She held the skirt out, showing her white satin heels with bows on the ankles. Ah, hell.
"You made it?" he barked. "What the hell did you buy with my credit card then?"
Amber twirled, letting the skirt flow and settle around her, looking completely unaffected while he felt the need to sit down. "I bought the white dress that goes under it, silly. And then I tore off the top and sewed on the skirt."
“I can see your underwear in that.” He waved at the see-through skirt where he could not, in fact, see her underwear. But it was close.
“How do you know I’m wearing any?” she said with a smartass grin.
He fixed her with a look. “I can see them.”
“What colorare they?”
“Blue,” he guessed. “And what,” he waved at the corset-looking thing without looking, “is that? A bra?" he asked.
She burst into laughter. "It's a bustier."
"A bustier," he repeated gravely. What the hell was that? He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, okay, all right. Are you ready to go?” He was a grown-ass man, and he could keep his urges under control, and if anybody else had a problem with it, he would help keep their urges under control too. He held out his arm to hand her into the car.
“Who are these bigwigs I'm going to meet tonight?” she asked as they drove.
