She groaned her embarrassment, but he wasn’t finished.
“And all of that is before we get to your eyes.” He still held her chin, so he felt her pulse beat a rapid tattoo against the pads of his fingers when her lids fluttered open.
He pointed to her eyes. “Yeah, those. Hands down, you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Lioness eyes is how I think of them.”
He couldn’t keep staring into her eyes without losing himself in them, so he focused on her lips. And that was abigmistake. Because he was suddenly having trouble remembering why he wasn’t kissing her.
Whyam I not kissing her?
Oh, right. She comes with all the strings attached and I’m Mr. Footloose and Fancy-free.
“Then there’s your smile...” He rubbed his thumb over her pouty bottom lip and watched her mouth fall open so she could drag in a surprised breath. “You don’t bring it out very often, but when you do, it’s so radiant, it lights up a room.”
“Spiro...” His name was a whisper on the wind, but it hit his ears like a siren’s call. His blood went from a soft simmer to a rapid boil. Behind his button-fly, his cock went from semi-hard to granite.
“It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to press you back into the sand, climb on top of you, and show you just how wrong you are when you say you’re not beautiful. When you claim I don’t like you likethat.”
She jerked her chin from his hand. “You’re just saying that because you feel sorry for me. Because—”
Foolish woman.“Does this look like pity to you?” He reached down to wrap his hand around the throbbing column of his erection.
When her eyes locked onto his hardness, her pupils dilated until they nearly eclipsed the gold around them. “I—” She bit her lip and started messing with her earring again. “I don’t get it.”
He let go of his cock. “What don’t you get?”
“Youwantme?”
He lifted one eyebrow and pointed to his flag flying at full staff. “Cariña, isn’t that obvious?”
“No.” She shook her head firmly, looking so adorably ferocious that he had the strangest urge to boop her on her button nose. And then, you know,fuckher. “Because if you wanted me, if youreallywanted me, you wouldn’t have said what you did.”
His eyebrows pinched together. “What did I say?”
“That I’m nothing you need and you aren’t anything I should want.”
He waved a blithe hand through the salt-tinged air. He would swear the sun dappling down through the trees overhead heated her flesh until he could smell the subtle scent of her lotion. A smell that always reminded him of money and class and sweet, soft Mia. “I stand by that statement.”
“I—” She stopped and glared at him, looking like she suddenly wanted to reposition his nose onto his forehead. “Are you being intentionally obtuse or are you trying to make me so confused I tear my hair out?”
“We’ve already established that I reallylikeyour hair, so I’d say—”
“Spiro!” She threw her hands in the air, her cheeks flaming with irritation.
As much as he fought to keep the satisfied smile off his face, he couldn’t help himself. His name on her lips was everything. “Yes, Mia?” he asked innocently.
“Don’t bat your lashes at me.” She pointed at him, and he was careful to stop blinking at all. “And put away your dimples while you’re at it,” she grumbled, and he sucked in his cheeks.
He knew he must look ridiculous. But he could tell she was mollified because she gave a quick, satisfied dip of her chin.
“Now explain yourself,” she demanded. “Explain how you can claim to want me, but also think I’m nothing you need and you’re not anything I should want.”
“That’s easy. I want you because you’re sweet and smart and sneakily funny. But mostly because you’re sexy as hell.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he shoved a finger over her lips. Her hot breath bathed his skin and his cock lurched behind his fly as if it thought to replace his finger with itself.
The imagerythatbrought to mind made him ache so badly, his eyes nearly crossed.
He had to clear his throat to continue. “If I take my finger away, do you swear to be quiet and let me finish?”
Indecision made her hesitate. For a woman who chose to remain quiet so often, she sure seemed to have a hard time keeping her mouth shut when she had something to say.
